1519

  • March 22 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 106 – Start of the Bostran era, the calendar of the province of Arabia Petraea.
    • 238 – Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperors.
    • 871 – Æthelred of Wessex is defeated by a Danish invasion army at the Battle of Marton.
    • 1508 – Ferdinand II of Aragon commissions Amerigo Vespucci chief navigator of the Spanish Empire.
    • 1621 – The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony sign a peace treaty with Massasoit of the Wampanoags.
    • 1622 – Jamestown massacre: Algonquians kill 347 English settlers around Jamestown, Virginia, a third of the colony’s population, during the Second Anglo-Powhatan War.
    • 1630 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony outlaws the possession of cards, dice, and gaming tables.
    • 1638 – Anne Hutchinson is expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony for religious dissent.
    • 1713 – The Tuscarora War comes to an end with the fall of Fort Neoheroka, effectively opening up the interior of North Carolina to European colonization.
    • 1739 – Nader Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne.
    • 1765 – The British Parliament passes the Stamp Act that introduces a tax to be levied directly on its American colonies.
    • 1784 – The Emerald Buddha is moved with great ceremony to its current location in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand.
    • 1829 – In the London Protocol, the three protecting powers (United Kingdom, France and Russia) establish the borders of Greece.
    • 1849 – The Austrians defeat the Piedmontese at the Battle of Novara.
    • 1871 – In North Carolina, William Woods Holden becomes the first governor of a U.S. state to be removed from office by impeachment.
    • 1872 – Illinois becomes the first state to require gender equality in employment.
    • 1873 – The Spanish National Assembly abolishes slavery in Puerto Rico.
    • 1894 – The first playoff game for the Stanley Cup starts.
    • 1906 – The first England vs France rugby union match is played at Parc des Princes in Paris
    • 1920 – Azeri and Turkish army soldiers with participation of Kurdish gangs attacked the Armenian inhabitants of Shushi (Nagorno Karabakh).
    • 1933 – Cullen–Harrison Act: President Franklin Roosevelt signs an amendment to the Volstead Act, legalizing the manufacture and sale of “3.2 beer” (3.2% alcohol by weight, approximately 4% alcohol by volume) and light wines.
    • 1939 – Germany takes Memel from Lithuania.
    • 1942 – World War II: In the Mediterranean Sea, the Royal Navy confronts Italy’s Regia Marina in the Second Battle of Sirte.
    • 1943 – World War II: The entire village of Khatyn (in what is the present-day Republic of Belarus) is burnt alive by Schutzmannschaft Battalion 118.
    • 1945 – World War II: The city of Hildesheim, Germany heavily damaged in a British air raid, though it had little military significance and Germany was on the verge of final defeat.
    • 1945 – The Arab League is founded when a charter is adopted in Cairo, Egypt.
    • 1960 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes receive the first patent for a laser.
    • 1972 – The United States Congress sends the Equal Rights Amendment to the states for ratification.
    • 1972 – In Eisenstadt v. Baird, the United States Supreme Court decides that unmarried persons have the right to possess contraceptives.
    • 1975 – A fire at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Decatur, Alabama causes a dangerous reduction in cooling water levels.
    • 1978 – Karl Wallenda of The Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope suspended between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
    • 1982 – NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia is launched from the Kennedy Space Center on its third mission, STS-3.
    • 1992 – USAir Flight 405 crashes shortly after takeoff from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport, leading to a number of studies into the effect that ice has on aircraft.
    • 1992 – Fall of communism in Albania: The Democratic Party of Albania wins a decisive majority in the parliamentary election.
    • 1993 – The Intel Corporation ships the first Pentium chips (80586), featuring a 60 MHz clock speed, 100+ MIPS, and a 64 bit data path.
    • 1995 – Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov returns to earth after setting a record of 438 days in space.
    • 1997 – Tara Lipinski, aged 14 years and nine months, becomes the youngest women’s World Figure Skating Champion.
    • 2004 – Ahmed Yassin, co-founder and leader of the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group Hamas, two bodyguards, and nine civilian bystanders are killed in the Gaza Strip when hit by Israeli Air Force Hellfire missiles.
    • 2006 – Three Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) hostages are freed by British forces in Baghdad after 118 days of captivity and the murder of their colleague from the U.S., Tom Fox.
    • 2013 – At least 37 people are killed and 200 are injured after a fire destroys a camp containing Burmese refugees near Ban Mae, Thailand.
    • 2016 – Three suicide bombers kill 32 people and injure 316 in the 2016 Brussels bombings at the airport and at the Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station.
    • 2017 – A terrorist attack in London near the Houses of Parliament leaves four people dead and at least 20 injured.
    • 2019 – Robert S. Mueller III delivers his report on the Russian government’s influence on the election of Donald Trump in the 2016 United States presidential election.
    • 2019 – Two buses crashes in Kitampo, a town north of Ghana’s capital Accra, killing at least 50 people.
    • 2020 – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces the country’s largest ever self-imposed curfew, in an effort to fight the spread of COVID-19.

    Births on March 22

    • 841 – Bernard Plantapilosa, Frankish son of Bernard of Septimania (d. 885)
    • 875 – William I, Duke of Aquitaine (d. 918)
    • 1212 – Emperor Go-Horikawa of Japan (d. 1235)
    • 1367 – Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, English politician, Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom (probable; d. 1399)
    • 1394 – Ulugh Beg, Persian astronomer and mathematician (d. 1449)
    • 1459 – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1519)
    • 1499 – Johann Carion, German astrologer and chronicler (d. 1537)
    • 1503 – Antonio Francesco Grazzini, Italian author and educator (d. 1583)
    • 1517 – Gioseffo Zarlino, Italian composer (d. 1590)
    • 1519 – Catherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, English noblewoman (d. 1580)
    • 1582 – John Williams, Archbishop of York (d. 1650)
    • 1599 – Anthony van Dyck, Flemish-English painter and etcher (d. 1641)
    • 1609 – John II Casimir Vasa, Polish king (d. 1672)
    • 1615 – Katherine Jones, Viscountess Ranelagh, British scientist (d. 1691)
    • 1663 – August Hermann Francke, German clergyman, philanthropist, and scholar (d. 1727)
    • 1684 – William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath, English politician, Secretary at War (d. 1764)
    • 1712 – Edward Moore, English poet and playwright (d. 1757)
    • 1720 – Nicolas-Henri Jardin, French architect, designed the Yellow Palace and Bernstorff Palace (d. 1799)
    • 1723 – Charles Carroll, American lawyer and politician (d. 1783)
    • 1728 – Anton Raphael Mengs, German painter and theorist (d. 1779)
    • 1785 – Adam Sedgwick, English scientist (d. 1873)
    • 1797 – William I, German Emperor (d. 1888)
    • 1808 – Caroline Norton, English feminist, social reformer, and author (d. 1877)
    • 1808 – David Swinson Maynard, American physician and lawyer (d. 1873)
    • 1812 – Stephen Pearl Andrews, American author and activist (d. 1886)
    • 1814 – Thomas Crawford, American sculptor, designed the Statue of Freedom (d. 1857)
    • 1817 – Braxton Bragg, American general (d. 1876)
    • 1818 – John Ainsworth Horrocks, English-Australian explorer, founded Penwortham (d. 1846)
    • 1822 – Ahmed Cevdet Pasha, Ottoman sociologist, historian, scholar, statesman and jurist (d. 1895)
    • 1842 – Mykola Lysenko, Ukrainian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1912)
    • 1846 – Randolph Caldecott, English illustrator and painter (d. 1886)
    • 1846 – James Timberlake, American lieutenant, police officer, and farmer (d. 1891)
    • 1852 – Otakar Ševčík, Czech violinist and educator (d. 1934)
    • 1852 – Hector Sévin, French cardinal (d. 1916)
    • 1855 – Dorothy Tennant, British painter (d. 1926)
    • 1857 – Paul Doumer, French mathematician, journalist, and politician, 14th President of France (d. 1932)
    • 1866 – Jack Boyle, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1913)
    • 1868 – Robert Andrews Millikan, American colonel and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1953)
    • 1869 – Tom McInnes, Scottish-English footballer (d. 1939)
    • 1873 – Ernest Lawson, Canadian-American painter (d. 1939)
    • 1880 – Ernest C. Quigley, Canadian-American football player and coach (d. 1960)
    • 1884 – Arthur H. Vandenberg, American journalist and politician (d. 1951)
    • 1884 – Lyda Borelli, Italian actress (d. 1959)
    • 1885 – Aryeh Levin, Polish-Lithuanian rabbi and educator (d. 1969)
    • 1886 – August Rei, Estonian lawyer and politician, Head of State of Estonia (d. 1963)
    • 1887 – Chico Marx, American actor (d. 1961)
    • 1890 – George Clark, American race car driver (d. 1978)
    • 1892 – Charlie Poole, American country banjo player (d. 1931)
    • 1892 – Johannes Semper, Estonian poet and scholar (d. 1970)
    • 1896 – He Long, Chinese general and politician, 1st Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (d. 1969)
    • 1896 – Joseph Schildkraut, Austrian-American actor (d. 1964)
    • 1899 – Ruth Page, American ballerina and choreographer (d. 1991)
    • 1901 – Greta Kempton, Austrian-American painter (d. 1991)
    • 1902 – Johannes Brinkman, Dutch architect, designed the Van Nelle Factory (d. 1949)
    • 1902 – Madeleine Milhaud, French actress and composer (d. 2008)
    • 1903 – Bill Holman, American cartoonist (d. 1987)
    • 1907 – James M. Gavin, American general and diplomat, United States Ambassador to France (d. 1990)
    • 1908 – Jack Crawford, Australian tennis player (d. 1991)
    • 1908 – Louis L’Amour, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1988)
    • 1909 – Gabrielle Roy, Canadian author and educator (d. 1983)
    • 1910 – Nicholas Monsarrat, English sailor and author (d. 1979)
    • 1912 – Wilfrid Brambell, Irish actor and performer (d. 1985)
    • 1912 – Karl Malden, American actor (d. 2009)
    • 1912 – Agnes Martin, Canadian-American painter and educator (d. 2004)
    • 1912 – Leslie Johnson, English race car driver (d. 1959)
    • 1913 – Tom McCall, American journalist and politician, 30th Governor of Oregon (d. 1983)
    • 1913 – Lew Wasserman, American businessman and talent agent (d. 2002)
    • 1913 – James Westerfield, American actor (d. 1971)
    • 1914 – John Stanley, American author and illustrator (d. 1993)
    • 1914 – Donald Stokes, Baron Stokes, English businessman (d. 2008)
    • 1917 – Virginia Grey, American actress (d. 2004)
    • 1917 – Irving Kaplansky, Canadian-American mathematician and academic (d. 2006)
    • 1917 – Paul Rogers, English actor (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Cheddi Jagan, Guyanese politician, 4th President of Guyana (d. 1997)
    • 1919 – Bernard Krigstein, American illustrator (d. 1990)
    • 1920 – James Brown, American actor and singer (d. 1992)
    • 1920 – Werner Klemperer, German-American actor (d. 2000)
    • 1920 – Lloyd MacPhail, Canadian businessman and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island (d. 1995)
    • 1920 – Fanny Waterman, English pianist and educator, founded the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition
    • 1920 – Katsuko Saruhashi, Japanese geochemist (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – Ross Martin, American actor (d. 1981)
    • 1921 – Nino Manfredi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1922 – John J. Gilligan, American lieutenant and politician, 62nd Governor of Ohio (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Marcel Marceau, French mime and actor (d. 2007)
    • 1924 – Al Neuharth, American journalist and author, founded USA Today (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – Yevgeny Ostashev, Russian test pilot, participant in the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite (d. 1960)
    • 1924 – Osman F. Seden, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1998)
    • 1924 – Bill Wendell, American television announcer (d. 1999)
    • 1927 – Marty Blake, American basketball player and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Nicolas Tikhomiroff, Russian photographer (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – Carrie Donovan, American journalist (d. 2001)
    • 1928 – E. D. Hirsch, American author, critic, and academic
    • 1928 – Ed Macauley, American basketball player, coach, and priest (d. 2011)
    • 1929 – Yayoi Kusama, Japanese artist
    • 1929 – P. Ramlee, Malaysian actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. (d. 1973)
    • 1930 – Derek Bok, American lawyer and academic
    • 1930 – Pat Robertson, American minister and broadcaster, founded the Christian Broadcasting Network
    • 1930 – Stephen Sondheim, American composer and songwriter
    • 1931 – Burton Richter, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
    • 1931 – William Shatner, Canadian actor
    • 1931 – Leslie Thomas, Welsh journalist and author (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Els Borst, Dutch physician and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Larry Evans, American chess player and journalist (d. 2010)
    • 1933 – Abolhassan Banisadr, Iranian economist and politician, 1st President of Iran
    • 1934 – May Britt, Swedish actress
    • 1934 – Sheila Cameron, English lawyer and judge
    • 1934 – Orrin Hatch, American lawyer and politician
    • 1935 – Lea Pericoli, Italian tennis player and journalist
    • 1935 – Frank Pulli, American baseball player and umpire (d. 2013)
    • 1935 – M. Emmet Walsh, American actor
    • 1936 – Ron Carey, American trade union leader (d. 2008)
    • 1936 – Roger Whittaker, Kenyan-English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1936 – Erol Büyükburç, Turkish singer-songwriter, pop music composer, and actor (d. 2015)
    • 1937 – Angelo Badalamenti, American pianist and composer
    • 1937 – Armin Hary, German sprinter
    • 1937 – Jon Hassell, American trumpet player and composer
    • 1938 – Rein Etruk, Estonian chess player (d. 2012)
    • 1940 – Dave Keon, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1940 – Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-American physician and author (d. 1996)
    • 1940 – George Edward Alcorn, Jr. American physicist and inventor
    • 1941 – Billy Collins, American poet
    • 1941 – Jeremy Clyde, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1941 – Bruno Ganz, Swiss actor (d. 2019)
    • 1941 – Cassam Uteem, Mauritian politician, 2nd President of Mauritius
    • 1942 – Jorge Ben Jor, Brazilian singer-songwriter
    • 1942 – Dick Pound, Canadian lawyer and academic
    • 1943 – George Benson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1943 – Nazem Ganjapour, Iranian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1943 – Keith Relf, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1976)
    • 1945 – Eric Roth, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1946 – Don Chaney, American basketball player and coach
    • 1946 – Rivka Golani, Israeli viola player and composer
    • 1946 – Rudy Rucker, American mathematician, computer scientist, and author
    • 1946 – Harry Vanda, Dutch-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1947 – George Ferguson, English architect and politician, 1st Mayor of Bristol
    • 1947 – James Patterson, American author and producer
    • 1947 – Maarten van Gent, Dutch basketball player and coach
    • 1948 – Andrew Lloyd Webber, English composer and director
    • 1949 – Fanny Ardant, French actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1949 – Brian Hanrahan, English journalist (d. 2010)
    • 1952 – Des Browne, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
    • 1953 – Kenneth Rogoff, American economist and chess grandmaster
    • 1955 – Lena Olin, Swedish actress
    • 1955 – Pete Sessions, American politician
    • 1955 – Valdis Zatlers, Latvian physician and politician, 7th President of Latvia
    • 1956 – Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (born María Teresa Mestre y Batista)
    • 1957 – Jürgen Bucher, German footballer
    • 1957 – Stephanie Mills, American actress and singer
    • 1959 – Matthew Modine, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1960 – Tarmo Laht, Estonian architect
    • 1960 – Lauri Vahtre, Estonian historian and politician
    • 1961 – Simon Furman, British comic book writer
    • 1963 – Deborah Bull, English ballerina
    • 1963 – Susan Ann Sulley, English pop singer (The Human League)
    • 1963 – Martin Vizcarra, Peruvian engineer and politician, 67th President of Peru
    • 1964 – David Gillespie, Australian rugby league player
    • 1966 – Pia Cayetano, Filipino lawyer and politician
    • 1966 – Todd Ewen, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1966 – Artis Pabriks, Latvian academic and politician, 11th Minister for Defence of Latvia
    • 1966 – António Pinto, Portuguese runner
    • 1966 – Brian Shaw, American basketball player and coach
    • 1967 – Mario Cipollini, Italian cyclist
    • 1967 – Bernie Gallacher, Scottish-English footballer (d. 2011)
    • 1970 – Andreas Johnson, Swedish singer-songwriter
    • 1970 – Leontien van Moorsel, Dutch cyclist
    • 1970 – Hwang Young-cho, South Korean runner
    • 1971 – Keegan-Michael Key, American actor, comedian, and writer
    • 1972 – Shawn Bradley, German-American basketball player, coach, and actor
    • 1972 – Cory Lidle, American baseball player (d. 2006)
    • 1972 – Elvis Stojko, Canadian figure skater and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Beverley Knight, English singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1974 – Marcus Camby, American basketball player
    • 1974 – Philippe Clement, Belgian footballer
    • 1974 – Geo Meneses, Mexican producer and singer
    • 1975 – Cole Hauser, American actor and producer
    • 1975 – Jiří Novák, Czech-Monegasque tennis player
    • 1976 – Teun de Nooijer, Dutch field hockey player
    • 1976 – Kathryn Jean Lopez, American journalist
    • 1976 – Asako Toki, Japanese singer-songwriter
    • 1976 – Kellie Shanygne Williams, American actress
    • 1976 – Reese Witherspoon, American actress and producer
    • 1977 – Joey Porter, American football player and coach
    • 1977 – Tom Poti, American ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Aaron North, American guitarist
    • 1979 – Juan Uribe, Dominican baseball player
    • 1981 – Arne Gabius, German runner
    • 1982 – Piá, Brazilian footballer
    • 1982 – Enrico Gasparotto, Italian cyclist
    • 1982 – Michael Janyk, Canadian skier
    • 1984 – Piotr Trochowski, German footballer
    • 1985 – Mayola Biboko, Belgian footballer
    • 1985 – Jakob Fuglsang, Danish cyclist
    • 1985 – Mike Jenkins, American football player
    • 1985 – Justin Masterson, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Kelli Waite, Australian swimmer
    • 1986 – David Choi, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1986 – Dexter Fowler, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Ike Davis, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Jairo Mora Sandoval, Costa Rican environmentalist (d. 2013)
    • 1987 – Liam Doran, British rally cross driver
    • 1989 – Ruben Popa, Romanian footballer
    • 1989 – J. J. Watt, American football player
    • 1989 – Tyler Oakley, American internet celebrity

    Deaths on March 22

    • 880 – Carloman of Bavaria, Frankish king
    • 1144 – William of Norwich, child murder victim
    • 1322 – Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, English politician, Lord High Steward of England (b. 1278)
    • 1418 – Dietrich of Nieheim, German bishop and historian (b. 1345)
    • 1421 – Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, English soldier and politician, Lord High Steward of England (b. 1388)
    • 1454 – John Kemp, Archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1471 – George of Poděbrady (b. 1420)
    • 1544 – Johannes Magnus, Swedish archbishop and theologian (b. 1488)
    • 1602 – Agostino Carracci, Italian painter and educator (b. 1557)
    • 1685 – Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (b. 1638)
    • 1687 – Jean-Baptiste Lully, Italian-French composer and conductor (b. 1632)
    • 1758 – Jonathan Edwards, English minister, theologian, and philosopher (b. 1703)
    • 1772 – John Canton, English physicist and academic (b. 1718)
    • 1820 – Stephen Decatur, American commander (b. 1779)
    • 1832 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German novelist, poet, playwright, and diplomat (b. 1749)
    • 1840 – Étienne Bobillier, French mathematician and academic (b. 1798)
    • 1864 – Konstanty Kalinowski, writer, journalist, lawyer and revolutionary (b. 1838)
    • 1881 – Samuel Courtauld, English businessman (b. 1793)
    • 1896 – Thomas Hughes, English lawyer and politician (b. 1822)
    • 1913 – Song Jiaoren, Chinese educator and politician (b. 1882)
    • 1913 – Ruggero Oddi, Italian physiologist and anatomist (b.1864)
    • 1924 – William Macewen, Scottish surgeon and neuroscientist (b. 1848)
    • 1931 – James Campbell, 1st Baron Glenavy, Irish lawyer and politician (b. 1851)
    • 1942 – Frederick Cuming, English cricketer (b. 1875)
    • 1942 – William Donne, English captain and cricketer (b. 1875)
    • 1945 – John Hessin Clarke, American lawyer and judge (b. 1857)
    • 1952 – D. S. Senanayake, 1st Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (b. 1883)
    • 1955 – Ivan Šubašić, Croatian lawyer and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1892)
    • 1958 – Mike Todd, American film producer (b. 1909)
    • 1960 – José Antonio Aguirre, Spanish lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Basque Country (b. 1904)
    • 1966 – John Harlin, American mountaineer and pilot (b. 1935)
    • 1971 – Johannes Villemson, Estonian-American runner (b. 1893)
    • 1971 – Nella Walker, American actress and vaudevillian (b. 1886)
    • 1974 – Peter Revson, American race car driver (b. 1939)
    • 1974 – Orazio Satta Puliga, Italian automobile designer (b. 1910)
    • 1976 – John Dwyer McLaughlin, American painter (b. 1898)
    • 1977 – A. K. Gopalan, Indian educator and politician (b. 1904)
    • 1978 – Karl Wallenda, German-American acrobat and tightrope walker, founded The Flying Wallendas (b. 1905)
    • 1979 – Ben Lyon, American actor and studio executive (b. 1901)
    • 1981 – James Elliott, American runner and coach (b. 1915)
    • 1981 – Gil Puyat, Filipino businessman and politician, 13th President of the Senate of the Philippines (b. 1907)
    • 1986 – Olive Deering, American actress (b. 1918)
    • 1986 – Mark Dinning, American singer (b. 1933)
    • 1987 – Odysseas Angelis, Greek general and politician (b. 1912)
    • 1989 – Peta Taylor, English cricketer (b. 1912)
    • 1990 – Gerald Bull, Canadian engineer and academic (b. 1928)
    • 1991 – Léon Balcer, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Solicitor General of Canada (b. 1917)
    • 1991 – Paul Engle, American novelist, poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1908)
    • 1991 – Dave Guard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
    • 1991 – Gloria Holden, English-American actress (b. 1908)
    • 1993 – Steve Olin, American baseball player (b. 1965)
    • 1994 – Dan Hartman, American singer-songwriter, and producer (b. 1950)
    • 1994 – Walter Lantz, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1899)
    • 1996 – Don Murray, American drummer (b. 1945)
    • 1996 – Robert F. Overmyer, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1936)
    • 1996 – Billy Williamson, American guitarist (b. 1925)
    • 1999 – Max Beloff, Baron Beloff, English historian and academic (b. 1913)
    • 1999 – David Strickland, American actor (b. 1969)
    • 2000 – Carlo Parola, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1921)
    • 2001 – Stepas Butautas, Lithuanian basketball player and coach (b. 1925)
    • 2001 – Sabiha Gökçen, Turkish soldier and pilot (b. 1913)
    • 2001 – William Hanna, American animator, director, producer, and voice actor, co-founded Hanna-Barbera (b. 1910)
    • 2001 – Robert Fletcher Shaw, Canadian businessman, academic, and civil servant (b. 1910)
    • 2002 – Rudolf Baumgartner, Swiss violinist and conductor (b. 1917)
    • 2003 – Terry Lloyd, English journalist (b. 1952)
    • 2004 – Janet Akyüz Mattei, Turkish-American astronomer and academic (b. 1943)
    • 2004 – Ahmed Yassin, Co-founded Hamas (b. 1937)
    • 2004 – V. M. Tarkunde, Indian lawyer and civil rights activist (b. 1909)
    • 2005 – Rod Price, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1947)
    • 2005 – Gemini Ganesan, Indian film actor (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Kenzō Tange, Japanese architect, designed the Yoyogi National Gymnasium and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (b. 1913)
    • 2006 – Pierre Clostermann, French soldier, pilot, and politician (b. 1921)
    • 2006 – Pío Leyva, Cuban singer and author (b. 1917)
    • 2006 – Kurt von Trojan, Austrian-Australian journalist and author (b. 1937)
    • 2007 – U. G. Krishnamurti, Indian-Italian philosopher and educator (b. 1918)
    • 2008 – Cachao López, Cuban-American bassist and composer (b. 1918)
    • 2010 – James Black, Scottish biologist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1924)
    • 2010 – Özhan Canaydın, Turkish basketball player and businessman (b. 1943)
    • 2011 – Artur Agostinho, Portuguese journalist (b. 1920)
    • 2011 – Victor Bouchard, Canadian pianist and composer (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Joe Blanchard, American football player and wrestler (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – John Payton, American lawyer and activist (b. 1946)
    • 2012 – Matthew White Ridley, 4th Viscount Ridley, English academic and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Mickey Sullivan, American baseball player and coach (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – David Waltz, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1943)
    • 2012 – Neil L. Whitehead, English anthropologist and author (b. 1956)
    • 2013 – Vladimír Čech, Czech actor and politician (b. 1951)
    • 2013 – James Nabrit, American lawyer and academic (b. 1932)
    • 2013 – Bebo Valdés, Cuban-Swedish pianist and composer (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Derek Watkins, English trumpet player and composer (b. 1945)
    • 2013 – Ray Williams, American basketball player and coach (b. 1954)
    • 2014 – Yashwant Vithoba Chittal, Indian author (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Mickey Duff, Polish-English boxer and manager (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Thor Listau, Norwegian soldier and politician (b. 1938)
    • 2014 – Tasos Mitsopoulos, Cypriot politician, Cypriot Minister of Defence (b. 1965)
    • 2015 – Arkady Arkanov, Ukrainian-Russian actor and playwright (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Horst Buhtz, German footballer and manager (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – George Neel, Jr., American businessman (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Norman Scribner, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1936)
    • 2016 – Phife Dawg, American rapper (b. 1970)
    • 2016 – Rob Ford, Canadian businessman and politician, 64th Mayor of Toronto (b. 1969)
    • 2016 – Rita Gam, American actress (b. 1927)
    • 2018 – Johan van Hulst, Dutch politician, academic and author, Yad Vashem recipient (b. 1911)

    Holidays and observances on March 22

    • Bihar Day (Bihar, India)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Basil of Ancyra
      • Blessed Clemens August Graf von Galen
      • Darerca of Ireland
      • Epaphroditus
      • Jonathan Edwards (Lutheranism)
      • Lea of Rome
      • Nicholas Owen
      • Paul of Narbonne
      • March 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Easter Sunday can fall (last in 1818, will not happen again until 2285), while April 25 is the latest. (Christianity)
    • Emancipation Day or Día de la Abolición de la Esclavitud (Puerto Rico)
    • World Water Day (International)
  • March 4- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • AD 51 – Nero, later to become Roman emperor, is given the title princeps iuventutis (head of the youth).
    • 306 – Martyrdom of Saint Adrian of Nicomedia.
    • 852 – Croatian Knez Trpimir I issues a statute, a document with the first known written mention of the Croats name in Croatian sources.
    • 938 – Translation of the relics of martyr Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia, Prince of the Czechs.
    • 1152 – Frederick I Barbarossa is elected King of Germany.
    • 1238 – The Battle of the Sit River is fought in the northern part of the present-day Yaroslavl Oblast of Russia between the Mongol hordes of Batu Khan and the Russians under Yuri II of Vladimir-Suzdal during the Mongol invasion of Rus’.
    • 1351 – Ramathibodi becomes King of Siam.
    • 1386 – Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila) is crowned King of Poland.
    • 1461 – Wars of the Roses in England: Lancastrian King Henry VI is deposed by his House of York cousin, who then becomes King Edward IV.
    • 1493 – Explorer Christopher Columbus arrives back in Lisbon, Portugal, aboard his ship Niña from his voyage to what are now The Bahamas and other islands in the Caribbean.
    • 1519 – Hernán Cortés arrives in Mexico in search of the Aztec civilization and its wealth.
    • 1628 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony is granted a Royal charter.
    • 1665 – English King Charles II declares war on the Netherlands marking the start of the Second Anglo-Dutch War.
    • 1675 – John Flamsteed is appointed the first Astronomer Royal of England.
    • 1681 – Charles II grants a land charter to William Penn for the area that will later become Pennsylvania.
    • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: The Continental Army fortifies Dorchester Heights with cannon, leading the British troops to abandon the Siege of Boston.
    • 1789 – In New York City, the first Congress of the United States meets, putting the United States Constitution into effect. The United States Bill of Rights is written and proposed to Congress.
    • 1790 – France is divided into 83 départements, cutting across the former provinces in an attempt to dislodge regional loyalties based on ownership of land by the nobility.
    • 1791 – The Constitutional Act of 1791 is introduced by the British House of Commons in London which envisages the separation of Canada into Lower Canada (Quebec) and Upper Canada (Ontario).
    • 1791 – Vermont is admitted to the United States as the fourteenth state.
    • 1794 – The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is passed by the U.S. Congress.
    • 1797 – John Adams is inaugurated as the 2nd President of the United States of America, becoming the first President to begin his presidency on March 4.
    • 1804 – Castle Hill Rebellion: Irish convicts rebel against British colonial authority in the Colony of New South Wales.
    • 1813 – Cyril VI of Constantinople is elected Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
    • 1814 – Americans defeat British forces at the Battle of Longwoods between London, Ontario and Thamesville, near present-day Wardsville, Ontario.
    • 1837 – The city of Chicago is incorporated.
    • 1848 – Carlo Alberto di Savoia signs the Statuto Albertino that will later represent the first constitution of the Regno d’Italia.
    • 1849 – President-Elect Zachary Taylor and Vice President-Elect Millard Fillmore did not take their respective oaths of office (they did so the following day), leading to the erroneous theory that outgoing President pro tempore of the United States Senate David Rice Atchison had assumed the role of acting president for one day.
    • 1861 – The first national flag of the Confederate States of America (the “Stars and Bars”) is adopted.
    • 1865 – The third and final national flag of the Confederate States of America is adopted by the Confederate Congress.
    • 1882 – Britain’s first electric trams run in east London.
    • 1890 – The longest bridge in Great Britain, the Forth Bridge in Scotland, measuring 1,710 feet (520 m) long, is opened by the Duke of Rothesay, later King Edward VII.
    • 1899 – Cyclone Mahina sweeps in north of Cooktown, Queensland, with a 12 metres (39 ft) wave that reaches up to 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) inland, killing over 300.
    • 1908 – The Collinwood school fire, Collinwood near Cleveland, Ohio, kills 174 people.
    • 1909 – U.S. President William Taft used what became known as a Saxbe fix, a mechanism to avoid the restriction of the U.S. Constitution’s Ineligibility Clause, to appoint Philander C. Knox as U.S. Secretary of State.
    • 1913 – First Balkan War: The Greek army engages the Turks at Bizani, resulting in victory two days later.
    • 1913 – The United States Department of Labor is formed.
    • 1917 – Jeannette Rankin of Montana becomes the first female member of the United States House of Representatives.
    • 1933 – Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the 32nd President of the United States.
    • 1933 – Frances Perkins becomes United States Secretary of Labor, the first female member of the United States Cabinet.
    • 1933 – The Parliament of Austria is suspended because of a quibble over procedure – Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss initiates an authoritarian rule by decree.
    • 1941 – World War II: The United Kingdom launches Operation Claymore on the Lofoten Islands; the first large scale British Commando raid.
    • 1943 – World War II: The Battle of the Bismarck Sea in the south-west Pacific comes to an end.
    • 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Fardykambos, one of the first major battles between the Greek Resistance and the occupying Royal Italian Army, begins. It ends on 6 March with the surrender of an entire Italian battalion and the liberation of the town of Grevena.
    • 1944 – World War II: After the success of Big Week, the USAAF begins a daylight bombing campaign of Berlin.
    • 1957 – The S&P 500 stock market index is introduced, replacing the S&P 90.
    • 1960 – The French freighter La Coubre explodes in Havana, Cuba, killing 100.
    • 1962 – A Caledonian Airways Douglas DC-7 crashes shortly after takeoff from Cameroon, killing 111 – the worst crash of a DC-7.
    • 1966 – A Canadian Pacific Air Lines DC-8-43 explodes on landing at Tokyo International Airport, killing 64 people.
    • 1966 – In an interview in the London Evening Standard, The Beatles’ John Lennon declares that the band is “more popular than Jesus now”.
    • 1970 – French submarine Eurydice explodes underwater, resulting in the loss of the entire 57-man crew.
    • 1974 – People magazine is published for the first time in the United States as People Weekly.
    • 1976 – The Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention is formally dissolved in Northern Ireland resulting in direct rule of Northern Ireland from London by the British parliament.
    • 1977 – The 1977 Vrancea earthquake in eastern and southern Europe kills more than 1,500, mostly in Bucharest, Romania.
    • 1980 – Nationalist leader Robert Mugabe wins a sweeping election victory to become Zimbabwe’s first black prime minister.
    • 1985 – The Food and Drug Administration approves a blood test for AIDS infection, used since then for screening all blood donations in the United States.
    • 1986 – The Soviet Vega 1 begins returning images of Halley’s Comet and the first images of its nucleus.
    • 1990 – American basketball player Hank Gathers dies after collapsing during the semifinals of a West Coast Conference Tournament game.
    • 1996 – A derailed train in Weyauwega, Wisconsin (USA) causes the emergency evacuation of 2,300 people for 16 days.
    • 1998 – Gay rights: Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc.: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that federal laws banning on-the-job sexual harassment also apply when both parties are the same sex.
    • 2001 – BBC bombing: A massive car bomb explodes in front of the BBC Television Centre in London, seriously injuring one person; the attack was attributed to the Real IRA.
    • 2002 – Afghanistan: Seven American Special Operations Forces soldiers and 200 Al-Qaeda Fighters are killed as American forces attempt to infiltrate the Shah-i-Kot Valley on a low-flying helicopter reconnaissance mission.
    • 2009 – The International Criminal Court (ICC) issues an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Al-Bashir is the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the ICC since its establishment in 2002.
    • 2012 – A series of explosions is reported at a munitions dump in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, killing at least 250 people.
    • 2015 – At least 34 miners die in a suspected gas explosion at the Zasyadko coal mine in the rebel-held Donetsk region of Ukraine.
    • 2018 – Former MI6 spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter are poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, England, causing a diplomatic uproar that results in mass-expulsions of diplomats from all countries involved.
    • 2019 – The Indian Attack submarine was spotted by the Pakistan Navy.
    • 2020 – Former Daredevil Nik Wallenda is the first person to walk over the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua.

