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March 30 in History
- 598 – Balkan Campaign: The Avars lift the siege at the Byzantine stronghold of Tomis. Their leader Bayan I retreats north of the Danube River after the Avaro-Slavic hordes are decimated by the plague.
- 1282 – The people of Sicily rebel against the Angevin king Charles I, in what becomes known as the Sicilian Vespers.
- 1296 – Edward I sacks Berwick-upon-Tweed, during armed conflict between Scotland and England.
- 1699 – Guru Gobind Singh establishes the Khalsa in Anandpur Sahib, Punjab.
- 1815 – Joachim Murat issues the Rimini Proclamation which would later inspire Italian unification.
- 1818 – Physicist Augustin Fresnel reads a memoir on optical rotation to the French Academy of Sciences, reporting that when polarized light is “depolarized” by a Fresnel rhomb, its properties are preserved in any subsequent passage through an optically-rotating crystal or liquid.
- 1822 – The Florida Territory is created in the United States.
- 1841 – The National Bank of Greece is founded in Athens.
- 1842 – Ether anesthesia is used for the first time, in an operation by the American surgeon Dr. Crawford Long.
- 1844 – One of the most important battles of the Dominican War of Independence from Haiti takes place near the city of Santiago de los Caballeros.
- 1855 – Origins of the American Civil War: “Border Ruffians” from Missouri invade Kansas and force election of a pro-slavery legislature.
- 1856 – The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Crimean War.
- 1861 – Discovery of the chemical elements: Sir William Crookes announces his discovery of thallium.
- 1863 – Danish prince Wilhelm Georg is chosen as King George of Greece.
- 1867 – Alaska is purchased from Russia for $7.2 million, about 2-cent/acre ($4.19/km²), by United States Secretary of State William H. Seward.
- 1870 – Texas is readmitted to the United States Congress following Reconstruction.
- 1885 – The Battle for Kushka triggers the Panjdeh Incident which nearly gives rise to war between the Russian and British Empire.
- 1899 – German Society of Chemistry issues an invitation to other national scientific organizations to appoint delegates to the International Committee on Atomic Weights.
- 1912 – Sultan Abd al-Hafid signs the Treaty of Fez, making Morocco a French protectorate.
- 1918 – Outburst of bloody March Events in Baku and other locations of Baku Governorate.
- 1939 – The Heinkel He 100 fighter sets a world airspeed record of 463 mph (745 km/h).
- 1940 – Second Sino-Japanese War: Japan declares Nanking capital of a new Chinese puppet government, nominally controlled by Wang Jingwei.
- 1944 – World War II: Allied bombers conduct their most severe bombing run on Sofia, Bulgaria.
- 1944 – Out of 795 Lancasters, Halifaxes and Mosquitos sent to attack Nuremberg, 95 bombers do not return, making it the largest RAF Bomber Command loss of the war.
- 1945 – World War II: Soviet forces invade Austria and capture Vienna; Polish and Soviet forces liberate Danzig.
- 1949 – Cold War: A riot breaks out in Austurvöllur square in Reykjavík, when Iceland joins NATO.
- 1959 – Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, flees Tibet for India.
- 1961 – The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs is signed in New York City.
- 1965 – Vietnam War: A car bomb explodes in front of the United States Embassy, Saigon, killing 22 and wounding 183 others.
- 1972 – Vietnam War: The Easter Offensive begins after North Vietnamese forces cross into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) of South Vietnam.
- 1976 – Israeli-Palestinian conflict: in the first organized response against Israeli policies by a Palestinian collective since 1948, Palestinians create the first Land Day.
- 1979 – Airey Neave, a British Member of Parliament, is killed by a car bomb as he exits the Palace of Westminster. The Irish National Liberation Army claims responsibility.
- 1981 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by John Hinckley, Jr.; three others are wounded in the same incident.
- 1982 – Space Shuttle program: STS-3 mission is completed with the landing of Columbia at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
- 2002 – 2002 Lyon car attack takes place.
- 2009 – Twelve gunmen attack the Manawan Police Academy in Lahore, Pakistan.
- 2017 – SpaceX conducts the world’s first reflight of an orbital class rocket.
Births on March 30
- 892 – Shi Jingtang, founder of the Later Jin Dynasty (d. 942)
- 1135 – Maimonides, Spanish rabbi and philosopher (April 6 also proposed, d. 1204)
- 1326 – Ivan II of Moscow (d. 1359)
- 1432 – Mehmed the Conqueror, Ottoman sultan (d. 1481)
- 1510 – Antonio de Cabezón, Spanish composer and organist (d. 1566)
- 1551 – Salomon Schweigger, German theologian (d. 1622)
- 1606 – Vincentio Reinieri, Italian mathematician and astronomer (d. 1647)
- 1632 – John Proctor, farmer hanged for witchcraft in the Salem witch trials (d. 1692)
- 1640 – John Trenchard, English politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (d. 1695)
- 1727 – Tommaso Traetta, Italian composer and educator (d. 1779)
- 1746 – Francisco Goya, Spanish-French painter and sculptor (d. 1828)
- 1750 – John Stafford Smith, English organist and composer (d. 1836)
- 1793 – Juan Manuel de Rosas, Argentinian soldier and politician, 13th Governor of Buenos Aires Province (d. 1877)
- 1805 – Ferdinand Johann Wiedemann, German-Swedish linguist and botanist (d. 1887)
- 1811 – Robert Bunsen, German chemist and academic (d. 1899)
- 1820 – Anna Sewell, English author (d. 1878)
- 1820 – James Whyte, Scottish-Australian politician, 6th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1882)
- 1844 – Paul Verlaine, French poet (d. 1896)
- 1853 – Vincent van Gogh, Dutch-French painter and illustrator (d. 1890)
- 1853 – Arnoldo Sartorio, German composer, pianist, and teacher (d. 1936)
- 1857 – Léon Charles Thévenin, French engineer (d. 1926)
- 1858 – Siegfried Alkan, German composer (d. 1941)
- 1863 – Mary Calkins, American philosopher and psychologist (d. 1930)
- 1864 – Franz Oppenheimer, German-American sociologist and economist (d. 1943)
- 1874 – Charles Lightoller, English 2nd officer on the RMS Titanic (d. 1952)
- 1874 – Josiah McCracken, American hammer thrower, shot putter, and football player (d. 1962)
- 1874 – Nicolae Rădescu, Romanian general and politician, Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1953)
- 1875 – Thomas Xenakis, Greek-American gymnast (d. 1942)
- 1879 – Coen de Koning, Dutch speed skater (d. 1954)
- 1880 – Seán O’Casey, Irish dramatist, playwright, and memoirist (d. 1964)
- 1882 – Melanie Klein, Jewish Austrian-English psychologist and author (d. 1960)
- 1888 – J. R. Williams, Canadian-born cartoonist (d. 1957)
- 1891 – Chunseong, Korean monk, writer and philosopher (d. 1977)
- 1892 – Stefan Banach, Polish mathematician and academic (d. 1945)
- 1892 – Fortunato Depero, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1960)
- 1892 – Erhard Milch, German field marshal (d. 1972)
- 1892 – Johannes Pääsuke, Estonian photographer and director (d. 1918)
- 1892 – Erwin Panofsky, German historian and academic (d. 1968)
- 1894 – Tommy Green, English race walker (d. 1975)
- 1894 – Sergey Ilyushin, Russian engineer, founded Ilyushin Aircraft Company (d. 1977)
- 1895 – Jean Giono, French author and poet (d. 1970)
- 1895 – Carl Lutz, Swiss vice-consul to Hungary during WWII, credited with saving over 62,000 Jews (d. 1975)
- 1895 – Charlie Wilson, English footballer (d. 1971)
- 1899 – Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, Indian author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1970)
- 1902 – Brooke Astor, American socialite and philanthropist (d. 2007)
- 1902 – Ted Heath, English trombonist and composer (d. 1969)
- 1903 – Joy Ridderhof, American missionary (d. 1984)
- 1904 – Ripper Collins, American baseball player and coach (d. 1970)
- 1905 – Archie Birkin, English motorcycle racer (d. 1927)
- 1905 – Mikio Oda, Japanese triple jumper and academic (d. 1998)
- 1905 – Albert Pierrepoint, English hangman (d. 1992)
- 1907 – Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte, German general (d. 1994)
- 1910 – Józef Marcinkiewicz, Polish soldier, mathematician, and academic (d. 1940)
- 1911 – Ekrem Akurgal, Turkish archaeologist and academic (d. 2002)
- 1912 – Jack Cowie, New Zealand cricketer (d. 1994)
- 1912 – Alvin Hamilton, Canadian lieutenant and politician, 18th Canadian Minister of Agriculture (d. 2004)
- 1913 – Marc Davis, American animator (d. 2000)
- 1913 – Richard Helms, American soldier and diplomat, 8th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 2002)
- 1913 – Frankie Laine, American singer-songwriter (d. 2007)
- 1913 – Ċensu Tabone, Maltese general, physician, and politician, 4th President of Malta (d. 2012)
- 1914 – Sonny Boy Williamson I, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player (d. 1948)
- 1915 – Pietro Ingrao, Italian journalist and politician (d. 2015)
- 1917 – Els Aarne, Ukrainian-Estonian pianist, composer, and educator (d. 1995)
- 1919 – McGeorge Bundy, American intelligence officer and diplomat, 6th United States National Security Advisor (d. 1996)
- 1919 – Robin M. Williams, New Zealand mathematician and academic (d. 2013)
- 1921 – André Fontaine, French historian and journalist (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Turhan Bey, American actor (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Arthur Wightman, American physicist and academic (d. 2013)
- 1923 – Milton Acorn, Canadian poet and playwright (d. 1986)
- 1926 – Ingvar Kamprad, Swedish businessman, founded IKEA (d. 2018)
- 1927 – Wally Grout, Australian cricketer (d. 1968)
- 1928 – Robert Badinter, French lawyer and politician, French Minister of Justice
- 1928 – Colin Egar, Australian cricket umpire (d. 2008)
- 1928 – Tom Sharpe, English-Spanish author and educator (d. 2013)
- 1929 – Richard Dysart, American actor (d. 2015)
- 1929 – Ray Musto, American soldier and politician (d. 2014)
- 1929 – István Rózsavölgyi, Hungarian runner (d. 2012)
- 1930 – John Astin, American actor
- 1930 – Rolf Harris, Australian singer-songwriter
- 1933 – Jean-Claude Brialy, French actor and director (d. 2007)
- 1934 – Paul Crouch, American broadcaster, co-founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network (d. 2013)
- 1934 – Hans Hollein, Austrian architect and academic, designed Haas House (d. 2014)
- 1935 – Karl Berger, German pianist and composer
- 1935 – Willie Galimore, American football player (d. 1964)
- 1935 – Gordon Mumma, American composer
- 1937 – Warren Beatty, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1937 – Ian MacLaurin, Baron MacLaurin of Knebworth, English businessman
- 1938 – John Barnhill, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1938 – Klaus Schwab, German economist and engineer, founded the World Economic Forum
- 1940 – Norman Gifford, English cricketer
- 1940 – Jerry Lucas, American basketball player and educator
- 1940 – Hans Ragnemalm, Swedish lawyer and judge (d. 2016)
- 1941 – Graeme Edge, English singer-songwriter and drummer
- 1941 – Ron Johnston, English geographer and academic
- 1941 – Wasim Sajjad, Pakistani lawyer and politician, President of Pakistan
- 1941 – Bob Smith, American soldier and politician
- 1942 – Ruben Kun, Nauruan lawyer and politician, 14th President of Nauru (d. 2014)
- 1942 – Tane Norton, New Zealand rugby player
- 1942 – Kenneth Welsh, Canadian actor
- 1943 – Jay Traynor, American pop and doo-wop singer (d. 2014)
- 1944 – Mark Wylea Erwin, American businessman and diplomat
- 1944 – Brian Wilshire, Australian radio host
- 1945 – Eric Clapton, English guitarist and singer-songwriter
- 1947 – Dick Roche, Irish politician, Minister of State for European Affairs
- 1947 – Terje Venaas, Norwegian bassist
- 1948 – Nigel Jones, Baron Jones of Cheltenham, English computer programmer and politician
- 1948 – Eddie Jordan, Irish racing driver and team owner, founded Jordan Grand Prix
- 1948 – Mervyn King, English economist and academic
- 1948 – Jim “Dandy” Mangrum, American rock singer
- 1949 – Liza Frulla, Canadian talk show host and politician, 3rd Minister of Canadian Heritage
- 1949 – Dana Gillespie, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1949 – Naomi Sims, American model and author (d. 2009)
- 1950 – Janet Browne, English-American historian and academic
- 1950 – Robbie Coltrane, Scottish actor
- 1950 – Grady Little, American baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1950 – Warren Snowdon, Australian educator and politician, 39th Australian Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
- 1951 – Paul Da Vinci, English singer-songwriter
- 1952 – Stuart Dryburgh, English-New Zealand cinematographer
- 1952 – Peter Knights, Australian footballer and coach
- 1955 – Randy VanWarmer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2004)
- 1956 – Bill Butler, Scottish educator and politician
- 1956 – Juanito Oiarzabal, Spanish mountaineer
- 1956 – Shahla Sherkat, Iranian journalist and author
- 1957 – Marie-Christine Koundja, Chadian author and diplomat
- 1957 – Paul Reiser, American actor and comedian
- 1958 – Maurice LaMarche, Canadian voice actor and stand-up comedian
- 1958 – Joey Sindelar, American golfer
- 1959 – Martina Cole, English television host and author
- 1960 – Laurie Graham, Canadian skier
- 1960 – Bill Johnson, American skier (d. 2016)
- 1961 – Mike Thackwell, New Zealand racing driver
- 1961 – Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 1999)
- 1962 – Mark Begich, American politician
- 1962 – MC Hammer, American rapper and actor
- 1962 – Gary Stevens, English international footballer, defender and manager
- 1963 – Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, Mongolian journalist and politician, 4th President of Mongolia
- 1963 – Eli-Eri Moura, Brazilian composer and conductor
- 1963 – Panagiotis Tsalouchidis, Greek footballer
- 1964 – Vlado Bozinovski, Macedonian-Australian footballer and manager
- 1964 – Tracy Chapman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1965 – Piers Morgan, English journalist and talk show host
- 1966 – Efstratios Grivas, Greek chess player and author
- 1966 – Dmitry Volkov, Russian swimmer
- 1966 – Leonid Voloshin, Russian triple jumper
- 1967 – Christopher Bowman, American figure skater and coach (d. 2008)
- 1967 – Richard Hutten, Dutch furniture designer
- 1967 – Julie Richardson, New Zealand tennis player
- 1968 – Celine Dion, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1969 – Troy Bayliss, Australian motorcycle racer
- 1970 – Tobias Hill, English poet and author
- 1970 – Sylvain Charlebois, Canadian food/agriculture researcher and author
- 1971 – Mari Holden, American cyclist
- 1971 – Mark Consuelos, American actor and television personality
- 1972 – Mili Avital, Israeli-American actress
- 1972 – Emerson Thome, Brazilian footballer and scout
- 1972 – Karel Poborský, Czech footballer
- 1973 – Adam Goldstein, American keyboard player, DJ, and producer (d. 2009)
- 1973 – Jan Koller, Czech footballer
- 1973 – Kareem Streete-Thompson, Caymanian-American long jumper
- 1974 – Martin Love, Australian cricketer
- 1975 – Paul Griffen, New Zealand-Italian rugby player
- 1976 – Ty Conklin, American ice hockey player
