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March 9 in History
- 141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China.
- 1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg.
- 1226 – Khwarazmian sultan Jalal ad-Din conquers the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.
- 1230 – Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II defeats Theodore of Epirus in the Battle of Klokotnitsa.
- 1500 – The fleet of Pedro Álvares Cabral leaves Lisbon for the Indies. The fleet will discover Brazil which lies within boundaries granted to Portugal in the Treaty of Tordesillas.
- 1701 – Safavid troops retreat from Basra, ending a three year occupation.
- 1765 – After a campaign by the writer Voltaire, judges in Paris posthumously exonerate Jean Calas of murdering his son. Calas had been tortured and executed in 1762 on the charge, though his son may have actually committed suicide.
- 1776 – The Wealth of Nations by Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith is published.
- 1796 – Napoléon Bonaparte marries his first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais.
- 1811 – Paraguayan forces defeat Manuel Belgrano at the Battle of Tacuarí.
- 1815 – Francis Ronalds describes the first battery-operated clock in the Philosophical Magazine
- 1841 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in the United States v. The Amistad case that captive Africans who had seized control of the ship carrying them had been taken into slavery illegally.
- 1842 – Giuseppe Verdi’s third opera, Nabucco, receives its première performance in Milan; its success establishes Verdi as one of Italy’s foremost opera composers.
- 1842 – The first documented discovery of gold in California occurs at Rancho San Francisco, six years before the California Gold Rush.
- 1847 – Mexican–American War: The first large-scale amphibious assault in U.S. history is launched in the Siege of Veracruz.
- 1862 – American Civil War: USS Monitor and CSS Virginia fight to a draw in the Battle of Hampton Roads, the first battle between two ironclad warships.
- 1908 – Inter Milan was founded on Football Club Internazionale, following a schism from A.C. Milan.
- 1916 – Mexican Revolution: Pancho Villa leads nearly 500 Mexican raiders in an attack against the border town of Columbus, New Mexico.
- 1933 – Great Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt submits the Emergency Banking Act to Congress, the first of his New Deal policies
- 1942 – World War II: Dutch East Indies unconditionally surrendered to the Japanese forces in Kalijati, Subang, West Java, and the Japanese completed their Dutch East Indies campaign
- 1944 – World War II: Soviet Army planes attack Tallinn, Estonia.
- 1945 – World War II: A coup d’état by Japanese forces in French Indochina removes the French from power.
- 1946 – Bolton Wanderers stadium disaster at Burnden Park, Bolton, England, kills 33 and injures hundreds more.
- 1954 – McCarthyism: CBS television broadcasts the See It Now episode, “A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy”, produced by Fred Friendly.
- 1956 – Soviet forces suppress mass demonstrations in the Georgian SSR, reacting to Nikita Khrushchev’s de-Stalinization policy.
- 1957 – The 8.6 Mw Andreanof Islands earthquake shakes the Aleutian Islands, causing over $5 million in damage from ground movement and a destructive tsunami.
- 1959 – The Barbie doll makes its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York.
- 1960 – Dr. Belding Hibbard Scribner implants for the first time a shunt he invented into a patient, which allows the patient to receive hemodialysis on a regular basis.
- 1961 – Sputnik 9 successfully launches, carrying a dog and a human dummy, and demonstrating that the Soviet Union was ready to begin human spaceflight.
- 1967 – Trans World Airlines Flight 553 crashes in a field in Concord Township, Ohio following a mid-air collision with a Beechcraft Baron, killing 26 people.
- 1974 – The Mars 7 Flyby bus releases the descent module too early, missing Mars.
- 1976 – Forty-two people die in the Cavalese cable car disaster, the worst cable-car accident to date.
- 1977 – The Hanafi Siege: In a thirty-nine-hour standoff, armed Hanafi Muslims seize three Washington, D.C., buildings.
- 1978 – President Soeharto inaugurated Jagorawi Toll Road, the first toll highway in Indonesia, connecting Jakarta, Bogor and Ciawi, West Java.
- 1997 – Comet Hale–Bopp: Observers in China, Mongolia and eastern Siberia are treated to a rare double feature as an eclipse permits Hale-Bopp to be seen during the day.2011 – Space Shuttle Discovery makes its final landing after 39 flights.
Births on March 9
- 1454 – Amerigo Vespucci, Italian cartographer and explorer (d. 1512)
- 1564 – David Fabricius, German theologian, cartographer and astronomer (d. 1617)
- 1568 – Aloysius Gonzaga, Italian saint (d. 1591)
- 1662 – Franz Anton von Sporck, German noble (d. 1738)
- 1697 – Friederike Caroline Neuber, German actress (d. 1760)
- 1737 – Josef Mysliveček, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1781)
- 1749 – Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, French journalist and politician (d. 1791)
- 1753 – Jean-Baptiste Kléber, French general (d. 1800)
- 1758 – Franz Joseph Gall, German neuroanatomist and physiologist (d. 1828)
- 1763 – William Cobbett, English journalist and author (d. 1835)
- 1806 – Edwin Forrest, American actor and philanthropist (d. 1872)
- 1814 – Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet and playwright (d. 1861)
- 1815 – David Davis, American jurist and politician (d. 1886)
- 1820 – Samuel Blatchford, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1893)
- 1824 – Amasa Leland Stanford, American businessman and politician, founded Stanford University (d. 1893)
- 1847 – Martin Pierre Marsick, Belgian violinist, composer, and educator (d. 1924)
- 1850 – Hamo Thornycroft, English sculptor and academic (d. 1925)
- 1856 – Eddie Foy, Sr., American actor and dancer (d. 1928)
- 1863 – Mary Harris Armor, American suffragist (d. 1950)
- 1887 – Fritz Lenz, German geneticist and physician (d. 1976)
- 1890 – Rupert Balfe, Australian footballer and lieutenant (d. 1915)
- 1890 – Vyacheslav Molotov, Russian politician and diplomat, Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1986)
- 1891 – José P. Laurel, Filipino lawyer, politician and President of the Philippines (d. 1959)
- 1892 – Mátyás Rákosi, Hungarian politician (d. 1971)
- 1892 – Vita Sackville-West, English author, poet, and gardener (d. 1962)
- 1902 – Will Geer, American actor (d. 1978)
- 1904 – Paul Wilbur Klipsch, American soldier and engineer, founded Klipsch Audio Technologies (d. 2002)
- 1910 – Samuel Barber, American pianist and composer (d. 1981)
- 1911 – Clara Rockmore, American classical violin prodigy and theremin player, (d. 1998)
- 1915 – Johnnie Johnson, English air marshal and pilot (d. 2001)
- 1918 – George Lincoln Rockwell, American sailor and politician, founded the American Nazi Party (d. 1967)
- 1918 – Mickey Spillane, American crime novelist (d. 2006)
- 1920 – Franjo Mihalić, Croatian-Serbian runner and coach (d. 2015)
- 1921 – Carl Betz, American actor (d. 1978)
- 1922 – Ian Turbott, New Zealand-Australian former diplomat and university administrator (d. 2016)
- 1923 – James L. Buckley, American lawyer, judge, and politician
- 1923 – André Courrèges, French fashion designer (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Walter Kohn, Austrian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
- 1926 – Joe Franklin, American radio and television host (d. 2015)
- 1928 – Gerald Bull, Canadian-American engineer and academic (d. 1990)
- 1928 – Keely Smith, American singer and actress (d. 2017)
- 1929 – Desmond Hoyte, Guyanese lawyer, politician and President of Guyana (d. 2002)
- 1929 – Zillur Rahman, Bangladeshi politician, 19th President of Bangladesh (d. 2013)
- 1930 – Ornette Coleman, American saxophonist, violinist, trumpet player, and composer (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Jackie Healy-Rae, Irish politician (d. 2014)
- 1932 – Qayyum Chowdhury, Bangladeshi painter and academic (d. 2014)
- 1932 – Walter Mercado, Puerto Rican-American astrologer and actor (d. 2019)
- 1933 – Lloyd Price, American R&B singer-songwriter
- 1933 – David Weatherall, English physician, geneticist, and academic (d. 2018)
- 1934 – Yuri Gagarin, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1968)
- 1934 – Joyce Van Patten, American actress
- 1935 – Andrew Viterbi, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Qualcomm Inc.
- 1936 – Mickey Gilley, American singer-songwriter and pianist[
- 1936 – Marty Ingels, American actor and comedian (d. 2015)
- 1937 – Bernard Landry, Canadian lawyer, politician and Premier of Quebec (d. 2018)
- 1937 – Harry Neale, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1937 – Brian Redman, English race car driver
- 1940 – Raul Julia, Puerto Rican-American actor (d. 1994)
- 1941 – Jim Colbert, American golfer
- 1941 – Ernesto Miranda, American criminal (d. 1976)
- 1942 – Ion Caramitru, Romanian actor and artistic director
- 1942 – Mark Lindsay, American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and producer
- 1943 – Bobby Fischer, American chess player and author (d. 2008)
- 1944 – Lee Irvine, South African cricketer
- 1945 – Robert Calvert, English singer-songwriter and playwright (d. 1988)
- 1945 – Robin Trower, English rock guitarist and vocalist
- 1946 – Alexandra Bastedo, English actress (d. 2014)
- 1946 – Warren Skaaren, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1990)
- 1946 – Bernd Hölzenbein, German footballer and scout
- 1947 – Keri Hulme, New Zealand author and poet
- 1948 – Emma Bonino, Italian politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1948 – Eric Fischl, American painter and sculptor
- 1948 – Jeffrey Osborne, American singer and drummer
- 1949 – Neil Hamilton, Welsh lawyer and politician
- 1950 – Doug Ault, American baseball player and manager (d. 2004)
- 1950 – Andy North, American golfer
- 1950 – Howard Shelley, English pianist and conductor
- 1951 – Helen Zille, South African journalist, politician and Premier of the Western Cape1952 – Bill Beaumont, English rugby player and manager
- 1954 – Carlos Ghosn, Brazilian-Lebanese-French business executive
- 1954 – Bobby Sands, PIRA volunteer; Irish republican politician (d. 1981)
- 1954 – Jock Taylor, Scottish motorcycle racer (d. 1982)
- 1955 – Teo Fabi, Italian race car driver
- 1955 – Józef Pinior, Polish academic and politician
- 1956 – Mark Dantonio, American football player and coach
- 1956 – Shashi Tharoor, Indian politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs
- 1956 – David Willetts, English academic and politician
- 1958 – Paul MacLean, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1959 – Takaaki Kajita, Japanese physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1959 – Lonny Price, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1960 – Linda Fiorentino, American actress
- 1961 – Rick Steiner, American wrestler
- 1961 – Darrell Walker, American basketball player and coach
- 1963 – Terry Mulholland, American baseball player
- 1963 – Jean-Marc Vallée, Canadian director and screenwriter
- 1964 – Juliette Binoche, French actress
- 1964 – Phil Housley, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1965 – Brian Bosworth, American football player and actor
- 1965 – Benito Santiago, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
- 1966 – Brendan Canty, American drummer and songwriter
- 1966 – Tony Lockett, Australian footballer
- 1968 – Youri Djorkaeff, French footballer
- 1969 – Kimberly Guilfoyle, American lawyer and journalist
- 1970 – Naveen Jindal, Indian businessman and politician
- 1970 – Martin Johnson, English rugby player and coach
- 1971 – Emmanuel Lewis, American actor
- 1972 – Jodey Arrington, United States politician
- 1973 – Liam Griffin, English race car driver
- 1975 – Juan Sebastián Verón, Argentinian footballer
- 1977 – Radek Dvořák, Czech ice hockey player
- 1979 – Oscar Isaac, Guatemalan-American actor
- 1981 – Antonio Bryant, American football player
- 1981 – Clay Rapada, American baseball player
- 1982 – Ryan Bayley, Australian cyclist
- 1982 – Matt Bowen, Australian rugby league player
- 1982 – Mirjana Lučić-Baroni, Croatian tennis player
- 1983 – Wayne Simien, American basketball player[
- 1983 – Clint Dempsey, American international soccer player, forward
- 1984 – Abdoulay Konko, French footballer
- 1984 – Julia Mancuso, American skier
- 1985 – Brent Burns, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Jesse Litsch, American baseball player
- 1985 – Pastor Maldonado, Venezuelan race car driver
- 1985 – Parthiv Patel, Indian cricketer
- 1986 – Colin Greening, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Brittany Snow, American actress and producer
- 1989 – Taeyeon, South Korean artist, member of Girls’ Generation
- 1990 – Daley Blind, Dutch footballer
- 1990 – Matt Robinson, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1990 – YG (rapper), American rapper
- 1991 – Jooyoung, Korean singer-songwriter
- 1993 – Suga, South Korean artist (BTS)
- 1994 – Morgan Rielly, Canadian ice hockey player
Deaths on March 9
- 886 – Abu Ma’shar al-Balkhi, Muslim scholar and astrologer (b. 787)
- 1202 – Sverre of Norway
- 1440 – Frances of Rome, Italian nun and saint (b. 1384)
- 1444 – Leonardo Bruni, Italian humanist (b. c.1370)
- 1463 – Catherine of Bologna, Italian nun and saint (d. 1463)
- 1566 – David Rizzio, Italian-Scottish courtier and politician (b. 1533).
- 1649 – James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton, Scottish soldier and politician, (b. 1606)
- 1649 – Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland, English soldier and politician (b. 1590)
- 1661 – Cardinal Mazarin, Italian-French academic and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1602)
- 1709 – Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu, English courtier and politician (b. 1638)
- 1808 – Joseph Bonomi the Elder, Italian architect (b. 1739)
- 1810 – Ozias Humphry, English painter and academic (b. 1742)
- 1825 – Anna Laetitia Barbauld, English poet, author, and critic (b. 1743)
- 1847 – Mary Anning, English paleontologist (b. 1799)
- 1851 – Hans Christian Ørsted, Danish physicist and chemist (b. 1777)1888 – William I, German Emperor (b. 1797)
- 1895 – Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Austrian journalist and author (b. 1836)
- 1897 – Sondre Norheim, Norwegian-American skier (b. 1825)
- 1918 – Frank Wedekind, German author and playwright (b. 1864)
- 1925 – Willard Metcalf, American painter and academic (b. 1858)
- 1926 – Mikao Usui, Japanese spiritual leader, founded Reiki (b. 1865)
- 1937 – Paul Elmer More, American journalist and critic (b. 1864)
- 1943 – Otto Freundlich, German painter and sculptor (b. 1878)
- 1954 – Vagn Walfrid Ekman, Swedish oceanographer and academic (b. 1874)
- 1955 – Miroslava, Czech-Mexican actress (b. 1925)
- 1964 – Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, German general (b. 1870)
- 1969 – Abdul Munim Riad, Egyptian general (b. 1919)
- 1971 – Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria (b. 1902)
- 1974 – Earl Wilbur Sutherland, Jr., American pharmacologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
- 1974 – Harry Womack, American singer (b. 1945)
- 1983 – Faye Emerson, American actress (b. 1917)
- 1983 – Ulf von Euler, Swedish physiologist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
- 1988 – Kurt Georg Kiesinger, German lawyer, politician and Chancellor of Germany (b. 1904)
- 1989 – Robert Mapplethorpe, American photographer (b. 1946)
- 1991 – Jim Hardin, American baseball player (b. 1943)
- 1992 – Menachem Begin, Belarusian-Israeli soldier, politician and Prime Minister of Israel, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
- 1993 – C. Northcote Parkinson, English historian and author (b. 1909)
- 1994 – Charles Bukowski, American poet, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1920)
- 1994 – Eddie Creatchman, Canadian wrestler, referee, and manager (b. 1928)
- 1994 – Fernando Rey, Spanish actor (b. 1917)
- 1997 – Jean-Dominique Bauby, French journalist and author (b. 1952)
- 1997 – Terry Nation, Welsh author and screenwriter (b. 1930)
- 1997 – The Notorious B.I.G., American rapper, songwriter, and actor (b. 1972)
- 1999 – Harry Somers, Canadian pianist and composer (b. 1925)
- 2000 – Jean Coulthard, Canadian composer and educator (b. 1908)
- 2003 – Stan Brakhage, American director and cinematographer (b. 1933)
- 2003 – Bernard Dowiyogo, Nauruan politician, President of Nauru (b. 1946)
- 2006 – Tom Fox, American activist (b. 1951)
- 2006 – John Profumo, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for War (b. 1915)
- 2007 – Brad Delp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1951)
- 2007 – Glen Harmon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1921)
- 2010 – Willie Davis, American baseball player and manager (b. 1940)
- 2010 – Doris Haddock, American activist and politician (b. 1910)
- 2011 – David S. Broder, American journalist and academic (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Max Jakobson, Finnish journalist and diplomat
- 2013 – Merton Simpson, American painter and art collector (b. 1928)
- 2015 – James Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead, Northern Irish soldier and politician (b. 1920)
- 2016 – Robert Horton, American actor (b. 1924)
- 2016 – Clyde Lovellette, American basketball player and coach (b. 1929)
- 2017 – Howard Hodgkin, British painter (b. 1932)
- 2018 – Jo Min-ki, Korean actor (b. 1965)
- 2020 – John Bathersby, Australian Catholic bishop (b. 1936)
Holidays and observances on March 9
- Christian feast day:
- Catherine of Bologna
- Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
- Frances of Rome
- Pacian
- Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria (Coptic Orthodox Church)
- Gregory of Nyssa (Episcopal Church (United States))
- March 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Teachers’ Day or Eid Al Moalim (Lebanon)
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March 7 in History
- 161 – Marcus Aurelius and L. Commodus (who changes his name to Lucius Verus) become joint emperors of Rome on the death of Antoninus Pius.
- 1277 – The University of Paris issues the last in a series of condemnations of various philosophical and theological theses.
- 1573 – A peace treaty is signed between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice, ending the Ottoman–Venetian War and leaving Cyprus in Ottoman hands.
- 1799 – Napoleon Bonaparte captures Jaffa in Palestine and his troops proceed to kill more than 2,000 Albanian captives.
- 1814 – Emperor Napoleon I of France wins the Battle of Craonne.
- 1827 – Brazilian marines unsuccessfully attack the temporary naval base of Carmen de Patagones, Argentina.
- 1827 – Shrigley abduction: Ellen Turner is abducted by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a future politician in colonial New Zealand.
- 1850 – Senator Daniel Webster gives his “Seventh of March” speech endorsing the Compromise of 1850 in order to prevent a possible civil war.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Union forces engage Confederate troops at the Pea Ridge in northwestern Arkansas.
- 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for an invention he calls the “telephone”.
- 1900 – The German liner SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse becomes the first ship to send wireless signals to shore.
- 1902 – Second Boer War: Boers, led by Koos de la Rey, inflict the biggest defeat upon the British since the beginning of the war, at Tweebosch.
- 1914 – Prince William of Wied arrives in Albania to begin his reign as King.
- 1936 – Prelude to World War II: In violation of the Locarno Pact and the Treaty of Versailles, Germany reoccupies the Rhineland.
- 1941 – Günther Prien and the crew of German submarine U-47, one of the most successful U-boats of World War II, disappear without a trace.
- 1945 – World War II: American troops seize the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine river at Remagen.
- 1950 – Cold War: The Soviet Union issues a statement denying that Klaus Fuchs served as a Soviet spy.
- 1951 – Korean War: Operation Ripper: United Nations troops led by General Matthew Ridgway begin an assault against Chinese forces.
- 1951 – Iranian prime minister Ali Razmara is assassinated by Khalil Tahmasebi, a member of the Islamic fundamentalist Fada’iyan-e Islam, inside a mosque in Tehran.
- 1965 – Bloody Sunday: A group of 600 civil rights marchers is brutally attacked by state and local police in Selma, Alabama.
- 1967 – The Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat Sementara (MPRS), Indonesia’s provisional parliament, revoked Sukarno’s mandate as President of Indonesia.
- 1968 – Vietnam War: The United States and South Vietnamese military begin Operation Truong Cong Dinh to root out Viet Cong forces from the area surrounding Mỹ Tho.
- 1971 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, political leader of then East Pakistan (present day-Bangladesh), delivers his historic 7th March speech in the Racecourse Field (Now Suhrawardy Udyan) in Dhaka.
- 1986 – Challenger Disaster: Divers from the USS Preserver locate the crew cabin of Challenger on the ocean floor.
- 1987 – Lieyu massacre: Taiwanese military massacre of 19 unarmed Vietnamese refugees at Donggang, Lieyu, Kinmen.
- 1989 – Iran and the United Kingdom break diplomatic relations after a fight over Salman Rushdie and his controversial novel, The Satanic Verses.
- 1993 – The tugboat Thomas Hebert sank off the coast of New Jersey, USA.
- 2006 – The terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba coordinates a series of bombings in Varanasi, India.
- 2007 – The British House of Commons votes to make the upper chamber, the House of Lords, 100% elected.
- 2009 – The Real Irish Republican Army kills two British soldiers and injures two other soldiers and two civilians at Massereene Barracks, the first British military deaths in Northern Ireland since the end of The Troubles.