    Births on March 4

    • 895 – Liu Zhiyuan, founder of the Later Han Dynasty (d. 948)
    • 977 – Al-Musabbihi, Fatimid historian and official (d. 1030)
    • 1188 – Blanche of Castile, French queen consort (d. 1252)
    • 1394 – Henry the Navigator, Portuguese explorer (d. 1460)
    • 1484 – George, margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (d. 1543)
    • 1492 – Francesco de Layolle, Italian organist and composer (d. 1540)
    • 1502 – Elisabeth of Hesse, princess of Saxony (d. 1557)
    • 1519 – Hindal Mirza, Mughal emperor (d. 1551)
    • 1526 – Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon (d. 1596)
    • 1602 – Kanō Tan’yū, Japanese painter (d. 1674)
    • 1634 – Kazimierz Łyszczyński, Polish philosopher (d. 1689)
    • 1651 – John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, English lawyer, jurist, and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (d. 1716)
    • 1655 – Fra Galgario, Italian painter (d. 1743)
    • 1665 – Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, Swedish soldier (d. 1694)
    • 1678 – Antonio Vivaldi, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1741)
    • 1702 – Jack Sheppard, English criminal (d. 1724)
    • 1706 – Lauritz de Thurah, Danish architect, designed the Hermitage Hunting Lodge and Gammel Holtegård (d. 1759)
    • 1715 – James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave, English historian and politician (d. 1763)
    • 1719 – George Pigot, 1st Baron Pigot, English politician (d. 1777)
    • 1729 – Anne d’Arpajon, French wife of Philippe de Noailles (d. 1794)
    • 1745 – Charles Dibdin, English actor, playwright, and composer (d. 1814)
    • 1745 – Casimir Pulaski, Polish-American general (d. 1779)
    • 1756 – Henry Raeburn, Scottish painter and educator (d. 1823)
    • 1760 – William Payne, English painter (d. 1830)
    • 1760 – Hugh Ronalds, British nurseryman who cultivated and documented 300 varieties of apples (d. 1833)
    • 1769 – Muhammad Ali, Ottoman military leader and pasha (d. 1849)
    • 1770 – Joseph Jacotot, French philosopher and academic (d. 1840)
    • 1778 – Robert Emmet, Irish commander (d. 1803)
    • 1781 – Rebecca Gratz, American educator and philanthropist (d. 1869)
    • 1782 – Johann Rudolf Wyss, Swiss philosopher, author, and academic (d. 1830)
    • 1792 – Isaac Lea, American conchologist, geologist, and publisher (d. 1886)
    • 1793 – Karl Lachmann, German philologist and critic (d. 1851)
    • 1814 – Napoleon Collins, Rear Admiral of the United States Navy during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War (d. 1875)
    • 1817 – Edwards Pierrepont, American lawyer and politician, 34th United States Attorney General (d. 1892)
    • 1820 – Francesco Bentivegna, Italian rebel leader (d. 1856)
    • 1822 – Jules Antoine Lissajous, French mathematician and academic (d. 1880)
    • 1823 – George Caron, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1902)
    • 1826 – August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein, German linguist, ethnographer, and theologian (d. 1907)
    • 1826 – John Buford, American general (d. 1863)
    • 1826 – Elme Marie Caro, French philosopher and academic (d. 1887)
    • 1826 – Theodore Judah, American engineer, founded the Central Pacific Railroad (d. 1863)
    • 1828 – Owen Wynne Jones, Welsh clergyman and poet (d. 1870)
    • 1838 – Paul Lacôme, French pianist, cellist, and composer (d. 1920)
    • 1847 – Carl Josef Bayer, Austrian chemist and academic (d. 1904)
    • 1851 – Alexandros Papadiamantis, Greek author and poet (d. 1911)
    • 1854 – Napier Shaw, English meteorologist and academic (d. 1945)
    • 1856 – Alfred William Rich, English painter, author, and educator (d. 1921)
    • 1861 – Arthur Cushman McGiffert, American theologian and author (d. 1933)
    • 1862 – Jacob Robert Emden, Swiss astrophysicist and meteorologist (d. 1940)
    • 1863 – R. I. Pocock, English zoologist and archaeologist (d. 1947)
    • 1863 – John Henry Wigmore, American academic and jurist (d. 1943)
    • 1864 – David W. Taylor, American admiral, architect, and engineer (d. 1940)
    • 1866 – Eugène Cosserat, French mathematician and astronomer (d. 1931)
    • 1867 – Jacob L. Beilhart, American activist, founded the Spirit Fruit Society (d. 1908)
    • 1867 – Charles Pelot Summerall, senior United States Army officer (d. 1955)
    • 1870 – Thomas Sturge Moore, English author and poet (d. 1944)
    • 1871 – Boris Galerkin, Russian mathematician and engineer (d. 1945)
    • 1873 – Guy Wetmore Carryl, American journalist and poet (d. 1904)
    • 1873 – John H. Trumbull, American colonel and politician, 70th Governor of Connecticut (d. 1961)
    • 1875 – Mihály Károlyi, Hungarian politician, President of the Hungary (d. 1955)
    • 1875 – Enrique Larreta, Argentinian historian and author (d. 1961)
    • 1876 – Léon-Paul Fargue, French poet and author (d. 1947)
    • 1876 – Theodore Hardeen, Hungarian-American magician (d. 1945)
    • 1877 – Alexander Goedicke, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1957)
    • 1877 – Fritz Graebner, German geographer and ethnologist (d. 1934)
    • 1877 – Garrett Morgan, African-American inventor (d. 1963)
    • 1878 – Takeo Arishima, Japanese author and critic (d. 1923)
    • 1878 – Egbert Van Alstyne, American pianist and songwriter (d. 1951)
    • 1879 – Bernhard Kellermann, German author and poet (d. 1951)
    • 1880 – Channing Pollock, American playwright and critic (d. 1946)
    • 1881 – Todor Aleksandrov, Bulgarian educator and activist (d. 1924)
    • 1881 – Thomas Sigismund Stribling, American lawyer and author (d. 1965)
    • 1881 – Richard C. Tolman, American physicist and chemist (d. 1948)
    • 1882 – Nicolae Titulescu, Romanian academic and politician, 61st Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1941)
    • 1883 – Maude Fealy, American actress and screenwriter (d. 1971)
    • 1883 – Robert Emmett Keane, American actor (d. 1981)
    • 1883 – Sam Langford, Canadian-American boxer (d. 1956)
    • 1884 – Red Murray, American baseball player (d. 1958)
    • 1884 – Lee Shumway, American actor (d. 1959)
    • 1886 – Paul Bazelaire, French cellist and composer (d. 1958)
    • 1888 – Rafaela Ottiano, Italian-American actress (d. 1942)
    • 1888 – Jeff Pfeffer, American baseball player (d. 1972)
    • 1888 – Emma Richter, German paleontologist (d. 1956)
    • 1888 – Knute Rockne, American football player and coach (d. 1931)
    • 1889 – Oscar Chisini, Italian mathematician and statistician (d. 1967)
    • 1889 – Oren E. Long, American soldier and politician, 10th Territorial Governor of Hawaii (d. 1965)
    • 1889 – Pearl White, American actress (d. 1938)
    • 1889 – Robert William Wood, English-American painter (d. 1979)
    • 1890 – Norman Bethune, Canadian soldier and physician (d. 1939)
    • 1891 – Dazzy Vance, American baseball player (d. 1961)
    • 1893 – Charles Herbert Colvin, American engineer, co-founded the Pioneer Instrument Company (d. 1985)
    • 1893 – Adolph Lowe, German sociologist and economist (d. 1995)
    • 1894 – Charles Corm, Lebanese businessman and philanthropist (d. 1963)
    • 1895 – Milt Gross, American animator, director, and screenwriter (d. 1953)
    • 1896 – Kai Holm, Danish actor and director (d. 1985)
    • 1897 – Lefty O’Doul, American baseball player and manager (d. 1969)
    • 1898 – Georges Dumézil, French philologist and academic (d. 1986)
    • 1898 – Hans Krebs, German general (d. 1945)
    • 1899 – Peter Illing, Austrian born, British film and television actor (d. 1966)
    • 1899 – Emilio Prados, Spanish poet and author (d. 1962)
    • 1900 – Herbert Biberman, American director and screenwriter (d. 1971)
    • 1901 – Wilbur R. Franks, Canadian scientist, invented the g-suit (d. 1986)
    • 1901 – Charles Goren, American bridge player and author (d. 1991)
    • 1901 – Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo, Malagasy-French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1937)
    • 1902 – Rachel Messerer, Lithuanian-Russian actress (d. 1993)
    • 1902 – Russell Reeder, American soldier and author (d. 1998)
    • 1903 – William C. Boyd, American immunologist and chemist (d. 1983)
    • 1903 – Malcolm Dole, American chemist and academic (d. 1990)
    • 1903 – Dorothy Mackaill, English-American actress and singer (d. 1990)
    • 1903 – John Scarne, American magician and author (d. 1985)
    • 1904 – Luis Carrero Blanco, Spanish admiral and politician, 69th President of the Government of Spain (d. 1973)
    • 1904 – George Gamow, Ukrainian-American physicist and cosmologist (d. 1968)
    • 1904 – Joseph Schmidt, Austrian-Hungarian tenor and actor (d. 1942)
    • 1906 – Meindert DeJong, Dutch-American soldier and author (d. 1991)
    • 1906 – Avery Fisher, American violinist and engineer, founded Fisher Electronics (d. 1994)
    • 1906 – Georges Ronsse, Belgian cyclist and manager (d. 1969)
    • 1907 – Edgar Barrier, American actor (d. 1964)
    • 1908 – T. R. M. Howard, American surgeon and activist (d. 1976)
    • 1908 – Thomas Shaw, American singer and guitarist (d. 1977)
    • 1909 – Harry Helmsley, American businessman (d. 1997)
    • 1909 – George Edward Holbrook, American chemist and engineer (d. 1987)
    • 1910 – Tancredo Neves, Brazilian lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Brazil (d. 1985)
    • 1911 – Charles Greville, 7th Earl of Warwick, English actor (d. 1984)
    • 1912 – Afro Basaldella, Italian painter and academic (d. 1976)
    • 1912 – Ferdinand Leitner, German conductor and composer (d. 1996)
    • 1912 – Carl Marzani, Italian-American activist and publisher (d. 1994)
    • 1913 – Taos Amrouche, Algerian singer and author (d. 1976)
    • 1913 – John Garfield, American actor and singer (d. 1952)
    • 1914 – Barbara Newhall Follett, American author (d. 1939)
    • 1914 – Ward Kimball, American animator, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2002)
    • 1914 – Robert R. Wilson, American physicist, sculptor, and architect (d. 2000)
    • 1915 – László Csatáry, Hungarian art dealer (d. 2013)
    • 1915 – Frank Sleeman, Australian lieutenant and politician, Lord Mayor of Brisbane (d. 2000)
    • 1915 – Carlos Surinach, Spanish-Catalan composer and conductor (d. 1997)
    • 1916 – William Alland, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1997)
    • 1916 – Giorgio Bassani, Italian author and poet (d. 2000)
    • 1916 – Hans Eysenck, German-English psychologist and theorist (d. 1997)
    • 1917 – Clyde McCullough, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1982)
    • 1918 – Kurt Dahlmann, German pilot, lawyer, and journalist (d. 2017)
    • 1918 – Margaret Osborne duPont, American tennis player (d. 2012)
    • 1919 – Buck Baker, American race car driver (d. 2002)
    • 1919 – Tan Chee Khoon, Malaysian physician and politician (d. 1996)
    • 1920 – Jean Lecanuet, French politician, French Minister of Justice (d. 1993)
    • 1920 – Alan MacNaughtan, Scottish-English actor (d. 2002)
    • 1921 – Halim El-Dabh, Egyptian-American composer and educator (d. 2017)
    • 1921 – Joan Greenwood, English actress (d. 1987)
    • 1921 – Dinny Pails, English-Australian tennis player (d. 1986)
    • 1922 – Richard E. Cunha, American director and cinematographer (d. 2005)
    • 1922 – Dina Pathak, Indian actor and director (d. 2002)
    • 1923 – Russell Freeburg, American journalist and author
    • 1923 – Francis King, English author and poet (d. 2011)
    • 1923 – Patrick Moore, English astronomer and television host (d. 2012)
    • 1924 – Kenneth O’Donnell, American soldier and politician (d. 1977)
    • 1925 – Alan R. Battersby, English chemist and academic (d. 2018)
    • 1925 – Paul Mauriat, French conductor and composer (d. 2006)
    • 1926 – Henri de Contenson, French archaeologist and academic (d. 2019)
    • 1926 – Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma, French businessman, soldier and race car driver (d. 2018)
    • 1926 – Richard DeVos, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Amway (d. 2018)
    • 1926 – Pascual Pérez, Argentinian boxer (d. 1977)
    • 1926 – Don Rendell, English saxophonist and flute player (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Phil Batt, American soldier and politician, 29th Governor of Idaho
    • 1927 – Thayer David, American actor (d. 1978)
    • 1927 – Jacques Dupin, French poet and critic (d. 2012)
    • 1927 – Robert Orben, American magician and author
    • 1927 – Dick Savitt, American tennis player and businessman
    • 1928 – Samuel Adler, German-American composer and conductor
    • 1928 – Alan Sillitoe, English novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet (d. 2010)
    • 1929 – Bernard Haitink, Dutch violinist and conductor
    • 1929 – Peter Swerling, American theoretician and engineer (d. 2000)
    • 1931 – Wally Bruner, American journalist and television host (d. 1997)
    • 1931 – Bob Johnson, American ice hockey player and coach (d. 1991)
    • 1931 – William Henry Keeler, American cardinal (d. 2017)
    • 1931 – Alice Rivlin, American economist and politician (d. 2019)
    • 1932 – Sigurd Jansen, Norwegian pianist, composer, and conductor
    • 1932 – Ryszard Kapuściński, Polish journalist, photographer, and poet (d. 2007)
    • 1932 – Miriam Makeba, South African singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2008)
    • 1932 – Ed Roth, American illustrator (d. 2001)
    • 1932 – Frank Wells, American businessman (d. 1994)
    • 1933 – Nino Vaccarella, Italian race car driver
    • 1934 – Mario Davidovsky, Argentinian-American composer and academic (d. 2019)
    • 1934 – John Duffey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1996)
    • 1934 – Anne Haney, American actress (d. 2001)
    • 1934 – Barbara McNair, American singer and actress (d. 2007)
    • 1934 – Sandra Reynolds, South African tennis player
    • 1934 – Janez Strnad, Slovenian physicist and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1935 – Edward Dębicki, Ukrainian-Polish poet and composer
    • 1935 – Bent Larsen, Danish chess player and author (d. 2010)
    • 1936 – Eric Allandale, Dominican trombonist and songwriter (d. 2001)
    • 1936 – Jim Clark, Scottish race car driver (d. 1968)
    • 1936 – Aribert Reimann, German pianist and composer
    • 1937 – José Araquistáin, Spanish footballer
    • 1937 – William Deverell, Canadian lawyer, author, and activist
    • 1937 – Graham Dowling, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1937 – Leslie H. Gelb, American journalist and author (d. 2019)
    • 1937 – Yuri Senkevich, Russian physician and explorer (d. 2003)
    • 1937 – Barney Wilen, French saxophonist and composer (d. 1996)
    • 1937 – Richard B. Wright, Canadian journalist and author (d. 2017)
    • 1938 – Anton Balasingham, Sri Lankan-English negotiator (d. 2006)
    • 1938 – Alpha Condé, Guinean politician, President of Guinea
    • 1938 – Allan Kornblum, American police officer and judge (d. 2010)
    • 1938 – Angus MacLise, American drummer and composer (d. 1979)
    • 1938 – Don Perkins, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1938 – Paula Prentiss, American actress
    • 1938 – Adam Daniel Rotfeld, Polish academic and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs
    • 1939 – Jack Fisher, American baseball player
    • 1939 – Robert Shaye, American film producer
    • 1940 – Wolfgang Hoffmann-Riem, German scholar and judge
    • 1940 – David Plante, American novelist
    • 1941 – John Hancock, American film and television actor (d. 1992)
    • 1941 – Adrian Lyne, English director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1941 – James Zagel, American lawyer and judge
    • 1942 – Gloria Gaither, American singer-songwriter
    • 1942 – Charles C. Krulak, American general
    • 1942 – David Matthews, American keyboard player and composer
    • 1942 – Lynn Sherr, American journalist and author
    • 1942 – James Gustave Speth, American lawyer and politician
    • 1942 – Zorán Sztevanovity, Serbian-Hungarian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1943 – Lucio Dalla, Italian singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2012)
    • 1943 – Aldo Rico, Argentinian commander and politician
    • 1944 – Harvey Postlethwaite, English engineer (d. 1999)
    • 1944 – Anthony Ichiro Sanda, Japanese-American physicist and academic
    • 1944 – Len Walker, English footballer and manager
    • 1944 – Bobby Womack, American singer-songwriter (d. 2014)
    • 1945 – Tommy Svensson, Swedish footballer and manager
    • 1945 – Gary Williams, American basketball player and coach
    • 1946 – Michael Ashcroft, English businessman and politician
    • 1946 – Danny Frisella, American baseball player (d. 1977)
    • 1946 – Haile Gerima, Ethiopian born US filmmaker
    • 1946 – Patricia Kennealy-Morrison, American journalist and author
    • 1947 – David Franzoni, American screenwriter and film producer
    • 1947 – Jan Garbarek, Norwegian saxophonist and composer
    • 1947 – Bob Lewis, American guitarist
    • 1947 – Pēteris Plakidis, Latvian pianist and composer (d. 2017)
    • 1948 – Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, New Zealand-Australian author
    • 1948 – James Ellroy, American writer
    • 1948 – Tom Grieve, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster
    • 1948 – Mike Moran, English musician, songwriter and record producer
    • 1948 – Jean O’Leary, American nun and activist (d. 2005)
    • 1948 – Chris Squire, English singer-songwriter and bass guitarist (d. 2015)
    • 1948 – Shakin’ Stevens, British singer-songwriter
    • 1949 – Sergei Bagapsh, Abkhazian politician, 2nd President of Abkhazia (d. 2011)
    • 1949 – Carroll Baker, Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1950 – Ofelia Medina, Mexican actress and screenwriter
    • 1950 – Rick Perry, American captain and politician, 47th Governor of Texas
    • 1950 – Safet Plakalo, Bosnian author and playwright (d. 2015)
    • 1951 – Edelgard Bulmahn, German educator and politician, German Federal Minister of Education and Research
    • 1951 – Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, South Korean-American author, director, and producer (d. 1982)
    • 1951 – Kenny Dalglish, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1951 – Pete Haycock, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
    • 1951 – Peter O’Sullivan, Welsh international footballer, winger
    • 1951 – Sam Perlozzo, American baseball player and manager
    • 1951 – Chris Rea, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1951 – Glenis Willmott, English scientist and politician
    • 1951 – Zoran Žižić, Montenegrin politician, 4th Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (d. 2013)
    • 1952 – Peter Kuhfeld, English painter
    • 1952 – Ronn Moss, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1952 – Svend Robinson, American-Canadian lawyer and politician
    • 1952 – Umberto Tozzi, Italian singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1953 – John Edwards, Australian director and producer
    • 1953 – Emilio Estefan, Cuban-American drummer and producer
    • 1953 – Paweł Janas, Polish footballer and manager
    • 1953 – Ray Price, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
    • 1953 – Reinhold Roth, German motorcycle racer
    • 1953 – Chris Smith, American lawyer and politician
    • 1953 – Agustí Villaronga, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1953 – Daniel Woodrell, American novelist and short story writer
    • 1954 – Timur Apakidze, Russian general and pilot (d. 2001)
    • 1954 – Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Korean American author (d. 1982)
    • 1954 – François Fillon, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France
    • 1954 – Peter Jacobsen, American golfer and sportscaster
    • 1954 – Catherine O’Hara, Canadian-American actress and comedian
    • 1954 – Irina Ratushinskaya, Russian poet and author (d. 2017)
    • 1955 – Tim Costello, Australian minister and politician
    • 1955 – Joey Jones, Welsh footballer and manager
    • 1957 – Nicholas Coleridge, English journalist and businessman
    • 1957 – Ron Fassler, American film and television actor and author
    • 1957 – Mykelti Williamson, American actor and director
    • 1958 – Patricia Heaton, American actress
    • 1958 – Massimo Mascioletti, Italian rugby player and coach
    • 1958 – Tina Smith, American politician, junior senator of Minnesota
    • 1959 – Rick Ardon, Australian journalist
    • 1959 – Plamen Getov, Bulgarian footballer
    • 1960 – Chonda Pierce, American comedian
    • 1961 – Ray Mancini, American boxer
    • 1961 – Steven Weber, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1961 – Roger Wessels, South African golfer and educator
    • 1962 – Simon Bisley, English author and illustrator
    • 1962 – Paul Canoville, English footballer
    • 1962 – Stephan Reimertz, German historian and author
    • 1963 – Jason Newsted, American heavy metal singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1964 – Dave Colclough, Welsh computer programmer and poker player (d. 2016)
    • 1964 – Brian Crowley, Irish lawyer and politician
    • 1964 – Tom Lampkin, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1964 – Paolo Virzì, Italian director and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Greg Alexander, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
    • 1965 – Paul W. S. Anderson, English director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Andrew Collins, English journalist and screenwriter
    • 1965 – Khaled Hosseini, Afghan-born American novelist
    • 1965 – Yury Lonchakov, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1965 – John Murphy British film composer
    • 1966 – Emese Hunyady, Hungarian speed skater
    • 1966 – Kevin Johnson, American basketball player and politician, 55th Mayor of Sacramento
    • 1966 – Fiona Ma, American accountant and politician
    • 1966 – Helmut Mayer, Austrian skier
    • 1966 – Glen Nissen, Australian rugby league player
    • 1966 – Dav Pilkey, American author and illustrator
    • 1966 – Grand Puba, American rapper
    • 1966 – Mike Small, American golfer and coach
    • 1967 – Daryll Cullinan, South African cricketer and coach
    • 1967 – Evan Dando, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1967 – Ivan Lewis, English lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
    • 1967 – Terry Matterson, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1967 – Dave Rayner, English cyclist (d. 1994)
    • 1967 – Sam Taylor-Johnson, English filmmaker and photographer
    • 1967 – Kubilay Türkyilmaz, Swiss footballer
    • 1967 – Tim Vine, English comedian, actor, and author
    • 1968 – Giovanni Carrara, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1968 – Jorge Celedón, Colombian singer
    • 1968 – Patsy Kensit, English model and actress
    • 1968 – Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek banker and politician, Prime Minister of Greece
    • 1968 – Graham Westley, English footballer and manager
    • 1969 – Pierluigi Casiraghi, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1969 – Wayne Collins, English footballer, midfielder
    • 1969 – Annie Yi, Taiwanese singer, actress, and writer
    • 1970 – Àlex Crivillé, Spanish motorcycle racer
    • 1970 – Will Keen, English actor
    • 1970 – Caroline Vis, Dutch tennis player
    • 1971 – Iain Baird, Canadian soccer player and manager
    • 1971 – Claire Baker, Scottish politician
    • 1971 – Emily Bazelon, American journalist
    • 1971 – Jason Croot, English actor and director
    • 1971 – Anders Kjølholm, Danish bass player
    • 1971 – Satoshi Motoyama, Japanese race car driver
    • 1971 – Geraldine O’Rawe, Northern Irish actress
    • 1972 – Katherine Center, American journalist and author
    • 1972 – Nocturno Culto, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1972 – Robert Smith, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1972 – Ivy Queen, Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, rapper, actress and record producer
    • 1972 – Jos Verstappen, Dutch race car driver
    • 1972 – Alison Wheeler, English singer-songwriter
    • 1973 – Massimo Brambilla, Italian footballer and coach
    • 1973 – Phillip Daniels, American football player and coach
    • 1973 – Valery Kobelev, Russian ski jumper
    • 1973 – Penny Mordaunt, English lieutenant and politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
    • 1973 – Linus of Hollywood, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1973 – Len Wiseman, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1973 – Chandra Sekhar Yeleti, Indian director and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Crowbar, American wrestler
    • 1974 – Mladen Krstajić, Serbian footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Karol Kučera, Slovak tennis player
    • 1974 – Ariel Ortega, Argentinian footballer
    • 1974 – Tommy Phelps, South Korean-American baseball player and coach
    • 1974 – ICS Vortex, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1974 – David Wagner, American tennis player and educator
    • 1974 – Bill Young, Australian rugby player
    • 1975 – Mats Eilertsen, Norwegian bassist and composer
    • 1975 – Patrick Femerling, German basketball player
    • 1975 – Antti Aalto, Finnish ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Kristi Harrower, Australian basketball player
    • 1975 – Hawksley Workman, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1976 – Robbie Blake, English footballer
    • 1976 – Tommy Jönsson, Swedish footballer
    • 1977 – Nacho Figueras, Argentinian polo player and model
    • 1977 – Traver Rains, American fashion designer and photographer
    • 1978 – Pierre Dagenais, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Denis Dallan, Italian rugby player and singer
    • 1978 – Jean-Marc Pelletier, American ice hockey player
    • 1979 – Sarah Stock, Canadian wrestler and trainer
    • 1980 – Rohan Bopanna, Indian tennis player
    • 1980 – Omar Bravo, Mexican footballer
    • 1980 – Suzanna Choffel, American singer-songwriter
    • 1980 – Giedrius Gustas, Lithuanian basketball player
    • 1980 – Scott Hamilton, New Zealand rugby player and coach
    • 1980 – Jack Hannahan, American baseball player
    • 1980 – Michael Henrich, American ice hockey player
    • 1980 – Phil McGuire, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1980 – Aja Volkman, American singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Ariza Makukula, Portuguese footballer
    • 1981 – Helen Wyman, English cyclist
    • 1982 – Landon Donovan, American soccer player and coach
    • 1982 – Cate Edwards, American lawyer and author
    • 1982 – Ludmila Ezhova, Russian gymnast
    • 1982 – Yasemin Mori, Turkish singer
    • 1983 – Samuel Contesti, French-Italian figure skater
    • 1983 – Adam Deacon, English film actor, rapper, writer and director
    • 1983 – Jaque Fourie, South African rugby player
    • 1983 – Drew Houston, American billionaire and Internet entrepreneur
    • 1984 – Josh Bowman, English actor
    • 1984 – Tamir Cohen, Israeli footballer
    • 1984 – Anders Grøndal, Norwegian race car driver
    • 1984 – Spencer Larsen, American football player
    • 1984 – Jeremy Loops, South African singer-songwriter and record producer
    • 1984 – Raven Quinn, American singer-songwriter
    • 1984 – Zak Whitbread, American-English footballer
    • 1985 – Jake Buxton, English footballer
    • 1985 – Chinedum Ndukwe, American football player
    • 1985 – Whitney Port, American fashion designer and author
    • 1986 – Steven Burke, English road and track cyclist
    • 1986 – Tom De Mul, Belgian footballer
    • 1986 – Mike Krieger, Brazilian-American computer programmer and businessman, co-founded Instagram
    • 1986 – Siim Roops, Estonian footballer
    • 1986 – Bohdan Shust, Ukrainian footballer
    • 1986 – Manu Vatuvei, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1986 – Margo Harshman, American actress
    • 1987 – Ben McKinley, Australian footballer
    • 1987 – Cameron Wood, Australian footballer
    • 1987 – Tamzin Merchant, English actress
    • 1988 – Gal Mekel, Israeli basketball player
    • 1988 – Laura Siegemund, German tennis player
    • 1988 – Adam Watts, English footballer
    • 1989 – Benjamin Kiplagat, Ugandan long-distance runner
    • 1990 – Andrea Bowen, American actress
    • 1990 – Draymond Green, American basketball player
    • 1990 – Paddy Madden, Irish footballer
    • 1990 – Fran Mérida, Spanish footballer
    • 1992 – Nick Castellanos, American baseball player
    • 1992 – Erik Lamela, Argentinian international footballer, midfielder
    • 1992 – Bernd Leno, German footballer
    • 1992 – Karl Mööl, Estonian footballer
    • 1993 – Bobbi Kristina Brown, American singer and actress (d. 2015)
    • 1993 – Richard Peniket, English footballer
    • 1994 – Callum Harriott, English footballer
    • 1994 – AJ Tracey, British hip-hop artist and record producer
    • 1995 – Chlöe Howl, British singer-songwriter
    • 1995 – Bill Milner, English actor
    • 1996 – Lukas Webb, Australian rules footballer
    • 2002 – Jacob Hopkins, American actor