- 1976 – Obadele Thompson, Barbadian sprinter
- 1976 – Troels Lund Poulsen, Danish politician, Minister for Education of Denmark
- 1977 – Abhishek Chaubey, Indian director and screenwriter
- 1978 – Paweł Czapiewski, Polish runner
- 1978 – Chris Paterson, Scottish rugby player and coach
- 1978 – Bok van Blerk, South African singer-songwriter and actor
- 1979 – Norah Jones, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1979 – Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Ukrainian footballer
- 1980 – Ricardo Osorio, Mexican footballer
- 1981 – Jammal Brown, American football player
- 1981 – Andrea Masi, Italian rugby player
- 1982 – Mark Hudson, English footballer
- 1982 – Philippe Mexès, French footballer
- 1982 – Javier Portillo, Spanish footballer
- 1982 – Jason Dohring, American actor
- 1983 – Jérémie Aliadière, French footballer
- 1984 – Mario Ančić, Croatian tennis player
- 1984 – Samantha Stosur, Australian tennis player
- 1985 – Giacomo Ricci, Italian racing driver
- 1986 – Sergio Ramos, Spanish footballer
- 1987 – Trent Barreta, American wrestler
- 1987 – Calum Elliot, Scottish footballer
- 1987 – Kwok Kin Pong, Hong Kong footballer
- 1987 – Marc-Édouard Vlasic, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1988 – Will Matthews, Australian rugby league player
- 1988 – Thanasis Papazoglou, Greek footballer
- 1988 – Richard Sherman, American football player
- 1988 – Larisa Yurkiw, Canadian alpine skier
- 1989 – Chris Sale, American baseball player
- 1989 – João Sousa, Portuguese tennis player
- 1990 – Thomas Rhett, American country music singer and songwriter
- 1990 – Michal Březina, Czech figure skater
- 1992 – Palak Muchhal, Indian playback singer
- 1993 – Anitta, Brazilian singer and entertainer
- 1994 – Jetro Willems, Dutch footballer
- 1997 – Cha Eun-woo, South Korean singer and actor, A member of the South Korean boy band, Astro
- 1998 – Kalyn Ponga, Australian rugby league player
- 2000 – Colton Herta, American race car driver
Deaths on March 30
- 116 – Quirinus of Neuss, Roman martyr and saint
- 365 – Ai of Jin, emperor of the Jin Dynasty (b. 341)
- 943 – Li Bian, emperor of Southern Tang (b. 889)
- 987 – Arnulf II, Count of Flanders (b. 960)
- 1180 – Al-Mustadi, Caliph (b. 1142)
- 1202 – Joachim of Fiore, Italian mystic and theologian (b. 1135)
- 1465 – Isabella of Clermont, queen consort of Naples (b. c. 1424)
- 1472 – Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy (b. 1435)
- 1486 – Thomas Bourchier, English cardinal (b. 1404)
- 1526 – Konrad Mutian, German humanist (b. 1471)
- 1540 – Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg, German cardinal (b. 1469)
- 1559 – Adam Ries, German mathematician and academic (b. 1492)
- 1587 – Ralph Sadler, English politician, Secretary of State for England (b. 1507)
- 1662 – François le Métel de Boisrobert, French poet and playwright (b. 1592)
- 1689 – Kazimierz Łyszczyński, Polish atheist and philosopher (b. 1634)
- 1707 – Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, French general and engineer (b. 1633)
- 1764 – Pietro Locatelli, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1695)
- 1783 – William Hunter, Scottish anatomist and physician (b. 1718)
- 1804 – Victor-François, 2nd duc de Broglie, French general and politician, French Secretary of State for War (b. 1718)
- 1806 – Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (b. 1757)
- 1830 – Louis I, Grand Duke of Baden (b. 1763)
- 1840 – Beau Brummell, English-French fashion designer (b. 1778)
- 1842 – Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, French painter (b. 1755)
- 1864 – Louis Schindelmeisser, German clarinet player, composer, and conductor (b. 1811)
- 1873 – Bénédict Morel, Austrian-French psychiatrist and physician (b. 1809)
- 1879 – Thomas Couture, French painter and educator (b. 1815)
- 1886 – Joseph-Alfred Mousseau, Canadian judge and politician, 6th Premier of Quebec (b. 1838)
- 1896 – Charilaos Trikoupis, Greek politician, 55th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1832)
- 1912 – Karl May, German author (b. 1842)
- 1925 – Rudolf Steiner, Austrian philosopher and author (b. 1861)
- 1935 – Romanos Melikian, Armenian composer (b. 1883)
- 1936 – Conchita Supervía, Spanish soprano and actress (b. 1895)
- 1940 – Sir John Gilmour, 2nd Baronet Scottish soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland (b. 1876)
- 1943 – Jan Bytnar, Polish lieutenant; WWII resistance fighter (b. 1921)
- 1943 – Maciej Aleksy Dawidowski, Polish sergeant; WWII resistance fighter (b. 1920)
- 1945 – Béla Balogh, Hungarian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1885)
- 1949 – Friedrich Bergius, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1884)
- 1949 – Dattaram Hindlekar, Indian cricketer (b. 1909)
- 1950 – Léon Blum, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1872)
- 1952 – Jigme Wangchuck, Bhutanese king (b. 1905)
- 1955 – Harl McDonald, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1899)
- 1956 – Edmund Clerihew Bentley, English author and poet (b. 1875)
- 1959 – Daniil Andreyev, Russian mystic and poet (b. 1906)
- 1959 – John Auden, English solicitor, deputy coroner and a territorial soldier (b. 1894)
- 1959 – Riccardo Zanella, Italian politician (b. 1875)
- 1960 – Joseph Haas, German composer and educator (b. 1879)
- 1961 – Philibert Jacques Melotte, English astronomer (b. 1880)
- 1963 – Aleksandr Gauk, Russian conductor and composer (b. 1893)
- 1964 – Nella Larsen, American nurse and author (b. 1891)
- 1965 – Philip Showalter Hench, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1896)
- 1966 – Newbold Morris, American lawyer and politician (b. 1902)
- 1966 – Maxfield Parrish, American painter and illustrator (b. 1870)
- 1966 – Erwin Piscator, German director and producer (b. 1893)
- 1967 – Frank Thorpe, Australian public servant (b. 1885)
- 1967 – Jean Toomer, American poet and novelist (b. 1894)
- 1969 – Lucien Bianchi, Belgian racing driver (b. 1934)
- 1970 – Heinrich Brüning, German economist and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1885)
- 1972 – Mahir Çayan, Turkish politician (b. 1946)
- 1972 – Gabriel Heatter, American radio commentator (b. 1890)
- 1973 – Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton, Scottish pilot and politician (b. 1903)
- 1973 – Yves Giraud-Cabantous, French racing driver (b. 1904)
- 1975 – Peter Bamm, German journalist and author (b. 1897)
- 1977 – Levko Revutsky, Ukrainian composer and educator (b. 1889)
- 1978 – George Paine, English cricketer and coach (b. 1908)
- 1978 – Memduh Tağmaç, Turkish general (b. 1904)
- 1979 – Airey Neave, English colonel, lawyer, and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (b. 1916)
- 1979 – Ray Ventura, French pianist and bandleader (b. 1908)
- 1981 – DeWitt Wallace, American publisher, co-founded Reader’s Digest (b. 1889)
- 1984 – Karl Rahner, German-Austrian priest and theologian (b. 1904)
- 1985 – Harold Peary, American actor and singer (b. 1908)
- 1986 – James Cagney, American actor and dancer (b. 1899)
- 1986 – John Ciardi, American poet and etymologist (b. 1916)
- 1988 – Edgar Faure, French historian and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1908)
- 1990 – Harry Bridges, Australian-born American activist and trade union leader (b. 1901)
- 1992 – Manolis Andronikos, Greek archaeologist and academic (b. 1919)
- 1993 – S. M. Pandit, Indian painter (b. 1916)
- 1993 – Richard Diebenkorn, American painter (b. 1922)
- 1995 – Rozelle Claxton, American pianist (b. 1913)
- 1995 – Tony Lock, English-Australian cricketer and coach (b. 1929)
- 1995 – Paul A. Rothchild, American record producer (b. 1935)
- 1996 – Hugh Falkus, English pilot and author (b. 1917)
- 1996 – Ryoei Saito, Japanese businessman (b. 1916)
- 2000 – Rudolf Kirchschläger, Austrian judge and politician, 8th President of Austria (b. 1915)
- 2002 – Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother of the United Kingdom (b. 1900)
- 2002 – Anand Bakshi, Indian poet and lyricist (b. 1930)
- 2003 – Michael Jeter, American actor (b. 1952)
- 2003 – Valentin Pavlov, Russian banker and politician, 11th Prime Minister of the Soviet Union (b. 1937)
- 2004 – Alistair Cooke, English-American journalist and author (b. 1908)
- 2004 – Hubert Gregg, English actor and director (b. 1914)
- 2004 – Michael King, New Zealand historian and author (b. 1945)
- 2004 – Timi Yuro, American singer and songwriter (b. 1940)
- 2005 – Robert Creeley, American novelist, essayist, and poet (b. 1926)
- 2005 – Milton Green, American hurdler and soldier (b. 1913)
- 2005 – Fred Korematsu, American political activist (b. 1919)
- 2005 – O. V. Vijayan, Indian author and illustrator (b. 1930)
- 2005 – Mitch Hedberg, American stand-up comedian (b. 1968)
- 2006 – Red Hickey, American football player and coach (b. 1917)
- 2006 – John McGahern, Irish author and educator (b. 1934)
- 2007 – John Roberts, Canadian political scientist, academic, and politician, 46th Secretary of State for Canada (b. 1933)
- 2008 – Roland Fraïssé, French mathematical logician (b. 1920)
- 2008 – David Leslie, Scottish racing driver (b. 1953)
- 2008 – Richard Lloyd, English racing driver (b. 1945)
- 2008 – Dith Pran, Cambodian-American photographer and journalist (b. 1942)
- 2010 – Jaime Escalante, Bolivian-American educator (b. 1930)
- 2010 – Morris R. Jeppson, American lieutenant and physicist (b. 1922)
- 2010 – Martin Sandberger, German SS officer (b. 1911)
- 2012 – Janet Anderson Perkin, Canadian baseball player and curler (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Aquila Berlas Kiani, Indian-Canadian sociologist and academic (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Francesco Mancini, Italian footballer and coach (b. 1968)
- 2012 – Granville Semmes, American businessman, founded 1-800-Flowers (b. 1928)
- 2012 – Leonid Shebarshin, Russian KGB officer (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Daniel Hoffman, American poet and academic (b. 1923)
- 2013 – Bobby Parks, American basketball player and coach (b. 1962)
- 2013 – Phil Ramone, South African-American songwriter and producer, co-founded A & R Recording (b. 1934)
- 2013 – Edith Schaeffer, Chinese-Swiss religious leader and author, co-founded L’Abri (b. 1914)
- 2013 – Bob Turley, American baseball player and coach (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Ray Hutchison, American lawyer and politician (b. 1932)
- 2014 – Kate O’Mara, English actress (b. 1939)
- 2015 – Helmut Dietl, German director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1944)
- 2015 – Roger Slifer, American author, illustrator, screenwriter, and producer (b. 1954)
- 2015 – Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld, Dutch astronomer and academic (b. 1921)
- 2018 – Bill Maynard, English actor (b. 1928)
- 2020 – Bill Withers, American musician (b. 1938)
Holidays and observances on March 30
- Christian feast day:
- Blessed Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy
- Blessed Maria Restituta Kafka
- John Climacus
- Mamertinus of Auxerre
- Quirinus of Neuss
- Thomas Son Chasuhn, Marie-Nicolas-Antoine Daveluy (part of The Korean Martyrs)
- Tola of Clonard
- March 30 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which the first day of Hocktide can fall, while April 3 is the latest; observed on the second Monday after Easter. (Hungerford, England; popular in medieval England)
- Land Day (Palestine)
- National Doctors’ Day (United States)
- Spiritual Baptist/Shouter Liberation Day (Trinidad and Tobago)
- School Day of Non-violence and Peace (Spain)
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February 16 in History
- 1249 – Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire.
- 1270 – Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battle of Karuse.
- 1630 – Dutch forces led by Hendrick Lonck capture Olinda in what was to become part of Dutch Brazil.
- 1646 – Battle of Torrington, Devon: The last major battle of the first English Civil War.
- 1699 – First Leopoldine Diploma is issued by the Holy Roman Emperor, recognizing the Greek Catholic clergy enjoyed the same privileges as Roman Catholic priests in the Principality of Transylvania.
- 1742 – Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, becomes British Prime Minister.
- 1796 – Colombo in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) falls to the British, completing their invasion of Ceylon.
- 1804 – First Barbary War: Stephen Decatur leads a raid to burn the pirate-held frigate USS Philadelphia.
- 1862 – American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Donelson, Tennessee.
- 1866 – Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington becomes British Secretary of State for War.
- 1881 – The Canadian Pacific Railway is incorporated by Act of Parliament at Ottawa (44th Vic., c.1).
- 1899 – Iceland’s first football club, Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, is founded.
- 1918 – The Council of Lithuania unanimously adopts the Act of Independence, declaring Lithuania an independent state.
- 1923 – Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
- 1930 – The Romanian Football Federation joins FIFA.
- 1934 – The Austrian Civil War ends with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republikanischer Schutzbund.
- 1936 – The Popular Front wins the 1936 Spanish general election.
- 1937 – Wallace H. Carothers receives a United States patent for nylon.
- 1940 – World War II: Altmark incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack. 299 British prisoners are freed.
- 1943 – World War II: In the early phases of the Third Battle of Kharkov, Red Army troops re-enter the city.
- 1945 – World War II: American forces land on Corregidor Island in the Philippines.
- 1959 – Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.
- 1960 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
- 1961 – Explorer program: Explorer 9 (S-56a) is launched.
- 1962 – Flooding in the coastal areas of West Germany kills 315 and destroys the homes of about 60,000 people.
- 1968 – In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service.
- 1978 – The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago).
- 1983 – The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia kill 75.
- 1985 – Hezbollah is founded.
- 1986 – The Soviet liner MS Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.
- 1986 – China Airlines Flight 2265 crashes into the Pacific Ocean near Penghu Airport in Taiwan, killing all 13 aboard.
- 1991 – Nicaraguan Contras leader Enrique Bermúdez is assassinated in Managua.
- 1996 – A Chicago-bound Amtrak train, the Capitol Limited, collides with a MARC commuter train bound for Washington, D.C., killing 11 people.
- 1998 – China Airlines Flight 676 crashes into a road and residential area near Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan, killing all 196 aboard and seven more on the ground.
- 2005 – The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia.
- 2005 – The National Hockey League cancels the entire 2004–05 regular season and playoffs.
- 2006 – The last Mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army.
- 2013 – A bomb blast at a market in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan kills more than 80 people and injures 190 others.