Births on March 7
- 189 – Publius Septimius Geta, Roman emperor (d. 211)
- 942 – Mu’ayyad al-Dawla, Buyid emir (d. 983)
- 1437 – Anna of Saxony, Electress of Brandenburg (d. 1512)
- 1481 – Baldassare Peruzzi, Italian architect and painter (d. 1537)
- 1482 – Fray Thomas de San Martín, Roman Catholic prelate and bishop (d. 1555)
- 1543 – John Casimir of the Palatinate-Simmern, German prince and reigning count palatine of Simmern (d. 1592)
- 1556 – Guillaume du Vair, French lawyer and author (d. 1621)
- 1671 – Rob Roy MacGregor, Scottish outlaw (d. 1734)
- 1678 – Filippo Juvarra, Italian architect, designed the Basilica of Superga (d. 1736)
- 1693 – Clement XIII, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1769)
- 1715 – Ewald Christian von Kleist, German soldier and poet (d. 1759)
- 1723 – Prince Vittorio Amedeo Theodore of Savoy (d. 1725)
- 1730 – Louis Auguste Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, French soldier and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1807)
- 1765 – Nicéphore Niépce, French inventor, invented photography (d. 1833)
- 1785 – Alessandro Manzoni, Italian author and poet (d. 1873)
- 1788 – Antoine César Becquerel, French physicist and biochemist (d. 1878)
- 1792 – John Herschel, English mathematician and astronomer (d. 1871)
- 1811 – Increase A. Lapham, American botanist and author (d. 1875)
- 1837 – Henry Draper, American physician and astronomer (d. 1882)
- 1839 – Ludwig Mond, German-born chemist and British industrialist who discovered the metal carbonyls (d. 1909)
- 1841 – William Rockhill Nelson, American businessman and publisher, founded The Kansas City Star (d. 1915)
- 1843 – Marriott Henry Brosius, American senator (d. 1901)
- 1849 – Luther Burbank, American botanist and author (d. 1926)
- 1850 – Champ Clark, American lawyer and politician, 41st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1921)
- 1850 – Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Austrian-Czech sociologist and politician, 1st President of Czechoslovakia (d. 1937)
- 1857 – Julius Wagner-Jauregg, Austrian physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1940)
- 1872 – Piet Mondrian, Dutch-American painter (d. 1944)
- 1873 – Madame Sul-Te-Wan, American actress (d. 1959)
- 1875 – Maurice Ravel, French pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1937)
- 1878 – Boris Kustodiev, Russian painter and stage designer (d. 1927)
- 1885 – Milton Avery, American painter (d. 1965)
- 1885 – John Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey, English admiral (d. 1971)
- 1886 – Virginia Pearson, American actress (d. 1958)
- 1886 – G. I. Taylor, English mathematician and physicist (d. 1975)
- 1886 – Wilson Dallam Wallis, American anthropologist (d. 1970)
- 1888 – William L. Laurence, Lithuanian-American journalist and author (d. 1977)
- 1888 – Alidius Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer, Dutch lawyer and politician, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (d. 1978)
- 1894 – Ana María O’Neill, Puerto Rican scholar and activist (d. 1981)
- 1895 – Dorothy de Rothschild, English philanthropist and activist (d. 1988)
- 1902 – Heinz Rühmann, German actor (d. 1994)
- 1903 – Maud Lewis, Canadian folk artist (d. 1970)
- 1904 – Ivar Ballangrud, Norwegian speed skater (d. 1969)
- 1904 – Reinhard Heydrich, German SS officer (d. 1942)
- 1908 – Anna Magnani, Italian actress (d. 1973)
- 1910 – Will Glickman, American playwright (d. 1983)
- 1911 – Sachchidananda Vatsyayan, Indian modern poet, journalist and author (d. 1987)
- 1911 – Stefan Kisielewski, Polish libertarian writer and politician (d. 1991)
- 1912 – Adile Ayda, Turkish engineer and diplomat (d. 1992)
- 1913 – Dollard Ménard, Canadian general (d. 1997)
- 1915 – Jacques Chaban-Delmas, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 2000)
- 1917 – Janet Collins, American ballerina and choreographer (d. 2003)
- 1917 – Betty Holberton, American engineer and programmer (d. 2001)
- 1922 – Olga Ladyzhenskaya, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 2004)
- 1922 – Mochtar Lubis, Indonesian journalist and author (d. 2004)
- 1922 – Peter Murphy, English footballer, inside left (d. 1975)
- 1922 – Andy Phillip, American basketball player and coach (d. 2001)
- 1924 – Morton Bard, American psychologist (d. 1997)
- 1924 – Bill Boedeker, American football player (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Rene Gagnon, American soldier (d. 1979)
- 1925 – Richard Vernon, British actor (d. 1997)
- 1927 – James Broderick, American actor and director (d. 1982)
- 1929 – Dan Jacobson, South African-English author and critic (d. 2014)
- 1930 – Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, English photographer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1930 – Robert Trotter, Scottish actor and photographer (d. 2013)
- 1933 – Jackie Blanchflower, Northern Irish footballer and accountant (d. 1998)
- 1933 – Ed Bouchee, American baseball player (d. 2013)
- 1934 – Willard Scott, American television personality and actor
- 1936 – Florentino Fernández, Cuban-American boxer and coach (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Georges Perec, French author and screenwriter (d. 1982)
- 1938 – David Baltimore, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1938 – Janet Guthrie, American professional race car driver, first woman to qualify and compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500
- 1939 – Danyel Gérard, French singer-songwriter
- 1940 – Daniel J. Travanti, American actor
- 1941 – Piers Paul Read, English historian and author
- 1942 – Michael Eisner, American businessman
- 1942 – Tammy Faye Messner, American evangelist, television personality, and talk show host (d. 2007)
- 1943 – Chris White, English singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1944 – Ranulph Fiennes, English soldier and explorer
- 1944 – Townes Van Zandt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1997)
- 1945 – Bob Herbert, American journalist
- 1945 – Arthur Lee, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2006)
- 1945 – Elizabeth Moon, American lieutenant and author
- 1946 – John Heard, American actor and producer (d. 2017)
- 1947 – Helen Eadie, Scottish politician (d. 2013)
- 1947 – Walter Röhrl, German race car driver
- 1949 – Ghulam Nabi Azad, Indian politician, Indian Minister of Health and Family Welfare
- 1950 – Billy Joe DuPree, American football player
- 1950 – Franco Harris, American football player and businessman
- 1950 – J. R. Richard, American baseball player and minister
- 1952 – William Boyd, Ghanaian-English author and screenwriter
- 1952 – Ernie Isley, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1952 – Viv Richards, Antiguan cricketer and footballer
- 1952 – Lynn Swann, American football player, sportscaster, and politician
- 1954 – Eva Brunne, Swedish bishop
- 1955 – Tommy Kramer, American football player
- 1956 – Bryan Cranston, American actor, director, and producer
- 1956 – Andrea Levy, English author (d. 2019)
- 1957 – Robert Harris, English journalist and author
- 1957 – Mark Richards, Australian surfer
- 1957 – Tomás Yarrington, Mexican economist and politician, Governor of Tamaulipas
- 1958 – Rick Bass, American author and environmentalist
- 1958 – Rik Mayall, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
- 1958 – Merv Neagle, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2012)
- 1959 – Tom Lehman, American golfer
- 1959 – Donna Murphy, American actress and singer
- 1960 – Joe Carter, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1960 – Ivan Lendl, Czech tennis player and coach
- 1960 – Jim Spivey, American runner and coach
- 1961 – David Rutley, English businessman and politician
- 1961 – Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, French politician
- 1962 – Taylor Dayne, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1963 – Mike Eagles, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1963 – E. L. James, English author
- 1964 – Bret Easton Ellis, American author and screenwriter
- 1964 – Wanda Sykes, American comedian, actress, and screenwriter
- 1965 – Steve Beuerlein, American football player and sportscaster
- 1965 – Jesper Parnevik, Swedish golfer
- 1966 – Terry Carkner, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1966 – Tony Daly, Australian rugby player
- 1967 – Muhsin al-Ramli, Iraqi author, poet, translator, and academic
- 1967 – Ruthie Henshall, English actress, singer, and dancer
- 1967 – Ai Yazawa, Japanese author and illustrator
- 1968 – Jeff Kent, American baseball player
- 1969 – Massimo Lotti, Italian footballer
- 1969 – Hideki Noda, Japanese race car driver
- 1970 – Rachel Weisz, English-American actress and producer
- 1971 – Peter Sarsgaard, American actor
- 1971 – Matthew Vaughn, English director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1972 – Craig Polla-Mounter, Australian rugby league player
- 1973 – Jason Bright, Australian race car driver
- 1973 – Sébastien Izambard, French tenor and producer
- 1973 – Işın Karaca, English-Turkish singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1974 – Jenna Fischer, American actress
- 1974 – Facundo Sava, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1977 – Ronan O’Gara, Irish rugby player and coach
- 1977 – Paul Cattermole, British singer and actor
- 1978 – Jaqueline Jesus, Brazilian psychologist and activist
- 1979 – Rodrigo Braña, Argentinian footballer
- 1979 – Amanda Somerville, American singer-songwriter
- 1980 – Murat Boz, Turkish singer-songwriter
- 1980 – Eric Godard, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1980 – Laura Prepon, American actress
- 1981 – Brent Kite, Australian rugby league player
- 1983 – Manucho, Angolan footballer
- 1983 – Sebastián Viera, Uruguayan footballer
- 1984 – Mathieu Flamini, French footballer
- 1984 – Lindsay McCaul, American singer-songwriter
- 1985 – Andre Fluellen, American football player
- 1985 – Cameron Prosser, Australian swimmer
- 1985 – Gerwyn Price, Welsh darts player
- 1986 – Ben Griffin, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Hatem Ben Arfa, French footballer
- 1987 – Niclas Bergfors, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1988 – Larry Asante, American football player
- 1991 – Michele Rigione, Italian footballer
- 1994 – Chase Kalisz, American swimmer
- 1995 – Jerome Binnom-Williams, English footballer
- 1995 – Aboubakar Kamara, French footballer, forward
- 1996 – Liam Donnelly, Northern Irish footballer
Deaths on March 7
- 161 – Antoninus Pius, Roman emperor (b. 86)
- 413 – Heraclianus, Roman politician and failed usurper
- 851 – Nominoe, King (or duke) of Brittany
- 974 – John of Gorze, Frankish abbot and diplomat
- 1226 – William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, English commander (b. 1176)
- 1274 – Saint Thomas Aquinas, Italian priest and philosopher (b. 1225)
- 1393 – Bogislaw VI, Duke of Pomerania (b.c. 1350)
- 1407 – Francesco I Gonzaga, ruler of Mantua
- 1517 – Maria of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (b. 1482)
- 1550 – William IV, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1493)
- 1578 – Margaret Douglas, English daughter of Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus (b. 1515)
- 1625 – Johann Bayer, German lawyer and cartographer (b. 1572)
- 1724 – Pope Innocent XIII (b. 1655)
- 1767 – Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, Canadian politician, 2nd Colonial Governor of Louisiana (b. 1680)
- 1778 – Charles De Geer, Swedish entomologist and archaeologist (b. 1720)
- 1809 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard, French inventor, best known as a pioneer in balloon flight (b. 1753)
- 1810 – Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood, English admiral (b. 1750)
- 1838 – Robert Townsend, American spy (b. 1753)
- 1897 – Harriet Ann Jacobs, African American Abolitionist and author (b. 1813)
- 1904 – Ferdinand André Fouqué, French geologist and petrologist (b. 1828)
- 1913 – Pauline Johnson, Canadian poet and author (b. 1861)
- 1920 – Jaan Poska, Estonian lawyer and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1866)
- 1928 – Robert Abbe, American surgeon and radiologist (b. 1851)
- 1932 – Aristide Briand, French journalist and politician, Prime Minister of France, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
- 1934 – Ernst Enno, Estonian poet and author (b. 1875)
- 1938 – Andreas Michalakopoulos, Greek politician, 116th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1876)
- 1947 – Lucy Parsons, American communist anarchist labor organizer (b. c 1853)
- 1949 – Bradbury Robinson, American football player, physician, and politician (b. 1884)
- 1952 – Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian guru and philosopher (b. 1893)
- 1954 – Otto Diels, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1876)
- 1957 – Wyndham Lewis, English painter and critic (b. 1882)
- 1961 – Govind Ballabh Pant, Indian lawyer and politician, 2nd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (b. 1887)
- 1967 – Alice B. Toklas, American writer (b. 1877)
- 1971 – Richard Montague, American mathematician and philosopher (b. 1930)
- 1973 – Lalo Ríos, Mexican actor (b. 1927)
- 1975 – Mikhail Bakhtin, Russian philosopher and critic (b. 1895)
- 1976 – Wright Patman, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (b. 1893)
- 1981 – Kirill Kondrashin, Russian conductor (b. 1914)
- 1982 – Ida Barney, American astronomer, mathematician, and academic (b. 1886)
- 1983 – Igor Markevitch, Ukrainian conductor and composer (b. 1912)
- 1986 – Jacob K. Javits, American colonel and politician, 58th New York State Attorney General (b. 1904)
- 1988 – Divine, American drag queen and film actor (b. 1945)
- 1991 – Cool Papa Bell, American baseball player (b. 1903)
- 1993 – Tony Harris, South African cricketer (b. 1916)
- 1993 – J. Merrill Knapp, American musicologist (b. 1914)
- 1993 – Martti Larni, Finnish writer (b. 1909)
- 1993 – Carlo Mazzarella, Italian actor and journalist (b. 1919)
- 1993 – Angelo Piccaluga, Italian footballer (b. 1906)
- 1993 – Eleanor Sanger, American television producer (b. 1929)
- 1993 – Josef Steindl, Austrian economist (b. 1912)
- 1993 – Frank Wells, Australian rules footballer (b. 1909)
- 1997 – Edward Mills Purcell, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
- 1999 – Sidney Gottlieb, American chemist and theorist (b. 1918)
- 1999 – Stanley Kubrick, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
- 2000 – Pee Wee King, American singer-songwriter (b. 1914)
- 2001 – Frankie Carle, American pianist and bandleader (b. 1903)
- 2004 – Paul Winfield, American actor (b. 1941)
- 2005 – John Box, English production designer and art director (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Debra Hill, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1950)
- 2006 – Gordon Parks, American photographer, director, and composer (b. 1912)
- 2006 – Ali Farka Touré, Malian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1939)
- 2007 – Ronnie Wells, American singer and educator (b. 1943)
- 2012 – Ravi, Indian director and composer (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Włodzimierz Smolarek, Polish footballer and manager (b. 1957)
- 2013 – Peter Banks, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1947)
- 2013 – Sybil Christopher, Welsh actress (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Damiano Damiani, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1922)
- 2013 – Frederick B. Karl, American lieutenant and politician (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Claude King, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Anatoly Borisovich Kuznetsov, Russian actor and director (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Ned O’Gorman, American poet and educator (b. 1929)
- 2014 – Victor Shem-Tov, Israeli lawyer and politician, 8th Israeli Minister of Health (b. 1915)
- 2015 – G. Karthikeyan, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1949)
- 2015 – F. Ray Keyser, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 72nd Governor of Vermont (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Japanese author and illustrator (b. 1935)
- 2016 – Adrian Hardiman, Irish lawyer and judge (b. 1951)
- 2017 – Lynne Stewart, American attorney and activist (b. 1939)
Holidays and observances on March 7
- Christian feast day:
- Blessed José Olallo
- Blessed Leonid Feodorov (Russian Greek Catholic Church)
- Perpetua and Felicity
- Pierre-Henri Dorie, Siméon-François Berneux (part of The Korean Martyrs)
- March 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Liberation of Sulaymaniyah (Iraqi Kurdistan)
- Teacher’s Day (Albania)
-
March 5 in History
- 363 – Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death.
- 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Eastern journey which he will later describe in his book Safarnama.
- 1279 – The Livonian Order is defeated in the Battle of Aizkraukle by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
- 1496 – King Henry VII of England issues letters patent to John Cabot and his sons, authorising them to explore unknown lands.
- 1616 – Nicolaus Copernicus’s book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres is added to the Index of Forbidden Books 73 years after it was first published.
- 1766 – Antonio de Ulloa, the first Spanish governor of Louisiana, arrives in New Orleans.
- 1770 – Boston Massacre: Five Americans, including Crispus Attucks, are fatally shot by British troops in an event that would contribute to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War (also known as the American War of Independence) five years later.
- 1811 – Peninsular War: A French force under the command of Marshal Victor is routed while trying to prevent an Anglo-Spanish-Portuguese army from lifting the Siege of Cádiz in the Battle of Barrosa.
- 1824 – First Anglo-Burmese War: The British officially declare war on Burma.
- 1836 – Samuel Colt patents the first production-model revolver, the .34-caliber.
- 1850 – The Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales is opened.
- 1860 – Parma, Tuscany, Modena and Romagna vote in referendums to join the Kingdom of Sardinia.
- 1868 – Mefistofele, an opera by Arrigo Boito, receives its premiere performance at La Scala.
- 1872 – George Westinghouse patents the air brake.
- 1906 – Moro Rebellion: United States Army troops bring overwhelming force against the native Moros in the First Battle of Bud Dajo, leaving only six survivors.
- 1912 – Italo-Turkish War: Italian forces are the first to use airships for military purposes, employing them for reconnaissance behind Turkish lines.
- 1931 – The British Raj: Gandhi–Irwin Pact is signed.
- 1933 – Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party receives 43.9% at the Reichstag elections, which allows the Nazis to later pass the Enabling Act and establish a dictatorship.
- 1936 – First flight of K5054, the first prototype Supermarine Spitfire advanced monoplane fighter aircraft in the United Kingdom.
- 1940 – Six high-ranking members of Soviet politburo, including Joseph Stalin, sign an order for the execution of 25,700 Polish intelligentsia, including 14,700 Polish POWs, in what will become known as the Katyn massacre.
- 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces capture Batavia, capital of Dutch East Indies, which is left undefended after the withdrawal of the KNIL garrison and Australian Blackforce battalion to Buitenzorg and Bandung.
- 1943 – First Flight of the Gloster Meteor, Britain’s first combat jet aircraft.
- 1944 – World War II: The Red Army begins the Uman–Botoșani Offensive in the western Ukrainian SSR.
- 1946 – Cold War: Winston Churchill coins the phrase “Iron Curtain” in his speech at Westminster College, Missouri.
- 1953 – Joseph Stalin, the longest serving leader of the Soviet Union, dies at his Volynskoe dacha in Moscow after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage four days earlier.
- 1960 – Indonesian President Sukarno dismissed the Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR), 1955 democratically elected parliament, and replaced with DPR-GR, the parliament of his own selected members.
- 1963 – American country music stars Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas and their pilot Randy Hughes are killed in a plane crash in Camden, Tennessee.
- 1965 – March Intifada: A Leftist uprising erupts in Bahrain against British colonial presence.
- 1966 – BOAC Flight 911, a Boeing 707 aircraft, breaks apart in mid-air due to clear-air turbulence and crashes into Mount Fuji, Japan, killing all 124 people on board.
- 1970 – The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons goes into effect after ratification by 43 nations.
- 1974 – Yom Kippur War: Israeli forces withdraw from the west bank of the Suez Canal.
- 1978 – The Landsat 3 is launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
- 1979 – Soviet probes Venera 11, Venera 12 and the German-American solar satellite Helios II all are hit by “off the scale” gamma rays leading to the discovery of soft gamma repeaters.
- 1981 – The ZX81, a pioneering British home computer, is launched by Sinclair Research and would go on to sell over 11⁄2 million units around the world.
- 1982 – Soviet probe Venera 14 lands on Venus.
- 2003 – In Haifa, 17 Israeli civilians are killed in the Haifa bus 37 suicide bombing.
- 2012 – Tropical Storm Irina kills over 75 as it passes through Madagascar.
Births on March 5
- 1133 – Henry II of England (d. 1189)
- 1224 – Saint Kinga of Poland (d. 1292)
- 1324 – David II of Scotland (d. 1371)
- 1326 – Louis I of Hungary (d. 1382)
- 1340 – Cansignorio della Scala, Lord of Verona (d. 1375)
- 1451 – William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, English Earl (d. 1491)
- 1512 – Gerardus Mercator, Flemish mathematician, cartographer, and philosopher (d. 1594)
- 1523 – Rodrigo de Castro Osorio, Spanish cardinal (d. 1600)
- 1527 – Ulrich, Duke of Mecklenburg (d. 1603)
- 1539 – Christoph Pezel, German theologian (d. 1604)
- 1563 – John Coke, English civil servant and politician (d. 1644)
- 1575 – William Oughtred, English minister and mathematician (d. 1660)
- 1585 – John George I, Elector of Saxony (d. 1656)
- 1585 – Frederick I, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg (d. 1638)
- 1637 – Jan van der Heyden, Dutch painter and engineer (d. 1712)
- 1658 – Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, French explorer and politician, 3rd Colonial Governor of Louisiana (d. 1730)
- 1693 – Johann Jakob Wettstein, Swiss theologian and scholar (d. 1754)
- 1696 – Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Italian painter (d. 1770)
- 1703 – Vasily Trediakovsky, Russian poet and playwright (d. 1768)
- 1713 – Edward Cornwallis, English general and politician, Governor of Gibraltar (d. 1776)
- 1713 – Frederick Cornwallis, English archbishop (d. 1783)
- 1723 – Princess Mary of Great Britain (d. 1773)
- 1733 – Vincenzo Galeotti, Italian-Danish dancer and choreographer (d. 1816)
- 1739 – Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge, American colonel and physician (d. 1819)
- 1748 – Jonas Carlsson Dryander, Swedish botanist and biologist (d. 1810)
- 1748 – William Shield, English violinist and composer (d. 1829)
- 1750 – Jean-Baptiste-Gaspard d’Ansse de Villoison, French scholar and academic (d. 1805)
- 1751 – Jan Křtitel Kuchař, Czech organist, composer, and educator (d. 1829)
- 1774 – Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse, Danish organist and composer (d. 1842)
- 1779 – Benjamin Gompertz, English mathematician and statistician (d. 1865)
- 1785 – Carlo Odescalchi, Italian cardinal (d. 1841)
- 1794 – Jacques Babinet, French physicist, mathematician, and astronomer (d. 1872)
- 1794 – Robert Cooper Grier, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1870)
- 1814 – Wilhelm von Giesebrecht, German historian and academic (d. 1889)
- 1800 – Georg Friedrich Daumer, German poet and philosopher (d. 1875)
- 1815 – John Wentworth, American journalist and politician, 19th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1888)
- 1817 – Austen Henry Layard, English archaeologist, academic, and politician, Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (d. 1894)
- 1830 – Étienne-Jules Marey, French physiologist and chronophotographer (d. 1904)
- 1830 – Charles Wyville Thomson, Scottish historian and zoologist (d. 1882)
- 1834 – Félix de Blochausen, Luxembourgian politician, 6th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (d. 1915)
- 1834 – Marietta Piccolomini, Italian soprano (d. 1899)
- 1853 – Howard Pyle, American author and illustrator (d. 1911)
- 1862 – Siegbert Tarrasch, German chess player and theoretician (d. 1934)
- 1867 – Louis-Alexandre Taschereau, Canadian lawyer and politician, 14th Premier of Quebec (d. 1952)
- 1869 – Michael von Faulhaber, German cardinal (d. 1952)
- 1870 – Frank Norris, American journalist and author (d. 1902)
- 1870 – Evgeny Paton, French-Ukrainian engineer (d. 1953)
- 1871 – Rosa Luxemburg, Polish-Russian economist and philosopher (d. 1919)
- 1871 – Konstantinos Pallis, Greek general and politician, Minister Governor-General of Macedonia (d. 1941)
- 1873 – Olav Bjaaland, Norwegian skier and explorer (d. 1961)
- 1874 – Henry Travers, English-American actor (d. 1965)
- 1875 – Harry Lawson, Australian politician, 27th Premier of Victoria (d. 1952)
- 1876 – Thomas Inskip, 1st Viscount Caldecote, English lawyer and politician, 8th Lord Chief Justice of England (d. 1947)
- 1876 – Elisabeth Moore, American tennis player (d. 1959)
- 1879 – William Beveridge, Bangladeshi-English economist and academic (d. 1963)
- 1879 – Andres Larka, Estonian general and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of War (d. 1943)
- 1880 – Sergei Natanovich Bernstein, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1968)
- 1882 – Dora Marsden, English author and activist (d. 1960)
- 1883 – Pauline Sperry, American mathematician (d. 1967)
- 1885 – Marius Barbeau, Canadian ethnographer and academic (d. 1969)
- 1886 – Dong Biwu, Chinese judge and politician, Chairman of the People’s Republic of China (d. 1975)
- 1886 – Freddie Welsh, Welsh boxer (d. 1927)
- 1887 – Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazilian guitarist and composer (d. 1959)
- 1894 – Henry Daniell, English-American actor (d. 1963)
- 1898 – Zhou Enlai, Chinese politician, 1st Premier of the People’s Republic of China (d. 1976)
- 1898 – Misao Okawa, Japanese super-centenarian (d. 2015)
- 1900 – Lilli Jahn, Jewish German doctor (d. 1944)
- 1900 – Johanna Langefeld, German guard and supervisor of three Nazi concentration camps (d. 1974)
- 1901 – Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg (d. 1971)
- 1901 – Julian Przyboś, Polish poet, essayist and translator (d. 1970)
- 1904 – Karl Rahner, German priest and theologian (d. 1984)
- 1905 – László Benedek, Hungarian-American director and cinematographer (d. 1992)
- 1908 – Fritz Fischer, German historian and author (d. 1999)
- 1908 – Irving Fiske, American author and playwright (d. 1990)
- 1908 – Rex Harrison, English actor (d. 1990)
- 1910 – Momofuku Ando, Taiwanese-Japanese businessman, founded Nissin Foods (d. 2007)
- 1910 – Ennio Flaiano, Italian author, screenwriter, and critic (d. 1972)
- 1912 – Jack Marshall, New Zealand colonel, lawyer, and politician, 28th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1988)
- 1915 – Henry Hicks, Canadian academic and politician, 16th Premier of Nova Scotia (d. 1990)
- 1915 – Laurent Schwartz, French mathematician and academic (d. 2002)
- 1918 – Milt Schmidt, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 2017)
- 1918 – Red Storey, Canadian football player, referee, and sportscaster (d. 2006)
- 1918 – James Tobin, American economist and academic (d. 2002)
- 1920 – José Aboulker, Algerian surgeon and activist (d. 2009)
- 1920 – Virginia Christine, American actress (d. 1996)
- 1920 – Rachel Gurney, English actress (d. 2001)
- 1920 – Wang Zengqi, Chinese writer (d. 1997)
- 1921 – Elmer Valo, American baseball player and coach (d. 1998)
- 1922 – James Noble, American actor (d. 2016)
- 1922 – Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1975)
- 1923 – Juan A. Rivero, Puerto Rican biologist and academic (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Laurence Tisch, American businessman, co-founded the Loews Corporation (d. 2003)
- 1924 – Roger Marche, French footballer (d. 1997)
- 1927 – Jack Cassidy, American actor and singer (d. 1976)
- 1927 – Robert Lindsay, 29th Earl of Crawford, Scottish businessman and politician
- 1928 – J. Hillis Miller, American academic and critic
- 1929 – Erik Carlsson, Swedish race car driver (d. 2015)
- 1929 – J. B. Lenoir, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1967)
- 1930 – John Ashley, Canadian ice hockey player and referee (d. 2008)
- 1930 – Del Crandall, American baseball player and manager
- 1931 – Fred, French author and illustrator (d. 2013)
- 1931 – Barry Tuckwell, Australian horn player and educator (d. 2020)
- 1932 – Paul Sand, American actor
- 1933 – Walter Kasper, German cardinal and theologian
- 1934 – Daniel Kahneman, Israeli-American economist and psychologist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1935 – Letizia Battaglia, Italian photographer and journalist
- 1935 – Philip K. Chapman, Australian-American astronaut and engineer
- 1936 – Canaan Banana, Zimbabwean minister and politician, 1st President of Zimbabwe (d. 2003)
- 1936 – Dale Douglass, American golfer
- 1936 – Dean Stockwell, American actor
- 1937 – Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigerian general and politician, 5th President of Nigeria
- 1938 – Paul Evans, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1938 – Lynn Margulis, American biologist and academic (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Fred Williamson, American football player, actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1939 – Samantha Eggar, English actress
- 1939 – Tony Rundle, Australian politician, 40th Premier of Tasmania
- 1939 – Benyamin Sueb, Indonesian actor and comedian (d. 1995)
- 1939 – Peter Woodcock, Canadian serial killer (d. 2010)
- 1939 – Pierre Wynants, Belgian chef
- 1940 – Tom Butler, English bishop
- 1940 – Ken Irvine, Australian rugby league player (d. 1990)
- 1940 – Graham McRae, New Zealand race car driver
- 1940 – Sepp Piontek, German footballer and manager
- 1941 – Des Wilson, New Zealand-English businessman and activist
- 1942 – Felipe González, Spanish lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Spain
- 1942 – Mike Resnick, American author and editor (d. 2020)
- 1942 – David Watkins, Welsh rugby player
- 1943 – Lucio Battisti, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1998)
- 1944 – Peter Brandes, Danish painter and sculptor
- 1944 – Roy Gutman, American journalist and author
- 1945 – Wilf Tranter, English footballer
- 1946 – Richard Bell, Canadian pianist (d. 2007)
- 1946 – Guerrino Boatto, Italian illustrator and painter (d. 2018)
- 1946 – Graham Hawkins, English footballer and manager (d. 2016)
- 1946 – Murray Head, English actor and singer
- 1947 – Clodagh Rodgers, Northern Irish singer and actress
- 1947 – Kent Tekulve, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1948 – Paquirri, Spanish bullfighter (d. 1984)
- 1948 – Eddy Grant, Guyanese-British singer-songwriter and musician
- 1948 – Richard Hickox, English conductor and scholar (d. 2008)
- 1948 – Elaine Paige, English singer and actress
- 1948 – Jan van Beveren, Dutch footballer and coach (d. 2011)
- 1949 – Bernard Arnault, French businessman, philanthropist, and art collector
- 1949 – Franz Josef Jung, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of Defence
- 1949 – Tom Russell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1951 – Rodney Hogg, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1952 – Petar Borota, Serbian footballer and coach (d. 2010)
- 1952 – Mike Squires, American baseball player and scout
- 1953 – Katarina Frostenson, Swedish poet and author
- 1953 – Michael J. Sandel, American philosopher and academic
- 1953 – Tokyo Sexwale, South African businessman and politician, 1st Premier of Gauteng
- 1954 – Marsha Warfield, American actress
- 1954 – João Lourenço, Angolan president
- 1955 – Penn Jillette, American magician, actor, and author
- 1956 – Teena Marie, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2010)
- 1956 – Christopher Snowden, English engineer and academic
- 1957 – Mark E. Smith, English singer, songwriter and musician (d. 2018)
- 1957 – Ray Suarez, American journalist and author
- 1958 – Volodymyr Bezsonov, Ukrainian footballer and manager
- 1958 – Bob Forward, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1958 – Andy Gibb, English-Australian singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1988)
- 1959 – Vazgen Sargsyan, Armenian colonel and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Armenia (d. 1999)
- 1960 – Paul Drayson, Baron Drayson, English businessman and politician, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology
- 1963 – Joel Osteen, American pastor, author, and television host
- 1964 – Bertrand Cantat, French singer-songwriter
- 1964 – Gerald Vanenburg, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1965 – José Semedo, Portuguese footballer and coach
- 1966 – Oh Eun-sun, South Korean mountaineer
- 1966 – Bob Halkidis, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1966 – Michael Irvin, American football player, sportscaster, and actor
- 1966 – Aasif Mandvi, Indian-American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1966 – Zachery Stevens, American singer-songwriter
- 1968 – Gordon Bajnai, Hungarian businessman and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Hungary
- 1968 – Theresa Villiers, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
- 1969 – Paul Blackthorne, English actor and producer
- 1969 – Danny King, English author and playwright
- 1969 – Moussa Saïb, Algerian footballer and manager
- 1969 – M.C. Solaar, Afro-French rapper
- 1970 – Mike Brown, American basketball player and coach
- 1970 – John Frusciante, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1970 – Yuu Watase, Japanese illustrator
- 1971 – Greg Berry, English footballer and coach
- 1971 – Jeffrey Hammonds, American baseball player and scout
- 1971 – Yuri Lowenthal, American voice actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1971 – Filip Meirhaeghe, Belgian cyclist
- 1971 – Mark Protheroe, Australian rugby league player
- 1973 – Yannis Anastasiou, Greek footballer and manager
- 1973 – Nelly Arcan, Canadian author (d. 2009)
- 1973 – Juan Esnáider, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1973 – Ryan Franklin, American baseball player
- 1973 – Nicole Pratt, Australian tennis player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1973 – Špela Pretnar, Slovenian skier
- 1974 – Kevin Connolly, American actor and director
- 1974 – Jens Jeremies, German footballer
- 1974 – Eva Mendes, American model and actress
- 1975 – Luciano Burti, Brazilian race car driver and sportscaster
- 1975 – Sasho Petrovski, Australian footballer
- 1975 – Chris Silverwood, English cricketer and coach
- 1976 – Neil Jackson, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1976 – Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
- 1976 – Paul Konerko, American baseball player
- 1976 – Norm Maxwell, New Zealand rugby player
- 1977 – Taismary Agüero, Cuban-Italian volleyball player
- 1978 – Jared Crouch, Australian footballer
- 1978 – Mike Hessman, American baseball player and coach
- 1978 – Kimberly McCullough, American actress, singer, and dancer
- 1978 – Carlos Ochoa, Mexican footballer
- 1979 – Martin Axenrot, Swedish drummer
- 1979 – Lee Mears, English rugby player
- 1980 – Shay Carl, American businessman, co-founded Maker Studios
- 1981 – Barret Jackman, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Paul Martin, American ice hockey player
- 1982 – Dan Carter, New Zealand rugby player
- 1982 – Philipp Haastrup, German footballer
- 1983 – Édgar Dueñas, Mexican footballer
- 1984 – Branko Cvetković, Serbian basketball player
- 1984 – Guillaume Hoarau, French footballer
- 1985 – David Marshall, Scottish footballer
- 1985 – Brad Mills, American baseball player
- 1985 – Kenichi Matsuyama, Japanese actor
- 1986 – Alexandre Barthe, French footballer
- 1986 – Matty Fryatt, English footballer
- 1987 – Anna Chakvetadze, Russian tennis player
- 1987 – Chris Cohen, English footballer
- 1988 – Liassine Cadamuro-Bentaïba, Algerian footballer
- 1990 – Danny Drinkwater, English footballer
- 1990 – Mason Plumlee, American basketball player
- 1990 – Alex Smithies, English footballer
- 1991 – Ramiro Funes Mori, Argentinian footballer
- 1991 – Daniil Trifonov, Russian pianist and composer
- 1993 – El Hadji Ba, French footballer
- 1993 – Joshua Coyne, American violinist and composer
- 1993 – Harry Maguire, English footballer
- 1994 – Daria Gavrilova, Russian-Australian tennis player
- 1994 – Kyle Schwarber, American baseball player
- 1996 – Taylor Hill, American model
- 1996 – Emmanuel Mudiay, Congolese basketball player
- 1997 – Milena Venega, Cuban rower
- 1998 – Bo Bichette, American baseball player
- 1999 – Madison Beer, American singer, songwriter and producer.