    Deaths on March 4

    • 306 – Adrian and Natalia of Nicomedia, Christian martyrs
    • 480 – Landry of Sées, French bishop and saint
    • 561 – Pelagius I, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 934 – Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah, Fatimid caliph (b. 873)
    • 1172 – Stephen III, king of Hungary (b. 1147)
    • 1193 – Saladin, founder of the Ayyubid Sultanate (b. 1137)
    • 1238 – Joan of England, queen of Scotland (b. 1210)
    • 1238 – Yuri II, Russian Grand Prince (b. 1189)
    • 1303 – Daniel of Moscow, Russian Grand Duke (b. 1261)
    • 1314 – Jakub Świnka, Polish priest and archbishop
    • 1371 – Jeanne d’Évreux, queen consort of France (b. 1310)
    • 1388 – Thomas Usk, English author
    • 1484 – Saint Casimir, Polish prince (b. 1458)
    • 1496 – Sigismund, archduke of Austria (b. 1427)
    • 1583 – Bernard Gilpin, English priest and theologian (b. 1517)
    • 1604 – Fausto Sozzini, Italian theologian and educator (b. 1539)
    • 1615 – Hans von Aachen, German painter and educator (b. 1552)
    • 1710 – Louis III, duke of Bourbon (b. 1668)
    • 1733 – Claude de Forbin, French admiral and politician (b. 1656)
    • 1744 – John Anstis, English historian and politician (b. 1669)
    • 1762 – Johannes Zick, German painter (b. 1702)
    • 1793 – Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre (b. 1725)
    • 1795 – John Collins, American politician, 3rd Governor of Rhode Island (b. 1717)
    • 1805 – Jean-Baptiste Greuze, French painter (b. 1725)
    • 1807 – Abraham Baldwin, American minister, lawyer, and politician (b. 1754)
    • 1811 – Mariano Moreno, Argentinian journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1778)
    • 1832 – Jean-François Champollion, French philologist and scholar (b. 1790)
    • 1851 – James Richardson, English explorer (b. 1809)
    • 1852 – Nikolai Gogol, Ukrainian-Russian short story writer, novelist, and playwright (b. 1809)
    • 1853 – Thomas Bladen Capel, English admiral (b. 1776)
    • 1853 – Christian Leopold von Buch, German geologist and paleontologist (b. 1774)
    • 1858 – Matthew C. Perry, American naval commander (b. 1794)
    • 1864 – Thomas Starr King, American minister and politician (b. 1824)
    • 1866 – Alexander Campbell, Irish-American minister and theologian (b. 1788)
    • 1872 – Carsten Hauch, Danish poet and playwright (b. 1790)
    • 1883 – Alexander H. Stephens, American lawyer and politician, Vice President of the Confederate States of America (b. 1812)
    • 1888 – Amos Bronson Alcott, American philosopher and educator (b. 1799)
    • 1903 – Joseph Henry Shorthouse, English author (b. 1834)
    • 1906 – John Schofield, American general and politician, 28th United States Secretary of War (b. 1831)
    • 1915 – William Willett, English inventor, founded British Summer Time (b. 1856)
    • 1916 – Franz Marc, German painter (b. 1880)
    • 1925 – Moritz Moszkowski, Polish-German pianist and composer (b. 1854)
    • 1925 – James Ward, English psychologist and philosopher (b. 1843)
    • 1925 – John Montgomery Ward, American baseball player and manager (b. 1860)
    • 1927 – Ira Remsen, American chemist and academic (b. 1846)
    • 1938 – George Foster Peabody, American banker and philanthropist (b. 1852)
    • 1938 – Jack Taylor, American baseball player (b. 1874)
    • 1940 – Hamlin Garland, American novelist, poet, essayist, and short story writer (b. 1860)
    • 1941 – Ludwig Quidde, German activist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1858)
    • 1944 – Fannie Barrier Williams, American educator and activist (b. 1855)
    • 1944 – Louis Buchalter, American mob boss (b. 1897)
    • 1944 – Louis Capone, Italian-American gangster (b. 1896)
    • 1944 – René Lefebvre, French businessman (b. 1879)
    • 1945 – Lucille La Verne, American actress (b. 1872)
    • 1945 – Mark Sandrich, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1900)
    • 1948 – Antonin Artaud, French actor and director (b. 1896)
    • 1949 – Clarence Kingsbury, English cyclist (b. 1882)
    • 1952 – Charles Scott Sherrington, English neurophysiologist and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1857)
    • 1954 – Noel Gay, English composer and songwriter (b. 1898)
    • 1960 – Herbert O’Conor, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 51st Governor of Maryland (b. 1896)
    • 1963 – William Carlos Williams, American poet, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1883)
    • 1969 – Nicholas Schenck, Russian-American businessman (b. 1881)
    • 1972 – Harold Barrowclough, New Zealand general, lawyer, and politician, 8th Chief Justice of New Zealand (b. 1894)
    • 1972 – Charles Biro, American author and illustrator (b. 1911)
    • 1974 – Adolph Gottlieb, American painter and sculptor (b. 1903)
    • 1976 – John Marvin Jones, American judge and politician (b. 1882)
    • 1976 – Walter H. Schottky, Swiss-German physicist and engineer (b. 1886)
    • 1977 – Anatol E. Baconsky, Romanian poet, author, and critic (b. 1925)
    • 1977 – Nancy Tyson Burbidge, Australian botanist and curator (b. 1912)
    • 1977 – Andrés Caicedo, Colombian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1951)
    • 1977 – William Paul, American lawyer and politician (b. 1885)
    • 1977 – Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, German jurist and politician, German Minister for Foreign Affairs (b. 1887)
    • 1978 – Wesley Bolin, American businessman and politician, 15th Governor of Arizona (b. 1909)
    • 1978 – Joe Marsala, American clarinet player and songwriter (b. 1907)
    • 1979 – Willi Unsoeld, American mountaineer and educator (b. 1926)
    • 1980 – Alan Hardaker, English lieutenant and businessman (b. 1912)
    • 1981 – Torin Thatcher, American actor (b. 1905)
    • 1981 – Karl-Jesko von Puttkamer, German admiral (b. 1900)
    • 1986 – Albert L. Lehninger, American biochemist and academic (b. 1917)
    • 1986 – Richard Manuel, Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1943)
    • 1986 – Elizabeth Smart, Canadian poet and author (b. 1913)
    • 1987 – Seibo Kitamura, Japanese sculptor (b. 1884)
    • 1988 – Beatriz Guido, Argentine author and screenwriter (b. 1924)
    • 1989 – Tiny Grimes, American guitarist (b. 1916)
    • 1990 – Hank Gathers, American basketball player (b. 1967)
    • 1991 – Godfrey Bryan, English cricketer (b. 1902)
    • 1992 – Art Babbitt, American animator and director (b. 1907)
    • 1992 – Pare Lorentz, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1905)
    • 1993 – Art Hodes, Ukrainian-American pianist and composer (b. 1904)
    • 1993 – Tomislav Ivčić, Croatian singer-songwriter and politician (b. 1953)
    • 1993 – Izaak Kolthoff, Dutch chemist and academic (b. 1894)
    • 1993 – Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale, English lieutenant and politician, Secretary of State for the Environment (b. 1929)
    • 1994 – John Candy, Canadian comedian and actor (b. 1950)
    • 1994 – George Edward Hughes, Irish-Scottish philosopher and author (b. 1918)
    • 1995 – Matt Urban, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1919)
    • 1996 – Minnie Pearl, American entertainer (b. 1912)
    • 1996 – John Sauer, American football player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1925)
    • 1997 – Joe Baker-Cresswell, English captain (b. 1901)
    • 1997 – Robert H. Dicke, American physicist and astronomer (b. 1916)
    • 1998 – Ivan Dougherty, Australian general (b. 1907)
    • 1999 – Harry Blackmun, American lawyer and judge (b. 1908)
    • 1999 – Del Close, American actor and educator (b. 1934)
    • 1999 – Miłosz Magin, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1929)
    • 2000 – Hermann Brück, German-Scottish physicist and astronomer (b. 1905)
    • 2000 – Michael Noonan, New Zealand-Australian author and screenwriter (b. 1921)
    • 2000 – Ta-You Wu, Chinese physicist and academic (b. 1907)
    • 2001 – Gerardo Barbero, Argentinian chess player (b. 1961)
    • 2001 – Jean René Bazaine, French painter and author (b. 1904)
    • 2001 – Fred Lasswell, American cartoonist (b. 1916)
    • 2001 – Jim Rhodes, American businessman and politician, 61st Governor of Ohio (b. 1909)
    • 2001 – Harold Stassen, American educator and politician, 25th Governor of Minnesota (b. 1907)
    • 2002 – Ugnė Karvelis, Lithuanian author and translator (b. 1935)
    • 2002 – Elyne Mitchell, Australian skier and author (b. 1913)
    • 2002 – Velibor Vasović, Serbian footballer and manager (b. 1939)
    • 2003 – Jaba Ioseliani, Georgian playwright, academic, and politician (b. 1926)
    • 2003 – Sébastien Japrisot, French author, screenwriter, and director (b. 1931)
    • 2004 – Claude Nougaro, French singer-songwriter (b. 1929)
    • 2005 – Nicola Calipari, Italian general (b. 1953)
    • 2005 – Yuriy Kravchenko, Ukrainian police officer and politician (b. 1951)
    • 2005 – Carlos Sherman, Uruguayan-Belarusian author and activist (b. 1934)
    • 2006 – John Reynolds Gardiner, American author and engineer (b. 1944)
    • 2006 – Edgar Valter, Estonian author and illustrator (b. 1929)
    • 2007 – Thomas Eagleton, American lawyer and politician, 38th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri (b. 1929)
    • 2007 – Tadeusz Nalepa, Polish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
    • 2007 – Ian Wooldridge, English journalist (b. 1932)
    • 2008 – Gary Gygax, American game designer, co-created Dungeons & Dragons (b. 1938)
    • 2008 – Leonard Rosenman, American composer and conductor (b. 1924)
    • 2009 – Yvon Cormier, Canadian wrestler (b. 1938)
    • 2009 – Horton Foote, American playwright and screenwriter (b. 1916)
    • 2009 – George McAfee, American football player (b. 1918)
    • 2010 – Raimund Abraham, Austrian architect and educator, designed the Austrian Cultural Forum New York (b. 1933)
    • 2010 – Johnny Alf, Brazilian pianist and composer (b. 1929)
    • 2010 – Vladislav Ardzinba, Abkhazian historian and politician, 1st President of Abkhazia (b. 1945)
    • 2010 – Fred Wedlock, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1942)
    • 2011 – Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Nepalese journalist and politician, 29th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1924)
    • 2011 – Vivienne Harris, English journalist and publisher, co-founded the Jewish Telegraph (b. 1921)
    • 2011 – Ed Manning, American basketball player and coach (b. 1943)
    • 2011 – Arjun Singh, Indian politician (b. 1930)
    • 2011 – Alenush Terian, Iranian astronomer and physicist (b. 1920)
    • 2011 – Simon van der Meer, Dutch-Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – Paul McBride, Scottish lawyer and politician (b. 1965)
    • 2012 – Don Mincher, American baseball player (b. 1938)
    • 2013 – Lillian Cahn, Hungarian-American businesswoman, co-founded Coach, Inc. (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Mickey Moore, Canadian-American actor and director (b. 1914)
    • 2013 – Toren Smith, Canadian businessman, founded Studio Proteus (b. 1960)
    • 2014 – Mark Freidkin, Russian author and poet (b. 1953)
    • 2014 – Elaine Kellett-Bowman, English lawyer and politician (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Jack Kinzler, American engineer (b. 1920)
    • 2014 – Wu Tianming, Chinese director and producer (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – Dušan Bilandžić, Croatian historian and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Ray Hatton, English-American runner, author, and academic (b. 1932)
    • 2016 – Bud Collins, American journalist and sportscaster (b. 1929)
    • 2016 – Pat Conroy, American author (b. 1945)
    • 2016 – P. A. Sangma, Indian lawyer and politician, Speaker of the Lok Sabha (b. 1947)
    • 2016 – Zhou Xiaoyan, Chinese soprano and educator (b. 1917)
    • 2017 – Clayton Yeutter, American politician (b. 1930)
    • 2018 – Davide Astori, Italian soccer player (b. 1987)
    • 2019 – Keith Flint, English singer (The Prodigy) (b. 1969)
    • 2019 – Luke Perry, American actor (b. 1966)
    • 2020 – Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Peruvian politician and diplomat

    Holidays and observances on March 4

    • Christian feast day:
      • Adrian of Nicomedia
      • Casimir
      • Felix of Rhuys
      • Giovanni Antonio Farina (Catholic Church)
      • Blessed Humbert III, Count of Savoy (Roman Catholic Church)
      • Paul Cuffee (Episcopal Church)
      • Peter of Pappacarbone
      • Blessed Zoltán Meszlényi
      • March 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • St Casimir’s Day (Poland and Lithuania)
  • February 24 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    For superstitious reasons, when the Romans began to intercalate to bring their calendar into line with the solar year, they chose not to place their extra month of Mercedonius after February but within it. February 24 — known in the Roman calendar as “the sixth day before the Kalends of March” — was replaced by the first day of this month since it followed Terminalia, the festival of the Roman god of boundaries. After the end of Mercedonius, the rest of the days of February were observed and the new year began with the first day of March. The overlaid religious festivals of February were so complicated that Julius Caesar opted not to change it at all during his 46 bc calendar reform. The extra day of his system’s leap years was located in the same place as the old intercalary month but he opted to ignore it as a date. Instead, the sixth day before the Kalends of March was simply said to last for 48 hours and all the other days continued to bear their original names. (The Roman practice of inclusive counting initially caused the priests in charge of the calendar to add the extra hours every three years instead of every four and Augustus was obliged to omit them for a span of decades until the system was back to where it should have been.) When the extra hours finally began to be reckoned as two separate days instead of a doubled sixth (“bissextile”) one, the leap day was still taken to be the one following hard on the February 23 Terminalia. Although February 29 has been popularly understood as the leap day of leap years since the beginning of sequential reckoning of the days of months in the late Middle Ages, in Britain and most other countries, no formal replacement of February 24 as the leap day of the Julian and Gregorian calendars has occurred. The exceptions include Sweden and Finland, who enacted legislation to move the day to February 29. This custom still has some effect around the world, for example with respect to name days in Hungary.

    February 24 in History

    • 484 – King Huneric of the Vandals replaces Nicene bishops with Arian ones, and banishes some to Corsica.
    • 1303 – Battle of Roslin, of the First War of Scottish Independence.
    • 1386 – King Charles III of Naples and Hungary is assassinated at Buda.
    • 1525 – A Spanish-Austrian army defeats a French army at the Battle of Pavia.
    • 1538 – Treaty of Nagyvárad between Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and King John Zápolya of Hungary and Croatia.
    • 1582 – With the papal bull Inter gravissimas, Pope Gregory XIII announces the Gregorian calendar.
    • 1607 – L’Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi, one of the first works recognized as an opera, receives its première performance.
    • 1711 – The London première of Rinaldo by George Frideric Handel, the first Italian opera written for the London stage.
    • 1739 – Battle of Karnal: The army of Iranian ruler Nader Shah defeats the forces of the Mughal emperor of India, Muhammad Shah.
    • 1803 – In Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court of the United States establishes the principle of judicial review.
    • 1809 – London’s Drury Lane Theatre burns to the ground, leaving owner Richard Brinsley Sheridan destitute.
    • 1821 – Final stage of the Mexican War of Independence from Spain with Plan of Iguala.
    • 1822 – The first Swaminarayan temple in the world, Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad, is inaugurated.
    • 1826 – The signing of the Treaty of Yandabo marks the end of the First Anglo-Burmese War.
    • 1831 – The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the first removal treaty in accordance with the Indian Removal Act, is proclaimed. The Choctaws in Mississippi cede land east of the river in exchange for payment and land in the West.
    • 1848 – King Louis-Philippe of France abdicates the throne.
    • 1854 – A Penny Red with perforations was the first perforated postage stamp to be officially issued for distribution.
    • 1863 – Arizona is organized as a United States territory.
    • 1868 – Andrew Johnson becomes the first President of the United States to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives. He is later acquitted in the Senate.
    • 1875 – The SS Gothenburg hits the Great Barrier Reef and sinks off the Australian east coast, killing approximately 100, including a number of high-profile civil servants and dignitaries.
    • 1881 – China and Russia sign the Sino-Russian Ili Treaty.
    • 1895 – Revolution breaks out in Baire, a town near Santiago de Cuba, beginning the Cuban War of Independence, that ends with the Spanish–American War in 1898.
    • 1916 – The Governor-General of Korea establishes a clinic called Jahyewon in Sorokdo to segregate Hansen’s disease patients.
    • 1917 – World War I: The U.S. ambassador Walter Hines Page to the United Kingdom is given the Zimmermann Telegram, in which Germany pledges to ensure the return of New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona to Mexico if Mexico declares war on the United States.
    • 1918 – Estonian Declaration of Independence.
    • 1920 – Nancy Astor becomes the first woman to speak in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom following her election as a Member of Parliament (MP) three months earlier.
    • 1920 – The Nazi Party (NSDAP) was founded by Adolf Hitler in the Hofbräuhaus beer hall in Munich, Germany
    • 1942 – The Battle of Los Angeles: A false alarm led to an anti-aircraft barrage that lasted into the early hours of February 25.
    • 1942 – An order-in-council passed under the Defence of Canada Regulations of the War Measures Act gives the Canadian federal government the power to intern all “persons of Japanese racial origin”.
    • 1944 – Merrill’s Marauders: The Marauders begin their 1,000-mile journey through Japanese-occupied Burma.
    • 1945 – Egyptian Premier Ahmad Mahir Pasha is killed in Parliament after reading a decree.
    • 1946 – Colonel Juan Perón, founder of the political movement that became known as Peronism, is elected to his first term as President of Argentina.
    • 1949 – The Armistice Agreements are signed, to formally end the hostilities of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
    • 1968 – Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive is halted; South Vietnam recaptures Hué.
    • 1971 – The All India Forward Bloc holds an emergency central committee meeting after its chairman, Hemantha Kumar Bose, is killed three days earlier. P.K. Mookiah Thevar is appointed as the new chairman.
    • 1976 – The current constitution of Cuba is formally proclaimed.
    • 1978 – The Yuba County Five disappear in California. Four of their bodies are found four months later.
    • 1980 – The United States Olympic hockey team completes its Miracle on Ice by defeating Finland 4–2 to win the gold medal.
    • 1981 – The 6.7 Ms Gulf of Corinth earthquake affected Central Greece with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). Twenty-two people were killed, 400 were injured, and damage totaled $812 million.
    • 1983 – A special commission of the United States Congress condemns the Japanese American internment during World War II.
    • 1984 – Tyrone Mitchell perpetrates the 49th Street Elementary School shooting in Los Angeles, killing two children and injuring 12 more.
    • 1989 – United Airlines Flight 811, bound for New Zealand from Honolulu, rips open during flight, blowing nine passengers out of the business-class section.
    • 1991 – Gulf War: Ground troops cross the Saudi Arabian border and enter Iraq, thus beginning the ground phase of the war.
    • 1996 – Two civilian airplanes operated by the Miami-based group Brothers to the Rescue are shot down in international waters by the Cuban Air Force.
    • 1999 – China Southwest Airlines Flight 4509, a Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft, crashes on approach to Wenzhou Longwan International Airport in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China. All 61 people on board are killed.
    • 2004 – The 6.3 Mw Al Hoceima earthquake strikes northern Morocco with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). At least 628 people are killed, 926 are injured, and up to 15,000 are displaced.
    • 2006 – Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declares Proclamation 1017 placing the country in a state of emergency in attempt to subdue a possible military coup.
    • 2007 – Japan launches its fourth spy satellite, stepping up its ability to monitor potential threats such as North Korea.
    • 2008 – Fidel Castro retires as the President of Cuba and the Council of Ministers after 32 years. He remains as head of the Communist Party for another three years.
    • 2015 – A Metrolink train derails in Oxnard, California following a collision with a truck, leaving more than 30 injured.
    • 2016 – Tara Air Flight 193, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, crashed, with 23 fatalities, in Solighopte, Myagdi District, Dhaulagiri Zone, while en route from Pokhara Airport to Jomsom Airport.

    Births on February 24

    • 1103 – Emperor Toba of Japan (d. 1156)
    • 1304 – Ibn Battuta, Moroccan jurist
    • 1413 – Louis, Duke of Savoy (d. 1465)
    • 1463 – Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Italian philosopher (d. 1494)
    • 1494 – Johan Friis, Danish statesman (d. 1570)
    • 1500 – Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1558)
    • 1536 – Pope Clement VIII (d. 1605)
    • 1545 – John of Austria (d. 1578)
    • 1553 – Cherubino Alberti, Italian engraver and painter (d. 1615)
    • 1557 – Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1619)
    • 1593 – Henry de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford, English soldier and courtier (d. 1625)
    • 1595 – Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, Polish author and poet (d. 1640)
    • 1604 – Arcangela Tarabotti, Venetian nun and feminist (d. 1652)
    • 1619 – Charles Le Brun, French painter and theorist (d. 1690)
    • 1622 – Johannes Clauberg, German theologian and philosopher (d. 1665)
    • 1709 – Jacques de Vaucanson, French engineer (d. 1782)
    • 1721 – John McKinly, Irish-American physician and politician, 1st Governor of Delaware (d. 1796)
    • 1723 – John Burgoyne, English general and politician (d. 1792)
    • 1736 – Charles Alexander, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (d. 1806)
    • 1743 – Joseph Banks, English botanist and explorer (d. 1820)
    • 1762 – Charles Frederick Horn, German-English composer and educator (d. 1830)
    • 1767 – Rama II of Siam (d. 1824)
    • 1774 – Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (d. 1850)
    • 1786 – Martin W. Bates, American lawyer and politician (d. 1869)
    • 1786 – Wilhelm Grimm, German anthropologist, author, and academic (d. 1859)
    • 1788 – Johan Christian Dahl, Norwegian-German painter (d. 1857)
    • 1827 – Lydia Becker, English-French activist (d. 1890)
    • 1831 – Leo von Caprivi, German general and politician, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1899)
    • 1835 – Julius Vogel, English-New Zealand journalist and politician, 8th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1899)
    • 1836 – Winslow Homer, American painter and illustrator (d. 1910)
    • 1837 – Rosalía de Castro, Spanish poet (d. 1885)
    • 1842 – Arrigo Boito, Italian journalist, author, and composer (d. 1918)
    • 1848 – Andrew Inglis Clark, Australian engineer, lawyer, and politician (d. 1907)
    • 1852 – George Moore, Irish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1933)
    • 1868 – Édouard Alphonse James de Rothschild, French financier and polo player (d. 1949)
    • 1869 – Zara DuPont, American suffragist (d. 1946)
    • 1874 – Honus Wagner, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1955)
    • 1877 – Rudolph Ganz, Swiss pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1972)
    • 1877 – Ettie Rout, Australian-New Zealand educator and activist (d. 1936)
    • 1885 – Chester W. Nimitz, American admiral (d. 1966)
    • 1885 – Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Polish author, poet, and painter (d. 1939)
    • 1890 – Marjorie Main, American actress (d. 1975)
    • 1896 – Richard Thorpe, American director and screenwriter (d. 1991)
    • 1898 – Kurt Tank, German pilot and engineer (d. 1983)
    • 1900 – Irmgard Bartenieff, German-American dancer and physical therapist, leading pioneer of dance therapy (d. 1981)
    • 1903 – Vladimir Bartol, Italian-Slovene author and playwright (d. 1967)
    • 1908 – Telford Taylor, American general, lawyer, and historian (d. 1998)
    • 1909 – August Derleth, American anthologist and author (d. 1971)
    • 1914 – Ralph Erskine, English-Swedish architect, designed The Ark and Byker Wall (d. 2005)
    • 1914 – Weldon Kees, American author, poet, painter, and pianist (d. 1955)
    • 1915 – Jim Ferrier, Australian golfer (d. 1986)
    • 1919 – John Carl Warnecke, American architect (d. 2010)
    • 1921 – Abe Vigoda, American actor (d. 2016)
    • 1922 – Richard Hamilton, English painter and academic (d. 2011)
    • 1922 – Steven Hill, American actor (d. 2016)
    • 1924 – Hal Herring, American football player and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1924 – Erik Nielsen, Canadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (d. 2008)
    • 1925 – Bud Day, American colonel and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Emmanuelle Riva, French actress (d. 2017)
    • 1929 – Kintaro Ohki, South Korean wrestler (d. 2006)
    • 1930 – Barbara Lawrence, American model and actress (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Dominic Chianese, American actor and singer
    • 1931 – Brian Close, English cricketer and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1932 – Michel Legrand, French pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2019)
    • 1932 – Zell Miller, American sergeant and politician, 79th Governor of Georgia (d. 2018)
    • 1932 – John Vernon, Canadian-American actor (d. 2005)
    • 1933 – Judah Folkman, American physician and biologist (d. 2008)
    • 1933 – Ali Mazrui, Kenyan-American political scientist, philosopher, and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1933 – David “Fathead” Newman, American saxophonist and composer (d. 2009)
    • 1934 – Bettino Craxi, Italian lawyer and politician, 45th Prime Minister of Italy (d. 2000)
    • 1934 – Johnny Hills, English footballer, full-back
    • 1934 – Renata Scotto, Italian soprano
    • 1935 – Ryhor Baradulin, Belarusian poet, essayist, and translator (d. 2014)
    • 1936 – Guillermo O’Donnell, Argentine political scientist (d. 2011)
    • 1938 – James Farentino, American actor (d. 2012)
    • 1938 – Phil Knight, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Nike, Inc.
    • 1939 – Jamal Nazrul Islam, Bangladeshi physicist and cosmologist (d. 2013)
    • 1940 – Pete Duel, American actor (d. 1971)
    • 1940 – Jimmy Ellis, American boxer (d. 2014)
    • 1940 – Denis Law, Scottish footballer and sportscaster
    • 1941 – Joanie Sommers, American singer and actress
    • 1942 – Colin Bond, Australian race car driver
    • 1942 – Paul Jones, English singer, harmonica player, and actor
    • 1942 – Joe Lieberman, American lawyer and politician
    • 1942 – Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Indian philosopher, theorist, and academic
    • 1943 – Kent Haruf, American novelist (d. 2014)
    • 1943 – Gigi Meroni, Italian footballer (d. 1967)
    • 1943 – Pablo Milanés, Cuban singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1943 – Terry Semel, American businessman
    • 1944 – Nicky Hopkins, English keyboard player (d. 1994)
    • 1944 – Ivica Račan, Croatian lawyer and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Croatia (d. 2007)
    • 1945 – Barry Bostwick, American actor and singer
    • 1946 – Grigory Margulis, Russian mathematician and academic
    • 1947 – Mike Fratello, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1947 – Rupert Holmes, English-American singer-songwriter and playwright
    • 1947 – Edward James Olmos, American actor and director
    • 1948 – Jayalalithaa, Indian actress and politician, 16th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (d. 2016)
    • 1948 – Walter Smith, Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1948 – Tim Staffell, English singer and guitarist
    • 1948 – Dennis Waterman, English actor
    • 1950 – Steve McCurry, American photographer and journalist
    • 1951 – David Ford, Northern Irish social worker and politician
    • 1951 – Derek Randall, English cricketer
    • 1951 – Debra Jo Rupp, American actress
    • 1951 – Helen Shaver, Canadian actress and director
    • 1951 – Laimdota Straujuma, Latvian economist and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Latvia
    • 1953 – Anatoli Kozhemyakin, Soviet footballer (d. 1974)
    • 1954 – Plastic Bertrand, Belgian singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1954 – Judith Ortiz Cofer, Puerto Rican American award-winning author (d. 2016)
    • 1954 – Aurora Levins Morales, Puerto Rican Jewish writer and activist
    • 1954 – Sid Meier, Canadian-American game designer and programmer, created the Civilization series
    • 1954 – Mike Pickering, English DJ and saxophonist
    • 1955 – Steve Jobs, American businessman, co-founded Apple Inc. and Pixar (d. 2011)
    • 1955 – Eddie Johnson, American basketball player
    • 1955 – Alain Prost, French race car driver
    • 1956 – Judith Butler, American philosopher, theorist, and author
    • 1956 – Eddie Murray, American baseball player and coach
    • 1956 – Paula Zahn, American journalist and producer
    • 1958 – Sammy Kershaw, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1958 – Mark Moses, American actor
    • 1959 – Beth Broderick, American actress and director
    • 1959 – Mike Whitney, Australian cricketer and television host
    • 1963 – Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro
    • 1963 – Mike Vernon, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1963 – Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Gujarati family, most versatile filmmaker of Hindi cinema.
    • 1964 – Russell Ingall, British-Australian race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1965 – Paul Gruber, American football player
    • 1965 – Jane Swift, American businesswoman and politician, Governor of Massachusetts
    • 1966 – Billy Zane, American actor and producer
    • 1967 – Brian Schmidt, Australian astrophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1968 – Mitch Hedberg, American comedian and actor (d. 2005)
    • 1969 – Kim Seung-woo, South Korean actor
    • 1970 – Jeff Garcia, American football player and coach
    • 1970 – Neil Sullivan, English born Scottish international footballer, goalkeeper and coach
    • 1970 – Jonathan Ward, American actor
    • 1971 – Josh Bernstein, American anthropologist, explorer, and author
    • 1971 – Pedro de la Rosa, Spanish race car driver
    • 1971 – Brian Savage, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1972 – Teodor Currentzis, Greek conductor and composer
    • 1972 – Manon Rhéaume, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1973 – Stubby Clapp, Canadian baseball player and coach
    • 1973 – Chris Fehn, American drummer
    • 1973 – Alexei Kovalev, Russian ice hockey player and pilot
    • 1974 – Chad Hugo, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1974 – Mike Lowell, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1974 – Bonnie Somerville, American actress
    • 1975 – Ashley MacIsaac, Canadian singer-songwriter and fiddler
    • 1976 – Crista Flanagan, American actress and screenwriter
    • 1976 – Zach Johnson, American golfer
    • 1976 – Bradley McGee, Australian cyclist and coach
    • 1976 – Matt Skiba, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1976 – Marco Campos, Brazilian Formula 3000 race car driver (d. 1995)
    • 1977 – Jason Akermanis, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1977 – Bronson Arroyo, American baseball player and singer
    • 1977 – Floyd Mayweather, Jr., American boxer
    • 1978 – Gary, South Korean rapper and producer
    • 1978 – Shinya, Japanese drummer and songwriter
    • 1978 – John Nolan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1978 – DeWayne Wise, American baseball player
    • 1978 – Leon Constantine, English footballer
    • 1980 – Shinsuke Nakamura, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
    • 1981 – Felipe Baloy, Panamanian footballer
    • 1981 – Lleyton Hewitt, Australian tennis player
    • 1981 – Mauro Rosales, Argentinian footballer
    • 1981 – Mohammad Sami, Pakistani cricketer
    • 1982 – Nick Blackburn, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Emanuel Villa, Argentinian footballer
    • 1982 – Klára Koukalová, Czech tennis player
    • 1982 – Fala Chen, Chinese actress and singer
    • 1984 – Corey Graves, American wrestler and sportscaster
    • 1985 – Nakash Aziz, Indian playback singer and music composer
    • 1987 – Kim Kyu-jong, South Korean singer, dancer, and actor
    • 1988 – Mathieu Baudry, French footballer
    • 1989 – Trace Cyrus, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1991 – Madison Hubbell, American ice dancer
    • 1991 – Semih Kaya, Turkish footballer
    • 1996 – Royce Freeman, American football player

    Deaths on February 24

    • 616 – Æthelberht of Kent (b. 560)
    • 951 – Liu Yun, Chinese governor (jiedushi)
    • 1018 – Borrell, bishop of Vic
    • 1114 – Thomas, archbishop of York
    • 1386 – Charles III of Naples (b. 1345)
    • 1496 – Eberhard I, Duke of Württemberg (b. 1445)
    • 1525 – Jacques de La Palice, French nobleman and military officer (b. 1470)
    • 1525 – Guillaume Gouffier, seigneur de Bonnivet, French soldier (b. c. 1488)
    • 1525 – Richard de la Pole, last Yorkist claimant to the English throne (b. 1480)
    • 1563 – Francis, Duke of Guise (b. 1519)
    • 1580 – Henry FitzAlan, 19th Earl of Arundel, English nobleman (b. 1511)
    • 1588 – Johann Weyer, Dutch physician and occultist (b. 1515)
    • 1666 – Nicholas Lanier, English composer and painter (b. 1588)
    • 1685 – Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Carlisle, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Cumberland (b. 1629)
    • 1704 – Marc-Antoine Charpentier, French composer (b. 1643)
    • 1714 – Edmund Andros, English courtier and politician, 4th Colonial Governor of New York (b. 1637)
    • 1721 – John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, English poet and politician, Lord President of the Council (b. 1648)
    • 1732 – Francis Charteris, Scottish soldier (b. 1675)
    • 1777 – Joseph I of Portugal (b. 1714)
    • 1785 – Carlo Buonaparte, Corsican lawyer and politician (b. 1746)
    • 1799 – Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, German physicist and academic (b. 1742)
    • 1810 – Henry Cavendish, French-English physicist and chemist (b. 1731)
    • 1812 – Étienne-Louis Malus, French physicist and mathematician (b. 1775)
    • 1815 – Robert Fulton, American engineer (b. 1765)
    • 1825 – Thomas Bowdler, English physician and philanthropist (b. 1754)
    • 1856 – Nikolai Lobachevsky, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1792)
    • 1876 – Joseph Jenkins Roberts, American-Liberian politician, 1st President of Liberia (b. 1809)
    • 1879 – Shiranui Kōemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 11th Yokozuna (b. 1825)
    • 1910 – Osman Hamdi Bey, Greek archaeologist and painter (b. 1842)
    • 1914 – Joshua Chamberlain, American general and politician, 32nd Governor of Maine (b. 1828)
    • 1925 – Hjalmar Branting, Swedish journalist and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Sweden, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1860)
    • 1927 – Edward Marshall Hall, English lawyer and politician (b. 1858)
    • 1929 – André Messager, French pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1853)
    • 1930 – Hermann von Ihering, German-Brazilian zoologist (b. 1850)
    • 1953 – Robert La Follette Jr., American politician, senator of Wisconsin (b. 1895)
    • 1953 – Gerd von Rundstedt, German field marshal (b. 1875)
    • 1967 – Mir Osman Ali Khan, Last Nizam of Hyderabad State (b. 1886)
    • 1970 – Conrad Nagel, American actor (b. 1897)
    • 1974 – Margaret Leech, American historian and author (b. 1895)
    • 1975 – Hans Bellmer, German artist (b. 1902)
    • 1975 – Nikolai Bulganin, Russian marshal and politician, 6th Premier of the Soviet Union (b. 1895)
    • 1978 – Alma Thomas, American painter and educator (b.1891)
    • 1982 – Virginia Bruce, American actress (b. 1910)
    • 1986 – Rukmini Devi Arundale, Indian Bharatnatyam dancer (b. 1904)
    • 1986 – Tommy Douglas, Scottish-Canadian minister and politician, 7th Premier of Saskatchewan (b. 1904)
    • 1990 – Tony Conigliaro, American baseball player (b. 1945)
    • 1990 – Malcolm Forbes, American sergeant and publisher (b. 1917)
    • 1990 – Sandro Pertini, Italian journalist and politician, 7th President of Italy (b. 1896)
    • 1990 – Johnnie Ray, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1927)
    • 1991 – John Daly, American journalist and game show host (b. 1914)
    • 1991 – George Gobel, American actor (b. 1919)
    • 1991 – Webb Pierce, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1921)
    • 1993 – Danny Gallivan, Canadian sportscaster (b. 1917)
    • 1993 – Bobby Moore, English footballer and manager (b. 1941)
    • 1994 – Jean Sablon, French singer and actor (b. 1906)
    • 1994 – Dinah Shore, American actress and singer (b. 1916)
    • 1998 – Antonio Prohías, Cuban-American cartoonist (b. 1921)
    • 1998 – Henny Youngman, English-American comedian and violinist (b. 1906)
    • 1999 – Andre Dubus, American short story writer, essayist, and memoirist (b. 1936)
    • 2001 – Theodore Marier, American composer and educator, founded the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School (b. 1912)
    • 2001 – Claude Shannon, American mathematician, cryptographer, and engineer (b. 1916)
    • 2002 – Leo Ornstein, Ukrainian-American pianist and composer (b. 1893)
    • 2004 – John Randolph, American actor (b. 1915)
    • 2005 – Coşkun Kırca, Turkish diplomat, journalist and politician (b. 1927)
    • 2006 – Octavia E. Butler, American author and educator (b. 1947)
    • 2006 – Don Knotts, American actor and comedian (b. 1924)
    • 2006 – John Martin, Canadian broadcaster, co-founded MuchMusic (b. 1947)
    • 2006 – Dennis Weaver, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1924)
    • 2007 – Bruce Bennett, American shot putter and actor (b. 1906)
    • 2007 – Damien Nash, American football player (b. 1982)
    • 2008 – Larry Norman, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
    • 2010 – Dawn Brancheau, senior animal trainer at SeaWorld (b. 1969)
    • 2011 – Anant Pai, Indian author and illustrator (b. 1929)
    • 2012 – Agnes Allen, American baseball player and therapist (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Oliver Wrong, English nephrologist and academic (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Virgil Johnson, American singer (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Con Martin, Irish footballer and manager (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Franny Beecher, American guitarist (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Alexis Hunter, New Zealand-English painter and photographer (b. 1948)
    • 2014 – Carlos Páez Vilaró, Uruguayan painter and sculptor (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Harold Ramis, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1944)
    • 2015 – Mefodiy, Ukrainian metropolitan (b. 1949)
    • 2015 – Rakhat Aliyev, Kazakh politician and diplomat (b. 1962)
    • 2016 – Peter Kenilorea, Solomon Islands politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands (b. 1943)
    • 2016 – Nabil Maleh, Syrian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1936)
    • 2016 – George C. Nichopoulos, American soldier and physician (b. 1927)
    • 2018 – Sridevi, Indian actress (b. 1963)
    • 2020 – Katherine Johnson, American physicist and mathematician (b. 1918)

