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1608

April 2 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1513 – Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León first sights land in what is now the United States state of Florida.
  • 1755 – Commodore William James captures the Maratha fortress of Suvarnadurg on west coast of India.
  • 1792 – The Coinage Act is passed establishing the United States Mint.
  • 1800 – Ludwig van Beethoven leads the premiere of his First Symphony in Vienna.
  • 1800 – The Treaty of Constantinople establishes the Septinsular Republic, the first autonomous Greek state since the Fall of the Byzantine Empire.
  • 1801 – French Revolutionary Wars: The British capture the Danish fleet.
  • 1851 – Rama IV is crowned King of Thailand.
  • 1863 – American Civil War: The largest in a series of Southern bread riots occurs in Richmond, Virginia.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: Defeat at the Third Battle of Petersburg forces the Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate government to abandon Richmond, Virginia.
  • 1885 – Canadian Cree warriors attack the village of Frog Lake, killing nine.
  • 1900 – The United States Congress passes the Foraker Act, giving Puerto Rico limited self-rule.
  • 1902 – Dmitry Sipyagin, Minister of Interior of the Russian Empire, is assassinated in the Marie Palace, Saint Petersburg.
  • 1902 – “Electric Theatre”, the first full-time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles.
  • 1911 – The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducts the country’s first national census.
  • 1912 – The ill-fated RMS Titanic begins sea trials.
  • 1917 – World War I: United States President Woodrow Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.
  • 1921 – The Autonomous Government of Khorasan, a military government encompassing the modern state of Iran, is established.
  • 1930 – After the mysterious death of Empress Zewditu, Haile Selassie is proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia.
  • 1956 – As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiere on CBS. The two soaps become the first daytime dramas to debut in the 30-minute format.
  • 1964 – The Soviet Union launches Zond 1.
  • 1972 – Actor Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States for the first time since being labeled a communist during the Red Scare in the early 1950s.
  • 1973 – Launch of the LexisNexis computerized legal research service.
  • 1975 – Vietnam War: Thousands of civilian refugees flee from Quảng Ngãi Province in front of advancing North Vietnamese troops.
  • 1976 – Prince Norodom Sihanouk resigns as leader of Cambodia and is placed under house arrest.
  • 1979 – A Soviet bio-warfare laboratory at Sverdlovsk accidentally releases airborne anthrax spores, killing 66 plus an unknown amount of livestock.
  • 1980 – United States President Jimmy Carter signs the Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act.
  • 1982 – Falklands War: Argentina invades the Falkland Islands.
  • 1986 – Alabama governor George Wallace, a former segregationist, best known for the “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door”, announces that he will not seek a fifth four-year term and will retire from public life upon the end of his term in January 1987.
  • 1989 – Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana, Cuba, to meet with Fidel Castro in an attempt to mend strained relations.
  • 1989 – ASUS corporation is founded.
  • 1991 – Rita Johnston becomes the first female Premier of a Canadian province when she succeeds William Vander Zalm (who had resigned) as Premier of British Columbia.
  • 1992 – In New York, Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of murder and racketeering and is later sentenced to life in prison.
  • 1992 – Forty-two civilians are massacred in the town of Bijeljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  • 2002 – Israeli forces surround the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem into which armed Palestinians had retreated.
  • 2004 – Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt to bomb the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid; the attack is thwarted.
  • 2006 – Over 60 tornadoes break out in the United States; Tennessee is hardest hit with 29 people killed.
  • 2012 – A mass shooting at Oikos University in California leaves seven people dead and three injured.
  • 2014 – A spree shooting occurs at the Fort Hood army base in Texas, with four dead, including the gunman, and 16 others injured.
  • 2015 – Gunmen attack Garissa University College in Kenya, killing at least 148 people and wounding 79 others.
  • 2015 – Four men steal items worth up to £200 million from an underground safe deposit facility in London’s Hatton Garden area in what has been called the “largest burglary in English legal history.”

Births on April 2

  • 742 – Charlemagne, Frankish king (d. 814)
  • 1473 – John Corvinus, Hungarian noble (d. 1504)
  • 1545 – Elisabeth of Valois (d. 1568)
  • 1565 – Cornelis de Houtman, Dutch explorer (d. 1599)
  • 1586 – Pietro Della Valle, Italian traveler (d. 1652)
  • 1602 – Mary of Jesus of Ágreda, Franciscan abbess (d. 1665)
  • 1618 – Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (d. 1663)
  • 1647 – Maria Sibylla Merian, German-Dutch botanist and illustrator (d. 1717)
  • 1653 – Prince George of Denmark (d. 1708)
  • 1696 – Francesca Cuzzoni, Italian operatic soprano (d. 1778)
  • 1719 – Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet (d. 1803)
  • 1725 – Giacomo Casanova, Italian explorer and author (d. 1798)
  • 1788 – Francisco Balagtas, Filipino poet and author (d. 1862)
  • 1788 – Wilhelmine Reichard, German balloonist (d. 1848)
  • 1789 – Lucio Norberto Mansilla, Argentinian general and politician (d. 1871)
  • 1792 – Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian general and politician, 4th President of the Republic of the New Granada (d. 1840)
  • 1798 – August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, German poet and academic (d. 1874)
  • 1805 – Hans Christian Andersen, Danish novelist, short story writer, and poet (d. 1875)
  • 1814 – Henry L. Benning, American general and judge (d. 1875)
  • 1814 – Erastus Brigham Bigelow, American inventor (d. 1879)
  • 1827 – William Holman Hunt, English soldier and painter (d. 1910)
  • 1835 – Jacob Nash Victor, American engineer (d. 1907)
  • 1838 – Léon Gambetta, French lawyer and politician, 45th Prime Minister of France (d. 1882)
  • 1840 – Émile Zola, French novelist, playwright, journalist (d. 1902)
  • 1841 – Clément Ader, French engineer, designed the Ader Avion III (d. 1926)
  • 1842 – Dominic Savio, Italian Catholic saint, adolescent student of Saint John Bosco (d. 1857)
  • 1861 – Iván Persa, Slovenian priest and author (d. 1935)
  • 1862 – Nicholas Murray Butler, American philosopher and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1947)
  • 1869 – Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (d. 1928)
  • 1875 – Walter Chrysler, American businessman, founded Chrysler (d. 1940)
  • 1875 – William Donne, English cricketer and captain (d. 1942)
  • 1884 – J. C. Squire, English poet, author, and historian (d. 1958)
  • 1891 – Jack Buchanan, Scottish entertainer (d. 1957)
  • 1891 – Max Ernst, German painter, sculptor, and poet (d. 1976)
  • 1891 – Tristão de Bragança Cunha, Indian nationalist and anti-colonial activist from Goa (d. 1958)
  • 1896 – Johnny Golden, American golfer (d. 1936)
  • 1898 – Harindranath Chattopadhyay, Indian poet, actor and politician (d. 1990)
  • 1898 – Chiungtze C. Tsen, Chinese mathematician (d. 1940)
  • 1900 – Roberto Arlt, Argentinian journalist, author, and playwright (d. 1942)
  • 1900 – Anis Fuleihan, Cypriot-American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1970)
  • 1900 – Alfred Strange, English footballer (d. 1978)
  • 1902 – Jan Tschichold, German-Swiss graphic designer and typographer (d. 1974)
  • 1903 – Lionel Chevrier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Canadian Minister of Justice (d. 1987)
  • 1906 – Alphonse-Marie Parent, Canadian priest and educator (d. 1970)
  • 1907 – Harald Andersson, American-Swedish discus thrower (d. 1985)
  • 1907 – Luke Appling, American baseball player and manager (d. 1991)
  • 1908 – Buddy Ebsen, American actor and dancer (d. 2003)
  • 1910 – Paul Triquet, Canadian general, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1980)
  • 1910 – Chico Xavier, Brazilian spiritual medium (d. 2002)
  • 1914 – Alec Guinness, English actor (d. 2000)
  • 1919 – Delfo Cabrera, Argentinian runner and soldier (d. 1981)
  • 1920 – Gerald Bouey, Canadian lieutenant and civil servant (d. 2004)
  • 1920 – Jack Stokes, English animator and director (d. 2013)
  • 1920 – Jack Webb, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1982)
  • 1922 – John C. Whitehead, American banker and politician, 9th United States Deputy Secretary of State (d. 2015)
  • 1923 – Gloria Henry, American actress
  • 1923 – Johnny Paton, Scottish footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2015)
  • 1923 – G. Spencer-Brown, English mathematician, psychologist, and author (d. 2016)
  • 1924 – Bobby Ávila, Mexican baseball player (d. 2004)
  • 1925 – George MacDonald Fraser, Scottish author and screenwriter (d. 2008)
  • 1925 – Hans Rosenthal, German radio and television host (d. 1987)
  • 1926 – Jack Brabham, Australian race car driver (d. 2014)
  • 1926 – Rudra Rajasingham, Sri Lankan police officer and diplomat (d. 2006)
  • 1927 – Carmen Basilio, American boxer and soldier (d. 2012)
  • 1927 – Howard Callaway, American soldier and politician, 11th United States Secretary of the Army (d. 2014)
  • 1927 – Rita Gam, American actress (d. 2016)
  • 1927 – Billy Pierce, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2015)
  • 1927 – Kenneth Tynan, English author and critic (d. 1980)
  • 1928 – Joseph Bernardin, American cardinal (d. 1996)
  • 1928 – Serge Gainsbourg, French singer-songwriter, actor, and director (d. 1991)
  • 1928 – Roy Masters, English-American radio host
  • 1928 – David Robinson, Northern Irish horticulturist and academic (d. 2004)
  • 1929 – Ed Dorn, American poet and educator (d. 1999)
  • 1930 – Roddy Maude-Roxby, English actor
  • 1931 – Vladimir Kuznetsov, Russian javelin thrower (d. 1986)
  • 1932 – Edward Egan, American cardinal (d. 2015)
  • 1933 – György Konrád, Hungarian sociologist and author
  • 1934 – Paul Cohen, American mathematician and theorist (d. 2007)
  • 1934 – Brian Glover, English wrestler and actor (d. 1997)
  • 1934 – Carl Kasell, American journalist and game show host (d. 2018)
  • 1934 – Richard Portman, American sound engineer (d. 2017)
  • 1934 – Dovid Shmidel, Austrian-born Israeli rabbi
  • 1936 – Shaul Ladany, Serbian-Israeli race walker and engineer
  • 1937 – Dick Radatz, American baseball player (d. 2005)
  • 1938 – John Larsson, Swedish 17th General of The Salvation Army
  • 1938 – Booker Little, American trumpet player and composer (d. 1961)
  • 1938 – Al Weis, American baseball player
  • 1939 – Marvin Gaye, American singer-songwriter (d. 1984)
  • 1939 – Anthony Lake, American academic and diplomat, 18th United States National Security Advisor
  • 1939 – Lise Thibault, Canadian journalist and politician, 27th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
  • 1940 – Donald Jackson, Canadian figure skater and coach
  • 1940 – Mike Hailwood, English motorcycle racer (d. 1981)
  • 1940 – Penelope Keith, English actress
  • 1941 – Dr. Demento, American radio host
  • 1941 – Sonny Throckmorton, American country singer-songwriter
  • 1942 – Leon Russell, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2016)
  • 1942 – Roshan Seth, Indian-English actor
  • 1943 – Michael Boyce, Baron Boyce, South African-English admiral and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
  • 1943 – Caterina Bueno, Italian singer (d. 2007)
  • 1943 – Larry Coryell, American jazz guitarist (d. 2017)
  • 1943 – Antonio Sabàto, Sr., Italian actor
  • 1944 – Bill Malinchak, American football player
  • 1945 – Jürgen Drews, German singer-songwriter
  • 1945 – Guy Fréquelin, French race car driver
  • 1945 – Linda Hunt, American actress
  • 1945 – Reggie Smith, American baseball player and coach
  • 1945 – Don Sutton, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1945 – Anne Waldman, American poet
  • 1946 – Richard Collinge, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1946 – David Heyes, English politician
  • 1946 – Sue Townsend, English author and playwright (d. 2014)
  • 1946 – Kurt Winter, Canadian guitarist and songwriter (d. 1997)
  • 1947 – Paquita la del Barrio, Mexican singer-songwriter
  • 1947 – Tua Forsström, Finnish writer
  • 1947 – Emmylou Harris, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1947 – Camille Paglia, American author and critic
  • 1948 – Roald Als, Danish author and illustrator
  • 1948 – Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer (d. 2012)
  • 1948 – Daniel Okrent, American journalist and author
  • 1948 – Joan D. Vinge, American author
  • 1949 – Paul Gambaccini, American-English radio and television host
  • 1949 – Bernd Müller, German footballer
  • 1949 – Pamela Reed, American actress
  • 1949 – David Robinson, American drummer
  • 1950 – Lynn Westmoreland, American politician
  • 1951 – Ayako Okamoto, Japanese golfer
  • 1952 – Lennart Fagerlund, Swedish cyclist
  • 1952 – Will Hoy, English race car driver (d. 2002)
  • 1952 – Leon Wilkeson, American bass player and songwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1953 – Jim Allister, Northern Irish lawyer and politician
  • 1953 – Rosemary Bryant Mariner, 20th and 21st-century U.S. Navy aviator
  • 1953 – Malika Oufkir, Moroccan Berber writer
  • 1953 – Debralee Scott, American actress (d. 2005)
  • 1953 – James Vance, American author and playwright (d. 2017)
  • 1954 – Gregory Abbott, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1954 – Donald Petrie, American actor and director
  • 1955 – Michael Stone, Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary
  • 1957 – Caroline Dean, English biologist and academic
  • 1957 – Hank Steinbrenner, American businessman, co-owner of the New York Yankees
  • 1958 – Stefano Bettarello, Italian rugby player
  • 1958 – Larry Drew, American basketball player and coach
  • 1959 – Gelindo Bordin, Italian runner
  • 1959 – David Frankel, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1959 – Juha Kankkunen, Finnish race car driver
  • 1959 – Yves Lavandier, French director and producer
  • 1959 – Badou Ezzaki, Moroccan footballer and manager
  • 1960 – Linford Christie, Jamaican-English sprinter
  • 1960 – Brad Jones, Australian race car driver
  • 1960 – Pascale Nadeau, Canadian journalist
  • 1961 – Buddy Jewell, American singer-songwriter
  • 1961 – Christopher Meloni, American actor
  • 1961 – Keren Woodward, English singer-songwriter
  • 1962 – Pierre Carles, French director and producer
  • 1962 – Billy Dean, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1962 – Clark Gregg, American actor
  • 1963 – Karl Beattie, English director and producer
  • 1963 – Mike Gascoyne, English engineer
  • 1964 – Pete Incaviglia, American baseball player and coach
  • 1964 – Jonathon Sharkey, American wrestler
  • 1965 – Rodney King, American victim of police brutality (d. 2012)
  • 1966 – Bill Romanowski, American football player and actor
  • 1966 – Teddy Sheringham, English international footballer, striker and coach
  • 1967 – Greg Camp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1967 – Phil Demmel, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1969 – Ajay Devgan, Indian actor, director, and producer
  • 1971 – Edmundo Alves de Souza Neto, Brazilian footballer
  • 1971 – Jason Lewry, English cricketer
  • 1971 – Todd Woodbridge, Australian tennis player and sportscaster
  • 1972 – Remo D’Souza, Indian choreographer and dancer
  • 1972 – Calvin Davis, American sprinter and hurdler
  • 1972 – Zane Lamprey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1973 – Dmitry Lipartov, Russian footballer
  • 1973 – Roselyn Sánchez, Puerto Rican-American actress
  • 1973 – Aleksejs Semjonovs, Latvian footballer
  • 1974 – Tayfun Korkut, Turkish football manager and former player
  • 1975 – Randy Livingston, American basketball player
  • 1975 – Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski, German rower
  • 1976 – Andreas Anastasopoulos, Greek shot putter
  • 1976 – Rory Sabbatini, South African golfer
  • 1976 – Pattie Mallette, Canadian author and film producer
  • 1977 – Per Elofsson, Swedish skier
  • 1977 – Michael Fassbender, German-Irish actor and producer
  • 1977 – Hanno Pevkur, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Justice
  • 1978 – Scott Lynch, American author
  • 1978 – Ethan Smith, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1979 – Jesse Carmichael, American keyboard player
  • 1980 – Avi Benedi, Israeli singer and songwriter
  • 1980 – Adam Fleming, Scottish journalist
  • 1980 – Gavin Heffernan, Canadian director and screenwriter
  • 1980 – Ricky Hendrick, American race car driver (d. 2004)
  • 1980 – Wairangi Koopu, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1980 – Carlos Salcido, Mexican international footballer, defender
  • 1981 – Michael Clarke, Australian cricketer
  • 1981 – Kapil Sharma, Indian stand-up comedian, television presenter and actor
  • 1982 – Marco Amelia, Italian footballer
  • 1982 – Jeremy Bloom, American football player and skier
  • 1982 – Jack Evans, American wrestler
  • 1982 – David Ferrer, Spanish tennis player
  • 1983 – Yung Joc, American rapper
  • 1983 – Maksym Mazuryk, Ukrainian pole vaulter
  • 1984 – Engin Atsür, Turkish basketball player
  • 1984 – Nóra Barta, Hungarian diver
  • 1984 – Jérémy Morel, French footballer
  • 1985 – Thom Evans, Zimbabwean-Scottish rugby player
  • 1985 – Stéphane Lambiel, Swiss figure skater
  • 1986 – Ibrahim Afellay, Dutch footballer
  • 1986 – Andris Biedriņš, Latvian basketball player
  • 1986 – Lee DeWyze, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1987 – Pablo Aguilar, Paraguayan footballer
  • 1987 – Marc Pugh, English footballer
  • 1988 – Jesse Plemons, American actor
  • 1990 – Yevgeniya Kanayeva, Russian gymnast
  • 1990 – Miralem Pjanić, Bosnian footballer
  • 1991 – Quavo, American rapper
  • 1993 – Keshorn Walcott, Trinidadian javelin thrower
  • 1997 – Dillon Bassett, American race car driver
  • 1997 – Abdelhak Nouri, Dutch footballer