- 2007 – Roman Griffin Davis, British actor, second youngest Golden Globe recipient.
Deaths on March 5
- 254 – Pope Lucius I (b. 200)
- 824 – Suppo I, Frankish nobleman
- 1239 – Hermann Balk, German knight
- 1410 – Matthew of Kraków, Polish reformer (b. 1335)
- 1417 – Manuel III Megas Komnenos, Emperor of Trebizond (b. 1364)
- 1534 – Antonio da Correggio, Italian painter and educator (b. 1489)
- 1539 – Nuno da Cunha, Portuguese admiral and politician, Governor of Portuguese India (b. 1487)
- 1599 – Guido Panciroli, Italian historian and jurist (b. 1523)
- 1611 – Shimazu Yoshihisa, Japanese daimyō (b. 1533)
- 1622 – Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma (b. 1569)
- 1695 – Henry Wharton, English writer and librarian (b. 1664)
- 1726 – Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull, English politician, Lord President of the Council (b. 1655)
- 1770 – Crispus Attucks, American slave (b. 1723)
- 1778 – Thomas Arne, English composer and educator (b. 1710)
- 1815 – Franz Mesmer, German physician and astrologist (b. 1734)
- 1827 – Pierre-Simon Laplace, French mathematician and astronomer (b. 1749)
- 1827 – Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist and academic (b. 1745)
- 1829 – John Adams, English sailor and mutineer (b. 1766)
- 1849 – David Scott, Scottish historical painter (b. 1806)
- 1876 – Marie d’Agoult, German-French historian and author (b. 1805)
- 1893 – Hippolyte Taine, French historian and critic (b. 1828)
- 1895 – Nikolai Leskov, Russian author, playwright, and journalist (b. 1831)
- 1895 – Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet, English general and scholar (b. 1810)
- 1907 – Friedrich Blass, German philologist, scholar, and academic (b. 1843)
- 1925 – Johan Jensen, Danish mathematician and engineer (b. 1859)
- 1927 – Franz Mertens, Polish-Austrian mathematician and academic (b. 1840)
- 1929 – David Dunbar Buick, Scottish-American businessman, founded Buick (b. 1854)
- 1934 – Reşit Galip, Turkish academic and politician, 6th Turkish Minister of National Education (b. 1893)
- 1935 – Roque Ruaño, Spanish priest and engineer (b. 1877)
- 1940 – Cai Yuanpei, Chinese philosopher and academic (b. 1868)
- 1944 – Max Jacob, French poet and author (b. 1876)
- 1945 – Lena Baker, African American maid and murderer (b. 1900)
- 1947 – Alfredo Casella, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1883)
- 1950 – Edgar Lee Masters, American poet, author, and playwright (b. 1868)
- 1950 – Roman Shukhevych, Ukrainian general and politician (b. 1907)
- 1953 – Herman J. Mankiewicz, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1897)
- 1953 – Sergei Prokofiev, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1891)
- 1953 – Joseph Stalin, Soviet dictator and politician of Georgian descent, 2nd leader of the Soviet Union (b. 1878)
- 1955 – Antanas Merkys, Lithuanian lawyer and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Lithuania (b. 1888)
- 1963 – Patsy Cline, American singer-songwriter (b. 1932)
- 1963 – Cowboy Copas, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1913)
- 1963 – Hawkshaw Hawkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1921)
- 1965 – Chen Cheng, Chinese general and politician, 27th Premier of the Republic of China (b. 1897)
- 1965 – Pepper Martin, American baseball player and manager (b. 1904)
- 1966 – Anna Akhmatova, Ukrainian-Russian poet, author, and translator (b. 1889)
- 1967 – Mischa Auer, Russian-American actor (b. 1905)
- 1967 – Mohammad Mosaddegh, Iranian political scientist and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Iran (b. 1882)
- 1967 – Georges Vanier, Canadian general and politician, 19th Governor General of Canada (b. 1888)
- 1971 – Allan Nevins, American journalist and author (b. 1890)
- 1973 – Robert C. O’Brien, American journalist and author (b. 1918)
- 1974 – John Samuel Bourque, Canadian colonel and politician (b. 1894)
- 1974 – Billy De Wolfe, American actor (b. 1907)
- 1974 – Sol Hurok, Ukrainian-American businessman (b. 1888)
- 1976 – Otto Tief, Estonian lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1889)
- 1977 – Tom Pryce, Welsh race car driver (b. 1949)
- 1980 – Jay Silverheels, Canadian-American actor (b. 1912)
- 1981 – Yip Harburg, American songwriter and composer (b. 1896)
- 1982 – John Belushi, American actor (b. 1949)
- 1984 – Pierre Cochereau, French organist and composer (b. 1924)
- 1984 – Tito Gobbi, Italian operatic baritone (b. 1913)
- 1984 – William Powell, American actor (b. 1892)
- 1988 – Alberto Olmedo, Argentine comedian and actor (b. 1933)
- 1990 – Gary Merrill, American actor and director (b. 1915)
- 1995 – Vivian Stanshall, English singer-songwriter and musician (b. 1943)
- 1996 – Whit Bissell, American character actor (b. 1909)
- 1997 – Samm Sinclair Baker, American writer (b. 1909)
- 1997 – Jean Dréville, French director and screenwriter (b. 1906)
- 1999 – Richard Kiley, American actor and singer (b. 1922)
- 2000 – Lolo Ferrari, French dancer, actress and singer (b. 1963)
- 2005 – David Sheppard, English cricketer and bishop (b. 1929)
- 2008 – Joseph Weizenbaum, German computer scientist and author (b. 1923)
- 2010 – Charles B. Pierce, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1938)
- 2010 – Richard Stapley, British actor and writer (b. 1923)
- 2011 – Manolis Rasoulis, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1945)
- 2012 – Paul Haines, New Zealand-Australian author (b. 1970)
- 2012 – Philip Madoc, Welsh-English actor (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Robert B. Sherman, American songwriter and screenwriter (b. 1925)
- 2012 – William O. Wooldridge, American sergeant (b. 1922)
- 2013 – Paul Bearer, American wrestler and manager (b. 1954)
- 2013 – Hugo Chávez, Venezuelan colonel and politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1954)
- 2013 – Duane Gish, American biochemist and academic (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Geoff Edwards, American actor and game show host (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Ailsa McKay, Scottish economist and academic (b. 1963)
- 2014 – Leopoldo María Panero, Spanish poet and translator (b. 1948)
- 2014 – Ola L. Mize, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Vlada Divljan, Serbian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1958)
- 2015 – Edward Egan, American cardinal (b. 1932)
- 2016 – Hassan Al-Turabi, Sudanese activist and politician (b. 1932)
- 2016 – Ray Tomlinson, American computer programmer and engineer (b. 1941)
- 2016 – Al Wistert, American football player and coach (b. 1920)
- 2017 – Kurt Moll, German opera singer (b. 1938)
Holidays and observances on March 5
- Christian feast day:
- Ciarán of Saigir
- John Joseph of the Cross
- Piran
- Theophilus, bishop of Caesarea
- Thietmar of Minden
- March 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Custom Chief’s Day (Vanuatu)
- Day of Physical Culture and Sport (Azerbaijan)
- Learn from Lei Feng Day (China)
- St Piran’s Day (Cornwall)
-
March 2 in History
- 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his bucellarii are almost cut off.
- 986 – Louis V becomes King of the Franks.
- 1444 – Skanderbeg organizes a group of Albanian nobles to form the League of Lezhë.
- 1458 – George of Poděbrady is chosen as the king of Bohemia.
- 1476 – Burgundian Wars: The Old Swiss Confederacy hands Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, a major defeat in the Battle of Grandson in Canton of Neuchâtel.
- 1484 – The College of Arms is formally incorporated by Royal Charter signed by King Richard III of England.
- 1498 – Vasco da Gama’s fleet visits the Island of Mozambique.
- 1561 – Mendoza, Argentina, is founded by Spanish conquistador Pedro del Castillo.
- 1657 – Great Fire of Meireki: A fire in Edo (now Tokyo), Japan, caused more than 100,000 deaths; it lasted three days
- 1717 – The Loves of Mars and Venus is the first ballet performed in England.
- 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Patriot militia units arrest the Royal Governor of Georgia James Wright and attempt to prevent capture of supply ships in the Battle of the Rice Boats.
- 1791 – Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris.
- 1797 – The Bank of England issues the first one-pound and two-pound banknotes.
- 1807 – The U.S. Congress passes the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, disallowing the importation of new slaves into the country.
- 1808 – The inaugural meeting of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is held in Edinburgh.
- 1811 – Argentine War of Independence: A royalist fleet defeats a small flotilla of revolutionary ships in the Battle of San Nicolás on the River Plate.
- 1815 – Signing of the Kandyan Convention treaty by British invaders and the leaders of the Kingdom of Kandy.
- 1825 – Roberto Cofresí, one of the last successful Caribbean pirates, is defeated in combat and captured by authorities.
- 1836 – Texas Revolution: The Declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico is adopted.
- 1855 – Alexander II becomes Tsar of Russia.
- 1859 – The two-day Great Slave Auction, the largest such auction in United States history, begins.
- 1865 – East Cape War: The Völkner Incident in New Zealand.
- 1867 – The U.S. Congress passes the first Reconstruction Act.
- 1877 – Just two days before inauguration, the U.S. Congress declares Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the 1876 U.S. presidential election even though Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote.
- 1882 – Queen Victoria narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by Roderick McLean in Windsor.
- 1896 – The Battle of Adwa: The Italian Army defeated by the Ethiopian Army in Adwa, Tigray, Ethiopia.
- 1901 – United States Steel Corporation is founded as a result of a merger between Carnegie Steel Company and Federal Steel Company which became the first corporation in the world with a market capital over $1 billion.
- 1901 – The U.S. Congress passes the Platt Amendment limiting the autonomy of Cuba, as a condition of the withdrawal of American troops.
- 1903 – In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women.
- 1917 – The enactment of the Jones–Shafroth Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.
- 1919 – The first Communist International meets in Moscow.
- 1933 – The film King Kong opens at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.
- 1937 – The Steel Workers Organizing Committee signs a collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Steel, leading to unionization of the United States steel industry.
- 1939 – Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli is elected Pope and takes the name Pius XII.
- 1941 – World War II: First German military units enter Bulgaria after it joins the Axis Pact.
- 1943 – World War II: Allied aircraft defeat a Japanese attempt to ship troops to New Guinea.
- 1946 – Ho Chi Minh is elected the President of North Vietnam.
- 1949 – Captain James Gallagher lands his B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II in Fort Worth, Texas, after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight in 94 hours and one minute.
- 1955 – Norodom Sihanouk, king of Cambodia, abdicates the throne in favor of his father, Norodom Suramarit.
- 1961 – John F. Kennedy announces the creation of the Peace Corps in a nationally televised broadcast.
- 1962 – In Burma, the army led by General Ne Win seizes power in a coup d’état.
- 1962 – Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points.
- 1965 – The US and Republic of Vietnam Air Force begin Operation Rolling Thunder, a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam.
- 1968 – Baggeridge Colliery closes marking the end of over 300 years of coal mining in the Black Country.
- 1969 – In Toulouse, France, the first test flight of the Anglo-French Concorde is conducted.
- 1970 – Rhodesia declares itself a republic, breaking its last links with the British crown.
- 1972 – The Pioneer 10 space probe is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with a mission to explore the outer planets.
- 1977 – Libya becomes the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya as the General People’s Congress adopted the “Declaration on the Establishment of the Authority of the People”.
- 1978 – Czech Vladimír Remek becomes the first non-Russian or non-American to go into space, when he is launched aboard Soyuz 28.
- 1983 – Compact discs and players are released for the first time in the United States and other markets. They had previously been available only in Japan.
- 1989 – Twelve European Community nations agree to ban the production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century.
- 1990 – Nelson Mandela is elected deputy President of the African National Congress.
- 1991 – Battle at Rumaila oil field brings an end to the 1991 Gulf War.
- 1992 – Start of the war in Transnistria.
- 1992 – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, San Marino, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan join the United Nations.
- 1995 – Researchers at Fermilab announce the discovery of the top quark.
- 1995 – Yahoo! is incorporated.
- 1998 – Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter’s moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice.
- 2002 – U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda begins, (ending on March 19 after killing 500 Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters, with 11 Western troop fatalities).
- 2004 – War in Iraq: Al-Qaeda carries out the Ashoura Massacre in Iraq, killing 170 and wounding over 500.
- 2012 – A tornado outbreak occurred over a large section of the Southern United States and into the Ohio Valley region, resulting in 40 tornado-related fatalities.
- 2017 – The elements Moscovium, Tennessine, and Oganesson were officially added to the periodic table at a conference in Moscow, Russia.
Births on March 2
- 480 – Benedict of Nursia, Italian Christian saint (d. 543 or 547)
- 1316 – Robert II of Scotland (d. 1390)
- 1409 – Jean II, Duke of Alençon (d. 1476)
- 1432 – Countess Palatine Margaret of Mosbach, countess consort of Hanau (d. 1457)
- 1453 – Johannes Engel, German doctor, astronomer and astrologer (d. 1512)
- 1459 – Pope Adrian VI (d. 1523)
- 1481 – Franz von Sickingen, German knight (d. 1523)
- 1545 – Thomas Bodley, English diplomat and scholar, founded the Bodleian Library (d. 1613)
- 1577 – George Sandys, English traveller, colonist and poet (d. 1644)
- 1628 – Cornelis Speelman, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (d. 1684)
- 1651 – Carlo Gimach, Maltese architect, engineer and poet (d. 1730)
- 1705 – William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1793)
- 1740 – Nicholas Pocock, English naval painter (d.1821)
- 1760 – Camille Desmoulins, French journalist and politician (d. 1794)
- 1769 – DeWitt Clinton, American lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of New York (d. 1828)
- 1770 – Louis-Gabriel Suchet, French general (d. 1826)
- 1779 – Joel Roberts Poinsett, American physician and politician, 15th United States Secretary of War (d. 1851)
- 1793 – Sam Houston, American soldier and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Texas (d. 1863)
- 1800 – Yevgeny Baratynsky, Russian-Italian poet and philosopher (d. 1844)
- 1810 – Pope Leo XIII (d. 1903)
- 1816 – Alexander Bullock, American lawyer and politician, 26th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1882)
- 1817 – János Arany, Hungarian journalist and poet (d. 1882)
- 1820 – Multatuli, Dutch writer (d. 1887)
- 1824 – Bedřich Smetana, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1884)
- 1829 – Carl Schurz, German-American general, lawyer, and politician, 13th United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1906)
- 1836 – Henry Billings Brown, American lawyer and judge (d. 1913)
- 1842 – Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer, art collector, and philanthropist (d. 1914)
- 1846 – Marie Roze, French soprano (d. 1926)
- 1849 – Robert Means Thompson, American commander, lawyer, and businessman (d. 1930)
- 1859 – Sholem Aleichem, Ukrainian-American author and playwright (d. 1916)
- 1860 – Susanna M. Salter, American activist and politician (d. 1961)
- 1862 – John Jay Chapman, American lawyer, author, and poet (d. 1933)
- 1876 – Pope Pius XII (d. 1958)
- 1878 – William Kissam Vanderbilt II, American sailor and race car driver (d. 1944)
- 1886 – Willis H. O’Brien, American animator and director (d. 1962)
- 1886 – Kurt Grelling, German logician and philosopher (d. 1942)
- 1900 – Kurt Weill, German-American pianist and composer (d. 1950)
- 1901 – Grete Hermann, German mathematician and philosopher (d. 1984)
- 1902 – Moe Berg, American baseball player and spy (d. 1972)
- 1902 – Edward Condon, American physicist and academic (d. 1974)
- 1904 – Dr. Seuss, American children’s book writer, poet, and illustrator (d. 1991)
- 1905 – Marc Blitzstein, American composer and songwriter (d. 1964)
- 1905 – Geoffrey Grigson, English poet and critic (d. 1985)
- 1908 – Walter Bruch, German engineer (d. 1990)
- 1909 – Mel Ott, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster (d. 1958)
- 1912 – Henry Katzman, American pianist, composer, and painter (d. 2001)
- 1913 – Godfried Bomans, Dutch television host and author (d. 1971)
- 1913 – Mort Cooper, American baseball player (d. 1958)
- 1914 – Martin Ritt, American actor and film director (d. 1990)
- 1915 – John Burton, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to Ceylon (d. 2010)
- 1917 – Desi Arnaz, Cuban-American actor, singer, and producer (d. 1986)
- 1917 – David Goodis, American author and screenwriter (d. 1967)
- 1917 – Jim Konstanty, American baseball player and coach (d. 1976)
- 1919 – Jennifer Jones, American actress (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Eddie Lawrence, American actor, singer, and playwright (d. 2014)
- 1919 – Tamara Toumanova, Russian-American ballerina and actress (d. 1996)
- 1921 – Kazimierz Górski, Polish footballer and coach (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Ernst Haas, Austrian-American photographer and journalist (d. 1986)
- 1922 – Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, American saxophonist (d. 1986)
- 1922 – Bill Quackenbush, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Frances Spence, American computer programmer (d. 2012)
- 1923 – Basil Hume, English cardinal (d. 1999)
- 1923 – Robert H. Michel, American soldier and politician (d. 2017)
- 1923 – Dave Strack, American basketball player and coach (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Cal Abrams, American baseball player (d. 1997)
- 1924 – Renos Apostolidis, Greek philologist, author, and critic (d. 2004)
- 1926 – Bernard Agré, Ivorian cardinal (d. 2014)
- 1926 – Murray Rothbard, American economist and historian (d. 1995)
- 1927 – Roger Walkowiak, French cyclist and economist (d. 2017)
- 1930 – John Cullum, American actor and singer
- 1930 – Emma Penella, Spanish actress (d. 2007)
- 1930 – Tom Wolfe, American journalist and author (d. 2018)
- 1931 – Mikhail Gorbachev, Russian lawyer and politician, President of the Soviet Union, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1932 – Gun Hägglund, Swedish journalist and translator (d. 2011)
- 1934 – Dottie Rambo, American singer-songwriter (d. 2008)
- 1935 – Gene Stallings, American football player and coach
- 1936 – Haroon Ahmed, Pakistani-English engineer and academic
- 1936 – John Tusa, Czech-English journalist and academic
- 1937 – Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algerian soldier and politician, 5th President of Algeria
- 1938 – Ricardo Lagos, Chilean economist, lawyer, and politician, 33rd President of Chile
- 1938 – Lawrence Payton, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1997)
- 1938 – Clark Gesner, American author and composer (d. 2002)
- 1939 – Jan Howard Finder, American author and academic (d. 2013)
- 1940 – Billy McNeill, Scottish footballer (d. 2019)
- 1941 – John Cornell, Australian actor, director, and producer
- 1941 – David Satcher, American admiral and physician, 16th Surgeon General of the United States
- 1942 – John Irving, American novelist and screenwriter
- 1942 – Claude Larose, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1942 – Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Iranian architect and politician, 79th Prime Minister of Iran
- 1942 – Lou Reed, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (d. 2013)
- 1942 – Derek Woodley, English footballer (d. 2002)
- 1943 – George Layton, English actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1943 – Peter Straub, American author and poet
- 1943 – Robert Williams, American painter and cartoonist
- 1945 – Derek Watkins, English trumpet player and composer (d. 2013)
- 1947 – Nelson Ned, Brazilian singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
- 1947 – Harry Redknapp, English footballer and manager
- 1948 – Larry Carlton, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1948 – Rory Gallagher, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1995)
- 1948 – Jeff Kennett, Australian journalist and politician, 43rd Premier of Victoria
- 1948 – Carmen Lawrence, Australian politician, 25th Premier of Western Australia
- 1950 – Karen Carpenter, American singer (d. 1983)
- 1952 – Mark Evanier, American author and screenwriter
- 1952 – Laraine Newman, American actress and comedian
- 1953 – Russ Feingold, American lawyer and politician
- 1954 – Ed Johnstone, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1955 – Dale Bozzio, American pop-rock singer-songwriter
- 1955 – Jay Osmond, American singer, drummer, actor, and TV/film producer
- 1955 – Ken Salazar, American lawyer and politician, 50th United States Secretary of the Interior
- 1955 – Steve Small, Australian cricketer
- 1956 – John Cowsill, American musician, songwriter, and producer
- 1956 – Mark Evans, Australian rock bass player
- 1957 – Hossein Dehghan, Iranian general and politician, Iranian Minister of Defense
- 1957 – Dito Tsintsadze, Georgian film director and screenwriter
- 1957 – Mark Dean, American inventor and computer engineer
- 1958 – Kevin Curren, South African-American tennis player
- 1958 – Ian Woosnam, English-Welsh golfer
- 1959 – Larry Stewart, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1961 – Simone Young, Australian conductor, director, and composer
- 1962 – Jon Bon Jovi, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
- 1962 – Paul Farrelly, English journalist and politician
- 1962 – Tom Nordlie, Norwegian footballer and coach
- 1962 – Brendan O’Connor, Australian politician, Australian Minister for Employment
- 1962 – Raimo Summanen, Finnish ice hockey player and coach
- 1962 – Gabriele Tarquini, Italian race car driver
- 1963 – Alvin Youngblood Hart, American singer and guitarist
- 1963 – Anthony Albanese, Australian politician, 15th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
- 1963 – Vidyasagar (composer), Indian composer, musician and singer
- 1964 – Laird Hamilton, American surfer and actor
- 1964 – Mike Von Erich, American wrestler (d. 1987)
- 1965 – Ron Gant, American baseball player and journalist
- 1965 – Lembit Öpik, Northern Irish politician
- 1966 – Ann Leckie, American author
- 1966 – Simon Reevell, English lawyer and politician
- 1968 – Daniel Craig, English actor and producer
- 1970 – James Purnell, English politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
- 1970 – Ciriaco Sforza, Swiss footballer and manager
- 1970 – Wibi Soerjadi, Dutch pianist and composer
- 1971 – Dave Gorman, English comedian, author and television presenter
- 1971 – Method Man, American rapper, record producer and actor
- 1972 – Mauricio Pochettino, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1973 – Dejan Bodiroga, Serbian basketball player
- 1973 – Trevor Sinclair, English footballer and manager
- 1974 – Hayley Lewis, Australian swimmer and television host
- 1975 – Daryl Gibson, New Zealand rugby player
- 1977 – Dominique Canty, American basketball player and coach
- 1977 – Chris Martin, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1977 – Stephen Parry, English swimmer and sportscaster
- 1977 – Andrew Strauss, South African-English cricketer
- 1978 – Gabby Eigenmann, Filipino actor and singer
- 1978 – Lee Hodges, English footballer and manager
- 1978 – Tomáš Kaberle, Czech ice hockey player
- 1979 – Damien Duff, Irish international footballer, winger
- 1979 – Gayatri Asokan, Indian playback singer
- 1979 – Jim Troughton, English cricketer
- 1979 – Nicky Weaver, English footballer
- 1980 – Chris Barker, English footballer and manager (d. 2020)
- 1980 – Rebel Wilson, Australian actress and screenwriter
- 1981 – Lance Cade, American wrestler (d. 2010)
- 1981 – Bryce Dallas Howard, American actress
- 1982 – Kevin Kurányi, German footballer
- 1982 – Henrik Lundqvist, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1982 – Ben Roethlisberger, American football player
- 1982 – Corey Webster, American football player
- 1983 – Deuce, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1983 – Lisandro López, Argentinian footballer
- 1983 – Jay McClement, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Glen Perkins, American baseball player
- 1983 – Ryan Shannon, American ice hockey player
- 1985 – Reggie Bush, American football player
- 1985 – Suso Santana, Spanish footballer
- 1986 – Jonathan D’Aversa, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – Jonas Jerebko, Swedish basketball player
- 1988 – Édgar Andrade, Mexican footballer
- 1988 – James Arthur, English singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Laura Kaeppeler, Miss America 2012
- 1988 – Matthew Mitcham, Australian diver
- 1988 – Chris Rainey, American football player
- 1988 – Geert Arend Roorda, Dutch footballer
- 1989 – Alemão, Brazilian footballer
- 1989 – Toby Alderweireld, Belgian international footballer, defender
- 1989 – André Bernardes Santos, Portuguese footballer
- 1989 – Marcel Hirscher, Austrian skier
- 1989 – Shane Vereen, American football player
- 1989 – Chris Woakes, English cricketer
- 1990 – Rauno Alliku, Estonian footballer
- 1990 – Malcolm Butler, American football player
- 1990 – Josh McGuire, Australian rugby league player
- 1990 – Tiger Shroff, Indian actor
- 1991 – Nick Franklin, American baseball player
- 1992 – Jack Stockwell, Australian rugby league player
- 1995 – Ange-Freddy Plumain, French footballer
- 1997 – Becky G, American singer and actress
- 2010 – Hailey Dawson, American with a 3D-printed robotic hand
- 2016 – Prince Oscar, duke of Skåne and prince of Sweden
Deaths on March 2
- 274 – Mani, Persian prophet and founder of Manichaeism (b. 216)
- 672 – Chad of Mercia, English bishop and saint (b. 634)
- 986 – Lothair, king of West Francia (b.941)
- 968 – William, archbishop of Mainz (b. 929)
- 1009 – Mokjong, king of Goryeo (b. 980)
- 1127 – Charles the Good, Count of Flanders (b. 1084)
- 1316 – Marjorie Bruce, Scottish daughter of Robert the Bruce (b. 1296)
- 1333 – Wladyslaw I, king of Poland (b. 1261)
- 1589 – Alessandro Farnese, Italian cardinal and diplomat (b. 1520)
- 1619 – Anne of Denmark, queen of Scotland (b. 1574)
- 1729 – Francesco Bianchini, Italian astronomer and philosopher (b. 1662)
- 1755 – Louis de Rouvroy, French duke and diplomat (b. 1675)
- 1791 – John Wesley, English cleric and theologian (b. 1703)
- 1793 – Carl Gustaf Pilo, Swedish-Danish painter and academic (b. 1711)
- 1797 – Horace Walpole, English historian and politician (b. 1717)
- 1829 – Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, Mexican revolutionary (b. ca. 1773)
- 1830 – Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring, German physician, anatomist, and anthropologist (b. 1755)
- 1835 – Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1768)
- 1840 – Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers, German physician and astronomer (b. 1758)
- 1855 – Nicholas I, Russian emperor (b. 1796)
- 1864 – Ulric Dahlgren, American colonel (b. 1842)
- 1865 – Carl Sylvius Völkner, German-New Zealand priest and missionary (b. 1819)
- 1880 – John Benjamin Macneill, Irish engineer (b. 1790)
- 1895 – Berthe Morisot, French painter (b. 1841)
- 1895 – Isma’il Pasha, Egyptian politician (b. 1830)
- 1896 – Jubal Early, American general (b. 1816)
- 1921 – Champ Clark, American lawyer and politician, 41st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1850)
- 1930 – D. H. Lawrence, English novelist, poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1885)
- 1938 – Ben Harney, American pianist and composer (b. 1871)
- 1939 – Howard Carter, English archaeologist and historian (b. 1874)
- 1943 – Gisela Januszewska, Jewish-Austrian physician (b.1867)
- 1944 – Ida Maclean, British biochemist, the first woman admitted to the London Chemical Society (b. 1877)
- 1945 – Emily Carr, Canadian painter and author (b. 1871)
- 1946 – Fidél Pálffy, Hungarian politician, Hungarian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1895)
- 1946 – George E. Stewart, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1872)
- 1947 – Frans Johan Louwrens Ghijsels, Dutch architect and urban planner (b. 1882)
- 1949 – Sarojini Naidu, Indian poet and activist (b. 1879)
- 1953 – James Lightbody, American runner (b. 1882)
- 1957 – Selim Sırrı Tarcan, Turkish educator and politician (b. 1874)
- 1958 – Fred Merkle, American baseball player and manager (b. 1888)
- 1962 – Charles Jean de la Vallée-Poussin, Belgian mathematician and academic (b. 1866)
- 1967 – José Martínez Ruiz, Spanish author and critic (b. 1873)
- 1972 – Léo-Ernest Ouimet, Canadian director and producer (b. 1877)
- 1979 – Christy Ring, Irish hurler (b. 1920)
- 1982 – Philip K. Dick, American philosopher and author (b. 1928)
- 1987 – Randolph Scott, American actor and director (b. 1898)
- 1987 – Lolo Soetoro, Indonesian geographer and academic (b. 1935)
- 1991 – Serge Gainsbourg, French singer-songwriter, actor, and director (b. 1928)
- 1992 – Sandy Dennis, American actress (b. 1937)
- 1994 – Anita Morris, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1943)
- 1999 – Dusty Springfield, English singer (b. 1939)
- 2000 – Sandra Schmirler, Canadian curler (b. 1963)
- 2003 – Hank Ballard, American singer-songwriter (b. 1927)
- 2003 – Malcolm Williamson, Australian pianist and composer (b. 1931)
- 2004 – Cormac McAnallen, Irish footballer (b. 1980)
- 2004 – Mercedes McCambridge, American actress (b. 1916)
- 2004 – Marge Schott, American businesswoman (b. 1928)
- 2005 – Martin Denny, American pianist and composer (b. 1911)
- 2007 – Thomas S. Kleppe, American soldier and politician, 41st United States Secretary of the Interior (b. 1919)
- 2007 – Clem Labine, American baseball player (b. 1926)
- 2007 – Ivan Safronov, Russian colonel and journalist (b. 1956)
- 2007 – Henri Troyat, Russian-French historian and author (b. 1911)
- 2008 – Jeff Healey, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1966)
- 2009 – João Bernardo Vieira, Bissau-Guinean politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1939)
- 2010 – Winston Churchill, English journalist and politician (b. 1940)
- 2012 – Lawrence Anthony, South African environmentalist, explorer, and author (b. 1950)
- 2012 – Van T. Barfoot, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Norman St John-Stevas, English academic and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1929)
- 2012 – James Q. Wilson, American political scientist and academic (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Peter Harvey, Australian journalist (b. 1944)
- 2013 – Giorgos Kolokithas, Greek basketball player (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Shabnam Shakeel, Pakistani poet and author (b. 1942)
- 2014 – Ryhor Baradulin, Belarusian poet and translator (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Dean Hess, American minister and colonel (b. 1917)
- 2015 – Dave Mackay, Scottish-English footballer and manager (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Mal Peet, English author and illustrator (b. 1947)
- 2016 – Benoît Lacroix, Canadian priest, historian, and philosopher (b. 1915)
- 2016 – Aubrey McClendon, American businessman (b. 1959)
- 2018 – Billy Herrington, American actor (b. 1969)
- 2018 – Lin Hu, Chinese lieutenant general (b. 1927)
- 2019 – Mike Oliver, British sociologist, disability rights activist (b. 1945)
Holidays and observances on March 2
- Air Force Day (Sri Lanka)
- Baloch Culture Day (Balochistan)
- Christian feast day:
- Agnes of Bohemia
- Angela of the Cross
- Blessed Charles the Good, Count of Flanders
- Chad of Mercia (Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Eastern Orthodox Church)
- John Maron
- March 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Feast of ‘Alá (Loftiness), First day of the 19th month of the Bahá’í calendar (Bahá’í Faith) and first day of the Baha’i Nineteen Day Fast
- Jamahiriya Day (Libya)
- Peasants’ Day (Myanmar)
- Texas Independence Day
- Victory at Adwa Day (Ethiopia)
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February 22 in History
- 705 – Empress Wu Zetian abdicates the throne, restoring the Tang dynasty.