Births on February 16
- 1222 – Nichiren, founder of Nichiren Buddhism (d. 1282)
- 1304 – Jayaatu Khan Tugh Temür, Chinese emperor (d. 1332)
- 1331 – Coluccio Salutati, Italian political leader (d. 1406)
- 1419 – John I, Duke of Cleves (d. 1481)
- 1470 – Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1540)
- 1471 – Krishnadevaraya, emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire (d. 1529)
- 1497 – Philip Melanchthon, German astronomer, theologian, and academic (d. 1560)
- 1514 – Georg Joachim Rheticus, Austrian cartographer and instrument maker (d. 1574)
- 1519 – Gaspard II de Coligny, French admiral (d. 1572)
- 1543 – Kanō Eitoku, Japanese painter and educator (d. 1590)
- 1620 – Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1688)
- 1643 – John Sharp, English archbishop (d. 1714)
- 1698 – Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician, geophysicist, and astronomer (d. 1758)
- 1727 – Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Austrian botanist, chemist, and mycologist (d. 1817)
- 1740 – Giambattista Bodoni, Italian publisher and engraver (d. 1813)
- 1761 – Jean-Charles Pichegru, French general (d. 1804)
- 1774 – Pierre Rode, French violinist and composer (d. 1830)
- 1786 – Maria Pavlovna, Russian Grand Duchess (d. 1859)
- 1802 – Phineas Quimby, American mystic and philosopher (d. 1866)
- 1804 – Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist and zoologist (d. 1885)
- 1812 – Henry Wilson, American colonel and politician, 18th Vice President of the United States (d. 1875)
- 1821 – Heinrich Barth, German explorer and scholar (d. 1865)
- 1822 – Francis Galton, English biologist and statistician (d. 1911)
- 1824 – Peter Kosler, Slovenian lawyer, geographer, and cartographer (d. 1879)
- 1826 – Joseph Victor von Scheffel, German poet and author (d. 1886)
- 1830 – Lars Hertervig, Norwegian painter (d. 1902)
- 1831 – Nikolai Leskov, Russian author, playwright, and journalist (d. 1895)
- 1834 – Ernst Haeckel, German biologist, physician, and philosopher (d. 1919)
- 1838 – Henry Adams, American journalist, historian, and author (d. 1918)
- 1841 – Armand Guillaumin, French painter (d. 1927)
- 1843 – Henry M. Leland, American engineer and businessman, founded Cadillac and Lincoln (d. 1932)
- 1845 – George Kennan, American journalist and explorer (d. 1924)
- 1848 – Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist, geneticist, and academic (d. 1935)
- 1848 – Octave Mirbeau, French journalist, novelist, and playwright (d. 1917)
- 1856 – Ossian Everett Mills, American academic, founded Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (d. 1920)
- 1866 – Billy Hamilton, American baseball player and manager (d. 1940)
- 1868 – Edward S. Curtis, American ethnologist and photographer (d. 1952)
- 1873 – Radoje Domanović, Serbian journalist and author (d. 1908)
- 1876 – G. M. Trevelyan, English historian and academic (d. 1962)
- 1878 – Pamela Colman Smith, English occultist and illustrator (d. 1951)
- 1878 – James Colosimo, Italian-American mob boss (d. 1920)
- 1884 – Robert J. Flaherty, German-Irish American director and producer (d. 1951)
- 1886 – Andy Ducat, English international footballer (forward and manager) and Cricketer (d. 1942)
- 1887 – Kathleen Clifford, American actress (d. 1962)
- 1891 – Hans F. K. Günther, German eugenicist and academic (d. 1968)
- 1893 – Katharine Cornell, American actress and producer (d. 1974)
- 1896 – Eugénie Blanchard, French super-centenarian (d. 2010)
- 1901 – Wayne King, American singer-songwriter and conductor (d. 1985)
- 1901 – Chester Morris, American actor (d. 1970)
- 1902 – Cyril Vincent, South African cricketer (d. 1968)
- 1903 – Edgar Bergen, Swedish-American ventriloquist and actor (d. 1978)
- 1904 – James Baskett, African-American actor and singer (d. 1948)
- 1904 – George F. Kennan, Scotch-Irish American historian and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union (d. 2005)
- 1905 – Henrietta Barnett, British Women’s Royal Air Force officer (d. 1985)
- 1906 – Vera Menchik, British-Czechoslovak-Russian chess player (d. 1944)
- 1909 – Hugh Beaumont, American actor and director (d. 1982)
- 1909 – Richard McDonald, Irish-American businessman, co-founded McDonald’s (d. 1998)
- 1914 – Jimmy Wakely, American country music singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1982)
- 1916 – Bill Doggett, African-American pianist and composer (d. 1996)
- 1919 – Georges Ulmer, Danish-French actor and composer (d. 1989)
- 1920 – Anna Mae Hays, American general (d. 2018)
- 1921 – Vera-Ellen, German-American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1981)
- 1921 – Jean Behra, French race car driver (d. 1959)
- 1921 – John Galbraith Graham, English priest and academic (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, German soldier and pilot (d. 1950)
- 1923 – Samuel Willenberg, Polish-Israeli sculptor and painter (d. 2016)
- 1926 – Margot Frank, German-Dutch holocaust victim (d. 1945)
- 1926 – John Schlesinger, English actor and director (d. 2003)
- 1927 – June Brown, English actress
- 1929 – Gerhard Hanappi, Austrian footballer and architect (d. 1980)
- 1929 – Peter Porter, Australian-English poet and educator (d. 2010)
- 1931 – Otis Blackwell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2002)
- 1931 – Ken Takakura, Japanese actor and singer (d. 2014)
- 1932 – Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Sierra Leonean economist, lawyer, and politician, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (d. 2014)
- 1932 – Gretchen Wyler, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2007)
- 1934 – August Coppola, American author and academic (d. 2009)
- 1934 – Marlene Hagge, American golfer
- 1935 – Brian Bedford, English-American actor and director (d. 2016)
- 1935 – Sonny Bono, American actor, singer, and politician (d. 1998)
- 1935 – Stephen Gaskin, American activist, co-founded The Farm (d. 2014)
- 1935 – Bradford Parkinson, American colonel and engineer
- 1935 – Kenneth Price, American painter and sculptor (d. 2012)
- 1937 – Paul Bailey, British novelist, critic, and biographer
- 1937 – Yuri Manin, Russian-German mathematician and academic
- 1938 – John Corigliano, American composer and academic
- 1939 – Adolfo Azcuna, Filipino lawyer and judge
- 1940 – Hannelore Schmatz, German mountaineer (d. 1979)
- 1941 – Kim Jong-il, North Korean commander and politician, 2nd Supreme Leader of North Korea (d. 2011)
- 1942 – Richard Williams, American tennis player and coach
- 1944 – Glyn Davies, Welsh farmer and politician
- 1944 – Richard Ford, American novelist and short story writer
- 1944 – Sigiswald Kuijken, Belgian violinist, violist, and conductor
- 1944 – António Mascarenhas Monteiro, Cape Verdean politician, 2nd President of Cape Verde (d. 2016)
- 1947 – Jaroslav Kubera, Czech politician (d. 2020)
- 1948 – Kaiketsu Masateru, Japanese sumo wrestler and coach (d. 2014)
- 1949 – Bob O’Reilly, Australian rugby league player
- 1950 – Peter Hain, Kenyan-Welsh politician, Secretary of State for Wales
- 1951 – Barry Foote, American baseball player and coach
- 1952 – William Katt, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1952 – Peter Kitchen, English footballer, striker
- 1952 – James Ingram, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2019)
- 1953 – John Bradbury, English drummer, songwriter, and producer (d. 2015)
- 1953 – Lanny McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
- 1953 – Roberta Williams, American video game designer, co-founded Sierra Entertainment
- 1954 – Iain Banks, Scottish author and playwright (d. 2013)
- 1954 – Margaux Hemingway, American model and actress (d. 1996)
- 1954 – Michael Holding, Jamaican cricketer and sportscaster
- 1956 – Vincent Ward, New Zealand director and screenwriter
- 1957 – LeVar Burton, German-born American actor, director, and producer
- 1958 – Natalie Angier, American author
- 1958 – Ice-T, American rapper and actor
- 1958 – Oscar Schmidt, Brazilian basketball player
- 1958 – Herb Williams, American basketball player and coach
- 1959 – John McEnroe, German-American tennis player and sportscaster
- 1959 – Kelly Tripucka, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1960 – Pete Willis, English guitarist and songwriter
- 1961 – Des Hasler, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1961 – Liu Kang, Chinese footballer and manager (d. 2013)
- 1961 – Andy Taylor, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1962 – John Balance, English singer-songwriter (d. 2004)
- 1964 – Bebeto, Brazilian footballer and manager
- 1964 – Christopher Eccleston, English actor
- 1965 – Dave Lombardo, Cuban-American drummer
- 1967 – Keith Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1968 – Warren Ellis, English author and screenwriter
- 1970 – Angelo Peruzzi, Italian footballer and manager
- 1971 – Michael Avenatti, American attorney and pundit
- 1971 – Craig Laundy, Australian politician
- 1972 – Jerome Bettis, American football player and sportscaster
- 1972 – Zoran Čampara, Bosnian football player
- 1972 – Sarah Clarke, American actress
- 1972 – Naomi Nishida, Japanese actress
- 1972 – Darrell Trindall, Australian rugby league player
- 1973 – Cathy Freeman, Australian sprinter
- 1974 – Mahershala Ali, American actor
- 1974 – José Dominguez, Portuguese international footballer, winger and manager
- 1976 – Eric Byrnes, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1976 – Kyo, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer
- 1977 – Ian Clarke, Irish-American computer scientist, founded Freenet
- 1977 – Ahman Green, American football player
- 1978 – Tia Hellebaut, Belgian high jumper and chemist
- 1978 – Wasim Jaffer, Indian cricketer
- 1978 – John Tartaglia, American actor, singer, and puppeteer
- 1979 – Stéphane Dalmat, French footballer, midfielder
- 1979 – Eric Mun, American-South Korean singer and actor
- 1979 – Valentino Rossi, Italian motorcycle racer
- 1980 – Longineu W. Parsons III, French-American drummer
- 1981 – Jay Howard, English race car driver
- 1981 – Jerry Owens, American baseball player
- 1981 – Qyntel Woods, American basketball player
- 1982 – Aleksandr Dmitrijev, Estonian footballer
- 1982 – Rickie Lambert, English footballer
- 1982 – Lupe Fiasco, American rapper
- 1983 – Agyness Deyn, English model, actress, and singer
- 1984 – Sofia Arvidsson, Swedish tennis player
- 1984 – Oussama Mellouli, Tunisian swimmer
- 1985 – Simon Francis, English footballer
- 1985 – Stacy Lewis, American golfer
- 1985 – Ron Vlaar, Dutch footballer
- 1986 – Diego Godín, Uruguayan footballer
- 1987 – Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2008)
- 1987 – Theresa Goh, Singaporean swimmer
- 1987 – Hasheem Thabeet, Tanzanian basketball player
- 1988 – Diego Capel, Spanish footballer
- 1988 – Zhang Jike, Chinese table tennis player
- 1988 – Denílson Pereira Neves, Brazilian footballer
- 1988 – Andrea Ranocchia, Italian footballer
- 1988 – Kim Soo-hyun, South Korean actor and singer
- 1989 – Elizabeth Olsen, American actress
- 1990 – Dunamis Lui, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
- 1990 – The Weeknd, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1991 – Sergio Canales, Spanish footballer
- 1992 – Nicolai Boilesen, Danish footballer
- 1992 – Zsófia Susányi, Hungarian tennis player
- 1994 – Annika Beck, German tennis player
- 1994 – Federico Bernardeschi, Italian footballer
- 1994 – Ava Max, American singer and songwriter
- 1995 – Katy Dunne, English tennis player
- 1995 – Carina Witthöft, a German tennis player
Deaths on February 16
- 549 – Zhu Yi, Chinese general (b. 483)
- 902 – Mary the Younger, Byzantine saint (b. 875)
- 1184 – Richard of Dover, Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1247 – Henry Raspe, Landgrave of Thuringia (b. 1204)
- 1279 – Afonso III of Portugal (b. 1210)
- 1281 – Gertrude of Hohenberg, queen consort of Germany (b. c.1225)
- 1390 – Rupert I, Elector Palatine (b. 1309)
- 1391 – John V Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1332)
- 1531 – Johannes Stöffler, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1452)
- 1560 – Jean du Bellay, French cardinal and diplomat (b. 1493)
- 1579 – Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, Spanish explorer (b. 1509)
- 1645 – Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, Spanish general and politician, 24th Governor of the Duchy of Milan (b. 1585)
- 1710 – Esprit Fléchier, French bishop and author (b. 1632)
- 1721 – James Craggs the Younger, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (b. 1686)
- 1754 – Richard Mead, English physician (b. 1673)
- 1820 – Georg Carl von Döbeln, Swedish general (b. 1758)
- 1862 – William Pennington American lawyer and politician, 13th Governor of New Jersey, 23rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1796)
- 1898 – Thomas Bracken, Irish-New Zealand journalist, poet, and politician (b. 1843)
- 1899 – Félix Faure, French merchant and politician, 7th President of France (b. 1841)
- 1907 – Giosuè Carducci, Italian poet and educator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1835)
- 1912 – Nicholas of Japan, Russian-Japanese monk and saint (b. 1836)
- 1917 – Octave Mirbeau, French journalist, novelist, and playwright ( (b. 1848)
- 1919 – Vera Kholodnaya, Ukrainian actress (b. 1893)
- 1928 – Eddie Foy Sr., American actor and dancer (b. 1856)
- 1932 – Ferdinand Buisson, French academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1841)
- 1932 – Edgar Speyer, American-English financier and philanthropist (b. 1862)
- 1944 – Dadasaheb Phalke, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1870)
- 1957 – Josef Hofmann, Polish-American pianist and composer (b. 1876)
- 1961 – Dazzy Vance, American baseball player (b. 1891)
- 1967 – Smiley Burnette, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1911)
- 1974 – John Garand, Canadian-American engineer, designed the M1 Garand Rifle(b. 1888)
- 1975 – Morgan Taylor, American hurdler and coach (b. 1903)
- 1977 – Janani Luwum, bishop, Church of Uganda, martyr (b. c.1922)
- 1977 – Rózsa Péter, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1905)
- 1980 – Erich Hückel, German physicist and chemist (b. 1895)
- 1984 – M. A. G. Osmani, Bangladeshi general (b. 1918)
- 1990 – Keith Haring, American painter and activist (b. 1958)
- 1991 – Enrique Bermúdez, Nicaraguan lieutenant and engineer (b. 1932)
- 1992 – Angela Carter, English novelist, short story writer (b. 1940)
- 1992 – Jânio Quadros, Brazilian politician, 22nd President of Brazil (b. 1917)
- 1992 – Herman Wold, Norwegian-Swedish economist and statistician (b. 1908)
- 1996 – Roberto Aizenberg, Argentinian painter and sculptor (b. 1922)
- 1996 – Roger Bowen, American actor and author (b. 1932)
- 1996 – Pat Brown, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Governor of California (b. 1905)
- 1996 – Brownie McGhee, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1915)
- 1997 – Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American physicist and academic (b. 1912)
- 1998 – Mary Amdur, American toxicologist and public health researcher (b. 1908)
- 2000 – Marceline Day, American actress (b. 1908)
- 2000 – Lila Kedrova, Russian-French actress and singer
- 2000 – Karsten Solheim, Norwegian-American businessman, founded PING (b. 1911)
- 2001 – Howard W. Koch, American director and producer (b. 1916)
- 2001 – William Masters, American gynecologist and sexologist (b. 1915)
- 2002 – Walter Winterbottom, English footballer and manager (b. 1913)
- 2003 – Rusty Magee, American actor and composer (b. 1955)
- 2004 – Doris Troy, American singer-songwriter (b. 1937)
- 2006 – Johnny Grunge, American wrestler (b. 1966)
- 2006 – Ernie Stautner, German-American football player and coach (b. 1925)
- 2009 – Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, South Korean cardinal (b. 1921)
- 2011 – Len Lesser, American actor (b. 1922)
- 2011 – Justinas Marcinkevičius, Lithuanian poet and playwright (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Gary Carter, American baseball player and coach (b. 1954)
- 2012 – Elyse Knox, American model, actress, and fashion designer (b. 1917)
- 2012 – John Macionis, American swimmer and lieutenant (b. 1916)
- 2012 – Anthony Shadid, American journalist (b. 1968)
- 2013 – Colin Edwards, Guyanese footballer (b. 1991)
- 2013 – Grigory Pomerants, Russian philosopher and author (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Tony Sheridan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)
- 2014 – Ken Farragut, American football player (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Gert Krawinkel, German guitarist (b. 1947)
- 2014 – Michael Shea, American author (b. 1946)
- 2015 – Lasse Braun, Algerian-Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1936)
- 2015 – Lesley Gore, American singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
- 2015 – R. R. Patil, Indian lawyer and politician, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (b. 1957)
- 2015 – Lorena Rojas, Mexican actress and singer (b. 1971)
- 2016 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egyptian politician and diplomat, 6th Secretary-General of the United Nations (b. 1922)
- 2019 – Bruno Ganz, Swiss actor (b. 1941)
Holidays and observances on February 16
- Christian feast day:
- Abda of Edessa
- Elias and companions
- Juliana of Nicomedia (Catholic Church)
- Onesimus
- Charles Todd Quintard (Episcopal Church (USA))
- February 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Day of the Shining Star (Kim Jong-il’s Birthday) (North Korea)
- Restoration of Lithuania’s Statehood Day, celebrate the independence of Lithuania from Russia and Germany in 1918 (Lithuania)
-
February 10 in History
- 1258 – Mongol invasions: Baghdad falls to the Mongols, bringing the Islamic Golden Age to an end.
- 1306 – In front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn sparking the revolution in the Wars of Scottish Independence.
- 1355 – The St Scholastica Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead in two days.
- 1502 – Vasco da Gama sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal, on his second voyage to India.
- 1567 – Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, is found strangled following an explosion at the Kirk o’ Field house in Edinburgh, Scotland, a suspected assassination.
- 1712 – Huilliches in Chiloé rebel against Spanish encomenderos.
- 1763 – French and Indian War: The Treaty of Paris ends the war and France cedes Quebec to Great Britain.
- 1814 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Champaubert ends in French victory over the Russians and the Prussians.
- 1840 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom marries Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
- 1846 – First Anglo-Sikh War: Battle of Sobraon: British defeat Sikhs in the final battle of the war.
- 1861 – Jefferson Davis is notified by telegraph that he has been chosen as provisional President of the Confederate States of America.
- 1862 – American Civil War: A Union naval flotilla destroys the bulk of the Confederate Mosquito Fleet in the Battle of Elizabeth City on the Pasquotank River in North Carolina.
- 1906 – HMS Dreadnought, the first of a revolutionary new breed of battleships is christened and launched by King Edward VII.
- 1920 – Józef Haller de Hallenburg performs symbolic wedding of Poland to the sea, celebrating restitution of Polish access to open sea.
- 1920 – About 75 % of the population in Zone I votes to join Denmark in the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites.
- 1923 – Texas Tech University is founded as Texas Technological College in Lubbock, Texas
- 1930 – The Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng launches the failed Yên Bái mutiny in hope to overthrow French protectorate over Vietnam.