Deaths on April 2

  • 670 – Hasan ibn Ali the second Shia Imam (b. 624)
  • 870 – Æbbe the Younger, Frankish abbess
  • 872 – Muflih al-Turki, Turkish general
  • 968 – Yuan Dezhao, Chinese chancellor (b. 891)
  • 991 – Bardas Skleros, Byzantine general
  • 1118 – Baldwin I, king of Jerusalem
  • 1244 – Henrik Harpestræng, Danish botanical and medical author
  • 1272 – Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, English husband of Sanchia of Provence (b. 1209)
  • 1335 – Henry of Bohemia (b. 1265)
  • 1412 – Ruy González de Clavijo, Spanish explorer and author
  • 1416 – Ferdinand I, king of Aragon (b. 1379)
  • 1502 – Arthur, prince of Wales (b. 1486)
  • 1507 – Francis of Paola, Italian friar and saint, founded the Order of the Minims (b. 1416)
  • 1511 – Bernard VII, Lord of Lippe, German nobleman (b. 1428)
  • 1640 – Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, Polish author and poet (b. 1595)
  • 1657 – Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1608)
  • 1657 – Jean-Jacques Olier, French priest, founded the Society of Saint-Sulpice (b. 1608)
  • 1672 – Pedro Calungsod, Filipino missionary and saint (b. 1654)
  • 1672 – Diego Luis de San Vitores, Spanish Jesuit missionary (b. 1627)
  • 1720 – Joseph Dudley, English politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1647)
  • 1742 – James Douglas, Scottish physician and anatomist (b. 1675)
  • 1747 – Johann Jacob Dillenius, German-English botanist and mycologist (b. 1684)
  • 1754 – Thomas Carte, English historian and author (b. 1686)
  • 1787 – Thomas Gage, English general and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1719)
  • 1791 – Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, French journalist and politician (b. 1749)
  • 1801 – Thomas Dadford, Jr., English engineer (b. 1761)
  • 1803 – Sir James Montgomery, 1st Baronet, Scottish judge and politician (b. 1721)
  • 1817 – Johann Heinrich Jung, German author and academic (b. 1740)
  • 1827 – Ludwig Heinrich Bojanus, German physician and educator (b. 1776)
  • 1845 – Philip Charles Durham, Scottish admiral and politician (b. 1763)
  • 1865 – A. P. Hill, American general (b. 1825)
  • 1872 – Samuel Morse, American painter and academic, invented the Morse code (b. 1791)
  • 1891 – Albert Pike, American lawyer and general (b. 1809)
  • 1891 – Ahmed Vefik Pasha, Greek playwright and politician, 249th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1823)
  • 1894 – Achille Vianelli, Italian painter and academic (b. 1803)
  • 1896 – Theodore Robinson, American painter and academic (b. 1852)
  • 1914 – Paul Heyse, German author, poet, and translator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1830)
  • 1917 – Bryn Lewis, Welsh international rugby player (b.1891)
  • 1923 – Topal Osman, Turkish colonel (b. 1883)
  • 1928 – Theodore William Richards, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1868)
  • 1930 – Zewditu I of Ethiopia (b. 1876)
  • 1933 – Ranjitsinhji, Indian cricketer (b. 1872)
  • 1936 – Jean Baptiste Eugène Estienne, French general (b. 1860)
  • 1942 – Édouard Estaunié, French novelist (b. 1862)
  • 1948 – Sabahattin Ali, Turkish journalist, author, and poet (b. 1907)
  • 1953 – Hugo Sperrle, German field marshal (b. 1885)
  • 1966 – C. S. Forester, English novelist (b. 1899)
  • 1972 – Franz Halder, German general (b. 1884)
  • 1972 – Toshitsugu Takamatsu, Japanese martial artist and educator (b. 1887)
  • 1974 – Georges Pompidou, French banker and politician, 19th President of France (b. 1911)
  • 1977 – Walter Wolf, German academic and politician (b. 1907)
  • 1987 – Buddy Rich, American drummer, songwriter, and bandleader (b. 1917)
  • 1989 – Manolis Angelopoulos, Greek singer (b. 1939)
  • 1992 – Juanito, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1954)
  • 1992 – Jan van Aartsen, Dutch politician (b. 1909)
  • 1994 – Betty Furness, American actress, consumer advocate, game show panelist, television journalist and television personality (b. 1916)
  • 1994 – Marc Fitch, British historian and philanthropist (b. 1908)
  • 1995 – Hannes Alfvén, Swedish physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
  • 1997 – Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese director and producer (b. 1910)
  • 1998 – Rob Pilatus, American-German singer-songwriter (b. 1965)
  • 2001 – Charles Daudelin, Canadian sculptor and painter (b. 1920)
  • 2002 – Levi Celerio, Filipino composer and songwriter (b. 1910)
  • 2002 – John R. Pierce, American engineer and author (b. 1910)
  • 2003 – Edwin Starr, American singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
  • 2004 – John Argyris, Greek computer scientist, engineer, and academic (b. 1913)
  • 2005 – Lillian O’Donnell, American crime novelist (b. 1926)
  • 2005 – Pope John Paul II (b. 1920)
  • 2006 – Lloyd Searwar, Guyanese anthologist and diplomat (b. 1925)
  • 2007 – Henry L. Giclas, American astronomer and academic (b. 1910)
  • 2008 – Yakup Satar, Turkish World War I veteran(b. 1898)
  • 2009 – Albert Sanschagrin, Canadian bishop (b. 1911)
  • 2009 – Bud Shank, American saxophonist and flute player (b. 1926)
  • 2010 – Chris Kanyon, American wrestler (b. 1970)
  • 2011 – John C. Haas, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – Jesús Aguilarte, Venezuelan captain and politician (b. 1959)
  • 2012 – Elizabeth Catlett, American-Mexican sculptor and illustrator (b. 1915)
  • 2012 – Mauricio Lasansky, American graphic designer and academic (b. 1914)
  • 2013 – Fred, French author and illustrator (b. 1931)
  • 2013 – Jesús Franco, Spanish director, screenwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1930)
  • 2013 – Milo O’Shea, Irish-American actor (b. 1926)
  • 2014 – Glyn Jones, South African actor and screenwriter (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Urs Widmer, Swiss author and playwright (b. 1938)
  • 2015 – Manoel de Oliveira, Portuguese actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
  • 2015 – Robert H. Schuller, American pastor and author (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Steve Stevaert, Belgian businessman and politician, Governor of Limburg (b. 1954)
  • 2016 – Gallieno Ferri, Italian comic book artist and illustrator (b. 1929)
  • 2016 – Robert Abajyan, Armenian sergeant (b. 1996)

Holidays and observances on April 2

  • Christian feast day:
    • Abundius of Como
    • Amphianus of Lycia
    • Æbbe the Younger
    • Bronach of Glen-Seichis (Irish martyrology)
    • Francis of Paola
    • Francisco Coll Guitart
    • Henry Budd (Anglican Church of Canada)
    • Nicetius of Lyon
    • Pedro Calungsod
    • Theodosia of Tyre
    • Urban of Langres
    • April 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • International Children’s Book Day (International)
  • Thai Heritage Conservation Day (Thailand)
  • Unity of Peoples of Russia and Belarus Day (Belarus)
  • World Autism Awareness Day (International)

April 2 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

March 18 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1068 – An earthquake in the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula, leaves up to 20,000 dead.
  • 1229 – Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, declares himself King of Jerusalem in the Sixth Crusade.
  • 1241 – First Mongol invasion of Poland: Mongols overwhelm Polish armies in Kraków in the Battle of Chmielnik and plunder the city.
  • 1314 – Jacques de Molay, the 23rd and final Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is burned at the stake.
  • 1438 – Albert II of Habsburg becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
  • 1608 – Susenyos is formally crowned Emperor of Ethiopia.
  • 1644 – The Third Anglo-Powhatan War begins in the Colony of Virginia.
  • 1741 – New York governor George Clarke’s complex at Fort George is burned in an arson attack, starting the New York Conspiracy of 1741.
  • 1766 – American Revolution: The British Parliament repeals the Stamp Act.
  • 1793 – The first modern republic in Germany, the Republic of Mainz, is declared by Andreas Joseph Hofmann.
  • 1793 – Flanders Campaign of the French Revolution, Battle of Neerwinden.
  • 1834 – Six farm labourers from Tolpuddle, Dorset, England are sentenced to be transported to Australia for forming a trade union.
  • 1848 – March Revolution: In Berlin there is a struggle between citizens and military, costing about 300 lives.
  • 1850 – American Express is founded by Henry Wells and William Fargo.
  • 1865 – American Civil War: The Congress of the Confederate States adjourns for the last time.
  • 1871 – Declaration of the Paris Commune; President of the French Republic, Adolphe Thiers, orders the evacuation of Paris.
  • 1874 – Hawaii signs a treaty with the United States granting exclusive trade rights.
  • 1892 – Former Governor General Lord Stanley pledges to donate a silver challenge cup as an award for the best hockey team in Canada; it was later named after him as the Stanley Cup.
  • 1900 – AFC Ajax Amsterdam, The Netherlands’s biggest and most successful football club, was founded.
  • 1902 – Macario Sakay issues Presidential Order No. 1 of his Tagalog Republic.
  • 1913 – King George I of Greece is assassinated in the recently liberated city of Thessaloniki.
  • 1915 – World War I: During the Battle of Gallipoli, three battleships are sunk during a failed British and French naval attack on the Dardanelles.
  • 1921 – The second Peace of Riga is signed between Poland and the Soviet Union.
  • 1921 – The Kronstadt rebellion is suppressed by the Red Army.
  • 1922 – In India, Mohandas Gandhi is sentenced to six years in prison for civil disobedience, of which he serves only two.
  • 1925 – The Tri-State Tornado hits the Midwestern states of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, killing 695 people.
  • 1937 – The New London School explosion in New London, Texas, kills 300 people, mostly children.
  • 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Spanish Republican forces defeat the Italians at the Battle of Guadalajara.
  • 1938 – Mexico creates Pemex by expropriating all foreign-owned oil reserves and facilities.
  • 1940 – World War II: Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini meet at the Brenner Pass in the Alps and agree to form an alliance against France and the United Kingdom.
  • 1942 – The War Relocation Authority is established in the United States to take Japanese Americans into custody.
  • 1944 – Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupts, killing 26 people, causing thousands to flee their homes, and destroying dozens of Allied bombers.
  • 1948 – Soviet consultants leave Yugoslavia in the first sign of the Tito–Stalin Split.
  • 1953 – An earthquake hits western Turkey, killing 265 people.
  • 1959 – The Hawaii Admission Act is signed into law.
  • 1962 – The Évian Accords end the Algerian War of Independence, which had begun in 1954.
  • 1965 – Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, leaving his spacecraft Voskhod 2 for 12 minutes, becomes the first person to walk in space.
  • 1967 – The supertanker Torrey Canyon runs aground off the Cornish coast.
  • 1968 – Gold standard: The U.S. Congress repeals the requirement for a gold reserve to back US currency.
  • 1969 – The United States begins secretly bombing the Sihanouk Trail in Cambodia, used by communist forces to infiltrate South Vietnam.
  • 1970 – Lon Nol ousts Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia.
  • 1971 – Peru: a landslide crashes into Yanawayin Lake, killing 200 people at the mining camp of Chungar.
  • 1980 – A Vostok-2M rocket at Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43 explodes during a fueling operation, killing 48 people.
  • 1990 – Germans in the German Democratic Republic vote in the first democratic elections in the former communist dictatorship.
  • 1990 – In the largest art theft in US history, 12 paintings, collectively worth around $500 million, are stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.
  • 1994 – Bosnia’s Bosniaks and Croats sign the Washington Agreement, ending war between the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and establishing the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  • 1996 – A nightclub fire in Quezon City, Philippines kills 162 people.
  • 1997 – The tail of a Russian Antonov An-24 charter plane breaks off while en route to Turkey causing the plane to crash and killing all 50 people on board.
  • 2014 – The parliaments of Russia and Crimea sign an accession treaty.
  • 2015 – The Bardo National Museum in Tunisia is attacked by gunmen. 23 people, almost all tourists, are killed, and at least 50 other people are wounded.

Births on March 18

  • 1075 – Al-Zamakhshari, Persian scholar and theologian (d. 1144)
  • 1395 – John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter, English military commander (d. 1447)
  • 1495 – Mary Tudor, Queen of France (d. 1533)
  • 1548 – Cornelis Ketel, Dutch painter (d. 1616)
  • 1552 – Polykarp Leyser the Elder, German theologian (d. 1610)
  • 1555 – Francis, Duke of Anjou (d. 1584)
  • 1578 – Adam Elsheimer, German painter (d. 1610)
  • 1590 – Manuel de Faria e Sousa, Portuguese historian and poet (d. 1649)
  • 1597 – Jérôme le Royer de la Dauversière, French religious leader, founded the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal (d. 1659)
  • 1603 – Simon Bradstreet, English colonial magistrate (d. 1697)
  • 1609 – Frederick III of Denmark (d. 1670)
  • 1634 – Madame de La Fayette, French author (d. 1693)
  • 1640 – Philippe de La Hire, French mathematician and astronomer (d. 1719)
  • 1657 – Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni, Italian organist and composer (d. 1743)
  • 1690 – Christian Goldbach, Prussian-German mathematician and academic (d. 1764)
  • 1701 – Niclas Sahlgren, Swedish businessman and philanthropist, co-founded the Swedish East India Company (d. 1776)
  • 1733 – Christoph Friedrich Nicolai, German author and bookseller (d. 1811)
  • 1780 – Miloš Obrenović, Serbian prince (d. 1860)
  • 1782 – John C. Calhoun, American lawyer and politician, 7th Vice President of the United States (d. 1850)
  • 1789 – Charlotte Elliott, English poet, hymn writer, editor (d. 1871)
  • 1798 – Francis Lieber, German-American jurist and philosopher (d. 1872)
  • 1800 – Harriet Smithson, Irish actress, the first wife and muse of Hector Berlioz (d. 1854)
  • 1813 – Christian Friedrich Hebbel, German poet and playwright (d. 1864)
  • 1814 – Jacob Bunn, American businessman (d. 1897)
  • 1819 – James McCulloch, Scottish-Australian politician, 5th Premier of Victoria (d. 1893)
  • 1820 – John Plankinton, American businessman and industrialist, also noted for philanthropy (d. 1891)
  • 1823 – Antoine Chanzy, French general (d. 1883)
  • 1828 – Randal Cremer, English activist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1908)
  • 1837 – Grover Cleveland, American lawyer and politician, 22nd and 24th President of the United States (d. 1908)
  • 1840 – William Cosmo Monkhouse, English poet and critic (d. 1901)
  • 1842 – Stéphane Mallarmé, French poet and critic (d. 1898)
  • 1844 – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer and academic (d. 1908)
  • 1846 – Kicking Bear, Native American tribal leader (d. 1904)
  • 1848 – Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, American architect and engineer (d. 1938)
  • 1858 – Rudolf Diesel, German engineer, invented the Diesel engine (d. 1913)
  • 1862 – Eugène Jansson, Swedish painter (d. 1915)
  • 1863 – William Sulzer, American lawyer and politician, 39th Governor of New York (d. 1941)
  • 1869 – Neville Chamberlain, English businessman and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1940)
  • 1870 – Agnes Sime Baxter, Canadian mathematician (d. 1917)
  • 1874 – Nikolai Berdyaev, Russian-French philosopher and theologian (d. 1948)
  • 1877 – Edgar Cayce, American mystic and psychic (d. 1945)
  • 1877 – Clem Hill, Australian cricketer and engineer (d. 1945)
  • 1878 – Percival Perry, 1st Baron Perry, English businessman (d. 1956)
  • 1882 – Gian Francesco Malipiero, Italian composer and educator (d. 1973)
  • 1884 – Bernard Cronin, English-Australian journalist and author (d. 1968)
  • 1886 – Edward Everett Horton, American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1970)
  • 1890 – Henri Decoin, French director and screenwriter (d. 1969)
  • 1893 – Costante Girardengo, Italian cyclist (d. 1978)
  • 1893 – Wilfred Owen, English soldier and poet (d. 1918)
  • 1901 – Manly Palmer Hall, Canadian mystic, author and philosopher (d. 1990)
  • 1901 – William Johnson, American painter (d. 1970)
  • 1903 – Galeazzo Ciano, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1944)
  • 1903 – E. O. Plauen, German cartoonist (d. 1944)
  • 1904 – Srečko Kosovel, Slovenian poet and author (d. 1926)
  • 1904 – Margaret Tucker, Australian author and activist (d. 1996)
  • 1905 – Thomas Townsend Brown, American physicist and engineer (d. 1985)
  • 1905 – Robert Donat, English actor (d. 1958)
  • 1907 – John Zachary Young, English zoologist and neurophysiologist (d. 1997)
  • 1908 – Loulou Gasté, French composer (d. 1995)
  • 1909 – Ernest Gallo, American businessman, co-founded the E & J Gallo Winery (d. 2007)
  • 1909 – C. Walter Hodges, English author and illustrator (d. 2004)
  • 1911 – Smiley Burnette, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1967)
  • 1912 – Art Gilmore, American voice actor and announcer (d. 2010)
  • 1913 – René Clément, French director and screenwriter (d. 1996)
  • 1913 – Werner Mölders, German colonel and pilot (d. 1941)
  • 1915 – Richard Condon, American author and screenwriter (d. 1996)
  • 1922 – Egon Bahr, German journalist and politician, Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany (d. 2015)
  • 1922 – Seymour Martin Lipset, American sociologist and academic (d. 2006)
  • 1922 – Fred Shuttlesworth, American activist, co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (d. 2011)
  • 1923 – Andy Granatelli, American race car driver and businessman (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Alessandro Alessandroni, Italian musician (d. 2017)
  • 1925 – James Pickles, English journalist, lawyer, and judge (d. 2010)
  • 1926 – Peter Graves, American actor and director (d. 2010)
  • 1927 – John Kander, American pianist and composer
  • 1927 – George Plimpton, American journalist and actor (d. 2003)
  • 1927 – Lillian Vernon, German-American businesswoman and philanthropist, founded the Lillian Vernon Company (d. 2015)
  • 1928 – Miguel Poblet, Spanish cyclist (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Fidel V. Ramos, Filipino general and politician, 12th President of the Philippines
  • 1929 – Samuel Pisar, Polish-American lawyer and author (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – James J. Andrews, American mathematician and academic (d. 1998)
  • 1931 – John Fraser, Scottish actor
  • 1932 – John Updike, American novelist, short story writer, and critic (d. 2009)
  • 1933 – Unita Blackwell, American civil rights activist and politician (d. 2019)
  • 1934 – Roy Chapman, English footballer and manager (d. 1983)
  • 1934 – Charley Pride, American country music singer and musician
  • 1935 – Ole Barndorff-Nielsen, Danish mathematician and statistician
  • 1935 – Frances Cress Welsing, American psychiatrist and author (d. 2016)
  • 1936 – F. W. de Klerk, South African lawyer and politician, 2nd State President of South Africa, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1937 – Rudi Altig, German cyclist and sportscaster (d. 2016)
  • 1937 – Mark Donohue, American race car driver (d. 1975)
  • 1938 – Carl Gottlieb, American actor and screenwriter
  • 1938 – Shashi Kapoor, Indian actor and producer (d. 2017)
  • 1938 – Kenny Lynch, English singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2019)
  • 1938 – Timo Mäkinen, Finnish race car driver (d. 2017)
  • 1938 – Machiko Soga, Japanese actress (d. 2006)
  • 1939 – Ron Atkinson, English footballer and manager
  • 1939 – Jean-Pierre Wallez, French violinist and conductor
  • 1941 – Wilson Pickett, American singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
  • 1942 – Kathleen Collins, African-American filmmaker and playwright (d. 1988)
  • 1943 – Dennis Linde, American singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
  • 1944 – Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, Israeli general and politician, 22nd Transportation Minister of Israel (d. 2012)
  • 1944 – Frank McRae, American football player and actor
  • 1944 – Dick Smith, Australian publisher and businessman, founded Dick Smith Electronics and Australian Geographic
  • 1945 – Hiroh Kikai, Japanese photographer
  • 1945 – Michael Reagan, American journalist and radio host
  • 1945 – Susan Tyrrell, American actress (d. 2012)
  • 1945 – Eric Woolfson, Scottish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 2009)
  • 1946 – Michel Leclère, French race car driver
  • 1947 – Patrick Barlow, English actor and playwright
  • 1947 – Patrick Chesnais, French actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1947 – David Lloyd, English cricketer, journalist, and sportscaster
  • 1947 – B. J. Wilson, English rock drummer (d. 1990)
  • 1948 – Guy Lapointe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1948 – Brian Lloyd, Welsh footballer
  • 1948 – Eknath Solkar, Indian cricketer (d. 2005)
  • 1949 – Åse Kleveland, Norwegian singer and politician, Norwegian Minister of Culture
  • 1950 – James Conlon, American conductor and educator
  • 1950 – Brad Dourif, American actor
  • 1950 – Linda Partridge, English geneticist and academic
  • 1950 – Larry Perkins, Australian race car driver
  • 1951 – Paul Barber, English actor
  • 1951 – Ben Cohen, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Ben and Jerry’s
  • 1951 – Bill Frisell, American guitarist and composer
  • 1951 – Timothy N. Philpot, American lawyer, author, and judge
  • 1952 – Will Durst, American journalist and actor
  • 1952 – Pat Eddery, Irish jockey and trainer (d. 2015)
  • 1952 – Bernie Tormé, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2019)
  • 1952 – Mike Webster, American football player (d. 2002)
  • 1953 – Franz Wright, Austrian-American poet and translator (d. 2015)
  • 1953 – Takashi Yoshimatsu, Japanese composer
  • 1955 – Francis G. Slay, American lawyer and politician, 45th Mayor of St. Louis
  • 1955 – Jeff Stelling, English journalist and game show host
  • 1956 – Rick Martel, Canadian wrestler
  • 1956 – Deborah Jeane Palfrey, American madam (d. 2008)
  • 1956 – Ingemar Stenmark, Swedish skier
  • 1957 – Christer Fuglesang, Swedish physicist and astronaut
  • 1958 – Richard de Zoysa, Sri Lankan journalist and author (d. 1990)
  • 1959 – Luc Besson, French director, producer, and screenwriter, founded EuropaCorp
  • 1960 – Richard Biggs, American actor (d. 2004)
  • 1960 – Guy Carbonneau, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1960 – James Plaskett, Cypriot-English chess player
  • 1961 – Grant Hart, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
  • 1962 – Michael Andrews, Australian rugby league player
  • 1962 – Irene Cara, American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer
  • 1962 – Brian Fisher, American baseball player
  • 1962 – Thomas Ian Griffith, American actor and martial artist
  • 1962 – James McMurtry, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1962 – Etsushi Toyokawa, Japanese actor and director
  • 1962 – Volker Weidler, German race car driver and engineer
  • 1963 – Jeff LaBar, American guitarist
  • 1963 – Vanessa L. Williams, American model, actress, and singer
  • 1964 – Bonnie Blair, American speed skater
  • 1964 – Alex Caffi, Italian race car driver
  • 1964 – Jo Churchill, British politician
  • 1964 – Courtney Pine, English saxophonist and clarinet player
  • 1964 – Isabel Noronha, Mozambican film director
  • 1966 – Jerry Cantrell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1966 – Peter Jones, English businessman
  • 1966 – Brian Watts, Canadian golfer
  • 1967 – Miki Berenyi, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1968 – Prince Eudes, Duke of Angoulême
  • 1968 – Miguel Herrera, Mexican footballer and manager
  • 1968 – Temur Ketsbaia, Georgian footballer and manager
  • 1968 – Paul Marsden, English businessman and politician
  • 1969 – Andy Cutting, English accordion player and composer
  • 1969 – Vassily Ivanchuk, Ukrainian chess player
  • 1969 – Shaun Udal, English cricketer
  • 1970 – Queen Latifah, American rapper, producer, and actress
  • 1971 – Wayne Arthurs, Australian tennis player
  • 1971 – Mike Bell, American wrestler (d. 2008)
  • 1971 – Mariaan de Swardt, South African-American tennis player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1971 – Kitty Ussher, English economist and politician
  • 1972 – Dane Cook, American comedian, actor, director, and producer
  • 1972 – Reince Priebus, American lawyer and politician
  • 1973 – Luci Christian, American voice actress and screenwriter
  • 1974 – Laure Savasta, French basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1974 – Stuart Zender, English bass player, songwriter, and producer
  • 1975 – Sutton Foster, American actress, singer, and dancer
  • 1975 – Brian Griese, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1975 – Kimmo Timonen, Finnish ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Tomas Žvirgždauskas, Lithuanian footballer
  • 1976 – Giovanna Antonelli, Brazilian actress and producer
  • 1976 – Tomo Ohka, Japanese baseball player
  • 1976 – Scott Podsednik, American baseball player
  • 1976 – Mike Quackenbush, American wrestler, trainer, and author, founded Chikara wrestling promotion
  • 1977 – Zdeno Chára, Slovak ice hockey player
  • 1977 – Danny Murphy, English international footballer, midfielder and sportscaster
  • 1977 – Fernando Rodney, Dominican-American baseball player
  • 1977 – Willy Sagnol, French footballer and manager
  • 1977 – Terrmel Sledge, American baseball player and coach
  • 1978 – Fernandão, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2014)
  • 1978 – Brooke Hanson, Australian swimmer
  • 1978 – Brian Scalabrine, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1978 – Jonas Wallerstedt, Swedish footballer, coach, and manager
  • 1979 – Adam Levine, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and television personality
  • 1980 – Sébastien Frey, French footballer
  • 1980 – Sophia Myles, English actress
  • 1980 – Alexei Yagudin, Russian figure skater
  • 1981 – Tora Berger, Norwegian biathlete
  • 1981 – Fabian Cancellara, Swiss cyclist
  • 1981 – Leslie Djhone, French sprinter
  • 1981 – Jang Na-ra, South Korean singer and actress
  • 1981 – Kasib Powell, American basketball player
  • 1981 – Tom Starke, German footballer
  • 1981 – Doug Warren, American soccer player
  • 1981 – Lovro Zovko, Croatian tennis player
  • 1982 – Mantorras, Angolan footballer
  • 1982 – Chad Cordero, American baseball player
  • 1982 – Timo Glock, German race car driver
  • 1982 – Adam Pally, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1983 – Ethan Carter III, American wrestler
  • 1983 – Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro, French tennis player
  • 1983 – Andy Sonnanstine, American baseball player
  • 1983 – Tomasz Stolpa, Polish footballer
  • 1984 – Simone Padoin, Italian footballer
  • 1984 – Rajeev Ram, American tennis player
  • 1984 – Vonzell Solomon, American singer and actress
  • 1985 – Ana Beatriz, Brazilian race car driver
  • 1985 – Marvin Humes, English singer
  • 1985 – Vince Lia, Australian footballer
  • 1986 – Lykke Li, Swedish singer-songwriter
  • 1986 – Abdennour Chérif El-Ouazzani, Algerian footballer
  • 1987 – Rebecca Soni, American swimmer
  • 1989 – Francesco Checcucci, Italian footballer
  • 1989 – Lily Collins, English-American actress
  • 1989 – Shreevats Goswami, Indian cricketer
  • 1989 – Kana Nishino, Japanese singer-songwriter
  • 1989 – Paul Marc Rousseau, Canadian guitarist and producer
  • 1989 – Ming Xi, Chinese model
  • 1991 – Dylan Mattingly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1991 – Sam Williams, Australian rugby league player
  • 1992 – Ryan Truex, American race car driver
  • 1992 – Takuya Terada, Japanese singer, actor, and model
  • 1997 – Ciara Bravo, American actress
  • 1997 – Rieko Ioane, New Zealand rugby union player