- 1316 – The Battle of Picotin, between Ferdinand of Majorca and the forces of Matilda of Hainaut, ends in victory for Ferdinand.
- 1371 – Robert II becomes King of Scotland, beginning the Stuart dynasty.
- 1495 – King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city’s throne.
- 1632 – Ferdinando II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, the dedicatee, receives the first printed copy of Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems .
- 1651 – St. Peter’s Flood: A storm surge floods the Frisian coast, drowning 15,000 people.
- 1744 – War of the Austrian Succession: The Battle of Toulon causes several Royal Navy captains to be court-martialed, and the Articles of War to be amended.
- 1797 – The last Invasion of Britain begins near Fishguard, Wales.
- 1819 – By the Adams–Onís Treaty, Spain sells Florida to the United States for five million U.S. dollars.
- 1821 – Greek War of Independence: Alexander Ypsilantis crosses the Prut river at Sculeni into the Danubian Principalities.
- 1847 – Mexican–American War: The Battle of Buena Vista: Five thousand American troops defeat 15,000 Mexican troops.
- 1848 – The French Revolution of 1848, which would lead to the establishment of the French Second Republic, begins.
- 1853 – Washington University in St. Louis is founded as Eliot Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.
- 1855 – The Pennsylvania State University is founded in State College, Pennsylvania (as the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania).
- 1856 – The United States Republican Party opens its first national convention in Pittsburgh.
- 1862 – Jefferson Davis is officially inaugurated for a six-year term as the President of the Confederate States of America in Richmond, Virginia. He was previously inaugurated as a provisional president on February 18, 1861.
- 1872 – The Prohibition Party holds its first national convention in Columbus, Ohio, nominating James Black as its presidential nominee.
- 1878 – In Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many of five-and-dime Woolworth stores.
- 1889 – President Grover Cleveland signs a bill admitting North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington as U.S. states.
- 1899 – Filipino forces led by General Antonio Luna launch counterattacks for the first time against the American forces during the Philippine–American War. The Filipinos fail to regain Manila from the Americans.
- 1904 – The United Kingdom sells a meteorological station on the South Orkney Islands to Argentina; the islands are subsequently claimed by the United Kingdom in 1908.
- 1909 – The sixteen battleships of the Great White Fleet, led by USS Connecticut, return to the United States after a voyage around the world.
- 1915 – World War I: The Imperial German Navy institutes unrestricted submarine warfare.
- 1921 – After Russian forces under Baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg drive the Chinese out, the Bogd Khan is reinstalled as the emperor of Mongolia.
- 1942 – World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders General Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines as the Japanese victory becomes inevitable.
- 1943 – World War II: Members of the White Rose resistance, Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, and Christoph Probst are executed in Nazi Germany.
- 1944 – World War II: American aircraft mistakenly bomb the Dutch towns of Nijmegen, Arnhem, Enschede and Deventer, resulting in 800 dead in Nijmegen alone.
- 1944 – World War II: The Soviet Red Army recaptures Krivoi Rog.
- 1946 – The “Long Telegram”, proposing how the United States should deal with the Soviet Union, arrives from the US embassy in Moscow.
- 1957 – Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam survives a communist shooting assassination attempt in Buôn Ma Thuột.
- 1958 – Egypt and Syria join to form the United Arab Republic.
- 1959 – Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500.
- 1972 – The Official Irish Republican Army detonates a car bomb at Aldershot barracks, killing seven and injuring nineteen others.
- 1973 – Cold War: Following President Richard Nixon’s visit to the People’s Republic of China, the two countries agree to establish liaison offices.
- 1974 – The Organisation of the Islamic Conference summit begins in Lahore, Pakistan. Thirty-seven countries attend and twenty-two heads of state and government participate. It also recognizes Bangladesh.
- 1974 – Samuel Byck attempts to hijack an aircraft at Baltimore/Washington International Airport with the intention of crashing it into the White House to assassinate Richard Nixon, but is killed by police.
- 1980 – Miracle on Ice: In Lake Placid, New York, the United States hockey team defeats the Soviet Union hockey team 4–3.
- 1983 – The notorious Broadway flop Moose Murders opens and closes on the same night at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre.
- 1984 – President of Bangladesh, H M Ershad upgraded South Sylhet’s sub-division status to a district and renamed it back to Moulvibazar.
- 1986 – Start of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines.
- 1994 – Aldrich Ames and his wife are charged by the United States Department of Justice with spying for the Soviet Union.
- 1995 – The Corona reconnaissance satellite program, in existence from 1959 to 1972, is declassified.
- 1997 – In Roslin, Midlothian, British scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly has been successfully cloned.
- 2002 – Angolan political and rebel leader Jonas Savimbi is killed in a military ambush.
- 2005 – The 6.4 Mw Zarand earthquake shakes the Kerman Province of Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), leaving 612 people dead and 1,411 injured.
- 2006 – At least six men stage Britain’s biggest robbery, stealing £53m (about $92.5 million or €78 million) from a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent.
- 2011 – New Zealand’s second deadliest earthquake strikes Christchurch, killing 185 people.
- 2011 – Bahraini uprising: Tens of thousands of people march in protest against the deaths of seven victims killed by police and army forces during previous protests.
- 2012 – A train crash in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 51 people and injures 700 others.
- 2014 – President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine is impeached by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine by a vote of 328–0, fulfilling a major goal of the Euromaidan rebellion.
- 2015 – A ferry carrying 100 passengers capsizes in the Padma River, killing 70 people.
- 2018 – A man throws a grenade at the U.S embassy in Podgorica, Montenegro. He dies at the scene from a second explosion, with no one else hurt.
Births on February 22
- 1028 – Al-Juwayni, Persian jurist and theologian (died 1085)
- 1040 – Rashi, French rabbi and author (d. 1105)
- 1302 – Gegeen Khan, Emperor Yingzong of Yuan (d. 1323)
- 1403 – Charles VII of France (d. 1461)
- 1440 – Ladislaus the Posthumous, Hungarian king (d. 1457)
- 1500 – Rodolfo Pio da Carpi, Italian cardinal (d. 1564)
- 1514 – Tahmasp I, Iranian shah (d. 1576)
- 1520 – Moses Isserles, Polish rabbi (d. 1572)
- 1550 – Charles de Ligne, 2nd Prince of Arenberg (d. 1616)
- 1592 – Nicholas Ferrar, English scholar (d. 1637)
- 1631 – Peder Syv, Danish historian (d. 1702)
- 1649 – Bon Boullogne, French painter (d. 1717)
- 1715 – Charles-Nicolas Cochin, French artist (d. 1790)
- 1732 – George Washington, American general and politician, 1st President of the United States (d. 1799)
- 1749 – Johann Nikolaus Forkel, German musicologist and theorist (d. 1818)
- 1778 – Rembrandt Peale, American painter and curator (d. 1860)
- 1788 – Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher and author (d. 1860)
- 1796 – Alexis Bachelot, French priest and missionary (d. 1837)
- 1796 – Adolphe Quetelet, Belgian mathematician, astronomer, and sociologist (d. 1874)
- 1805 – Sarah Fuller Flower Adams, English poet and hymnwriter (d. 1848)
- 1806 – Józef Kremer, Polish historian and philosopher (d. 1875)
- 1817 – Carl Wilhelm Borchardt, German mathematician and academic (d. 1880)
- 1819 – James Russell Lowell, American poet and critic (d. 1891)
- 1824 – Pierre Janssen, French astronomer and mathematician (d. 1907)
- 1825 – Jean-Baptiste Salpointe, French-American archbishop (d. 1898)
- 1836 – Mahesh Chandra Nyayratna Bhattacharyya, Indian scholar and academic (d. 1906)
- 1840 – August Bebel, German theorist and politician (d. 1913)
- 1849 – Nikolay Yakovlevich Sonin, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1915)
- 1857 – Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, English general, co-founded The Scout Association (d. 1941)
- 1857 – Heinrich Hertz, German physicist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1894)
- 1860 – Mary W. Bacheler, American physician and Baptist medical missionary (d. 1939)
- 1863 – Charles McLean Andrews, American historian, author, and academic (d. 1943)
- 1864 – Jules Renard, French author and playwright (d. 1910)
- 1876 – Zitkala-Sa, American author and activist (d. 1938)
- 1874 – Bill Klem, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1951)
- 1879 – Johannes Nicolaus Brønsted, Danish chemist and academic (d. 1947)
- 1880 – Eric Lemming, Swedish athlete (d. 1930)
- 1881 – Joseph B. Ely, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1956)
- 1881 – Albin Prepeluh, Slovenian journalist and politician (d. 1937)
- 1882 – Eric Gill, English sculptor and illustrator (d. 1940)
- 1883 – Marguerite Clark, American actress (d. 1940)
- 1886 – Hugo Ball, German author and poet (d. 1927)
- 1887 – Savielly Tartakower, Polish journalist, author, and chess player (d. 1956)
- 1887 – Pat Sullivan, Australian-American animator and producer (d. 1933)
- 1888 – Owen Brewster, American captain and politician, 54th Governor of Maine (d. 1961)
- 1889 – Olave Baden-Powell, English scout leader, founded the Girl Guides (d. 1977)
- 1889 – R. G. Collingwood, English historian and philosopher (d. 1943)
- 1891 – Vlas Chubar, Russian economist and politician (d. 1939)
- 1892 – Edna St. Vincent Millay, American poet and playwright (d. 1950)
- 1895 – Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, Peruvian politician (d. 1979)
- 1897 – Karol Świerczewski, Polish general (d. 1947)
- 1899 – George O’Hara, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1966)
- 1900 – Luis Buñuel, Spanish-Mexican director and producer (d. 1983)
- 1903 – Morley Callaghan, Canadian author and playwright (d. 1990)
- 1903 – Frank P. Ramsey, English economist, mathematician, and philosopher (d. 1930)
- 1906 – Constance Stokes, Australian painter (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Sheldon Leonard, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1997)
- 1907 – Robert Young, American actor (d. 1998)
- 1908 – Rómulo Betancourt, Venezuelan politician, 56th President of Venezuela (d. 1981)
- 1908 – John Mills, English soldier and actor (d. 2005)
- 1910 – George Hunt, English international footballer, forward (d. 1996)
- 1914 – Renato Dulbecco, Italian-American virologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
- 1915 – Gus Lesnevich, American boxer (d. 1964)
- 1917 – Reed Crandall, American illustrator (d. 1982)
- 1918 – Sid Abel, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 2000)
- 1918 – Don Pardo, American radio and television announcer (d. 2014)
- 1918 – Robert Wadlow, American man, the tallest person in recorded history (d. 1940)
- 1921 – Jean-Bédel Bokassa, Central African general and politician, 2nd President of the Central African Republic (d. 1996)
- 1921 – Giulietta Masina, Italian actress (d. 1994)
- 1922 – Marshall Teague, American race car driver (d. 1959)
- 1922 – Joe Wilder, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Bleddyn Williams, Welsh rugby player and sportscaster (d. 2009)
- 1923 – François Cavanna, French author and editor (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Edward Gorey, American illustrator and poet (d. 2000)
- 1925 – Gerald Stern, American poet and academic
- 1926 – Kenneth Williams, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1988)
- 1927 – Florencio Campomanes, Filipino political scientist and chess player (d. 2010)
- 1927 – Guy Mitchell, American singer (d. 1999)
- 1928 – Clarence 13X, American religious leader, founded the Nation of Gods and Earths (d. 1969)
- 1928 – Texas Johnny Brown, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Paul Dooley, American actor
- 1928 – Bruce Forsyth, English singer and television host (d. 2017)
- 1929 – James Hong, American actor and director
- 1929 – Rebecca Schull, American stage, film, and television actress
- 1930 – Marni Nixon, American soprano and actress (d. 2016)
- 1932 – Ted Kennedy, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2009)
- 1932 – Zenaida Manfugás, Cuban-born American-naturalized pianist (d. 2012)
- 1933 – Katharine, Duchess of Kent
- 1933 – Sheila Hancock, English actress and author
- 1933 – Ernie K-Doe, American R&B singer (d. 2001)
- 1933 – Bobby Smith, English international footballer, centre forward (d. 2010)
- 1934 – Sparky Anderson, American baseball player and manager (d. 2010)
- 1936 – J. Michael Bishop, American microbiologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1937 – Tommy Aaron, American golfer
- 1937 – Joanna Russ, American author and activist (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Steve Barber, American baseball player (d. 2007)
- 1938 – Tony Macedo, Gibraltarian born English footballer, goalkeeper
- 1938 – Ishmael Reed, American poet, novelist, essayist
- 1940 – Judy Cornwell, English actress
- 1940 – Chet Walker, American basketball player
- 1941 – Hipólito Mejía, Dominican politician, 52nd President of the Dominican Republic
- 1942 – Christine Keeler, English model and dancer (d. 2017)
- 1943 – Terry Eagleton, English philosopher and critic
- 1943 – Horst Köhler, Polish-German economist and politician, 9th President of Germany
- 1943 – Dick Van Arsdale, American basketball player
- 1943 – Tom Van Arsdale, American basketball player
- 1943 – Otoya Yamaguchi, Japanese assassin of Inejiro Asanuma (d. 1960)
- 1944 – Jonathan Demme, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
- 1944 – Mick Green, English rock & roll guitarist (d. 2010)
- 1944 – Robert Kardashian, American lawyer and businessman (d. 2003)
- 1944 – Christopher Meyer, English diplomat, British Ambassador to the United States
- 1944 – Tom Okker, Dutch tennis player and painter
- 1945 – Oliver, American pop singer (d. 2000)
- 1946 – Kresten Bjerre, Danish footballer and manager (d. 2014)
- 1947 – Pirjo Honkasalo, Finnish director, cinematographer, and screenwriter
- 1947 – Harvey Mason, American drummer
- 1947 – John Radford, English footballer and manager
- 1947 – Frank Van Dun, Belgian philosopher and theorist
- 1949 – John Duncan, Scottish footballer, forward and manager
- 1949 – Niki Lauda, Austrian racing driver (d. 2019)
- 1949 – Olga Morozova, Russian tennis player and coach
- 1950 – Julius Erving, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1950 – Lenny Kuhr, Dutch singer-songwriter
- 1950 – Miou-Miou, French actress
- 1950 – Genesis P-Orridge, English singer-songwriter (d. 2020)
- 1950 – Julie Walters, English actress and author
- 1951 – Ellen Greene, American singer and actress
- 1952 – Bill Frist, American physician and politician
- 1952 – Joaquim Pina Moura, Portuguese Minister of Economy and Treasury and MP (d. 2020)
- 1953 – Nigel Planer, English actor and screenwriter
- 1955 – David Axelrod, American journalist and political adviser
- 1955 – Tim Young, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1957 – Willie Smits, Dutch microbiologist and engineer
- 1958 – Dave Spitz, American bass player and songwriter
- 1959 – Jiří Čunek, Czech politician
- 1959 – Kyle MacLachlan, American actor
- 1959 – Bronwyn Oliver, Australian sculptor (d. 2006)
- 1960 – Thomas Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde, Scottish politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- 1961 – Akira Takasaki, Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1962 – Steve Irwin, Australian zoologist and television host (d. 2006)
- 1963 – Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
- 1963 – Devon Malcolm, Jamaican-English cricketer
- 1963 – Vijay Singh, Fijian-American golfer
- 1964 – Ed Boon, American video game designer, co-created Mortal Kombat
- 1964 – Diane Charlemagne, English singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
- 1964 – Andy Gray, English footballer, midfielder and manager
- 1965 – Chris Dudley, American basketball player and politician
- 1965 – Kieren Fallon, Irish jockey
- 1965 – Pat LaFontaine, American ice hockey player
- 1966 – Rachel Dratch, American actress and comedian
- 1966 – Thorsten Kaye, German-English actor
- 1967 – Psicosis II, Mexican wrestler
- 1968 – Shawn Graham, Canadian politician, 31st Premier of New Brunswick
- 1968 – Bradley Nowell, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1996)
- 1968 – Jeri Ryan, American model and actress
- 1968 – Jayson Williams, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1969 – Thomas Jane, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1969 – Brian Laudrup, Danish footballer and sportscaster
- 1969 – Marc Wilmots, Belgian footballer and manager
- 1971 – Super Caló, Mexican wrestler
- 1971 – Lea Salonga, Filipino actress and singer
- 1972 – Michael Chang, American tennis player and coach
- 1972 – Claudia Pechstein, German speed skater
- 1973 – Philippe Gaumont, French cyclist (d. 2013)
- 1973 – Juninho Paulista, Brazilian footballer
- 1973 – Scott Phillips, American drummer and producer
- 1974 – James Blunt, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1974 – Chris Moyles, English radio and television host
- 1975 – Drew Barrymore, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1977 – Timo Rose, German actor, director, and producer
- 1977 – Hakan Yakin, Swiss footballer
- 1978 – Jenny Frost, English singer and dancer
- 1979 – Brett Emerton, Australian footballer
- 1979 – Lee Na-young, South Korean actress
- 1980 – Shamari Fears, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1980 – Kang Sung-hoon, South Korean singer
- 1980 – Jeanette Biedermann, German singer-songwriter and actress
- 1983 – Shaun Tait, Australian cricketer
- 1984 – Tommy Bowe, Irish rugby player
- 1984 – Branislav Ivanović, Serbian footballer
- 1985 – Hameur Bouazza, Algerian international footballer, winger
- 1985 – Georgios Printezis, Greek basketball player
- 1986 – Rajon Rondo, American basketball player
- 1987 – Han Hyo-joo, South Korean actress and model
- 1987 – Sergio Romero, Argentinian footballer
- 1988 – Jonathan Borlée, Belgian sprinter
- 1988 – Efraín Juárez, Mexican footballer
- 1988 – Sebastian Tyrała, Polish-German footballer
- 1989 – Franco Vázquez, Argentinian footballer
- 1990 – Luca Profeta, Italian footballer
- 1992 – Alexander Merkel, Kazakhstani-German footballer
- 1999 – Harry Brook, English cricketer
Deaths on February 22
- 556 – Maximianus, bishop of Ravenna (b. 499)
- 606 – Sabinian, pope of the Catholic Church
- 793 – Sicga, Anglo-Saxon nobleman and regicide
- 845 – Wang, Chinese empress dowager
- 954 – Guo Wei, Chinese emperor (b. 904)
- 965 – Otto, duke of Burgundy (b. 944)
- 970 – García I, king of Pamplona
- 978 – Lambert, count of Chalon (b. 930)
- 1071 – Arnulf III, count of Flanders
- 1072 – Peter Damian, Italian cardinal
- 1079 – John of Fécamp, Italian Benedictine abbot
- 1111 – Roger Borsa, king of Sicily (b. 1078)
- 1297 – Margaret of Cortona, Italian penitent (b. 1247)
- 1371 – David II, king of Scotland (b. 1324)
- 1452 – William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas (b. 1425)
- 1500 – Gerhard VI, German nobleman (b. 1430)
- 1511 – Henry, duke of Cornwall (b. 1511)
- 1512 – Amerigo Vespucci, Italian cartographer and explorer (b. 1454)
- 1627 – Olivier van Noort, Dutch explorer (b. 1558)
- 1674 – Jean Chapelain, French poet and critic (b. 1595)
- 1680 – La Voisin, French occultist (b. 1640)
- 1690 – Charles Le Brun, French painter and theorist (b. 1619)
- 1731 – Frederik Ruysch, Dutch physician and anatomist (b. 1638)
- 1732 – Francis Atterbury, English bishop (b. 1663)
- 1799 – Heshen, Chinese politician (b. 1750)
- 1816 – Adam Ferguson, Scottish historian and philosopher (b. 1723)
- 1875 – Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, French painter and illustrator (b. 1796)
- 1875 – Charles Lyell, Scottish-English geologist and lawyer (b. 1797)
- 1888 – Anna Kingsford, English physician and activist (b. 1846)
- 1890 – John Jacob Astor III, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1822)
- 1890 – Carl Bloch, Danish painter and academic (b. 1834)
- 1897 – Charles Blondin, French tightrope walker and acrobat (b. 1824)
- 1898 – Heungseon Daewongun, Korean king (b. 1820)
- 1903 – Hugo Wolf, Austrian composer (b. 1860)
- 1904 – Leslie Stephen, English historian, author, and critic (b. 1832)
- 1913 – Ferdinand de Saussure, Swiss linguist and author (b. 1857)
- 1913 – Francisco I. Madero, Mexican president and author (b. 1873)
- 1923 – Théophile Delcassé, French politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1852)
- 1939 – Antonio Machado, Spanish-French poet and author (b. 1875)
- 1942 – Stefan Zweig, Austrian journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1881)
- 1943 – Christoph Probst, German activist (b. 1919)
- 1943 – Hans Scholl, German activist (b. 1918)
- 1943 – Sophie Scholl, German activist (b. 1921)
- 1944 – Kasturba Gandhi, Indian activist (b. 1869)
- 1945 – Osip Brik, Russian avant garde writer and literary critic (b. 1888)
- 1958 – Abul Kalam Azad, Indian scholar and politician, Indian Minister of Education (b. 1888)
- 1960 – Paul-Émile Borduas, Canadian-French painter and critic (b. 1905)
- 1961 – Nick LaRocca, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1889)
- 1965 – Felix Frankfurter, Austrian-American lawyer and jurist (b. 1882)
- 1971 – Frédéric Mariotti, French actor (b. 1883)
- 1973 – Jean-Jacques Bertrand, Canadian lawyer and politician, 21st Premier of Quebec (b. 1916)
- 1973 – Elizabeth Bowen, Anglo-Irish author (b. 1899)
- 1973 – Katina Paxinou, Greek actress (b. 1900)
- 1973 – Winthrop Rockefeller, American colonel and politician, 37th Governor of Arkansas (b. 1912)
- 1976 – Angela Baddeley, English actress (b. 1904)
- 1976 – Florence Ballard, American singer (b. 1943)
- 1980 – Oskar Kokoschka, Austrian painter, poet and playwright (b. 1886)
- 1982 – Josh Malihabadi, Indian-Pakistani poet and author (b. 1898)
- 1983 – Adrian Boult, English conductor (b. 1889)
- 1983 – Romain Maes, Belgian cyclist (b. 1913)
- 1985 – Salvador Espriu, Spanish author, poet, and playwright (b. 1913)
- 1985 – Efrem Zimbalist, Russian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1889)
- 1986 – John Donnelly, Australian rugby league player (b. 1955)
- 1987 – David Susskind, American talk show host and producer (b. 1920)
- 1987 – Andy Warhol, American painter and photographer (b. 1928)
- 1992 – Markos Vafiadis, Greek general and politician (b. 1906)
- 1994 – Papa John Creach, American violinist (b. 1917)
- 1995 – Ed Flanders, American actor (b. 1934)
- 1997 – Joseph Aiuppa, American gangster (b. 1907)
- 1998 – Abraham A. Ribicoff, American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (b. 1910)
- 1999 – William Bronk, American poet and academic (b. 1918)
- 1999 – Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player (b. 1964)
- 2002 – Roden Cutler, Australian lieutenant and politician, 32nd Governor of New South Wales (b. 1916)
- 2002 – Chuck Jones, American animator, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1912)
- 2002 – Jonas Savimbi, Angolan general, founded UNITA (b. 1934)
- 2004 – Andy Seminick, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Lee Eun-ju, South Korean actress and singer (b. 1980)
- 2005 – Simone Simon, French actress (b. 1910)
- 2007 – George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe, English politician, Leader of the House of Lords (b. 1918)
- 2007 – Dennis Johnson, American basketball player and coach (b. 1954)
- 2012 – Sukhbir, Indian author and poet (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Frank Carson, Irish-English comedian and actor (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Marie Colvin, American journalist (b. 1956)
- 2012 – Rémi Ochlik, French photographer and journalist (b. 1983)
- 2013 – Atje Keulen-Deelstra, Dutch speed skater (b. 1938)
- 2013 – Jean-Louis Michon, French-Swiss scholar and translator (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Wolfgang Sawallisch, German pianist and conductor (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Charlotte Dawson, New Zealand–Australian television host (b. 1966)
- 2014 – Trebor Jay Tichenor, American pianist and composer (b. 1940)
- 2014 – Leo Vroman, Dutch-American hematologist, poet, and illustrator (b. 1915)
- 2015 – Chris Rainbow, Scottish singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1946)
- 2016 – Yolande Fox, American model and singer, Miss America 1951 (b. 1928)
- 2016 – Sonny James, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1928)
- 2018 – Forges, Spanish cartoonist (b. 1942)
- 2019 – Brody Stevens, American comedian and actor (b. 1970)
- 2019 – Morgan Woodward, American actor (b. 1925)
Holidays and observances on February 22
- Birthday of Scouting and Guiding founder Robert Baden-Powell and Olave Baden-Powell, and its related observance:
- Founder’s Day or “B.-P. day” (World Organization of the Scout Movement)
- World Thinking Day (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts)
- Christian feast day:
- Baradates
- Eric Liddell (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter (Roman Catholic Church)
- Margaret of Cortona
- February 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Crime Victims Day (Europe)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Saint Lucia from the United Kingdom in 1979.