    Holidays and observances on February 24

    • Christian feast day:
      • Blessed Ascensión Nicol y Goñi
      • Lindel Tsen and Paul Sasaki (Anglican Church of Canada)
      • Modest (bishop of Trier)
      • Sergius of Cappadocia
      • February 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Dragobete (Romania)
    • Engineer’s Day (Iran)
    • Flag Day in Mexico
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Estonia from the Russian Empire in 1918; the Soviet period is considered to have been an illegal annexation.
    • National Artist Day (Thailand)
  • February 23 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 303 – Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution.
    • 532 – Byzantine emperor Justinian I orders the building of a new Orthodox Christian basilica in Constantinople – the Hagia Sophia.
    • 1455 – Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type.
    • 1554 – Mapuche forces, under the leadership of Lautaro, score a victory over the Spanish at the Battle of Marihueñu in Chile.
    • 1653 – The Ballet Royal de la Nuit is first performed at the Salle du Petit-Bourbon in Paris
    • 1739 – At York Castle, the outlaw Dick Turpin is identified by his former schoolteacher. Turpin had been using the name Richard Palmer.
    • 1778 – American Revolutionary War: Baron von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania to help to train the Continental Army.
    • 1820 – Cato Street Conspiracy: A plot to murder all the British cabinet ministers is exposed.
    • 1836 – Texas Revolution: The Siege of the Alamo (prelude to the Battle of the Alamo) begins in San Antonio, Texas.
    • 1847 – Mexican–American War: Battle of Buena Vista: In Mexico, American troops under future president General Zachary Taylor defeat Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
    • 1854 – The official independence of the Orange Free State is declared.
    • 1861 – President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C., after the thwarting of an alleged assassination plot in Baltimore, Maryland.
    • 1870 – Reconstruction Era: Post-U.S. Civil War military control of Mississippi ends and it is readmitted to the Union.
    • 1883 – Alabama becomes the first U.S. state to enact an anti-trust law.
    • 1885 – Sino-French War: French Army gains an important victory in the Battle of Đồng Đăng in the Tonkin region of Vietnam.
    • 1886 – Charles Martin Hall produced the first samples of aluminium from the electrolysis of aluminium oxide, after several years of intensive work. He was assisted in this project by his older sister, Julia Brainerd Hall.
    • 1887 – The French Riviera is hit by a large earthquake, killing around 2,000.
    • 1898 – Émile Zola is imprisoned in France after writing J’Accuse…!, a letter accusing the French government of antisemitism and wrongfully imprisoning Captain Alfred Dreyfus.
    • 1900 – Second Boer War: During the Battle of the Tugela Heights, the first British attempt to take Hart’s Hill fails.
    • 1903 – Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States “in perpetuity”.
    • 1905 – Chicago attorney Paul Harris and three other businessmen meet for lunch to form the Rotary Club, the world’s first service club.
    • 1909 – The AEA Silver Dart makes the first powered flight in Canada and the British Empire.
    • 1917 – First demonstrations in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The beginning of the February Revolution (March 8 in the Gregorian calendar).
    • 1927 – U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs a bill by Congress establishing the Federal Radio Commission (later replaced by the Federal Communications Commission) which was to regulate the use of radio frequencies in the United States.
    • 1927 – German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg writes a letter to fellow physicist Wolfgang Pauli, in which he describes his uncertainty principle for the first time.
    • 1934 – Leopold III becomes King of Belgium.
    • 1941 – Plutonium is first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.
    • 1942 – World War II: Japanese submarines fire artillery shells at the coastline near Santa Barbara, California.
    • 1943 – A fire breaks out at Saint Joseph’s Orphanage, County Cavan, Ireland, killing 35 children and one adult.
    • 1943 – Greek Resistance: The United Panhellenic Organization of Youth is founded in Greece.
    • 1944 – The Soviet Union begins the forced deportation of the Chechen and Ingush people from the North Caucasus to Central Asia.
    • 1945 – World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines reach the top of Mount Suribachi on the island and are photographed raising the American flag.
    • 1945 – World War II: The 11th Airborne Division, with Filipino guerrillas, free all 2,147 captives of the Los Baños internment camp, in what General Colin Powell later would refer to as “the textbook airborne operation for all ages and all armies.”
    • 1945 – World War II: The capital of the Philippines, Manila, is liberated by combined Filipino and American forces.
    • 1945 – World War II: Capitulation of German garrison in Poznań. The city is liberated by Soviet and Polish forces.
    • 1945 – World War II: The German town of Pforzheim is annihilated in a raid by 379 British bombers.
    • 1947 – International Organization for Standardization is founded.
    • 1954 – The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine begins in Pittsburgh.
    • 1966 – In Syria, Ba’ath Party member Salah Jadid leads an intra-party military coup that replaces the previous government of General Amin al-Hafiz, also a Baathist.
    • 1974 – The Symbionese Liberation Army demands $4 million more to release kidnap victim Patty Hearst.
    • 1980 – Iran hostage crisis: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini states that Iran’s parliament will decide the fate of the American embassy hostages.
    • 1981 – In Spain, Antonio Tejero attempts a coup d’état by capturing the Spanish Congress of Deputies.
    • 1983 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces its intent to buy out and evacuate the dioxin-contaminated community of Times Beach, Missouri.
    • 1987 – Supernova 1987a is seen in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
    • 1991 – In Thailand, General Sunthorn Kongsompong leads a bloodless coup d’état, deposing Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan.
    • 1998 – In the United States, tornadoes in central Florida destroy or damage 2,600 structures and kill 42 people.
    • 1999 – Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Öcalan is charged with treason in Ankara, Turkey.
    • 2007 – A train derails on an evening express service near Grayrigg, Cumbria, England, killing one person and injuring 88. This results in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few similar accidents.
    • 2008 – A United States Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber crashes on Guam, marking the first operational loss of a B-2.
    • 2010 – Unknown criminals pour more than 2​12 million liters of diesel oil and other hydrocarbons into the river Lambro, in northern Italy, sparking an environmental disaster.
    • 2012 – A series of attacks across Iraq leave at least 83 killed and more than 250 injured.
    • 2017 – The Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army captures Al-Bab from ISIL.
    • 2019 – Atlas Air Flight 3591, a Boeing 767 freighter, crashes into Trinity Bay near Anahuac, Texas, killing all three people on board.

    Births on February 23

    • 1417 – Pope Paul II (d. 1471)
    • 1417 – Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1479)
    • 1443 – Matthias Corvinus, Hungarian king (d. 1490)
    • 1529 – Onofrio Panvinio, Italian historian (d. 1568)
    • 1539 – Henry XI of Legnica, thrice Duke of Legnica (d. 1588)
    • 1539 – Salima Sultan Begum, Empress of the Mughal Empire (d. 1612)
    • 1583 – Jean-Baptiste Morin, French mathematician, astrologer, and astronomer (d. 1656)
    • 1592 – Balthazar Gerbier, Dutch painter (d. 1663)
    • 1633 – Samuel Pepys, English diarist and politician (d. 1703)
    • 1646 – Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Japanese shōgun (d. 1709)
    • 1680 – Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, Canadian politician, 2nd Colonial Governor of Louisiana (d. 1767)
    • 1685 – George Frideric Handel, German-English organist and composer (d. 1759)
    • 1723 – Richard Price, Welsh-English minister and philosopher (d. 1791)
    • 1744 – Mayer Amschel Rothschild, German banker and businessman (d. 1812)
    • 1792 – José Joaquín de Herrera, Mexican politician and general. President three times (1844–1854) (d. 1854)
    • 1831 – Hendrik Willem Mesdag, Dutch painter (d. 1915)
    • 1840 – Carl Menger, Austrian economist and educator (d. 1921)
    • 1842 – Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann, German philosopher and author (d. 1906)
    • 1850 – César Ritz, Swiss businessman, founded The Ritz Hotel, London and Hôtel Ritz Paris (d. 1918)
    • 1868 – W. E. B. Du Bois, American sociologist, historian, and activist (d. 1963)
    • 1868 – Anna Hofman-Uddgren, Swedish actress, singer, and director (d. 1947)
    • 1873 – Liang Qichao, Chinese journalist, philosopher, and scholar (d. 1929)
    • 1874 – Konstantin Päts, Estonian lawyer and politician, 1st President of Estonia (d. 1956)
    • 1878 – Kazimir Malevich, Ukrainian painter and theorist (d. 1935)
    • 1883 – Karl Jaspers, German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher (d. 1969)
    • 1883 – Guy C. Wiggins, American painter (d. 1962)
    • 1889 – Musidora, French actress and director (d. 1957)
    • 1889 – Cyril Delevanti, English-American actor (d. 1975)
    • 1889 – Victor Fleming, American director, cinematographer, and producer (d. 1949)
    • 1889 – John Gilbert Winant, American captain, pilot, and politician, 60th Governor of New Hampshire (d. 1947)
    • 1892 – Kathleen Harrison, English actress (d. 1995)
    • 1892 – Agnes Smedley, American journalist and writer (d. 1950)
    • 1894 – Harold Horder, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1978)
    • 1899 – Erich Kästner, German author and poet (d. 1974)
    • 1899 – Norman Taurog, American director and screenwriter (d. 1981)
    • 1904 – Terence Fisher, English director and screenwriter (d. 1980)
    • 1904 – William L. Shirer, American journalist and historian (d. 1993)
    • 1908 – William McMahon, Australian lawyer and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1988)
    • 1915 – Jon Hall, American actor and director (d. 1979)
    • 1915 – Paul Tibbets, American general and pilot (d. 2007)
    • 1919 – Johnny Carey, Irish footballer and manager (d. 1995)
    • 1920 – Paul Gérin-Lajoie, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2018)
    • 1923 – Rafael Addiego Bruno, Uruguayan jurist and politician, President of Uruguay (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Harry Clarke, English international footballer, defender (d. 2000)
    • 1923 – Ioannis Grivas, Greek judge and politician, 176th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Dante Lavelli, American football player (d. 2009)
    • 1923 – Clarence D. Lester, African-American fighter pilot (d.1986)
    • 1923 – Mary Francis Shura, American author (d. 1991)
    • 1924 – Allan McLeod Cormack, South-African-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
    • 1925 – Louis Stokes, American lawyer and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Régine Crespin, French soprano and actress (d. 2007)
    • 1928 – Hans Herrmann, German race car driver
    • 1928 – Vasily Lazarev, Russian colonel, physician, and astronaut (d. 1990)
    • 1929 – Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow (d. 2008)
    • 1929 – Elston Howard, American baseball player and coach (d. 1980)
    • 1930 – Paul West, English-American author, poet, and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Tom Wesselmann, American painter and sculptor (d. 2004)
    • 1932 – Majel Barrett, American actress and producer (d. 2008)
    • 1937 – Tom Osborne, American football player, coach, and politician
    • 1938 – Sylvia Chase, American broadcast journalist (d. 2019)
    • 1938 – Paul Morrissey, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1938 – Diane Varsi, American actress (d. 1992)
    • 1940 – Peter Fonda, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2019)
    • 1940 – Jackie Smith, American football player
    • 1941 – Ron Hunt, American baseball player
    • 1943 – Fred Biletnikoff, American football player and coach
    • 1943 – Bobby Mitchell, American golfer (d. 2018)
    • 1944 – Bernard Cornwell, English author and educator
    • 1944 – Florian Fricke, German keyboard player and composer (d. 2001)
    • 1944 – Johnny Winter, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2014)
    • 1945 – Allan Boesak, South African cleric and politician
    • 1946 – Rusty Young, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1947 – Pia Kjærsgaard, Danish politician, Speaker of the Danish Parliament
    • 1947 – Anton Mosimann, Swiss chef and author
    • 1948 – Bill Alexander, English director and producer
    • 1948 – Trevor Cherry, English footballer (d. 2020)
    • 1948 – Steve Priest, English singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1949 – César Aira, Argentinian author and translator
    • 1949 – Marc Garneau, Canadian engineer, astronaut, and politician
    • 1950 – Rebecca Goldstein, American philosopher and author
    • 1951 – Eddie Dibbs, American tennis player
    • 1951 – Debbie Friedman, American singer-songwriter of Jewish melodies (d. 2011)
    • 1951 – Ed “Too Tall” Jones, American football player and boxer
    • 1951 – Patricia Richardson, American actress
    • 1952 – Brad Whitford, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1953 – Kenny Bee, Hong Kong singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1953 – Satoru Nakajima, Japanese race car driver
    • 1954 – Rajini Thiranagama, Sri Lankan physician and academic (d. 1989)
    • 1954 – Viktor Yushchenko, Ukrainian captain and politician, 3rd President of Ukraine
    • 1955 – Howard Jones, English singer-songwriter
    • 1955 – Flip Saunders, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1956 – Sandra Osborne, Scottish politician
    • 1958 – David Sylvian, English singer-songwriter
    • 1959 – Clayton Anderson, American engineer and astronaut
    • 1959 – Nick de Bois, English politician
    • 1959 – Ian Liddell-Grainger, Scottish soldier and politician
    • 1959 – Linda Nolan, Irish singer and actress
    • 1960 – Naruhito, Emperor of Japan
    • 1962 – Michael Wilton, American guitarist
    • 1963 – Bobby Bonilla, American baseball player
    • 1963 – Radosław Sikorski, Polish journalist and politician, 11th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland
    • 1964 – John Norum, Norwegian guitarist and songwriter
    • 1965 – Michael Dell, American businessman
    • 1965 – Helena Suková, Czech-Monacan tennis player
    • 1967 – Steve Stricker, American golfer
    • 1967 – Chris Vrenna, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
    • 1969 – Michael Campbell, New Zealand golfer
    • 1969 – Martine Croxall, English journalist and television news presenter
    • 1969 – Daymond John, American fashion designer and businessman, founded FUBU
    • 1970 – Niecy Nash, American actress and producer
    • 1971 – Carin Koch, Swedish golfer
    • 1971 – Melinda Messenger, English model and television host
    • 1971 – Joe-Max Moore, American soccer player
    • 1972 – Alessandro Sturba, Italian footballer
    • 1972 – Rondell White, American baseball player
    • 1973 – Jeff Nordgaard, American-Polish basketball player
    • 1974 – Herschelle Gibbs, South African cricketer
    • 1974 – Robbi Kempson, South African rugby player
    • 1975 – Michael Cornacchia, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1975 – Ryan McCourt, Canadian artist
    • 1976 – Scott Elarton, American baseball player and coach
    • 1976 – Kelly Macdonald, Scottish actress
    • 1976 – Jeff O’Neill, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1977 – Kristina Šmigun-Vähi, Estonian skier
    • 1978 – Residente, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter
    • 1978 – Dan Snyder, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2003)
    • 1979 – S. E. Cupp, American journalist and author
    • 1981 – Gareth Barry, English footballer
    • 1981 – Josh Gad, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1981 – Charles Tillman, American football player
    • 1982 – Adam Hann-Byrd, American actor and screenwriter
    • 1983 – Mido, Egyptian footballer, striker, manager and sportscaster
    • 1983 – Aziz Ansari, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1983 – Emily Blunt, English actress
    • 1986 – Emerson Conceição, Brazilian footballer
    • 1986 – Skylar Grey, American singer-songwriter
    • 1986 – Kazuya Kamenashi, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1986 – Jerod Mayo, American football player
    • 1986 – Ola Svensson, Swedish singer-songwriter
    • 1987 – Ab-Soul, American rapper
    • 1987 – Theophilus London, Trinidadian-American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1987 – Zak Kirkup, Member of the Parliament of Western Australia
    • 1988 – Nicolás Gaitán, Argentinian footballer
    • 1989 – Evan Bates, American ice dancer
    • 1989 – Jérémy Pied, French footballer
    • 1990 – Kevin Connauton, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Terry Hawkridge, English footballer
    • 1990 – Marco Scandella, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1992 – Casemiro, Brazilian footballer
    • 1992 – Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Greek footballer
    • 1993 – Chris Grevsmuhl, Australian rugby league player
    • 1994 – Dakota Fanning, American actress
    • 1995 – Andrew Wiggins, Canadian basketball player
    • 1996 – D’Angelo Russell, American basketball player
    • 1997 – Jamal Murray, Canadian basketball player

    Deaths on February 23

    • 715 – Al-Walid I, Umayyad caliph (b. 668)
    • 908 – Li Keyong, Shatuo military governor during the Tang Dynasty in China (b. 856)
    • 943 – Herbert II, Count of Vermandois, (b. 884)
    • 943 – David I, prince of Tao-Klarjeti (Georgia)
    • 1011 – Willigis, German archbishop (b. 940)
    • 1100 – Emperor Zhezong of Song (b. 1076)
    • 1270 – Isabel of France (b. 1225)
    • 1447 – Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (b. 1390)
    • 1447 – Pope Eugene IV (b. 1383)
    • 1464 – Emperor Yingzong of Ming (b. 1427)
    • 1473 – Arnold, Duke of Gelderland (b. 1410)
    • 1526 – Diego Colón, Spanish Viceroy of the Indies (b. c. 1479)
    • 1554 – Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire (b. 1515)
    • 1603 – Andrea Cesalpino, Italian philosopher, physician, and botanist (b. 1519)
    • 1603 – Franciscus Vieta, French mathematician (b. 1540)
    • 1620 – Nicholas Fuller, English politician (b. 1543)
    • 1704 – Georg Muffat, French organist and composer (b. 1653)
    • 1766 – Stanisław Leszczyński, Polish king (b. 1677)
    • 1781 – George Taylor, Irish-American blacksmith and politician (b. 1716)
    • 1792 – Joshua Reynolds, English painter and academic (b. 1723)
    • 1821 – John Keats, English poet (b. 1795)
    • 1848 – John Quincy Adams, American politician, 6th President of the United States (b. 1767)
    • 1855 – Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (b. 1777)
    • 1859 – Zygmunt Krasiński, Polish poet and playwright (b. 1812)
    • 1879 – Albrecht von Roon, Prussian soldier and politician, 10th Minister President of Prussia (b. 1803)
    • 1897 – Woldemar Bargiel, German composer and educator (b. 1828)
    • 1900 – Ernest Dowson, English poet, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1867)
    • 1908 – Friedrich von Esmarch, German surgeon and academic (b. 1823)
    • 1918 – Adolphus Frederick VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1882)
    • 1930 – Horst Wessel, German SA officer (b. 1907)
    • 1931 – Nellie Melba, Australian soprano and actress (b. 1861)
    • 1934 – Edward Elgar, English composer and academic (b. 1857)
    • 1944 – Leo Baekeland, Belgian-American chemist and engineer (b. 1863)
    • 1946 – Tomoyuki Yamashita, Japanese general (b. 1885)
    • 1948 – John Robert Gregg, Irish-American publisher and educator (b. 1866)
    • 1955 – Paul Claudel, French poet and playwright (b. 1868)
    • 1965 – Stan Laurel, English actor and comedian (b. 1890)
    • 1969 – Madhubala, Indian actress and producer (b. 1933)
    • 1969 – Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, 2nd King of Saudi Arabia (b. 1902)
    • 1973 – Dickinson W. Richards, American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
    • 1974 – Harry Ruby, American composer and screenwriter (b. 1895)
    • 1976 – L. S. Lowry, English painter (b. 1887)
    • 1979 – W. A. C. Bennett, Canadian businessman and politician, 25th Premier of British Columbia (b. 1900)
    • 1983 – Herbert Howells, English organist and composer (b. 1892)
    • 1990 – José Napoleón Duarte, Salvadoran engineer and politician, President of El Salvador (b. 1925)
    • 1995 – James Herriot, English veterinarian and author (b. 1916)
    • 1997 – Tony Williams, American drummer, composer, and producer (b. 1945)
    • 1998 – Philip Abbott, American actor and director (b. 1924)
    • 1999 – The Renegade, American wrestler (b. 1965)
    • 2000 – Ofra Haza, Israeli singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1957)
    • 2000 – Stanley Matthews, English footballer and manager (b. 1915)
    • 2003 – Howie Epstein, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (b. 1955)
    • 2003 – Robert K. Merton, American sociologist and academic (b. 1910)
    • 2004 – Vijay Anand, Indian director, producer, screenwriter, and actor (b. 1934)
    • 2004 – Sikander Bakht, Indian politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs (b. 1918)
    • 2006 – Telmo Zarra, Spanish footballer (b. 1921)
    • 2007 – John Ritchie, English footballer (b. 1941)
    • 2008 – Janez Drnovšek, Slovenian economist and politician, 2nd President of Slovenia (b. 1950)
    • 2008 – Paul Frère, Belgian race car driver and journalist (b. 1917)
    • 2010 – Orlando Zapata, Cuban plumber and activist (b. 1967)
    • 2011 – Nirmala Srivastava, Indian religious leader, founded Sahaja Yoga (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – William Raggio, American lawyer and politician (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – David Sayre, American physicist and mathematician (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Kazimierz Żygulski, Polish sociologist and activist (b. 1919)
    • 2013 – Eugene Bookhammer, American soldier and politician, 18th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Joseph Friedenson, Holocaust survivor, Holocaust historian, Yiddish writer, lecturer and editor (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Julien Ries, Belgian cardinal (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Lotika Sarkar, Indian lawyer and academic (b. 1945)
    • 2014 – Alice Herz-Sommer, Czech-English Holocaust survivor, pianist and educator (b. 1903)
    • 2014 – Roger Hilsman, American soldier, academic, and politician (b. 1919)
    • 2015 – James Aldridge, Australian-English journalist and author (b. 1918)
    • 2015 – Rana Bhagwandas, Pakistani lawyer and judge, Chief Justice of Pakistan (b. 1942)
    • 2015 – W. E. “Bill” Dykes, American soldier and politician (b. 1925)
    • 2016 – Peter Lustig, German television host and author (b. 1937)
    • 2016 – Jacqueline Mattson, American baseball player (b. 1928)
    • 2019 – Katherine Helmond, American actress (b. 1929)

    Holidays and observances on February 23

    • Christian feast day:
      • Polycarp of Smyrna
      • Serenus the Gardener
      • February 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • The Emperor’s Birthday, birthday of Naruhito, the current Emperor of Japan (Japan)
    • Mashramani-Republic Day (Guyana)
    • Meteņi (Latvia)
    • National Day (Brunei)
    • Red Army Day or Day of Soviet Army and Navy in the former Soviet Union, also held in various former Soviet republics:
      • Defender of the Fatherland Day (Russia)
      • Defender of the Fatherland and Armed Forces day (Belarus)
      • Armed Forces Day (Tajikistan) (Tajikistan)
  • February 19 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 197 – Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies.
    • 356 – Emperor Constantius II issues a decree closing all pagan temples in the Roman Empire.
    • 1594 – Having already been elected to the throne of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1587, Sigismund III of the House of Vasa is crowned King of Sweden, having succeeded his father John III of Sweden in 1592.
    • 1600 – The Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina explodes in the most violent eruption in the recorded history of South America.
    • 1649 – The Second Battle of Guararapes takes place, effectively ending Dutch colonization efforts in Brazil.
    • 1674 – England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster, ending the Third Anglo-Dutch War. A provision of the agreement transfers the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam to England, and it is renamed New York.
    • 1726 – The Supreme Privy Council is established in Russia.
    • 1807 – Former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is arrested for treason in Wakefield, Alabama and confined to Fort Stoddert.
    • 1819 – British explorer William Smith discovers the South Shetland Islands and claims them in the name of King George III.
    • 1836 – King William IV signs Letters Patent establishing the Province of South Australia.
    • 1846 – In Austin, Texas the newly formed Texas state government is officially installed. The Republic of Texas government officially transfers power to the State of Texas government following the annexation of Texas by the United States.
    • 1847 – The first group of rescuers reaches the Donner Party.
    • 1859 – Daniel E. Sickles, a New York Congressman, is acquitted of murder on grounds of temporary insanity.
    • 1878 – Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.
    • 1884 – More than sixty tornadoes strike the Southern United States, one of the largest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history.
    • 1913 – Pedro Lascuráin becomes President of Mexico for 45 minutes; this is the shortest term to date of any person as president of any country.
    • 1915 – World War I: The first naval attack on the Dardanelles begins when a strong Anglo-French task force bombards Ottoman artillery along the coast of Gallipoli.
    • 1937 – Yekatit 12: During a public ceremony at the Viceregal Palace (the former Imperial residence) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, two Ethiopian nationalists of Eritrean origin attempt to kill viceroy Rodolfo Graziani with a number of grenades.
    • 1942 – World War II: Nearly 250 Japanese warplanes attack the northern Australian city of Darwin, killing 243 people.
    • 1942 – World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs executive order 9066, allowing the United States military to relocate Japanese Americans to internment camps.
    • 1943 – World War II: Battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia begins.
    • 1945 – World War II: Battle of Iwo Jima: About 30,000 United States Marines land on the island of Iwo Jima.
    • 1948 – The Conference of Youth and Students of Southeast Asia Fighting for Freedom and Independence convenes in Calcutta.
    • 1949 – Ezra Pound is awarded the first Bollingen Prize in poetry by the Bollingen Foundation and Yale University.
    • 1953 – Book censorship in the United States: The Georgia Literature Commission is established.
    • 1954 – Transfer of Crimea: The Soviet Politburo of the Soviet Union orders the transfer of the Crimean Oblast from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR.
    • 1959 – The United Kingdom grants Cyprus independence, which is formally proclaimed on August 16, 1960.
    • 1960 – China successfully launches the T-7, its first sounding rocket.
    • 1963 – The publication of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique reawakens the feminist movement in the United States as women’s organizations and consciousness raising groups spread.
    • 1965 – Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, and a communist spy of the North Vietnamese Viet Minh, along with Generals Lâm Văn Phát and Trần Thiện Khiêm, all Catholics, attempt a coup against the military junta of the Buddhist Nguyễn Khánh.
    • 1976 – Executive Order 9066, which led to the relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps, is rescinded by President Gerald Ford’s Proclamation 4417.
    • 1978 – Egyptian forces raid Larnaca International Airport in an attempt to intervene in a hijacking, without authorisation from the Republic of Cyprus authorities. The Cypriot National Guard and Police forces kill 15 Egyptian commandos and destroy the Egyptian C-130 transport plane in open combat.
    • 1985 – William J. Schroeder becomes the first recipient of an artificial heart to leave the hospital.
    • 1985 – Iberia Airlines Boeing 727 crashes into Mount Oiz in Spain, killing 148.
    • 1986 – Akkaraipattu massacre: the Sri Lankan Army massacres 80 Tamil farm workers in eastern Sri Lanka.
    • 1989 – Flying Tiger Line flight 66 crashes into a hill near Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Malaysia, killing four.
    • 2002 – NASA’s Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.
    • 2003 – An Ilyushin Il-76 military aircraft crashes near Kerman, Iran, killing 275.
    • 2006 – A methane explosion in a coal mine near Nueva Rosita, Mexico, kills 65 miners.
    • 2011 – The debut exhibition of the Belitung shipwreck, containing the largest collection of Tang dynasty artifacts found in one location, begins in Singapore.
    • 2012 – Forty-four people are killed in a prison brawl in Apodaca, Nuevo León, Mexico.

    Births on February 19

    • 1461 – Domenico Grimani, Italian cardinal (d. 1523)
    • 1473 – Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish mathematician and astronomer (d. 1543)
    • 1497 – Matthäus Schwarz, German fashion writer (d. 1574)
    • 1519 – Froben Christoph of Zimmern, German author of the Zimmern Chronicle (d. 1566)
    • 1526 – Carolus Clusius, Flemish botanist and academic (d. 1609)
    • 1532 – Jean-Antoine de Baïf, French poet (d. 1589)
    • 1552 – Melchior Klesl, Austrian cardinal (d. 1630)
    • 1594 – Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (d. 1612)
    • 1611 – Andries de Graeff, Dutch politician (d. 1678)
    • 1630 – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Indian warrior king and the founder of Maratha Empire
    • 1660 – Friedrich Hoffmann, German physician and chemist (d. 1742)
    • 1717 – David Garrick, English actor, playwright, and producer (d. 1779)
    • 1743 – Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1805)
    • 1798 – Allan MacNab, Canadian soldier, lawyer, and politician, Premier of Canada West (d. 1862)
    • 1800 – Émilie Gamelin, Canadian nun and social worker, founded the Sisters of Providence (d. 1851)
    • 1804 – Carl von Rokitansky, German physician, pathologist, and philosopher (d. 1878)
    • 1821 – August Schleicher, German linguist and academic (d. 1868)
    • 1833 – Élie Ducommun, Swiss journalist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1906)
    • 1838 – Lydia Thompson, British burlesque performer (d. 1908)
    • 1841 – Elfrida Andrée, Swedish organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1929)
    • 1855 – Nishinoumi Kajirō I, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 16th Yokozuna (d. 1908)
    • 1859 – Svante Arrhenius, Swedish physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1927)
    • 1865 – Sven Hedin, Swedish geographer and explorer (d. 1952)
    • 1869 – Hovhannes Tumanyan, Armenian-Russian poet and author (d. 1923)
    • 1872 – Johan Pitka, Estonian admiral (d. 1944)
    • 1876 – Constantin Brâncuși, Romanian-French sculptor, painter, and photographer (d. 1957)
    • 1877 – Gabriele Münter, German painter (d. 1962)
    • 1878 – Harriet Bosse, Swedish–Norwegian actress (d. 1961)
    • 1880 – Álvaro Obregón, Mexican general and politician, 39th President of Mexico (d. 1928)
    • 1886 – José Abad Santos, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 5th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (d. 1942)
    • 1888 – José Eustasio Rivera, Colombian lawyer and poet (d. 1928)
    • 1893 – Cedric Hardwicke, English actor and director (d. 1964)
    • 1895 – Louis Calhern, American actor (d. 1956)
    • 1896 – André Breton, French poet and author (d. 1966)
    • 1897 – Alma Rubens, American actress (d. 1931)
    • 1899 – Lucio Fontana, Argentinian-Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1968)
    • 1902 – Kay Boyle, American novelist, short story writer, and educator (d. 1992)
    • 1904 – Havank, Dutch journalist and author (d. 1964)
    • 1904 – Elisabeth Welch, American-English singer and actress (d. 2003)
    • 1911 – Merle Oberon, Indian-American actress (d. 1979)
    • 1912 – Dorothy Janis, American actress (d. 2010)
    • 1912 – Saul Chaplin, American composer (d. 1997)
    • 1913 – Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza (d. 2007)
    • 1913 – Frank Tashlin, American animator and screenwriter (d. 1972)
    • 1914 – Thelma Kench, New Zealand Olympic sprinter (d. 1985)
    • 1915 – John Freeman, English lawyer, politician, and diplomat, British Ambassador to the United States (d. 2014)
    • 1916 – Eddie Arcaro, American jockey and sportscaster (d. 1997)
    • 1917 – Carson McCullers, American novelist, short story writer, playwright, and essayist (d. 1967)
    • 1918 – Fay McKenzie, American actress (d. 2019)
    • 1920 – C. Z. Guest, American actress, fashion designer, and author (d. 2003)
    • 1920 – Jaan Kross, Estonian author and poet (d. 2007)
    • 1920 – George Rose, English actor and singer (d. 1988)
    • 1922 – Władysław Bartoszewski, Polish journalist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2015)
    • 1924 – David Bronstein, Ukrainian chess player and theoretician (d. 2006)
    • 1924 – Lee Marvin, American actor (d. 1987)
    • 1926 – György Kurtág, Hungarian composer and academic
    • 1927 – Philippe Boiry, French journalist (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Jacques Deray, French director and screenwriter (d. 2003)
    • 1930 – John Frankenheimer, American director and producer (d. 2002)
    • 1930 – Kasinathuni Viswanath, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1932 – Joseph P. Kerwin, American captain, physician, and astronaut
    • 1935 – Dave Niehaus, American sportscaster (d. 2010)
    • 1935 – Russ Nixon, American MLB catcher and coach (d. 2016)
    • 1936 – Sam Myers, American singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1936 – Frederick Seidel, American poet
    • 1937 – Terry Carr, American author and educator (d. 1987)
    • 1937 – Norm O’Neill, Australian cricketer and sportscaster (d. 2008)
    • 1938 – Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama (d. 1989)
    • 1939 – Erin Pizzey, English activist and author, founded Refuge
    • 1940 – Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmen engineer and politician, 1st President of Turkmenistan (d. 2006)
    • 1940 – Smokey Robinson, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1940 – Bobby Rogers, American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1941 – David Gross, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1941 – Jenny Tonge, Baroness Tonge, English politician
    • 1942 – Cyrus Chothia, English biochemist and emeritus scientist at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (d. 2019)
    • 1942 – Paul Krause, American football player and politician
    • 1942 – Howard Stringer, Welsh businessman
    • 1942 – Will Provine, American biologist, historian, and academic (d. 2015)
    • 1943 – Lou Christie, American singer-songwriter
    • 1943 – Homer Hickam, American author and engineer
    • 1943 – Tim Hunt, English biochemist and academic, Nobel laureate
    • 1944 – Les Hinton, English-American journalist and businessman
    • 1945 – Yuri Antonov, Uzbek-Russian singer-songwriter
    • 1946 – Paul Dean, Canadian guitarist
    • 1946 – Peter Hudson, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1946 – Karen Silkwood, American technician and activist (d. 1974)
    • 1947 – Jackie Curtis, American actress and playwright (d. 1985)
    • 1947 – Tim Shadbolt, New Zealand businessman and politician, 42nd Mayor of Invercargill
    • 1948 – Mark Andes, American singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1948 – Pim Fortuyn, Dutch sociologist, academic, and politician (d. 2002)
    • 1948 – Tony Iommi, English guitarist and songwriter
    • 1949 – Danielle Bunten Berry, American game designer and programmer (d. 1998)
    • 1949 – Eddie Hardin, English singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2015)
    • 1949 – Barry Lloyd, English footballer, midfielder and manager
    • 1949 – William Messner-Loebs, American author and illustrator
    • 1950 – Juice Leskinen, Finnish singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1950 – Andy Powell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1951 – Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, Pakistani scholar and politician, founder of Minhaj-ul-Quran
    • 1952 – Ryū Murakami, Japanese novelist and filmmaker
    • 1952 – Rodolfo Neri Vela, Mexican engineer and astronaut
    • 1952 – Gary Seear, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2018)
    • 1952 – Dave Cheadle, American baseball player (d. 2012)
    • 1952 – Amy Tan, American novelist, essayist, and short story writer
    • 1952 – Danilo Türk, Slovene academic and politician, 3rd President of Slovenia
    • 1953 – Corrado Barazzutti, Italian tennis player
    • 1953 – Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Argentine lawyer and politician, former President of Argentina and current Vice President of Argentina
    • 1953 – Massimo Troisi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
    • 1954 – Sócrates, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2011)
    • 1954 – Francis Buchholz, German bass player
    • 1954 – Michael Gira, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1955 – Jeff Daniels, American actor and playwright
    • 1956 – Kathleen Beller, American actress
    • 1956 – Peter Holsapple, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1956 – Roderick MacKinnon, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1956 – Dave Wakeling, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1957 – Falco, Austrian singer-songwriter, rapper, and musician (d. 1998)
    • 1957 – Dave Stewart, American baseball player and coach
    • 1957 – Ray Winstone, English actor
    • 1958 – Tommy Cairo, American wrestler
    • 1958 – Helen Fielding, English author and screenwriter
    • 1958 – Steve Nieve, English keyboard player and composer
    • 1959 – Roger Goodell, American businessman
    • 1960 – Prince Andrew, Duke of York
    • 1960 – John Paul Jr., American race car driver
    • 1961 – Justin Fashanu, English footballer (d. 1998)
    • 1961 – Ernie Gonzalez, American golfer
    • 1962 – Hana Mandlíková, Czech-Australian tennis player and coach
    • 1963 – Seal, English singer-songwriter
    • 1963 – Jessica Tuck, American actress
    • 1964 – Doug Aldrich, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1964 – Jonathan Lethem, American novelist, essayist, and short story writer
    • 1965 – Jon Fishman, American drummer
    • 1965 – Clark Hunt, American businessman
    • 1965 – Leroy, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1966 – Justine Bateman, American actress and producer
    • 1966 – Paul Haarhuis, Dutch tennis player and coach
    • 1966 – Eduardo Xol, American designer and author
    • 1967 – Benicio del Toro, Puerto Rican-American actor, director, and producer
    • 1968 – Frank Watkins, American bass player (d. 2015)
    • 1968 – Prince Markie Dee, American rapper and actor
    • 1969 – Burton C. Bell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1969 – Helena Guergis, Canadian businesswoman and politician
    • 1970 – Joacim Cans, Swedish singer-songwriter
    • 1971 – Miguel Batista, Dominican baseball player and poet
    • 1971 – Richard Green, Australian golfer
    • 1971 – Jeff Kinney, American author and illustrator
    • 1972 – Francine Fournier, American wrestler and manager
    • 1972 – Sunset Thomas, American pornographic actress
    • 1975 – Daniel Adair, Canadian drummer and producer
    • 1975 – Daewon Song, South Korean-American skateboarder, co-founded Almost Skateboards
    • 1977 – Ola Salo, Swedish singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1977 – Andrew Ross Sorkin, American journalist and author
    • 1977 – Gianluca Zambrotta, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1978 – Ben Gummer, English scholar and politician
    • 1978 – Immortal Technique, Peruvian-American rapper
    • 1979 – Steve Cherundolo, American soccer player and manager
    • 1980 – Dwight Freeney, American football player
    • 1980 – Ma Lin, Chinese table tennis player
    • 1980 – Mike Miller, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Beth Ditto, American singer
    • 1983 – Kotoōshū Katsunori, Bulgarian sumo wrestler
    • 1983 – Mika Nakashima, Japanese singer and actress
    • 1983 – Ryan Whitney, American ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Chris Richardson, American singer-songwriter
    • 1985 – Haylie Duff, American actress and singer
    • 1986 – Kyle Chipchura, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Marta, Brazilian footballer
    • 1986 – Maria Mena, Norwegian singer-songwriter
    • 1986 – Michael Schwimer, American baseball player
    • 1987 – Anna Cappellini, Italian ice dancer
    • 1988 – Shawn Matthias, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1988 – Seth Morrison, American guitarist
    • 1989 – Sone Aluko, Anglo-Nigerian international footballer, forward/winger
    • 1991 – Christoph Kramer, German national footballer
    • 1991 – Trevor Bayne, American race car driver
    • 1992 – Camille Kostek, American model
    • 1993 – Mauro Icardi, Argentinian footballer
    • 1993 – Victoria Justice, American actress and singer
    • 1994 – Sam Lisone, New Zealand-Samoan rugby league player
    • 1994 – Tiina Trutsi, Estonian footballer
    • 1995 – Nikola Jokić, Serbian basketball player
    • 1998 – Katharina Gerlach, German tennis player
    • 2001 – David Mazouz, American actor
    • 2004 – Millie Bobby Brown, English actress