Deaths on March 18

  • 978 – Edward the Martyr, English king (b. 962)
  • 1076 – Ermengarde of Anjou, Duchess of Burgundy (b. 1018)
  • 1086 – Anselm of Lucca, Italian bishop (b. 1036)
  • 1227 – Pope Honorius III (b. 1148)
  • 1272 – John FitzAlan, 7th Earl of Arundel (b. 1246)
  • 1308 – Yuri I of Galicia
  • 1314 – Jacques de Molay, Frankish knight (b. 1244)
  • 1314 – Geoffroy de Charney, Preceptor of Normandy for the Knights Templar
  • 1321 – Matthew III Csák, Hungarian oligarch (b. c.1260/5)
  • 1582 – Juan Jauregui, attempted assassin of William I of Orange (b. 1562)
  • 1675 – Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall, Irish soldier (b. 1606)
  • 1689 – John Dixwell, English soldier and politician (b. 1607)
  • 1745 – Robert Walpole, English scholar and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1676)
  • 1768 – Laurence Sterne, Irish novelist and clergyman (b. 1713)
  • 1781 – Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, French economist and politician, Controller-General of Finances (b. 1727)
  • 1823 – Jean-Baptiste Bréval, French cellist and composer (b. 1753)
  • 1835 – Christian Günther von Bernstorff, Danish-Prussian politician and diplomat (b. 1769)
  • 1845 – Johnny Appleseed, American gardener and missionary (b. 1774)
  • 1871 – Augustus De Morgan, Indian-English mathematician and academic (b. 1806)
  • 1898 – Matilda Joslyn Gage, American author and activist (b. 1826)
  • 1900 – Hjalmar Kiærskou, Danish botanist (b. 1835)
  • 1907 – Marcellin Berthelot, French chemist and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1827)
  • 1913 – George I of Greece (b. 1845)
  • 1918 – Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, American architect, designed the Plaza Hotel (b. 1847)
  • 1930 – Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, American painter (b. 1863)
  • 1936 – Eleftherios Venizelos, Greek journalist, lawyer, and politician, 93rd Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1864)
  • 1939 – Henry Simpson Lunn, English businessman, founded Lunn Poly (b. 1859)
  • 1941 – Henri Cornet, French cyclist (b. 1884)
  • 1947 – William C. Durant, American businessman, co-founded General Motors and Chevrolet (b. 1861)
  • 1954 – Walter Mead, English cricketer (b. 1868)
  • 1956 – Louis Bromfield, American environmentalist and author (b. 1896)
  • 1962 – Walter W. Bacon, American accountant and politician, 60th Governor of Delaware (b. 1880)
  • 1964 – Sigfrid Edström, Swedish businessman, 4th President of the International Olympic Committee (b. 1870)
  • 1965 – Farouk of Egypt (b. 1920)
  • 1973 – Johannes Aavik, Estonian philologist and poet (b. 1880)
  • 1977 – Marien Ngouabi, Congolese politician, President of the Republic of the Congo (b. 1938)
  • 1977 – Carlos Pace, Brazilian race car driver (b. 1944)
  • 1978 – Leigh Brackett, American author and screenwriter (b. 1915)
  • 1978 – Peggy Wood, American actress (b. 1892)
  • 1980 – Erich Fromm, German psychologist and philosopher (b. 1900)
  • 1982 – Patrick Smith, Irish farmer and politician, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (b. 1901)
  • 1983 – Umberto II of Italy (b. 1904)
  • 1984 – Charley Lau, American baseball player and coach (b. 1933)
  • 1986 – Bernard Malamud, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1914)
  • 1988 – Billy Butterfield, American trumpet player and cornet player (b. 1917)
  • 1990 – Robin Harris, American comedian (b. 1953)
  • 1993 – Kenneth E. Boulding, English-American economist and activist (b. 1910)
  • 1996 – Odysseas Elytis, Greek poet and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
  • 2000 – Eberhard Bethge, German theologian and academic (b. 1909)
  • 2001 – John Phillips, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Mamas & the Papas) (b. 1935)
  • 2002 – R. A. Lafferty, American soldier and author (b. 1914)
  • 2003 – Karl Kling, German race car driver (b. 1910)
  • 2003 – Adam Osborne, Thai-English engineer and businessman, founded the Osborne Computer Corporation (b. 1939)
  • 2004 – Harrison McCain, Canadian businessman, co-founded McCain Foods (b. 1927)
  • 2006 – Dan Gibson, Canadian photographer and cinematographer (b. 1922)
  • 2007 – Bob Woolmer, Indian-English cricketer, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1948)
  • 2008 – Anthony Minghella, English director and screenwriter (b. 1954)
  • 2009 – Omid Reza Mir Sayafi, Iranian journalist and blogger (b. 1980)
  • 2009 – Natasha Richardson, English-American actress (b. 1963)
  • 2010 – Fess Parker, American actor and businessman (b. 1924)
  • 2011 – Warren Christopher, American lawyer and politician, 63rd United States Secretary of State (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Furman Bisher, American journalist and author (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – William R. Charette, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1932)
  • 2012 – William G. Moore Jr., American general (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – George Tupou V of Tonga (b. 1948)
  • 2013 – Muhammad Mahmood Alam, Pakistani general and pilot (b. 1935)
  • 2013 – Henry Bromell, American novelist, screenwriter, and director (b. 1947)
  • 2013 – Clay Ford, American lawyer and politician (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Catherine Obianuju Acholonu, Nigerian author, playwright, and academic (b. 1951)
  • 2014 – Kaiser Kalambo, Zambian footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1953)
  • 2014 – Lucius Shepard, American author and critic (b. 1943)
  • 2015 – Zhao Dayu, Chinese footballer and manager (b. 1961)
  • 2015 – Thomas Hopko, American priest and theologian (b. 1939)
  • 2015 – Grace Ogot, Kenyan nurse, journalist, and politician (b. 1930)
  • 2016 – Barry Hines, English author and screenwriter (b. 1939)
  • 2016 – Jan Němec, Czech director and screenwriter (b. 1936)
  • 2016 – Tray Walker, American football player (b. 1992)
  • 2016 – Guido Westerwelle, German lawyer and politician, 15th Vice-Chancellor of Germany (b. 1961)
  • 2017 – Chuck Berry, American guitarist, singer and songwriter (b. 1926)
  • 2020 – Alfred Worden, Apollo 15 command module pilot (b. 1932)

Holidays and observances on March 18

  • Anniversary of the Oil Expropriation (Mexico)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Alexander of Jerusalem
    • Anselm of Lucca
    • Cyril of Jerusalem
    • Edward the Martyr
    • Fridianus
    • Salvator
    • March 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • The earliest date on which Holy Wednesday can fall, while April 21 is the latest; celebrated on the week before Easter. (Christianity)
  • Flag Day (Aruba)
  • Gallipoli Memorial Day (Turkey)
  • Men’s and Soldiers’ Day (Mongolia)
  • Ordnance Factories’ Day (India)
  • Sheelah’s Day (Ireland, Canada, Australia)
  • Teacher’s Day (Syria)

March 18 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

February 26 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 747 BC – Epoch (origin) of Ptolemy’s Nabonassar Era.
  • 364 – Valentinian I is proclaimed Roman emperor
  • 1233 – Mongol–Jin War: The Mongols capture Kaifeng, the capital of the Jin dynasty, after besieging it for months.
  • 1266 – Battle of Benevento: An army led by Charles, Count of Anjou, defeats a combined German and Sicilian force led by Manfred, King of Sicily. Manfred is killed in the battle and Pope Clement IV invests Charles as king of Sicily and Naples.
  • 1365 – The Ava Kingdom and the royal city of Ava (Inwa) founded by King Thado Minbya
  • 1606 – The Janszoon voyage of 1605–06 becomes the first European expedition to set foot on Australia, although it is mistaken as a part of New Guinea.
  • 1616 – Galileo Galilei is formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun.
  • 1775 – The British East India Company factory on Balambangan Island is destroyed by Moro pirates
  • 1794 – The first Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen burns down.
  • 1815 – Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from Elba.
  • 1876 – Japan and Korea sign a treaty granting Japanese citizens extraterritoriality rights, opening three ports to Japanese trade, and ending Korea’s status as a tributary state of Qing dynasty China.
  • 1909 – Kinemacolor, the first successful color motion picture process, is first shown to the general public at the Palace Theatre in London.
  • 1914 – HMHS Britannic, sister to the RMS Titanic, is launched at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
  • 1919 – President Woodrow Wilson signs an act of Congress establishing the Grand Canyon National Park.
  • 1929 – President Calvin Coolidge signs an executive order establishing the 96,000 acre Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
  • 1935 – Adolf Hitler orders the Luftwaffe to be re-formed, violating the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.
  • 1935 – Robert Watson-Watt carries out a demonstration near Daventry which leads directly to the development of radar in the United Kingdom.
  • 1936 – In the February 26 Incident, young Japanese military officers attempt to stage a coup against the government.
  • 1952 – Vincent Massey is sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada.
  • 1960 – A New York-bound Alitalia airliner crashes into a cemetery in Shannon, Ireland, shortly after takeoff, killing 34 of the 52 persons on board.
  • 1966 – Apollo program: Launch of AS-201, the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket
  • 1971 – U.N. Secretary-General U Thant signs United Nations proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day.
  • 1979 – The Superliner railcar enters revenue service with Amtrak.
  • 1980 – Egypt and Israel establish full diplomatic relations.
  • 1987 – Iran–Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff.
  • 1992 – Nagorno-Karabakh War: Khojaly Massacre: Armenian armed forces open fire on Azeri civilians at a military post outside the town of Khojaly leaving hundreds dead.
  • 1993 – World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a truck bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center explodes, killing six and injuring over a thousand people.
  • 1995 – The UK’s oldest investment banking institute, Barings Bank, collapses after a rogue securities broker Nick Leeson loses $1.4 billion by speculating on the Singapore International Monetary Exchange using futures contracts.
  • 2008 – The New York Philharmonic performs in Pyongyang, North Korea; this is the first event of its kind to take place in North Korea.
  • 2012 – Trayvon Martin was shot and killed at the age of 17 in Sanford, Florida.
  • 2012 – A train derails in Burlington, Ontario, Canada killing at least three people and injuring 45.
  • 2013 – A hot air balloon crashes near Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 people.