- 1933 – In round 13 of a boxing match at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Primo Carnera knocks out Ernie Schaaf. Schaaf dies four days later.
- 1936 – Second Italo-Abyssinian War: Italian troops launched the Battle of Amba Aradam against Ethiopian defenders.
- 1939 – Spanish Civil War: The Nationalists conclude their conquest of Catalonia and seal the border with France.
- 1940 – The Soviet Union begins mass deportations of Polish citizens from occupied eastern Poland to Siberia.
- 1940 – Cartoon characters Tom and Jerry make their debut with Puss Gets the Boot.
- 1942 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Army capture Banjarmasin, capital of Borneo in Dutch East Indies.
- 1943 – World War II: Attempting to completely lift the Siege of Leningrad, the Soviet Red Army engages German troops and Spanish volunteers in the Battle of Krasny Bor.
- 1947 – The Paris Peace Treaties are signed by Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland and the Allies of World War II.
- 1954 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower warns against United States intervention in Vietnam.
- 1962 – Cold War: Captured American U2 spy-plane pilot Gary Powers is exchanged for captured Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.
- 1962 – Roy Lichtenstein’s first solo exhibition opened, and it included Look Mickey, which featured his first employment of Ben-Day dots, speech balloons and comic imagery sourcing, all of which he is now known for.
- 1964 – Melbourne–Voyager collision: The aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne collides with and sinks the destroyer HMAS Voyager off the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, killing 82.
- 1967 – The 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified.
- 1972 – Ras Al Khaimah joins the United Arab Emirates, now making up seven emirates.
- 1984 – Kenyan soldiers kill an estimated 5000 ethnic Somali Kenyans in the Wagalla massacre.
- 1989 – Ron Brown is elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee becoming the first African American to lead a major American political party.
- 1996 – IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov in chess for the first time.
- 2003 – France and Belgium break the NATO procedure of silent approval concerning the timing of protective measures for Turkey in case of a possible war with Iraq.
- 2007 – Then Illinois senator Barack Obama announces his candidacy for president in the 2008 elections, which he later goes on to win.
- 2009 – The communications satellites Iridium 33 and Kosmos 2251 collide in orbit, destroying both.
- 2013 – Thirty-six people are killed and 39 others are injured in a stampede in Allahabad, India, during the Kumbh Mela festival.
- 2016 – South Korea decides to stop the operation of the Kaesong joint industrial complex with North Korea in response to the launch of Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4.
- 2018 – 19 people are killed and 66 injured when a Kowloon Motor Bus double-decker on route 872 in Hong Kong overturns.
Births on February 10
- 1486 – George of the Palatinate, German bishop (d. 1529)
- 1499 – Thomas Platter, Swiss author and scholar (d. 1582)
- 1514 – Domenico Bollani, Bishop of Milan (d. 1579)
- 1606 – Christine of France, Duchess of Savoy (d. 1663)
- 1609 – John Suckling, English poet and playwright (d. 1642)
- 1627 – Cornelis de Bie, Flemish poet and jurist (d. 1715)
- 1685 – Aaron Hill, English poet and playwright (d. 1750)
- 1696 – Johann Melchior Molter, German violinist and composer (d. 1765)
- 1744 – William Cornwallis, English admiral and politician (d. 1819)
- 1766 – Benjamin Smith Barton, American botanist and physician (d. 1815)
- 1775 – Charles Lamb, English poet and essayist (d. 1834)
- 1785 – Claude-Louis Navier, French physicist and engineer (d. 1836)
- 1795 – Ary Scheffer, Dutch-French painter and academic (d. 1858)
- 1797 – George Chichester, 3rd Marquess of Donegall (d. 1883)
- 1821 – Roberto Bompiani, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1908)
- 1824 – Samuel Plimsoll, English merchant and politician (d. 1898)
- 1842 – Agnes Mary Clerke, Irish astronomer and author (d. 1907)
- 1843 – Adelina Patti, Italian-French opera singer (d. 1919)
- 1846 – Lord Charles Beresford, Irish admiral and politician (d. 1919)
- 1846 – Ira Remsen, American chemist and academic (d. 1927)
- 1847 – Nabinchandra Sen, Bangladeshi poet and author (d. 1909)
- 1859 – Alexandre Millerand, French lawyer and politician, 12th President of France (d. 1943)
- 1867 – Robert Garran, Australian lawyer and public servant (d. 1957)
- 1868 – Prince Waldemar of Prussia (d. 1879)
- 1868 – William Allen White, American journalist and author (d. 1944)
- 1869 – Royal Cortissoz, American art critic (d. 1948)
- 1879 – Ernst Põdder, Estonian general (d. 1932)
- 1881 – Pauline Brunius, Swedish actress and director (d. 1954)
- 1883 – Edith Clarke, American electrical engineer (d. 1959)
- 1883 – H.V. Hordern, Australian cricketer (d. 1938)
- 1889 – Cevdet Sunay, Turkish general and politician, 5th President of Turkey (d. 1982)
- 1890 – Fanny Kaplan, Ukrainian-Russian activist (d. 1918)
- 1890 – Boris Pasternak, Russian poet, novelist, and literary translator Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1960)
- 1892 – Alan Hale Sr., American actor and director (d. 1950)
- 1893 – Jimmy Durante, American actor, singer, and pianist (d. 1980)
- 1893 – Bill Tilden, American tennis player and coach (d. 1953)
- 1894 – Harold Macmillan, English captain and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1986)
- 1897 – Judith Anderson, Australian actress (d. 1992)
- 1897 – John Franklin Enders, American virologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1985)
- 1898 – Bertolt Brecht, German director, playwright, and poet (d. 1956)
- 1898 – Joseph Kessel, French journalist and author (d. 1979)
- 1901 – Stella Adler, American actress and educator (d. 1992)
- 1902 – Walter Houser Brattain, Chinese-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
- 1903 – Waldemar Hoven, German physician (d. 1948)
- 1903 – Matthias Sindelar, Austrian footballer and manager (d. 1939)
- 1904 – John Farrow, Australian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1963)
- 1905 – Walter A. Brown, American businessman, founded the Boston Celtics (d. 1964)
- 1905 – Chick Webb, American drummer and bandleader (d. 1939)
- 1906 – Lon Chaney Jr., American actor (d. 1973)
- 1907 – Anthony Cottrell, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1988)
- 1908 – Jean Coulthard, Canadian composer and educator (d. 2000)
- 1909 – Min Thu Wun, Burmese poet, scholar, and politician (d. 2004)
- 1910 – Dominique Pire, Belgian friar, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1969)
- 1914 – Larry Adler, American harmonica player, composer, and actor (d. 2001)
- 1915 – Vladimir Zeldin, Russian actor (d. 2016)
- 1919 – Ioannis Charalambopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2014)
- 1920 – Alex Comfort, English physician and author (d. 2000)
- 1920 – Neva Patterson, American actress (d. 2010)
- 1920 – José Manuel Castañón, Spanish lawyer and author (d. 2001)
- 1922 – Árpád Göncz, Hungarian author, playwright, and politician, 1st President of Hungary (d. 2015)
- 1922 – José Gabriel da Costa later known as Mestre Gabriel, Brazilian spiritual leader, founder of the União do Vegetal (d. 1971)
- 1923 – Allie Sherman, American football player and coach (d. 2015)
- 1924 – Max Ferguson, Canadian radio host and actor (d. 2013)
- 1924 – Bud Poile, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2005)
- 1925 – Pierre Mondy, French actor and director (d. 2012)
- 1926 – Sidney Bryan Berry, American general (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Danny Blanchflower, Northern Irish soldier, footballer and manager (d. 1993)
- 1927 – Leontyne Price, American operatic soprano
- 1929 – Jerry Goldsmith, American composer and conductor (d. 2004)
- 1929 – Jim Whittaker, American mountaineer
- 1929 – Lou Whittaker, American mountaineer
- 1930 – E. L. Konigsburg, American author and illustrator (d. 2013)
- 1930 – Robert Wagner, American actor and producer
- 1931 – James Edward Maceo West, American inventor and acoustician
- 1932 – Barrie Ingham, English-American actor (d. 2015)
- 1933 – Richard Schickel, American journalist, author, and critic (d. 2017)
- 1933 – Faramarz Payvar, Iranian santur player and composer (d. 2009)
- 1935 – Theodore Antoniou, Greek composer and conductor (d. 2018)
- 1937 – Anne Anderson, Scottish physiologist and academic (d. 1983)
- 1937 – Roberta Flack, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1939 – Adrienne Clarkson, Hong Kong-Canadian journalist and politician, 26th Governor General of Canada
- 1939 – Deolinda Rodríguez de Almeida, Angolan nationalist (d. 1967)
- 1940 – Mary Rand, English sprinter and long jumper
- 1940 – Kenny Rankin, American singer-songwriter (d. 2009)
- 1941 – Michael Apted, English director and producer
- 1944 – Peter Allen, Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (d. 1992)
- 1944 – Frank Keating, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Oklahoma
- 1944 – Frances Moore Lappé, American author and activist
- 1944 – Rufus Reid, American bassist and composer
- 1945 – Delma S. Arrigoitia, Puerto Rican historian, author, educator and lawyer
- 1947 – Louise Arbour, Canadian lawyer and jurist
- 1947 – Butch Morris, American cornet player, composer, and conductor (d. 2013)
- 1947 – Nicholas Owen, English journalist
- 1949 – Nigel Olsson, English rock drummer and singer-songwriter
- 1950 – Luis Donaldo Colosio, Mexican economist and politician (d. 1994)
- 1950 – Mark Spitz, American swimmer
- 1951 – Bob Iger, American media executive
- 1952 – Lee Hsien Loong, Singaporean general and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Singapore
- 1955 – Jim Cramer, American television personality, pundit, and author
- 1955 – Greg Norman, Australian golfer and sportscaster
- 1956 – Enele Sopoaga, Tuvaluan politician, 12th Prime Minister of Tuvalu
- 1957 – Katherine Freese, American astrophysicist and academic
- 1959 – John Calipari, American basketball player and coach
- 1960 – Jim Kent, American biologist, computer programmer, academic
- 1961 – Alexander Payne, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1961 – George Stephanopoulos, American television journalist
- 1962 – Randy Velischek, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1962 – Cliff Burton, American heavy metal bassist (d. 1986)
- 1963 – Lenny Dykstra, American baseball player
- 1964 – Glenn Beck, American journalist, producer, and author
- 1966 – Natalie Bennett, Australian-English journalist and politician
- 1966 – Daryl Johnston, American football player and sportscaster
- 1967 – Laura Dern, American actress, director, and producer
- 1967 – Jacky Durand, French cyclist and sportscaster
- 1967 – Vince Gilligan, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1968 – Peter Popovic, Swedish ice hockey player and coach
- 1968 – Garrett Reisman, American engineer and astronaut
- 1969 – Joe Mangrum, American painter and sculptor
- 1969 – James Small, South African rugby player (d. 2019)
- 1970 – Melissa Doyle, Australian journalist and author
- 1970 – Noureddine Naybet, Moroccan international footballer, central defender and manager
- 1970 – Åsne Seierstad, Norwegian journalist and author
- 1971 – Lorena Rojas, Mexican actress and singer (d. 2015)
- 1972 – Michael Kasprowicz, Australian cricketer
- 1973 – Martha Lane Fox, Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho, English businesswoman and politician
- 1974 – Elizabeth Banks, American actress
- 1974 – Ty Law, American football player
- 1974 – Ivri Lider, Israeli singer
- 1974 – Henry Paul, New Zealand rugby player and coach
- 1976 – Lance Berkman, American baseball player and coach
- 1976 – Keeley Hawes, English actress
- 1977 – Salif Diao, Senegalese footballer
- 1979 – Joey Hand, American race car driver
- 1980 – César Izturis, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1980 – Enzo Maresca, Italian footballer
- 1980 – Mike Ribeiro, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Uzo Aduba, American actress
- 1981 – Stephanie Beatriz, American actress
- 1981 – Andrew Johnson, English international footballer, forward and club ambassador
- 1981 – Holly Willoughby, English model and television host
- 1982 – Justin Gatlin, American sprinter
- 1982 – Tarmo Neemelo, Estonian footballer
- 1982 – Hamad Al-Tayyar, Kuwaiti footballer
- 1982 – Iafeta Paleaaesina, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1983 – Vic Fuentes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1984 – Greg Bird, Australian rugby league player
- 1984 – Alex Gordon, American baseball player
- 1984 – Kim Hyo-jin, South Korean actress
- 1985 – Selçuk İnan, Turkish footballer
- 1985 – Paul Millsap, American basketball player
- 1986 – Jeff Adrien, American basketball player
- 1986 – Josh Akognon, American basketball player
- 1986 – Radamel Falcao, Colombian footballer
- 1986 – Roberto Jiménez Gago, Spanish footballer
- 1986 – Viktor Troicki, Serbian tennis player
- 1987 – Jakub Kindl, Czech ice hockey player
- 1987 – Facundo Roncaglia, Argentinian footballer
- 1988 – Francesco Acerbi, Italian footballer
- 1989 – Liam Hendriks, Australian baseball player
- 1990 – Barbara Guarischi, Italian cyclist
- 1990 – Choi Soo-young, South Korean singer-songwriter, actress, and dancer
- 1991 – Rebecca Dempster, Scottish footballer
- 1991 – Emma Roberts, American actress
- 1992 – Haruka Nakagawa, Japanese singer and actress
- 1992 – Reinhold Yabo, German footballer
- 1993 – Max Kepler, German baseball player
- 1993 – Filip Twardzik, Czech footballer
- 1993 – Luis Madrigal, Mexican footballer
- 1994 – Kang Seul-gi, South Korean singer and member of Red Velvet
- 1995 – Carolane Soucisse, Canadian ice dancer
- 1996 – Emanuel Mammana, Argentinian footballer
- 1997 – Lilly King, American swimmer
- 1997 – Chloë Grace Moretz, American actress
- 1997 – Nadia Podoroska, Argentinian tennis player
- 2000 – Yara Shahidi, American actress and model
Deaths on February 10
- 547 – Scholastica, Christian nun
- 1127 – William IX, Duke of Aquitaine (b. 1071)
- 1163 – Baldwin III of Jerusalem (b. 1130)
- 1242 – Emperor Shijō of Japan (b. 1231)
- 1242 – Saint Verdiana, Italian recluse (b. 1182)
- 1280 – Margaret II, Countess of Flanders (b. 1202)
- 1306 – John “the Red” Comyn, Scottish nobleman
- 1307 – Temür Khan, Emperor Chengzong of Yuan (b. 1265)
- 1346 – Blessed Clare of Rimini (b. 1282)
- 1471 – Frederick II, Margrave of Brandenburg (b. 1413)
- 1524 – Catherine of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria (b. 1468)
- 1526 – John V, Count of Oldenburg, German noble (b. 1460)
- 1567 – Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, consort of Mary, Queen of Scots (b. 1545)
- 1576 – Wilhelm Xylander, German scholar, translator, and academic (b. 1532)
- 1686 – William Dugdale, English genealogist and historian (b. 1605)
- 1755 – Montesquieu, French lawyer and philosopher (b. 1689)
- 1782 – Friedrich Christoph Oetinger, German theologian and author (b. 1702)
- 1829 – Pope Leo XII (b. 1760)
- 1837 – Alexander Pushkin, Russian poet and author (b. 1799)
- 1854 – José Joaquín de Herrera, Mexican politician and general. President three times (1844–1854) (b. 1792)
- 1857 – David Thompson, English-Canadian surveyor and explorer (b. 1770)
- 1865 – Heinrich Lenz, Estonian-Italian physicist and academic (b. 1804)
- 1879 – Honoré Daumier, French illustrator and painter (b. 1808)
- 1887 – Ellen Wood, English author (b. 1814)
- 1891 – Sofia Kovalevskaya, Russian-Swedish mathematician and physicist (b. 1850)
- 1904 – John A. Roche, American lawyer and politician, 30th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1844)
- 1906 – Ezra Butler Eddy, American-Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1827)
- 1912 – Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, English surgeon and academic (b. 1827)
- 1913 – Konstantinos Tsiklitiras, Greek long jumper (b. 1888)
- 1917 – John William Waterhouse, English soldier and painter (b. 1849)
- 1918 – Abdul Hamid II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1842)
- 1918 – Ernesto Teodoro Moneta, Italian soldier and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1833)
- 1920 – Henry Strangways, English-Australian politician, 12th Premier of South Australia (b. 1832)
- 1923 – Wilhelm Röntgen, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1845)
- 1928 – José Sánchez del Río, Mexican martyr and saint (b. 1913)
- 1932 – Edgar Wallace, English author and screenwriter (b. 1875)
- 1939 – Pope Pius XI (b. 1857)
- 1944 – E. M. Antoniadi, Greek-French astronomer and chess player (b. 1870)
- 1945 – Anacleto Díaz, Filipino lawyer and jurist (b. 1878)
- 1950 – Marcel Mauss, French sociologist and anthropologist (b. 1872)
- 1956 – Leonora Speyer, American poet and violinist (b. 1872)
- 1956 – Emmanouil Tsouderos, Greek banker and politician, 132nd Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1882)
- 1957 – Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author (b. 1867)
- 1960 – Aloysius Stepinac, Croatian cardinal (b. 1898)
- 1966 – Billy Rose, American composer and songwriter (b. 1899)
- 1967 – Dionysios Kokkinos, Greek historian and author (b. 1884)
- 1975 – Nikos Kavvadias, Greek sailor and poet (b. 1910)
- 1979 – Edvard Kardelj, Slovene general and politician, 2nd Foreign Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1910)
- 1992 – Alex Haley, American soldier, journalist, and author (b. 1921)
- 1993 – Fred Hollows, New Zealand-Australian ophthalmologist and academic (b. 1929)
- 1995 – Paul Monette, American author, poet, and activist (b. 1945)
- 1997 – Brian Connolly, Scottish musician, lead singer The Sweet (b. 1945)
- 2000 – Jim Varney, American actor, comedian and writer (b. 1949)
- 2001 – Abraham Beame, American academic and politician, 104th Mayor of New York City (b. 1906)
- 2001 – Buddy Tate, American saxophonist and clarinet player (b. 1913)
- 2002 – Dave Van Ronk, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1936)
- 2003 – Edgar de Evia, Mexican-American photographer (b. 1910)
- 2003 – Albert J. Ruffo, American lawyer and politician, Mayor of San Jose (b. 1908)
- 2003 – Ron Ziegler, American politician, 14th White House Press Secretary (b. 1939)
- 2005 – Arthur Miller, American actor, playwright, and author (b. 1915)
- 2006 – James Yancey, American record producer and rapper (b. 1974)
- 2008 – Roy Scheider, American actor and boxer (b. 1932)
- 2010 – Fred Schaus, American basketball player and coach (b. 1925)
- 2010 – Charles Wilson, American lieutenant and politician (b. 1933)
- 2011 – Trevor Bailey, English cricketer and journalist (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Lloyd Morrison, New Zealand banker and businessman, founded H. R. L. Morrison & Co (b. 1957)
- 2012 – Jeffrey Zaslow, American journalist and author (b. 1958)
- 2013 – W. Watts Biggers, American author, screenwriter, and animator (b. 1927)
- 2013 – David Hartman, American-Israeli rabbi and philosopher, founded the Shalom Hartman Institute (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Stuart Hall, Jamaican-English sociologist and theorist (b. 1932)
- 2014 – Shirley Temple, American actress and diplomat (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Naseer Aruri, Palestinian scholar and activist (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Karl Josef Becker, German cardinal and theologian (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Deng Liqun, Chinese theorist and politician (b. 1915)
- 2016 – Fatima Surayya Bajia, Indian-Pakistani author and playwright (b. 1930)
- 2017 – Mike Ilitch, American businessman (b. 1929)
- 2019 – Carmen Argenziano, American actor (b. 1943)
- 2019 – Jan-Michael Vincent, American actor (b. 1944)
Holidays and observances on February 10
- Christian feast day:
- Austrebertha
- Charalambos
- José Sánchez del Río
- Scholastica
- February 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Feast of St. Paul’s Shipwreck (Malta)
- Fenkil Day (Eritrea)
- Kurdish Authors Union Day (Iraqi Kurdistan)
- National Memorial Day of the Exiles and Foibe (Italy)
-
February 2 in History
- 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (Breviarium Alaricianum or Lex Romana Visigothorum), a collection of “Roman law”.