    Deaths on February 19

    • 197 – Clodius Albinus, Roman usurper (b. 150)
    • 446 – Leontius of Trier, Bishop of Trier
    • 1133 – Irene Doukaina, Byzantine wife of Alexios I Komnenos (b. 1066)
    • 1275 – Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Sufi philosopher and poet (b. 1177)
    • 1300 – Munio of Zamora, General of the Dominican Order
    • 1408 – Thomas Bardolf, 5th Baron Bardolf, English rebel
    • 1414 – Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1353)
    • 1445 – Leonor of Aragon, queen of Portugal (b. 1402)
    • 1491 – Enno I, Count of East Frisia, German noble (b. 1460)
    • 1553 – Erasmus Reinhold, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1511)
    • 1602 – Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur (b. 1558)
    • 1605 – Orazio Vecchi, Italian composer (b. 1550)
    • 1622 – Henry Savile, English scholar and politician (b. 1549)
    • 1672 – Charles Chauncy, English-American minister, theologian, and academic (b. 1592)
    • 1709 – Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Japanese shōgun (b. 1646)
    • 1716 – Dorothe Engelbretsdatter, Norwegian author and poet (b. 1634)
    • 1785 – Mary, Countess of Harold, English aristocrat and philanthropist (b. 1701)
    • 1789 – Nicholas Van Dyke, American lawyer and politician, 7th Governor of Delaware (b. 1738)
    • 1799 – Jean-Charles de Borda, French mathematician, physicist, and sailor (b. 1733)
    • 1806 – Elizabeth Carter, English poet and translator (b. 1717)
    • 1837 – Georg Büchner, German-Swiss poet and playwright (b. 1813)
    • 1837 – Thomas Burgess, English bishop and philosopher (b. 1756)
    • 1887 – Multatuli, Dutch-German author and civil servant (b. 1820)
    • 1897 – Karl Weierstrass, German mathematician and academic (b. 1815)
    • 1915 – Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Indian philosopher and politician (b. 1866)
    • 1916 – Ernst Mach, Austrian-Czech physicist and philosopher (b. 1838)
    • 1927 – Robert Fuchs, Austrian composer and educator (b. 1847)
    • 1928 – George Howard Earle Jr., American lawyer and businessman (b. 1856)
    • 1936 – Billy Mitchell, American general and pilot (b. 1879)
    • 1945 – John Basilone, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1916)
    • 1951 – André Gide, French novelist, essayist, and dramatist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1869)
    • 1952 – Knut Hamsun, Norwegian novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
    • 1953 – Richard Rushall, British businessman (b. 1864)
    • 1957 – Maurice Garin, Italian-French cyclist (b. 1871)
    • 1959 – Willard Miller, American sailor, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1877)
    • 1962 – Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek-American pathologist, invented the Pap smear (b. 1883)
    • 1969 – Madge Blake, American actress (b. 1899)
    • 1970 – Ralph Edward Flanders, (b. 1890) US Senator from Vermont.
    • 1972 – John Grierson, Scottish director and producer (b. 1898)
    • 1972 – Lee Morgan, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1938)
    • 1973 – Joseph Szigeti, Hungarian violinist (b. 1892)
    • 1977 – Anthony Crosland, English captain and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (b. 1918)
    • 1977 – Mike González, Cuban baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1890)
    • 1980 – Bon Scott, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
    • 1983 – Alice White, American actress (b. 1904)
    • 1988 – André Frédéric Cournand, French-American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
    • 1992 – Tojo Yamamoto, American wrestler and manager (b. 1927)
    • 1994 – Derek Jarman, English director and set designer (b. 1942)
    • 1996 – Charlie Finley, American businessman (b. 1918)
    • 1997 – Leo Rosten, Polish-American author and academic (b. 1908)
    • 1997 – Deng Xiaoping, Chinese politician, 1st Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1904)
    • 1998 – Grandpa Jones, American singer-songwriter and banjo player (b. 1913)
    • 1999 – Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr, Iraqi cleric (b. 1943)
    • 2000 – Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Austrian-New Zealand painter and illustrator (b. 1928)
    • 2001 – Stanley Kramer, American director and producer (b. 1913)
    • 2001 – Charles Trenet, French singer-songwriter (b. 1913)
    • 2002 – Sylvia Rivera, American transgender LGBT activist (b. 1951)
    • 2003 – Johnny Paycheck, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1938)
    • 2007 – Janet Blair, American actress and singer (b. 1921)
    • 2007 – Celia Franca, English-Canadian dancer and director, founded the National Ballet of Canada (b. 1921)
    • 2008 – Yegor Letov, Russian singer-songwriter (b. 1964)
    • 2008 – Lydia Shum, Chinese-Hong Kong actress and singer (b. 1945)
    • 2009 – Kelly Groucutt, English singer and bass player (b. 1945)
    • 2011 – Ollie Matson, American sprinter and football player (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Ruth Barcan Marcus, American philosopher and logician (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Jaroslav Velinský, Czech author and songwriter (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Vitaly Vorotnikov, Russian politician, 27th Prime Minister of Russia (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Armen Alchian, American economist and academic (b. 1914)
    • 2013 – Park Chul-soo, South Korean director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1948)
    • 2013 – Robert Coleman Richardson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1937)
    • 2013 – Donald Richie, American-Japanese author and critic (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Eugene Whelan, Canadian farmer and politician, 22nd Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Kresten Bjerre, Danish footballer and manager (b. 1946)
    • 2014 – Dale Gardner, American captain and astronaut (b. 1948)
    • 2014 – Valeri Kubasov, Russian engineer and astronaut (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – Harold Johnson, American boxer (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Nirad Mohapatra, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1947)
    • 2015 – Harris Wittels, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1984)
    • 2016 – Umberto Eco, Italian novelist, literary critic, and philosopher (b. 1932)
    • 2016 – Harper Lee, American author (b. 1926)
    • 2016 – Chiaki Morosawa, Japanese anime screenwriter (b. 1959)
    • 2016 – Samuel Willenberg, Polish-Israeli sculptor and painter (b. 1923)
    • 2017 – Larry Coryell, American jazz guitarist (b. 1943)
    • 2019 – Clark Dimond, American musician and author (b. 1941)
    • 2019 – Karl Lagerfeld, German fashion designer (b. 1933)
    • 2020 – José Mojica Marins, Brazilian filmmaker, actor, composer, screenwriter, and television horror host Coffin Joe. (b. 1936)
    • 2020 – Pop Smoke, American rapper (b. 1999)

    Holidays and observances on February 19

    • Armed Forces Day (Mexico)
    • Brâncuși Day (Romania)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Barbatus of Benevento
      • Boniface of Brussels
      • Conrad of Piacenza
      • Lucy Yi Zhenmei (one of Martyrs of Guizhou)
      • February 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Commemoration of Vasil Levski (Bulgaria)
    • Flag Day (Turkmenistan)
    • Shivaji Jayanti (Maharashtra, India)9
  • February 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    February 17 in History

    • 1370 – Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau.
    • 1411 – Following the successful campaigns during the Ottoman Interregnum, Musa Çelebi, one of the sons of Bayezid I, becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire with the support of Mircea I of Wallachia.
    • 1500 – Duke Friedrich and Duke Johann attempt to subdue the peasantry of Dithmarschen, Denmark, in the Battle of Hemmingstedt.
    • 1600 – On his way to be burned at the stake for heresy, at Campo de’ Fiori in Rome, the philosopher Giordano Bruno has a wooden vise put on his tongue to prevent him continuing to speak.
    • 1621 – Myles Standish is appointed as first military commander of the English Plymouth Colony in North America.
    • 1676 – Sixteen men of Pascual de Iriate’s expedition are lost at Evangelistas Islets at the western end of the Strait of Magellan.
    • 1739 – The Battle of Vasai commences as the Marathas move to invade Portuguese-occupied territory.
    • 1753 – In Sweden February 17 is followed by March 1 as the country moves from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.
    • 1801 – An electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr, Vice President by the United States House of Representatives.
    • 1814 – War of the Sixth Coalition: The Battle of Mormant.
    • 1819 – The United States House of Representatives passes the Missouri Compromise for the first time.
    • 1838 – Weenen massacre: Hundreds of Voortrekkers along the Blaukraans River, Natal are killed by Zulus.
    • 1854 – The United Kingdom recognizes the independence of the Orange Free State.
    • 1859 – Cochinchina Campaign: The French Navy captured the Citadel of Saigon, a fortress that was manned by 1,000 Nguyễn dynasty soldiers, en route to conquering Saigon and other regions of southern Viet Nam.
    • 1863 – A group of citizens of Geneva founded an International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, which later became known as the International Committee of the Red Cross.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: The H. L. Hunley becomes the first submarine to engage and sink a warship, the USS Housatonic.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: Columbia, South Carolina, is burned as Confederate forces flee from advancing Union forces.
    • 1867 – The first ship passes through the Suez Canal.
    • 1871 – The victorious Prussian Army parades through Paris, France, after the end of the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War.
    • 1904 – Madama Butterfly receives its première at La Scala in Milan.
    • 1913 – The Armory Show opens in New York City, displaying works of artists who are to become some of the most influential painters of the early 20th century.
    • 1919 – The Ukrainian People’s Republic asks Entente and the US for help fighting the Bolsheviks.
    • 1933 – Newsweek magazine is first published.
    • 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Eniwetok begins: The battle ends in an American victory on February 22.
    • 1944 – World War II: Operation Hailstone begins: U.S. naval air, surface, and submarine attack against Truk Lagoon, Japan’s main base in the central Pacific, in support of the Eniwetok invasion.
    • 1949 – Chaim Weizmann begins his term as the first President of Israel.
    • 1959 – Project Vanguard: Vanguard 2: The first weather satellite is launched to measure cloud-cover distribution.
    • 1964 – In Wesberry v. Sanders the Supreme Court of the United States rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population.
    • 1964 – Gabonese president Léon M’ba is toppled by a coup and his rival, Jean-Hilaire Aubame, is installed in his place.
    • 1965 – Project Ranger: The Ranger 8 probe launches on its mission to photograph the Mare Tranquillitatis region of the Moon in preparation for the manned Apollo missions. Mare Tranquillitatis or the “Sea of Tranquility” would become the site chosen for the Apollo 11 lunar landing.
    • 1968 – In Springfield, Massachusetts, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opens.
    • 1972 – Cumulative sales of the Volkswagen Beetle exceed those of the Ford Model T.
    • 1974 – Robert K. Preston, a disgruntled U.S. Army private, buzzes the White House in a stolen helicopter.
    • 1978 – The Troubles: The Provisional IRA detonates an incendiary bomb at the La Mon restaurant, near Belfast, killing 12 and seriously injuring 30 others, all Protestants.
    • 1979 – The Sino-Vietnamese War begins.
    • 1980 – First winter ascent of Mount Everest by Krzysztof Wielicki and Leszek Cichy.
    • 1992 – Nagorno-Karabakh War: Armenian troops massacre more than 20 Azerbaijani civilians during the Capture of Garadaghly.
    • 1995 – The Cenepa War between Peru and Ecuador ends on a ceasefire brokered by the UN.
    • 1996 – In Philadelphia, world champion Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match.
    • 1996 – NASA’s Discovery Program begins as the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft lifts off on the first mission ever to orbit and land on an asteroid, 433 Eros.
    • 1996 – The 8.2 Mw  Biak earthquake shakes the Papua province of eastern Indonesia with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A large tsunami followed, leaving one-hundred sixty-six people dead or missing and 423 injured.
    • 2006 – A massive mudslide occurs in Southern Leyte, Philippines; the official death toll is set at 1,126.
    • 2008 – Kosovo declares independence from Serbia.
    • 2011 – Arab Spring: Libyan protests against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime begin. In Bahrain, security forces launched a deadly pre-dawn raid on protesters in Pearl Roundabout in Manama, the day is locally known as Bloody Thursday.
    • 2015 – Eighteen people are killed and 78 injured in a stampede at a Mardi Gras parade in Haiti.
    • 2016 – Military vehicles explode outside a Turkish Armed Forces barracks in Ankara, Turkey, killing at least 29 people and injuring 61 others.

    Births on February 17

    • 624 – Wu Zetian, Chinese empress consort (d. 705)
    • 1028 – Al-Juwayni, Persian scholar and imam (d. 1085)
    • 1490 – Charles III, duke of Bourbon (d. 1527)
    • 1519 – Francis, French Grand Chamberlain (d. 1563)
    • 1524 – Charles de Lorraine, French cardinal (d. 1574)
    • 1646 – Pierre Le Pesant, sieur de Boisguilbert, French economist (d. 1714)
    • 1653 – Arcangelo Corelli, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1713)
    • 1723 – Tobias Mayer, German astronomer and academic (d. 1762)
    • 1740 – Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, Swiss physicist and meteorologist (d. 1799)
    • 1752 – Friedrich Maximilian Klinger, German author and playwright (d. 1831)
    • 1754 – Nicolas Baudin, French cartographer and explorer (d. 1803)
    • 1758 – John Pinkerton, Scottish antiquarian, cartographer, author, numismatist and historian (d. 1826)
    • 1781 – René Laennec, French physician, invented the stethoscope (d. 1826)
    • 1796 – Philipp Franz von Siebold, German physician and botanist (d. 1866)
    • 1817 – Édouard Thilges, Luxembourgian jurist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (d. 1904)
    • 1820 – Henri Vieuxtemps, Belgian violinist and composer (d. 1881)
    • 1821 – Lola Montez, Irish-American actress and dancer (d. 1861)
    • 1832 – Richard Henry Park, American sculptor (d. 1902)
    • 1836 – Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Spanish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1870)
    • 1843 – Aaron Montgomery Ward, American businessman, founded Montgomery Ward (d. 1913)
    • 1848 – Louisa Lawson, Australian poet and publisher (d. 1920)
    • 1854 – Friedrich Alfred Krupp, German businessman (d. 1902)
    • 1861 – Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, duchess of Albany (d. 1922)
    • 1862 – Mori Ōgai, Japanese general, author, and poet (d. 1922)
    • 1864 – Jozef Murgaš, Slovak priest, botanist, and painter (d. 1929)
    • 1864 – Banjo Paterson, Australian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1941)
    • 1874 – Thomas J. Watson, American businessman (d. 1956)
    • 1877 – Isabelle Eberhardt, Swiss explorer and author (d. 1904)
    • 1877 – André Maginot, French sergeant and politician (d. 1932)
    • 1881 – Mary Carson Breckinridge, American nurse midwife, founded Frontier Nursing Service (d. 1965)
    • 1887 – Joseph Bech, Luxembourgian lawyer and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (d. 1975)
    • 1887 – Leevi Madetoja, Finnish composer and critic (d. 1947)
    • 1888 – Otto Stern, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1969)
    • 1890 – Ronald Fisher, English-Australian statistician, biologist, and geneticist (d. 1962)
    • 1891 – Abraham Fraenkel, German-Israeli mathematician and academic (d. 1965)
    • 1893 – Wally Pipp, American baseball player and journalist (d. 1965)
    • 1899 – Jibanananda Das, Bangladeshi-Indian poet and author (d. 1954)
    • 1900 – Ruth Clifford, American actress (d. 1998)
    • 1903 – Sadegh Hedayat, Iranian-French author and translator (d. 1951)
    • 1904 – Hans Morgenthau, German-American political scientist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1980)
    • 1905 – Ruth Baldwin, British socialite (d. 1937)
    • 1905 – Rózsa Politzer, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1977)
    • 1906 – Mary Brian, American actress (d. 2002)
    • 1908 – Red Barber, American sportscaster (d. 1992)
    • 1908 – Bo Yibo, Chinese general and politician, Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (d. 2007)
    • 1910 – Marc Lawrence, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2005)
    • 1911 – Oskar Seidlin, German-American author, poet, and scholar (d. 1984)
    • 1912 – Andre Norton, American author (d. 2005)
    • 1914 – Arthur Kennedy, American actor (d. 1990)
    • 1914 – Wayne Morris, American actor and producer (d. 1959)
    • 1916 – Alexander Obolensky, Russian rugby player and pilot (d. 1940)
    • 1916 – Don Tallon, Australian cricketer (d. 1984)
    • 1916 – Raf Vallone, Italian footballer and actor (d. 2002)
    • 1918 – William Bronk, American poet and academic (d. 1999)
    • 1918 – Jacqueline Ferrand, French mathematician (d. 2014)
    • 1919 – J. M. S. Careless, Canadian historian and academic (d. 2009)
    • 1919 – Kathleen Freeman, American actress and singer (d. 2001)
    • 1919 – Joe Hunt, American tennis player (d. 1945)
    • 1920 – Ivo Caprino, Norwegian director and screenwriter (d. 2001)
    • 1920 – Annie Castor, American disability and communication disorder advocate (d. 2020)
    • 1920 – Curt Swan, American soldier and illustrator (d. 1996)
    • 1921 – Duane Gish, American biochemist and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Tommy Edwards, American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 1969)
    • 1923 – John M. Allegro, English archaeologist and scholar (d. 1988)
    • 1923 – Buddy DeFranco, American clarinet player and bandleader (d. 2014)
    • 1924 – Margaret Truman, American singer and author (d. 2008)
    • 1925 – Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (d. 2003)
    • 1925 – Hal Holbrook, American actor and director
    • 1928 – Marta Romero, Puerto Rican actress and singer (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Alejandro Jodorowsky, Chilean-French director and screenwriter
    • 1929 – Chaim Potok, American rabbi and author (d. 2002)
    • 1929 – Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale, English lieutenant and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (d. 1993)
    • 1929 – Patricia Routledge, English actress and singer
    • 1930 – Roger Craig, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1930 – Benjamin Fain, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Ruth Rendell, English author (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Jiřina Jirásková, Czech actress and singer (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Buddy Ryan, American football coach (d. 2016)
    • 1933 – Craig L. Thomas, American captain and politician (d. 2007)
    • 1934 – Alan Bates, English actor (d. 2003)
    • 1934 – Barry Humphries (Dame Edna Everage), Australian comedian, actor, and author
    • 1935 – Christina Pickles, English-American actress
    • 1936 – Jim Brown, American football player and actor
    • 1937 – Mary Ann Mobley, American model and actress, Miss America 1959 (d. 2014)
    • 1940 – Vicente Fernández, Mexican singer-songwriter, actor, and producer
    • 1941 – Julia McKenzie, English actress, singer, and director
    • 1941 – Gene Pitney, American singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
    • 1942 – Huey P. Newton, American activist, co-founded the Black Panther Party (d. 1989)
    • 1944 – Karl Jenkins, Welsh saxophonist, keyboard player, and composer (Soft Machine)
    • 1945 – Zina Bethune, American actress, dancer, and choreographer (d. 2012)
    • 1945 – Brenda Fricker, Irish actress
    • 1946 – Shahrnush Parsipur, Iranian-American author and academic
    • 1948 – José José, Mexican singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (d. 2019)
    • 1948 – Rick Majerus, American basketball player and coach (d. 2012)
    • 1949 – Fred Frith, English guitarist and songwriter
    • 1949 – Dennis Green, American football player and coach (d. 2016)
    • 1951 – Rashid Minhas, Pakistani soldier and pilot (d. 1971)
    • 1952 – Karin Büttner-Janz, German gymnast and physician
    • 1952 – Vladimír Padrůněk, Czech bass player (d. 1991)
    • 1954 – Lou Ann Barton, American blues singer-songwriter
    • 1954 – Miki Berkovich, Israeli basketball player
    • 1954 – Rene Russo, American actress
    • 1955 – Mo Yan, Chinese author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1956 – Richard Karn, American actor and game show host
    • 1957 – Loreena McKennitt, Canadian singer-songwriter, accordion player, and pianist
    • 1959 – Aryeh Deri, Moroccan-Israeli rabbi and politician, Israeli Minister of Internal Affairs
    • 1959 – Rowdy Gaines, American swimmer and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Lindy Ruff, Canadian hockey player and coach
    • 1961 – Angela Eagle, English politician, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
    • 1961 – Maria Eagle, English politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
    • 1961 – Andrey Korotayev, Russian anthropologist, historian, and sociologist
    • 1962 – Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor and director
    • 1963 – Larry the Cable Guy, American comedian and voice actor
    • 1963 – Alison Hargreaves, English mountaineer (d. 1995)
    • 1963 – Jen-Hsun Huang, Taiwanese-American businessman, co-founded Nvidia
    • 1963 – Michael Jordan, American basketball player and actor
    • 1964 – Sherry Hawco, Canadian gymnast (d. 1991)
    • 1965 – Michael Bay, American director and producer
    • 1965 – Danny Lee, Australian rugby league player
    • 1966 – Quorthon, Swedish guitarist and songwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1966 – Luc Robitaille, Canadian ice hockey player, manager, and actor
    • 1968 – Wu’erkaixi, Chinese journalist and activist
    • 1968 – Giuseppe Signori, Italian footballer
    • 1969 – David Douillet, French martial artist and politician
    • 1969 – Vasily Kudinov, Russian handball player (d. 2017)
    • 1970 – Dominic Purcell, English-born Irish-Australian actor and producer
    • 1971 – Denise Richards, American model and actress
    • 1972 – Billie Joe Armstrong, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and producer
    • 1972 – Philippe Candeloro, French figure skater
    • 1972 – Taylor Hawkins, American singer-songwriter and drummer
    • 1972 – Valeria Mazza, Argentinian model and businesswoman
    • 1972 – Lars Göran Petrov, Swedish singer and drummer
    • 1973 – Goran Bunjevčević, Serbian FR Yugoslavia international footballer, defender (d. 2018)
    • 1973 – Raphaël Ibañez, French rugby player
    • 1974 – Kaoru, Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1974 – Jerry O’Connell, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1975 – Václav Prospal, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Rory Kinnear, English actor and playwright
    • 1980 – Al Harrington, American basketball player
    • 1980 – Klemi Saban, Israeli footballer
    • 1981 – Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1981 – Paris Hilton, American model, media personality, actress, singer, DJ, author and businesswoman
    • 1981 – Pontus Segerström, Swedish footballer (d. 2014)
    • 1982 – Adriano, Brazilian footballer
    • 1982 – Brian Bruney, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Daniel Merriweather, Australian singer-songwriter
    • 1983 – Kevin Rudolf, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1984 – AB de Villiers, South African cricketer
    • 1984 – Jimmy Jacobs, American wrestler
    • 1984 – Katie Hill, Australian 3.0 point wheelchair basketball player
    • 1984 – Drew Miller, American ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Marcin Gortat, Polish basketball player
    • 1985 – Anders Jacobsen, Norwegian ski jumper
    • 1988 – Vasyl Lomachenko, Ukrainian boxer
    • 1989 – Rebecca Adlington, English swimmer
    • 1989 – Chord Overstreet, American actor and singer
    • 1990 – Marianne St-Gelais, Canadian speed skater
    • 1991 – Ed Sheeran, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1991 – Bonnie Wright, English actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1993 – Nicola Leali, Italian footballer
    • 1993 – Marc Márquez, Spanish motorcycle racer

    Deaths on February 17

    • 364 – Jovian, Roman emperor (b. 331)
    • 440 – Mesrop Mashtots, Armenian monk, linguist, and theologian (b. 360)
    • 923 – Al-Tabari, Persian scholar (b. 839)
    • 1178 – Evermode of Ratzeburg, bishop of Ratzeburg
    • 1220 – Theobald I, Duke of Lorraine
    • 1339 – Otto, Duke of Austria (b. 1301)
    • 1371 – Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria
    • 1500 – Adolph, Count of Oldenburg-Delmenhorst, German noble (b. before 1463)
    • 1600 – Giordano Bruno, Italian mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (b. 1548)
    • 1609 – Ferdinando I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1549)
    • 1624 – Juan de Mariana, Spanish priest and historian (b. 1536)
    • 1659 – Abel Servien, French politician, French Minister of Finance (b. 1593)
    • 1673 – Molière, French actor and playwright (b. 1622)
    • 1680 – Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles, English politician (b. 1599)
    • 1680 – Jan Swammerdam, Dutch biologist, zoologist, and entomologist (b. 1637)
    • 1715 – Antoine Galland, French orientalist and archaeologist (b. 1646)
    • 1732 – Louis Marchand, French organist and composer (b. 1669)
    • 1768 – Arthur Onslow, English lawyer and politician, Speaker of the House of Commons (b. 1691)
    • 1841 – Ferdinando Carulli, Italian guitarist and composer (b. 1770)
    • 1849 – María de las Mercedes Barbudo, Puerto Rican political activist, the first woman Independentista in the island (b. 1773)
    • 1854 – John Martin, English painter, engraver, and illustrator (b. 1789)
    • 1856 – Heinrich Heine, German journalist and poet (b. 1797)
    • 1874 – Adolphe Quetelet, Belgian astronomer, mathematician, and sociologist (b. 1796)
    • 1890 – Christopher Latham Sholes, American publisher and politician (b. 1819)
    • 1905 – William Bickerton, English-American religious leader, leader in the Latter Day Saint movement (b. 1815)
    • 1909 – Geronimo, American tribal leader (b. 1829)
    • 1912 – Edgar Evans, Welsh sailor and explorer (b. 1876)
    • 1919 – Wilfrid Laurier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1841)
    • 1934 – Albert I of Belgium (b. 1875)
    • 1934 – Siegbert Tarrasch, German chess player and theoretician (b. 1862)
    • 1939 – Willy Hess, German violinist and educator (b. 1859)
    • 1946 – Dorothy Gibson, American actress and singer (b. 1889)
    • 1961 – Lütfi Kırdar, Turkish physician and politician, Turkish Minister of Health (b. 1887)
    • 1961 – Nita Naldi, American actress (b. 1894)
    • 1962 – Joseph Kearns, American actor (b. 1907)
    • 1962 – Bruno Walter, German-American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1876)
    • 1966 – Hans Hofmann, German-American painter (b. 1880)
    • 1970 – Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Ukrainian-Israeli novelist, short story writer, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
    • 1970 – Alfred Newman, American composer and conductor (b. 1900)
    • 1972 – Friday Hassler, American race car driver (b. 1935)
    • 1977 – Janani Luwum, Ugandan archbishop and saint (b. 1922)
    • 1979 – William Gargan, American actor (b. 1905)
    • 1982 – Nestor Chylak, American baseball player and umpire (b. 1922)
    • 1982 – Thelonious Monk, American pianist and composer (b. 1917)
    • 1982 – Lee Strasberg, American actor and director (b. 1901)
    • 1986 – Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian-American philosopher and author (b. 1895)
    • 1988 – John M. Allegro, English archaeologist and scholar (b. 1923)
    • 1988 – Karpoori Thakur, Indian educator and politician, 11th Chief Minister of Bihar (b. 1924)
    • 1989 – Lefty Gomez, American baseball player (b. 1908)
    • 1990 – Jean-Marc Boivin, French mountaineer, skier, and pilot (b. 1951)
    • 1994 – Randy Shilts, American journalist and author (b. 1951)
    • 1998 – Ernst Jünger, German soldier, philosopher, and author (b. 1895)
    • 2003 – Steve Bechler, American baseball player (b. 1979)
    • 2004 – José López Portillo, Mexican lawyer and politician, 51st President of Mexico, 1976-1982 (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Dan O’Herlihy, Irish-American actor (b. 1919)
    • 2005 – Omar Sívori, Argentinian footballer and manager (b. 1935)
    • 2006 – Ray Barretto, American drummer (b. 1929)
    • 2006 – Bill Cowsill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1948)
    • 2009 – Conchita Cintrón, Chilean bullfighter and journalist (b. 1922)
    • 2010 – Kathryn Grayson, American actress and singer (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Robert Carr, English engineer and politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1916)
    • 2012 – Michael Davis, American singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1943)
    • 2012 – Nicolaas Govert de Bruijn, Dutch mathematician and theorist (b. 1918)
    • 2012 – Ulric Neisser, German-American psychologist and academic (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Richard Briers, English actor (b. 1934)
    • 2013 – Shmulik Kraus, Israeli singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Sophie Kurys, American baseball player (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Mindy McCready, American singer-songwriter (b. 1975)
    • 2014 – Bob Casale, American guitarist, keyboard player, and producer (b. 1952)
    • 2014 – Peter Florin, German politician and diplomat, President of the United Nations General Assembly (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Wayne Smith, Jamaican singer (b. 1965)
    • 2015 – John Barrow, American-Canadian football player and manager (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – Cathy Ubels-Veen, Dutch politician (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Liu Yudi, Chinese general and pilot (b. 1923)
    • 2016 – Andy Ganteaume, Trinidadian cricketer (b. 1921)
    • 2016 – Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, Egyptian journalist (b. 1923)
    • 2016 – Claude Jeancolas, French historian, author, and journalist (b. 1949)
    • 2016 – Tony Phillips, American baseball player (b. 1959)
    • 2016 – Andrzej Żuławski, Polish film director (b. 1940)
    • 2017 – Robert H. Michel, American politician (b. 1923)
    • 2017 – Michael Novak, American Roman Catholic theologian (b. 1933)
    • 2020 – Ror Wolf, German writer, poet, and artist (b. 1932)

    Holidays and observances on February 17

    • Christian feast day:
      • Seven Founders of the Servite Order
        • Alexis Falconieri
      • Constabilis
      • Donatus, Romulus, Secundian, and Companions
      • Fintan of Clonenagh
      • Janani Luwum (Anglican Communion)
      • Lommán of Trim
      • February 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence declaration of Kosovo in 2008, still partially recognized.
    • Revolution Day (Libya)
  • February 16 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1249 – Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khagan of the Mongol Empire.
    • 1270 – Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Livonian Order in the Battle of Karuse.
    • 1630 – Dutch forces led by Hendrick Lonck capture Olinda in what was to become part of Dutch Brazil.
    • 1646 – Battle of Torrington, Devon: The last major battle of the first English Civil War.
    • 1699 – First Leopoldine Diploma is issued by the Holy Roman Emperor, recognizing the Greek Catholic clergy enjoyed the same privileges as Roman Catholic priests in the Principality of Transylvania.
    • 1742 – Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, becomes British Prime Minister.
    • 1796 – Colombo in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) falls to the British, completing their invasion of Ceylon.
    • 1804 – First Barbary War: Stephen Decatur leads a raid to burn the pirate-held frigate USS Philadelphia.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Donelson, Tennessee.
    • 1866 – Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington becomes British Secretary of State for War.
    • 1881 – The Canadian Pacific Railway is incorporated by Act of Parliament at Ottawa (44th Vic., c.1).
    • 1899 – Iceland’s first football club, Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, is founded.
    • 1918 – The Council of Lithuania unanimously adopts the Act of Independence, declaring Lithuania an independent state.
    • 1923 – Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
    • 1930 – The Romanian Football Federation joins FIFA.
    • 1934 – The Austrian Civil War ends with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republikanischer Schutzbund.
    • 1936 – The Popular Front wins the 1936 Spanish general election.
    • 1937 – Wallace H. Carothers receives a United States patent for nylon.
    • 1940 – World War II: Altmark incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack. 299 British prisoners are freed.
    • 1943 – World War II: In the early phases of the Third Battle of Kharkov, Red Army troops re-enter the city.
    • 1945 – World War II: American forces land on Corregidor Island in the Philippines.
    • 1959 – Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.
    • 1960 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
    • 1961 – Explorer program: Explorer 9 (S-56a) is launched.
    • 1962 – Flooding in the coastal areas of West Germany kills 315 and destroys the homes of about 60,000 people.
    • 1968 – In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service.
    • 1978 – The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago).
    • 1983 – The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia kill 75.
    • 1985 – Hezbollah is founded.
    • 1986 – The Soviet liner MS Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.
    • 1986 – China Airlines Flight 2265 crashes into the Pacific Ocean near Penghu Airport in Taiwan, killing all 13 aboard.
    • 1991 – Nicaraguan Contras leader Enrique Bermúdez is assassinated in Managua.
    • 1996 – A Chicago-bound Amtrak train, the Capitol Limited, collides with a MARC commuter train bound for Washington, D.C., killing 11 people.
    • 1998 – China Airlines Flight 676 crashes into a road and residential area near Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taiwan, killing all 196 aboard and seven more on the ground.
    • 2005 – The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia.
    • 2005 – The National Hockey League cancels the entire 2004–05 regular season and playoffs.
    • 2006 – The last Mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army.
    • 2013 – A bomb blast at a market in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan kills more than 80 people and injures 190 others.