Births on February 26

  • 1361 – Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia (d. 1419)
  • 1416 – Christopher of Bavaria (d. 1448)
  • 1564 – Christopher Marlowe, English playwright, poet and translator (d. 1593)
  • 1584 – Albert VI, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1666)
  • 1587 – Stefano Landi, Italian composer and educator (d. 1639)
  • 1629 – Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, Scottish peer (d. 1685)
  • 1651 – Quirinus Kuhlmann, German Baroque poet and mystic (d. 1689)
  • 1671 – Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, English philosopher and politician (d. 1713)
  • 1672 – Antoine Augustin Calmet, French monk and theologian (d. 1757)
  • 1677 – Nicola Fago, Italian composer and teacher (d. 1745)
  • 1718 – Johan Ernst Gunnerus, Norwegian bishop, botanist and zoologist (d. 1773)
  • 1720 – Gian Francesco Albani, Italian cardinal (d. 1803)
  • 1746 – Maria Amalia, Duchess of Parma (d. 1806)
  • 1770 – Anton Reicha, Bohemian composer and flautist (d. 1836)
  • 1777 – Matija Nenadović, Serbian priest, historian, and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Serbia (d. 1854)
  • 1786 – François Arago, French mathematician and politician, 25th Prime Minister of France (d. 1853)
  • 1799 – Benoît Paul Émile Clapeyron, French physicist and engineer (d. 1864)
  • 1802 – Victor Hugo, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1885)
  • 1808 – Honoré Daumier, French painter, illustrator, and sculptor (d. 1879)
  • 1808 – Nathan Kelley, American architect, designed the Ohio Statehouse (d. 1871)
  • 1829 – Levi Strauss, German-American fashion designer, founded Levi Strauss & Co. (d. 1902)
  • 1842 – Camille Flammarion, French astronomer and author (d. 1925)
  • 1846 – Buffalo Bill, American soldier and hunter (d. 1917)
  • 1852 – John Harvey Kellogg, American surgeon, co-created Corn flakes (d. 1943)
  • 1857 – Émile Coué, French psychologist and pharmacist (d. 1926)
  • 1861 – Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (d. 1948)
  • 1861 – Nadezhda Krupskaya, Russian soldier and politician (d. 1939)
  • 1866 – Herbert Henry Dow, Canadian-American businessman, founded the Dow Chemical Company (d. 1930)
  • 1877 – Henry Barwell, Australian politician, 28th Premier of South Australia (d. 1959)
  • 1877 – Rudolph Dirks, German-American illustrator (d. 1968)
  • 1879 – Frank Bridge, English viola player and composer (d. 1941)
  • 1880 – Kenneth Edgeworth, Irish astronomer (d. 1972)
  • 1881 – Janus Djurhuus, Faroese poet (d. 1948)
  • 1882 – Husband E. Kimmel, American admiral (d. 1968)
  • 1885 – Aleksandras Stulginskis, Lithuanian farmer and politician, 2nd President of Lithuania (d. 1969)
  • 1887 – Grover Cleveland Alexander, American baseball player and coach (d. 1950)
  • 1887 – William Frawley, American actor and vaudevillian (d. 1966)
  • 1887 – Stefan Grabiński, Polish author and educator (d. 1936)
  • 1893 – Wallace Fard Muhammad, American religious leader, founded the Nation of Islam (disappeared 1934)
  • 1893 – Dorothy Whipple, English novelist (d. 1966)
  • 1896 – Andrei Zhdanov, Ukrainian-Russian civil servant and politician (d. 1948)
  • 1899 – Max Petitpierre, Swiss jurist and politician, 54th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1994)
  • 1900 – Halina Konopacka, Polish discus thrower and poet (d. 1989)
  • 1900 – Fritz Wiessner, German-American mountaineer (d. 1988)
  • 1902 – Jean Bruller, French author and illustrator, co-founded Les Éditions de Minuit (d. 1991)
  • 1903 – Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
  • 1903 – Orde Wingate, English general (d. 1944)
  • 1906 – Madeleine Carroll, English actress (d. 1987)
  • 1908 – Tex Avery, American animator, producer, and voice actor (d. 1980)
  • 1908 – Nestor Mesta Chayres, Mexican operatic tenor and bolero vocalist (d. 1971)
  • 1908 – Jean-Pierre Wimille, French race car driver (d. 1949)
  • 1909 – Fanny Cradock, English chef, author, and critic (d. 1994)
  • 1909 – Talal of Jordan (d. 1972)
  • 1910 – Vic Woodley, English footballer (d. 1978)
  • 1911 – Tarō Okamoto, Japanese painter and sculptor (d. 1996)
  • 1912 – Dane Clark, American actor and director (d. 1998)
  • 1913 – George Barker, English author and poet (d. 1991)
  • 1914 – Robert Alda, American actor, singer, and director (d. 1986)
  • 1916 – Jackie Gleason, American actor and singer (d. 1987)
  • 1918 – Otis R. Bowen, American physician and politician, 44th Governor of Indiana (d. 2013)
  • 1918 – Pyotr Masherov, Leader of Soviet Belarus (d. 1980)
  • 1918 – Theodore Sturgeon, American author and critic (d. 1985)
  • 1919 – Mason Adams, American actor (d. 2005)
  • 1920 – Danny Gardella, American baseball player and trainer (d. 2005)
  • 1920 – Tony Randall, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2004)
  • 1920 – Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist and author (d. 2006)
  • 1921 – Betty Hutton, American actress and singer (d. 2007)
  • 1922 – Bill Johnston, Australian cricketer and businessman (d. 2007)
  • 1922 – Margaret Leighton, English actress (d. 1976)
  • 1924 – Noboru Takeshita, Japanese soldier and politician, 74th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2000)
  • 1924 – Marc Bucci, American composer, lyricist, and dramatist (d. 2002)
  • 1925 – Everton Weekes, Barbadian cricketer and referee
  • 1926 – Doris Belack, American actress (d. 2011)
  • 1926 – Verne Gagne, American football player, wrestler, and trainer (d. 2015)
  • 1927 – Tom Kennedy, American game show host and actor
  • 1928 – Fats Domino, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2017)
  • 1928 – Ariel Sharon, Israeli general and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Israel (d. 2014)
  • 1931 – Ally MacLeod, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 2004)
  • 1931 – Robert Novak, American journalist and author (d. 2009)
  • 1931 – Josephine Tewson, English actress
  • 1932 – Johnny Cash, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2003)
  • 1933 – James Goldsmith, French-British businessman and politician (d. 1997)
  • 1934 – Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, Algerian director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1936 – José Policarpo, Portuguese cardinal (d. 2014)
  • 1937 – Paul Dickson, American football player and coach (d. 2011)
  • 1939 – Chuck Wepner, American professional boxer
  • 1940 – Oldřich Kulhánek, Czech painter, illustrator, and stage designer (d. 2013)
  • 1942 – Jozef Adamec, Slovak footballer and manager (d. 2018)
  • 1943 – Paul Cotton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1943 – Bill Duke, American actor and director
  • 1943 – Dante Ferretti, Italian art director and costume designer
  • 1943 – Bob “The Bear” Hite, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 1981)
  • 1944 – Christopher Hope, South African author and poet
  • 1944 – Ronald Lauder, American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Austria
  • 1945 – Peter Brock, Australian race car driver (d. 2006)
  • 1945 – Marta Kristen, Norwegian-American actress
  • 1945 – Mitch Ryder, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1946 – Colin Bell, English footballer
  • 1946 – Ahmed Zewail, Egyptian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
  • 1947 – Sandie Shaw, English singer and psychotherapist
  • 1948 – Sharyn McCrumb, American author
  • 1949 – Simon Crean, Australian trade union leader and politician, 14th Australian Minister for the Arts
  • 1949 – Elizabeth George, American author and educator
  • 1949 – Emma Kirkby, English soprano
  • 1950 – Jonathan Cain, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
  • 1950 – Helen Clark, New Zealand academic and politician, 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand
  • 1951 – Steve Bell, English cartoonist
  • 1951 – Wayne Goss, Australian lawyer and politician, 34th Premier of Queensland (d. 2014)
  • 1953 – Michael Bolton, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1954 – Prince Ernst August of Hanover
  • 1954 – Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkish politician, 12th President of Turkey
  • 1955 – Andreas Maislinger, Austrian historian and academic, founded the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service
  • 1956 – Michel Houellebecq, French author, poet, screenwriter, and director
  • 1957 – David Beasley, American lawyer and politician, 113th Governor of South Carolina
  • 1957 – Joe Mullen, American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1957 – Keena Rothhammer, American swimmer
  • 1958 – Paul Ackford, English rugby player
  • 1958 – Greg Germann, American actor and director
  • 1958 – Susan Helms, American general, engineer, and astronaut
  • 1958 – Tim Kaine, American lawyer and politician, 70th Governor of Virginia
  • 1959 – Rolando Blackman, American basketball player and coach
  • 1959 – Ahmet Davutoğlu, Turkish political scientist, academic, and politician, 37th Prime Minister of Turkey
  • 1960 – Jaz Coleman, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
  • 1962 – Ahn Cheol-soo, South Korean physician, academic, and politician
  • 1963 – Chase Masterson, American actress, singer, and activist
  • 1965 – James Mitchell, American wrestler and manager
  • 1966 – Garry Conille, Haitian physician and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Haiti
  • 1966 – Marc Fortier, French-Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1966 – Najwa Karam, Lebanese singer
  • 1967 – Mark Carroll, Australian rugby league player
  • 1967 – Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese footballer
  • 1968 – Tim Commerford, American bass player
  • 1969 – Hitoshi Sakimoto, Japanese composer and producer
  • 1970 – Mark Harper, English accountant and politician, Minister of State for Immigration
  • 1970 – Scott Mahon, Australian rugby league player
  • 1971 – Erykah Badu, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1971 – Max Martin, Swedish-American record producer and songwriter
  • 1971 – Hélène Segara, French singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1973 – Marshall Faulk, American football player
  • 1973 – Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Norwegian footballer and manager
  • 1973 – Jenny Thompson, American swimmer
  • 1974 – Sébastien Loeb, French race car driver
  • 1974 – Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, Filipina television actress, host and equestrienne
  • 1976 – Nalini Anantharaman, French mathematician
  • 1976 – Chad Urmston, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1977 – Marty Reasoner, American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1977 – Tim Thomas, American basketball player
  • 1977 – Shane Williams, Welsh rugby union player
  • 1978 – Abdoulaye Faye, Senegalese footballer
  • 1979 – Corinne Bailey Rae, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1979 – Steve Evans, Welsh footballer
  • 1979 – Pedro Mendes, Portuguese international footballer, midfielder
  • 1980 – Steve Blake, American basketball player
  • 1981 – Kertus Davis, American race car driver
  • 1981 – Oh Seung-bum, South Korean footballer
  • 1982 – Li Na, Chinese tennis player
  • 1982 – Matt Prior, South African-English cricketer
  • 1982 – Nate Ruess, American singer-songwriter
  • 1983 – Jerome Harrison, American football player
  • 1983 – Pepe, Brazilian-Portuguese footballer
  • 1984 – Emmanuel Adebayor, Togolese international footballer, forward
  • 1984 – Natalia Lafourcade, Mexican singer-songwriter
  • 1984 – Beren Saat, Turkish actress
  • 1985 – Fernando Llorente, Spanish international footballer, striker
  • 1986 – Hannah Kearney, American skier
  • 1989 – Gabriel Obertan, French footballer
  • 1990 – Kateřina Cachová, Czech heptathlete
  • 1990 – Takanoiwa Yoshimori, Mongolian sumo wrestler
  • 1991 – Lee Chae-rin, South Korean singer
  • 1992 – Mikael Granlund, Finnish professional hockey player
  • 1992 – Michael Chee Kam, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1997 – Reghan Tumilty, Scottish footballer

Deaths on February 26

  • 420 – Porphyry of Gaza, Greek bishop and saint (b. 347)
  • 943 – Muirchertach mac Néill, king of Ailech (Ireland)
  • 1154 – Roger II of Sicily (b. 1093)
  • 1266 – Manfred, King of Sicily (b. 1232)
  • 1275 – Margaret of England, Queen consort of Scots (b. 1240)
  • 1349 – Fatima bint al-Ahmar, Nasrid princess in the Emirate of Granada (b. c.1260)
  • 1360 – Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, English commander (b. 1328)
  • 1462 – John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford, English politician (b. 1408)
  • 1548 – Lorenzino de’ Medici, Italian writer and assassin (b. 1514)
  • 1577 – Eric XIV of Sweden (b. 1533)
  • 1603 – Maria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, spouse of Maximilian II (b. 1528)
  • 1608 – John Still, English bishop (b. 1543)
  • 1611 – Antonio Possevino, Italian priest and diplomat (b. 1533)
  • 1625 – Anna Vasa of Sweden, Polish and Swedish princess (b. 1568)
  • 1630 – William Brade, English violinist and composer (b. 1560)
  • 1638 – Claude Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac, French mathematician and linguist (b. 1581)
  • 1723 – Thomas d’Urfey, English poet and playwright (b. 1653)
  • 1726 – Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (b. 1662)
  • 1770 – Giuseppe Tartini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1692)
  • 1790 – Joshua Rowley, English admiral (b. 1730)
  • 1802 – Esek Hopkins, American admiral (b. 1718)
  • 1806 – Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, Haitian-French general (b. 1762)
  • 1813 – Robert R. Livingston, American lawyer and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs (b. 1746)
  • 1815 – Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (b. 1737)
  • 1821 – Joseph de Maistre, French lawyer and diplomat (b. 1753)
  • 1864 – Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, Canadian jurist and politician, 3rd Premier of Canada East (b. 1807)
  • 1883 – Alexandros Koumoundouros, Greek lawyer and politician, 56th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1817)
  • 1887 – Anandi Gopal Joshi, First Indian women physician (b. 1865)
  • 1889 – Karl Davydov, Russian cellist and composer (b. 1838)
  • 1903 – Richard Jordan Gatling, American engineer, invented the Gatling gun (b. 1818)
  • 1906 – Jean Lanfray, Swiss convicted murderer (b. 1874)
  • 1913 – Felix Draeseke, German composer and academic (b. 1835)
  • 1921 – Carl Menger, Polish-Austrian economist and academic (b. 1840)
  • 1930 – Mary Whiton Calkins, American philosopher and psychologist (b. 1863)
  • 1931 – Otto Wallach, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1847)
  • 1936 – February 26 Incident:
    • Takahashi Korekiyo, Japanese accountant and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1854)
    • Saitō Makoto, Japanese admiral and politician, 30th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1858)
    • Jōtarō Watanabe, Japanese general (b. 1874)
  • 1943 – Theodor Eicke, German general (b. 1892)
  • 1945 – Sándor Szurmay, Minister of Defence of the Hungarian portion of Austria-Hungary (b. 1860)
  • 1947 – Heinrich Häberlin, Swiss judge and politician, President of the Swiss National Council (b. 1868)
  • 1950 – Harry Lauder, Scottish comedian and singer (b. 1870)
  • 1951 – Sabiha Kasimati, Albanian ichthyologist (b. 1912) executed with 20 others
  • 1952 – Theodoros Pangalos, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (b. 1878)
  • 1961 – Karl Albiker, German sculptor, lithographer, and educator (b. 1878)
  • 1961 – Mohammed V of Morocco (b. 1909)
  • 1966 – Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian poet and politician (b. 1883)
  • 1969 – Levi Eshkol, Israeli soldier and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1895)
  • 1969 – Karl Jaspers, German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher (b. 1883)
  • 1981 – Robert Aickman, English author and activist (b. 1914)
  • 1981 – Howard Hanson, American composer, conductor, and educator (b. 1896)
  • 1985 – Tjalling Koopmans, Dutch-American economist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
  • 1989 – Roy Eldridge, American trumpet player (b. 1911)
  • 1993 – Constance Ford, American model and actress (b. 1923)
  • 1994 – Bill Hicks, American comedian (b. 1961)
  • 1995 – Jack Clayton, English director and producer (b. 1921)
  • 1997 – David Doyle, American actor (b. 1929)
  • 1998 – Theodore Schultz, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
  • 2000 – George L. Street III, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1913)
  • 2002 – Lawrence Tierney, American actor (b. 1919)
  • 2004 – Adolf Ehrnrooth, Finnish general (b. 1905)
  • 2004 – Boris Trajkovski, Macedonian politician, 2nd President of the Republic of Macedonia (b. 1956)
  • 2005 – Jef Raskin, American computer scientist, created Macintosh (b. 1943)
  • 2006 – Georgina Battiscombe, British biographer (b. 1905)
  • 2008 – Bodil Udsen, Danish actress (b. 1925)
  • 2009 – Johnny Kerr, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1932)
  • 2009 – Wendy Richard, English actress (b. 1943)
  • 2009 – Norm Van Lier, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1947)
  • 2010 – Jun Seba, also known as “Nujabes”, Japanese record producer, DJ, composer and arranger (b. 1974)
  • 2011 – Arnošt Lustig, Czech author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Richard Carpenter, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1929)
  • 2013 – Marie-Claire Alain, French organist and educator (b. 1926)
  • 2013 – Stéphane Hessel, German-French diplomat and author (b. 1917)
  • 2013 – Simon Li, Hong Kong judge and politician (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Sorel Etrog, Romanian-Canadian sculptor, painter, and illustrator (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Phyllis Krasilovsky, American author and academic (b. 1927)
  • 2014 – Paco de Lucía, Spanish guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1947)
  • 2015 – Sheppard Frere, English historian and archaeologist (b. 1916)
  • 2015 – Theodore Hesburgh, American priest, theologian, educator, and academic (b. 1917)
  • 2015 – Earl Lloyd, American basketball player and coach (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Tom Schweich, American lawyer and politician, 36th State Auditor of Missouri (b. 1960)
  • 2016 – Andy Bathgate, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1932)
  • 2016 – Don Getty, Canadian football player and politician, 11th Premier of Alberta (b. 1933)
  • 2017 – Joseph Wapner, American lieutenant and judge (b. 1919)

Holidays and observances on February 26

  • Christian feast day:
    • Alexander of Alexandria
    • Emily Malbone Morgan (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Isabelle of France
    • Li Tim-Oi (Anglican Church of Canada)
    • Porphyry of Gaza
    • February 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • The first day of Ayyám-i-Há (Bahá’í Faith) (Please note that this observance is only locked into this date the Gregorian calendar on this date if Bahá’í Naw-Rúz takes place on March 21, which it doesn’t in all years)
  • Day of Remembrance for Victims of Khojaly Massacre (Azerbaijan)
  • Liberation Day (Kuwait)
  • Saviours’ Day (Nation of Islam)

February 26 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

February 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George’s (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.
  • 1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland in lieu of a dowry for Margaret of Denmark.
  • 1547 – Edward VI of England is crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey.
  • 1685 – René-Robert Cavelier establishes Fort St. Louis at Matagorda Bay thus forming the basis for France’s claim to Texas.
  • 1792 – The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Post Office Department, is signed by United States President George Washington.
  • 1798 – Louis-Alexandre Berthier removes Pope Pius VI from power.
  • 1813 – Manuel Belgrano defeats the royalist army of Pío de Tristán during the Battle of Salta.
  • 1816 – Rossini’s opera The Barber of Seville premieres at the Teatro Argentina in Rome.
  • 1835 – The 1835 Concepción earthquake destroys Concepción, Chile.
  • 1846 – Polish insurgents lead an uprising in Kraków to incite a fight for national independence.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Olustee: The largest battle fought in Florida during the war.
  • 1865 – End of the Uruguayan War, with a peace agreement between President Tomás Villalba and rebel leader Venancio Flores, setting the scene for the destructive War of the Triple Alliance.
  • 1872 – The Metropolitan Museum of Art opens in New York City.
  • 1877 – Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake receives its premiere at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
  • 1901 – The legislature of Hawaii Territory convenes for the first time.
  • 1909 – Publication of the Futurist Manifesto in the French journal Le Figaro.
  • 1913 – King O’Malley drives in the first survey peg to mark commencement of work on the construction of Canberra.
  • 1920 – An earthquake kills between 114 and 130 in Georgia and heavily damages the town of Gori.
  • 1931 – The U.S. Congress approves the construction of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge by the state of California.
  • 1933 – The U.S. Congress approves the Blaine Act to repeal federal Prohibition in the United States, sending the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution to state ratifying conventions for approval.
  • 1933 – Adolf Hitler secretly meets with German industrialists to arrange for financing of the Nazi Party’s upcoming election campaign.
  • 1935 – Caroline Mikkelsen becomes the first woman to set foot in Antarctica.
  • 1942 – Lieutenant Edward O’Hare becomes America’s first World War II flying ace.
  • 1943 – American movie studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor movies.
  • 1943 – The Saturday Evening Post publishes the first of Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms in support of United States President Franklin Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address theme of Four Freedoms.
  • 1944 – World War II: The “Big Week” began with American bomber raids on German aircraft manufacturing centers.
  • 1944 – World War II: The United States takes Eniwetok Island.
  • 1952 – Emmett Ashford becomes the first African-American umpire in organized baseball by being authorized to be a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League.
  • 1956 – The United States Merchant Marine Academy becomes a permanent Service Academy.
  • 1959 – The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture supersonic jet fighters in Canada is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate.
  • 1962 – Mercury program: While aboard Friendship 7, John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the earth, making three orbits in four hours, 55 minutes.
  • 1965 – Ranger 8 crashes into the Moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program astronauts.
  • 1971 – The United States Emergency Broadcast System is accidentally activated in an erroneous national alert.
  • 1979 – An earthquake cracks open the Sinila volcanic crater on the Dieng Plateau, releasing poisonous H2S gas and killing 149 villagers in the Indonesian province of Central Java.
  • 1986 – The Soviet Union launches its Mir spacecraft. Remaining in orbit for 15 years, it is occupied for ten of those years.
  • 1988 – The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast votes to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia, triggering the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
  • 1991 – In the Albanian capital Tirana, a gigantic statue of Albania’s long-time leader, Enver Hoxha, is brought down by mobs of angry protesters.
  • 1998 – American figure skater Tara Lipinski, at the age of 15, becomes the youngest Olympic figure skating gold-medalist at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
  • 2003 – During a Great White concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island, a pyrotechnics display sets the Station nightclub ablaze, killing 100 and injuring over 200 others.
  • 2005 – Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout.
  • 2009 – Two Tamil Tigers aircraft packed with C4 explosives en route to the national airforce headquarters are shot down by the Sri Lankan military before reaching their target, in a kamikaze style attack.
  • 2010 – In Madeira Island, Portugal, heavy rain causes floods and mudslides, resulting in at least 43 deaths, in the worst disaster in the history of the archipelago.
  • 2014 – Dozens of Euromaidan anti-government protesters died in Ukraine’s capital Kiev, many reportedly killed by snipers.
  • 2015 – Two trains collide in the Swiss town of Rafz resulting in as many as 49 people injured and Swiss Federal Railways cancelling some services.
  • 2016 – Six people are killed and two injured in multiple shooting incidents in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.