- 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King Louis III is defeated by the Norse Great Heathen Army at Lüneburg Heath in Saxony.
- 962 – Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor in nearly 40 years.
- 1032 – Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor becomes king of Burgundy.
- 1141 – The Battle of Lincoln, at which Stephen, King of England is defeated and captured by the allies of Empress Matilda.
- 1207 – Terra Mariana, eventually comprising present-day Latvia and Estonia, is established.
- 1438 – Nine leaders of the Transylvanian peasant revolt are executed at Torda.
- 1461 – Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Mortimer’s Cross is fought in Herefordshire, England.
- 1536 – Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- 1645 – Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Inverlochy.
- 1653 – New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.
- 1709 – Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island, inspiring Daniel Defoe’s adventure book Robinson Crusoe.
- 1848 – Mexican–American War: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed.
- 1850 – Brigham Young declares war on Timpanogos in the Battle at Fort Utah.
- 1868 – Pro-Imperial forces captured Osaka Castle from the Tokugawa shogunate and burned it to the ground.
- 1876 – The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed.
- 1887 – In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania the first Groundhog Day is observed.
- 1899 – The Australian Premiers’ Conference held in Melbourne decides to locate Australia’s capital city, Canberra, between Sydney and Melbourne.
- 1901 – Funeral of Queen Victoria.
- 1909 – The Paris Film Congress opens. An attempt by European producers to form an equivalent to the MPCC cartel in the United States.
- 1913 – Grand Central Terminal is opened in New York City.
- 1920 – The Tartu Peace Treaty is signed between Estonia and Russia.
- 1922 – Ulysses by James Joyce is published.
- 1925 – Serum run to Nome: Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod race.
- 1934 – The Export-Import Bank of the United States is incorporated.
- 1935 – Leonarde Keeler administers polygraph tests to two murder suspects, the first time polygraph evidence was admitted in U.S. courts.
- 1942 – The Osvald Group is responsible for the first, active event of anti-Nazi resistance in Norway, to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling.
- 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Stalingrad comes to an end when Soviet troops accept the surrender of the last organized German troops in the city.
- 1959 – Nine experienced ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union die under mysterious circumstances.
- 1966 – Pakistan suggests a six-point agenda with Kashmir after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
- 1971 – Idi Amin replaces President Milton Obote as leader of Uganda.
- 1971 – The international Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands is signed in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran.
- 1980 – Reports surface that the FBI is targeting allegedly corrupt Congressmen in the Abscam operation.
- 1982 – Hama massacre: The government of Syria attacks the town of Hama.
- 1987 – After the 1986 People Power Revolution, the Philippines enacts a new constitution.
- 1989 – Soviet–Afghan War: The last Soviet armoured column leaves Kabul.
- 1990 – Apartheid: F. W. de Klerk announces the unbanning of the African National Congress and promises to release Nelson Mandela.
- 2000 – First digital cinema projection in Europe (Paris) realized by Philippe Binant with the DLP CINEMA technology developed by Texas Instruments.
- 2002 – Wedding of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, and Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti
- 2004 – Swiss tennis player Roger Federer becomes the No. 1 ranked men’s singles player, a position he will hold for a record 237 weeks.
- 2005 – The Government of Canada introduces the Civil Marriage Act. This legislation would become law on July 20, 2005, legalizing same-sex marriage.
- 2007 – Police officer Filippo Raciti is killed when a clash breaks out in the Sicily derby between Catania and Palermo, in the Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. This event led to major changes in stadium regulations in Italy.
- 2012 – The ferry MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea near the Finschhafen District, with an estimated 146-165 dead.
Births on February 2
- 1208 – James I of Aragon (d. 1276)
- 1282 – Maud Chaworth, Countess of Leicester (d. 1322).
- 1425 (or 1426) – Eleanor of Navarre, Queen regnant of Navarre (d. 1479)
- 1443 – Elisabeth of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony (d. 1486)
- 1455 – John, King of Denmark (d. 1513)
- 1457 – Peter Martyr d’Anghiera, Italian-Spanish historian and author (d. 1526)
- 1467 – Columba of Rieti, Italian Dominican sister (d. 1501)
- 1494 – Bona Sforza, queen of Sigismund I of Poland (d. 1557)
- 1502 – Damião de Góis, Portuguese philosopher and historian (d. 1574)
- 1506 – René de Birague, Italian-French cardinal and politician (d. 1583)
- 1509 – John of Leiden, Dutch Anabaptist leader (d. 1536)
- 1522 – Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1565)
- 1536 – Piotr Skarga, Polish writer (d. 1612)
- 1551 – Nicolaus Reimers, German astronomer (d. 1600)
- 1576 – Alix Le Clerc, French Canoness Regular and foundress (d. 1622)
- 1585 – Judith Quiney, William Shakespeare’s youngest daughter (d. 1662)
- 1585 – Hamnet Shakespeare, William Shakespeare’s only son (baptised; d. 1596)
- 1588 – Georg II of Fleckenstein-Dagstuhl, German nobleman (d. 1644)
- 1600 – Gabriel Naudé, French librarian and scholar (d. 1653)
- 1611 – Ulrik of Denmark, Danish prince-bishop (d. 1633)
- 1613 – Noël Chabanel, French missionary and saint (d. 1649)
- 1621 – Johannes Schefferus, Swedish author and hymn-writer (d. 1679)
- 1650 – Pope Benedict XIII (d. 1730)
- 1650 – Nell Gwyn, English actress, mistress of King Charles II of England (d. 1687)
- 1651 – William Phips, Royal governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (d. 1695)
- 1669 – Louis Marchand, French organist and composer (d. 1732)
- 1677 – Jean-Baptiste Morin, French composer (d. 1745)
- 1695 – William Borlase, English geologist and archaeologist (d. 1772)
- 1695 – François de Chevert, French general (d. 1769)
- 1700 – Johann Christoph Gottsched, German author and critic (d. 1766)
- 1711 – Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg (d. 1794)
- 1714 – Gottfried August Homilius, German organist and composer (d. 1785)
- 1717 – Ernst Gideon von Laudon, Austrian field marshal (d. 1790)
- 1754 – Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1838)
- 1782 – Henri de Rigny, French admiral and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1835)
- 1786 – Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (d. 1856)
- 1802 – Jean-Baptiste Boussingault, French chemist and academic (d. 1887)
- 1803 – Albert Sidney Johnston, American general (d. 1862)
- 1829 – Alfred Brehm, German zoologist and illustrator (d. 1884)
- 1829 – William Stanley, English engineer and philanthropist (d. 1909)
- 1841 – François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss limnologist and hydrologist (d. 1912)
- 1842 – Julian Sochocki, Polish-Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1927)
- 1849 – Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, Slovak poet and playwright (d. 1921)
- 1851 – José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican illustrator and engraver (d. 1913)
- 1856 – Frederick William Vanderbilt, American railway magnate (d. 1938)
- 1856 – Makar Yekmalyan, Armenian composer (d. 1905)
- 1857 – Jan Drozdowski, Polish pianist and music teacher (d. 1918)
- 1860 – Curtis Guild, Jr., American journalist and politician, 43rd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1915)
- 1861 – Solomon R. Guggenheim, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (d. 1949)
- 1862 – Émile Coste, French fencer (d. 1927)
- 1862 – Cornelius McKane, American physician, educator, and hospital founder (d. 1912)
- 1866 – Enrique Simonet, Spanish painter and academic (d. 1927)
- 1873 – Leo Fall, Austrian composer (d. 1925)
- 1873 – Konstantin von Neurath, German politician and diplomat, 13th German Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1956)
- 1875 – Fritz Kreisler, Austrian-American violinist and composer (d. 1962)
- 1877 – Frank L. Packard, Canadian author (d. 1942)
- 1878 – Joe Lydon, American boxer (d. 1937)
- 1880 – Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (d. 1969)
- 1881 – Orval Overall, American baseball player and manager (d. 1947)
- 1882 – Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (d. 1944)
- 1882 – James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet (d. 1941)
- 1883 – Johnston McCulley, American author and screenwriter, created Zorro (d. 1958)
- 1883 – Julia Nava de Ruisánchez, Mexican activist and writer (d. 1964)
- 1886 – William Rose Benét, American poet and author (d. 1950)
- 1887 – Ernst Hanfstaengl, German businessman (d. 1975)
- 1889 – Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general (d. 1952)
- 1890 – Charles Correll, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1972)
- 1892 – Tochigiyama Moriya, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 27th Yokozuna (d. 1959)
- 1893 – Cornelius Lanczos, Hungarian mathematician and physicist (d. 1974)
- 1893 – Raoul Riganti, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1970)
- 1893 – Damdin Sükhbaatar, Mongolian soldier and politician (d. 1924)
- 1895 – George Halas, American football player and coach (d. 1983)
- 1895 – Robert Philipp, American painter (d. 1981)
- 1895 – George Sutcliffe, Australian public servant (d. 1964)
- 1896 – Kazimierz Kuratowski, Polish mathematician and logician (d. 1980)
- 1897 – Howard Deering Johnson, American businessman, founded Howard Johnson’s (d. 1972)
- 1897 – Gertrude Blanch, Russian-American mathematician (d. 1996)
- 1900 – Anni Frind, German lyric soprano (d. 1987)
- 1900 – Willie Kamm, American baseball player and manager (d. 1988)
- 1901 – Jascha Heifetz, Lithuanian-born American violinist and educator (d. 1987)
- 1902 – Newbold Morris, American lawyer and politician (d. 1966)
- 1902 – John Tonkin, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1995)
- 1904 – Bozorg Alavi, Iranian author and activist (d. 1997)
- 1905 – Ayn Rand, Russian-born American novelist and philosopher (d. 1982)
- 1908 – Wes Ferrell, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
- 1909 – Frank Albertson, American actor (d. 1964)
- 1911 – Jack Pizzey, Australian politician, 29th Premier of Queensland (d. 1968)
- 1912 – Millvina Dean, English civil servant and cartographer (d. 2009)
- 1912 – Burton Lane, American songwriter and composer (d. 1997)
- 1913 – Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor and singer (d. 1985)
- 1914 – Eric Kierans, Canadian economist and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Communications (d. 2004)
- 1915 – Abba Eban, South African-Israeli politician and diplomat, 1st Israel Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2002)
- 1915 – Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (d. 2005)
- 1915 – Khushwant Singh, Indian journalist and author (d. 2014)
- 1916 – Xuân Diệu, Vietnamese poet and author (d. 1985)
- 1917 – Mary Ellis, British World War II ferry pilot (d. 2018)
- 1917 – Đỗ Mười, Vietnamese politician, 5th Prime Minister of Vietnam (d. 2018)
- 1918 – Hella Haasse, Indonesian-Dutch author (d. 2011)
- 1919 – Lisa Della Casa, Swiss soprano and actress (d. 2012)
- 1919 – Georg Gawliczek, German footballer and manager (d. 1999)
- 1920 – George Hardwick, English footballer and coach (d. 2004)
- 1920 – John Russell, American Olympic equestrian
- 1920 – Arthur Willis, English footballer, full-back, player-manager (d. 1987)
- 1922 – Kunwar Digvijay Singh, Indian field hockey player (d. 1978)
- 1922 – Robert Chef d’Hôtel, French athlete (d. 2019)
- 1922 – James L. Usry, American politician, first African-American mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey (d. 2002)
- 1922 – Stoyanka Mutafova, Bulgarian actress (d. 2019)
- 1923 – Jean Babilée, French dancer and choreographer (d. 2014)
- 1923 – James Dickey, American poet and novelist (d. 1997)
- 1923 – Svetozar Gligorić, Serbian and Yugoslav chess grandmaster (d.2012)
- 1923 – Bonita Granville, American actress and producer (d. 1988)
- 1923 – Red Schoendienst, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2018)
- 1923 – Liz Smith, American journalist and author (d. 2017)
- 1923 – Clem Windsor, Australian rugby player and surgeon (d. 2007)
- 1924 – Elfi von Dassanowsky, Austrian-American singer, pianist, producer (d. 2007)
- 1924 – Sonny Stitt, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1982)
- 1925 – Elaine Stritch, American actress and singer (d. 2014)
- 1926 – Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, French academic and politician, 20th President of France
- 1927 – Stan Getz, American saxophonist (d. 1991)
- 1927 – Doris Sams, American baseball player (d. 2012)
- 1928 – Ciriaco De Mita, 47th Prime minister of Italy
- 1928 – Jay Handlan, American basketball player and engineer (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Tommy Harmer, English footballer, inside forward, youth team coach (d. 2007)
- 1929 – Sheila Matthews Allen, American actress and producer (d. 2013)
- 1929 – George Band, English engineer and mountaineer (d. 2011)
- 1929 – Věra Chytilová, Czech actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
- 1929 – John Henry Holland, American computer scientist and academic (d. 2015)
- 1929 – Waldemar Kmentt, Austrian operatic tenor (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Dries van Agt, Dutch politician, diplomat and jurist, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- 1931 – Les Dawson, English comedian and author (d. 1993)
- 1931 – Glynn Edwards, Malaysian-English actor (d. 2018)
- 1931 – John Paul Harney, Canadian educator and politician
- 1931 – Judith Viorst, American journalist and author
- 1932 – Arthur Lyman, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player (d. 2002)
- 1932 – Robert Mandan, American actor (d. 2018)
- 1933 – M’el Dowd, American actress and singer (d. 2012)
- 1933 – Tony Jay, English-American actor (d. 2006)
- 1933 – Orlando “Cachaíto” López, Cuban bassist and composer (d. 2009)
- 1933 – Than Shwe, Burmese general and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Burma
- 1935 – Pete Brown, American golfer (d. 2015)
- 1935 – Evgeny Velikhov, Russian physicist and academic
- 1936 – Duane Jones, American actor (d. 1988)
- 1936 – Metin Oktay, Turkish footballer and manager (d. 1991)
- 1937 – Don Buford, American baseball player and coach
- 1937 – Eric Arturo Delvalle, Panamanian lawyer and politician, President of Panama (d. 2015)
- 1937 – Anthony Haden-Guest, British journalist, poet, and critic
- 1937 – Remak Ramsay, American actor
- 1937 – Tom Smothers, American comedian, actor, and activist
- 1937 – Alexandra Strelchenko, Russian Singer (d. 2019)
- 1938 – Norman Fowler, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
- 1938 – Gene MacLellan, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 1995)
- 1939 – Jackie Burroughs, English-born Canadian actress (d. 2010)
- 1939 – Mary-Dell Chilton, American chemist and inventor and one of the founders of modern plant biotechnology
- 1939 – Dale T. Mortensen, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2014)
- 1940 – Alan Caddy, English guitarist and producer (d. 2000)
- 1940 – Thomas M. Disch, American author and poet (d. 2008)
- 1940 – Wayne Fontes, American football player and coach
- 1940 – David Jason, English actor, director, and producer
- 1941 – Terry Biddlecombe, English jockey (d. 2014)
- 1942 – Bo Hopkins, American actor
- 1942 – Graham Nash, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1944 – Andrew Davis, English organist and conductor
- 1944 – Geoffrey Hughes, English actor (d. 2012)
- 1944 – Ursula Oppens, American pianist and educator
- 1945 – John Eatwell, Baron Eatwell, English economist and academic
- 1946 – John Armitt, English engineer and businessman
- 1946 – Alpha Oumar Konaré, Malian academic and politician, 3rd President of Mali
- 1946 – Constantine Papadakis, Greek-American businessman and academic (d. 2009)
- 1947 – Greg Antonacci, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
- 1947 – Farrah Fawcett, American actress and producer (d. 2009)
- 1948 – Ina Garten, American chef and author
- 1948 – Al McKay, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1948 – Roger Williamson, English race car driver (d. 1973)
- 1949 – Duncan Bannatyne, Scottish businessman and philanthropist
- 1949 – Yasuko Namba, Japanese mountaineer (d. 1996)
- 1949 – Brent Spiner, American actor and singer
- 1949 – Ross Valory, American rock bass player and songwriter
- 1950 – Osamu Kido, Japanese wrestler
- 1950 – Libby Purves, British journalist and author
- 1950 – Barbara Sukowa, German actress
- 1950 – Genichiro Tenryu, Japanese wrestler
- 1951 – Vangelis Alexandris, Greek basketball player and coach
- 1951 – Ken Bruce, Scottish radio host
- 1952 – John Cornyn, American lawyer and politician, 49th Attorney General of Texas