    Births on February 16

    • 1222 – Nichiren, founder of Nichiren Buddhism (d. 1282)
    • 1304 – Jayaatu Khan Tugh Temür, Chinese emperor (d. 1332)
    • 1331 – Coluccio Salutati, Italian political leader (d. 1406)
    • 1419 – John I, Duke of Cleves (d. 1481)
    • 1470 – Eric I, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1540)
    • 1471 – Krishnadevaraya, emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire (d. 1529)
    • 1497 – Philip Melanchthon, German astronomer, theologian, and academic (d. 1560)
    • 1514 – Georg Joachim Rheticus, Austrian cartographer and instrument maker (d. 1574)
    • 1519 – Gaspard II de Coligny, French admiral (d. 1572)
    • 1543 – Kanō Eitoku, Japanese painter and educator (d. 1590)
    • 1620 – Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1688)
    • 1643 – John Sharp, English archbishop (d. 1714)
    • 1698 – Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician, geophysicist, and astronomer (d. 1758)
    • 1727 – Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Austrian botanist, chemist, and mycologist (d. 1817)
    • 1740 – Giambattista Bodoni, Italian publisher and engraver (d. 1813)
    • 1761 – Jean-Charles Pichegru, French general (d. 1804)
    • 1774 – Pierre Rode, French violinist and composer (d. 1830)
    • 1786 – Maria Pavlovna, Russian Grand Duchess (d. 1859)
    • 1802 – Phineas Quimby, American mystic and philosopher (d. 1866)
    • 1804 – Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist and zoologist (d. 1885)
    • 1812 – Henry Wilson, American colonel and politician, 18th Vice President of the United States (d. 1875)
    • 1821 – Heinrich Barth, German explorer and scholar (d. 1865)
    • 1822 – Francis Galton, English biologist and statistician (d. 1911)
    • 1824 – Peter Kosler, Slovenian lawyer, geographer, and cartographer (d. 1879)
    • 1826 – Joseph Victor von Scheffel, German poet and author (d. 1886)
    • 1830 – Lars Hertervig, Norwegian painter (d. 1902)
    • 1831 – Nikolai Leskov, Russian author, playwright, and journalist (d. 1895)
    • 1834 – Ernst Haeckel, German biologist, physician, and philosopher (d. 1919)
    • 1838 – Henry Adams, American journalist, historian, and author (d. 1918)
    • 1841 – Armand Guillaumin, French painter (d. 1927)
    • 1843 – Henry M. Leland, American engineer and businessman, founded Cadillac and Lincoln (d. 1932)
    • 1845 – George Kennan, American journalist and explorer (d. 1924)
    • 1848 – Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist, geneticist, and academic (d. 1935)
    • 1848 – Octave Mirbeau, French journalist, novelist, and playwright (d. 1917)
    • 1856 – Ossian Everett Mills, American academic, founded Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (d. 1920)
    • 1866 – Billy Hamilton, American baseball player and manager (d. 1940)
    • 1868 – Edward S. Curtis, American ethnologist and photographer (d. 1952)
    • 1873 – Radoje Domanović, Serbian journalist and author (d. 1908)
    • 1876 – G. M. Trevelyan, English historian and academic (d. 1962)
    • 1878 – Pamela Colman Smith, English occultist and illustrator (d. 1951)
    • 1878 – James Colosimo, Italian-American mob boss (d. 1920)
    • 1884 – Robert J. Flaherty, German-Irish American director and producer (d. 1951)
    • 1886 – Andy Ducat, English international footballer (forward and manager) and Cricketer (d. 1942)
    • 1887 – Kathleen Clifford, American actress (d. 1962)
    • 1891 – Hans F. K. Günther, German eugenicist and academic (d. 1968)
    • 1893 – Katharine Cornell, American actress and producer (d. 1974)
    • 1896 – Eugénie Blanchard, French super-centenarian (d. 2010)
    • 1901 – Wayne King, American singer-songwriter and conductor (d. 1985)
    • 1901 – Chester Morris, American actor (d. 1970)
    • 1902 – Cyril Vincent, South African cricketer (d. 1968)
    • 1903 – Edgar Bergen, Swedish-American ventriloquist and actor (d. 1978)
    • 1904 – James Baskett, African-American actor and singer (d. 1948)
    • 1904 – George F. Kennan, Scotch-Irish American historian and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union (d. 2005)
    • 1905 – Henrietta Barnett, British Women’s Royal Air Force officer (d. 1985)
    • 1906 – Vera Menchik, British-Czechoslovak-Russian chess player (d. 1944)
    • 1909 – Hugh Beaumont, American actor and director (d. 1982)
    • 1909 – Richard McDonald, Irish-American businessman, co-founded McDonald’s (d. 1998)
    • 1914 – Jimmy Wakely, American country music singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1982)
    • 1916 – Bill Doggett, African-American pianist and composer (d. 1996)
    • 1919 – Georges Ulmer, Danish-French actor and composer (d. 1989)
    • 1920 – Anna Mae Hays, American general (d. 2018)
    • 1921 – Vera-Ellen, German-American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1981)
    • 1921 – Jean Behra, French race car driver (d. 1959)
    • 1921 – John Galbraith Graham, English priest and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, German soldier and pilot (d. 1950)
    • 1923 – Samuel Willenberg, Polish-Israeli sculptor and painter (d. 2016)
    • 1926 – Margot Frank, German-Dutch holocaust victim (d. 1945)
    • 1926 – John Schlesinger, English actor and director (d. 2003)
    • 1927 – June Brown, English actress
    • 1929 – Gerhard Hanappi, Austrian footballer and architect (d. 1980)
    • 1929 – Peter Porter, Australian-English poet and educator (d. 2010)
    • 1931 – Otis Blackwell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2002)
    • 1931 – Ken Takakura, Japanese actor and singer (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Sierra Leonean economist, lawyer, and politician, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Gretchen Wyler, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2007)
    • 1934 – August Coppola, American author and academic (d. 2009)
    • 1934 – Marlene Hagge, American golfer
    • 1935 – Brian Bedford, English-American actor and director (d. 2016)
    • 1935 – Sonny Bono, American actor, singer, and politician (d. 1998)
    • 1935 – Stephen Gaskin, American activist, co-founded The Farm (d. 2014)
    • 1935 – Bradford Parkinson, American colonel and engineer
    • 1935 – Kenneth Price, American painter and sculptor (d. 2012)
    • 1937 – Paul Bailey, British novelist, critic, and biographer
    • 1937 – Yuri Manin, Russian-German mathematician and academic
    • 1938 – John Corigliano, American composer and academic
    • 1939 – Adolfo Azcuna, Filipino lawyer and judge
    • 1940 – Hannelore Schmatz, German mountaineer (d. 1979)
    • 1941 – Kim Jong-il, North Korean commander and politician, 2nd Supreme Leader of North Korea (d. 2011)
    • 1942 – Richard Williams, American tennis player and coach
    • 1944 – Glyn Davies, Welsh farmer and politician
    • 1944 – Richard Ford, American novelist and short story writer
    • 1944 – Sigiswald Kuijken, Belgian violinist, violist, and conductor
    • 1944 – António Mascarenhas Monteiro, Cape Verdean politician, 2nd President of Cape Verde (d. 2016)
    • 1947 – Jaroslav Kubera, Czech politician (d. 2020)
    • 1948 – Kaiketsu Masateru, Japanese sumo wrestler and coach (d. 2014)
    • 1949 – Bob O’Reilly, Australian rugby league player
    • 1950 – Peter Hain, Kenyan-Welsh politician, Secretary of State for Wales
    • 1951 – Barry Foote, American baseball player and coach
    • 1952 – William Katt, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1952 – Peter Kitchen, English footballer, striker
    • 1952 – James Ingram, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2019)
    • 1953 – John Bradbury, English drummer, songwriter, and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1953 – Lanny McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
    • 1953 – Roberta Williams, American video game designer, co-founded Sierra Entertainment
    • 1954 – Iain Banks, Scottish author and playwright (d. 2013)
    • 1954 – Margaux Hemingway, American model and actress (d. 1996)
    • 1954 – Michael Holding, Jamaican cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1956 – Vincent Ward, New Zealand director and screenwriter
    • 1957 – LeVar Burton, German-born American actor, director, and producer
    • 1958 – Natalie Angier, American author
    • 1958 – Ice-T, American rapper and actor
    • 1958 – Oscar Schmidt, Brazilian basketball player
    • 1958 – Herb Williams, American basketball player and coach
    • 1959 – John McEnroe, German-American tennis player and sportscaster
    • 1959 – Kelly Tripucka, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Pete Willis, English guitarist and songwriter
    • 1961 – Des Hasler, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1961 – Liu Kang, Chinese footballer and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1961 – Andy Taylor, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1962 – John Balance, English singer-songwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1964 – Bebeto, Brazilian footballer and manager
    • 1964 – Christopher Eccleston, English actor
    • 1965 – Dave Lombardo, Cuban-American drummer
    • 1967 – Keith Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1968 – Warren Ellis, English author and screenwriter
    • 1970 – Angelo Peruzzi, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1971 – Michael Avenatti, American attorney and pundit
    • 1971 – Craig Laundy, Australian politician
    • 1972 – Jerome Bettis, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1972 – Zoran Čampara, Bosnian football player
    • 1972 – Sarah Clarke, American actress
    • 1972 – Naomi Nishida, Japanese actress
    • 1972 – Darrell Trindall, Australian rugby league player
    • 1973 – Cathy Freeman, Australian sprinter
    • 1974 – Mahershala Ali, American actor
    • 1974 – José Dominguez, Portuguese international footballer, winger and manager
    • 1976 – Eric Byrnes, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1976 – Kyo, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1977 – Ian Clarke, Irish-American computer scientist, founded Freenet
    • 1977 – Ahman Green, American football player
    • 1978 – Tia Hellebaut, Belgian high jumper and chemist
    • 1978 – Wasim Jaffer, Indian cricketer
    • 1978 – John Tartaglia, American actor, singer, and puppeteer
    • 1979 – Stéphane Dalmat, French footballer, midfielder
    • 1979 – Eric Mun, American-South Korean singer and actor
    • 1979 – Valentino Rossi, Italian motorcycle racer
    • 1980 – Longineu W. Parsons III, French-American drummer
    • 1981 – Jay Howard, English race car driver
    • 1981 – Jerry Owens, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Qyntel Woods, American basketball player
    • 1982 – Aleksandr Dmitrijev, Estonian footballer
    • 1982 – Rickie Lambert, English footballer
    • 1982 – Lupe Fiasco, American rapper
    • 1983 – Agyness Deyn, English model, actress, and singer
    • 1984 – Sofia Arvidsson, Swedish tennis player
    • 1984 – Oussama Mellouli, Tunisian swimmer
    • 1985 – Simon Francis, English footballer
    • 1985 – Stacy Lewis, American golfer
    • 1985 – Ron Vlaar, Dutch footballer
    • 1986 – Diego Godín, Uruguayan footballer
    • 1987 – Luc Bourdon, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2008)
    • 1987 – Theresa Goh, Singaporean swimmer
    • 1987 – Hasheem Thabeet, Tanzanian basketball player
    • 1988 – Diego Capel, Spanish footballer
    • 1988 – Zhang Jike, Chinese table tennis player
    • 1988 – Denílson Pereira Neves, Brazilian footballer
    • 1988 – Andrea Ranocchia, Italian footballer
    • 1988 – Kim Soo-hyun, South Korean actor and singer
    • 1989 – Elizabeth Olsen, American actress
    • 1990 – Dunamis Lui, Australian-Samoan rugby league player
    • 1990 – The Weeknd, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1991 – Sergio Canales, Spanish footballer
    • 1992 – Nicolai Boilesen, Danish footballer
    • 1992 – Zsófia Susányi, Hungarian tennis player
    • 1994 – Annika Beck, German tennis player
    • 1994 – Federico Bernardeschi, Italian footballer
    • 1994 – Ava Max, American singer and songwriter
    • 1995 – Katy Dunne, English tennis player
    • 1995 – Carina Witthöft, a German tennis player

    Deaths on February 16

    • 549 – Zhu Yi, Chinese general (b. 483)
    • 902 – Mary the Younger, Byzantine saint (b. 875)
    • 1184 – Richard of Dover, Archbishop of Canterbury
    • 1247 – Henry Raspe, Landgrave of Thuringia (b. 1204)
    • 1279 – Afonso III of Portugal (b. 1210)
    • 1281 – Gertrude of Hohenberg, queen consort of Germany (b. c.1225)
    • 1390 – Rupert I, Elector Palatine (b. 1309)
    • 1391 – John V Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1332)
    • 1531 – Johannes Stöffler, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1452)
    • 1560 – Jean du Bellay, French cardinal and diplomat (b. 1493)
    • 1579 – Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, Spanish explorer (b. 1509)
    • 1645 – Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, Spanish general and politician, 24th Governor of the Duchy of Milan (b. 1585)
    • 1710 – Esprit Fléchier, French bishop and author (b. 1632)
    • 1721 – James Craggs the Younger, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (b. 1686)
    • 1754 – Richard Mead, English physician (b. 1673)
    • 1820 – Georg Carl von Döbeln, Swedish general (b. 1758)
    • 1862 – William Pennington American lawyer and politician, 13th Governor of New Jersey, 23rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1796)
    • 1898 – Thomas Bracken, Irish-New Zealand journalist, poet, and politician (b. 1843)
    • 1899 – Félix Faure, French merchant and politician, 7th President of France (b. 1841)
    • 1907 – Giosuè Carducci, Italian poet and educator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1835)
    • 1912 – Nicholas of Japan, Russian-Japanese monk and saint (b. 1836)
    • 1917 – Octave Mirbeau, French journalist, novelist, and playwright ( (b. 1848)
    • 1919 – Vera Kholodnaya, Ukrainian actress (b. 1893)
    • 1928 – Eddie Foy Sr., American actor and dancer (b. 1856)
    • 1932 – Ferdinand Buisson, French academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1841)
    • 1932 – Edgar Speyer, American-English financier and philanthropist (b. 1862)
    • 1944 – Dadasaheb Phalke, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1870)
    • 1957 – Josef Hofmann, Polish-American pianist and composer (b. 1876)
    • 1961 – Dazzy Vance, American baseball player (b. 1891)
    • 1967 – Smiley Burnette, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1911)
    • 1974 – John Garand, Canadian-American engineer, designed the M1 Garand Rifle(b. 1888)
    • 1975 – Morgan Taylor, American hurdler and coach (b. 1903)
    • 1977 – Janani Luwum, bishop, Church of Uganda, martyr (b. c.1922)
    • 1977 – Rózsa Péter, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1905)
    • 1980 – Erich Hückel, German physicist and chemist (b. 1895)
    • 1984 – M. A. G. Osmani, Bangladeshi general (b. 1918)
    • 1990 – Keith Haring, American painter and activist (b. 1958)
    • 1991 – Enrique Bermúdez, Nicaraguan lieutenant and engineer (b. 1932)
    • 1992 – Angela Carter, English novelist, short story writer (b. 1940)
    • 1992 – Jânio Quadros, Brazilian politician, 22nd President of Brazil (b. 1917)
    • 1992 – Herman Wold, Norwegian-Swedish economist and statistician (b. 1908)
    • 1996 – Roberto Aizenberg, Argentinian painter and sculptor (b. 1922)
    • 1996 – Roger Bowen, American actor and author (b. 1932)
    • 1996 – Pat Brown, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Governor of California (b. 1905)
    • 1996 – Brownie McGhee, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1915)
    • 1997 – Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-American physicist and academic (b. 1912)
    • 1998 – Mary Amdur, American toxicologist and public health researcher (b. 1908)
    • 2000 – Marceline Day, American actress (b. 1908)
    • 2000 – Lila Kedrova, Russian-French actress and singer
    • 2000 – Karsten Solheim, Norwegian-American businessman, founded PING (b. 1911)
    • 2001 – Howard W. Koch, American director and producer (b. 1916)
    • 2001 – William Masters, American gynecologist and sexologist (b. 1915)
    • 2002 – Walter Winterbottom, English footballer and manager (b. 1913)
    • 2003 – Rusty Magee, American actor and composer (b. 1955)
    • 2004 – Doris Troy, American singer-songwriter (b. 1937)
    • 2006 – Johnny Grunge, American wrestler (b. 1966)
    • 2006 – Ernie Stautner, German-American football player and coach (b. 1925)
    • 2009 – Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, South Korean cardinal (b. 1921)
    • 2011 – Len Lesser, American actor (b. 1922)
    • 2011 – Justinas Marcinkevičius, Lithuanian poet and playwright (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Gary Carter, American baseball player and coach (b. 1954)
    • 2012 – Elyse Knox, American model, actress, and fashion designer (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – John Macionis, American swimmer and lieutenant (b. 1916)
    • 2012 – Anthony Shadid, American journalist (b. 1968)
    • 2013 – Colin Edwards, Guyanese footballer (b. 1991)
    • 2013 – Grigory Pomerants, Russian philosopher and author (b. 1918)
    • 2013 – Tony Sheridan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)
    • 2014 – Ken Farragut, American football player (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Gert Krawinkel, German guitarist (b. 1947)
    • 2014 – Michael Shea, American author (b. 1946)
    • 2015 – Lasse Braun, Algerian-Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1936)
    • 2015 – Lesley Gore, American singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
    • 2015 – R. R. Patil, Indian lawyer and politician, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (b. 1957)
    • 2015 – Lorena Rojas, Mexican actress and singer (b. 1971)
    • 2016 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egyptian politician and diplomat, 6th Secretary-General of the United Nations (b. 1922)
    • 2019 – Bruno Ganz, Swiss actor (b. 1941)

    Holidays and observances on February 16

    • Christian feast day:
      • Abda of Edessa
      • Elias and companions
      • Juliana of Nicomedia (Catholic Church)
      • Onesimus
      • Charles Todd Quintard (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • February 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of the Shining Star (Kim Jong-il’s Birthday) (North Korea)
    • Restoration of Lithuania’s Statehood Day, celebrate the independence of Lithuania from Russia and Germany in 1918 (Lithuania)
  • February 15 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    February 15 in History

    • 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia.
    • 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberios III publicly executed in the Hippodrome of Constantinople.
    • 1002 – At an assembly at Pavia of Lombard nobles, Arduin of Ivrea is restored to his domains and crowned King of Italy.
    • 1113 – Pope Paschal II issues Pie Postulatio Voluntatis, recognizing the Order of Hospitallers.
    • 1214 – During the Anglo-French War (1213–1214), an English invasion force led by John, King of England, lands at La Rochelle in France.
    • 1493 – While on board the Niña, Christopher Columbus writes an open letter (widely distributed upon his return to Portugal) describing his discoveries and the unexpected items he came across in the New World.
    • 1637 – Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
    • 1690 – Constantin Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia, and the Holy Roman Empire sign a secret treaty in Sibiu, stipulating that Moldavia would support the actions led by the House of Habsburg against the Ottoman Empire.
    • 1764 – The city of St. Louis is established in Spanish Louisiana (now in Missouri, USA).
    • 1798 – The Roman Republic is proclaimed after Louis-Alexandre Berthier, a general of Napoleon, had invaded the city of Rome five days earlier.
    • 1835 – Serbia’s Sretenje Constitution briefly comes into effect.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: Confederates commanded by Brig. Gen. John B. Floyd attack General Ulysses S. Grant’s Union forces Fort Donelson, Tennessee. Unable to break the fort’s encirclement, Lloyd surrenders the following day.
    • 1870 – Stevens Institute of Technology is founded in New Jersey, USA and offers the first Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering.
    • 1879 – Women’s rights: US President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.
    • 1891 – Allmänna Idrottsklubben (AIK) (Swedish Sports Club) is founded.
    • 1898 – The battleship USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing 274. This event leads the United States to declare war on Spain.
    • 1901 – The association football club Alianza Lima is founded in Lima, Peru, under the name Sport Alianza.
    • 1909 – The Flores Theater fire in Acapulco, Mexico kills 250.
    • 1921 – Kingdom of Romania establishes its legation in Helsinki.
    • 1923 – Greece becomes the last European country to adopt the Gregorian calendar.
    • 1925 – The 1925 serum run to Nome: The second delivery of serum arrives in Nome, Alaska.
    • 1933 – In Miami, Giuseppe Zangara attempts to assassinate US President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, but instead shoots Chicago mayor Anton J. Cermak, who dies of his wounds on March 6, 1933.
    • 1942 – World War II: Fall of Singapore. Following an assault by Japanese forces, the British General Arthur Percival surrenders. About 80,000 Indian, United Kingdom and Australian soldiers become prisoners of war, the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history.
    • 1944 – World War II: The assault on Monte Cassino, Italy begins.
    • 1944 – World War II: The Narva Offensive begins.
    • 1945 – World War II: Third day of bombing in Dresden.
    • 1946 – ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, is formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
    • 1949 – Gerald Lankester Harding and Roland de Vaux begin excavations at Cave 1 of the Qumran Caves, where they will eventually discover the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls.
    • 1952 – King George VI of the United Kingdom is buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
    • 1954 – Canada and the United States agree to construct the Distant Early Warning Line, a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic regions of Canada and Alaska.
    • 1961 – Sabena Flight 548 crashes in Belgium, killing 73, including the entire United States figure skating team along with several of their coaches and family members.
    • 1965 – A new red-and-white maple leaf design is adopted as the flag of Canada, replacing the old Canadian Red Ensign banner.
    • 1971 – The decimalisation of British coinage is completed on Decimal Day.
    • 1972 – Sound recordings are granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time.
    • 1972 – José María Velasco Ibarra, serving as President of Ecuador for the fifth time, is overthrown by the military for the fourth time.
    • 1982 – The drilling rig Ocean Ranger sinks during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing 84 workers.
    • 1989 – Soviet–Afghan War: The Soviet Union officially announces that all of its troops have left Afghanistan.
    • 1991 – The Visegrád Agreement, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland.
    • 1992 – Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is sentenced in Milwaukee to life in prison.
    • 1992 – Air Transport International Flight 805 crashes near Toledo Express Airport in Ohio, killing all four people on board.
    • 1996 – At the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, a Long March 3 rocket, carrying an Intelsat 708, crashes into a rural village after liftoff, killing many people.
    • 2001 – The first draft of the complete human genome is published in Nature.
    • 2003 – Protests against the Iraq war take place in over 600 cities worldwide. It is estimated that between eight million to 30 million people participate, making this the largest peace demonstration in history.
    • 2010 – Two trains collide in the Halle train collision in Halle, Belgium, killing 19 and injuring 171 people.
    • 2012 – Three hundred sixty people die in a fire at a Honduran prison in the city of Comayagua.
    • 2013 – A meteor explodes over Russia, injuring 1,500 people as a shock wave blows out windows and rocks buildings. This happens unexpectedly only hours before the expected closest ever approach of the larger and unrelated asteroid 2012 DA14.

    Births on February 15

    • 1377 – Ladislaus of Naples (d. 1414)
    • 1458 – Ivan the Young, son of Ivan III of Russia (d. 1490)
    • 1471 – Piero the Unfortunate, Italian ruler (d. 1503)
    • 1506 – Juliana of Stolberg, German countess (d. 1580)
    • 1519 – Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, first Spanish Governor of Florida (d. 1574)
    • 1557 – Alfonso Fontanelli, Italian composer (d. 1622)
    • 1564 – Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (d. 1642)
    • 1571 – Michael Praetorius, German organist and composer (probable; d. 1621)
    • 1612 – Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve, French soldier, founded Montreal (d. 1676)
    • 1627 – Charles Morton, Cornish nonconformist minister (d. 1698)
    • 1638 – Zeb-un-Nissa, Mughal princess and poet (d. 1702)
    • 1705 – Charles-André van Loo, French painter (d. 1765)
    • 1710 – Louis XV of France (d. 1774)
    • 1725 – Abraham Clark, American surveyor, lawyer, and politician (d. 1794)
    • 1734 – William Stacy, American colonel (d. 1802)
    • 1739 – Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, French architect, designed the Paris Bourse (d. 1813)
    • 1748 – Jeremy Bentham, English jurist and philosopher (d. 1832)
    • 1759 – Friedrich August Wolf, German philologist and critic (d. 1824)
    • 1760 – Jean-François Le Sueur, French composer and educator (d. 1837)
    • 1797 – Henry E. Steinway, German-American businessman, founded Steinway & Sons (d. 1871)
    • 1809 – André Dumont, Belgian geologist and academic (d. 1857)
    • 1809 – Cyrus McCormick, American journalist and businessman, co-founded International Harvester (d. 1884)
    • 1810 – Mary S. B. Shindler, American poet, writer, and editor (d. 1883)
    • 1811 – Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Argentinian journalist and politician, 7th President of Argentina (d. 1888)
    • 1812 – Charles Lewis Tiffany, American businessman, founded Tiffany & Co. (d. 1902)
    • 1820 – Susan B. Anthony, American suffragist and activist (d. 1906)
    • 1825 – Carter Harrison, Sr., American lawyer and politician, 29th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1893)
    • 1834 – V. A. Urechia, Moldavian-Romanian historian, author, and playwright (d. 1901)
    • 1835 – Demetrius Vikelas, Greek businessman and philanthropist (d. 1908)
    • 1840 – Titu Maiorescu, Romanian philosopher, academic, and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1917)
    • 1841 – Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Brazil (d. 1913)
    • 1845 – Elihu Root, American lawyer and politician, 38th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937)
    • 1847 – Robert Fuchs, Austrian composer and educator (d. 1927)
    • 1849 – Rickman Godlee, English surgeon and academic (d. 1925)
    • 1850 – Sophie Bryant, Irish mathematician, academic and activist (d. 1922)
    • 1851 – Spiru Haret, Romanian mathematician, astronomer, and politician, 55th Romanian Minister of Internal Affairs (d. 1912)
    • 1856 – Emil Kraepelin, German psychiatrist and academic (d. 1926)
    • 1861 – Martin Burns, American wrestler and coach (d. 1937)
    • 1861 – Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1938)
    • 1861 – Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician and philosopher (d. 1947)
    • 1873 – Hans von Euler-Chelpin, German-Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1964)
    • 1874 – Ernest Shackleton, Anglo-Irish captain and explorer (d. 1922)
    • 1883 – Sax Rohmer, English-American author (d. 1959)
    • 1890 – Robert Ley, German politician (d. 1945)
    • 1892 – James Forrestal, American lieutenant and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Defense (d. 1949)
    • 1892 – Roy Rene, Australian comedian (d. 1954)
    • 1893 – Roman Najuch, Polish professional tennis player (d. 1967)
    • 1896 – Arthur Shields, Irish republican and actor (d. 1970)
    • 1897 – Gerrit Kleerekoper, Jewish-Dutch gymnast and coach (d. 1943)
    • 1898 – Totò, Italian actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1967)
    • 1899 – Georges Auric, French composer (d. 1983)
    • 1899 – Gale Sondergaard, Danish-American actress (d. 1985)
    • 1904 – Mary Adshead, English painter (d. 1995)
    • 1904 – Antonin Magne, French cyclist and manager (d. 1983)
    • 1905 – Harold Arlen, Jewish-American composer (d. 1986)
    • 1907 – Jean Langlais, French organist and composer (d. 1991)
    • 1907 – Cesar Romero, American actor (d. 1994)
    • 1908 – Sarto Fournier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 38th Mayor of Montreal (d. 1980)
    • 1909 – Miep Gies, Austrian-Dutch humanitarian, helped hide Anne Frank and her family (d. 2010)
    • 1910 – Irena Sendler, Polish nurse and humanitarian, Righteous Gentile (d. 2008)
    • 1912 – George Mikes, Jewish Hungarian-English journalist and author (d. 1987)
    • 1913 – Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Hale Boggs, American lawyer and politician (d. 1972)
    • 1914 – Kevin McCarthy, Jewish-Irish American actor (d. 2010)
    • 1916 – Mary Jane Croft, American actress (d. 1999)
    • 1918 – Allan Arbus, Jewish-American actor and photographer (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Hank Locklin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009)
    • 1919 – Ducky Detweiler, American baseball player and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1920 – Endicott Peabody, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 62nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1997)
    • 1920 – Eio Sakata, Japanese Go player (d. 2010)
    • 1922 – John B. Anderson, Swedish-American lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
    • 1923 – Yelena Bonner, Jewish Soviet-Russian activist (d. 2011)
    • 1924 – Robert Drew, American director and producer (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Angella D. Ferguson, American pediatrician
    • 1927 – Frank Dunlop, English actor and director
    • 1927 – Harvey Korman, American actor and comedian (d. 2008)
    • 1927 – Yehoshua Neuwirth, Israeli rabbi and scholar (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Norman Bridwell, American author and illustrator, created Clifford the Big Red Dog (d. 2014)
    • 1928 – Joseph Willcox Jenkins, American composer, conductor, and educator (d. 2014)
    • 1929 – Graham Hill, English race car driver and businessman (d. 1975)
    • 1929 – James R. Schlesinger, American economist and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Defense (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Bruce Dawe, Australian poet and academic
    • 1931 – Claire Bloom, English actress
    • 1931 – Jonathan Steele, English journalist and author
    • 1934 – Jimmy Bloomfield, English footballer and manager (d. 1983)
    • 1934 – Graham Kennedy, Australian television host and actor (d. 2005)
    • 1934 – Niklaus Wirth, Swiss computer scientist, created the Pascal programming language
    • 1934 – Abe Woodson, American football player and minister (d. 2014)
    • 1935 – Susan Brownmiller, American journalist and author
    • 1935 – Roger B. Chaffee, American lieutenant, engineer, and astronaut (d. 1967)
    • 1935 – Gene Hickerson, American football player (d. 2008)
    • 1937 – Gregory Mcdonald, American author (d. 2008)
    • 1937 – Coen Moulijn, Dutch footballer (d. 2011)
    • 1940 – İsmail Cem İpekçi, Turkish journalist and politician, 45th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2007)
    • 1940 – John Hadl, American football player and coach
    • 1940 – Hamzah Haz, Indonesian journalist and politician, 9th Vice President of Indonesia
    • 1940 – Vaino Vahing, Estonian psychiatrist, author, and playwright (d. 2008)
    • 1941 – Florinda Bolkan, Brazilian actress
    • 1941 – Brian Holland, American songwriter and producer
    • 1944 – Mick Avory, English drummer
    • 1945 – Jack Dann, American-Australian author and poet
    • 1945 – John Helliwell, English saxophonist and keyboard player
    • 1945 – Douglas Hofstadter, American author and academic
    • 1946 – Clare Short, English civil servant and politician, Secretary of State for International Development
    • 1947 – John Adams, American composer
    • 1947 – Marisa Berenson, American model and actress
    • 1948 – Art Spiegelman, Swedish-American cartoonist and critic
    • 1949 – Ken Anderson, American football quarterback and coach
    • 1951 – Markku Alén, Finnish race car driver
    • 1951 – Melissa Manchester, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1951 – Jane Seymour, English-American actress, producer, and jewelry designer
    • 1952 – Tomislav Nikolić, Serbian politician, 4th President of Serbia
    • 1952 – Nikolai Sorokin, Russian actor and director (d. 2013)
    • 1953 – Tony Adams, Irish-American screenwriter and producer (d. 2005)
    • 1953 – Ernie Howe, English footballer, defender and manager
    • 1954 – Matt Groening, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1955 – Janice Dickinson, American model, agent, and author
    • 1955 – Christopher McDonald, American actor
    • 1956 – Desmond Haynes, Barbadian cricketer and coach
    • 1956 – Ann Westin, Swedish comedian
    • 1957 – Jake E. Lee, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1957 – Jimmy Spencer, American race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1958 – Chrystine Brouillet, Canadian author
    • 1958 – Tony McKegney, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1958 – Matthew Ward, American singer-songwriter
    • 1959 – Adam Boulton, English journalist
    • 1959 – Ali Campbell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1959 – Brian Propp, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1959 – Martin Rowson, English author and illustrator
    • 1959 – Hugo Savinovich, Ecuadorian wrestler and sportscaster
    • 1960 – Darrell Green, American football player
    • 1960 – Jock Hobbs, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2012)
    • 1962 – Milo Đukanović, Montenegrin politician, 29th Prime Minister of Montenegro
    • 1964 – Chris Farley, American comedian and actor (d. 1997)
    • 1964 – Leland D. Melvin, American engineer and astronaut
    • 1964 – Mark Price, American basketball player and coach
    • 1965 – Craig Matthews, South African cricketer
    • 1967 – Jane Child, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1967 – Syed Kamall, English academic and politician
    • 1967 – Craig Simpson, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Birdman, American rapper and producer
    • 1970 – Shepard Fairey, American artist and activist
    • 1971 – Alex Borstein, American actress, voice artist, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Renee O’Connor, American actress, director, and producer
    • 1972 – Jaromír Jágr, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1973 – Kateřina Neumannová, Czech skier
    • 1973 – Amy van Dyken, American swimmer
    • 1974 – Miranda July, American actress, director, and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Ugueth Urbina, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1974 – Alexander Wurz, Austrian race car driver and businessman
    • 1975 – Serge Aubin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1975 – Annemarie Kramer, Dutch sprinter
    • 1975 – Brendon Small, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and actor
    • 1976 – Brandon Boyd, American singer-songwriter
    • 1976 – Óscar Freire, Spanish cyclist
    • 1979 – Josh Low, English footballer
    • 1979 – Hamish Marshall, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1979 – James Marshall, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1979 – Scott Severin, Scottish footballer
    • 1979 – Gordon Shedden, Scottish race car driver
    • 1980 – Conor Oberst, American singer-songwriter
    • 1981 – Heurelho Gomes, Brazilian international footballer, goalkeeper
    • 1981 – Matt Hoopes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1981 – Rita Jeptoo, Kenyan runner
    • 1981 – Diego Martínez, Mexican footballer
    • 1981 – Vivek Shraya, Canadian singer and songwriter
    • 1982 – Shameka Christon, American basketball player
    • 1982 – James Yap, Filipino basketball player
    • 1983 – Don Cowie, Scottish footballer
    • 1983 – David Degen, Swiss footballer
    • 1983 – Philipp Degen, Swiss footballer
    • 1983 – Alan Didak, Australian footballer
    • 1983 – Russell Martin, Canadian baseball player
    • 1985 – Serkan Kırıntılı, Turkish footballer
    • 1986 – Valeri Bojinov, Bulgarian footballer
    • 1986 – Johnny Cueto, Dominican baseball player
    • 1986 – Laura Sallés, Andorran judoka
    • 1987 – Jarrod Sammut, Australian rugby league player
    • 1988 – Jarryd Hayne, Australian rugby league player and football player
    • 1988 – Hironori Kusano, Japanese singer and actor
    • 1988 – Tim Mannah, Australian-born Lebanese rugby league player
    • 1988 – Rui Patrício, Portuguese footballer
    • 1990 – Charles Pic, French race car driver
    • 1991 – Ángel Sepúlveda, Mexican footballer
    • 1993 – Ravi, South Korean rapper