Births on February 20

  • 1358 – Eleanor of Aragon, queen of John I of Castile (d. 1382)
  • 1469 – Thomas Cajetan, Italian philosopher (d. 1534)
  • 1523 – Jan Blahoslav, Czech writer (d. 1571)
  • 1549 – Francesco Maria II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, last Duke of Urbino (d. 1631)
  • 1552 – Sengoku Hidehisa, Daimyō (d. 1614)
  • 1608 – Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham (d. 1649)
  • 1631 – Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, English politician, Treasurer of the Navy (d. 1712)
  • 1633 – Jan de Baen, Dutch painter (d. 1702)
  • 1705 – Nicolas Chédeville, French musette player and composer (d. 1782)
  • 1726 – William Prescott, American colonel (d. 1795)
  • 1745 – Henry James Pye, English poet and politician (d. 1813)
  • 1751 – Johann Heinrich Voss, German poet, translator, and academic (d. 1826)
  • 1753 – Louis-Alexandre Berthier, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1815)
  • 1759 – Johann Christian Reil, German physician, physiologist, and anatomist (d. 1813)
  • 1774 – Vicente Sebastián Pintado, Spanish cartographer, engineer, military officer and land surveyor of Spanish Louisiana and Spanish West Florida (d. 1829)
  • 1784 – Judith Montefiore, British linguist, travel writer, philanthropist (d. 1862)
  • 1792 – Eliza Courtney, French daughter of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (d. 1859)
  • 1794 – William Carleton, Irish author (d. 1869)
  • 1802 – Charles Auguste de Bériot, Belgian violinist and composer (d. 1870)
  • 1819 – Alfred Escher, Swiss businessman and politician (d. 1882)
  • 1839 – Benjamin Waugh, English activist, founded the NSPCC (d. 1908)
  • 1844 – Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicist and philosopher (d. 1906)
  • 1844 – Joshua Slocum, Canadian sailor and adventurer (d. 1909)
  • 1848 – E. H. Harriman, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1909)
  • 1857 – A. P. Lucas, English cricketer (d. 1923)
  • 1866 – Carl Westman, Swedish architect, designed the Stockholm Court House and Röhsska Museum (d. 1936)
  • 1867 – Louise, Princess Royal of England (d. 1931)
  • 1870 – Jay Johnson Morrow, American engineer and politician, 3rd Governor of the Panama Canal Zone (d. 1937)
  • 1874 – Mary Garden, Scottish-American soprano and actress (d. 1967)
  • 1879 – Hod Stuart, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1907)
  • 1880 – Jacques d’Adelswärd-Fersen, French author and poet (d. 1923)
  • 1882 – Elie Nadelman, Polish-American sculptor (d. 1946)
  • 1887 – Vincent Massey, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Governor General of Canada (d. 1967)
  • 1888 – Georges Bernanos, French soldier and author (d. 1948)
  • 1889 – Hulusi Behçet, Turkish dermatologist and physician (d. 1948)
  • 1893 – Elizabeth Holloway Marston, American psychologist and author (d. 1993)
  • 1895 – Louis Zborowski, English race car driver and engineer (d. 1924)
  • 1897 – Ivan Albright, American painter (d. 1983)
  • 1898 – Ante Ciliga, Croatian politician, writer and publisher (d. 1992)
  • 1899 – Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1992)
  • 1901 – René Dubos, French-American biologist and author (d. 1982)
  • 1901 – Louis Kahn, American architect, designed the Salk Institute, the Kimbell Art Museum and the Bangladesh Parliament Building (d. 1974)
  • 1901 – Muhammad Naguib, Egyptian general and politician, 1st President of Egypt (d. 1984)
  • 1901 – Ramakrishna Ranga Rao of Bobbili, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th Chief Minister of Madras Presidency (d. 1978)
  • 1902 – Ansel Adams, American photographer and environmentalist (d. 1984)
  • 1904 – Alexei Kosygin, Russian soldier and politician, 8th Premier of the Soviet Union (d. 1980)
  • 1906 – Gale Gordon, American actor (d. 1995)
  • 1912 – Pierre Boulle, French soldier and author (d. 1994)
  • 1912 – Johnny Checketts, New Zealand flying ace of the Second World War (d. 2006)
  • 1913 – Tommy Henrich, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2009)
  • 1914 – John Charles Daly, South African–American journalist and game show host (d. 1991)
  • 1916 – Jean Erdman, American dancer and choreographer
  • 1918 – Leonore Annenberg, American businesswoman and diplomat (d. 2009)
  • 1919 – James O’Meara, English soldier and pilot (d. 1974)
  • 1920 – Karl Albrecht, German businessman, co-founded Aldi (d. 2014)
  • 1921 – Buddy Rogers, American wrestler (d. 1992)
  • 1923 – Victor G. Atiyeh, American businessman and politician, 32nd Governor of Oregon (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – Forbes Burnham, Guyanese lawyer and politician, 2nd President of Guyana (d. 1985)
  • 1923 – Rena Vlahopoulou, Greek actress (d. 2004)
  • 1924 – Gloria Vanderbilt, American actress, fashion designer, and socialite (d. 2019)
  • 1925 – Robert Altman, American director and screenwriter (d. 2006)
  • 1925 – Tochinishiki Kiyotaka, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 44th Yokozuna (d. 1990)
  • 1926 – Matthew Bucksbaum, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded General Growth Properties (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Gillian Lynne, English ballerina, choreographer, and director (d. 2018)
  • 1926 – Richard Matheson, American author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Bob Richards, American Olympic track and field athlete
  • 1926 – María de la Purísima Salvat Romero, Spanish Roman Catholic nun; later canonized (d. 1998)
  • 1927 – Roy Cohn, American lawyer and political activist (d. 1986)
  • 1927 – Ibrahim Ferrer, Cuban singer and musician (d. 2005)
  • 1927 – Sidney Poitier, Bahamian-American actor, director, and diplomat
  • 1928 – Roy Face, American baseball player and carpenter
  • 1928 – Jean Kennedy Smith, American diplomat, 25th United States Ambassador to Ireland
  • 1929 – Amanda Blake, American actress (d. 1989)
  • 1931 – John Milnor, American mathematician and academic
  • 1932 – Adrian Cristobal, Filipino journalist and author (d. 2007)
  • 1934 – Bobby Unser, American race car driver
  • 1935 – Ellen Gilchrist, American novelist, short story writer, and poet
  • 1936 – Marj Dusay, American actress (d. 2020)
  • 1936 – Larry Hovis, American actor and singer (d. 2003)
  • 1936 – Shigeo Nagashima, Japanese baseball player and coach
  • 1937 – David Ackles, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1999)
  • 1937 – Robert Huber, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1937 – Roger Penske, American race car driver and businessman
  • 1937 – Robert Evans, Australian minister and amateur astronomer
  • 1937 – Nancy Wilson, American singer and actress (d. 2018)
  • 1938 – Richard Beymer, American actor, director, and cinematographer
  • 1940 – Jimmy Greaves, English international footballer, forward and TV pundit
  • 1941 – Lim Kit Siang, Malaysian lawyer and politician
  • 1941 – Buffy Sainte-Marie, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1942 – Phil Esposito, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
  • 1942 – Mitch McConnell, American lawyer, and politician
  • 1942 – Claude Miller, French director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
  • 1943 – Antonio Inoki, Japanese wrestler, mixed martial artist, and politician
  • 1943 – Mike Leigh, English director and screenwriter
  • 1944 – Robert de Cotret, Canadian economist and politician, 56th Secretary of State for Canada (d. 1999)
  • 1944 – Lew Soloff, American trumpet player, composer, and actor (d. 2015)
  • 1944 – Willem van Hanegem, Dutch footballer and coach
  • 1945 – Alan Hull, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1995)
  • 1946 – Brenda Blethyn, English actress
  • 1946 – Sandy Duncan, American actress, singer, and dancer
  • 1946 – J. Geils, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
  • 1947 – Peter Osgood, English footballer (d. 2006)
  • 1947 – Peter Strauss, American actor and producer
  • 1948 – Pierre Bouchard, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
  • 1948 – Jennifer O’Neill, American model and actress
  • 1949 – Eddie Hemmings, English cricketer
  • 1949 – Ivana Trump, Czech-American socialite and model
  • 1950 – Walter Becker, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2017)
  • 1950 – Peter Marinello, Scottish footballer, forward
  • 1950 – Tony Wilson, English journalist and businessman (d. 2007)
  • 1951 – Edward Albert, American actor (d. 2006)
  • 1951 – Gordon Brown, Scottish historian and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
  • 1951 – Randy California, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1997)
  • 1951 – Phil Neal, English footballer and manager
  • 1953 – Poison Ivy, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1954 – Jon Brant, American bass player
  • 1954 – Anthony Head, English actor
  • 1954 – Patty Hearst, American actress and author
  • 1957 – Glen Hanlon, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1959 – Scott Brayton, American race car driver (d. 1996)
  • 1959 – David Corn, American journalist and author
  • 1959 – Bill Gullickson, American baseball player
  • 1960 – Joel Hodgson, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter
  • 1960 – Cándido Muatetema Rivas, Equatoguinean politician and diplomat, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea (d. 2014)
  • 1961 – Steve Lundquist, American swimmer
  • 1962 – Dwayne McDuffie, American author, screenwriter, and producer, co-founded Milestone Media (d. 2011)
  • 1963 – Charles Barkley, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1963 – Ian Brown, English singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1963 – Joakim Nystrom, Swedish tennis player
  • 1963 – Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Health
  • 1963 – Cui Yongyuan, Chinese former anchor
  • 1964 – Willie Garson, American actor and director
  • 1964 – Tom Harris, Scottish journalist and politician
  • 1964 – Jeff Maggert, American golfer
  • 1964 – French Stewart, American actor
  • 1966 – Cindy Crawford, American model and businesswoman
  • 1967 – Paul Accola, Swiss alpine skier
  • 1967 – Kurt Cobain, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1994)
  • 1967 – David Herman, American comedian and actor
  • 1967 – Andrew Shue, American actor and activist, founded Do Something
  • 1967 – Lili Taylor, American actress
  • 1967 – Tom Waddle, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1969 – Kjell Ove Hauge, Norwegian school principal and track and field athlete
  • 1969 – Siniša Mihajlović, Serbian footballer and manager
  • 1969 – Danis Tanović, Bosnian director and screenwriter
  • 1971 – Calpernia Addams, American actress, author, and activist
  • 1971 – Jari Litmanen, Finnish footballer
  • 1971 – Joost van der Westhuizen, South African rugby player (d. 2017)
  • 1972 – Neil Primrose, Scottish drummer
  • 1974 – Karim Bagheri, Iranian footballer and manager
  • 1975 – Liván Hernández, Cuban baseball player
  • 1975 – Brian Littrell, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1975 – Niclas Wallin, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1977 – Stephon Marbury, American basketball player
  • 1977 – Gail Kim, Canadian professional wrestler
  • 1978 – Lauren Ambrose, American actress and producer
  • 1980 – Imanol Harinordoquy, French rugby player
  • 1980 – Luis Gabriel Rey, Colombian footballer
  • 1981 – Tony Hibbert, English footballer
  • 1981 – Fred Jackson, American football player
  • 1982 – Jason Hirsh, American baseball player
  • 1983 – Jose Morales, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
  • 1983 – Justin Verlander, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Brian McCann, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Trevor Noah, South African comedian, actor, and television host
  • 1984 – Ramzee Robinson, American football player
  • 1985 – Ryan Sweeney, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Julia Volkova, Russian singer and actress
  • 1985 – TJ Kirk, American YouTube personality and podcast host
  • 1987 – Luke Burgess, English rugby league player
  • 1987 – Miles Teller, American actor
  • 1988 – Kealoha Pilares, American football player
  • 1988 – Ki Bo-bae, South Korean archer
  • 1988 – Rihanna, Barbadian-American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1988 – Jiah Khan, Indian singer and actress (d. 2013)
  • 1989 – Daly Cherry-Evans, Australian rugby league player
  • 1990 – Ciro Immobile, Italian footballer
  • 1991 – Hidilyn Diaz, Filipino weightlifter
  • 1991 – Giovanni Kyeremateng, Italian footballer
  • 1991 – Angelique van der Meet, Dutch tennis player
  • 1991 – Antonio Pedroza, English-Mexican footballer
  • 1991 – Jocelyn Rae, English-Scottish tennis player
  • 1992 – Kyle Turner, Australian rugby league player
  • 1994 – Elseid Hysaj, Albanian footballer

Deaths on February 20

  • 789 – Leo of Catania, saint and bishop of Catania (b. 709)
  • 922 – Theodora, Byzantine empress
  • 1054 – Yaroslav the Wise, grand prince of Veliky Novgorod and Kiev (b. 978)
  • 1154 – Saint Wulfric of Haselbury (b. c. 1080)
  • 1171 – Conan IV, Duke of Brittany (b. 1138)
  • 1194 – Tancred, King of Sicily (b. 1138)
  • 1258 – Al-Musta’sim, Iraqi caliph (b. 1213)
  • 1408 – Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, English politician, Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom (b. 1342)
  • 1431 – Pope Martin V (b. 1368)
  • 1458 – Lazar Branković, Despot of Serbia
  • 1513 – King John of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (b. 1455)
  • 1524 – Tecun Uman, Mayan ruler (b. 1500)
  • 1579 – Nicholas Bacon, English politician (b. 1509)
  • 1618 – Philip William, Prince of Orange (b. 1554)
  • 1626 – John Dowland, English lute player and composer (b. 1563)
  • 1762 – Tobias Mayer, German astronomer and academic (b. 1723)
  • 1771 – Jean-Jacques d’Ortous de Mairan, French geophysicist and astronomer (b. 1678)
  • 1773 – Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia (b. 1701)
  • 1778 – Laura Bassi, Italian physicist and scholar (b. 1711)
  • 1790 – Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1741)
  • 1806 – Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-American general and politician (b. 1725)
  • 1810 – Andreas Hofer, Tyrolean rebel leader (b. 1767)
  • 1850 – Valentín Canalizo, Mexican general and politician. 14th President (1843–1844) (b. 1794)
  • 1862 – William Wallace Lincoln, American son of Abraham Lincoln (b. 1850)
  • 1871 – Paul Kane, Irish-Canadian painter (b. 1810)
  • 1893 – P. G. T. Beauregard, American general (b. 1818)
  • 1895 – Frederick Douglass, American author and activist (b. 1818)
  • 1900 – Washakie, American tribal leader (b. 1798)
  • 1907 – Henri Moissan, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
  • 1910 – Boutros Ghali, Egyptian educator and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1846)
  • 1916 – Klas Pontus Arnoldson, Swedish journalist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1844)
  • 1920 – Jacinta Marto, Portuguese saint (b. 1910)
  • 1920 – Robert Peary, American admiral and explorer (b. 1856)
  • 1933 – Takiji Kobayashi, Japanese writer (b. 1903)
  • 1936 – Max Schreck, German actor (b. 1879)
  • 1957 – Sadri Maksudi Arsal, Turkish scholar and politician (b. 1878)
  • 1961 – Percy Grainger, Australian-American pianist and composer (b. 1882)
  • 1963 – Jacob Gade, Danish violinist and composer(b. 1879)
  • 1966 – Chester W. Nimitz, American admiral (b. 1885)
  • 1968 – Anthony Asquith, English director and screenwriter (b. 1902)
  • 1969 – Ernest Ansermet, Swiss conductor (b. 1883)
  • 1972 – Maria Goeppert-Mayer, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
  • 1972 – Walter Winchell, American journalist and actor (b. 1897)
  • 1976 – René Cassin, French lawyer and judge, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)
  • 1976 – Kathryn Kuhlman, healing evangelist, known for belief in Holy Spirit (b. 1907)
  • 1981 – Nicolas de Gunzburg, French-American banker and publisher (b. 1904)
  • 1987 – Wayne Boring, American illustrator (b. 1905)
  • 1992 – A. J. Casson, Canadian painter (b. 1898)
  • 1992 – Dick York, American actor (b. 1928)
  • 1993 – Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian businessman, founded Lamborghini (b. 1916)
  • 1993 – Ernest L. Massad, American general (b. 1908)
  • 1996 – Solomon Asch, American psychologist and academic (b. 1907)
  • 1996 – Audrey Munson, American model (b. 1891)
  • 1996 – Toru Takemitsu, Japanese pianist, guitarist, and composer (b. 1930)
  • 1999 – Sarah Kane, English playwright (b. 1971)
  • 1999 – Gene Siskel, American journalist and critic (b. 1946)
  • 2000 – Anatoly Sobchak, Russian lawyer and politician, 1st Governor of Saint Petersburg (b. 1937)
  • 2001 – Rosemary DeCamp, American actress (b. 1910)
  • 2001 – Donella Meadows, American environmentalist, author, and academic (b. 1941)
  • 2003 – Mushaf Ali Mir, Pakistani air marshal (b. 1947)
  • 2003 – Maurice Blanchot, French philosopher and author (b. 1907)
  • 2003 – Orville Freeman, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 29th Governor of Minnesota (b. 1918)
  • 2005 – Sandra Dee, American actress (b. 1942)
  • 2005 – Josef Holeček, Czechoslovakian canoeist (b. 1921)2005 – John Raitt, American actor and singer (b. 1917)
  • 2005 – Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist and author (b. 1937)
  • 2006 – Curt Gowdy, American sportscaster (b. 1919)
  • 2006 – Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist and author (b. 1920)
  • 2008 – Emily Perry, English actress and dancer (b. 1907)
  • 2009 – Larry H. Miller, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1944)
  • 2010 – Alexander Haig, American general and politician, 59th United States Secretary of State (b. 1924)
  • 2012 – Knut Torbjørn Eggen, Norwegian footballer and manager (b. 1960)
  • 2012 – Katie Hall, American educator and politician (b. 1938)
  • 2013 – Kenji Eno, Japanese game designer and composer (b. 1970)
  • 2013 – David S. McKay, American biochemist and geologist (b. 1936)
  • 2013 – Antonio Roma, Argentinian footballer (b. 1932)
  • 2014 – Rafael Addiego Bruno, Uruguayan jurist and politician, President of Uruguay (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Walter D. Ehlers, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Garrick Utley, American journalist (b. 1939)
  • 2015 – Govind Pansare, Indian author and activist (b. 1933)
  • 2015 – Henry Segerstrom, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – John C. Willke, American physician, author, and activist (b. 1925)
  • 2016 – Fernando Cardenal, Nicaraguan priest and politician (b. 1934)
  • 2017 – Vitaly Churkin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United Nations (b. 1952)
  • 2017 – Mildred Dresselhaus, American physicist (b. 1930)
  • 2017 – Steve Hewlett, British journalist (b. 1958)
  • 2020 – Joaquim Pina Moura, Portuguese Minister of Economy and Treasury and MP