- 1952 – Rick Dufay, French-American guitarist and songwriter
- 1952 – Park Geun-hye, South Korean politician, 11th President of South Korea
- 1952 – Ralph Merkle, American computer scientist and academic
- 1952 – Carol Ann Susi, American actress (d. 2014)
- 1953 – Duane Chapman, American bounty hunter
- 1953 – Jerry Sisk, Jr., American gemologist, co-founded Jewelry Television (d. 2013)
- 1954 – Christie Brinkley, American actress, model, and businesswoman
- 1954 – Hansi Hinterseer, Austrian skier and actor
- 1954 – Nelson Ne’e, Solomon Islander politician (d. 2013)
- 1954 – John Tudor, American baseball player
- 1955 – Leszek Engelking, Polish poet and author
- 1955 – Bob Schreck, American author
- 1955 – Michael Talbott, American actor
- 1955 – Kim Zimmer, American actress
- 1956 – Adnan Oktar, Turkish theorist and author
- 1957 – Phil Barney, Algerian-French singer-songwriter
- 1958 – Michel Marc Bouchard, Canadian playwright
- 1961 – Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (d. 2013)
- 1961 – Lauren Lane, American actress and academic
- 1962 – Philippe Claudel, French author, director, and screenwriter
- 1962 – Andy Fordham, English darts player
- 1962 – Paul Kilgus, American baseball player
- 1962 – Kate Raison, Australian actress
- 1962 – Michael T. Weiss, American actor
- 1963 – Eva Cassidy, American singer and guitarist (d. 1996)
- 1963 – Kjell Dahlin, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1963 – Andrej Kiska, Slovak entrepreneur and philanthropist, President of Slovakia
- 1963 – Philip Laats, Belgian martial artist
- 1963 – Vigleik Storaas, Norwegian pianist
- 1965 – Carl Airey, English footballer
- 1965 – Naoki Sano, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
- 1966 – Andrei Chesnokov, Russian tennis player and coach
- 1966 – Robert DeLeo, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
- 1966 – Adam Ferrara, American actor and comedian
- 1966 – Michael Misick, Caicos Islander politician, Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands
- 1967 – Artūrs Irbe, Latvian ice hockey player and coach
- 1967 – Laurent Nkunda, Congolese general
- 1968 – Sean Elliott, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1968 – Scott Erickson, American baseball player and coach
- 1969 – Dana International, Israeli singer-songwriter
- 1969 – Valeri Karpin, Estonian-Russian footballer and manager
- 1970 – Roar Strand, Norwegian footballer
- 1970 – Jennifer Westfeldt, American actress and singer
- 1971 – Michelle Gayle, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1971 – Arly Jover, Spanish actress
- 1971 – Isaac Kungwane, South African footballer and sportscaster (d. 2014)
- 1971 – Jason Taylor, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1971 – Hwang Seok-jeong, South Korean actress
- 1972 – Melvin Mora, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1972 – Aleksey Naumov, Russian footballer
- 1973 – Andrei Luzgin, Estonian tennis player and coach
- 1973 – Aleksander Tammert, Estonian discus thrower
- 1973 – Marissa Jaret Winokur, American actress and singer
- 1975 – Todd Bertuzzi, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1975 – Donald Driver, American football player
- 1975 – Ieroklis Stoltidis, Greek footballer
- 1976 – Ryan Farquhar, Northern Irish motorcycle racer
- 1976 – James Hickman, English swimmer
- 1976 – Ana Roces, Filipino actress
- 1977 – Shakira, Colombian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1977 – Libor Sionko, Czech footballer
- 1978 – Adam Christopher, New Zealand writer
- 1978 – Eden Espinosa, American actress and singer
- 1978 – Annabel Ellwood, Australian tennis player
- 1978 – Barry Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1978 – Rich Sommer, American actor
- 1978 – Faye White, English footballer
- 1979 – Urmo Aava, Estonian race car driver
- 1979 – Fani Chalkia, Greek hurdler and sprinter
- 1979 – Christine Lampard, Irish television host
- 1979 – Klaus Mainzer, German rugby player
- 1979 – Shamita Shetty, Indian actress
- 1979 – Irini Terzoglou, Greek shot putter
- 1980 – Angela Finger-Erben, German journalist
- 1980 – Teddy Hart, Canadian wrestler
- 1980 – Oleguer Presas, Spanish footballer
- 1981 – Emre Aydın, Turkish singer-songwriter
- 1981 – Michelle Bass, English model and singer
- 1981 – Salem al-Hazmi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 77 (d. 2001)
- 1982 – Sergio Castaño Ortega, Spanish footballer
- 1982 – Kelly Mazzante, American basketball player
- 1982 – Kan Mi-youn, South Korean singer, model, and host
- 1983 – Ronny Cedeño, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1983 – Carolina Klüft, Swedish heptathlete and jumper
- 1983 – Jordin Tootoo, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Vladimir Voskoboinikov, Estonian footballer
- 1983 – Alex Westaway, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1984 – Brian Cage, American wrestler
- 1984 – Mao Miyaji, Japanese actress
- 1984 – Rudi Wulf, New Zealand rugby player
- 1985 – Masoud Azizi, Afghan sprinter
- 1985 – Renn Kiriyama, Japanese actor
- 1985 – Kristo Saage, Estonian basketball player
- 1985 – Silvestre Varela, Portuguese footballer
- 1986 – Gemma Arterton, English actress and singer
- 1986 – Miwa Asao, Japanese volleyball player
- 1987 – Anthony Fainga’a, Australian rugby player
- 1987 – Saia Fainga’a, Australian rugby player
- 1987 – Faydee, Australian singer
- 1987 – Athena Imperial, Filipino journalist, Miss Earth-Water 2011
- 1987 – Mimi Page, American singer-songwriter and composer
- 1987 – Gerard Piqué, Spanish footballer
- 1987 – Javon Ringer, American football player
- 1987 – Jill Scott, English footballer
- 1987 – Victoria Song, Chinese singer and actress
- 1987 – Martin Spanjers, American actor and producer
- 1988 – Zosia Mamet, American actress
- 1989 – Harrison Smith, American football player
- 1989 – Southside, American record producer
- 1991 – Nathan Delfouneso, English footballer
- 1991 – Gregory Mertens, Belgian footballer (d. 2015)
- 1991 – Shohei Nanba, Japanese actor
- 1992 – Lammtarra, American race horse (d. 2014)
- 1992 – Joonas Tamm, Estonian footballer
- 1993 – Ravel Morrison, English footballer
- 1993 – Bobby Decordova-Reid, English born Jamaican international footballer, forward
- 1995 – Paul Digby, English footballer
- 1995 – Aleksander Jagiełło, Polish footballer
- 1995 – Arfa Karim, Pakstani student and computer prodigy (d. 2012)
- 1996 – Harry Winks, English international footballer, midfielder
Deaths on February 2
- 619 – Laurence of Canterbury, English archbishop and saint
- 880 – Bruno, duke of Saxony
- 1124 – Bořivoj II, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1064)
- 1218 – Konstantin of Rostov (b. 1186)
- 1237 – Joan, Lady of Wales
- 1250 – Eric XI of Sweden (b. 1216)
- 1294 – Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1229)
- 1347 – Thomas Bek, Bishop of Lincoln, was the bishop of Lincoln (b. 1282)
- 1348 – Narymunt, Prince of Pinsk
- 1435 – Joan II of Naples, Queen of Naples (b. 1371)
- 1446 – Vittorino da Feltre, Italian humanist (b. 1378)
- 1448 – Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Egyptian jurist and scholar (b. 1372)
- 1461 – Owen Tudor, Welsh founder of the Tudor dynasty (b. c. 1400)
- 1512 – Hatuey, Caribbean tribal chief
- 1529 – Baldassare Castiglione, Italian soldier and diplomat (b. 1478)
- 1580 – Bessho Nagaharu, Japanese daimyō (b. 1558)
- 1594 – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Italian composer and educator (b. 1525)
- 1648 – George Abbot, English author and politician (b. 1603)
- 1660 – Gaston, Duke of Orléans (b. 1608)
- 1660 – Govert Flinck, Dutch painter (b. 1615)
- 1661 – Lucas Holstenius, German geographer and historian (b. 1596)
- 1675 – Ivan Belostenec, Croatian linguist and lexicographer (b. 1594)
- 1688 – Abraham Duquesne, French admiral (b. 1610)
- 1704 – Guillaume de l’Hôpital, French mathematician and academic (b. 1661)
- 1712 – Martin Lister, English physician and geologist (b. 1639)
- 1714 – John Sharp, English archbishop (b. 1643)
- 1723 – Antonio Maria Valsalva, Italian anatomist and physician (b. 1666)
- 1768 – Robert Smith, English mathematician and theorist (b. 1689)
- 1769 – Pope Clement XIII (b. 1693)
- 1802 – Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip, English politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (b. 1713)
- 1804 – George Walton, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Georgia (b. 1749)
- 1831 – Vincenzo Dimech, Maltese sculptor (b. 1768)
- 1836 – Letizia Ramolino, Italian noblewoman (b. 1750)
- 1861 – Théophane Vénard, French Catholic missionary (b. 1829)
- 1881 – Henry Parker, English-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of New South Wales (b. 1808)
- 1904 – Ernest Cashel, American-Canadian criminal (b. 1882)
- 1904 – William Collins Whitney, American financier and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1841)
- 1905 – Henri Germain, French banker and politician, founded Le Crédit Lyonnais (b. 1824)
- 1907 – Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist and academic (b. 1834)
- 1909 – Carlo Acton, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1829)
- 1913 – Gustaf de Laval, Swedish engineer (b. 1845)
- 1918 – John L. Sullivan, American boxer (b. 1858)
- 1919 – Julius Kuperjanov, Estonian lieutenant (b. 1894)
- 1925 – Antti Aarne, Finnish historian and academic (b. 1867)
- 1925 – Jaap Eden, Dutch speed skater and cyclist (b. 1873)
- 1926 – Vladimir Sukhomlinov, Russian general and politician (b. 1848)
- 1932 – Agha Petros, Assyrian general and politician (b. 1880)
- 1939 – Bernhard Gregory, Estonian-German chess player (b. 1879)
- 1942 – Ado Birk, Estonian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1883)
- 1942 – Daniil Kharms, Russian poet and playwright (b. 1905)
- 1942 – Hugh D. McIntosh, Australian businessman (b. 1876)
- 1945 – Alfred Delp, German priest and philosopher (b. 1907)
- 1945 – Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, German economist and politician (b. 1884)
- 1945 – Johannes Popitz, German lawyer and politician (b. 1884)
- 1948 – Thomas W. Lamont, American banker and philanthropist (b. 1870)
- 1948 – Bevil Rudd, South African runner and journalist (b. 1894)
- 1950 – Constantin Carathéodory, Greek mathematician and academic (b. 1873)
- 1952 – Callistratus of Georgia, Georgian patriarch (b. 1866)
- 1954 – Hella Wuolijoki, Estonian-Finnish author and politician (b. 1886)
- 1956 – Charley Grapewin, American actor (b. 1869)
- 1956 – Truxtun Hare, American football player and hammer thrower (b. 1878)
- 1956 – Pyotr Konchalovsky, Russian painter (b. 1876)
- 1957 – Grigory Landsberg, Russian physicist and academic (b. 1890)
- 1962 – Shlomo Hestrin, Canadian-Israeli biochemist and academic (b. 1914)
- 1966 – Hacı Ömer Sabancı, Turkish businessman (b. 1906)
- 1968 – Tullio Serafin, Italian conductor and director (b. 1878)
- 1969 – Boris Karloff, English actor (b. 1887)
- 1970 – Lawrence Gray, American actor (b. 1898)
- 1970 – Bertrand Russell, English mathematician and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1872)
- 1972 – Natalie Clifford Barney, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1876)
- 1973 – Hendrik Elias, Belgian academic and politician, 9th Mayor of Ghent (b. 1902)
- 1974 – Imre Lakatos, Hungarian-English mathematician and philosopher (b. 1922)
- 1975 – Gustave Lanctot, Canadian historian and academic (b. 1883)
- 1979 – Jim Burke, Australian cricketer (b. 1930)
- 1979 – Sid Vicious, English singer and bass player (b. 1957)
- 1980 – William Howard Stein, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
- 1982 – Paul Desruisseaux, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
- 1983 – Sam Chatmon, American singer and guitarist (b. 1897)
- 1986 – Anita Cobby, Australian murder victim (b. 1959)
- 1986 – Gino Hernandez, American wrestler (b. 1957)
- 1987 – Carlos José Castilho, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1927)
- 1987 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (b. 1922)
- 1988 – Marcel Bozzuffi, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
- 1989 – Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater and coach (b. 1951)
- 1989 – Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand minister and politician, 30th New Zealand Minister of Finance (b. 1901)
- 1990 – Paul Ariste, Estonian linguist and academic (b. 1905)
- 1990 – Joe Erskine, Welsh boxer (b. 1934)
- 1992 – Bert Parks, American actor, singer, television personality; Miss America telecast presenter (b. 1914)
- 1993 – François Reichenbach, French director and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 1994 – Marija Gimbutas, Lithuanian-American archeologist (b. 1921)
- 1995 – Thomas Hayward, American tenor and actor (b. 1917)
- 1995 – Fred Perry, English-Australian tennis player (b. 1909)
- 1995 – Donald Pleasence, English-French actor (b. 1919)
- 1996 – Gene Kelly, American actor, singer, dancer, and director (b. 1912)
- 1997 – Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (b. 1913)
- 1997 – Sanford Meisner, American actor and coach (b. 1904)
- 1998 – Haroun Tazieff, German-French geologist and cinematographer (b. 1914)
- 1999 – David McComb, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)
- 2002 – Paul Baloff, American singer-songwriter (b. 1960)
- 2002 – Claude Brown, American author (b. 1937)
- 2003 – Lou Harrison, American composer and educator (b. 1917)
- 2004 – Bernard McEveety, American director and producer (b. 1924)
- 2005 – Birgitte Federspiel, Danish actress (b. 1925)
- 2005 – Max Schmeling, German boxer (b. 1905)
- 2007 – Vijay Arora, Indian actor (b. 1944)
- 2007 – Billy Henderson, American singer (b. 1939)
- 2007 – Joe Hunter, American pianist (b. 1927)
- 2007 – Filippo Raciti, Italian police officer (b. 1967)
- 2007 – Eric Von Schmidt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1931)
- 2007 – Masao Takemoto, Japanese gymnast (b. 1919)
- 2008 – Barry Morse, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1918)
- 2008 – Katoucha Niane, Guinean model and author (b. 1960)
- 2011 – Edward Amy, Canadian general (b. 1918)
- 2011 – Defne Joy Foster, Turkish actress (b. 1975)
- 2011 – Margaret John, Welsh actress (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Joyce Barkhouse, Canadian author (b. 1913)
- 2012 – Frederick William Danker, American lexicographer and scholar (b. 1920)
- 2012 – George Esper, American journalist and academic (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Dorothy Gilman, American author (b. 1923)
- 2012 – James F. Lloyd, American pilot and politician (b. 1922)
- 2013 – Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (b. 1961)
- 2013 – John Kerr, American actor and lawyer (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Chris Kyle, American soldier and sniper (b. 1974)
- 2013 – Lino Oviedo, Paraguayan general and politician (b. 1943)
- 2013 – Pepper Paire, American baseball player (b. 1924)
- 2013 – P. Shanmugam, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Puducherry (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Walt Sweeney, American football player (b. 1941)
- 2013 – Guy F. Tozzoli, American architect (b. 1922)
- 2014 – Gerd Albrecht, German conductor (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Tommy Aquino, American motorcycle racer (b. 1992)
- 2014 – Nicholas Brooks, English historian (b. 1941)
- 2014 – Eduardo Coutinho, Brazilian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1933)
- 2014 – Philip Seymour Hoffman, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1967)
- 2014 – Luis Raúl, Puerto Rican comedian and actor (b. 1962)
- 2014 – Bunny Rugs, Jamaican singer (b. 1948)
- 2014 – Nigel Walker, English footballer (b. 1959)
- 2015 – Joseph Alfidi, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1949)
- 2015 – Dave Bergman, American baseball player (b. 1953)
- 2015 – Andriy Kuzmenko, Ukrainian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1968)
- 2015 – Molade Okoya-Thomas, Nigerian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (b. 1922)
- 2015 – The Jacka, American rapper and producer (b. 1977)
- 2016 – Bob Elliott, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1923)
Holidays and observances on February 2
- Anniversary of Treaty of Tartu (Estonia)
- Christian Feast Day:
- Adalbard
- Cornelius the Centurion
- Martyrs of Ebsdorf
- February 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Constitution Day (Philippines)
- Day of Youth (Azerbaijan)
- Earliest day on which Shrove Monday can fall, while March 8 is the latest; celebrated on Monday before Ash Wednesday (Christianity), and its related observances:
- Bun Day (Iceland)
- Fastelavn (Denmark/Norway)
- Nickanan Night (Cornwall)
- Rosenmontag (Germany)
- Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple or Candlemas (Western Christianity), and its related observances:
- A quarter day in the Christian calendar (due to Candlemas). (Scotland)
- Celebration of Yemanja or Our Lady of Navigators (Candomblé)
- Le Jour des Crêpes (France)
- Our Lady of the Candles (Filipino Catholics)
- Virgin of Candelaria (Tenerife, Spain)
- Groundhog Day (United States and Canada), and its related observances:
- Inventor’s Day (Thailand)
- Trader’s Day (Poland)
- Victory of the Battle of Stalingrad (Russia)
- World Wetlands Day
-
January 9 in History
- 475 – Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.
