Valentine’s Day isn’t the only noteworthy happening in February History.  Take a quick history lesson here and brush up on your February History!

February 1, 2003 – Sixteen minutes before it was scheduled to land, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart in flight over Texas, killing all seven crew members.

February 3, 1870 – The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.

February 3, 1913 – The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.

February 3, 1959 – The Day The Music Died. Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and Jiles Perry “J. P.” Richardson, Jr. died in a plane crash.

February 8, 1910 – The Boy Scouts of America was incorporated.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018 – Valentine’s Day. This is the official Wells Brothers reminder.

February 17, 1909 – Apache Chief Geronimo (1829-1909) died while in captivity at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

February 19, 1942 – Internment of Japanese Americans began after President Franklin Roosevelt issued an Executive Order Number 9066.

February 23, 1942 – During World War II, the first attack on the U.S. mainland occurred as a Japanese submarine shelled an oil refinery near Santa Barbara, California.

What does Ellis Island, NASA and the Roe vs. Wade all have in common? They are all historical events that happened in January.  Read A Little January History and brush up on these significant dates in January History.

January 1, 1892, Ellis Island opened. Until its closing in 1954, over 20 million people legally arrived in America.

January 5, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a bill approving NASA to build and test the space shuttle.

January 7, 1999, the impeachment trial of President Clinton began.

January 10, 1776, Thomas Paine published “Common Sense”.

January 16, 1991, Operation Desert Storm started as allied aircraft conducted a major raid against Iraqi air defenses.

January 17, 1966, an American B-52 bomber collided with its refueling plane over Palomares, Spain. Seven crewmen were killed and the bomber released its four H-bombs.

January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in the case of Roe vs. Wade.

January 24, 1848, gold was found during the construction of a sawmill on the American River in California.

January 27, 1967, American astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee were killed when a fire erupted inside Apollo 1 during a launch simulation test at Cape Kennedy, Florida.

Stop by Wells Brother, your one stop shop for all your pet, gardening and lawn supplies. Check out our January Savings Coupons and sign up for one of our many events this spring.

Wondering what to do with the old Christmas Tree?  Consider recycling your Christmas Tree. Here are some great tips for Christmas Tree recycling.

Give it to the birds!
Move the tree outside and create your own backyard bird buffet!

Find a place outside where the tree is sheltered from the winds, and stand it upright instead of on its side.  Birds prefer a tree that is off the ground and away from predators.  Attach it to a pole or fence if necessary.

Get the entire family involved, especially the kids.  If you have pinecones have them add peanut butter to the pinecones and then hang them in the tree.  Or roll the peanut butter pine cone in bird seed, or press dried cranberries, raisins, or sunflower seeds into the peanut butter.  Other ideas include stringing popcorn and cranberries and hanging the strings in the tree.

Cardinals, finches, and grosbeaks love popcorn. Cedar waxwings and robins will appreciate cranberries and raisins. Another idea is to cut an orange in half, take out the pulp, and fill it with homemade suet. This provides a good energy source for woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches.

Looking for wild bird seed?  Come see us, we have a great selection of bird seed and houses.

Create a fish habitat.
Sink your tree in a pond (with permission, of course). In deep water, old trees become habitats for fish and aquatic insects. In shallow wetlands, trees can act as barriers to sand and soil erosion—though currently, only the State of Louisiana has a tree-based restoration project in place.

Mulch your tree.
Cut off the boughs and place them on the ground like a blanket to protect plants that are susceptible to windburn, plants that are marginally hardy in your area, and plants that might come up early and be nipped by a late spring frost, such as fall-planted pansies or early emerging perennials.

City Recycling.
Find out if your town or city has a special day for picking up Christmas trees or a place where you can take them after the holidays. If you live in Plano, Allen, and McKinney, click for tree recycling information.