Holidays and observances on February 20

  • Christian feast day:
    • Eleutherius of Tournai
    • Eucherius of Orléans
    • Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto
    • Frederick Douglass (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Wulfric of Haselbury
    • February 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of Heavenly Hundred Heroes (Ukraine)
  • World Day of Social Justice

February 20 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

February 18 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1229 – The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, signs a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem with neither military engagements nor support from the papacy.
  • 1268 – The Battle of Wesenberg is fought between the Livonian Order and Dovmont of Pskov.
  • 1332 – Amda Seyon I, Emperor of Ethiopia begins his campaigns in the southern Muslim provinces.
  • 1478 – George, Duke of Clarence, convicted of treason against his older brother Edward IV of England, is executed in private at the Tower of London.
  • 1637 – Eighty Years’ War: Off the coast of Cornwall, England, a Spanish fleet intercepts an important Anglo-Dutch merchant convoy of 44 vessels escorted by six warships, destroying or capturing 20 of them.
  • 1781 – Fourth Anglo-Dutch War: Captain Thomas Shirley opens his expedition against Dutch colonial outposts on the Gold Coast of Africa (present-day Ghana).
  • 1791 – Congress passes a law admitting the state of Vermont to the Union, effective 4 March, after that state had existed for 14 years as a de facto independent largely unrecognized state.
  • 1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: Sir Ralph Abercromby and a fleet of 18 British warships invade Trinidad.
  • 1814 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Montereau.
  • 1861 – In Montgomery, Alabama, Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as the provisional President of the Confederate States of America.
  • 1861 – With Italian unification almost complete, Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont, Savoy and Sardinia assumes the title of King of Italy.
  • 1873 – Bulgarian revolutionary leader Vasil Levski is executed by hanging in Sofia by the Ottoman authorities.
  • 1878 – John Tunstall is murdered by outlaw Jesse Evans, sparking the Lincoln County War in Lincoln County, New Mexico.
  • 1885 – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is published in the United States.
  • 1900 – Second Boer War: Imperial forces suffer their worst single-day loss of life on Bloody Sunday, the first day of the Battle of Paardeberg.
  • 1906 – Édouard de Laveleye forms the Belgian Olympic Committee in Brussels.
  • 1911 – The first official flight with airmail takes place from Allahabad, United Provinces, British India (now India), when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivers 6,500 letters to Naini, about 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) away.
  • 1930 – While studying photographs taken in January, Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto.
  • 1930 – Elm Farm Ollie becomes the first cow to fly in a fixed-wing aircraft and also the first cow to be milked in an aircraft.
  • 1932 – The Empire of Japan creates the independent state of Manzhouguo (the obsolete Chinese name for Manchuria) free from the Republic of China and installed former Chinese Emperor Aisin Gioro Puyi as Chief Executive of the State.
  • 1938 – Second Sino-Japanese War: During the Nanking Massacre, the Nanking Safety Zone International Committee is renamed “Nanking International Rescue Committee”, and the safety zone in place for refugees falls apart.
  • 1942 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army begins the systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore.
  • 1943 – World War II: The Nazis arrest the members of the White Rose movement.
  • 1943 – World War II: Joseph Goebbels delivers his Sportpalast speech.
  • 1946 – Sailors of the Royal Indian Navy mutiny in Bombay harbour, from where the action spreads throughout the Provinces of British India, involving 78 ships, twenty shore establishments and 20,000 sailors
  • 1947 – First Indochina War: The French gain complete control of Hanoi after forcing the Viet Minh to withdraw to mountains.
  • 1954 – The first Church of Scientology is established in Los Angeles.
  • 1955 – Operation Teapot: Teapot test shot “Wasp” is successfully detonated at the Nevada Test Site with a yield of 1.2 kilotons. Wasp is the first of fourteen shots in the Teapot series.
  • 1957 – Kenyan rebel leader Dedan Kimathi is executed by the British colonial government.
  • 1957 – Walter James Bolton becomes the last person legally executed in New Zealand.
  • 1965 – The Gambia becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
  • 1970 – The Chicago Seven are found not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
  • 1972 – The California Supreme Court in the case of People v. Anderson, (6 Cal.3d 628) invalidates the state’s death penalty and commutes the sentences of all death row inmates to life imprisonment.
  • 1977 – The Space Shuttle Enterprise test vehicle is carried on its maiden “flight” on top of a Boeing 747.
  • 1979 – Richard Petty wins a then-record sixth Daytona 500 after leaders Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crash on the final lap of the first NASCAR race televised live flag-to-flag.
  • 1983 – Thirteen people die and one is seriously injured in the Wah Mee massacre in Seattle. It is said to be the largest robbery-motivated mass-murder in U.S. history.
  • 1991 – The IRA explodes bombs in the early morning at Paddington station and Victoria station in London.
  • 2001 – FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested for spying for the Soviet Union. He is ultimately convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
  • 2001 – Sampit conflict: Inter-ethnic violence between Dayaks and Madurese breaks out in Sampit, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, ultimately resulting in more than 500 deaths and 100,000 Madurese displaced from their homes.
  • 2003 – Nearly 200 people die in the Daegu subway fire in South Korea.
  • 2004 – Up to 295 people, including nearly 200 rescue workers, die near Nishapur, Iran, when a runaway freight train carrying sulfur, petrol and fertilizer catches fire and explodes.
  • 2007 – Samjhauta Express bombings occurred around midnight in Diwana near the Indian city of Panipat, 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of New Delhi, India.
  • 2010 – WikiLeaks publishes the first of hundreds of thousands of classified documents disclosed by the soldier now known as Chelsea Manning.
  • 2013 – Armed robbers steal a haul of diamonds worth $50 million during a raid at Brussels Airport in Belgium.
  • 2014 – At least 76 people are killed and hundreds are injured in clashes between riot police and demonstrators in Kiev, Ukraine.

Births on February 18

  • 1201 – Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, Persian scientist and writer (d. 1274)
  • 1372 – Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Egyptian jurist and scholar (d. 1448)
  • 1486 – Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Indian monk and saint (d. 1534)
  • 1516 – Mary I of England (d. 1558)
  • 1530 – Uesugi Kenshin, Japanese daimyō (d. 1578)
  • 1543 – Charles III, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1608)
  • 1547 – Bahāʾ al-dīn al-ʿĀmilī, founder of Isfahan School of Islamic Philosophy (d. 1621)
  • 1559 – Isaac Casaubon, Swiss philologist and scholar (d. 1614)
  • 1589 – Henry Vane the Elder, English politician (d. 1655)
  • 1589 – Maarten Gerritsz Vries, Dutch explorer (d. 1646)
  • 1602 – Per Brahe the Younger, Swedish soldier and politician, Governor-General of Finland (d. 1680)
  • 1609 – Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, English historian and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1674)
  • 1626 – Francesco Redi, Italian physician (d. 1697)
  • 1632 – Giovanni Battista Vitali, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1692)
  • 1642 – Marie Champmeslé, French actress (d. 1698)
  • 1658 – Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre, French philosopher and author (d. 1743)
  • 1732 – Johann Christian Kittel, German organist and composer (d. 1809)
  • 1745 – Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist, invented the battery (d. 1827)
  • 1814 – Samuel Fenton Cary, American lawyer and politician (d. 1900)
  • 1817 – Lewis Armistead, American general (d. 1863)
  • 1836 – Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Indian mystic and yogi (d. 1886)
  • 1838 – Ernst Mach, Austrian physicist and philosopher (d. 1916)
  • 1846 – Wilson Barrett, English actor, playwright, and manager (d. 1904)
  • 1848 – Louis Comfort Tiffany, American stained glass artist (d. 1933)
  • 1849 – Alexander Kielland, Norwegian author, playwright, and politician (d. 1906)
  • 1850 – George Henschel, German-English singer-songwriter, pianist, and conductor (d. 1934)
  • 1855 – Jean Jules Jusserand, French historian, author, and diplomat, French Ambassador to the United States (d. 1932)
  • 1860 – Anders Zorn, Swedish artist (d. 1920)
  • 1862 – Charles M. Schwab, American businessman, co-founded Bethlehem Steel (d. 1939)
  • 1867 – Hedwig Courths-Mahler, German writer (d. 1950)
  • 1870 – William Laurel Harris, American painter and author (d. 1924)
  • 1871 – Harry Brearley, English inventor (d. 1948)
  • 1883 – Nikos Kazantzakis, Greek philosopher, author, and playwright (d. 1957)
  • 1885 – Henri Laurens, French sculptor and illustrator (d. 1954)
  • 1893 – Maksim Haretski, Belarusian prose writer, journalist and activist (d. 1938)
  • 1890 – Edward Arnold, American actor (d. 1956)
  • 1890 – Adolphe Menjou, American actor (d. 1963)
  • 1892 – Wendell Willkie, American captain, lawyer, and politician (d. 1944)
  • 1896 – Li Linsi, Chinese educator and diplomat (d. 1970)
  • 1898 – Enzo Ferrari, Italian race car driver and businessman, founded Ferrari (d. 1988)
  • 1898 – Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rican poet and politician, 1st Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (d. 1980)
  • 1899 – Arthur Bryant, English historian and journalist (d. 1985)
  • 1903 – Nikolai Podgorny, Ukrainian engineer and politician (d. 1983)
  • 1905 – Queenie Leonard, English actress (d. 2002)
  • 1906 – Hans Asperger, Austrian pediatrician and academic (d. 1980)
  • 1909 – Wallace Stegner, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 1993)
  • 1914 – Pee Wee King, American singer-songwriter and fiddler (d. 2000)
  • 1915 – Phyllis Calvert, English actress (d. 2002)
  • 1916 – Jean Drapeau, Canadian lawyer and politician, 37th Mayor of Montreal (d. 1999)
  • 1919 – Jack Palance, American boxer and actor (d. 2006)
  • 1920 – Bill Cullen, American game show panelist and host (d. 1990)
  • 1920 – Rolande Falcinelli, French organist, pianist, composer, and pedagogue (d. 2006)
  • 1921 – Mary Amdur, American toxicologist and public health researcher (d. 1998)
  • 1921 – Oscar Feltsman, Ukrainian-Russian pianist and composer (d. 2013)
  • 1922 – Eric Gairy, Grenadan politician, 1st Prime Minister of Grenada (d. 1997)
  • 1922 – Helen Gurley Brown, American journalist and author (d. 2012)
  • 1922 – Allan Melvin, American actor (d. 2008)
  • 1925 – George Kennedy, American actor (d. 2016)
  • 1925 – Halit Kıvanç, Turkish journalist and sportscaster
  • 1925 – Ghafar Baba, Malaysian politician (d. 2006)
  • 1926 – Wallace Berman, American painter and illustrator (d. 1976)
  • 1927 – Luis Arroyo, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, manager, and scout (d. 2016)
  • 1927 – Fazal Mahmood, Pakistani cricketer (d. 2005)
  • 1927 – John Warner, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 61st United States Secretary of the Navy
  • 1928 – Rex Mossop, Australian rugby player and sportscaster (d. 2011)
  • 1929 – Len Deighton, English historian and author
  • 1929 – André Mathieu, Canadian pianist and composer (d. 1968)
  • 1931 – Johnny Hart, American cartoonist, co-created The Wizard of Id (d. 2007)
  • 1931 – Toni Morrison, American novelist and editor, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2019).
  • 1931 – Swraj Paul, Baron Paul, Indian-English businessman and philanthropist
  • 1931 – John Ryden, Scottish footballer, centre half (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – Bob St. Clair, American football player (d. 2015)
  • 1932 – Miloš Forman, Czech-American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
  • 1933 – Yoko Ono, Japanese-American multimedia artist and musician
  • 1933 – Bobby Robson, English international footballer, inside forward and international manager (d. 2009)
  • 1933 – Mary Ure, Scottish-English actress (d. 1975)
  • 1934 – Skip Battin, American singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2003)
  • 1934 – Dave Dunmore, English footballer, centre forward
  • 1934 – Audre Lorde, American poet, essayist, memoirist, and activist (d. 1992)
  • 1934 – Paco Rabanne, Spanish-French fashion designer
  • 1936 – Jean M. Auel, American author
  • 1938 – Manny Mota, Dominican baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1938 – Sadanoyama Shinmatsu, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 50th Yokozuna (d. 2017)
  • 1938 – István Szabó, Hungarian director and screenwriter
  • 1939 – Claude Ake, Nigerian political scientist and academic (d. 1996)
  • 1939 – Bobby Hart, American singer-songwriter
  • 1939 – Marlos Nobre, Brazilian composer
  • 1940 – Fabrizio De André, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
  • 1940 – Prue Leith, English restaurateur and journalist
  • 1941 – Herman Santiago, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter
  • 1941 – Irma Thomas, American singer
  • 1943 – Graeme Garden, Scottish comedian, actor, and author
  • 1944 – Pat Bowlen, American businessman (d. 2019)
  • 1945 – Judy Rankin, American golfer and sportscaster
  • 1946 – Michael Buerk, English journalist
  • 1947 – Dennis DeYoung, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1947 – Eliot Engel, American educator and politician
  • 1948 – Sinéad Cusack, Irish actress
  • 1948 – Bruce Francis, Australian cricketer
  • 1948 – Keith Knudsen, American singer-songwriter and drummer (d. 2005)
  • 1949 – Gary Ridgway, American criminal, Green River Killer
  • 1950 – Nana Amba Eyiaba I, Ghanaian queen mother and advocate
  • 1950 – Cristina Ferrare, American model, actress, author, and television host
  • 1950 – John Hughes, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2009)
  • 1950 – Cybill Shepherd, American actress and singer
  • 1951 – Queen Komal of Nepal
  • 1951 – Isabel Preysler, Filipino-Spanish journalist
  • 1952 – Randy Crawford, American jazz and R&B singer
  • 1952 – Maurice Lucas, American basketball player and coach (d. 2010)
  • 1952 – Juice Newton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1952 – Bernard Valcourt, Canadian lawyer and politician
  • 1953 – Robbie Bachman, Canadian rock drummer
  • 1953 – Derek Pellicci, English-Australian drummer
  • 1954 – Charlie Fowler, American mountaineer, author, and photographer (d. 2006)
  • 1954 – Paul Rendall, English rugby player
  • 1954 – John Travolta, American actor and producer
  • 1955 – Cheetah Chrome, American musician
  • 1955 – Miles Tredinnick, English singer-songwriter and playwright
  • 1955 – Lisa See, American writer and novelist
  • 1956 – Ted Gärdestad, Swedish singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
  • 1956 – Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgian businessman and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Georgia
  • 1957 – Marita Koch, German sprinter
  • 1957 – Vanna White, American model and game show host
  • 1959 – Jayne Atkinson, English-American actress
  • 1959 – James Metzger, American businessman and philanthropist
  • 1960 – Andy Moog, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1960 – Greta Scacchi, Italian-Australian actress
  • 1963 – Rob Andrew, English rugby player and cricketer
  • 1964 – Matt Dillon, American actor and director
  • 1964 – Paul Hanley, English drummer and songwriter
  • 1965 – Dr. Dre, American rapper, producer, and actor
  • 1966 – Phillip DeFreitas, Dominican-English cricketer
  • 1967 – Roberto Baggio, Italian footballer
  • 1967 – Colin Jackson, Welsh sprinter and hurdler
  • 1968 – Molly Ringwald, American actress
  • 1969 – Tomaž Humar, Slovenian mountaineer (d. 2009)
  • 1969 – Alexander Mogilny, Russian-American ice hockey player
  • 1970 – Susan Egan, American actress and singer
  • 1970 – James H. Fowler, American political scientist and author
  • 1970 – Raine Maida, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1970 – Massimo Taibi, Italian footballer
  • 1971 – Thomas Bjorn, Danish golfer
  • 1971 – Merritt Gant, American guitarist
  • 1972 – Fabian Picardo, Gibraltarian lawyer and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Gibraltar
  • 1973 – Shawn Estes, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1973 – Claude Makélélé, French footballer and manager
  • 1974 – Carrie Ann Baade, American painter and academic
  • 1974 – Jamey Carroll, American baseball player
  • 1974 – Radek Černý, Czech international footballer, goalkeeper
  • 1974 – Ruby Dhalla, Canadian chiropractor and politician
  • 1974 – Julia Butterfly Hill, American environmentalist and author
  • 1974 – Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Russian tennis player
  • 1974 – Jillian Michaels, American fitness trainer and author
  • 1975 – Gary Neville, English footballer and coach
  • 1976 – Leilani Munter, American race car driver and environmentalist
  • 1976 – Chanda Rubin, American tennis player
  • 1976 – Bernadette Sembrano, Filipino journalist
  • 1978 – Josip Šimunić, Croatian footballer
  • 1979 – Tinu Yohannan, Indian cricketer
  • 1980 – Aivar Anniste, Estonian footballer
  • 1980 – Nik Antropov, Kazakhstani-Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1980 – Regina Spektor, Russian-American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
  • 1981 – Andrei Kirilenko, Russian basketball player
  • 1981 – Alex Ríos, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Ivan Sproule, Northern Irish footballer
  • 1981 – Larry Sweeney, American wrestler and manager (d. 2011)
  • 1982 – Juelz Santana, American rapper and actor
  • 1982 – Christian Tiffert, German footballer
  • 1983 – Jermaine Jenas, English international footballer, midfielder, pundit
  • 1984 – Carlos Kameni, Cameroonian footballer
  • 1985 – Anton Ferdinand, English footballer
  • 1985 – Lee Boyd Malvo, Jamaican-American murderer
  • 1985 – Jos van Emden, Dutch cyclist
  • 1986 – Robert DeLong, American singer-songwriter
  • 1986 – Marc Torrejón, Spanish footballer
  • 1987 – Cristian Tănase, Romanian footballer
  • 1988 – Changmin, South Korean singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
  • 1990 – Didi Gregorius, Dutch baseball player
  • 1990 – Cody Hodgson, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1991 – Sebastian Neumann, German footballer
  • 1991 – Henry Surtees, English race car driver (d. 2009)
  • 1994 – Jake Trbojevic, Australian rugby league player
  • 1994 – J-Hope, South Korean rapper, dancer, singer-songwriter