- 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain.
- 1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the Jin dynasty besiege and sack Bianjing (Kaifeng), the capital of the Song dynasty of China, and abduct Emperor Qinzong of Song and others, ending the Northern Song dynasty.
- 1349 – The Jewish population of Basel, believed by the residents to be the cause of the ongoing Black Death, is rounded up and incinerated.
- 1431 – The trial of Joan of Arc begins in Rouen.
- 1760 – Ahmad Shah Durrani defeats the Marathas in the Battle of Barari Ghat.<refFrançois Xavier Wendel (1991). Wendel’s memoirs on the origin, growth and present state of Jat power in Hindustan (1768). Institut français de Pondichéry. p. 61.</ref>
- 1788 – Connecticut becomes the fifth state to ratify the Constitution.
- 1792 – Treaty of Jassy between Russian and Ottoman Empire is signed.
- 1793 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard becomes the first person to fly in a balloon in the United States.
- 1799 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound to raise funds for Great Britain’s war effort in the Napoleonic Wars.
- 1806 – Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson receives a state funeral and is interred in St Paul’s Cathedral.
- 1816 – Humphry Davy tests his safety lamp for miners at Hebburn Colliery.
- 1822 – The Portuguese prince Pedro I of Brazil decides to stay in Brazil against the orders of the Portuguese King João VI, beginning the Brazilian independence process.
- 1839 – The French Academy of Sciences announces the Daguerreotype photography process.
- 1857 – The 7.9 Mw Fort Tejon earthquake shakes Central and Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent).
- 1858 – Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas, commits suicide.
- 1861 – American Civil War: “Star of the West” incident occurs near Charleston, South Carolina.
- 1861 – Mississippi becomes the second state to secede from the Union before the outbreak of the American Civil War.
- 1878 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy.
- 1894 – New England Telephone and Telegraph installs the first battery-operated telephone switchboard in Lexington, Massachusetts.
- 1903 – Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, son of the poet Alfred Tennyson, becomes the second Governor-General of Australia.
- 1909 – Ernest Shackleton, leading the Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole, plants the British flag 97 nautical miles (180 km; 112 mi) from the South Pole, the farthest anyone had ever reached at that time.
- 1914 – The Phi Beta Sigma fraternity is founded by African-American students at Howard University in Washington D.C., United States.
- 1916 – World War I: The Battle of Gallipoli concludes with an Ottoman Empire victory when the last Allied forces are evacuated from the peninsula.
- 1917 – World War I: The Battle of Rafa is fought near the Egyptian border with Palestine.
- 1918 – Battle of Bear Valley: The last battle of the American Indian Wars.
- 1921 – Greco-Turkish War: The First Battle of İnönü, the first battle of the war, begins near Eskişehir in Anatolia.
- 1923 – Juan de la Cierva makes the first autogyro flight.
- 1923 – Lithuanian residents of the Memel Territory rebel against the League of Nations’ decision to leave the area as a mandated region under French control.
- 1927 – A fire at the Laurier Palace movie theatre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, kills 78 children.
- 1941 – World War II: First flight of the Avro Lancaster.
- 1945 – World War II: The Sixth United States Army begins the invasion of Lingayen Gulf.
- 1957 – British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden resigns from office following his failure to retake the Suez Canal from Egyptian sovereignty.
- 1960 – President of Egypt Gamal Abdel Nasser opens construction on the Aswan Dam by detonating ten tons of dynamite to demolish twenty tons of granite on the east bank of the Nile.
- 1961 – British authorities announce they have uncovered the Soviet Portland Spy Ring in London.
- 1964 – Martyrs’ Day: Several Panamanian youths try to raise the Panamanian flag in the U.S.-controlled Panama Canal Zone, leading to fighting between U.S. military and Panamanian civilians.
- 1965 – The Mirzapur Cadet College formally opens for academic activities in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
- 1991 – Representatives from the United States and Iraq meet at the Geneva Peace Conference to try to find a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
- 1992 – The Assembly of the Serb People in Bosnia and Herzegovina proclaims the creation of Republika Srpska, a new state within Yugoslavia.
- 1992 – The first discoveries of extrasolar planets are announced by astronomers Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail. They discovered two planets orbiting the pulsar PSR 1257+12.
- 1996 – First Chechen War: Chechen separatists launch a raid against the helicopter airfield and later a civilian hospital in the city of Kizlyar in the neighboring Dagestan, which turns into a massive hostage crisis involving thousands of civilians.
- 2004 – An inflatable boat carrying illegal Albanian emigrants stalls near the Karaburun Peninsula en route to Brindisi, Italy; exposure to the elements kills 28. This is the second deadliest marine disaster in Albanian history.
- 2005 – Mahmoud Abbas wins the election to succeed Yasser Arafat as President of the Palestinian National Authority, replacing interim president Rawhi Fattouh.
- 2005 – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan sign the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to end the Second Sudanese Civil War.
- 2007 – Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces the original iPhone at a Macworld keynote in San Francisco.
- 2011 – Iran Air Flight 277 crashes near Urmia in the northwest of the country, killing 77 people.
- 2014 – An explosion at a Mitsubishi Materials chemical plant in Yokkaichi, Japan, kills at least five people and injures 17 others.
- 2015 – The perpetrators of the Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris two days earlier are both killed after a hostage situation; a second hostage situation, related to the Charlie Hebdo shooting, occurs at a Jewish market in Vincennes.
- 2015 – A mass poisoning at a funeral in Mozambique involving beer that was contaminated with Burkholderia gladioli leaves 75 dead and over 230 people ill.
Births on January 9
- 727 – Emperor Daizong of Tang (d. 779)
- 1418 – Juan Ramón Folch III de Cardona, Aragonese admiral (d. 1485)
- 1475 – Crinitus, Italian scholar and author (d. 1507)
- 1554 – Pope Gregory XV (d. 1623)
- 1571 – Charles Bonaventure de Longueval, Count of Bucquoy, French commander (d. 1621)
- 1590 – Simon Vouet, French painter (d. 1649)
- 1606 – William Dugard, English printer (d. 1662)
- 1624 – Empress Meishō of Japan (d. 1696)
- 1645 – Sir William Villiers, 3rd Baronet, English noble and politician (d. 1712)
- 1674 – Reinhard Keiser, German composer (d. 1739)
- 1685 – Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch philologist and critic (d. 1766)
- 1728 – Thomas Warton, English poet, historian, and critic (d. 1790)
- 1735 – John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent, English admiral and politician (d. 1823)
- 1745 – Caleb Strong, American lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1819)
- 1753 – Luísa Todi, Portuguese soprano and actress (d. 1833)
- 1773 – Cassandra Austen, English painter and illustrator (d. 1845)
- 1778 – Hammamizade İsmail Dede Efendi, Turkish Ney player and composer (d. 1846)
- 1811 – Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, English journalist and author (d. 1856)
- 1818 – Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon, French sculptor and photographer (d. 1881)
- 1819 – James Francis, English-Australian businessman and politician, 9th Premier of Victoria (d. 1884)
- 1822 – Carol Benesch, Czech-Romanian architect, designed the Peleș Castle (d. 1896)
- 1823 – Friedrich von Esmarch, German surgeon and academic (d. 1908)
- 1829 – Thomas William Robertson, English director and playwright (d. 1871)
- 1829 – Adolf Schlagintweit, German botanist and explorer (d. 1857)
- 1832 – Félix-Gabriel Marchand, Canadian journalist and politician, 11th Premier of Quebec (d. 1900)
- 1839 – John Knowles Paine, American composer and academic (d. 1906)
- 1848 – Princess Frederica of Hanover (d. 1926)
- 1849 – John Hartley, English tennis player (d. 1935)
- 1854 – Lady Randolph Churchill, American-born wife of Lord Randolph Churchill, mother of Sir Winston Churchill (d. 1921)
- 1856 – Anton Aškerc, Slovenian priest and poet (d. 1912)
- 1859 – Carrie Chapman Catt, American activist, founded the League of Women Voters and International Alliance of Women (d. 1947)
- 1864 – Vladimir Steklov, Russian mathematician and physicist (d. 1926)
- 1868 – S. P. L. Sørensen, Danish chemist and academic (d. 1939)
- 1870 – Joseph Strauss, American engineer, co-designed the Golden Gate Bridge (d. 1938)
- 1873 – Hayim Nahman Bialik, Ukrainian-Austrian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1934)
- 1873 – Thomas Curtis, American sprinter and hurdler (d. 1944)
- 1873 – John Flanagan, Irish-American hammer thrower (d. 1938)
- 1875 – Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, American sculptor and art collector, founded the Whitney Museum of American Art (d. 1942)
- 1879 – John B. Watson, American psychologist and academic (d. 1958)
- 1881 – Lascelles Abercrombie, English poet and critic (d. 1938)
- 1881 – Giovanni Papini, Italian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1956)
- 1885 – Charles Bacon, American runner and hurdler (d. 1968)
- 1886 – Lloyd Loar, American sound engineer and instrument designer (d. 1943)
- 1889 – Vrindavan Lal Verma, Indian author and playwright (d. 1969)
- 1890 – Karel Čapek, Czech author and playwright (d. 1938)
- 1890 – Kurt Tucholsky, German-Swedish journalist and author (d. 1935)
- 1891 – August Gailit, Estonian journalist and author (d. 1960)
- 1892 – Eva Bowring, American lawyer and politician (d. 1985)
- 1893 – Edwin Baker, Canadian soldier and educator, co-founded the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (d. 1968)
- 1896 – Warwick Braithwaite, New Zealand-English conductor and director (d. 1971)
- 1897 – Karl Löwith, German philosopher, author, and academic (d. 1973)
- 1898 – Gracie Fields, English actress and singer (d. 1979)
- 1899 – Harald Tammer, Estonian journalist and weightlifter (d. 1942)
- 1900 – Richard Halliburton, American journalist and author (d. 1939)
- 1901 – Vilma Bánky, Hungarian-American actress (d. 1991)
- 1901 – Chic Young, American cartoonist (d. 1973)
- 1902 – Rudolf Bing, American impresario and businessman (d. 1997)
- 1902 – Josemaría Escrivá, Spanish priest and saint, founded Opus Dei (d. 1975)
- 1907 – Eldred G. Smith, American patriarch (d. 2013)
- 1907 – Earl W. Renfroe, African American orthodontist, educator, and activist (d. 2000)
- 1908 – Simone de Beauvoir, French philosopher and author (d. 1986)
- 1909 – Anthony Mamo, Maltese lawyer and politician, 1st President of Malta (d. 2008)
- 1909 – Patrick Peyton, Irish-American priest, television personality, and activist (d. 1992)
- 1910 – Tom Evenson, English runner (d. 1997)
- 1912 – Ralph Tubbs, English architect, designed the Dome of Discovery (d. 1996)
- 1913 – Richard Nixon, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 37th President of the United States (d. 1994)
- 1914 – Kenny Clarke, American jazz drummer and bandleader (d. 1985)
- 1915 – Anita Louise, American actress (d. 1970)
- 1916 – Fernando Lamas, Argentinian-American actor, singer, and director (d. 1982)
- 1916 – Vic Mizzy, American soldier, pianist, and composer (d. 2009)
- 1918 – Alma Ziegler, American baseball player and golfer (d. 2005)
- 1919 – William Morris Meredith, Jr., American poet and academic (d. 2007)
- 1920 – Clive Dunn, English actor (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Hakim Said, Pakistani scholar and politician, 20th Governor of Sindh (d. 1998)
- 1921 – Ágnes Keleti, Hungarian Olympic gymnast
- 1921 – Lister Sinclair, Indian-Canadian broadcaster and playwright (d. 2006)
- 1922 – Har Gobind Khorana, Indian-American biochemist and academic, Nobel laureate (d. 2011)
- 1922 – Ahmed Sékou Touré, Guinean politician, 1st President of Guinea (d. 1984)
- 1924 – Sergei Parajanov, Georgian-Armenian director and screenwriter (d. 1990)
- 1925 – Len Quested, English footballer defender and manager (d. 2012)
- 1925 – Lee Van Cleef, American actor (d. 1989)
- 1926 – Jean-Pierre Côté, Canadian lawyer and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 2002)
- 1928 – Judith Krantz, American novelist (d. 2019)
- 1928 – Domenico Modugno, Italian singer-songwriter, actor, and politician (d. 1994)
- 1929 – Brian Friel, Irish author, playwright, and director (d. 2015)
- 1929 – Heiner Müller, German poet, playwright, and director (d. 1995)
- 1931 – Algis Budrys, Lithuanian-American author and critic (d. 2008)
- 1933 – Robert García, American soldier and politician (d. 2017)
- 1933 – Roy Dwight, English footballer, outside forward
- 1933 – Wilbur Smith, Zambian-English journalist and author
- 1934 – Bart Starr, American football player and coach (d. 2019)
- 1935 – Bob Denver, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1935 – Dick Enberg, American sportscaster (d. 2017)
- 1935 – John Graham, New Zealand rugby player and educator (d. 2017)
- 1935 – Brian Harradine, Australian politician (d. 2014)
- 1936 – Anne Rivers Siddons, American author
- 1936 – Marko Veselica, Croatian academic and politician (d. 2017)
- 1938 – Claudette Boyer, Canadian educator and politician (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Susannah York, English actress and activist (d. 2011)
- 1940 – Barbara Buczek, Polish composer (d. 1993)
- 1940 – Ruth Dreifuss, Swiss journalist and politician, 86th President of the Swiss Confederation
- 1941 – Joan Baez, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and activist
- 1941 – Gilles Vaillancourt, Canadian politician
- 1942 – John Dunning, American author
- 1942 – Judy Malloy, American poet and author
- 1943 – Robert Drewe, Australian author and playwright
- 1943 – Elmer MacFadyen, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
- 1943 – Scott Walker, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (d. 2019)
- 1944 – Harun Farocki, German filmmaker (d. 2014)
- 1944 – Jimmy Page, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1944 – Mihalis Violaris, Cypriot singer-songwriter and actor