-
February 14 in History
- 748 – Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt.
- 842 – Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German languages.
- 1014 – Pope Benedict VIII crowns Henry of Bavaria, King of Germany and of Italy, as Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1076 – Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1130 – Pope Innocent II is elected.
- 1349 – Several hundred Jews are burned to death by mobs while the remaining Jews are forcibly removed from Strasbourg.
- 1400 – Richard II of England dies, most probably from starvation, in Pontefract Castle, on the orders of Henry Bolingbroke.
- 1530 – Spanish conquistadores, led by Nuño de Guzmán, overthrow and execute Tangaxuan II, the last independent monarch of the Tarascan state in present-day central Mexico.
- 1556 – Thomas Cranmer is declared a heretic.
- 1556 – Coronation of Akbar.
- 1655 – The Mapuches launch coordinated attacks against the Spanish in Chile beginning the Mapuche uprising of 1655.
- 1778 – The United States flag is formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time, when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte renders a nine gun salute to USS Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones.
- 1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Kettle Creek is fought in Georgia.
- 1779 – James Cook is killed by Native Hawaiians near Kealakekua on the Island of Hawaii.
- 1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Cape St. Vincent: John Jervis, (later 1st Earl of St Vincent) and Horatio Nelson (later 1st Viscount Nelson) lead the British Royal Navy to victory over a Spanish fleet in action near Gibraltar.
- 1804 – Karađorđe leads the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire.
- 1831 – Ras Marye of Yejju marches into Tigray and defeats and kills Dejazmach Sabagadis in the Battle of Debre Abbay.
- 1835 – The original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in the Latter Day Saint movement, is formed in Kirtland, Ohio.
- 1849 – In New York City, James Knox Polk becomes the first serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken.
- 1852 – Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, the first hospital in England to provide in-patient beds specifically for children, is founded in London.
- 1855 – Texas is linked by telegraph to the rest of the United States, with the completion of a connection between New Orleans and Marshall, Texas.
- 1859 – Oregon is admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.
- 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone, as does Elisha Gray.
- 1879 – The War of the Pacific breaks out when the Chilean Army occupies the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta.
- 1899 – Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.
- 1900 – British forces begin the Battle of the Tugela Heights in an effort to lift the Siege of Ladysmith.
- 1903 – The United States Department of Commerce and Labor is established (later split into the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor).
- 1912 – Arizona is admitted as the 48th and the last contiguous U.S. state.
- 1912 – The U.S. Navy commissions its first class of diesel-powered submarines.
- 1919 – The Polish–Soviet War begins.
- 1920 – The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago.
- 1924 – The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company changes its name to International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).
- 1929 – Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre: Seven people, six of them gangster rivals of Al Capone’s gang, are murdered in Chicago.
- 1942 – Battle of Pasir Panjang contributes to the fall of Singapore.
- 1943 – World War II: Rostov-on-Don, Russia is liberated.
- 1943 – World War II: Tunisia Campaign: General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim’s Fifth Panzer Army launches a concerted attack against Allied positions in Tunisia.
- 1944 – World War II: In the Action of 14 February 1944, a Royal Navy submarine sinks a German-controlled Italian submarine in the Strait of Malacca.
- 1945 – World War II: On the first day of the bombing of Dresden, the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces begin fire-bombing Dresden.
- 1945 – World War II: Navigational error leads to the mistaken bombing of Prague, Czechoslovakia by an American squadron of B-17s assisting in the Soviet’s Vistula–Oder Offensive.
- 1945 – World War II: Mostar is liberated by Yugoslav partisans
- 1945 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt meets King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia aboard the USS Quincy, officially beginning U.S.-Saudi diplomatic relations.
- 1946 – The Bank of England is nationalized.
- 1949 – The Knesset (parliament of Israel) convenes for the first time.
- 1949 – The Asbestos Strike begins in Canada. The strike marks the beginning of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec.
- 1961 – Discovery of the chemical elements: Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized at the University of California.
- 1966 – Australian currency is decimalized.
- 1979 – In Kabul, Setami Milli militants kidnap the American ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs who is later killed during a gunfight between his kidnappers and police.
- 1983 – United American Bank of Knoxville, Tennessee collapses. Its president, Jake Butcher, is later convicted of fraud.
- 1989 – Union Carbide agrees to pay $470 million to the Indian government for damages it caused in the 1984 Bhopal disaster.
- 1989 – Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini issues a fatwa encouraging Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.
- 1990 – Ninety-two people are killed when Indian Airlines Flight 605 crashes in Bangalore, India.
- 1990 – The Voyager 1 spacecraft takes the photograph of planet Earth that later become famous as Pale Blue Dot.
- 1998 – An oil tanker train collides with a freight train in Yaoundé, Cameroon, spilling fuel oil. One person scavenging the oil created a massive explosion which killed 120.
- 2000 – The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker enters orbit around asteroid 433 Eros, the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.
- 2004 – In a suburb of Moscow, Russia, the roof of the Transvaal water park collapses, killing more than 25 people, and wounding more than 100 others.
- 2005 – In Beirut, 23 people, including former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, are killed when the equivalent of around 1,000 kg of TNT is detonated while Hariri’s motorcade drives through the city.
- 2005 – Seven people are killed and 151 wounded in a series of bombings by suspected al-Qaeda-linked militants that hit Makati, Davao City, and General Santos City, all in the Philippines.
- 2005 – YouTube is launched by a group of college students, eventually becoming the largest video sharing website in the world and a main source for viral videos.
- 2008 – Northern Illinois University shooting: A gunman opens fire in a lecture hall of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb County, Illinois, resulting in six fatalities (including the gunman) and 21 injuries.
- 2011 – As a part of Arab Spring, the Bahraini uprising begins with a ‘Day of Rage’.
- 2018 – Jacob Zuma resigns as President of South Africa.
- 2018 – A shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida is one of the deadliest school massacres with 17 fatalities and 15 injuries.
- 2019 – Pulwama attack takes place in Lethpora in Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir, India in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel and a suicide bomber were killed and 35 were injured.
Births on February 14
- 1404 – Leon Battista Alberti, Italian painter, poet, and philosopher (d. 1472)
- 1408 – John FitzAlan, 14th Earl of Arundel (d. 1435)
- 1452 – Pandolfo Petrucci, tyrant of Siena (d. 1512)
- 1468 – Johannes Werner, German priest and mathematician (d. 1522)
- 1483 – Babur, Moghul emperor (d. 1530)
- 1490 – Valentin Friedland, German scholar and educationist of the Reformation (d. 1556)
- 1513 – Domenico Ferrabosco, Italian composer (d. 1573)
- 1545 – Lucrezia de’ Medici, Duchess of Ferrara (d. 1561)
- 1602 – Francesco Cavalli, Italian composer (d. 1676)
- 1614 – John Wilkins, English bishop, academic and natural philosopher (d. 1672)
- 1625 – Countess Palatine Maria Eufrosyne of Zweibrücken, Swedish princess (d. 1687)
- 1628 – Valentine Greatrakes, Irish faith healer (d. 1683)
- 1640 – Countess Palatine Anna Magdalena of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler (d. 1693)
- 1670 – Rajaram Raj Bhonsle, third Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire (d. 1700)
- 1679 – Georg Friedrich Kauffmann, German organist and composer (d. 1735)
- 1692 – Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, French author and playwright (d. 1754)
- 1701 – Enrique Flórez, Spanish historian and author (d. 1773)
- 1763 – Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French general (d. 1813)
- 1782 – Eleanora Atherton, English philanthropist (d. 1870)
- 1784 – Heinrich Baermann, German clarinetist (d. 1847)
- 1799 – Walenty Wańkowicz, Polish painter and illustrator (d. 1842)
- 1800 – Emory Washburn, American historian, lawyer, and politician, 22nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1877)
- 1808 – Michael Costa, Italian-English conductor and composer (d. 1884)
- 1813 – Lydia Hamilton Smith, African-American businesswoman (d. 1884)
- 1819 – Christopher Latham Sholes, American journalist and politician, invented the typewriter (d. 1890)
- 1824 – Winfield Scott Hancock, American general and politician (d. 1886)
- 1828 – Edmond François Valentin About, French journalist and author (d. 1885)
- 1835 – Piet Paaltjens, Dutch minister and poet (d. 1894)
- 1838 – Margaret E. Knight, American inventor (d. 1914)
- 1846 – Julian Scott, American soldier and drummer, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1901)
- 1847 – Anna Howard Shaw, American physician, minister, and activist (d. 1919)
- 1848 – Benjamin Baillaud, French astronomer and academic (d. 1934)
- 1855 – Frank Harris, Irish author and journalist (d. 1931)
- 1859 – George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., American engineer, inventor of the Ferris wheel (d. 1896)
- 1860 – Eugen Schiffer, German lawyer and politician, Vice-Chancellor of Germany (d. 1954)
- 1869 – Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Scottish physicist and meteorologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
- 1878 – Julius Nieuwland, Belgian priest, chemist and academic (d. 1936)
- 1882 – John Barrymore, American actor (d. 1942)
- 1884 – Nils Olaf Chrisander, Swedish actor and director (d. 1947)
- 1884 – Kostas Varnalis, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1974)
- 1890 – Nina Hamnett, Welsh-English painter and author (d. 1956)
- 1890 – Dick Richards Welsh international footballer, forward
- 1891 – Katherine Stinson, American aviator (d. 1977)
- 1892 – Radola Gajda, Czech commander and politician (d. 1948)
- 1894 – Jack Benny, American actor and producer (d. 1974)
- 1895 – Wilhelm Burgdorf, German general (d. 1945)
- 1895 – Max Horkheimer, German philosopher and sociologist (d. 1973)
- 1898 – Bill Tilman, English mountaineer and explorer (d. 1977)
- 1898 – Fritz Zwicky, Swiss-American physicist and astronomer (d. 1974)
- 1900 – Jessica Dragonette, American singer (d. 1980)
- 1903 – Stuart Erwin, American actor (d. 1967)
- 1905 – Thelma Ritter, American actress and singer (d. 1969)
- 1907 – Johnny Longden, English-American jockey and trainer (d. 2003)
- 1911 – Willem Johan Kolff, Dutch physician and inventor (d. 2009)
- 1912 – Tibor Sekelj, Hungarian lawyer, explorer, and author (d. 1988)
- 1913 – Mel Allen, American sportscaster (d. 1996)
- 1913 – Woody Hayes, American football player and coach (d. 1987)
- 1913 – Jimmy Hoffa, American trade union leader (d. 1975)
- 1913 – James Pike, American bishop (d. 1969)
- 1916 – Marcel Bigeard, French general (d. 2010)
- 1916 – Sally Gray, English actress and singer (d. 2006)
- 1916 – Masaki Kobayashi, Japanese director and producer (d. 1996)
- 1916 – Edward Platt, American actor (d. 1974)
- 1917 – Herbert A. Hauptman, American mathematician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2011)
- 1921 – Hugh Downs, American journalist, game show host, and producer
- 1921 – Hazel McCallion, Canadian businesswoman and politician, 3rd Mayor of Mississauga
- 1923 – Jay Hebert, American golfer (d. 1997)
- 1924 – Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma (d. 2017)
- 1927 – Lois Maxwell, Canadian-Australian model and actress (d. 2007)
- 1928 – William Allain, American soldier and politician, 58th Governor of Mississippi (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Vicente T. Blaz, American general and politician (d. 2014)
- 1929 – Vic Morrow, American actor and director (d. 1982)
- 1931 – Bernie Geoffrion, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2006)
- 1931 – Brian Kelly, American actor and director (d. 2005)
- 1932 – Harriet Andersson, Swedish actress
- 1934 – Florence Henderson, American actress and singer (d. 2016)
- 1935 – David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, Scottish academic and diplomat, 27th Governor of Hong Kong
- 1936 – Anna German, Polish singer (d. 1982)
- 1937 – John MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market, English politician, Secretary of State for Transport
- 1937 – Magic Sam, American singer and guitarist (d. 1969)
- 1939 – Razzy Bailey, American country music singer-songwriter and musician
- 1939 – Blowfly, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2016)
- 1939 – Eugene Fama, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1940 – James Maynard, American businessman, co-founded Golden Corral
- 1941 – Donna Shalala, American academic and politician, 18th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
- 1941 – Paul Tsongas, American lawyer and politician (d. 1997)
- 1942 – Michael Bloomberg, American businessman and politician, 108th Mayor of New York City
- 1942 – Andrew Robinson, American actor and director
- 1942 – Ricardo Rodríguez, Mexican race car driver (d. 1962)
- 1943 – Eric Andersen, American singer-songwriter
- 1943 – Maceo Parker, American saxophonist
- 1943 – Aaron Russo, American director and producer (d. 2007)
- 1944 – Carl Bernstein, American journalist and author
- 1944 – Alan Parker, English director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1944 – Ronnie Peterson, Swedish race car driver (d. 1978)
- 1945 – Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein
- 1945 – Rod Masterson, American lieutenant and actor (d. 2013)
- 1946 – Bernard Dowiyogo, Nauru politician, President of Nauru (d. 2003)
- 1946 – Gregory Hines, American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 2003)
- 1947 – Tim Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
- 1947 – Judd Gregg, American lawyer and politician, 76th Governor of New Hampshire
- 1948 – Kitten Natividad, Mexican-American actress and dancer
- 1948 – Pat O’Brien, American journalist and author
- 1948 – Wally Tax, Dutch singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
- 1948 – Teller, American magician and actor
- 1950 – Roger Fisher, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1951 – Terry Gross, American radio host and producer
- 1951 – Kevin Keegan, English footballer and manager
- 1952 – Sushma Swaraj, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs (d. 2019)
- 1954 – Jam Mohammad Yousaf, Pakistani politician, Chief Minister of Balochistan (d. 2013)
- 1955 – Carol Kalish, American publisher (d. 1991)
- 1956 – Howard Davis Jr., American boxer and trainer (d. 2015)
- 1956 – Dave Dravecky, American baseball player
- 1956 – Katharina Fritsch, German sculptor and academic
- 1957 – Alan Hunter, American television host and actor
- 1957 – Soile Isokoski, Finnish soprano and actress
- 1957 – Alan Smith, English bishop
- 1958 – Grant Thomas, Australian footballer and coach
- 1959 – Renée Fleming, American soprano and actress
- 1960 – Philip Jones, English admiral
- 1960 – Jim Kelly, American football player and businessman
- 1960 – Meg Tilly, American actress and author
- 1963 – Enrico Colantoni, Canadian actor, director, and producer
- 1963 – John Marzano, American baseball player (d. 2008)
- 1964 – Gianni Bugno, Italian cyclist and sportscaster
- 1966 – Petr Svoboda, Czech ice hockey player and agent
- 1967 – Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Greek-English businessman, founded easyJet
- 1967 – Manuela Maleeva, Bulgarian-Swiss tennis player
- 1967 – Mark Rutte, Dutch businessman and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- 1968 – Jules Asner, American model and television host
- 1968 – Chris Lewis, Guyanese-English cricketer
- 1968 – Scott McClellan, American civil servant and author, 25th White House Press Secretary
- 1969 – Meg Hillier, English journalist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
- 1970 – Giuseppe Guerini, Italian cyclist
- 1970 – Sean Hill, American ice hockey player
- 1970 – Simon Pegg, English actor, director, and producer
- 1971 – Kris Aquino, Filipino talk show host, actress, and producer
- 1971 – Gheorghe Mureșan, Romanian basketball player
- 1972 – Drew Bledsoe, American football player and coach
- 1972 – Musōyama Masashi, Japanese sumo wrestler
- 1972 – Najwa Nimri, Spanish actress and singer
- 1972 – Jaan Tallinn, Estonian computer programmer, co-developed Skype
- 1972 – Rob Thomas, American singer-songwriter
- 1973 – H. D. Ackerman, South African cricketer
- 1973 – Tyus Edney, American basketball player and coach
- 1973 – Steve McNair, American football player (d. 2009)
- 1973 – Annalisa Buffa, Italian mathematician
- 1974 – Valentina Vezzali, Italian fencer and politician
- 1976 – Liv Kristine, Norwegian singer-songwriter
- 1976 – Rie Rasmussen, Danish model, film director, writer, photographer, and actress
- 1977 – Cadel Evans, Australian cyclist
- 1977 – Jim Jefferies, Australian comedian and actor
- 1977 – Darren Purse, English footballer
- 1977 – Elmer Symons, South African motorcycle racer (d. 2007)
- 1977 – Anna Erschler, Russian mathematician
- 1977 – Robert J. Jackson Jr., American law professor
- 1978 – Richard Hamilton, American basketball player
- 1978 – Darius Songaila, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
- 1980 – Josh Senter, American screenwriter and producer
- 1980 – Michelle Ye, Hong Kong actress and producer
- 1981 – Matteo Brighi, Italian footballer
- 1981 – Randy de Puniet, French motorcycle racer
- 1981 – Brad Halsey, American baseball player (d. 2014)
- 1982 – Marián Gáborík, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1982 – John Halls, English footballer and model
- 1982 – Lenka Tvarošková, Slovak tennis player
- 1983 – Callix Crabbe, Virgin Islander baseball player
- 1983 – Rocky Elsom, Australian rugby player
- 1983 – Bacary Sagna, French footballer
- 1985 – Karima Adebibe, English model and actress
- 1985 – Tyler Clippard, American baseball player
- 1985 – Heart Evangelista, Filipino singer and actress
- 1985 – Philippe Senderos, Swiss international footballer, centre back
- 1985 – Miki Yeung, Hong Kong singer and actress
- 1986 – Michael Ammermüller, German race car driver
- 1986 – Oliver Lee, English actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1986 – Gao Lin, Chinese footballer
- 1987 – Edinson Cavani, Uruguayan footballer
- 1987 – Tom Pyatt, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – David Wheater, English footballer
- 1988 – Katie Boland, Canadian actress, producer, and screenwriter
- 1988 – Ángel Di María, Argentinian footballer
- 1988 – Siim Liivik, Estonian ice hockey player
- 1988 – Asia Nitollano, American singer and dancer
- 1989 – Néstor Calderón, Mexican footballer
- 1989 – Adam Matuszczyk, Polish footballer
- 1989 – Emma Miskew, Canadian curler
- 1989 – Brandon Sutter, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1989 – Jurij Tepeš, Slovenian ski jumper
- 1989 – Kristian Thomas, English gymnast
- 1990 – Sefa Yılmaz, German-Turkish footballer
- 1991 – Daniela Mona Lambin, Estonian footballer
- 1991 – Chris Rowney, English footballer
- 1992 – Christian Eriksen, Danish footballer
- 1992 – Freddie Highmore, English actor
- 1996 – Lucas Hernandez, French footballer
Deaths on February 14
- 869 – Cyril, Greek missionary bishop (b. 827)
- 945 – Lian Chongyu, Chinese general
- 945 – Zhu Wenjin, Chinese emperor
- 1009 – Bruno of Querfurt, German missionary bishop
- 1010 – Fujiwara no Korechika, Japanese nobleman (b. 974)
- 1140 – Leo I, Armenian prince
- 1140 – Sobĕslav I, duke of Bohemia
- 1164 – Sviatoslav Olgovich, Kievan prince
- 1229 – Rǫgnvaldr Guðrøðarson, king of the Isles
- 1317 – Margaret of France, queen of England
- 1400 – Richard II, king of England (b. 1367)
- 1440 – Dietrich of Oldenburg, German nobleman
- 1489 – Nicolaus von Tüngen, prince-bishop of Warmia
- 1528 – Edzard I, German nobleman (b. 1462)
- 1549 – Il Sodoma, Italian painter (b. 1477)
- 1571 – Odet de Coligny, French cardinal (b. 1517)
- 1676 – Abraham Bosse, French engraver and illustrator (b. 1602)
- 1714 – Maria Luisa of Savoy, queen of Spain (b. 1688)
- 1737 – Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot, English lawyer and politician Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1685)
- 1744 – John Hadley, English mathematician, invented the octant (b. 1682)
- 1779 – James Cook, English captain, cartographer, and explorer (b. 1728)
- 1780 – William Blackstone, English jurist and politician (b. 1723)
- 1782 – Singu Min, Burmese king (b. 1756)
- 1808 – John Dickinson, American lawyer and politician 5th Governor of Delaware (b. 1732)
- 1831 – Vicente Guerrero, Mexican general and politician, 2nd President of Mexico (b. 1782)
- 1831 – Henry Maudslay, English engineer (b. 1771)
- 1870 – St. John Richardson Liddell, American general (b. 1815)
- 1881 – Fernando Wood, American merchant and politician, 73rd Mayor of New York City (b. 1812)
- 1884 – Lydia Hamilton Smith, African-American businesswoman (b. 1813)
- 1885 – Jules Vallès, French journalist and author (b. 1832)
- 1891 – William Tecumseh Sherman, American general (b. 1820)
- 1894 – Eugène Charles Catalan, Belgian-French mathematician and academic (b. 1814)
- 1901 – Edward Stafford, Scottish-New Zealand educator and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1819)
- 1910 – Giovanni Passannante, Italian anarchist (b. 1849)
- 1922 – Heikki Ritavuori, Finnish lawyer and politician (b. 1880)
- 1929 – Thomas Burke, American sprinter, coach, and lawyer (b. 1875)
- 1930 – Thomas Mackenzie, Scottish-New Zealand cartographer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1853)
- 1933 – Carl Correns, German botanist and geneticist (b. 1864)
- 1942 – Adnan Saidi, Malayan lieutenant (b. 1915)
- 1943 – Dora Gerson, German actress and singer (b. 1899)
- 1943 – David Hilbert, Russian-German mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (b. 1862)
- 1948 – Mordecai Brown, American baseball player and manager (b. 1876)
- 1949 – Yusuf Salman Yusuf, Iraqi politician (b. 1901)
- 1950 – Karl Guthe Jansky, American physicist and engineer (b. 1905)
- 1952 – Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (b. 1896)
- 1958 – Abdur Rab Nishtar, Pakistani politician, 2nd Governor of Punjab (b. 1899)
- 1959 – Baby Dodds, American drummer (b. 1898)
- 1967 – Sig Ruman, German-American actor (b. 1884)
- 1969 – Vito Genovese, Italian-American mob boss (b. 1897)
- 1970 – Herbert Strudwick, English cricketer and coach (b. 1880)
- 1974 – Stewie Dempster, New Zealand cricketer and coach (b. 1903)
- 1975 – Julian Huxley, English biologist and eugenicist, co-founded the World Wide Fund for Nature (b. 1887)
- 1975 – P. G. Wodehouse, English novelist and playwright (b. 1881)
- 1979 – Adolph Dubs, American lieutenant and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Afghanistan (b. 1920)
- 1983 – Lina Radke, German runner and coach (b. 1903)
- 1986 – Edmund Rubbra, English composer and conductor (b. 1901)
- 1987 – Dmitry Kabalevsky, Russian pianist and composer (b. 1904)
- 1988 – Frederick Loewe, German-American composer (b. 1901)
- 1989 – James Bond, American ornithologist and zoologist (b. 1900)
- 1989 – Vincent Crane, English pianist (b. 1943)
- 1994 – Andrei Chikatilo, Soviet serial killer (b. 1936)
- 1994 – Christopher Lasch, American historian and critic (b. 1932)
- 1995 – Michael V. Gazzo, American actor and playwright (b. 1923)
- 1995 – U Nu, Burmese politician, 1st Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1907)
- 1996 – Bob Paisley, English footballer and manager (b. 1919)
- 1999 – John Ehrlichman, American lawyer and politician, 12th White House Counsel (b. 1925)
- 1999 – Buddy Knox, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1933)
- 2002 – Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1922)
- 2002 – Mick Tucker, English drummer (b. 1947)
- 2003 – Johnny Longden, English jockey and trainer (b. 1907)
- 2004 – Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist (b. 1970)
- 2005 – Rafic Hariri, Lebanese businessman and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1944; assassinated)
- 2006 – Lynden David Hall, English singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1974)
- 2007 – Ryan Larkin, Canadian animator and director (b. 1943)
- 2007 – Gareth Morris, English flute player and educator (b. 1920)
- 2009 – Bernard Ashley, English engineer and businessman, co-founded Laura Ashley plc (b. 1926)
- 2009 – Louie Bellson, American drummer and composer (b. 1924)
- 2010 – Doug Fieger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
- 2010 – Dick Francis, Welsh jockey and author (b. 1920)
- 2010 – Linnart Mäll, Estonian historian, orientalist, and translator (b. 1938)
- 2011 – George Shearing, English-American pianist and composer (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Mike Bernardo, South African boxer and martial artist (b. 1969)
- 2012 – Tonmi Lillman, Finnish drummer and producer (b. 1973)
- 2012 – Dory Previn, American singer-songwriter (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Péter Rusorán, Hungarian swimmer, water polo player, and coach (b. 1940)
- 2013 – Glenn Boyer, American historian and author (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Ronald Dworkin, American philosopher and scholar (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Tom Finney, English footballer (b. 1922)
- 2014 – Chris Pearson, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of Yukon (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Mike Stepovich, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Alaska Territory (b. 1919)
- 2015 – Louis Jourdan, French-American actor and singer (b. 1921)
- 2015 – Philip Levine, American poet and academic (b. 1928)
- 2015 – Franjo Mihalić, Croatian-Serbian runner and coach (b. 1920)
- 2016 – Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, English lieutenant, engineer, and politician (b. 1928)
- 2016 – Steven Stucky, American composer and academic (b. 1949)
- 2018 – Ruud Lubbers, Dutch politician and diplomat, Prime Minister and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (b. 1939)
- 2018 – Morgan Tsvangirai, 2nd Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (b. 1952).