    Deaths on February 15

    • 670 – Oswiu, king of Northumbria (b. c. 612)
    • 706 – Leontios, Byzantine emperor
    • 706 – Tiberios III, Byzantine emperor
    • 956 – Su Yugui, Chinese chancellor (b. 895)
    • 1043 – Gisela of Swabia, Holy Roman Empress (b. 990)
    • 1145 – Lucius II, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 1152 – Conrad III, king of Germany (b. 1093)
    • 1382 – William de Ufford, 2nd Earl of Suffolk (b. c. 1339)
    • 1417 – Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford, English commander (b. 1385)
    • 1508 – Giovanni II Bentivoglio, tyrant of Bologna (b. 1443)
    • 1600 – José de Acosta, Spanish Jesuit missionary and naturalist (b. 1540)
    • 1621 – Michael Praetorius, German organist and composer (b. 1571)
    • 1637 – Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1578)
    • 1738 – Matthias Braun, Czech sculptor (b. 1684)
    • 1781 – Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German philosopher, author, and critic (b. 1729)
    • 1818 – Frederick Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (b. 1746)
    • 1835 – Henry Hunt, English farmer and politician (b. 1773)
    • 1839 – François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, Canadian rebel (b. 1803)
    • 1842 – Archibald Menzies, Scottish surgeon and botanist (b. 1754)
    • 1844 – Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1757)
    • 1847 – Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician and engineer (b. 1794)
    • 1848 – Hermann von Boyen, Prussian general and politician, Prussian Minister of War (b. 1771)
    • 1849 – Pierre François Verhulst, Belgian mathematician and theorist (b. 1804)
    • 1857 – Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer (b. 1804)
    • 1869 – Ghalib, Indian poet and educator (b. 1796)
    • 1885 – Gregor von Helmersen, Estonian-Russian geologist and engineer (b. 1803)
    • 1897 – Dimitrie Ghica, Romanian lawyer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1816)
    • 1905 – Lew Wallace, American author, general, and politician, 11th Governor of New Mexico Territory (b. 1827)
    • 1911 – Theodor Escherich, German-Austrian pediatrician and academic (b. 1859)
    • 1924 – Lionel Monckton, English composer (b. 1861)
    • 1928 – H. H. Asquith, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1852)
    • 1932 – Minnie Maddern Fiske, American actress and playwright (b. 1865)
    • 1933 – Pat Sullivan, Australian animator and producer, co-created Felix the Cat (b. 1887)
    • 1935 – Basil Hall Chamberlain, English-Swiss historian, author, and academic (b. 1850)
    • 1939 – Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Russian painter and author (b. 1878)
    • 1956 – Vincent de Moro-Giafferi, French lawyer and politician (b. 1878)
    • 1959 – Owen Willans Richardson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879)
    • 1961 – Laurence Owen, American figure skater (b. 1944)
    • 1965 – Nat King Cole, American singer and pianist (b. 1919)
    • 1966 – Gerard Antoni Ciołek, Polish architect and historian (b. 1909)
    • 1966 – Camilo Torres Restrepo, Colombian priest and theologian (b. 1929)
    • 1967 – Antonio Moreno, Spanish-American actor and director (b. 1887)
    • 1970 – Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, Scottish air marshal (b. 1882)
    • 1973 – Wally Cox, American actor (b. 1924)
    • 1973 – Tim Holt, American actor (b. 1919)
    • 1974 – Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer and engineer (b. 1887)
    • 1981 – Mike Bloomfield, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1943)
    • 1981 – Karl Richter, German organist and conductor (b. 1926)
    • 1984 – Avon Long, American actor and singer (b. 1910)
    • 1984 – Ethel Merman, American actress and singer (b. 1908)
    • 1988 – Richard Feynman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
    • 1992 – María Elena Moyano, Peruvian activist (b. 1960)
    • 1992 – William Schuman, American composer and academic (b. 1910)
    • 1996 – McLean Stevenson, American actor (b. 1929)
    • 1998 – Martha Gellhorn, American journalist and author (b. 1908)
    • 1999 – Henry Way Kendall, American physicist and mountaineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1926)
    • 1999 – Big L, American rapper (b. 1974)
    • 2000 – Angus MacLean, Canadian commander and politician, 25th Premier of Prince Edward Island (b. 1914)
    • 2002 – Howard K. Smith, American journalist and actor (b. 1914)
    • 2002 – Kevin Smith, New Zealand actor (b. 1963)
    • 2004 – Jens Evensen, Norwegian lawyer, judge, and politician, Norwegian Minister of Trade (b. 1917)
    • 2005 – Pierre Bachelet, French singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
    • 2005 – Samuel T. Francis, American historian and journalist (b. 1947)
    • 2007 – Walker Edmiston, American actor (b. 1925)
    • 2007 – Ray Evans, American songwriter (b. 1915)
    • 2008 – Johnny Weaver, American wrestler and sportscaster (b. 1935)
    • 2010 – Jeanne M. Holm, American general (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Cyril Domb, English-Israel physicist and academic (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Sanan Kachornprasart, Thai general and politician (b. 1935)
    • 2013 – Ahmed Rajib Haider, Bangladeshi atheist blogger
    • 2014 – Thelma Estrin, American computer scientist and engineer (b. 1924)
    • 2014 – Christopher Malcolm, Scottish-Canadian actor, director, and producer (b. 1946)
    • 2015 – Haron Amin, Afghan diplomat, Afghan Ambassador to Japan (b. 1969)
    • 2015 – Arnaud de Borchgrave, American journalist and author (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Steve Montador, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1979)
    • 2016 – George Gaynes, Finnish-American actor (b. 1917)
    • 2016 – Vanity, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (b. 1959)
    • 2017 – Stuart McLean, Canadian radio broadcaster (b. 1948)
    • 2019 – Lee Radziwill, American socialite (b. 1933)
    • 2020 – Caroline Flack, English Actress and TV Presenter (b. 1979)

    Holidays and observances on February 15

    • Christian feast day:
      • Blessed Michał Sopoćko
      • Claude de la Colombière
      • Faustinus and Jovita
      • Oswiu
      • Quinidius
      • Sigfrid of Sweden
      • Thomas Bray (Episcopal Church)
      • Walfrid
      • February 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Family Day can fall, while February 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in February. (parts of Canada)
    • Earliest day on which Washington’s Birthday can fall, while February 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in February. (United States)
    • Traditionally the feast day for the ancient Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia
    • International Duties Memorial Day (Russia, regional)
    • John Frum Day (Vanuatu)
    • Liberation Day (Afghanistan)
    • National Flag of Canada Day (Canada)
    • Parinirvana Day, also celebrated on February 8. (Mahayana Buddhism)
    • Singles Awareness Day
    • Statehood Day (Serbia)
    • Susan B. Anthony Day (Florida, United States)
    • The ENIAC Day (Philadelphia, United States)
    • Total Defence Day (Singapore)
  • February 6 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    February 6 in History

    • AD 60 – The earliest date for which the day of the week is known. A graffito in Pompeii identifies this day as a dies Solis (Sunday). In modern reckoning, this date would have been a Wednesday.
    • 1579 – The Archdiocese of Manila is made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop.
    • 1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of his brother Charles II.
    • 1694 – The warrior queen Dandara, leader of the runaway slaves in Quilombo dos Palmares, Brazil, is captured and commits suicide rather than be returned to a life of slavery.
    • 1778 – American Revolutionary War: In Paris the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce are signed by the United States and France signaling official recognition of the new republic.
    • 1778 –New York became the third state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
    • 1788 – Massachusetts becomes the sixth state to ratify the United States Constitution.
    • 1806 – Battle of San Domingo: British naval victory against the French in the Caribbean.
    • 1819 – Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founds Singapore.
    • 1820 – The first 86 African American immigrants sponsored by the American Colonization Society depart New York to start a settlement in present-day Liberia.
    • 1833 – Otto becomes the first modern King of Greece.
    • 1840 – Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, establishing New Zealand as a British colony.
    • 1843 – The first minstrel show in the United States, The Virginia Minstrels, opens (Bowery Amphitheatre in New York City).
    • 1851 – The largest Australian bushfires in a populous region in recorded history take place in the state of Victoria.
    • 1862 – American Civil War: Forces under the command of Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew H. Foote give the Union its first victory of the war, capturing Fort Henry, Tennessee in the Battle of Fort Henry.
    • 1899 – Spanish–American War: The Treaty of Paris, a peace treaty between the United States and Spain, is ratified by the United States Senate.
    • 1900 – The Permanent Court of Arbitration, an international arbitration court at The Hague, is created when the Senate of the Netherlands ratifies an 1899 peace conference decree.
    • 1918 – British women over the age of 30 who meet minimum property qualifications, get the right to vote when Representation of the People Act 1918 is passed by Parliament.
    • 1919 – The American Legion is founded.
    • 1919 – The five-day Seattle General Strike begins, as more than 65,000 workers in the city of Seattle, Washington, walk off the job.
    • 1922 – The Washington Naval Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C., limiting the naval armaments of United States, Britain, Japan, France, and Italy.
    • 1934 – Far-right leagues rally in front of the Palais Bourbon in an attempted coup against the French Third Republic, creating a political crisis in France.
    • 1951 – The Canadian Army enters combat in the Korean War.
    • 1951 – The Broker, a Pennsylvania Railroad passenger train derails near Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. The accident kills 85 people and injures over 500 more. The wreck is one of the worst rail disasters in American history.
    • 1952 – Elizabeth II becomes Queen of the United Kingdom and her other Realms and Territories and Head of the Commonwealth upon the death of her father, George VI. At the exact moment of succession, she was in a tree house at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya.
    • 1958 – Eight Manchester United F.C. players and 15 other passengers are killed in the Munich air disaster.
    • 1959 – Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments files the first patent for an integrated circuit.
    • 1959 – At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first successful test firing of a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile is accomplished.
    • 1976 – In testimony before a United States Senate subcommittee, Lockheed Corporation president Carl Kotchian admits that the company had paid out approximately $3 million in bribes to the office of Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka.
    • 1978 – The Blizzard of 1978, one of the worst Nor’easters in New England history, hit the region, with sustained winds of 65 mph and snowfall of four inches an hour.
    • 1981 – The National Resistance Army of Uganda launches an attack on a Ugandan Army installation in the central Mubende District to begin the Ugandan Bush War.
    • 1987 – Justice Mary Gaudron becomes the first woman to be appointed to the High Court of Australia.
    • 1988 – Michael Jordan makes his signature slam dunk from the free throw line inspiring Air Jordan and the Jumpman logo.
    • 1989 – The Round Table Talks start in Poland, thus marking the beginning of the overthrow of communism in Eastern Europe.
    • 1996 – Willamette Valley Flood: Floods in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, United States, causes over US$500 million in property damage throughout the Pacific Northwest.
    • 1996 – Birgenair Flight 301 crashed off the coast of the Dominican Republic, killing all 189 people on board. This is the deadliest aviation accident involving a Boeing 757.
    • 1998 – Washington National Airport is renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport.
    • 2000 – Second Chechen War: Russia captures Grozny, Chechnya, forcing the separatist Chechen Republic of Ichkeria government into exile.
    • 2006 – Stephen Harper becomes Prime Minister of Canada.
    • 2016 – An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 strikes southern Taiwan, killing 117 people.
    • 2018 – SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, a super heavy launch vehicle, makes its maiden flight.

    Births on February 6

    • 885 – Emperor Daigo of Japan (d. 930)
    • 1402 – Louis I, Landgrave of Hesse, Landgrave of Hesse (d. 1458)
    • 1452 – Joanna, Princess of Portugal (d. 1490)
    • 1453 – Girolamo Benivieni, Florentine poet (d. 1542)
    • 1465 – Scipione del Ferro, Italian mathematician and theorist (d. 1526)
    • 1536 – Sassa Narimasa, Japanese samurai (d. 1588)
    • 1577 – Beatrice Cenci, Italian murderer (d. 1599)
    • 1582 – Mario Bettinus, Italian mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (d. 1657)
    • 1608 – António Vieira, Portuguese priest and philosopher (d. 1697)
    • 1611 – Chongzhen Emperor of China (d. 1644)
    • 1612 – Antoine Arnauld, French mathematician, theologian, and philosopher (d. 1694)
    • 1643 – Johann Kasimir Kolbe von Wartenberg, Prussian politician, 1st Minister President of Prussia (d. 1712)
    • 1649 – Augusta Marie of Holstein-Gottorp, German noblewoman (d. 1728)
    • 1664 – Mustafa II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1703)
    • 1665 – Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland (d. 1714)
    • 1665 – Anne, Queen of Great Britain (d. 1714)
    • 1695 – Nicolaus II Bernoulli, Swiss-Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1726)
    • 1719 – Alberto Pullicino, Maltese painter (d. 1759)
    • 1726 – Patrick Russell, Scottish surgeon and zoologist (d. 1805)
    • 1732 – Charles Lee, English-American general (d. 1782)
    • 1736 – Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, German-Austrian sculptor (d. 1783)
    • 1744 – Pierre-Joseph Desault, French anatomist and surgeon (d. 1795)
    • 1748 – Adam Weishaupt, German philosopher and academic, founded the Illuminati (d. 1830)
    • 1753 – Évariste de Parny, French poet and author (d. 1814)
    • 1756 – Aaron Burr, American colonel and politician, 3rd Vice President of the United States (d. 1836)
    • 1758 – Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, Belarusian-Polish poet, playwright, and politician (d. 1841)
    • 1769 – Ludwig von Wallmoden-Gimborn, Austrian general (d. 1862)
    • 1772 – George Murray, Scottish general and politician, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (d. 1830)
    • 1778 – Ugo Foscolo, Italian author and poet (d. 1827)
    • 1781 – John Keane, 1st Baron Keane, Irish general and politician, Governor of Saint Lucia (d. 1844)
    • 1796 – John Stevens Henslow, English botanist and geologist (d. 1861)
    • 1797 – Joseph von Radowitz, Prussian general and politician, Foreign Minister of Prussia (d. 1853)
    • 1799 – Imre Frivaldszky, Hungarian botanist and entomologist (d. 1870)
    • 1800 – Achille Devéria, French painter and lithographer (d. 1857)
    • 1802 – Charles Wheatstone, English-French physicist and cryptographer (d. 1875)
    • 1811 – Henry Liddell, English priest, author, and academic (d. 1898)
    • 1814 – Auguste Chapdelaine, French missionary and saint (d. 1856)
    • 1818 – William M. Evarts, American lawyer and politician, 27th United States Secretary of State (d. 1901)
    • 1820 – Thomas C. Durant, American railroad tycoon (d. 1885)
    • 1829 – Joseph Auguste Émile Vaudremer, French architect, designed the La Santé Prison and Saint-Pierre-de-Montrouge (d. 1914)
    • 1832 – John Brown Gordon, American general and politician, 53rd Governor of Georgia (d. 1904)
    • 1833 – José María de Pereda, Spanish author and academic (d. 1906)
    • 1833 – J. E. B. Stuart, American general (d. 1864)
    • 1834 – Edwin Klebs, German-Swiss pathologist and academic (d. 1913)
    • 1834 – Ema Pukšec, Croatian-German soprano (d. 1889)
    • 1834 – Wilhelm von Scherff, German general and author (d. 1911)
    • 1838 – Henry Irving, English actor and manager (d. 1905)
    • 1838 – Israel Meir Kagan, Lithuanian-Polish rabbi and author (d. 1933)
    • 1839 – Eduard Hitzig, German neurologist and psychiatrist (d. 1907)
    • 1842 – Alexandre Ribot, French academic and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1923)
    • 1843 – Inoue Kowashi, Japanese scholar and politician (d. 1895)
    • 1843 – Frederic William Henry Myers, English poet and philologist, co-founded the Society for Psychical Research (d. 1901)
    • 1845 – Isidor Straus, German-American businessman and politician (d. 1912)
    • 1847 – Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, American architect, designed the Plaza Hotel (d. 1918)
    • 1852 – C. Lloyd Morgan, English zoologist and psychologist (d. 1936)
    • 1852 – Vasily Safonov, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1918)
    • 1861 – Nikolay Zelinsky, Russian chemist and academic (d. 1953)
    • 1864 – John Henry Mackay, Scottish-German philosopher and author (d. 1933)
    • 1866 – Karl Sapper, German linguist and explorer (d. 1945)
    • 1872 – Robert Maillart, Swiss engineer, designed the Salginatobel Bridge and Schwandbach Bridge (d. 1940)
    • 1874 – Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Indian religious leader, founded the Gaudiya Math (d. 1937)
    • 1875 – Leonid Gobyato, Russian general (d. 1915)
    • 1876 – Henry Blogg, English fisherman and sailor (d. 1954)
    • 1879 – Othon Friesz, French painter (d. 1949)
    • 1879 – Magnús Guðmundsson, Icelandic lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Iceland (d. 1937)
    • 1879 – Edwin Samuel Montagu, English politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (d. 1924)
    • 1879 – Carl Ramsauer, German physicist and author (d. 1955)
    • 1880 – Nishinoumi Kajirō II, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 25th Yokozuna (d. 1931)
    • 1884 – Marcel Cohen, French linguist and scholar (d. 1974)
    • 1887 – Josef Frings, German cardinal (d. 1978)
    • 1890 – Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Pakistani activist and politician (d. 1988)
    • 1890 – James McGirr, Australian politician, 28th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1957)
    • 1892 – Maximilian Fretter-Pico, German general (d. 1984)
    • 1892 – William P. Murphy, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
    • 1893 – Muhammad Zafarullah Khan, Pakistani politician and diplomat, 1st Minister of Foreign Affairs for Pakistan (d. 1985)
    • 1894 – Eric Partridge, New Zealand-English lexicographer and academic (d. 1979)
    • 1894 – Kirpal Singh, Indian spiritual master (d. 1974)
    • 1895 – Robert La Follette Jr., American politician (d. 1953)
    • 1895 – María Teresa Vera, Cuban singer, guitarist and composer (d. 1965)
    • 1895 – Babe Ruth, American baseball player and coach (d. 1948)
    • 1898 – Harry Haywood, American soldier and politician (d. 1985)
    • 1899 – Ramon Novarro, Mexican-American actor, singer, and director (d. 1968)
    • 1901 – Ben Lyon, American actor (d. 1979)
    • 1902 – George Brunies, American trombonist (d. 1974)
    • 1903 – Claudio Arrau, Chilean pianist and composer (d. 1991)
    • 1905 – Władysław Gomułka, Polish politician (d. 1982)
    • 1905 – Jan Werich, Czech actor and playwright (d. 1980)
    • 1906 – Joseph Schull, Canadian playwright and historian (d. 1980)
    • 1908 – Amintore Fanfani, Italian journalist and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1999)
    • 1908 – Edward Lansdale, American general and CIA agent (d. 1987)
    • 1908 – Geo Bogza, Romanian poet and journalist (d. 1993)
    • 1908 – Michael Maltese, American actor, screenwriter, and composer (d. 1981)
    • 1910 – Roman Czerniawski, Polish air force officer and spy (d. 1985)
    • 1910 – Irmgard Keun, German author (d. 1982)
    • 1910 – Carlos Marcello, Tunisian-American gangster (d. 1993)
    • 1911 – Ronald Reagan, American actor and politician, 40th President of the United States (d. 2004)
    • 1912 – Eva Braun, German wife of Adolf Hitler (d. 1945)
    • 1912 – Christopher Hill, English historian and author (d. 2003)
    • 1913 – Mary Leakey, English-Kenyan archaeologist and anthropologist (d. 1996)
    • 1914 – Thurl Ravenscroft, American voice actor and singer (d. 2005)
    • 1915 – Kavi Pradeep, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 1998)
    • 1916 – John Crank, English mathematician and physicist (d. 2006)
    • 1917 – Louis-Philippe de Grandpré, Canadian lawyer and jurist (d. 2008)
    • 1917 – Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hungarian-American actress and socialite (d. 2016)
    • 1918 – Lothar-Günther Buchheim, German author and painter (d. 2007)
    • 1919 – Takashi Yanase, Japanese poet and illustrator, created Anpanman (d. 2013)
    • 1921 – Carl Neumann Degler, American historian and author (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Bob Scott, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2012)
    • 1922 – Patrick Macnee, English-American actor and costume designer (d. 2015)
    • 1922 – Denis Norden, English actor, screenwriter, and television host (d. 2018)
    • 1922 – Haskell Wexler, American director, producer, and cinematographer (d. 2015)
    • 1923 – Gyula Lóránt, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 1981)
    • 1924 – Billy Wright, English footballer and manager (d. 1994)
    • 1924 – Jin Yong, Hong Kong author and publisher, founded Ming Pao (d. 2018)
    • 1925 – Walker Edmiston, American actor and puppeteer (d. 2007)
    • 1927 – Gerard K. O’Neill, American physicist and astronomer (d. 1992)
    • 1928 – Allan H. Meltzer, American economist and academic (d. 2017)
    • 1929 – Colin Murdoch, New Zealand pharmacist and veterinarian, invented the tranquilliser gun (d. 2008)
    • 1929 – Oscar Sambrano Urdaneta, Venezuelan author and critic (d. 2011)
    • 1929 – Valentin Yanin, Russian historian and author (d. 2020)
    • 1930 – Jun Kondo, Japanese physicist and academic
    • 1931 – Rip Torn, American actor (d. 2019)
    • 1931 – Fred Trueman, English cricketer (d. 2006)
    • 1931 – Mamie Van Doren, American actress and model
    • 1931 – Ricardo Vidal, Filipino cardinal (d. 2017)
    • 1932 – Camilo Cienfuegos, Cuban soldier and anarchist (d. 1959)
    • 1932 – François Truffaut, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1984)
    • 1933 – Leslie Crowther, English comedian, actor, and game show host (d. 1996)
    • 1936 – Kent Douglas, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2009)
    • 1938 – Fred Mifflin, Canadian admiral and politician, 19th Minister of Veterans Affairs (d. 2013)
    • 1939 – Jean Beaudin, Canadian director and screenwriter (d. 2019)
    • 1939 – Mike Farrell, American actor, director, producer, activist and public speaker
    • 1939 – Jair Rodrigues, Brazilian singer (d. 2014)
    • 1940 – Tom Brokaw, American journalist and author
    • 1940 – Petr Hájek, Czech mathematician and academic (d. 2016)
    • 1940 – Jimmy Tarbuck, English comedian and actor
    • 1941 – Stephen Albert, American pianist and composer (d. 1992)
    • 1941 – Dave Berry, English pop singer
    • 1941 – Gigi Perreau, American actress and director
    • 1942 – Sarah Brady, American activist and author (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Charlie Coles, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1942 – Ahmad-Jabir Ahmadov Ismail oghlu, Azerbaijani philosopher and academic
    • 1942 – James Loewen, American sociologist and historian
    • 1942 – Tommy Roberts, English fashion designer (d. 2012)
    • 1943 – Fabian Forte, American pop singer and actor
    • 1943 – Gayle Hunnicutt, American actress
    • 1944 – Christine Boutin, French politician, French Minister of Housing and Urban Development
    • 1944 – Willie Tee, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 2007)
    • 1944 – Michael Tucker, American actor and producer
    • 1945 – Bob Marley, Jamaican singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1981)
    • 1946 – Richie Hayward, American drummer and songwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1946 – Kate McGarrigle, Canadian musician and singer-songwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1946 – Jim Turner, American captain and politician
    • 1947 – Bill Staines, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1947 – Charlie Hickcox, American swimmer (d .2010)
    • 1949 – Mike Batt, English singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1949 – Manuel Orantes, Spanish tennis player
    • 1949 – Jim Sheridan, Irish director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1950 – Natalie Cole, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2015)
    • 1950 – Timothy M. Dolan, American cardinal
    • 1950 – Punky Meadows, American rock guitarist and songwriter
    • 1952 – Ric Charlesworth, Australian cricketer, coach, and politician
    • 1952 – Viktor Giacobbo, Swiss actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1952 – Ricardo La Volpe, Argentinian footballer, manager, and coach
    • 1955 – Avram Grant, Israeli football manager
    • 1955 – Michael Pollan, American journalist, author, and academic
    • 1955 – Bruno Stolorz, French rugby player and coach
    • 1956 – Jerry Marotta, American drummer
    • 1957 – Andres Lipstok, Estonian economist and politician, Estonian Minister of Economic Affairs
    • 1957 – Kathy Najimy, American actress and comedian
    • 1957 – Simon Phillips, English drummer and producer
    • 1957 – Robert Townsend, American actor and director
    • 1958 – Cecily Adams, American actress and casting director (d. 2004)
    • 1960 – Jeremy Bowen, Welsh journalist
    • 1960 – Megan Gallagher, American actress
    • 1961 – Michael Bolt, Australian rugby league player
    • 1961 – Cam Cameron, American football player and coach
    • 1961 – Bill Lester, American race car driver
    • 1961 – Yury Onufriyenko, Ukrainian-Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1962 – Stavros Lambrinidis, Greek lawyer and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Greece
    • 1962 – Axl Rose, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1963 – David Capel, English cricketer
    • 1963 – Scott Gordon, American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1963 – Quentin Letts, English journalist and critic
    • 1964 – Laurent Cabannes, French rugby player
    • 1964 – Gordon Downie, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2017)
    • 1964 – Colin Miller, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1964 – Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russian actor and director
    • 1965 – Jan Svěrák, Czech actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Rick Astley, English singer-songwriter
    • 1967 – Anita Cochran, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1967 – Izumi Sakai, Japanese singer-songwriter (d. 2007)
    • 1968 – Adolfo Valencia, Colombian footballer
    • 1968 – Akira Yamaoka, Japanese composer and producer
    • 1969 – David Hayter, American actor and screenwriter
    • 1969 – Masaharu Fukuyama, Japanese singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1969 – Tim Sherwood, English international footballer midfielder and manager
    • 1969 – Bob Wickman, American baseball player
    • 1970 – Per Frandsen, Danish footballer and manager
    • 1970 – Tim Herron, American golfer
    • 1971 – Brad Hogg, Australian cricketer
    • 1971 – Carlos Rogers, American basketball player
    • 1972 – Stefano Bettarini, Italian footballer
    • 1972 – David Binn, American football player
    • 1974 – Aljo Bendijo, Filipino journalist
    • 1975 – Chad Allen, American baseball player and coach
    • 1975 – Orkut Büyükkökten, Turkish computer scientist and engineer, created Orkut
    • 1975 – Tomoko Kawase, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1976 – Tanja Frieden, Swiss snowboarder and educator
    • 1976 – Kim Zmeskal, American gymnast and coach
    • 1977 – Josh Stewart, American actor
    • 1978 – Yael Naim, French-Israeli singer-songwriter
    • 1979 – Dan Bălan, Moldovan singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1980 – Kerry Jeremy, Antiguan cricketer
    • 1980 – Kim Poirier, Canadian actress, singer, and producer
    • 1980 – Luke Ravenstahl, American politician, 58th Mayor of Pittsburgh
    • 1981 – Ricky Barnes, American golfer
    • 1981 – Calum Best, American-English model and actor
    • 1981 – Shim Eun-jin, South Korean singer and actress
    • 1981 – Alison Haislip, American actress and producer
    • 1981 – Jens Lekman, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1981 – Ty Warren, American football player
    • 1982 – Tank, Taiwanese singer-songwriter
    • 1982 – Alice Eve, English actress
    • 1982 – Elise Ray, American gymnast
    • 1983 – Melrose Bickerstaff, American model and fashion designer
    • 1983 – Brodie Croyle, American football player
    • 1983 – Dimas Delgado, Spanish footballer
    • 1983 – S. Sreesanth, Indian cricketer
    • 1983 – Jamie Whincup, Australian race car driver
    • 1984 – Darren Bent, English international footballer, forward
    • 1984 – Piret Järvis, Estonian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1984 – Antoine Wright, American basketball player
    • 1985 – Ben Creagh, Australian rugby league player
    • 1985 – Kris Humphries, American basketball player
    • 1986 – Dane DeHaan, American actor
    • 1986 – Yunho, South Korean singer and actor
    • 1988 – Bailey Hanks, American actress, singer, and dancer
    • 1989 – Craig Cathcart, Northern Irish footballer
    • 1989 – Jonny Flynn, American basketball player
    • 1990 – Adam Henrique, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Jermaine Kearse, American football player
    • 1990 – Aida Rybalko, Lithuanian figure skater
    • 1991 – Tobias Eisenbauer, Austrian ice dancer
    • 1991 – Ida Njåtun, Norwegian speed skater
    • 1991 – Eva Wacanno, Dutch tennis player
    • 1991 – Fei Yu, Chinese footballer
    • 1992 – Víctor Mañón, Mexican footballer
    • 1993 – Teresa Scanlan, Miss America 2011
    • 1993 – Tinashe, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
    • 1994 – Charlie Heaton, British actor and musician
    • 1995 – Leon Goretzka, German footballer
    • 1995 – Sam McQueen, English footballer