- 1945 – Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Syrian-Armenian scholar and politician, 1st President of Armenia
- 1946 – Mohammad Ishaq Khan, Indian historian and academic (d. 2013)
- 1946 – Mogens Lykketoft, Danish politician, 45th Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1947 – Ronnie Landfield, American painter and educator
- 1948 – Bill Cowsill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)
- 1948 – Jan Tomaszewski, Polish footballer, manager, and politician
- 1950 – Alec Jeffreys, English geneticist and academic
- 1950 – David Johansen, American musician and actor
- 1950 – Sandy Martin, American actress
- 1951 – Crystal Gayle, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1952 – Kaushik Basu, Indian economist and academic
- 1952 – Hugh Bayley, English politician
- 1952 – Mike Capuano, American lawyer and politician
- 1953 – Javad Alizadeh, Iranian cartoonist and painter
- 1954 – Philippa Gregory, Kenyan-English author and academic
- 1955 – Michiko Kakutani, American journalist and critic
- 1955 – J.K. Simmons, American actor
- 1956 – Waltraud Meier, German soprano and actress
- 1956 – Imelda Staunton, English actress and singer
- 1958 – Stephen Neale, English philosopher and academic
- 1959 – Mark Martin, American race car driver and coach
- 1959 – Rigoberta Menchú, Guatemalan activist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1959 – Otis Nixon, American baseball player
- 1960 – Lisa Walters, Canadian golfer
- 1961 – Didier Camberabero, French rugby player
- 1961 – Oliver Goldstick, American screenwriter and producer
- 1961 – Henry Omaga-Diaz, Filipino journalist
- 1962 – Ray Houghton, Scottish-born footballer
- 1963 – Irwin McLean, Northern Irish biologist and academic
- 1964 – Stan Javier, Dominican baseball player and manager
- 1965 – Iain Dowie, English-Northern Irish footballer and coach
- 1965 – Eric Erlandson, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1965 – Haddaway, Trinidadian-German singer and musician
- 1965 – Andrei Nazarov, Estonian decathlete and coach
- 1965 – Joely Richardson, English actress
- 1966 – Stephen Metcalfe, English politician
- 1967 – Matt Bevin, American politician, 62nd governor of Kentucky
- 1967 – Claudio Caniggia, Argentinian footballer
- 1967 – Dave Matthews, South African-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1967 – Gary Teichmann, South African rugby player
- 1968 – Jimmy Adams, Jamaican cricketer and coach
- 1968 – Joey Lauren Adams, American actress
- 1968 – Mardi Lunn, Australian golfer
- 1968 – Giorgos Theofanous, Greek-Cypriot composer and producer
- 1970 – Lara Fabian, Belgian-Italian singer-songwriter and actress
- 1971 – Angie Martinez, American rapper, actress, and radio host
- 1971 – Hal Niedzviecki, Canadian author and critic
- 1971 – Scott Thornton, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 – Jay Powell, American baseball player
- 1972 – Rawson Stovall, American video game producer and author
- 1973 – Sean Paul, Jamaican rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor
- 1975 – James Beckford, Jamaican long jumper
- 1976 – Radek Bonk, Czech ice hockey player
- 1978 – Mathieu Garon, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Gennaro Gattuso, Italian footballer and manager
- 1978 – Chad Johnson, American football player and actor
- 1978 – AJ McLean, American singer
- 1980 – Édgar Álvarez, Honduran footballer
- 1980 – Sergio García, Spanish golfer
- 1980 – Luke Patten, Australian rugby league player and referee
- 1980 – Francisco Pavón, Spanish footballer
- 1980 – Wang Zulan, Hong Kong singer
- 1981 – Euzebiusz Smolarek, Polish footballer and manager
- 1982 – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
- 1984 – Drew Brown, American musician and songwriter
- 1984 – Benjamin Danso, German rugby player
- 1985 – Juan Francisco Torres, Spanish footballer
- 1986 – Jéferson Gomes, Brazilian footballer
- 1986 – Uwe Hünemeier, German footballer
- 1986 – Amanda Mynhardt, South African netball player
- 1987 – Sam Bird, English race car driver
- 1987 – Lucas Leiva, Brazilian footballer
- 1987 – Paolo Nutini, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1987 – Jami Puustinen, Finnish footballer
- 1988 – Katherine Copely, American ice dancer
- 1988 – Marc Crosas, Spanish footballer
- 1988 – Lee Yeon-hee, South Korean actress
- 1989 – Michael Beasley, American basketball player
- 1989 – Nina Dobrev, Bulgarian-Canadian actress
- 1989 – Michaëlla Krajicek, Dutch tennis player
- 1989 – Yana Maksimava, Belarusian heptathlete
- 1989 – Chris Sandow, Australian rugby league player
- 1989 – Jordan Turner, English rugby league player
- 1990 – Justin Blackmon, American football player
- 1991 – Edon Hasani, Albanian football player
- 1991 – Alvaro Soler, Spanish singer-songwriter
- 1993 – Katarina Johnson-Thompson, English long jumper and heptathlete
- 1993 – Marcus Peters, American football player
- 1993 – Kevin Korjus, Estonian race car driver
- 1995 – Braden Uele, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1999 – Shannon Tavarez, American actress (d. 2010)
Deaths on January 9
- 710 – Adrian of Canterbury, abbot and scholar
- 1150 – Emperor Xizong of Jin (b. 1119)
- 1202 – Birger Brosa, Jarl of Sweden
- 1282 – Abû ‘Uthmân Sa’îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi, Minorcan ruler (b. 1204)
- 1283 – Wen Tianxiang, Chinese general and scholar (b. 1236)
- 1367 – Giulia della Rena, Italian saint (b. 1319)
- 1450 – Adam Moleyns, Bishop of Chichester
- 1463 – William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent, English soldier (b. 1405)
- 1499 – John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1455)
- 1511 – Demetrios Chalkokondyles, Greek scholar and academic (b. 1423)
- 1514 – Anne of Brittany, queen of Charles VIII of France and Louis XII of France (b. 1477)
- 1529 – Wang Yangming, Chinese Neo-Confucian scholar (b. 1472)
- 1534 – Johannes Aventinus, Bavarian historian and philologist (b. 1477)
- 1543 – Guillaume du Bellay, French general and diplomat (b. 1491)
- 1561 – Amago Haruhisa, Japanese warlord (b. 1514)
- 1571 – Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon, French admiral (b. 1510)
- 1598 – Jasper Heywood, English poet and scholar (b. 1553)
- 1612 – Leonard Holliday, Lord Mayor of London (b. 1550)
- 1622 – Alix Le Clerc, French Canoness Regular and foundress (b. 1576)
- 1757 – Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1657)
- 1762 – Antonio de Benavides, colonial governor of Florida (b. 1678)
- 1766 – Thomas Birch, English historian and author (b. 1705)
- 1799 – Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian mathematician and philosopher (b. 1718)
- 1800 – Jean Étienne Championnet, French general (b. 1762)
- 1805 – Noble Wimberly Jones, American physician and politician (b. 1723)
- 1843 – William Hedley, English engineer (b. 1773)
- 1848 – Caroline Herschel, German-English astronomer (b. 1750)
- 1856 – Neophytos Vamvas, Greek cleric and educator (b. 1770)
- 1858 – Anson Jones, American physician and politician; 4th President of the Republic of Texas (b. 1798)
- 1873 – Napoleon III, French politician, 1st President of France (b. 1808)
- 1876 – Samuel Gridley Howe, American physician and activist (b. 1801)
- 1878 – Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (b. 1820)
- 1895 – Aaron Lufkin Dennison, American-English businessman (b. 1812)
- 1901 – Richard Copley Christie, English lawyer and academic (b. 1830)
- 1908 – Wilhelm Busch, German poet, illustrator, and painter (b. 1832)
- 1908 – Abraham Goldfaden, Russian actor, playwright, and author (b. 1840)
- 1911 – Edwin Arthur Jones, American violinist and composer (b. 1853)
- 1911 – Edvard Rusjan, Italian-Slovene pilot and engineer (b. 1886)
- 1917 – Luther D. Bradley, American cartoonist (b. 1853)
- 1918 – Charles-Émile Reynaud, French scientist and educator, invented the Praxinoscope (b. 1844)
- 1923 – Katherine Mansfield, New Zealand novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1888)
- 1924 – Ponnambalam Arunachalam, Sri Lankan civil servant and politician (b. 1853)
- 1927 – Houston Stewart Chamberlain, English-German philosopher and author (b. 1855)
- 1930 – Edward Bok, Dutch-American journalist and author (b. 1863)
- 1931 – Wayne Munn, American football player and wrestler (b. 1896)
- 1936 – John Gilbert, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1899)
- 1939 – Johann Strauss III, Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1866)
- 1941 – Dimitrios Golemis, Greek runner (b. 1874)
- 1945 – Shigekazu Shimazaki, Japanese admiral and pilot (b. 1908)
- 1945 – Jüri Uluots, Estonian journalist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1890)
- 1945 – Osman Cemal Kaygılı, Turkish journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1890)
- 1946 – Countee Cullen, American poet and playwright (b. 1903)
- 1947 – Karl Mannheim, Hungarian-English sociologist and academic (b. 1893)
- 1960 – Elsie J. Oxenham, English author and educator (b. 1880)
- 1961 – Emily Greene Balch, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1867)
- 1964 – Halide Edib Adıvar, Turkish author and academic (b. 1884)
- 1971 – Elmer Flick, American baseball player and scout (b. 1876)
- 1972 – Ted Shawn, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1891)
- 1975 – Pierre Fresnay, French actor and screenwriter (b. 1897)
- 1975 – Pyotr Novikov, Russian mathematician and theorist (b. 1901)
- 1979 – Pier Luigi Nervi, Italian engineer and architect, designed the Tour de la Bourse and Pirelli Tower (b. 1891)
- 1981 – Kazimierz Serocki, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1922)
- 1984 – Bob Dyer, American-Australian radio and television host (b. 1909)
- 1985 – Robert Mayer, German-English businessman and philanthropist (b. 1879)
- 1987 – Arthur Lake, American actor (b. 1905)
- 1988 – Peter L. Rypdal, Norwegian fiddler and composer (b. 1909)
- 1989 – Bill Terry, American baseball player and manager (b. 1898)
- 1990 – Spud Chandler, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1907)
- 1990 – Cemal Süreya, Turkish poet and journalist (b. 1931)
- 1992 – Steve Brodie, American actor (b. 1919)
- 1992 – Bill Naughton, English playwright and screenwriter (b. 1910)
- 1993 – Paul Hasluck, Australian historian and politician, 17th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1905)
- 1994 – Johnny Temple, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1927)
- 1995 – Souphanouvong, Laotian politician, 1st President of Laos (b. 1909)
- 1995 – Peter Cook, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1937)
- 1996 – Walter M. Miller, Jr., American soldier and author (b. 1923)
- 1996 – Abdullah al-Qasemi, Saudi atheist, writer, and intellectual (b. 1907)
- 1997 – Edward Osóbka-Morawski, Polish politician, Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1909)
- 1997 – Jesse White, American actor (b. 1917)
- 1998 – Kenichi Fukui, Japanese chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- 1998 – Imi Lichtenfeld, Slovakian-Israeli martial artist, founded Krav Maga (b. 1910)
- 2000 – Arnold Alexander Hall, English engineer and academic (b. 1915)
- 2000 – Nigel Tranter, Scottish historian and author (b. 1909)
- 2001 – Maurice Prather, American photographer and director (b. 1926)
- 2003 – Will McDonough, American journalist (b. 1935)
- 2004 – Norberto Bobbio, Italian philosopher and academic (b. 1909)
- 2006 – Andy Caldecott, Australian motorcycle racer (b. 1964)
- 2006 – W. Cleon Skousen, American author and academic (b. 1913)
- 2007 – Elmer Symons, South African motorcycle racer (b. 1977)
- 2007 – Jean-Pierre Vernant, French anthropologist and historian (b. 1914)
- 2008 – Johnny Grant, American radio host and producer (b. 1923)
- 2008 – John Harvey-Jones, English businessman and television host (b. 1924)
- 2009 – Rob Gauntlett, English mountaineer and explorer (b. 1987)
- 2009 – T. Llew Jones, Welsh author and poet (b. 1914)
- 2011 – Makinti Napanangka, Australian painter (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Brian Curvis, Welsh boxer (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Augusto Gansser-Biaggi, Swiss geologist and academic (b. 1910)
- 2012 – William G. Roll, German-American psychologist and parapsychologist (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Malam Bacai Sanhá, Guinea-Bissau politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1947)
- 2012 – László Szekeres, Hungarian physician and academic (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Brigitte Askonas, Austrian-English immunologist and academic (b. 1923)
- 2013 – James M. Buchanan, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1919)
- 2013 – Robert L. Rock, American businessman and politician, 42nd Lieutenant Governor of Indiana (b. 1927)
- 2013 – John Wise, Canadian farmer and politician, 23rd Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Amiri Baraka, American poet, playwright, and academic (b. 1934)
- 2014 – Josep Maria Castellet, Spanish poet and critic (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Paul du Toit, South African painter and sculptor (b. 1965)
- 2014 – Dale T. Mortensen, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1939)
- 2015 – Michel Jeury, French author (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Robert V. Keeley, Lebanese-American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Greece (b. 1929)
- 2015 – Józef Oleksy, Polish economist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1946)
- 2015 – Bud Paxson, American broadcaster and businessman, founded the Home Shopping Network and Pax TV (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Abdul Rahman Ya’kub, Malaysian politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Sarawak (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Roy Tarpley, American basketball player (b. 1964)
- 2016 – John Harvard, Canadian journalist and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (b. 1938)
- 2016 – Angus Scrimm, American actor and author (b. 1926)
- 2017 – Zygmunt Bauman, Polish sociologist (b. 1925)
- 2018 – Kato Ottio, Papua New Guinean rugby league player (b. 1994)
- 2019 – Verna Bloom, American actress (b. 1938)
- 2019 – Paul Koslo, German-Canadian actor (b. 1944)
Holidays and observances on January 9
- Christian feast day:
- Adrian of Canterbury
- Berhtwald
- Translation of the Black Nazarene (Manila, Philippines)
- Philip II, Metropolitan of Moscow
- Julia Chester Emery (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Stephen (old calendar Eastern Orthodox)
- January 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Start of Hōonkō (Nishi Honganji) January 9–16 (Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism)
- Martyrs’ Day (Panama)
- Non-Resident Indian Day (India)