Holidays and observances on February 14
- Christian feast day:
- Cyril and Methodius, patron saints of Europe (Roman Catholic Church)
- Manchan
- Valentine (Valentine’s Day)
- February 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Statehood Day (Arizona, United States)
- Statehood Day (Oregon, United States)
- Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (Armenian Apostolic Church)
- Parents’ Worship Day (parts of India)
-
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 31 in History
- 314 – Pope Sylvester I is consecrated, as a successor to the late Pope Miltiades.
- 1208 – The Battle of Lena takes place between King Sverker II of Sweden and his rival, Prince Eric, whose victory puts him on the throne as King Eric X of Sweden.
- 1504 – The Treaty of Lyon ends the Italian War, confirming French domination of northern Italy, while Spain receives the Kingdom of Naples.
- 1578 – Eighty Years’ War and Anglo-Spanish War: The Battle of Gembloux is a victory for Spanish forces led by Don John of Austria over a rebel army of Dutch, Flemish, English, Scottish, German, French and Walloons.
- 1606 – Gunpowder Plot: Four of the conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, are executed for treason by hanging, drawing and quartering, for plotting against Parliament and King James.
- 1747 – The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital.
- 1814 – Gervasio Antonio de Posadas becomes Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (present-day Argentina).
- 1846 – After the Milwaukee Bridge War, the United States towns of Juneautown and Kilbourntown unify to create the City of Milwaukee.
- 1848 – John C. Frémont is court-martialed for mutiny and disobeying orders.
- 1862 – Alvan Graham Clark discovers the white dwarf star Sirius B, a companion of Sirius, through an 18.5-inch (47 cm) telescope now located at Northwestern University.
- 1865 – American Civil War: The United States Congress passes the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, abolishing slavery and submits it to the states for ratification.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Confederate General Robert E. Lee becomes general-in-chief.
- 1891 – History of Portugal: The first attempt at a Portuguese republican revolution breaks out in the northern city of Porto.
- 1897 – Czechoslav Trade Union Association is founded in Prague.
- 1900 – Datu Muhammad Salleh is killed in Kampung Teboh, Tambunan, ending the Mat Salleh Rebellion.
- 1915 – World War I: Germany is the first to make large-scale use of poison gas in warfare in the Battle of Bolimów against Russia.
- 1917 – World War I: Germany announces that its U-boats will resume unrestricted submarine warfare after a two-year hiatus.
- 1918 – A series of accidental collisions on a misty Scottish night leads to the loss of two Royal Navy submarines with over a hundred lives, and damage to another five British warships.
- 1919 – The Battle of George Square takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, during a campaign for shorter working hours.
- 1928 – Leon Trotsky is exiled to Alma-Ata.
- 1930 – 3M begins marketing Scotch Tape.
- 1942 – World War II: Allied forces are defeated by the Japanese at the Battle of Malaya and retreat to Singapore.
- 1943 – World War II: German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrenders to the Soviets at Stalingrad, followed 2 days later by the remainder of his Sixth Army, ending one of the war’s fiercest battles.
- 1944 – World War II: American forces land on Kwajalein Atoll and other islands in the Japanese-held Marshall Islands.
- 1944 – World War II: During the Anzio campaign, the 1st Ranger Battalion (Darby’s Rangers) is destroyed behind enemy lines in a heavily outnumbered encounter at Battle of Cisterna, Italy.
- 1945 – US Army private Eddie Slovik is executed for desertion, the first such execution of an American soldier since the Civil War.
- 1945 – World War II: About 3,000 inmates from the Stutthof concentration camp are forcibly marched into the Baltic Sea at Palmnicken (now Yantarny, Russia) and executed.
- 1945 – World War II: The end of fighting in the Battle of Hill 170 during the Burma Campaign, in which the British 3 Commando Brigade repulsed a Japanese counterattack on their positions and precipitated a general retirement from the Arakan Peninsula.
- 1946 – Cold War: Yugoslavia’s new constitution, modeling that of the Soviet Union, establishes six constituent republics (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia).
- 1946 – The Democratic Republic of Vietnam introduces the đồng to replace the French Indochinese piastre at par.
- 1949 – These Are My Children, the first television daytime soap opera, is broadcast by the NBC station in Chicago.
- 1950 – Cold War: U.S. President Harry S. Truman announces a program to develop the hydrogen bomb.
- 1951 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 90 relating to Korean War is adopted.
- 1953 – A North Sea flood causes over 1,800 deaths in the Netherlands and over 300 in the United Kingdom.
- 1957 – Eight people (5 total crew from 2 aircraft and 3 on the ground) in Pacoima, California are killed following the mid-air collision between a Douglas DC-7 airliner and a Northrop F-89 Scorpion fighter jet.
- 1958 – Cold War: Space Race: The first successful American satellite detects the Van Allen radiation belt.
- 1961 – Project Mercury: Mercury-Redstone 2: Ham the Chimp travels into outer space.
- 1966 – The Soviet Union launches the unmanned Luna 9 spacecraft as part of the Luna program.
- 1968 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong guerrillas attack the United States embassy in Saigon, and other attacks, in the early morning hours, later grouped together as the Tet Offensive.
- 1968 – Nauru gains independence from Australia.
- 1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 14: Astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell, aboard a Saturn V, lift off for a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon.
- 1971 – The Winter Soldier Investigation, organized by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War to publicize war crimes and atrocities by Americans and allies in Vietnam, begins in Detroit.
- 1978 – The Crown of St. Stephen (also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary) goes on public display after being returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held after World War II.
- 1996 – An explosives-filled truck rams into the gates of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in Colombo, killing at least 86 people and injuring 1,400.
- 2000 – Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crash: An MD-83, experiencing horizontal stabilizer problems, crashes in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Point Mugu, California, killing all 88 aboard.
- 2001 – In the Netherlands, a Scottish court convicts Libyan Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and acquits another Libyan citizen for their part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.
- 2009 – In Kenya, at least 113 people are killed and over 200 injured following an oil spillage ignition in Molo, days after a massive fire at a Nakumatt supermarket in Nairobi killed at least 25 people.
- 2018 – Both a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse occur.
- 2019 – Abdullah of Pahang is sworn in as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
- 2020 – The United Kingdom’s membership within the European Union ceases in accordance with Article 50, after 47 years of being a member state.
Births on January 31
- 1512 – Henry, King of Portugal (d. 1580)
- 1543 – Tokugawa Ieyasu, Japanese shōgun (d. 1616)
- 1583 – Peter Bulkley, English and later American Puritan (d. 1659)
- 1597 – John Francis Regis, French priest and saint (d. 1640)
- 1607 – James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby (d. 1651)
- 1624 – Arnold Geulincx, Flemish philosopher and academic (d. 1669)
- 1673 – Louis de Montfort, French priest and saint (d. 1716)
- 1686 – Hans Egede, Norwegian missionary and explorer (d. 1758)
- 1752 – Gouverneur Morris, American lawyer, politician, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to France (d. 1816)
- 1759 – François Devienne, French flute player and composer (d. 1803)
- 1769 – André-Jacques Garnerin, French balloonist and the inventor of the frameless parachute (d. 1823)
- 1785 – Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová, Czech cook book author (d. 1845)
- 1797 – Franz Schubert, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1828)
- 1799 – Rodolphe Töpffer, Swiss teacher, author, painter, cartoonist, and caricaturist (d. 1846)
- 1820 – William B. Washburn, American politician, 28th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1887)
- 1835 – Lunalilo of Hawaii (d. 1874)
- 1854 – David Emmanuel, Romanian mathematician and academic (d. 1941)
- 1865 – Henri Desgrange, French cyclist and journalist (d. 1940)
- 1865 – Shastriji Maharaj, Indian spiritual leader, founded BAPS (d. 1951)
- 1868 – Theodore William Richards, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
- 1872 – Zane Grey, American author (d. 1939)
- 1881 – Irving Langmuir, American chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
- 1884 – Theodor Heuss, German journalist and politician, 1st President of the Federal Republic of Germany (d. 1963)
- 1884 – Mammad Amin Rasulzade, Azerbaijani scholar and politician, 1st President of The Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan (d. 1955)
- 1889 – Frank Foster, English cricketer (d. 1958)
- 1892 – Eddie Cantor, American singer-songwriter, actor, and dancer (d. 1964)
- 1894 – Isham Jones, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1956)
- 1896 – Sofya Yanovskaya, Russian mathematician and historian (d. 1966)
- 1900 – Betty Parsons, American artist, art dealer and collector (d. 1982)
- 1902 – Nat Bailey, Canadian businessman, founded White Spot (d. 1978)
- 1902 – Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (d. 1968)
- 1902 – Alva Myrdal, Swedish sociologist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1986)
- 1902 – Julian Steward, American anthropologist (d. 1972)
- 1905 – John O’Hara, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1970)
- 1909 – Miron Grindea, Romanian-English journalist (d. 1995)
- 1913 – Don Hutson, American football player and coach (d. 1997)
- 1914 – Jersey Joe Walcott, American boxer and police officer (d. 1994)
- 1915 – Bobby Hackett, American trumpet player and cornet player (d. 1976)
- 1915 – Alan Lomax, American historian, author, and scholar (d. 2002)
- 1915 – Thomas Merton, American monk and author (d. 1968)
- 1915 – Garry Moore, American comedian and game show host (d. 1993)
- 1916 – Frank Parker, American tennis player (d. 1997)
- 1917 – Fred Bassetti, American architect and academic, founded Bassetti Architects (d. 2013)
- 1919 – Jackie Robinson, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 1972)
- 1920 – Stewart Udall, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 37th United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 2010)
- 1920 – Bert Williams, English footballer (d. 2004)
- 1921 – John Agar, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1921 – Carol Channing, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2019)
- 1921 – E. Fay Jones, American architect, designed the Thorncrown Chapel (d. 2004)
- 1921 – Mario Lanza, American tenor and actor (d. 1959)
- 1922 – Joanne Dru, American actress (d. 1996)
- 1923 – Norman Mailer, American journalist and author (d. 2007)
- 1925 – Benjamin Hooks, American minister, lawyer, and activist (d. 2010)
- 1926 – Tom Alston, American baseball player (d. 1993)
- 1926 – Chuck Willis, American singer-songwriter (d. 1958)
- 1927 – Norm Prescott, American animator, producer, and composer, co-founded Filmation Studios (d. 2005)
- 1928 – Irma Wyman, American computer scientist and engineer (d. 2015)
- 1929 – Rudolf Mössbauer, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2011)
- 1929 – Jean Simmons, English-American actress (d. 2010)
- 1930 – Joakim Bonnier, Swedish race car driver (d. 1972)
- 1930 – Al De Lory, American composer, conductor, and producer (d. 2012)
- 1931 – Ernie Banks, American baseball player and coach (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Christopher Chataway, English runner, journalist, and politician (d. 2014)
- 1932 – Miron Babiak, Polish sea captain (d. 2013)
- 1933 – Camille Henry, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1997)
- 1933 – Morton Mower, American cardiologist and inventor
- 1934 – Ernesto Brambilla, Italian motorcycle racer and race car driver
- 1934 – Gene DeWeese, American author (d. 2012)
- 1934 – James Franciscus, American actor and producer (d. 1991)
- 1934 – Bob Turner, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2005)
- 1935 – Kenzaburō Ōe, Japanese author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1936 – Can Bartu, Turkish former basketball and football player
- 1937 – Regimantas Adomaitis, Lithuanian actor
- 1937 – Andrée Boucher, Canadian educator and politician, 39th Mayor of Quebec City (d. 2007)
- 1937 – Philip Glass, American composer
- 1937 – Suzanne Pleshette, American actress (d. 2008)
- 1938 – Beatrix of the Netherlands
- 1938 – Lynn Carlin, American actress
- 1938 – James G. Watt, American lawyer and politician, 43rd United States Secretary of the Interior
- 1940 – Kitch Christie, South African rugby player and coach (d. 1998)
- 1940 – Stuart Margolin, American actor and director
- 1941 – Dick Gephardt, American lawyer and politician
- 1941 – Gerald McDermott, American author and illustrator (d. 2012)
- 1941 – Jessica Walter, American actress
- 1942 – Daniela Bianchi, Italian actress
- 1942 – Derek Jarman, English director, stage designer, and author (d. 1994)
- 1944 – John Inverarity, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1945 – Rynn Berry, American historian and author (d. 2014)
- 1945 – Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, English lawyer, judge, and academic
- 1945 – Joseph Kosuth, American sculptor and theorist
- 1946 – Terry Kath, American guitarist and singer-songwriter (Chicago) (d. 1978)
- 1946 – Medin Zhega, Albanian footballer and manager (d. 2012)
- 1947 – Nolan Ryan, American baseball player
- 1947 – Matt Minglewood, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1947 – Glynn Turman, American actor
- 1948 – Volkmar Groß, German footballer (d. 2014)
- 1948 – Muneo Suzuki, Japanese politician
- 1949 – Johan Derksen, Dutch footballer and journalist
- 1949 – Norris Church Mailer, American model and educator (d. 2010)
- 1949 – Ken Wilber, American sociologist, philosopher, and author
- 1950 – Denise Fleming, American author and illustrator
- 1950 – Alexander Korzhakov, Russian general and bodyguard
- 1950 – Janice Rebibo, American-Israeli author and poet (d. 2015)
- 1951 – Harry Wayne Casey, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
- 1954 – Faoud Bacchus, Guyanese cricketer
- 1954 – Adrian Vandenberg, Dutch guitarist and songwriter
- 1955 – Virginia Ruzici, Romanian tennis player and manager
- 1956 – Guido van Rossum, Dutch programmer, creator of the Python programming language
- 1956 – John Lydon, English singer-songwriter
- 1957 – Shirley Babashoff, American swimmer
- 1958 – Armin Reichel, German footballer and manager
- 1959 – Anthony LaPaglia, Australian actor and producer
- 1959 – Kelly Lynch, American model and actress
- 1960 – Akbar Ganji, Iranian journalist and author
- 1960 – Grant Morrison, Scottish author and screenwriter
- 1960 – Željko Šturanović, Montenegrin politician, 31st Prime Minister of Montenegro (d. 2014)
- 1961 – Elizabeth Barker, Baroness Barker, English politician
- 1961 – Fatou Bensouda, Gambian lawyer and judge
- 1961 – Lloyd Cole, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1963 – Craig Coleman, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1963 – Gwen Graham, American lawyer and politician
- 1964 – Martha MacCallum, American journalist
- 1964 – Dawn Prince-Hughes, American scientist
- 1965 – Giorgos Gasparis, Greek basketball player and coach
- 1965 – Ofra Harnoy, Israeli-Canadian cellist
- 1965 – Peter Sagal, American author and radio host
- 1966 – Umar Alisha, Indian journalist and philanthropist
- 1966 – Thant Myint-U, Myanmar historian, diplomat, conservationist, and former presidential advisor.
- 1966 – Dexter Fletcher, English actor and director
- 1967 – Fat Mike, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
- 1968 – John Collins, Scottish footballer, midfielder and manager
- 1968 – Matt King, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1968 – Ulrica Messing, Swedish politician, 2nd Swedish Minister for Infrastructure
- 1968 – Patrick Stevens, Belgian sprinter
- 1969 – Dov Charney, Canadian-American fashion designer and businessman, founded American Apparel
- 1969 – Daniel Moder, American cinematographer
- 1970 – Minnie Driver, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1970 – Danny Michel, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1971 – Patricia Velásquez, Venezuelan model and actress
- 1973 – Portia de Rossi, Australian-American actress
- 1974 – Othella Harrington, American basketball player and coach
- 1974 – Ariel Pestano, Cuban baseball player
- 1975 – Fred Coleman, American football player and coach
- 1975 – Preity Zinta, Indian actress, producer, and television host
- 1976 – Traianos Dellas, Greek footballer and manager
- 1976 – Buddy Rice, American race car driver
- 1976 – Paul Scheer, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1977 – Suchitra Singh, Indian cricketer
- 1977 – Kerry Washington, American actress
- 1978 – Fabián Caballero, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1979 – Daniel Tammet, English author and educator
- 1980 – James Adomian, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter
- 1980 – Gary Doherty, Irish footballer, centre forward
- 1980 – Shim Yi-young, South Korean actress
- 1981 – Julio Arca, Argentinian footballer
- 1981 – Mark Cameron, Australian cricketer
- 1981 – Justin Timberlake, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
- 1982 – Maret Ani, Estonian tennis player
- 1982 – Yuniesky Betancourt, Cuban baseball player
- 1982 – Andreas Görlitz, German footballer
- 1982 – Salvatore Masiello, Italian footballer
- 1982 – Allan McGregor, Scottish footballer
- 1982 – Jānis Sprukts, Latvian ice hockey player
- 1982 – Yukimi Nagano, Swedish singer-songwriter
- 1982 – Brad Thompson, American baseball player
- 1983 – James Sutton, English actor
- 1983 – Fabio Quagliarella, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Vernon Davis, American football player
- 1984 – Josh Johnson, Canadian-American baseball player
- 1984 – Jeremy Wariner, American runner
- 1984 – Alessandro Zanni, Italian rugby player
- 1985 – Adam Federici, Australian footballer
- 1985 – Mario Williams, American football player
- 1986 – Walter Dix, American sprinter
- 1986 – Megan Ellison, American film producer, founded Annapurna Pictures
- 1986 – George Elokobi, Cameroonian footballer
- 1986 – Yves Ma-Kalambay, Belgian footballer
- 1986 – Pauline Parmentier, French tennis player
- 1987 – Marcus Mumford, American-English singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Brett Pitman, English footballer
- 1988 – Taijo Teniste, Estonian footballer
- 1990 – Jacopo Fortunato, Italian footballer
- 1990 – Jacob Markström, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1990 – Kota Yabu, Japanese idol, singer-songwriter, model, actor
Deaths on January 31
- 632 – Máedóc of Ferns, Irish bishop and saint (b. 550)
- 876 – Hemma of Altdorf, Frankish queen
- 985 – Ryōgen, Japanese monk and abbot (b. 912)
- 1030 – William V, duke of Aquitaine (b. 969)
- 1216 – Theodore II, patriarch of Constantinople
- 1398 – Sukō, emperor of Japan (b. 1334)
- 1418 – Mircea I, prince of Wallachia (b. 1355)
- 1435 – Xuande, emperor of China (b. 1398)
- 1561 – Bairam Khan, Mughalan general (b. 1501)
- 1561 – Menno Simons, Dutch minister and theologian (b. 1496)
- 1580 – Henry, king of Portugal (b. 1512)
- 1606 – Guy Fawkes, English conspirator, leader of the Gunpowder Plot (b. 1570)
- 1606 – Ambrose Rookwood, English Gunpowder Plot conspirator (b. 1578)
- 1606 – Thomas Wintour, English Gunpowder Plot conspirator (b. 1571)
- 1615 – Claudio Acquaviva, Italian priest, 5th Superior General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1543)
- 1632 – Jost Bürgi, Swiss clockmaker and mathematician (b. 1552)
- 1665 – Johannes Clauberg, German philosopher and theologian (b. 1622)
- 1686 – Jean Mairet, French playwright (b. 1604)
- 1720 – Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford, English politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1654)
- 1729 – Jacob Roggeveen, Dutch explorer (b. 1659)
- 1736 – Filippo Juvarra, Italian architect and set designer, designed the Basilica of Superga (b. 1678)
- 1790 – Thomas Lewis, Irish-born American lawyer and surveyor (b. 1718)
- 1794 – Mariot Arbuthnot, English admiral and politician, 12th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (b. 1711)
- 1811 – Manuel Alberti, Argentinian priest and journalist (b. 1763)
- 1815 – José Félix Ribas, Venezuelan soldier (b. 1775)
- 1828 – Alexander Ypsilantis, Greek general (b. 1792)
- 1836 – John Cheyne, English physician and author (b. 1777)
- 1844 – Henri Gatien Bertrand, French general (b. 1773)
- 1856 – 11th Dalai Lama (b. 1838)
- 1870 – Cilibi Moise, Moldavian-Romanian journalist and author (b. 1812)
- 1888 – John Bosco, Italian priest and educator, founded the Salesian Society (b. 1815)
- 1892 – Charles Spurgeon, English pastor and author (b. 1834)
- 1900 – John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry, Scottish nobleman (b. 1844)
- 1907 – Timothy Eaton, Canadian businessman, founded Eaton’s (b. 1834)
- 1923 – Eligiusz Niewiadomski, Polish painter and critic (b. 1869)
- 1933 – John Galsworthy, English novelist and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1867)
- 1942 – Henry Larkin, American baseball player and manager (b. 1860)
- 1944 – Jean Giraudoux, French author and playwright (b. 1882)
- 1954 – Edwin Howard Armstrong, American engineer, invented FM radio (b. 1890)
- 1954 – Vivian Woodward, English captain and footballer (b. 1879)
- 1955 – John Mott, American activist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865)
- 1956 – A. A. Milne, English author, poet, and playwright, created Winnie-the-Pooh (b. 1882)
- 1958 – Karl Selter, Estonian politician, 14th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1898)
- 1960 – Auguste Herbin, French painter (b. 1882)
- 1961 – Krishna Singh, Indian politician, 1st Chief Minister of Bihar (b. 1887)
- 1966 – Arthur Percival, English general (b. 1887)
- 1967 – Eddie Tolan, American sprinter and educator (b. 1908)
- 1969 – Meher Baba, Indian spiritual master (b. 1894)
- 1971 – Viktor Zhirmunsky, Russian historian and linguist (b. 1891)
- 1973 – Ragnar Frisch, Norwegian economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
- 1974 – Samuel Goldwyn, Polish-American film producer, co-founded Goldwyn Pictures (b. 1882)
- 1976 – Ernesto Miranda, American criminal (b. 1941)
- 1976 – Evert Taube, Swedish author and composer (b. 1890)
- 1985 – Reginald Baker, English-Australian film producer (b. 1896)
- 1985 – Tatsuzō Ishikawa, Japanese author (b. 1905)
- 1987 – Yves Allégret, French director and screenwriter (b. 1907)
- 1989 – William Stephenson, Canadian captain and spy (b. 1896)
- 1990 – Eveline Du Bois-Reymond Marcus, German zoologist and academic (b. 1901)
- 1990 – Rashad Khalifa, Egyptian-American biochemist and academic (b. 1935)
- 1995 – George Abbott, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1887)
- 1997 – John Joseph Scanlan, Irish-American bishop (b. 1930)
- 1999 – Giant Baba, Japanese wrestler and trainer, co-founded All Japan Pro Wrestling (b. 1938)
- 1999 – Norm Zauchin, American baseball player (b. 1929)
- 2000 – Gil Kane, Latvian-American author and illustrator (b. 1926)
- 2001 – Gordon R. Dickson, Canadian-American author (b. 1923)
- 2002 – Gabby Gabreski, American colonel and pilot (b. 1919)
- 2004 – Eleanor Holm, American swimmer and actress (b. 1913)
- 2004 – Suraiya, Indian actress and playback singer (b. 1929)
- 2006 – Moira Shearer, Scottish actress and ballerina (b. 1926)
- 2007 – Molly Ivins, American journalist and author (b. 1944)
- 2007 – Adelaide Tambo, South African activist and politician (b. 1929)
- 2008 – František Čapek, Czechoslovakian canoeist (b. 1914)
- 2011 – Bartolomeu Anania, Romanian bishop and poet (b. 1921)
- 2011 – Mark Ryan, English guitarist and playwright (b. 1959)
- 2012 – Mani Ram Bagri, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Anthony Bevilacqua, American cardinal (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Tristram Potter Coffin, American author, scholar, and academic (b. 1922)
- 2012 – Dorothea Tanning, American painter and sculptor (b. 1910)
- 2013 – Rubén Bonifaz Nuño, Mexican poet and scholar (b. 1923)
- 2013 – Hassan Habibi, Iranian lawyer and politician, 1st Vice President of Iran (b. 1937)
- 2014 – Francis M. Fesmire, American cardiologist and physician (b. 1959)
- 2014 – Anna Gordy Gaye, American songwriter and producer, co-founded Anna Records (b. 1922)
- 2014 – Abdirizak Haji Hussein, Somalian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Somalia (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Miklós Jancsó, Hungarian director and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 2014 – Joseph Willcox Jenkins, American composer, conductor, and educator (b. 1928)
- 2014 – Christopher Jones, American actor (b. 1941)
- 2015 – Vic Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1929)
- 2015 – Udo Lattek, German footballer, coach, and journalist (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Lizabeth Scott, American actress (b. 1922)
- 2015 – Richard von Weizsäcker, German captain and politician, 6th President of Germany (b. 1920)
- 2016 – Gil Carmichael, American businessman and politician (b. 1927)
- 2016 – Terry Wogan, Irish-British radio and television host (b. 1938)
- 2017 – Rob Stewart, Canadian filmmaker (b. 1979)
- 2018 – Rasual Butler, American professional basketball player (b. 1979)
- 2018 – Leah LaBelle, American singer (b. 1986)
Holidays and observances on January 31
- Christian feast day:
- Domitius (Domice) of Amiens
- Francis Xavier Bianchi
- Geminianus
- John Bosco
- Julius of Novara
- Blessed Ludovica
- Máedóc (Mogue, Aiden)
- Marcella
- Samuel Shoemaker (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Tysul
- Ulphia
- Wilgils
- January 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Amartithi (Meherabad, India, followers of Meher Baba)
- Independence Day (Nauru), celebrates independence from Australia in 1968.