Deaths on February 18

  • 675 – Colmán, bishop of Lindisfarne
  • 814 – Angilbert, Frankish monk and diplomat (b. 760)
  • 901 – Thābit ibn Qurra, Arab astronomer and physician (b. 826)
  • 999 – Gregory V, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 972)
  • 1139 – Yaropolk II, Grand Prince of Kiev (b. 1082)
  • 1218 – Berthold V, duke of Zähringen (b. 1160)
  • 1225 – Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk, Norman nobleman
  • 1294 – Kublai Khan, Mongol emperor (b. 1215)
  • 1379 – Albert II, duke of Mecklenburg (b. 1318)
  • 1397 – Enguerrand VII, French nobleman (b. 1340)
  • 1405 – Timur, Turco-Mongol ruler (b. 1336)
  • 1455 – Fra Angelico, Italian priest and painter (b. 1395)
  • 1478 – George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, English nobleman (b. 1449)
  • 1502 – Hedwig Jagiellon, duchess of Bavaria (b. 1457)
  • 1535 – Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, German magician, astrologer, and theologian (b. 1486)
  • 1546 – Martin Luther, German priest and theologian, leader of the Protestant Reformation (b. 1483)
  • 1564 – Michelangelo, Italian sculptor and painter (b. 1475)
  • 1654 – Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac, French author (b. 1594)
  • 1658 – John Villiers, 1st Viscount Purbeck, English courtier (b. c. 1591)
  • 1683 – Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem, Dutch painter (b. 1620)
  • 1695 – William Phips, governor of Massachusetts (b. 1650)
  • 1712 – Louis, Dauphin of France, (b. 1682)
  • 1743 – Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici, Italian noble (b. 1667)
  • 1748 – Otto Ferdinand von Abensberg und Traun, Austrian field marshal (b. 1677)
  • 1772 – Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, Danish politician (b. 1712)
  • 1778 – Joseph Marie Terray, French economist and politician, Controller-General of Finances (b. 1715)
  • 1780 – Kristijonas Donelaitis, Lithuanian pastor and poet (b. 1714)
  • 1788 – John Whitehurst, English geologist and clockmaker (b. 1713)
  • 1803 – Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet and educator (b. 1719)
  • 1851 – Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi, German mathematician and academic (b. 1804)
  • 1873 – Vasil Levski, Bulgarian activist, founded the Internal Revolutionary Organization (b. 1837)
  • 1880 – Nikolay Zinin, Russian organic chemist (b. 1812)
  • 1893 – Serranus Clinton Hastings, American lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Justice of California (b. 1814)
  • 1902 – Charles Lewis Tiffany, American businessman, founded Tiffany & Co. (b. 1812)
  • 1906 – John Batterson Stetson, American businessman, founded the John B. Stetson Company (b. 1830)
  • 1910 – Lucy Stanton, American activist (b. 1831)
  • 1911 – Billy Murdoch, Australian cricketer (b. 1854)
  • 1915 – Frank James, American soldier and criminal (b. 1843)
  • 1923 – Alois Rašín, Czech economist and politician (b. 1867)
  • 1931 – Milan Šufflay, Croatian historian, author, and politician (b. 1879)
  • 1931 – Louis Wolheim, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1880)
  • 1933 – James J. Corbett, American boxer and actor (b. 1866)
  • 1938 – David King Udall, American missionary and politician (b. 1851)
  • 1942 – Albert Payson Terhune, American journalist and author (b. 1872)
  • 1945 – Ivan Chernyakhovsky, Russian general (b. 1906)
  • 1956 – Gustave Charpentier, French composer (b. 1860)
  • 1957 – Dedan Kimathi, Kenyan rebel leader (b. 1920)
  • 1957 – Henry Norris Russell, American astronomer, astrophysicist, and academic (b. 1877)
  • 1960 – Gertrude Vanderbilt, American stage actress (b. c. 1885)
  • 1964 – Joseph-Armand Bombardier, Canadian inventor and businessman, founded Bombardier Inc. (b. 1907)
  • 1966 – Robert Rossen, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1908)
  • 1967 – J. Robert Oppenheimer, American physicist and academic (b. 1904)
  • 1969 – Dragiša Cvetković, Serbian lawyer and politician, 17th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1893)
  • 1973 – Frank Costello, Italian-American gangster (b. 1891)
  • 1976 – Wallace Berman, American painter and illustrator (b. 1926)
  • 1977 – Andy Devine, American actor (b. 1905)
  • 1978 – Maggie McNamara, American actress (b. 1928)
  • 1981 – Jack Northrop, American engineer and businessman, founded the Northrop Corporation (b. 1895)
  • 1982 – Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand author (b. 1895)
  • 1989 – Mildred Burke, American wrestler and trainer (b. 1915)
  • 1990 – Richard de Zoysa, Sri Lankan journalist (b. 1958)
  • 1993 – Jacqueline Hill, English actress (b. 1929)
  • 1995 – Eddie Gilbert, American wrestler (b. 1961)
  • 1995 – Bob Stinson, American guitarist (b. 1959)
  • 1997 – Emily Hahn, American journalist and author (b. 1905)
  • 1998 – Harry Caray, American sportscaster (b. 1914)
  • 2001 – Balthus, Polish-Swiss painter and illustrator (b. 1908)
  • 2001 – Dale Earnhardt, American stock car racer and team owner (b. 1951)
  • 2001 – Eddie Mathews, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1931)
  • 2003 – Isser Harel, Belarusian-Israeli intelligence officer (b. 1912)
  • 2006 – Bill Cowsill, American singer and guitarist (b. 1948)
  • 2008 – Alain Robbe-Grillet, French director, screenwriter, and novelist (b. 1922)
  • 2009 – Tayeb Salih, Sudanese journalist and author (b. 1929)
  • 2009 – Miika Tenkula, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1974)
  • 2010 – John Babcock, Canadian soldier (b. 1900)
  • 2012 – George Brizan, Grenadian politician, 9th Prime Minister of Grenada (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Elizabeth Connell, South African-English soprano (b. 1946)
  • 2013 – Kevin Ayers, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1944)
  • 2013 – Jerry Buss, American chemist and businessman (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Mavis Gallant, Canadian-French author and playwright (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Kristof Goddaert, Belgian cyclist (b. 1986)
  • 2014 – Nikhil Baran Sengupta, Indian art director and production designer (b. 1943)
  • 2014 – Maria Franziska von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (b. 1914)
  • 2015 – Cass Ballenger, American lawyer and politician (b. 1926)
  • 2015 – Jerome Kersey, American basketball player and coach (b. 1962)
  • 2016 – Abdul Rashid Khan, Indian singer-songwriter (b. 1908)
  • 2016 – Pantelis Pantelidis, Greek singer (b. 1983)
  • 2017 – Ivan Koloff, Canadian wrestler (b. 1942)
  • 2017 – Norma McCorvey, American abortion rights activist; Plaintiff, Roe v. Wade (b. 1947)
  • 2017 – Clyde Stubblefield, American drummer (b. 1943)
  • 2019 – Alessandro Mendini, Italian designer and architect (b.1931)

Holidays and observances on February 18

  • Christian feast day:
    • Bernadette Soubirous (France)
    • Colmán of Lindisfarne
    • Flavian of Constantinople
    • Geltrude Comensoli
    • Simeon of Jerusalem (Western Christianity)
    • February 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Dialect Day (Amami Islands, Japan)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Gambia from the United Kingdom in 1965.
  • Kurdish Students Union Day (Iraqi Kurdistan)
  • National Democracy Day, celebrates the 1951 overthrow of the Rana dynasty (Nepal)
  • Wife’s Day (Konudagur) (Iceland)

February 18 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

February 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1429 – English forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orléans in the Battle of the Herrings.
  • 1502 – Isabella I issues an edict outlawing Islam in the Crown of Castile, forcing virtually all her Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity.
  • 1541 – Santiago, Chile is founded by Pedro de Valdivia.
  • 1593 – Japanese invasion of Korea: Approximately 3,000 Joseon defenders led by general Kwon Yul successfully repel more than 30,000 Japanese forces in the Siege of Haengju.
  • 1689 – The Convention Parliament declares that the flight to France in 1688 by James II, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, constitutes an abdication.
  • 1733 – Georgia Day: Englishman James Oglethorpe founds Georgia, the 13th colony of the Thirteen Colonies, by settling at Savannah.
  • 1771 – Gustav III becomes the King of Sweden.
  • 1817 – An Argentine/Chilean patriotic army, after crossing the Andes, defeats Spanish troops at the Battle of Chacabuco.
  • 1818 – Bernardo O’Higgins formally approves the Chilean Declaration of Independence near Concepción, Chile.
  • 1825 – The Creek cede the last of their lands in Georgia to the United States government by the Treaty of Indian Springs, and migrate west.
  • 1832 – Ecuador annexes the Galápagos Islands.
  • 1855 – Michigan State University is established.
  • 1894 – Anarchist Émile Henry hurls a bomb into the Cafe Terminus in Paris, killing one person and wounding 20.
  • 1909 – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded.
  • 1909 – New Zealand’s worst maritime disaster of the 20th century happens when the SS Penguin, an inter-island ferry, sinks and explodes at the entrance to Wellington Harbour.
  • 1912 – The Xuantong Emperor, the last Emperor of China, abdicates.
  • 1915 – In Washington, D.C., the first stone of the Lincoln Memorial is put into place.
  • 1921 – Bolsheviks launch a revolt in Georgia as a preliminary to the Red Army invasion of Georgia.
  • 1924 – George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue received its premiere in a concert titled “An Experiment in Modern Music”, in Aeolian Hall, New York, by Paul Whiteman and his band, with Gershwin playing the piano.
  • 1935 – USS Macon, one of the two largest helium-filled airships ever created, crashes into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California and sinks.
  • 1946 – World War II: Operation Deadlight ends after scuttling 121 of 154 captured U-boats.
  • 1946 – African American United States Army veteran Isaac Woodard is severely beaten by a South Carolina police officer to the point where he loses his vision in both eyes. The incident later galvanizes the civil rights movement and partially inspires Orson Welles’ film Touch of Evil.
  • 1947 – The largest observed iron meteorite until that time creates an impact crater in Sikhote-Alin, in the Soviet Union.
  • 1947 – Christian Dior unveils a “New Look”, helping Paris regain its position as the capital of the fashion world.
  • 1961 – The Soviet Union launches Venera 1 towards Venus.
  • 1963 – Construction begins on the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.
  • 1965 – Malcolm X visits Smethwick in Birmingham following the racially-charged 1964 United Kingdom general election.
  • 1968 – Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất massacre.
  • 1974 – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970, is exiled from the Soviet Union.
  • 1983 – One hundred women protest in Lahore, Pakistan against military dictator Zia-ul-Haq’s proposed Law of Evidence. The women were tear-gassed, baton-charged and thrown into lock-up. The women were successful in repealing the law.
  • 1988 – Cold War: The 1988 Black Sea bumping incident: The U.S. missile cruiser USS Yorktown (CG-48) is intentionally rammed by the Soviet frigate Bezzavetnyy in the Soviet territorial waters, while Yorktown claims innocent passage.
  • 1990 – Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female Premier in Australian history when she becomes Premier of Western Australia.
  • 1992 – The current Constitution of Mongolia comes into effect.
  • 1993 – Two-year-old James Bulger is abducted from New Strand Shopping Centre by two ten-year-old boys, who later torture and murder him.
  • 1994 – Four thieves break into the National Gallery of Norway and steal Edvard Munch’s iconic painting The Scream.
  • 1999 – United States President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the United States Senate in his impeachment trial.
  • 2001 – NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touches down in the “saddle” region of 433 Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
  • 2002 – The trial of Slobodan Milošević, the former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, begins at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands. He dies four years later before its conclusion.
  • 2002 – An Iran Airtour Tupolev Tu-154 crashes in the mountains outside Khorramabad, Iran while descending for a landing at Khorramabad Airport, killing 119.
  • 2004 – The city of San Francisco begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in response to a directive from Mayor Gavin Newsom.
  • 2009 – Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashes into a house in Clarence Center, New York while on approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, killing all on board and one on the ground.
  • 2016 – Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill sign an Ecumenical Declaration in the first such meeting between leaders of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches since their split in 1054.
  • 2019 – The country known as the Republic of Macedonia renames itself the Republic of North Macedonia in accordance with the Prespa agreement, settling a long-standing naming dispute with Greece.

Births on February 12

  • AD 41 – Britannicus, Roman son of Claudius (d. 55)
  • 528 – Daughter of Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei, nominal empress regnant of Northern Wei
  • 661 – Princess Ōku of Japan (d. 702)
  • 1074 – Conrad II of Italy (d. 1101)
  • 1218 – Kujo Yoritsune, Japanese shōgun (d. 1256)
  • 1322 – John Henry, Margrave of Moravia (d. 1375)
  • 1443 – Giovanni II Bentivoglio, Italian noble (d. 1508)
  • 1480 – Frederick II of Legnica, Duke of Legnica (d. 1547)
  • 1540 – Won Gyun, Korean general and admiral (d. 1597)
  • 1567 – Thomas Campion, English composer, poet, and physician (d. 1620)
  • 1584 – Caspar Barlaeus, Dutch historian, poet, and theologian (d. 1648)
  • 1602 – Michelangelo Cerquozzi, Italian painter (d. 1660)
  • 1606 – John Winthrop the Younger, English-American lawyer and politician, Governor of Connecticut (d. 1676)
  • 1608 – Daniello Bartoli, Italian Jesuit priest (d. 1685)
  • 1637 – Jan Swammerdam, Dutch biologist and zoologist (d. 1680)
  • 1663 – Cotton Mather, English-American minister and author (d. 1728)
  • 1665 – Rudolf Jakob Camerarius, German botanist and physician (d. 1721)
  • 1704 – Charles Pinot Duclos, French author (d. 1772)
  • 1706 – Johann Joseph Christian, German Baroque sculptor and woodcarver (d. 1777)
  • 1728 – Étienne-Louis Boullée, French architect (d. 1799)
  • 1753 – François-Paul Brueys d’Aigalliers, French admiral (d. 1798)
  • 1761 – Jan Ladislav Dussek, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1812)
  • 1768 – Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1835)
  • 1775 – Louisa Adams, English-American wife of John Quincy Adams, 6th First Lady of the United States (d. 1852)
  • 1777 – Bernard Courtois, French chemist and academic (d. 1838)
  • 1777 – Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, German author and poet (d. 1843)
  • 1785 – Pierre Louis Dulong, French physicist and chemist (d. 1838)
  • 1787 – Norbert Provencher, Canadian bishop and missionary (d. 1853)
  • 1788 – Carl Reichenbach, German chemist and philosopher (d. 1869)
  • 1791 – Peter Cooper, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Cooper Union (d. 1883)
  • 1794 – Alexander Petrov, Russian chess player and composer (d. 1867)
  • 1794 – Valentín Canalizo, Mexican general and politician. 14th President (1843-1844) (d. 1850)
  • 1804 – Heinrich Lenz, German-Italian physicist and academic (d. 1865)
  • 1809 – Charles Darwin, English geologist and theorist (d. 1882)
  • 1809 – Abraham Lincoln, American lawyer and politician, 16th President of the United States (d. 1865)
  • 1819 – William Wetmore Story, American sculptor, architect, poet and editor
  • 1824 – Dayananda Saraswati, Indian monk and philosopher, founded Arya Samaj (d. 1883)
  • 1828 – George Meredith, English novelist and poet (d. 1909)
  • 1837 – Thomas Moran, British-American painter and printmaker of the Hudson River School (d. 1926)
  • 1857 – Eugène Atget, French photographer (d. 1927)
  • 1857 – Bobby Peel, English cricketer and coach (d. 1943)
  • 1861 – Lou Andreas-Salomé, Russian-German psychoanalyst and author (d. 1937)
  • 1866 – Lev Shestov, Russian philosopher (d. 1938)
  • 1869 – Kiến Phúc, Vietnamese emperor (d. 1884)
  • 1870 – Marie Lloyd, English actress and singer (d. 1922)
  • 1876 – 13th Dalai Lama (d. 1933)
  • 1877 – Louis Renault, French engineer and businessman, co-founded Renault (d. 1944)
  • 1880 – George Preca, Maltese priest and saint (d. 1962)
  • 1880 – John L. Lewis, American miner and union leader (d. 1969)
  • 1881 – Anna Pavlova, Russian-English ballerina and actress (d. 1931)
  • 1882 – Walter Nash, English-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 27th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1968)
  • 1884 – Max Beckmann, German painter and sculptor (d. 1950)
  • 1884 – Johan Laidoner, Estonian-Russian general (d. 1953)
  • 1884 – Alice Roosevelt Longworth, American author (d. 1980)
  • 1884 – Marie Vassilieff, Russian-French painter (d. 1957)
  • 1885 – Julius Streicher, German publisher, founded Der Stürmer (d. 1946)
  • 1889 – Bhante Dharmawara, Cambodian monk, lawyer, and judge (d. 1999)
  • 1893 – Omar Bradley, American general (d. 1981)
  • 1895 – Kristian Djurhuus, Faroese lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (d. 1984)
  • 1897 – Charles Groves Wright Anderson, South African-Australian colonel and politician (d. 1988)
  • 1897 – Lincoln LaPaz, American astronomer and academic (d. 1985)
  • 1898 – Wallace Ford, English-American actor and singer (d. 1966)
  • 1900 – Roger J. Traynor, American lawyer and jurist, 23rd Chief Justice of California (d. 1983)
  • 1902 – William Collier, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1987)
  • 1903 – Jorge Basadre, Peruvian historian (d. 1980)
  • 1903 – Chick Hafey, American baseball player and manager (d. 1973)
  • 1904 – Ted Mack, American radio and television host (d. 1976)
  • 1907 – Joseph Kearns, American actor (d. 1962)
  • 1908 – Jean Effel, French painter, caricaturist, illustrator and journalist (d. 1982)
  • 1908 – Jacques Herbrand, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1931)
  • 1909 – Zoran Mušič, Slovene painter and illustrator (d. 2005)
  • 1909 – Sigmund Rascher, German physician (d. 1945)
  • 1911 – Charles Mathiesen, Norwegian speed skater (d. 1994)
  • 1912 – R. F. Delderfield, English author and playwright (d. 1972)
  • 1914 – Tex Beneke, American singer, saxophonist, and bandleader (d. 2000)
  • 1914 – Johanna von Caemmerer, German mathematician (d. 1971)
  • 1915 – Lorne Greene, Canadian-American actor (d. 1987)
  • 1915 – Olivia Hooker, African-American sailor (d. 2018)
  • 1916 – Joseph Alioto, American lawyer and politician, 36th Mayor of San Francisco (d. 1998)
  • 1917 – Al Cervi, American basketball player and coach (d. 2009)
  • 1917 – Dom DiMaggio, American baseball player (d. 2009)
  • 1918 – Norman Farberow, American psychologist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1918 – Julian Schwinger, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
  • 1919 – Forrest Tucker, American actor (d. 1986)
  • 1920 – Raymond Mhlaba, South African anti-apartheid and ANC activist (d. 2005)
  • 1922 – Hussein Onn, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Malaysia (d. 1990)
  • 1923 – Franco Zeffirelli, Italian director, producer, and politician (d. 2019)
  • 1925 – Sir Anthony Berry, British Conservative politician (d. 1984)
  • 1925 – Joan Mitchell, American-French painter (d. 1992)
  • 1926 – Rolf Brem, Swiss sculptor and illustrator (d. 2014)
  • 1926 – Joe Garagiola, Sr., American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2016)
  • 1926 – Charles Van Doren, American academic (d. 2019)
  • 1928 – Vincent Montana, Jr., American drummer and composer (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – John Doyle, Irish hurler and politician (d. 2010)
  • 1930 – Arlen Specter, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (d. 2012)
  • 1931 – Janwillem van de Wetering, Dutch-American author and translator (d. 2008)
  • 1932 – Axel Jensen, Norwegian author and poet (d. 2003)
  • 1932 – Julian Simon, American economist, author, and academic (d. 1998)
  • 1933 – Costa-Gavras, Greek-French director and producer
  • 1933 – Brian Carlson, Australian rugby league player (d. 1987)
  • 1934 – Annette Crosbie, Scottish actress
  • 1934 – Anne Osborn Krueger, American economist and academic
  • 1934 – Bill Russell, American basketball player and coach
  • 1935 – Gene McDaniels, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
  • 1936 – Alan Ebringer, Australian immunologist, professor at King’s College in the University of London
  • 1938 – Judy Blume, Jewish-American author and educator
  • 1939 – Leon Kass, American physician, scientist, and educator
  • 1939 – Ray Manzarek, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 2013)
  • 1941 – Hubert Marcoux, Canadian solo sailor and author (d. 2009)
  • 1941 – Dominguinhos, Brazilian singer-songwriter and accordion player (d. 2013)
  • 1941 – Naomi Uemura, Japanese mountaineer and explorer (d. 1984)
  • 1942 – Ehud Barak, Israeli general and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Israel
  • 1942 – Pat Dobson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2006)
  • 1945 – Maud Adams, Swedish model and actress
  • 1945 – David D. Friedman, American economist, physicist, and scholar
  • 1946 – Jean Eyeghé Ndong, Gabonese politician, Prime Minister of Gabon
  • 1946 – Ajda Pekkan, Turkish singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1948 – Ray Kurzweil, American computer scientist and engineer
  • 1948 – Nicholas Soames, English politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
  • 1950 – Angelo Branduardi, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1950 – Steve Hackett, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1950 – Michael Ironside, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1952 – Simon MacCorkindale, English actor, director, and producer (d. 2010)
  • 1952 – Michael McDonald, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1953 – Joanna Kerns, American actress and director
  • 1954 – Joseph Jordania, Georgian-Australian musicologist and academic
  • 1954 – Tzimis Panousis, Greek comedian, singer, and author (d. 2018)
  • 1954 – Phil Zimmermann, American cryptographer and programmer
  • 1955 – Bill Laswell, American bass player and producer
  • 1955 – Chet Lemon, American baseball player and coach
  • 1956 – Arsenio Hall, American actor and talk show host
  • 1956 – Ad Melkert, Dutch lawyer and politician, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment
  • 1956 – Brian Robertson, Scottish rock guitarist and songwriter
  • 1958 – Outback Jack, Australian-American wrestler
  • 1961 – Jim Harris, Canadian environmentalist and politician
  • 1961 – Michel Martelly, Haitian singer and politician, 56th President of Haiti
  • 1961 – Di Farmer, Queensland Member of Parliament
  • 1964 – Omar Hakim, American drummer, producer, arranger, and composer
  • 1965 – Rubén Amaro, Jr., American baseball player and manager
  • 1965 – Christine Elise, American actress and producer
  • 1965 – David Westlake, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1966 – Paul Crook, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1968 – Josh Brolin, American actor
  • 1968 – Chynna Phillips, American singer and actress
  • 1969 – Darren Aronofsky, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1969 – Alemayehu Atomsa, Ethiopian educator and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1969 – Steve Backley, English javelin thrower
  • 1969 – Anneli Drecker, Norwegian singer and actress
  • 1969 – Hong Myung-bo, South Korean footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Jim Creeggan, Canadian singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1970 – Bryan Roy, Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Judd Winick, American author and illustrator
  • 1971 – Scott Menville, American voice actor, singer, actor and musician
  • 1973 – Gianni Romme, Dutch speed skater
  • 1973 – Tara Strong, Canadian voice actress and singer
  • 1974 – Naseem Hamed, English boxer
  • 1976 – Christian Cullen, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1977 – Jimmy Conrad, American soccer player and manager
  • 1978 – Paul Anderson, English actor
  • 1978 – Brett Hodgson, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1979 – Antonio Chatman, American football player
  • 1979 – Jesse Spencer, Australian actor and violinist
  • 1980 – Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spanish tennis player
  • 1980 – Sarah Lancaster, American actress
  • 1980 – Christina Ricci, American actress and producer
  • 1980 – Gucci Mane, American rapper
  • 1981 – Wade McKinnon, Australian rugby league player
  • 1982 – Jonas Hiller, Swiss ice hockey player
  • 1982 – Louis Tsatoumas, Greek long jumper
  • 1982 – Anthony Tuitavake, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1983 – Carlton Brewster, American football player and coach
  • 1984 – Brad Keselowski, American race car driver
  • 1984 – Andrei Sidorenkov, Estonian footballer
  • 1984 – Peter Vanderkaay, American swimmer
  • 1988 – DeMarco Murray, American football player
  • 1988 – Nicolás Otamendi, Argentine footballer
  • 1988 – Mike Posner, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1990 – Robert Griffin III, American football player
  • 1991 – Patrick Herrmann, German footballer
  • 1994 – Arman Hall, American sprinter
  • 1999 – Maggie Coles-Lyster, Canadian cyclist
  • 2000 – Kim Ji-min, South Korean actress