    Deaths on February 6

    • 743 – Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, Umayyad caliph (b. 691)
    • 797 – Donnchad Midi, Irish king (b. 733)
    • 891 – Photios I of Constantinople (b. 810)
    • 1140 – Thurstan, Archbishop of York
    • 1155 – King Sigurd II of Norway (b. 1133)
    • 1215 – Hōjō Tokimasa, Japanese shikken of the Kamakura bakufu (b. 1138)
    • 1378 – Joanna of Bourbon (b. 1338)
    • 1411 – Esau de’ Buondelmonti, ruler of Epirus
    • 1497 – Johannes Ockeghem, Flemish composer and educator (b. 1410)
    • 1515 – Aldus Manutius, Italian publisher, founded the Aldine Press (b. 1449)
    • 1519 – Lorenz von Bibra, Prince-Bishop of the Bishopric of Würzburg (b. 1459)
    • 1539 – John III, Duke of Cleves (b. 1491)
    • 1585 – Edmund Plowden, English lawyer and scholar (b. 1518)
    • 1593 – Jacques Amyot, French author and translator (b. 1513)
    • 1593 – Emperor Ōgimachi of Japan (b. 1517)
    • 1597 – Franciscus Patricius, Italian philosopher and scientist (b. 1529)
    • 1612 – Christopher Clavius, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1538)
    • 1617 – Prospero Alpini, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1553)
    • 1625 – Philipp Julius, Duke of Pomerania (b. 1584)
    • 1685 – Charles II of England (b. 1630)
    • 1695 – Ahmed II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1643)
    • 1740 – Pope Clement XII (b. 1652)
    • 1775 – William Dowdeswell, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1721)
    • 1783 – Capability Brown, English gardener and architect (b. 1716)
    • 1793 – Carlo Goldoni, Italian-French playwright (b. 1707)
    • 1804 – Joseph Priestley, English chemist and theologian (b. 1733)
    • 1807 – John Reid, Scottish general (b. 1721)
    • 1833 – Pierre André Latreille, French zoologist and entomologist (b. 1762)
    • 1834 – Richard Lemon Lander, English explorer (b. 1804)
    • 1865 – Isabella Beeton, English author of Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management (b. 1836)
    • 1899 – Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b. 1874)
    • 1899 – Leo von Caprivi, German general and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1831)
    • 1902 – John Colton, English-Australian politician, 13th Premier of South Australia (b. 1823)
    • 1916 – Rubén Darío, Nicaraguan poet, journalist, and diplomat (b. 1867)
    • 1918 – Gustav Klimt, Austrian painter and illustrator (b. 1862)
    • 1929 – Maria Christina of Austria (b. 1858)
    • 1931 – Motilal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, President of the Indian National Congress (b. 1861)
    • 1932 – John Earle, Australian politician, 22nd Premier of Tasmania (b. 1865)
    • 1938 – Marianne von Werefkin, Russian-Swiss painter (b. 1860)
    • 1942 – Jaan Soots, Estonian general and politician, 7th Estonian Minister of War (b. 1880)
    • 1951 – Gabby Street, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1882)
    • 1952 – George VI of the United Kingdom (b. 1895)
    • 1958 – victims of the Munich air disaster
      • – Geoff Bent, English footballer (b. 1932)
      • – Roger Byrne, English footballer (b. 1929)
      • – Eddie Colman, English footballer (b. 1936)
      • – Walter Crickmer, English footballer and manager (b. 1900)
      • – Mark Jones, English footballer (b. 1933)
      • – David Pegg, English footballer (b. 1935)
      • – Frank Swift, English footballer and journalist (b. 1913)
      • – Tommy Taylor, English footballer (b. 1932)
    • 1963 – Piero Manzoni, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1933)
    • 1964 – Emilio Aguinaldo, Filipino general and politician, 1st President of the Philippines (b. 1869)
    • 1967 – Martine Carol, French actress (b. 1920)
    • 1972 – Julian Steward, American anthropologist (b. 1902)
    • 1976 – Ritwik Ghatak, Bangladeshi-Indian director and screenwriter (b. 1925)
    • 1976 – Vince Guaraldi, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1928)
    • 1981 – Hugo Montenegro, American composer and conductor (b. 1925)
    • 1982 – Ben Nicholson, British painter (b. 1894)
    • 1985 – James Hadley Chase, English-Swiss soldier and author (b. 1906)
    • 1986 – Frederick Coutts, Scottish 8th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1899)
    • 1986 – Dandy Nichols, English actress (b. 1907)
    • 1986 – Minoru Yamasaki, American architect, designed the World Trade Center (b. 1912)
    • 1987 – Julien Chouinard, Canadian lawyer and jurist (b. 1929)
    • 1989 – Barbara W. Tuchman, American historian and author (b. 1912)
    • 1990 – Jimmy Van Heusen, American pianist and composer (b. 1913)
    • 1991 – Salvador Luria, Italian biologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
    • 1991 – Danny Thomas, American actor, producer, and humanitarian (b. 1914)
    • 1993 – Arthur Ashe, American tennis player and sportscaster (b. 1943)
    • 1994 – Joseph Cotten, American actor (b. 1905)
    • 1994 – Jack Kirby, American author and illustrator (b. 1917)
    • 1995 – James Merrill, American poet and playwright (b. 1926)
    • 1998 – Falco, Austrian pop-rock musician (b. 1957)
    • 1999 – Don Dunstan, Australian lawyer and politician, 35th Premier of South Australia (b. 1926)
    • 1999 – Jimmy Roberts, American tenor (b. 1924)
    • 2000 – Phil Walters, American race car driver (b. 1916)
    • 2001 – Filemon Lagman, Filipino theoretician and activist (b. 1953)
    • 2002 – Max Perutz, Austrian-English biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914)
    • 2004 – Gerald Bouey, Canadian lieutenant and economist (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Karl Haas, German-American pianist, conductor, and radio host (b. 1913)
    • 2007 – Lew Burdette, American baseball player and coach (b. 1926)
    • 2007 – Frankie Laine, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1913)
    • 2007 – Willye White, American runner and long jumper (b. 1939)
    • 2008 – Tony Rolt, English race car driver and engineer (b. 1918)
    • 2009 – Philip Carey, American actor (b. 1925)
    • 2009 – James Whitmore, American actor (b. 1921)
    • 2011 – Gary Moore, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1952)
    • 2012 – David Rosenhan, American psychologist and academic (b. 1929)
    • 2012 – Antoni Tàpies, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – Janice E. Voss, American engineer and astronaut (b. 1956)
    • 2013 – Chokri Belaid, Tunisian lawyer and politician (b. 1964)
    • 2013 – Menachem Elon, German-Israeli academic and jurist (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – Vasiľ Biľak, Slovak politician (b. 1917)
    • 2014 – Ralph Kiner, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Maxine Kumin, American author and poet (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Vaçe Zela, Albanian-Swiss singer and guitarist (b. 1939)
    • 2015 – André Brink, South African author and playwright (b. 1935)
    • 2015 – Alan Nunnelee, American lawyer and politician (b. 1958)
    • 2015 – Pedro León Zapata, Venezuelan cartoonist (b. 1929)
    • 2016 – Dan Gerson, American screenwriter (b. 1966)
    • 2016 – Dan Hicks, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
    • 2017 – Irwin Corey, American comedian and actor (b. 1914)
    • 2017 – Inge Keller, German actress (b. 1923)
    • 2017 – Alec McCowen, English actor (b. 1925)
    • 2017 – Joost van der Westhuizen, South African rugby union footballer (b. 1971)

    Holidays and observances on February 6

    • Christian feast day:
      • Amand
      • Dorothea of Caesarea
      • Hildegund, O.Praem.
      • Jacut
      • Mateo Correa Magallanes (one of Saints of the Cristero War)
      • Mél of Ardagh
      • Paul Miki and Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan
      • Relindis (Renule) of Maaseik
      • Vedastus
      • February 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (United Nations)
    • Ronald Reagan Day (California, United States)
    • Sami National Day (Russia, Finland, Norway and Sweden)
    • Waitangi Day, celebrates the founding of New Zealand in 1840.
  • February 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • AD 62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy.
    • 756 – An Lushan, leader of a revolt against the Tang Dynasty, declares himself emperor and establishes the state of Yan.
    • 789 – Idris I reaches Volubilis and founds the Idrisid dynasty, ceding Morocco from the Abbasid caliphate and founding the first Moroccan state.
    • 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion.
    • 1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians are killed by the new government of Japan for being seen as a threat to Japanese society.
    • 1649 – Charles Stuart, the son of King Charles I, is declared King Charles II of England and Scotland by the Scottish Parliament.
    • 1778 – South Carolina becomes the second state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
    • 1782 – Spanish defeat British forces and capture Menorca.
    • 1783 – In Calabria, a sequence of strong earthquakes begins.
    • 1807 – HMS Blenheim and HMS Java disappear off the coast of Rodrigues.
    • 1810 – Peninsular War: Siege of Cádiz begins.
    • 1818 – Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.
    • 1849 – University of Wisconsin–Madison’s first class meets at Madison Female Academy.
    • 1852 – The New Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, opens to the public.
    • 1859 – Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Prince of Moldavia, is also elected as the prince of Wallachia, joining the two principalities as a personal union called the United Principalities, an autonomous region within the Ottoman Empire, which ushered the birth of the modern Romanian state.
    • 1862 – Moldavia and Wallachia formally unite to create the Romanian United Principalities.
    • 1869 – The largest alluvial gold nugget in history, called the “Welcome Stranger”, is found in Moliagul, Victoria, Australia.
    • 1885 – King Leopold II of Belgium establishes the Congo as a personal possession.
    • 1905 – In Mexico, the General Hospital of Mexico is inaugurated, started with four basic specialties.
    • 1907 – Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland announces the creation of Bakelite, the world’s first synthetic plastic.
    • 1913 – Greek military aviators, Michael Moutoussis and Aristeidis Moraitinis perform the first naval air mission in history, with a Farman MF.7 hydroplane.
    • 1917 – The current constitution of Mexico is adopted, establishing a federal republic with powers separated into independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
    • 1917 – The Congress of the United States passes the Immigration Act of 1917 over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto.
    • 1918 – Stephen W. Thompson shoots down a German airplane; this is the first aerial victory by the U.S. military.
    • 1918 – SS Tuscania is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland; it is the first ship carrying American troops to Europe to be torpedoed and sunk.
    • 1919 – Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith launch United Artists.
    • 1924 – The Royal Greenwich Observatory begins broadcasting the hourly time signals known as the Greenwich Time Signal.
    • 1933 – Mutiny on Royal Netherlands Navy warship HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën off the coast of Sumatra, Dutch East Indies.
    • 1939 – Generalísimo Francisco Franco becomes the 68th “Caudillo de España“, or Leader of Spain.
    • 1941 – World War II: Allied forces begin the Battle of Keren to capture Keren, Eritrea.
    • 1945 – World War II: General Douglas MacArthur returns to Manila.
    • 1958 – Gamal Abdel Nasser is nominated to be the first president of the United Arab Republic.
    • 1958 – A hydrogen bomb known as the Tybee Bomb is lost by the US Air Force off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, never to be recovered.
    • 1962 – French President Charles de Gaulle calls for Algeria to be granted independence.
    • 1963 – The European Court of Justice’s ruling in Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen establishes the principle of direct effect, one of the most important, if not the most important, decisions in the development of European Union law.
    • 1971 – Astronauts land on the moon in the Apollo 14 mission.
    • 1975 – Riots break in Lima, Peru after the police forces go on strike the day before. The uprising (locally known as the Limazo) is bloodily suppressed by the military dictatorship.
    • 1985 – Ugo Vetere, then the mayor of Rome, and Chedli Klibi, then the mayor of Carthage meet in Tunis to sign a treaty of friendship officially ending the Third Punic War which lasted 2,131 years.
    • 1988 – Manuel Noriega is indicted on drug smuggling and money laundering charges.
    • 1994 – Byron De La Beckwith is convicted of the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers.
    • 1994 – Markale massacres, more than 60 people are killed and some 200 wounded as a mortar shell explodes in a downtown marketplace in Sarajevo.
    • 1997 – The so-called Big Three banks in Switzerland announce the creation of a $71 million fund to aid Holocaust survivors and their families.
    • 2000 – Russian forces massacre at least 60 civilians in the Novye Aldi suburb of Grozny, Chechnya.
    • 2004 – Rebels from the Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front capture the city of Gonaïves, starting the 2004 Haiti rebellion.
    • 2008 – A major tornado outbreak across the Southern United States kills 57.
    • 2020 – United States President Donald Trump is acquitted by the United States Senate in his impeachment trial.

    Births on February 5

    • 976 – Sanjō, emperor of Japan (d. 1017)
    • 1321 – John II, marquess of Montferrat (d. 1372)
    • 1438 – Philip II, duke of Savoy (d. 1497)
    • 1505 – Aegidius Tschudi, Swiss statesman and historian (d. 1572)
    • 1519 – René of Châlon, prince of Orange (d. 1544)
    • 1525 – Juraj Drašković, Croatian Catholic cardinal (d. 1587)
    • 1533 – Andreas Dudith, Croatian-Hungarian nobleman and diplomat (d. 1589)
    • 1534 – Giovanni de’ Bardi, Italian soldier, composer, and critic (d. 1612)
    • 1589 – Esteban Manuel de Villegas, Spanish poet and educator (d. 1669)
    • 1594 – Biagio Marini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1663)
    • 1605 – Bernard of Corleone, Italian saint (d. 1667)
    • 1608 – Gaspar Schott, German mathematician and physicist (d. 1666)
    • 1626 – Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné, French author (d. 1696)
    • 1650 – Anne Jules de Noailles, French general (d. 1708)
    • 1703 – Gilbert Tennent, Irish-American minister (d. 1764)
    • 1723 – John Witherspoon, Scottish-American minister and academic (d. 1794)
    • 1725 – James Otis, Jr., American lawyer and politician (d. 1783)
    • 1748 – Christian Gottlob Neefe, German composer and conductor (d. 1798)
    • 1788 – Robert Peel, English lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1850)
    • 1795 – Wilhelm Karl Ritter von Haidinger, Austrian mineralogist, geologist, and physicist (d. 1871)
    • 1804 – Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finnish poet and hymn-writer (d. 1877)
    • 1808 – Carl Spitzweg, German painter and poet (d. 1885)
    • 1810 – Ole Bull, Norwegian violinist and composer (d. 1880)
    • 1827 – Peter Lalor, Irish-Australian activist and politician (d. 1889)
    • 1837 – Dwight L. Moody, American evangelist and publisher, founded Moody Church, Moody Bible Institute, and Moody Publishers (d. 1899)
    • 1840 – John Boyd Dunlop, Scottish businessman, co-founded Dunlop Rubber (d. 1921)
    • 1840 – Hiram Maxim, American engineer, invented the Maxim gun (d. 1916)
    • 1847 – Eduard Magnus Jakobson, Estonian missionary and engraver (d. 1903)
    • 1848 – Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author and critic (d. 1907)
    • 1848 – Ignacio Carrera Pinto, Chilean lieutenant (d. 1882)
    • 1852 – Terauchi Masatake, Japanese field marshal and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1919)
    • 1866 – Domhnall Ua Buachalla, Irish politician, 3rd and last Governor-General of the Irish Free State (d. 1963)
    • 1870 – Charles Edmund Brock, British painter and book illustrator (d. 1938)
    • 1876 – Ernie McLea, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1931)
    • 1878 – André Citroën, French engineer and businessman, founded Citroën (d. 1935)
    • 1880 – Gabriel Voisin, French pilot and engineer (d. 1973)
    • 1889 – Patsy Hendren, English cricketer and footballer (d. 1962)
    • 1889 – Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (d. 1962)
    • 1889 – Recep Peker, Turkish officer and politician (d. 1950)
    • 1891 – Renato Petronio, Italian rower (d. 1976)
    • 1892 – Elizabeth Ryan, American tennis player (d. 1979)
    • 1897 – Dirk Stikker, Dutch businessman and politician, 3rd Secretary General of NATO (d. 1979)
    • 1900 – Adlai Stevenson II, American soldier, politician, and diplomat, 5th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 1965)
    • 1903 – Koto Matsudaira, Japanese diplomat, ambassador to the United Nations (d. 1994)
    • 1903 – Joan Whitney Payson, American businesswoman and philanthropist (d. 1975)
    • 1906 – John Carradine, American actor (d. 1988)
    • 1907 – Birgit Dalland, Norwegian politician (d. 2007)
    • 1907 – Pierre Pflimlin, French politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 2000)
    • 1908 – Marie Baron, Dutch swimmer and diver (d. 1948)
    • 1908 – Peg Entwistle, Welsh-American actress (d. 1932)
    • 1908 – Daisy and Violet Hilton, English conjoined twins (d. 1969)
    • 1908 – Eugen Weidmann, German criminal (d. 1939)
    • 1909 – Grażyna Bacewicz, Polish violinist and composer (d. 1969)
    • 1910 – Charles Philippe Leblond, French-Canadian biologist and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1910 – Francisco Varallo, Argentinian footballer (d. 2010)
    • 1911 – Jussi Björling, Swedish tenor (d. 1960)
    • 1914 – William S. Burroughs, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Alan Lloyd Hodgkin, English physiologist, biophysicist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
    • 1915 – Robert Hofstadter, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1990)
    • 1917 – Edward J. Mortola, American academic and president of Pace University (d. 2002)
    • 1917 – Isuzu Yamada, Japanese actress (d. 2012)
    • 1919 – Red Buttons, American actor (d. 2006)
    • 1919 – Tim Holt, American actor (d. 1973)
    • 1919 – Andreas Papandreou, Greek economist and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1996)
    • 1921 – Ken Adam, German-born English production designer and art director (d. 2016)
    • 1923 – Claude King, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – James E. Bowman, American physician and academic (d. 2011)
    • 1924 – Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy, Indian cardinal (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Robert Allen, American pianist and composer (d. 2000)
    • 1927 – Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten, Dutch captain and pilot (d. 1977)
    • 1928 – Tage Danielsson, Swedish author, actor, and director (d. 1985)
    • 1928 – Andrew Greeley, American priest, sociologist, and author (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – P. J. Vatikiotis, Israeli-American historian and political scientist (d. 1997)
    • 1929 – Hal Blaine, American session drummer (d. 2019)
    • 1929 – Luc Ferrari, French pianist and composer (d. 2005)
    • 1929 – Fred Sinowatz, Austrian politician, 19th Chancellor of Austria (d. 2008)
    • 1932 – Cesare Maldini, Italian footballer and manager (d. 2016)
    • 1933 – Jörn Donner, Finnish director and screenwriter (d. 2020)
    • 1933 – B. S. Johnson, English author, poet, and critic (d. 1973)
    • 1934 – Hank Aaron, American baseball player
    • 1934 – Don Cherry, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1935 – Alex Harvey, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1982)
    • 1935 – Johannes Geldenhuys, South African military commander (d. 2018)
    • 1936 – K. S. Nissar Ahmed, Indian poet and academic
    • 1937 – Stuart Damon, American actor and singer
    • 1937 – Larry Hillman, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1937 – Gaston Roelants, Belgian runner
    • 1937 – Alar Toomre, Estonian-American astronomer and mathematician
    • 1937 – Wang Xuan, Chinese computer scientist and academic (d. 2006)
    • 1938 – Rafael Nieto Navia, Colombian lawyer, jurist, and diplomat
    • 1939 – Brian Luckhurst, English cricketer (d. 2005)
    • 1940 – H. R. Giger, Swiss painter, sculptor, and set designer (d. 2014)
    • 1940 – Luke Graham, American wrestler (d. 2006)
    • 1941 – Stephen J. Cannell, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
    • 1941 – Henson Cargill, American country music singer (d. 2007)
    • 1941 – David Selby, American actor and playwright
    • 1941 – Barrett Strong, American soul singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1941 – Kaspar Villiger, Swiss engineer and politician, 85th President of the Swiss Confederation
    • 1941 – Cory Wells, American pop-rock singer (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Roger Staubach, American football player, sportscaster, and businessman
    • 1943 – Nolan Bushnell, American engineer and businessman, founded Atari, Inc.
    • 1943 – Michael Mann, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1943 – Craig Morton, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1943 – Dušan Uhrin, Czech and Slovak footballer and manager
    • 1944 – J. R. Cobb, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1944 – Henfil, Brazilian journalist, author, and illustrator (d. 1988)
    • 1944 – Al Kooper, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1944 – Tamanoumi Masahiro, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 51st Yokozuna (d. 1971)
    • 1945 – Douglas Hogg, English lawyer and politician, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
    • 1946 – Amnon Dankner, Israeli journalist and author (d. 2013)
    • 1946 – Charlotte Rampling, English actress
    • 1947 – Mary L. Cleave, American engineer and astronaut
    • 1947 – Clemente Mastella, Italian politician, Italian Minister of Justice
    • 1947 – Darrell Waltrip, American race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1948 – Sven-Göran Eriksson, Swedish footballer and manager
    • 1948 – Christopher Guest, American actor and director
    • 1948 – Barbara Hershey, American actress
    • 1948 – Errol Morris, American director and producer
    • 1948 – Tom Wilkinson, English actor
    • 1949 – Kurt Beck, German politician
    • 1949 – Yvon Vallières, Canadian educator and politician
    • 1950 – Jonathan Freeman, American actor and singer
    • 1950 – Rafael Puente, Mexican footballer
    • 1951 – Nikolay Merkushkin, Mordovian engineer and politician, 1st Head of the Republic of Mordovia
    • 1952 – Daniel Balavoine, French singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1986)
    • 1952 – Vladimir Moskovkin, Ukrainian-Russian geographer, economist, and academic
    • 1953 – Freddie Aguilar, Filipino singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1953 – John Beilein, American basketball player and coach
    • 1953 – Gustavo Benítez, Paraguayan footballer and manager
    • 1954 – Cliff Martinez, American drummer and songwriter
    • 1954 – Frank Walker, Australian journalist and author
    • 1955 – Mike Heath, American baseball player and manager
    • 1956 – Vinnie Colaiuta, American drummer
    • 1956 – Héctor Rebaque, Mexican race car driver
    • 1956 – David Wiesner, American author and illustrator
    • 1956 – Mao Daichi, Japanese actress
    • 1957 – Jüri Tamm, Estonian hammer thrower and politician
    • 1959 – Jennifer Granholm, Canadian-American lawyer and politician, 47th Governor of Michigan
    • 1960 – Aris Christofellis, Greek soprano and musicologist
    • 1960 – Bonnie Crombie, Canadian businesswoman and politician, 6th Mayor of Mississauga
    • 1960 – Micky Hazard, English footballer, central midfielder
    • 1961 – Savvas Kofidis, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1961 – Tim Meadows, American actor and screenwriter
    • 1962 – Jennifer Jason Leigh, American actress, screenwriter, producer and director
    • 1963 – Steven Shainberg, American film director and producer
    • 1964 – Laura Linney, American actress
    • 1964 – Ha Seungmoo, Korean Poet, Pastor, Historical theologian
    • 1964 – Duff McKagan, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer
    • 1965 – Tarik Benhabiles, Algerian-French tennis player and coach
    • 1965 – Gheorghe Hagi, Romanian footballer and manager
    • 1965 – Keith Moseley, American bass player and songwriter
    • 1965 – Quique Sánchez Flores, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1966 – José María Olazábal, Spanish golfer
    • 1966 – Rok Petrovič, Slovenian skier (d. 1993)
    • 1967 – Chris Parnell, American actor and comedian
    • 1968 – Roberto Alomar, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and coach
    • 1968 – Marcus Grönholm, Finnish race car driver
    • 1969 – Bobby Brown, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
    • 1969 – Michael Sheen, Welsh actor and director
    • 1969 – Derek Stephen Prince, American voice actor
    • 1970 – Jean-Marc Jaumin, Belgian basketball player and coach
    • 1970 – Darren Lehmann, Australian cricketer and coach
    • 1971 – Michel Breistroff, French ice hockey player (d. 1996)
    • 1971 – Sara Evans, American country singer
    • 1972 – Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
    • 1972 – Brad Fittler, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Richard Matvichuk, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1973 – Trijntje Oosterhuis, Dutch singer-songwriter
    • 1973 – Luke Ricketson, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
    • 1974 – Michael Maguire, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1975 – Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1976 – John Aloisi, Australian footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Abhishek Bachchan, Indian actor
    • 1977 – Ben Ainslie, English sailor
    • 1977 – Adam Dykes, Australian rugby league player
    • 1977 – Adam Everett, American baseball player and coach
    • 1978 – Brian Russell, American football player
    • 1978 – Samuel Sánchez, Spanish cyclist
    • 1979 – Nate Holzapfel, American entrepreneur and television personality
    • 1980 – Brad Fitzpatrick, American programmer, created LiveJournal
    • 1980 – Jo Swinson, Scottish politician
    • 1981 – Mia Hansen-Løve, French director and screenwriter
    • 1981 – Loukas Vyntra, Czech-Greek footballer
    • 1982 – Laura del Rio, Spanish footballer
    • 1982 – Kevin Everett, American football player
    • 1982 – Tomáš Kopecký, Slovak ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Rodrigo Palacio, Argentinian footballer
    • 1983 – Anja Hammerseng-Edin, Norwegian handball player
    • 1984 – Carlos Tevez, Argentinian footballer
    • 1985 – Lloyd Johansson, Australian rugby player
    • 1985 – Laurence Maroney, American football player
    • 1985 – Paul Vandervort, American actor, film producer, and former model
    • 1985 – Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese footballer
    • 1986 – Vedran Ćorluka, Croatian footballer, centre back
    • 1986 – Marcos Díaz, Argentinian footballer
    • 1986 – Kevin Gates, American rapper, singer, and entrepreneur
    • 1986 – Sekope Kepu, Australian rugby player
    • 1986 – Billy Sharp, English footballer
    • 1986 – Reed Sorenson, American race car driver
    • 1986 – Carlos Villanueva, Chilean footballer
    • 1987 – Darren Criss, American actor, singer, and entrepreneur
    • 1987 – Curtis Jerrells, American basketball player
    • 1987 – Alex Kuznetsov, Ukrainian-American tennis player
    • 1987 – Linus Omark, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Donald Sanford, American-Israeli sprinter
    • 1988 – Karin Ontiveros, Mexican model
    • 1989 – Marina Melnikova, Russian tennis player
    • 1990 – Dmitry Andreikin, Russian chess player
    • 1990 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Indian cricketer
    • 1990 – Jordan Rhodes, Scottish footballer
    • 1991 – Nabil Bahoui, Swedish footballer
    • 1991 – Gerald Tusha, Albanian footballer
    • 1992 – Stefan de Vrij, Dutch footballer
    • 1992 – Neymar, Brazilian footballer
    • 1993 – Leilani Latu, Australian rugby league player
    • 1993 – Ty Rattie, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1995 – Adnan Januzaj, Belgian-Albanian footballer
    • 1996 – Stina Blackstenius, Swedish footballer
    • 1997 – Patrick Roberts, English footballer
    • 2016 – Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, Bhutanese prince

    Deaths on February 5

    • 523 – Avitus of Vienne, Gallo-Roman bishop
    • 806 – Kanmu, emperor of Japan (b. 736)
    • 994 – William IV, duke of Aquitaine (b. 937)
    • 1015 – Adelaide, German abbess and saint
    • 1036 – Alfred Aetheling, Anglo-Saxon prince
    • 1146 – Zafadola, Arab emir of Zaragoza
    • 1578 – Giovanni Battista Moroni, Italian painter (b. 1520)
    • 1661 – Shunzhi, Chinese emperor of the Qing Dynasty (b. 1638)
    • 1705 – Philipp Spener, German theologian and author (b. 1635)
    • 1751 – Henri François d’Aguesseau, French jurist and politician, Chancellor of France (b. 1668)
    • 1754 – Nicolaas Kruik, Dutch astronomer and cartographer (b. 1678)
    • 1766 – Count Leopold Joseph von Daun, Austrian field marshal (b. 1705)
    • 1775 – Eusebius Amort, German theologian and academic (b. 1692)
    • 1790 – William Cullen, Scottish physician and chemist (b. 1710)
    • 1807 – Pasquale Paoli, Corsican commander and politician (b. 1725)
    • 1818 – Charles XIII, king of Sweden (b. 1748)
    • 1881 – Thomas Carlyle, Scottish philosopher, historian, and academic (b. 1795)
    • 1882 – Adolfo Rivadeneyra, Spanish orientalist and diplomat (b. 1841)
    • 1892 – Emilie Flygare-Carlén, Swedish author (b. 1807)
    • 1915 – Ross Barnes, American baseball player and manager (b. 1850)
    • 1917 – Jaber II Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1860)
    • 1922 – Christiaan de Wet, South African general and politician, State President of the Orange Free State (b. 1854)
    • 1922 – Slavoljub Eduard Penkala, Croatian engineer, invented the mechanical pencil (b. 1871)
    • 1927 – Inayat Khan, Indian mystic and educator (b. 1882)
    • 1931 – Athanasios Eftaxias, Greek politician, 118th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1849)
    • 1933 – Josiah Thomas, English-Australian miner and politician (b. 1863)
    • 1937 – Lou Andreas-Salomé, Russian-German psychoanalyst and author (b. 1861)
    • 1938 – Hans Litten, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1903)
    • 1941 – Banjo Paterson, Australian journalist, author, and poet (b. 1864)
    • 1941 – Otto Strandman, Estonian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1875)
    • 1946 – George Arliss, English actor and playwright (b. 1868)
    • 1948 – Johannes Blaskowitz, German general (b. 1883)
    • 1952 – Adela Verne, English pianist and composer (b. 1877)
    • 1954 – Hossein Sami’i, Iranian politician, diplomat, writer and poet (b. 1876)
    • 1955 – Victor Houteff, Bulgarian religious reformer and author (b. 1885)
    • 1957 – Sami Ibrahim Haddad, Lebanese surgeon and author (b. 1890)
    • 1962 – Jacques Ibert, French-Swiss composer (b. 1890)
    • 1967 – Leon Leonwood Bean, American businessman, founded L.L.Bean (b. 1872)
    • 1969 – Thelma Ritter, American actress (b. 1902)
    • 1970 – Rudy York, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1913)
    • 1971 – Lew “Sneaky Pete” Robinson, drag racer (b. 1933)
    • 1972 – Marianne Moore, American poet, author, critic, and translator (b. 1887)
    • 1976 – Rudy Pompilli, American saxophonist (Bill Haley & His Comets) (b. 1926)
    • 1977 – Oskar Klein, Swedish physicist and academic (b. 1894)
    • 1981 – Ella T. Grasso, American politician, 83rd Governor of Connecticut (b. 1919)
    • 1982 – Neil Aggett, Kenyan-South African physician and union leader (b. 1953)
    • 1983 – Margaret Oakley Dayhoff, American chemist and academic (b. 1925)
    • 1987 – William Collier, Jr., American actor and producer (b. 1902)
    • 1989 – Joe Raposo, American pianist and composer (b. 1937)
    • 1991 – Dean Jagger, American actor (b. 1903)
    • 1992 – Miguel Rolando Covian, Argentinian-Brazilian physiologist and academic (b. 1913)
    • 1993 – Seán Flanagan, Irish footballer and politician, 7th Irish Minister for Health (b. 1922)
    • 1993 – Joseph L. Mankiewicz, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1909)
    • 1993 – William Pène du Bois, American author and illustrator (b. 1916)
    • 1995 – Doug McClure, American actor (b. 1935)
    • 1997 – Pamela Harriman, English-American diplomat, 58th United States Ambassador to France (b. 1920)
    • 1997 – René Huyghe, French historian and author (b. 1906)
    • 1998 – Tim Kelly, American guitarist (b. 1963)
    • 1999 – Wassily Leontief, Russian-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
    • 2000 – Claude Autant-Lara, French director and screenwriter (b. 1901)
    • 2004 – John Hench, American animator (b. 1908)
    • 2005 – Gnassingbé Eyadéma, Togolese general and politician, President of Togo (b. 1937)
    • 2005 – Michalina Wisłocka, Polish gynecologist and sexologist (b. 1921)
    • 2006 – Norma Candal, Puerto Rican-American actress (b. 1927)
    • 2007 – Leo T. McCarthy, New Zealand-American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 43rd Lieutenant Governor of California (b. 1930)
    • 2007 – Alfred Worm, Austrian journalist, author, and academic (b. 1945)
    • 2008 – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Indian guru, founded Transcendental Meditation (b. 1918)
    • 2010 – Brendan Burke, Canadian ice hockey player and activist (b. 1988)
    • 2010 – Harry Schwarz, South African lawyer, anti-apartheid leader, and diplomat, 13th South Africa Ambassador to United States (b. 1924)
    • 2011 – Brian Jacques, English author and radio host (b. 1939)
    • 2011 – Peggy Rea, American actress and casting director (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Sam Coppola, American actor (b. 1932)
    • 2012 – Al De Lory, American keyboard player, conductor, and producer (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – John Turner Sargent, Sr., American publisher (b. 1924)
    • 2012 – Jo Zwaan, Dutch sprinter (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Reinaldo Gargano, Uruguayan journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Uruguay (b. 1934)
    • 2013 – Egil Hovland, Norwegian composer and conductor (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Tom McGuigan, New Zealand soldier and politician, 23rd New Zealand Minister of Health (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Robert A. Dahl, American political scientist and academic (b. 1915)
    • 2015 – K. N. Choksy, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, Minister of Finance of Sri Lanka (b. 1933)
    • 2015 – Marisa Del Frate, Italian actress and singer (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Val Logsdon Fitch, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – Herman Rosenblat, Polish-American author (b. 1929)
    • 2016 – Ciriaco Cañete, Filipino martial artist (b. 1919)
    • 2020 – Kirk Douglas, American actor (b. 1916)

    Holidays and observances on February 5

    • Christian feast day:
      • Adelaide of Vilich
      • Agatha of Sicily
      • Avitus of Vienne
      • Bertulf (Bertoul) of Renty
      • Ingenuinus (Jenewein)
      • Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan (in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Anglican Church in Japan)
      • February 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (Mexico)
    • Crown Princess Mary’s birthday (Denmark)
    • Kashmir Solidarity Day (Pakistan)
    • Liberation Day (San Marino)
    • Runeberg’s Birthday (Finland)
    • Unity Day (Burundi)