- Street Children’s Day (Austria)
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January 19 in History
- 379 – Emperor Gratian elevates Flavius Theodosius at Sirmium to Augustus, and gives him authority over all the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.
- 649 – Conquest of Kucha: The forces of Kucha surrender after a forty-day siege led by Tang dynasty general Ashina She’er, establishing Tang control over the northern Tarim Basin in Xinjiang.
- 1419 – Hundred Years’ War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England, completing his reconquest of Normandy.
- 1511 – The Italian city-fortress of Mirandola surrenders to the French.
- 1520 – Sten Sture the Younger, the Regent of Sweden, is mortally wounded at the Battle of Bogesund and dies on February 3.
- 1607 – San Agustin Church in Manila is officially completed; it is the oldest church still standing in the Philippines.
- 1764 – John Wilkes is expelled from the British House of Commons for seditious libel.
- 1764 – Bolle Willum Luxdorph records in his diary that a mail bomb, possibly the world’s first, has severely injured the Danish Colonel Poulsen, residing at Børglum Abbey.
- 1788 – The second group of ships of the First Fleet arrive at Botany Bay.
- 1795 – The Batavian Republic is proclaimed in the Netherlands, bringing to an end the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands.
- 1806 – Britain occupies the Dutch Cape Colony after the Battle of Blaauwberg.
- 1817 – An army of 5,423 soldiers, led by General José de San Martín, crosses the Andes from Argentina to liberate Chile and then Peru.
- 1829 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy receives its premiere performance.
- 1839 – The British East India Company captures Aden.
- 1853 – Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Il trovatore receives its premiere performance in Rome.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Georgia joins South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama in declaring secession from the United States.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Mill Springs: The Confederacy suffers its first significant defeat in the conflict.
- 1871 – Franco-Prussian War: In the Siege of Paris, Prussia wins the Battle of St. Quentin. Meanwhile, the French attempt to break the siege in the Battle of Buzenval will end unsuccessfully the following day.
- 1883 – The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey.
- 1899 – Anglo-Egyptian Sudan is formed.
- 1915 – Georges Claude patents the neon discharge tube for use in advertising.
- 1915 – German strategic bombing during World War I: German zeppelins bomb the towns of Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn in the United Kingdom killing at least 20 people, in the first major aerial bombardment of a civilian target.
- 1917 – Silvertown explosion: A blast at a munitions factory in London kills 73 and injures over 400. The resulting fire causes over £2,000,000 worth of damage.
- 1920 – The United States Senate votes against joining the League of Nations.
- 1920 – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is founded.
- 1937 – Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds.
- 1940 – You Nazty Spy!, the first Hollywood film of any kind to satirize Adolf Hitler and the Nazis premieres, starring The Three Stooges, with Moe Howard as the character “Moe Hailstone” satirizing Hitler.
- 1941 – World War II: HMS Greyhound and other escorts of convoy AS-12 sink Italian submarine Neghelli with all hands 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Falkonera.
- 1942 – World War II: The Japanese conquest of Burma begins.
- 1945 – World War II: Soviet forces liberate the Łódź Ghetto. Of more than 200,000 inhabitants in 1940, less than 900 had survived the Nazi occupation.
- 1946 – General Douglas MacArthur establishes the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo to try Japanese war criminals.
- 1953 – Almost 72 percent of all television sets in the United States are tuned into I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth.
- 1960 – Japan and the United States sign the US–Japan Mutual Security Treaty
- 1969 – Student Jan Palach dies after setting himself on fire three days earlier in Prague’s Wenceslas Square to protest about the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1968. His funeral turns into another major protest.
- 1974 – China gains control over all the Paracel Islands after a military engagement between the naval forces of China and South Vietnam
- 1977 – President Gerald Ford pardons Iva Toguri D’Aquino (a.k.a. “Tokyo Rose”).
- 1978 – The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany leaves VW’s plant in Emden. Beetle production in Latin America continues until 2003.
- 1981 – Iran hostage crisis: United States and Iranian officials sign an agreement to release 52 American hostages after 14 months of captivity.
- 1983 – Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie is arrested in Bolivia.
- 1983 – The Apple Lisa, the first commercial personal computer from Apple Inc. to have a graphical user interface and a computer mouse, is announced.
- 1986 – The first IBM PC computer virus is released into the wild. A boot sector virus dubbed (c)Brain, it was created by the Farooq Alvi Brothers in Lahore, Pakistan, reportedly to deter unauthorized copying of the software they had written.
- 1991 – Gulf War: Iraq fires a second Scud missile into Israel, causing 15 injuries.
- 1993 – Czech Republic and Slovakia join the United Nations.
- 1995 – After being struck by lightning the crew of Bristow Flight 56C are forced to ditch. All 18 aboard are later rescued.
- 1996 – The barge North Cape oil spill occurs as an engine fire forces the tugboat Scandia ashore on Moonstone Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
- 1997 – Yasser Arafat returns to Hebron after more than 30 years and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled West Bank city.
- 1999 – British Aerospace agrees to acquire the defence subsidiary of the General Electric Company plc, forming BAE Systems in November 1999.
- 2007 – Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink is assassinated in front of his newspaper’s Istanbul office by 17-year-old Turkish ultra-nationalist Ogün Samast.
- 2007 – Four-man Team N2i, using only skis and kites, completes a 1,093-mile (1,759 km) trek to reach the Antarctic pole of inaccessibility for the first time since 1965 and for the first time ever without mechanical assistance.
- 2012 – The Hong Kong-based file-sharing website Megaupload is shut down by the FBI.
- 2014 – A bomb attack on an army convoy in the city of Bannu kills at least 26 Pakistani soldiers and injures 38 others.
Births on January 19
- 399 – Pulcheria, Byzantine empress and saint (d. 453)
- 1200 – Dōgen Zenji, founder of Sōtō Zen (d. 1253)
- 1544 – Francis II of France (d. 1560)
- 1617 – Lucas Faydherbe, Flemish sculptor and architect (d. 1697)
- 1628 – Charles Stanley, 8th Earl of Derby, English noble (d. 1672)
- 1676 – John Weldon, English organist and composer (d. 1736)
- 1721 – Jean-Philippe Baratier, German scholar and author (d. 1740)
- 1736 – James Watt, Scottish-English chemist and engineer (d. 1819)
- 1737 – Giuseppe Millico, Italian soprano, composer, and educator (d. 1802)
- 1739 – Joseph Bonomi the Elder, Italian architect, designed Longford Hall and Barrells Hall (d. 1808)
- 1752 – James Morris III, American captain (d. 1820)
- 1757 – Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf (d. 1831)
- 1788 – Pavel Kiselyov, Russian general and politician (d. 1874)
- 1790 – Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom, Swedish poet and academic (d. 1855)
- 1798 – Auguste Comte, French economist, sociologist, and philosopher (d. 1857)
- 1807 – Robert E. Lee, American general and academic (d. 1870)
- 1808 – Lysander Spooner, American philosopher and author (d. 1887)
- 1809 – Edgar Allan Poe, American short story writer, poet, and critic (d. 1849)
- 1810 – Talhaiarn, Welsh poet and architect (d.1869)
- 1813 – Henry Bessemer, English engineer and businessman (d. 1898)
- 1832 – Ferdinand Laub, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1875)
- 1833 – Alfred Clebsch, German mathematician and academic (d. 1872)
- 1839 – Paul Cézanne, French painter (d. 1906)
- 1848 – Arturo Graf, Italian poet, of German ancestry (d. 1913).
- 1848 – John Fitzwilliam Stairs, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1904)
- 1848 – Matthew Webb, English swimmer and diver (d. 1883)
- 1851 – Jacobus Kapteyn, Dutch astronomer and academic (d. 1922)
- 1852 – Thomas Price, Welsh-Australian politician, 24th Premier of South Australia (d. 1909)
- 1863 – Werner Sombart, German economist and sociologist (d. 1941)
- 1866 – Harry Davenport, American stage and film actor (d. 1949)
- 1871 – Dame Gruev, Bulgarian educator and activist, co-founded the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (d. 1906)
- 1874 – Hitachiyama Taniemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 19th Yokozuna (d. 1922)
- 1876 – Wakashima Gonshirō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 21st Yokozuna (d. 1943)
- 1876 – Dragotin Kette, Slovenian poet and author (d. 1899)
- 1878 – Herbert Chapman, English footballer and manager (d. 1934)
- 1879 – Boris Savinkov, Russian soldier and author (d. 1925)
- 1882 – John Cain Sr., Australian politician, 34th Premier of Victoria (d. 1957)
- 1883 – Hermann Abendroth, German conductor (d. 1956)
- 1887 – Alexander Woollcott, American actor, playwright, and critic (d. 1943)
- 1889 – Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Swiss painter and sculptor (d. 1943)
- 1892 – Ólafur Thors, Icelandic lawyer and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Iceland (d. 1964)
- 1893 – Magda Tagliaferro, Brazilian pianist and educator (d. 1986)
- 1903 – Boris Blacher, German composer and playwright (d. 1975)
- 1905 – Stanley Hawes, English-Australian director and producer (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Briggs Cunningham, American race car driver, sailor, and businessman (d. 2003)
- 1908 – Ish Kabibble, American comedian and cornet player (d. 1994)
- 1908 – Aleksandr Gennadievich Kurosh, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1971)
- 1911 – Choor Singh, Indian-Singaporean lawyer and judge (d. 2009)
- 1912 – Leonid Kantorovich, Russian mathematician and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1986)
- 1913 – Rex Ingamells, Australian author and poet (d. 1955)
- 1913 – Rudolf Wanderone, American professional pocket billiards player (d. 1996)
- 1918 – John H. Johnson, American publisher, founded the Johnson Publishing Company (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Bernard Dunstan, English painter and educator (d. 2017)
- 1920 – Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Peruvian politician and diplomat, 135th Prime Minister of Peru (d. 2020)
- 1921 – Patricia Highsmith, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1995)
- 1922 – Arthur Morris, Australian cricketer and journalist (d. 2015)
- 1922 – Miguel Muñoz, Spanish footballer and manager (d. 1990)
- 1923 – Jean Stapleton, American actress and singer (d. 2013)
- 1924 – Nicholas Colasanto, American actor and director (d. 1985)
- 1924 – Jean-François Revel, French philosopher (d. 2006)
- 1925 – Nina Bawden, English author (d. 2012)
- 1926 – Hans Massaquoi, German-American journalist and author (d. 2013)
- 1926 – Fritz Weaver, American actor (d. 2016)
- 1930 – Tippi Hedren, American model, actress, and animal rights-welfare activist
- 1930 – John Waite, South African cricketer (d. 2011)
- 1931 – Robert MacNeil, Canadian-American journalist and author
- 1932 – Russ Hamilton, English singer-songwriter (d. 2008)
- 1932 – Richard Lester, American-English director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1932 – Harry Lonsdale, American chemist, businessman, and politician (d. 2014)
- 1933 – George Coyne, American priest, astronomer, and theologian
- 1935 – Johnny O’Keefe, Australian singer-songwriter (d. 1978)
- 1936 – Ziaur Rahman, Bangladeshi general and politician, 7th President of Bangladesh (d. 1981)
- 1936 – Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, American singer, harmonica player, and drummer (d. 2011)
- 1936 – Fred J. Lincoln, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
- 1937 – John Lions, Australian computer scientist and academic (d. 1998)
- 1939 – Phil Everly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2014)
- 1940 – Paolo Borsellino, Italian lawyer and judge (d. 1992)
- 1940 – Mike Reid, English comedian, actor, and author (d. 2007)
- 1941 – Colin Gunton, English theologian and academic (d. 2003)
- 1941 – Pat Patterson, Canadian wrestler, trainer, and referee
- 1942 – Michael Crawford, English actor and singer
- 1942 – Paul-Eerik Rummo, Estonian poet and politician
- 1943 – Larry Clark, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1943 – Janis Joplin, American singer-songwriter (d. 1970)
- 1943 – Princess Margriet of the Netherlands
- 1944 – Shelley Fabares, American actress and singer
- 1944 – Thom Mayne, American architect and academic, designed the San Francisco Federal Building and Phare Tower
- 1944 – Dan Reeves, American football player and coach
- 1945 – Trevor Williams, English singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1946 – Julian Barnes, English novelist, short story writer, essayist, and critic
- 1946 – Dolly Parton, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1947 – Frank Aarebrot, Norwegian political scientist and academic (d. 2017)
- 1947 – Paula Deen, American chef and author
- 1947 – Rod Evans, English singer-songwriter
- 1948 – Nancy Lynch, American computer scientist and academic
- 1948 – Frank McKenna, Canadian politician and diplomat, 27th Premier of New Brunswick
- 1948 – Mal Reilly, English rugby league player and coach
- 1949 – Arend Langenberg, Dutch voice actor and radio host (d. 2012)
- 1949 – Robert Palmer, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)
- 1950 – Sébastien Dhavernas, Canadian actor
- 1951 – Martha Davis, American singer
- 1952 – Dewey Bunnell, British-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1952 – Nadiuska, German television actress
- 1952 – Bruce Jay Nelson, American computer scientist (d. 1999)
- 1953 – Desi Arnaz, Jr., American actor and singer
- 1953 – Richard Legendre, Canadian tennis player and politician
- 1953 – Wayne Schimmelbusch, Australian footballer and coach
- 1954 – Katey Sagal, American actress and singer
- 1954 – Cindy Sherman, American photographer and director
- 1954 – Esther Shkalim, Israeli poet and Mizrahi feminist
- 1955 – Paul Rodriguez, Mexican-American comedian and actor
- 1956 – Carman, American singer-songwriter, actor, and television host
- 1956 – Susan Solomon, American atmospheric chemist
- 1957 – Ottis Anderson, American football player and sportscaster
- 1957 – Roger Ashton-Griffiths, English actor, screenwriter and film director
- 1957 – Kenneth McClintock, Puerto Rican public servant and politician, 22nd Secretary of State of Puerto Rico
- 1958 – Thomas Kinkade, American painter (d. 2012)
- 1959 – Danese Cooper, American computer scientist and programmer
- 1959 – Jeff Pilson, American bass player, songwriter, and actor
- 1961 – William Ragsdale, American actor
- 1961 – Wayne Hemingway, English fashion designer, co-founded Red or Dead
- 1962 – Hans Daams, Dutch cyclist
- 1962 – Chris Sabo, American baseball player and coach
- 1962 – Jeff Van Gundy, American basketball player and coach
- 1963 – Michael Adams, American basketball player and coach
- 1963 – Martin Bashir, English journalist
- 1963 – John Bercow, English politician, Speaker of the House of Commons
- 1964 – Janine Antoni, Bahamian sculptor and photographer
- 1964 – Ricardo Arjona, Guatemalan singer-songwriter and basketball player
- 1966 – Sylvain Côté, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1966 – Stefan Edberg, Swedish tennis player and coach
- 1966 – Lena Philipsson, Swedish singer-songwriter
- 1968 – David Bartlett, Australian politician, 43rd Premier of Tasmania
- 1968 – Whitfield Crane, American singer-songwriter
- 1969 – Edwidge Danticat, Haitian-American novelist and short story writer
- 1969 – Luc Longley, Australian basketball player and coach
- 1969 – Predrag Mijatović, Montenegrin footballer and manager
- 1969 – Junior Seau, American football player (d. 2012)
- 1969 – Steve Staunton, Irish footballer and manager
- 1970 – Steffen Freund, German footballer defensive midfielder and manager
- 1970 – Kathleen Smet, Belgian triathlete
- 1970 – Udo Suzuki, Japanese comedian and singer
- 1971 – Phil Nevin, American baseball player
- 1971 – Shawn Wayans, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1971 – John Wozniak, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1972 – Ron Killings, American wrestler and rapper
- 1972 – Troy Wilson, Australian footballer and race car driver
- 1972 – Sergei Zjukin, Estonian chess player and coach
- 1972 – Yoon Hae-young, South Korean actress
- 1973 – Antero Manninen, Finnish cellist
- 1973 – Yevgeny Sadovyi, Russian swimmer and coach
- 1974 – Dainius Adomaitis, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
- 1974 – Frank Caliendo, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter
- 1974 – Ian Laperrière, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1974 – Jaime Moreno, Bolivian footballer and manager
- 1975 – Natalie Cook, Australian volleyball player
- 1975 – Zdeňka Málková, Czech tennis player
- 1976 – Natale Gonnella, Italian footballer
- 1976 – Tarso Marques, Brazilian race car driver
- 1977 – Benjamin Ayres, Canadian actor, director, and photographer
- 1979 – Svetlana Khorkina, Russian gymnast and sportscaster
- 1979 – Josu Sarriegi, Spanish footballer
- 1979 – Wiley, English rapper and producer
- 1980 – Jenson Button, English race car driver
- 1980 – Pasha Kovalev, Russian-American dancer and choreographer
- 1980 – Luke Macfarlane, Canadian-American actor and singer
- 1980 – Arvydas Macijauskas, Lithuanian basketball player
- 1980 – Michael Vandort, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1981 – Paolo Bugia, Filipino basketball player
- 1981 – Asier del Horno, Spanish footballer
- 1981 – Lucho González, Argentinian footballer
- 1982 – Pete Buttigieg, American politician
- 1982 – Mike Komisarek, American ice hockey player
- 1982 – Jodie Sweetin, American actress and singer
- 1982 – Shane Tronc, Australian rugby league player
- 1982 – Kim Yoo-suk, South Korean pole vaulter
- 1982 – Robin tom Rink, German singer-songwriter
- 1983 – Hikaru Utada, American-Japanese singer-songwriter and producer
- 1984 – Fabio Catacchini, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Karun Chandhok, Indian race car driver
- 1984 – Jimmy Kébé, Malian footballer
- 1984 – Thomas Vanek, Austrian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Jake Allen, American football player
- 1985 – Pascal Behrenbruch, German decathlete
- 1985 – Benny Feilhaber, American soccer player
- 1985 – Esteban Guerrieri, Argentinian race car driver
- 1985 – Rika Ishikawa, Japanese singer and actress
- 1985 – Elliott Ward, English footballer
- 1985 – Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Nikulin, Russian footballer
- 1986 – Claudio Marchisio, Italian footballer
- 1986 – Oleksandr Miroshnychenko, Ukrainian footballer
- 1986 – Moussa Sow, Senegalese footballer
- 1987 – Edgar Manucharyan, Armenian footballer
- 1988 – JaVale McGee, American basketball player
- 1988 – Tyler Breeze, Canadian wrestler
- 1990 – Tatiana Búa, Argentine tennis player
- 1991 – Petra Martić, Croatian tennis player
- 1991 – Erin Sanders, American actress
- 1992 – Shawn Johnson, American gymnast
- 1992 – Logan Lerman, American actor
- 1992 – Mac Miller, American rapper (d. 2018)
- 1993 – Erick Torres Padilla, Mexican footballer
- 1994 – Matthias Ginter, German footballer
- 1994 – Alfie Mawson, English footballer, centre back
Deaths on January 19
- 520 – John of Cappadocia, patriarch of Constantinople
- 639 – Dagobert I, Frankish king (b. 603)
- 914 – García I, king of León
- 1003 – Kilian of Cologne, Irish abbot
- 1302 – Al-Hakim I, caliph of Cairo
- 1401 – Robert Bealknap, British justice
- 1526 – Isabella of Austria, Danish queen (b. 1501)
- 1547 – Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, English poet (b. 1516)
- 1565 – Diego Laynez, Spanish Jesuit theologian (b. 1512)
- 1571 – Paris Bordone, Venetian painter (b. 1495)
- 1576 – Hans Sachs, German poet and playwright (b. 1494)
- 1636 – Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, Flemish painter (b.1561)
- 1661 – Thomas Venner, English rebel leader (b. 1599)
- 1729 – William Congreve, English playwright and poet (b. 1670)
- 1755 – Jean-Pierre Christin, French physicist, mathematician, and astronomer (b. 1683)
- 1757 – Thomas Ruddiman, Scottish scholar and academic (b. 1674)
- 1766 – Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni, Italian-French architect and painter (b. 1695)
- 1785 – Jonathan Toup, English scholar and critic (b. 1713)
- 1833 – Ferdinand Hérold, French pianist and composer (b. 1791)
- 1847 – Charles Bent, American soldier and politician, 1st Governor of New Mexico (b. 1799)
- 1847 – Athanasios Christopoulos, Greek poet (b. 1772)
- 1851 – Esteban Echeverría, Argentinian poet and author (b. 1805)
- 1853 – Karl Faber, German historian and academic (b. 1773)
- 1865 – Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, French philosopher and politician (b. 1809)
- 1869 – Carl Reichenbach, German chemist and philosopher (b. 1788)
- 1874 – August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, German poet and scholar (b. 1798)
- 1878 – Henri Victor Regnault, French physicist and chemist (b. 1810)
- 1905 – Debendranath Tagore, Indian philosopher and author (b. 1817)
- 1906 – Bartolomé Mitre, Argentinian historian and politician, 6th President of Argentina (b. 1821)
- 1908 – Roberto Bompiani, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1821)
- 1929 – Liang Qichao, Chinese journalist, philosopher, and scholar (b. 1873)
- 1930 – Frank P. Ramsey, British mathematician, philosopher and economist (b. 1903)
- 1938 – Branislav Nušić, Serbian author, playwright, and journalist (b. 1864)
- 1945 – Gustave Mesny, French general (b. 1886)
- 1948 – Tony Garnier, French architect and urban planner, designed the Stade de Gerland (b. 1869)
- 1954 – Theodor Kaluza, German mathematician and physicist (b. 1885)
- 1957 – József Dudás, Romanian-Hungarian activist and politician (b. 1912)
- 1963 – Clement Smoot, American golfer (b. 1884)
- 1964 – Firmin Lambot, Belgian cyclist (b. 1886)
- 1965 – Arnold Luhaäär, Estonian weightlifter (b. 1905)
- 1968 – Ray Harroun, American race car driver and engineer (b. 1879)
- 1972 – Michael Rabin, American violinist (b. 1936)
- 1973 – Max Adrian, Irish-English actor (b. 1903)
- 1975 – Thomas Hart Benton, American painter and educator (b. 1889)
- 1976 – Hidetsugu Yagi, Japanese engineer and academic (b. 1886)
- 1979 – Moritz Jahn, German novelist and poet (b. 1884)
- 1980 – William O. Douglas, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1898)
- 1981 – Francesca Woodman, American photographer (b. 1958)
- 1982 – Elis Regina, Brazilian soprano (b. 1945)
- 1984 – Max Bentley, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1920)
- 1987 – Lawrence Kohlberg, American psychologist and academic (b. 1927)
- 1990 – Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Indian guru and mystic (b. 1931)
- 1990 – Alberto Semprini, English pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1908)
- 1990 – Herbert Wehner, German politician, 6th Minister of Intra-German Relations (b. 1906)
- 1991 – Marcel Chaput, Canadian biochemist and journalist (b. 1918)
- 1995 – Gene MacLellan, Canadian singer-songwriter (b. 1938)
- 1996 – Don Simpson, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1943)
- 1997 – James Dickey, American poet and novelist (b. 1923)
- 1998 – Carl Perkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1932)
- 1999 – Ivan Francescato, Italian rugby player (b. 1967)
- 2000 – Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, Bahá’í Hand of the Cause of God and wife of Shoghi Effendi (b. 1910)
- 2000 – Bettino Craxi, Italian lawyer and politician, 45th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1934)
- 2000 – Hedy Lamarr, Austrian-American actress, singer, and mathematician (b. 1913)
- 2001 – Dario Vittori, Italian-Argentinian actor and producer (b. 1921)
- 2002 – Vavá, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1934)
- 2003 – Milton Flores, Honduran footballer (b. 1974)
- 2003 – Françoise Giroud, French journalist, screenwriter, and politician, French Minister of Culture (b. 1916)
- 2004 – Harry E. Claiborne, American lawyer and judge (b. 1917)
- 2004 – David Hookes, Australian cricketer and coach (b. 1955)
- 2005 – K. Sello Duiker, South African author and screenwriter (b. 1974)
- 2006 – Anthony Franciosa, American actor (b. 1928)
- 2006 – Wilson Pickett, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
- 2006 – Awn Alsharif Qasim, Sudanese author and scholar (b. 1933)
- 2006 – Geoff Rabone, New Zealand cricketer and pilot (b. 1921)
- 2007 – Hrant Dink, Turkish-Armenian journalist and activist (b. 1954)
- 2007 – Denny Doherty, Canadian singer-songwriter (b. 1940)
- 2007 – Murat Nasyrov, Russian singer-songwriter (b. 1969)
- 2008 – Suzanne Pleshette, American actress (b. 1937)
- 2008 – John Stewart, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1939)
- 2008 – Don Wittman, Canadian sportscaster (b. 1936)
- 2010 – Bill McLaren, Scottish rugby player and sportscaster (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Peter Åslin, Swedish ice hockey player (b. 1962)
- 2012 – Sarah Burke, Canadian skier (b. 1982)
- 2012 – Winston Riley, Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1943)
- 2012 – Rudi van Dantzig, Dutch ballet dancer and choreographer (b. 1933)
- 2013 – Taihō Kōki, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 48th Yokozuna (b. 1940)
- 2013 – Stan Musial, American baseball player and manager (b. 1920)
- 2013 – Frank Pooler, American conductor and composer (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Earl Weaver, American baseball player and manager (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Toktamış Ateş, Turkish academician, political commentator, columnist and writer (b. 1944)
- 2014 – Azaria Alon, Ukrainian-Israeli environmentalist, co-founded the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (b. 1918)
- 2014 – Christopher Chataway, English runner, journalist, and politician (b. 1931)
- 2015 – Justin Capră, Romanian engineer and academic (b. 1933)
- 2015 – Michel Guimond, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1953)
- 2015 – Ward Swingle, American-French singer-songwriter and conductor (b. 1927)
- 2016 – Richard Levins, American ecologist and geneticist (b. 1930)
- 2016 – Ettore Scola, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1931)
- 2016 – Sheila Sim, English actress (b. 1922)
- 2017 – Miguel Ferrer, American actor (b. 1955)
Holidays and observances on January 19
- Birthday of Edgar Allan Poe (commemorated by the Poe Toaster at his grave in Baltimore)
- Christian feast day:
- Bassianus of Lodi
- Henry of Uppsala
- Marius, Martha, Audifax, and Abachum
- Mark of Ephesus (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Pontianus of Spoleto
- Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester
- January 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Confederate Heroes Day (Texas), and its related observance:
- Robert E. Lee Day (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi)
- Feast of Sultán (Sovereignty), first day of the 17th month of the Bahá’í calendar (Bahá’í Faith) (only if Nowruz falls on March 21, otherwise the dates shifts)
- Husband’s Day (Iceland)
- Kokborok Day (Tripura, India)
- Theophany / Epiphany (Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy), and its related observances:
- Timkat, or 20 during Leap Year (Ethiopian Orthodox)
- Vodici or Baptism of Jesus (North Macedonia)
-
January 16 in History
- 27 BCE – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire.
- 378 – General Siyaj K’ak’ conquers Tikal, enlarging the domain of King Spearthrower Owl of Teotihuacán.
- 550 – Gothic War: The Ostrogoths, under King Totila, conquer Rome after a long siege, by bribing the Isaurian garrison.
- 929 – Emir Abd-ar-Rahman III established the Caliphate of Córdoba.
- 1120 – The Council of Nablus is held, establishing the earliest surviving written laws of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.
- 1362 – Saint Marcellus’s flood kills at least 25,000 people on the shores of the North Sea.
- 1412 – The Medici family is appointed official banker of the Papacy.
- 1492 – The first grammar of the Spanish language (Gramática de la lengua castellana) is presented to Queen Isabella I.
- 1547 – Grand Duke Ivan IV of Muscovy becomes the first Tsar of Russia, replacing the 264-year-old Grand Duchy of Moscow with the Tsardom of Russia.
- 1556 – Philip II becomes King of Spain.
- 1572 – Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk is tried for treason for his part in the Ridolfi plot to restore Catholicism in England.
- 1605 – The first edition of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (Book One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid, Spain.
- 1707 – The Scottish Parliament ratifies the Act of Union, paving the way for the creation of Great Britain.
- 1757 – Forces of the Maratha Empire defeat a 5,000-strong army of the Durrani Empire in the Battle of Narela.
- 1780 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Cape St. Vincent.
- 1786 – Virginia enacts the Statute for Religious Freedom authored by Thomas Jefferson.
- 1809 – Peninsular War: The British defeat the French at the Battle of La Coruña.
- 1847 – John C. Frémont is appointed Governor of the new California Territory.
- 1862 – Hartley Colliery disaster: Two hundred and four men and boys killed in a mining disaster, prompting a change in UK law which henceforth required all collieries to have at least two independent means of escape.
- 1878 – Russo-Turkish War (1877–78): Battle of Philippopolis: Captain Aleksandr Burago with a squadron of Russian Imperial army dragoons liberates Plovdiv from Ottoman rule.
- 1883 – The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, establishing the United States Civil Service, is enacted by Congress.
- 1900 – The United States Senate accepts the Anglo-German treaty of 1899 in which the United Kingdom renounces its claims to the Samoan islands.
- 1909 – Ernest Shackleton’s expedition finds the magnetic South Pole.
- 1919 – Nebraska becomes the 36th state to approve the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. With the necessary three-quarters of the states approving the amendment, Prohibition is constitutionally mandated in the United States one year later.
- 1920 – Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated was founded on the campus of Howard University.
- 1920 – The League of Nations holds its first council meeting in Paris, France.
- 1921 – The Marxist Left in Slovakia and the Transcarpathian Ukraine holds its founding congress in Ľubochňa.
- 1942 – Crash of TWA Flight 3, killing all 22 aboard, including film star Carole Lombard.
- 1945 – Adolf Hitler moves into his underground bunker, the so-called Führerbunker.
- 1964 – Hello, Dolly! opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 2,844 performances.
- 1969 – Czech student Jan Palach commits suicide by self-immolation in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in protest against the Soviets’ crushing of the Prague Spring the year before.
- 1969 – Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 perform the first-ever docking of manned spacecraft in orbit, the first-ever transfer of crew from one space vehicle to another, and the only time such a transfer was accomplished with a space walk.
- 1979 – The last Iranian Shah flees Iran with his family for good and relocates to Egypt.
- 1991 – Coalition Forces go to war with Iraq, beginning the Gulf War.
- 1992 – El Salvador officials and rebel leaders sign the Chapultepec Peace Accords in Mexico City, Mexico ending the 12-year Salvadoran Civil War that claimed at least 75,000 lives.
- 2001 – Congolese President Laurent-Désiré Kabila is assassinated by one of his own bodyguards.
- 2001 – US President Bill Clinton awards former President Theodore Roosevelt a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service in the Spanish–American War.
- 2002 – The UN Security Council unanimously establishes an arms embargo and the freezing of assets of Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and the remaining members of the Taliban.
- 2003 – The Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107 which would be its final one. Columbia disintegrated 16 days later on re-entry.
- 2006 – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is sworn in as Liberia’s new president. She becomes Africa’s first female elected head of state.
- 2016 – Thirty-three out of 126 freed hostages are injured and 23 killed in terrorist attacks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on a hotel and a nearby restaurant.
- 2018 – Myanmar police open fire on a group of ethnic Rakhine protesters, killing seven and wounding twelve.
- 2020 – The impeachment of Donald John Trump formally moves into its trial phase in the United States Senate.
Births on January 16
- 972 – Sheng Zong, emperor of the Liao Dynasty (d. 1031)
- 1093 – Isaac Komnenos, son of Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos (d. 1152)
- 1245 – Edmund Crouchback, English politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (d. 1296)
- 1362 – Robert de Vere, duke of Ireland (d. 1392)
- 1409 – René of Anjou, king of Naples (d. 1480)
- 1477 – Johannes Schöner, German astronomer and cartographer (d. 1547)
- 1501 – Anthony Denny, confidant of Henry VIII of England (d. 1559)
- 1516 – Bayinnaung, king of Burma (d. 1581)
- 1558 – Jakobea of Baden, Margravine of Baden by birth, Duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg by marriage (d. 1597)
- 1616 – François de Vendôme, duke of Beaufort (d. 1669)
- 1626 – Lucas Achtschellinck, Belgian painter and educator (d. 1699)
- 1630 – Guru Har Rai, Sikh Guru (d. 1661)
- 1634 – Dorothe Engelbretsdatter, Norwegian author and poet (d. 1716)
- 1675 – Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, French soldier and diplomat (d. 1755)
- 1691 – Peter Scheemakers, Belgian sculptor and educator (d. 1781)
- 1728 – Niccolò Piccinni, Italian composer and educator (d. 1800)
- 1749 – Vittorio Alfieri, Italian poet and playwright (d. 1803)
- 1757 – Richard Goodwin Keats, English admiral and politician, 3rd Commodore-Governor of Newfoundland (d. 1834)
- 1807 – Charles Henry Davis, American admiral (d. 1877)
- 1815 – Henry Halleck, American lawyer, general, and scholar (d. 1872)
- 1821 – John C. Breckinridge, American general and politician, 14th Vice President of the United States (d. 1875)
- 1834 – Robert R. Hitt, American lawyer and politician, 13th United States Assistant Secretary of State (d. 1906)
- 1836 – Francis II of the Two Sicilies (d. 1894)
- 1838 – Franz Brentano, German philosopher and psychologist (d. 1917)
- 1851 – William Hall-Jones, English-New Zealand politician, 16th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1936)
- 1853 – Johnston Forbes-Robertson, English actor and manager (d. 1937)
- 1853 – Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton, Greek-English general (d. 1947)
- 1853 – André Michelin, French businessman, co-founded the Michelin Tyre Company (d. 1931)
- 1870 – Jüri Jaakson, Estonian businessman and politician, State Elder of Estonia (d. 1942)
- 1872 – Henri Büsser, French organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1973)
- 1874 – Robert W. Service, English-Canadian poet and author (d. 1958)
- 1875 – Leonor Michaelis, German biochemist and physician (d. 1949)
- 1876 – Claude Buckenham, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1937)
- 1878 – Harry Carey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1947)
- 1880 – Samuel Jones, American high jumper (d. 1954)
- 1882 – Margaret Wilson, American author (d. 1973)
- 1885 – Zhou Zuoren, Chinese author and translator (d. 1967)
- 1888 – Osip Brik, Russian avant garde writer and literary critic (d. 1945)
- 1892 – Homer Burton Adkins, American chemist (d. 1949)
- 1893 – Daisy Kennedy, Australian-English violinist (d. 1981)
- 1894 – Irving Mills, American publisher (d. 1985)
- 1895 – Evripidis Bakirtzis, Greek soldier and politician (d. 1947)
- 1895 – T. M. Sabaratnam, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (d. 1966)
- 1895 – Nat Schachner, American lawyer, chemist, and author (d. 1955)
- 1897 – Carlos Pellicer, Mexican poet and academic (d. 1977)
- 1898 – Margaret Booth, American producer and editor (d. 2002)
- 1898 – Irving Rapper, American film director and producer (d. 1999)
- 1900 – Kiku Amino, Japanese author and translator (d. 1978)
- 1900 – Edith Frank, German-Dutch mother of Anne Frank (d. 1945)
- 1901 – Fulgencio Batista, Cuban colonel and politician, 9th President of Cuba (d. 1973)
- 1902 – Eric Liddell, Scottish runner, rugby player, and missionary (d. 1945)
- 1903 – William Grover-Williams, English-French race car driver (d. 1945)
- 1905 – Ernesto Halffter, Spanish composer and conductor (d. 1989)
- 1906 – Johannes Brenner, Estonian footballer and pilot (d. 1975)
- 1906 – Diana Wynyard, English actress (d. 1964)
- 1907 – Alexander Knox, Canadian-English actor and screenwriter (d. 1995)
- 1907 – Paul Nitze, American banker and politician, 10th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 2004)
- 1908 – Sammy Crooks, English footballer (d. 1981)
- 1908 – Ethel Merman, American actress and singer (d. 1984)
- 1908 – Günther Prien, German captain (d. 1941)
- 1909 – Clement Greenberg, American art critic (d. 1994)
- 1910 – Dizzy Dean, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 1974)
- 1911 – Ivan Barrow, Jamaican cricketer (d. 1979)
- 1911 – Eduardo Frei Montalva, Chilean lawyer and politician, 28th President of Chile (d. 1982)
- 1911 – Roger Lapébie, French cyclist (d. 1996)
- 1914 – Roger Wagner, French-American conductor and educator (d. 1992)
- 1915 – Leslie H. Martinson, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2016)
- 1916 – Eddie Burns, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 2004)
- 1916 – Philip Lucock, English-Australian minister and politician (d. 1996)
- 1917 – Carl Karcher, American businessman, founded Carl’s Jr. (d. 2008)
- 1918 – Nel Benschop, Dutch poet and educator (d. 2005)
- 1918 – Allan Ekelund, Swedish director, producer, and production manager (d. 2009)
- 1918 – Clem Jones, Australian surveyor and politician, 8th Lord Mayor of Brisbane (d. 2007)
- 1918 – Stirling Silliphant, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1996)
- 1919 – Jerome Horwitz, American chemist and academic (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Alberto Crespo, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1991)
- 1920 – Elliott Reid, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2013)
- 1921 – Francesco Scavullo, American photographer (d. 2004)
- 1923 – Gene Feist, American director and playwright, co-founded the Roundabout Theatre Company (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Anthony Hecht, American poet (d. 2004)
- 1924 – Katy Jurado, Mexican actress (d. 2002)
- 1925 – Peter Hirsch, German-English metallurgist and academic
- 1925 – James Robinson Risner, American general and pilot (d. 2013)
- 1928 – William Kennedy, American novelist and journalist
- 1928 – Pilar Lorengar, Spanish soprano and actress (d. 1996)
- 1929 – Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah, Sri Lankan anthropologist and academic (d. 2014)
- 1930 – Mary Ann McMorrow, American lawyer and judge (d. 2013)
- 1930 – Norman Podhoretz, American journalist and author
- 1931 – John Enderby, English physicist and academic
- 1931 – Robert L. Park, American physicist and academic
- 1931 – Johannes Rau, German journalist and politician, 8th Federal President of Germany (d. 2006)
- 1932 – Victor Ciocâltea, Romanian chess player (d. 1983)
- 1932 – Dian Fossey, American zoologist and anthropologist (d. 1985)
- 1933 – Susan Sontag, American novelist, essayist, and critic (d. 2004)
- 1934 – Bob Bogle, American rock guitarist and bass player (d. 2009)
- 1934 – Marilyn Horne, American soprano and actress
- 1935 – A. J. Foyt, American race car driver
- 1935 – Udo Lattek, German footballer, manager, and sportscaster (d. 2015)
- 1936 – Michael White, Scottish actor and producer (d. 2016)
- 1937 – Luiz Bueno, Brazilian race car driver (d. 2011)
- 1937 – Francis George, American cardinal (d. 2015)
- 1938 – Marina Vaizey, American journalist and critic
- 1939 – Ralph Gibson, American photographer
- 1941 – Christine Truman, English tennis player and sportscaster
- 1942 – René Angélil, Canadian singer and manager (d. 2016)
- 1942 – Barbara Lynn, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1943 – Gavin Bryars, English bassist and composer
- 1943 – Ronnie Milsap, American singer and pianist
- 1944 – Dieter Moebius, Swiss-German keyboard player and producer (d. 2015)
- 1944 – Jim Stafford, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1944 – Jill Tarter, American astronomer and biologist
- 1944 – Judy Baar Topinka, American journalist and politician (d. 2014)
- 1945 – Wim Suurbier, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1946 – Kabir Bedi, Indian actor
- 1946 – Katia Ricciarelli, Italian soprano and actress
- 1947 – Elaine Murphy, Baroness Murphy, English academic and politician
- 1947 – Harvey Proctor, English politician
- 1947 – Laura Schlessinger, American physiologist, talk show host, and author
- 1948 – John Carpenter, American director, producer, screenwriter, and composer
- 1948 – Ants Laaneots, Estonian general
- 1948 – Cliff Thorburn, Canadian snooker player
- 1948 – Ruth Reichl, American journalist and critic
- 1949 – Anne F. Beiler, American businesswoman, founded Auntie Anne’s
- 1949 – R. F. Foster, Irish historian and academic
- 1949 – Andrew Refshauge, Australian physician and politician, 13th Deputy Premier of New South Wales
- 1950 – Debbie Allen, American actress, dancer, and choreographer
- 1950 – Robert Schimmel, American comedian, actor, and producer (d. 2010)
- 1952 – Fuad II, King of Egypt
- 1952 – Piercarlo Ghinzani, Italian race car driver and manager
- 1952 – L. Blaine Hammond, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
- 1952 – Julie Anne Peters, American engineer and author
- 1953 – Robert Jay Mathews, American militant, founded The Order (d. 1984)
- 1954 – Wolfgang Schmidt, German discus thrower
- 1954 – Vasili Zhupikov, Russian footballer and coach (d. 2015)
- 1955 – Jerry M. Linenger, American captain, physician, and astronaut
- 1956 – Wayne Daniel, Barbadian cricketer
- 1956 – Martin Jol, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1956 – Greedy Smith, Australian singer-songwriter and keyboardist (d. 2019)
- 1957 – Jurijs Andrejevs, Latvian footballer and manager
- 1957 – Ricardo Darín, Argentinian actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1957 – Mark Pawsey, English businessman and politician
- 1958 – Anatoli Boukreev, Russian mountaineer and explorer (d. 1997)
- 1958 – Lena Ek, Swedish lawyer and politician, 9th Swedish Minister for the Environment
- 1958 – Andris Šķēle, Latvian businessman and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Latvia
- 1959 – Lisa Milroy, Canadian painter and educator
- 1959 – Sade, Nigerian-English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1961 – Kenneth Sivertsen, Norwegian guitarist and composer (d. 2006)
- 1962 – Joel Fitzgibbon, Australian electrician and politician, 51st Australian Minister of Defence
- 1962 – Maxine Jones, American R&B singer–songwriter and actress
- 1963 – James May, British journalist/co-host of Top Gear
- 1964 – Gail Graham, Canadian golfer
- 1966 – Jack McDowell, American baseball player
- 1968 – Rebecca Stead, American author
- 1969 – Neil Back, English rugby player and coach
- 1969 – Marinus Bester, German footballer
- 1969 – Stevie Jackson, Scottish guitarist and songwriter
- 1969 – Roy Jones Jr., American boxer
- 1970 – Ron Villone, American baseball player and coach
- 1971 – Sergi Bruguera, Spanish tennis player and coach
- 1971 – Josh Evans, American film producer, screenwriter and actor
- 1971 – Jonathan Mangum, American actor
- 1972 – Ruben Bagger, Danish footballer
- 1972 – Ang Christou, Australian footballer
- 1972 – Yuri Alekseevich Drozdov, Russian footballer and manager
- 1972 – Ezra Hendrickson, Vincentian footballer and manager
- 1972 – Joe Horn, American football player and coach
- 1974 – Marlon Anderson, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1974 – John Hopoate, Tongan-Australian rugby league player and boxer
- 1974 – Kate Moss, English model and fashion designer
- 1976 – Viktor Maslov, Russian race car driver
- 1976 – Martina Moravcová, Slovak swimmer
- 1977 – Jeff Foster, American basketball player
- 1978 – Alfredo Amézaga, Mexican baseball player
- 1979 – Aaliyah, American singer and actress (d. 2001)
- 1979 – Brenden Morrow, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 – Jason Ward, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1980 – Lin-Manuel Miranda, American actor, playwright, and composer
- 1980 – Albert Pujols, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1981 – Jamie Lundmark, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Paul Rofe, Australian cricketer
- 1981 – Bobby Zamora, English footballer, striker
- 1982 – Preston, English singer-songwriter
- 1982 – Tuncay, Turkish footballer
- 1983 – Emanuel Pogatetz, Austrian footballer
- 1983 – Andriy Rusol, Ukrainian footballer
- 1984 – Stephan Lichtsteiner, Swiss footballer
- 1984 – Miroslav Radović, Serbian footballer
- 1985 – Joe Flacco, American football player
- 1985 – Jayde Herrick, Australian cricketer
- 1985 – Gintaras Januševičius, Russian-Lithuanian pianist
- 1985 – Twins Jonathan and Simon Richter, Danish-Gambian footballers
- 1985 – Sidharth Malhotra, Indian actor
- 1986 – Johannes Rahn, German footballer
- 1986 – Mark Trumbo, American baseball player
- 1986 – Reto Ziegler, Swiss footballer, left back
- 1987 – Jake Epstein, Canadian actor
- 1987 – Charlotte Henshaw, English swimmer
- 1988 – Nicklas Bendtner, Danish footballer
- 1988 – Jorge Torres Nilo, Mexican footballer
- 1991 – Matt Duchene, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1993 – Hannes Anier, Estonian footballer
- 1993 – Amandine Hesse, French tennis player
- 1994 – Chris Smith, Australian rugby league player
- 1995 – Mikaela Turik, Australian-Canadian cricketer
- 1998 – Cameron Murray, Australian rugby league player
- 2003 – Adriana Hernández, Mexican rhythmic gymnast
Deaths on January 16
- 654 – Gao Jifu, Chinese politician and chancellor (b. 596)
- 957 – Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ali al-Madhara’i, Tulunid vizier (b. 871)
- 970 – Polyeuctus of Constantinople, Byzantine patriarch (b. 956)
- 1263 – Shinran Shonin, Japanese founder of the Jodo Shinshu branch of Pure Land Buddhism
- 1289 – Buqa, Mongol minister
- 1327 – Nikephoros Choumnos, Byzantine monk, scholar, and politician (b. 1250)
- 1354 – Joanna of Châtillon, duchess of Athens (b. c.1285)
- 1373 – Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford (b. 1342)
- 1391 – Muhammed V of Granada, Nasrid emir (b. 1338)
- 1400 – John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, English politician, Lord Great Chamberlain (b. 1352)
- 1443 – Erasmo of Narni, Italian mercenary (b. 1370)
- 1545 – George Spalatin, German priest and reformer (b. 1484)
- 1547 – Johannes Schöner, German astronomer and cartographer (b. 1477)
- 1554 – Christiern Pedersen, Danish publisher and scholar (b. 1480)
- 1585 – Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln, English admiral and politician (b. 1512)
- 1595 – Murad III, Ottoman sultan (b. 1546)
- 1659 – Charles Annibal Fabrot, French lawyer (b. 1580)
- 1710 – Higashiyama, Japanese emperor (b. 1675)
- 1711 – Joseph Vaz, Indian-Sri Lankan priest and saint (b. 1651)
- 1747 – Barthold Heinrich Brockes, German poet and playwright (b. 1680)
- 1748 – Arnold Drakenborch, Dutch lawyer and scholar (b. 1684)
- 1750 – Ivan Trubetskoy, Russian field marshal and politician (b. 1667)
- 1752 – Francis Blomefield, English historian and author (b. 1705)
- 1794 – Edward Gibbon, English historian and politician (b. 1737)
- 1809 – John Moore, Scottish general and politician (b. 1761)
- 1817 – Alexander J. Dallas, Jamaican-American lawyer and politician, 6th United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1759)
- 1834 – Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette, French mathematician and academic (b. 1769)
- 1856 – Thaddeus William Harris, American entomologist and botanist (b. 1795)
- 1864 – Anton Schindler, Austrian secretary and author (b. 1795)
- 1865 – Edmond François Valentin About, French journalist and author (b. 1828)
- 1879 – Octave Crémazie, Canadian-French poet and bookseller (b. 1827)
- 1886 – Amilcare Ponchielli, Italian composer and academic (b. 1834)
- 1891 – Léo Delibes, French pianist and composer (b. 1836)
- 1898 – Charles Pelham Villiers, English lawyer and politician (b. 1802)
- 1901 – Jules Barbier, French poet and playwright (b. 1825)
- 1901 – Arnold Böcklin, Swiss painter and academic (b. 1827)
- 1901 – Hiram Rhodes Revels, American soldier, minister, and politician (b. 1822)
- 1906 – Marshall Field, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Marshall Field’s (b. 1834)
- 1917 – George Dewey, American admiral (b. 1837)
- 1919 – Francisco de Paula Rodrigues Alves, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 5th President of Brazil (b. 1848)
- 1933 – Bekir Sami Kunduh, Turkish politician (b. 1867)
- 1936 – Albert Fish, American serial killer, rapist and cannibal (b. 1870)
- 1938 – Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay Indian author and playwright (b. 1876)
- 1942 – Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (b. 1850)
- 1942 – Villem Grünthal-Ridala, Estonian poet and linguist (b. 1885)
- 1942 – Carole Lombard, American actress and comedian (b. 1908)
- 1942 – Ernst Scheller, German lawyer and politician, Mayor of Marburg (b. 1899)
- 1957 – Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, English general and politician, 16th Governor General of Canada (b. 1874)
- 1957 – Arturo Toscanini, Italian cellist and conductor (b. 1867)
- 1959 – Phan Khôi, Vietnamese journalist and author (b. 1887)
- 1960 – Arthur Darby, English rugby player (b. 1876)
- 1961 – Max Schöne, German swimmer (b. 1880)
- 1962 – Frank Hurley, Australian photographer, director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1885)
- 1962 – Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor and architect, designed the Monument to the Unknown Hero (b. 1883)
- 1967 – Robert J. Van de Graaff, American physicist and academic (b. 1901)
- 1968 – Bob Jones Sr., American evangelist, founded Bob Jones University (b. 1883)
- 1968 – Panagiotis Poulitsas, Greek archaeologist and judge (b. 1881)
- 1969 – Vernon Duke, Russian-American composer and songwriter (b. 1903)
- 1971 – Philippe Thys, Belgian cyclist (b. 1890)
- 1972 – Teller Ammons, American soldier and politician, 28th Governor of Colorado (b. 1895)
- 1972 – Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor, created Alvin and the Chipmunks (b. 1919)
- 1973 – Edgar Sampson, American musician and composer (b. 1907)
- 1975 – Israel Abramofsky, Russian-American painter (b. 1888)
- 1978 – A. V. Kulasingham, Sri Lankan journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1890)
- 1981 – Bernard Lee, English actor (b. 1908)
- 1983 – Virginia Mauret, American musician and dancer
- 1986 – Herbert W. Armstrong, American evangelist, author, and publisher (b. 1892)
- 1987 – Bertram Wainer, Australian physician and activist (b. 1928)
- 1988 – Andrija Artuković, Croatian politician, war criminal, and Porajmos perpetrator, 1st Minister of Interior of the Independent State of Croatia (b. 1899)
- 1995 – Eric Mottram, English poet and critic (b. 1924)
- 1996 – Marcia Davenport, American author and critic (b. 1903)
- 1996 – Kaye Webb, English journalist and publisher (b. 1914)
- 1999 – Jim McClelland, Australian lawyer, jurist, and politician, 12th Minister for Industry and Science (b. 1915)
- 2000 – Robert R. Wilson, American physicist and academic (b. 1914)
- 2001 – Auberon Waugh, English author and journalist (b. 1939)
- 2002 – Robert Hanbury Brown, English astronomer and physicist (b. 1916)
- 2003 – Richard Wainwright, English politician (b. 1918)
- 2004 – Kalevi Sorsa, Finnish politician 34th Prime Minister of Finland (b. 1930)
- 2005 – Marjorie Williams, American journalist and author (b. 1958)
- 2006 – Stanley Biber, American soldier and physician (b. 1923)
- 2007 – Benny Parsons, American race car driver and sportscaster (b. 1941)
- 2009 – Joe Erskine, American boxer and runner (b. 1930)
- 2009 – John Mortimer, English lawyer and author (b. 1923)
- 2009 – Andrew Wyeth, American painter (b. 1917)
- 2010 – Glen Bell, American businessman, founded Taco Bell (b. 1923)
- 2010 – Jyoti Basu, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Chief Minister of West Bengal (b. 1914)
- 2010 – Takumi Shibano, Japanese author and translator (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Joe Bygraves, Jamaican-English boxer (b. 1931)
- 2012 – Jimmy Castor, American singer-songwriter and saxophonist (b. 1940)
- 2012 – Sigursteinn Gíslason, Icelandic footballer and manager (b. 1968)
- 2012 – Lorna Kesterson, American journalist and politician (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Gustav Leonhardt, Dutch pianist, conductor, and musicologist (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Wayne D. Anderson, American baseball player and coach (b. 1930)
- 2013 – André Cassagnes, French technician and toy maker, created the Etch A Sketch (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Gussie Moran, American tennis player and sportscaster (b. 1923)
- 2013 – Pauline Phillips, American journalist and radio host, created Dear Abby (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Glen P. Robinson, American businessman, founded Scientific Atlanta (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Gary Arlington, American author and illustrator (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Ruth Duccini, American actress (b. 1918)
- 2014 – Dave Madden, Canadian-American actor (b. 1931)
- 2014 – Hiroo Onoda, Japanese lieutenant (b. 1922)
- 2015 – Miriam Akavia, Polish-Israeli author and translator (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Yao Beina, Chinese singer (b. 1981)
- 2016 – Joannis Avramidis, Greek sculptor (b. 1922)
- 2016 – Ted Marchibroda, American football player and coach (b. 1931)
- 2017 – Eugene Cernan, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1934)
- 2018 – Ed Doolan, British radio presenter (b. 1941)
- 2018 – Oliver Ivanović, Kosovo Serb politician (b. 1953)
- 2019 – John C. Bogle, American businessman, investor, and philanthropist (b. 1929)
- 2019 – Lorna Doom, American musician (b. 1958)
- 2019 – Chris Wilson, Australian musician (b. 1956)
- 2020 – Christopher Tolkien, British academic and editor (died 2020)
Holidays and observances on January 16
- Christian feast day:
- Pope Benjamin (Coptic)
- Berard of Carbio
- Blaise (Armenian Apostolic)
- Fursey
- Joseph Vaz
- Honoratus of Arles
- Pope Marcellus I
- Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Coptic Church)
- Titian of Oderzo
- Eve of Saint Anthony observed with ritual bonfires in San Bartolomé de Pinares
- January 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- National Religious Freedom Day (United States)
- Teacher’s Day (Myanmar)
- Teachers’ Day (Thailand)