Deaths on February 12

  • 821 – Benedict of Aniane, French monk and saint (b. 747)
  • 890 – Henjō, Japanese priest and poet (b. 816)
  • 981 – Ælfstan, bishop of Ramsbury
  • 901 – Antony II, patriarch of Constantinople
  • 914 – Li, empress of Yan
  • 941 – Wulfhelm, Archbishop of Canterbury
  • 1247 – Ermesinde, Countess of Luxembourg, ruler (b. 1185)
  • 1266 – Amadeus of the Amidei, Italian saint
  • 1517 – Catherine of Navarre (b. 1468)
  • 1538 – Albrecht Altdorfer, German painter, engraver, and architect (b. 1480)
  • 1554 – Lord Guildford Dudley, English son of Jane Dudley, Duchess of Northumberland (b. 1536; executed)
  • 1554 – Lady Jane Grey, de facto monarch of England and Ireland for nine days (b. 1537; executed)
  • 1571 – Nicholas Throckmorton, English politician and diplomat (b. 1515)
  • 1590 – François Hotman, French lawyer and author (b. 1524)
  • 1600 – Edward Denny, Knight Banneret of Bishop’s Stortford, English soldier, privateer and adventurer (b. 1547)
  • 1612 – Jodocus Hondius, Flemish cartographer (b. 1563)
  • 1624 – George Heriot, Scottish goldsmith and philanthropist, founded George Heriot’s School (b. 1563)
  • 1713 – Jahandar Shah, Mughal emperor (b. 1664)
  • 1728 – Agostino Steffani, Italian priest and composer (b. 1653)
  • 1763 – Pierre de Marivaux, French author and playwright (b. 1688)
  • 1771 – Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden (b. 1710)
  • 1789 – Ethan Allen, American farmer, general, and politician (b. 1738)
  • 1799 – Lazzaro Spallanzani, Italian biologist and physiologist (b. 1729)
  • 1804 – Immanuel Kant, German anthropologist, philosopher, and academic (b. 1724)
  • 1834 – Friedrich Schleiermacher, German philosopher and scholar (b. 1768)
  • 1886 – Randolph Caldecott, English-American painter and illustrator (b. 1846)
  • 1894 – Hans von Bülow, German pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1830)
  • 1896 – Ambroise Thomas, French composer and academic (b. 1811)
  • 1912 – Gerhard Armauer Hansen, Norwegian physician (b. 1841)
  • 1915 – Émile Waldteufel, French pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1837)
  • 1916 – Richard Dedekind, German mathematician, philosopher, and academic (b. 1831)
  • 1929 – Lillie Langtry, English singer and actress (b. 1853)
  • 1931 – Samad bey Mehmandarov, Azerbaijani-Russian general and politician, 3rd Azerbaijani Minister of Defense (b. 1855)
  • 1935 – Auguste Escoffier, French chef and author (b. 1846)
  • 1942 – Eugene Esmonde, Irish-English lieutenant and pilot, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1909)
  • 1942 – Avraham Stern, Polish-Israeli militant leader (b. 1907)
  • 1942 – Grant Wood, American painter and academic (b. 1891)
  • 1947 – Moses Gomberg, Ukrainian-American chemist and academic (b. 1866)
  • 1949 – Hassan al-Banna, Egyptian educator, founded the Muslim Brotherhood (b. 1906)
  • 1954 – Dziga Vertov, Polish-Russian director and screenwriter (b. 1896)
  • 1958 – Douglas Hartree, English mathematician and physicist (b. 1897)
  • 1960 – Oskar Anderson, Bulgarian-German mathematician and academic (b. 1887)
  • 1970 – Clare Turlay Newberry, American author and illustrator (b. 1903)
  • 1971 – James Cash Penney, American businessman and philanthropist, founded J. C. Penney (b. 1875)
  • 1975 – Carl Lutz, Swiss vice-consul to Hungary during WWII, credited with saving over 62,000 Jews (b. 1895)
  • 1976 – Sal Mineo, American actor (b. 1939)
  • 1977 – Herman Dooyeweerd, Dutch philosopher and scholar (b. 1894)
  • 1979 – Jean Renoir, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1894)
  • 1980 – Muriel Rukeyser, American poet and activist (b. 1913)
  • 1982 – Victor Jory, Canadian-American actor (b. 1902)
  • 1983 – Eubie Blake, American pianist and composer (b. 1887)
  • 1984 – Anna Anderson, Polish-American woman, who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1896)
  • 1984 – Julio Cortázar, Belgian-Argentinian author and poet (b. 1914)
  • 1985 – Nicholas Colasanto, American actor and director (b. 1924)
  • 1989 – Thomas Bernhard, Austrian playwright and author (b. 1931)
  • 1991 – Roger Patterson, American bass player (b. 1968)
  • 1992 – Bep van Klaveren, Dutch boxer (b. 1907)
  • 1994 – Donald Judd, American painter and sculptor (b. 1928)
  • 1995 – Philip Taylor Kramer, American bass player (b. 1952)
  • 1998 – Gardner Ackley, American economist and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Italy (b. 1915)
  • 2000 – Tom Landry, American football player and coach (b. 1924)
  • 2000 – Charles M. Schulz, American cartoonist, created Peanuts (b. 1922)
  • 2001 – Kristina Söderbaum, Swedish-German actress and producer (b. 1912)
  • 2002 – John Eriksen, Danish footballer (b. 1957)
  • 2005 – Dorothy Stang, American-Brazilian nun and missionary (b. 1931)
  • 2007 – Ann Barzel, American writer and dance critic (b. 1905)
  • 2007 – Peggy Gilbert, American saxophonist and bandleader (b. 1905)
  • 2008 – David Groh, American actor (b. 1939)
  • 2009 – victims of Colgan Air Flight 3407:
    • Alison Des Forges, American historian and activist (b. 1942)
    • Beverly Eckert, American activist (b. 1951)
    • Mat Mathews, Dutch accordion player (b. 1924)
    • Coleman Mellett, American guitarist (b. 1974)
    • Gerry Niewood, American saxophonist (b. 1943)
  • 2010 – Nodar Kumaritashvili, Georgian luger (b. 1988)
  • 2011 – Peter Alexander, Austrian singer and actor (b. 1926)
  • 2011 – Betty Garrett, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1919)
  • 2011 – Kenneth Mars, American actor and comedian (b. 1935)
  • 2012 – Zina Bethune, American actress, dancer, and choreographer (b. 1945)
  • 2012 – Denis Flannery, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – David Kelly, Irish actor (b. 1929)
  • 2012 – John Severin, American illustrator (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Sattam bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian prince (b. 1941)
  • 2013 – Reginald Turnill, English journalist and author (b. 1915)
  • 2013 – Hennadiy Udovenko, Ukrainian politician and diplomat, 2nd Minister of Foreign Affairs for Ukraine (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Sid Caesar, American actor and comedian (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – John Pickstone, English historian and author (b. 1944)
  • 2015 – Movita Castaneda, American actress and singer (b. 1916)
  • 2015 – Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Malaysian cleric and politician, 12th Menteri Besar of Kelantan (b. 1931)
  • 2015 – Gary Owens, American radio host and voice actor (b. 1934)
  • 2015 – Steve Strange, Welsh singer (b. 1959)
  • 2016 – Dominique D’Onofrio, Italian-Belgian footballer and coach (b. 1953)
  • 2016 – Yannis Kalaitzis, Greek cartoonist (b. 1945)
  • 2016 – Yan Su, Chinese general and composer (b. 1930)
  • 2017 – Al Jarreau, American singer (b. 1940)
  • 2017 – Anna Marguerite McCann, first female American underwater archaeologist (b. 1933)
  • 2017 – Ren Xinmin, Chinese rocket scientist (b. 1915)
  • 2019 – Gordon Banks, English footballer (b. 1937)
  • 2019 – Lyndon LaRouche, American political activist (b. 1922)
  • 2019 – Pedro Morales, Puerto Rican professional wrestler and commentator (b. 1942)
  • 2020 – Christie Blatchford, Canadian newspaper columnist, journalist and broadcaster (b. 1951)

Holidays and observances on February 12

  • Christian feast day:
    • Benedict of Aniane
    • Damian of Alexandria
    • Julian the Hospitaller
    • Martyrs of Abitinae
    • February 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Darwin Day (International)
  • Georgia Day (Georgia (U.S. state))
  • Lincoln’s Birthday (United States)
  • National Freedom to Marry Day (United States)
  • Red Hand Day (United Nations)
  • Union Day (Myanmar)
  • Youth Day (Venezuela)

February 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

February 6 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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 6 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

February 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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)

February 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

February 2 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (Breviarium Alaricianum or Lex Romana Visigothorum), a collection of “Roman law”.
  • 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King Louis III is defeated by the Norse Great Heathen Army at Lüneburg Heath in Saxony.
  • 962 – Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor in nearly 40 years.
  • 1032 – Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor becomes king of Burgundy.
  • 1141 – The Battle of Lincoln, at which Stephen, King of England is defeated and captured by the allies of Empress Matilda.
  • 1207 – Terra Mariana, eventually comprising present-day Latvia and Estonia, is established.
  • 1438 – Nine leaders of the Transylvanian peasant revolt are executed at Torda.
  • 1461 – Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Mortimer’s Cross is fought in Herefordshire, England.
  • 1536 – Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • 1645 – Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Inverlochy.
  • 1653 – New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.
  • 1709 – Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island, inspiring Daniel Defoe’s adventure book Robinson Crusoe.
  • 1848 – Mexican–American War: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed.
  • 1850 – Brigham Young declares war on Timpanogos in the Battle at Fort Utah.
  • 1868 – Pro-Imperial forces captured Osaka Castle from the Tokugawa shogunate and burned it to the ground.
  • 1876 – The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed.
  • 1887 – In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania the first Groundhog Day is observed.
  • 1899 – The Australian Premiers’ Conference held in Melbourne decides to locate Australia’s capital city, Canberra, between Sydney and Melbourne.
  • 1901 – Funeral of Queen Victoria.
  • 1909 – The Paris Film Congress opens. An attempt by European producers to form an equivalent to the MPCC cartel in the United States.
  • 1913 – Grand Central Terminal is opened in New York City.
  • 1920 – The Tartu Peace Treaty is signed between Estonia and Russia.
  • 1922 – Ulysses by James Joyce is published.
  • 1925 – Serum run to Nome: Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod race.
  • 1934 – The Export-Import Bank of the United States is incorporated.
  • 1935 – Leonarde Keeler administers polygraph tests to two murder suspects, the first time polygraph evidence was admitted in U.S. courts.
  • 1942 – The Osvald Group is responsible for the first, active event of anti-Nazi resistance in Norway, to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling.
  • 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Stalingrad comes to an end when Soviet troops accept the surrender of the last organized German troops in the city.
  • 1959 – Nine experienced ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union die under mysterious circumstances.
  • 1966 – Pakistan suggests a six-point agenda with Kashmir after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
  • 1971 – Idi Amin replaces President Milton Obote as leader of Uganda.
  • 1971 – The international Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands is signed in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran.
  • 1980 – Reports surface that the FBI is targeting allegedly corrupt Congressmen in the Abscam operation.
  • 1982 – Hama massacre: The government of Syria attacks the town of Hama.
  • 1987 – After the 1986 People Power Revolution, the Philippines enacts a new constitution.
  • 1989 – Soviet–Afghan War: The last Soviet armoured column leaves Kabul.
  • 1990 – Apartheid: F. W. de Klerk announces the unbanning of the African National Congress and promises to release Nelson Mandela.
  • 2000 – First digital cinema projection in Europe (Paris) realized by Philippe Binant with the DLP CINEMA technology developed by Texas Instruments.
  • 2002 – Wedding of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, and Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti
  • 2004 – Swiss tennis player Roger Federer becomes the No. 1 ranked men’s singles player, a position he will hold for a record 237 weeks.
  • 2005 – The Government of Canada introduces the Civil Marriage Act. This legislation would become law on July 20, 2005, legalizing same-sex marriage.
  • 2007 – Police officer Filippo Raciti is killed when a clash breaks out in the Sicily derby between Catania and Palermo, in the Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. This event led to major changes in stadium regulations in Italy.
  • 2012 – The ferry MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea near the Finschhafen District, with an estimated 146-165 dead.

Births on February 2

  • 1208 – James I of Aragon (d. 1276)
  • 1282 – Maud Chaworth, Countess of Leicester (d. 1322).
  • 1425 (or 1426) – Eleanor of Navarre, Queen regnant of Navarre (d. 1479)
  • 1443 – Elisabeth of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony (d. 1486)
  • 1455 – John, King of Denmark (d. 1513)
  • 1457 – Peter Martyr d’Anghiera, Italian-Spanish historian and author (d. 1526)
  • 1467 – Columba of Rieti, Italian Dominican sister (d. 1501)
  • 1494 – Bona Sforza, queen of Sigismund I of Poland (d. 1557)
  • 1502 – Damião de Góis, Portuguese philosopher and historian (d. 1574)
  • 1506 – René de Birague, Italian-French cardinal and politician (d. 1583)
  • 1509 – John of Leiden, Dutch Anabaptist leader (d. 1536)
  • 1522 – Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1565)
  • 1536 – Piotr Skarga, Polish writer (d. 1612)
  • 1551 – Nicolaus Reimers, German astronomer (d. 1600)
  • 1576 – Alix Le Clerc, French Canoness Regular and foundress (d. 1622)
  • 1585 – Judith Quiney, William Shakespeare’s youngest daughter (d. 1662)
  • 1585 – Hamnet Shakespeare, William Shakespeare’s only son (baptised; d. 1596)
  • 1588 – Georg II of Fleckenstein-Dagstuhl, German nobleman (d. 1644)
  • 1600 – Gabriel Naudé, French librarian and scholar (d. 1653)
  • 1611 – Ulrik of Denmark, Danish prince-bishop (d. 1633)
  • 1613 – Noël Chabanel, French missionary and saint (d. 1649)
  • 1621 – Johannes Schefferus, Swedish author and hymn-writer (d. 1679)
  • 1650 – Pope Benedict XIII (d. 1730)
  • 1650 – Nell Gwyn, English actress, mistress of King Charles II of England (d. 1687)
  • 1651 – William Phips, Royal governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (d. 1695)
  • 1669 – Louis Marchand, French organist and composer (d. 1732)
  • 1677 – Jean-Baptiste Morin, French composer (d. 1745)
  • 1695 – William Borlase, English geologist and archaeologist (d. 1772)
  • 1695 – François de Chevert, French general (d. 1769)
  • 1700 – Johann Christoph Gottsched, German author and critic (d. 1766)
  • 1711 – Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg (d. 1794)
  • 1714 – Gottfried August Homilius, German organist and composer (d. 1785)
  • 1717 – Ernst Gideon von Laudon, Austrian field marshal (d. 1790)
  • 1754 – Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1838)
  • 1782 – Henri de Rigny, French admiral and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1835)
  • 1786 – Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (d. 1856)
  • 1802 – Jean-Baptiste Boussingault, French chemist and academic (d. 1887)
  • 1803 – Albert Sidney Johnston, American general (d. 1862)
  • 1829 – Alfred Brehm, German zoologist and illustrator (d. 1884)
  • 1829 – William Stanley, English engineer and philanthropist (d. 1909)
  • 1841 – François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss limnologist and hydrologist (d. 1912)
  • 1842 – Julian Sochocki, Polish-Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1927)
  • 1849 – Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, Slovak poet and playwright (d. 1921)
  • 1851 – José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican illustrator and engraver (d. 1913)
  • 1856 – Frederick William Vanderbilt, American railway magnate (d. 1938)
  • 1856 – Makar Yekmalyan, Armenian composer (d. 1905)
  • 1857 – Jan Drozdowski, Polish pianist and music teacher (d. 1918)
  • 1860 – Curtis Guild, Jr., American journalist and politician, 43rd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1915)
  • 1861 – Solomon R. Guggenheim, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (d. 1949)
  • 1862 – Émile Coste, French fencer (d. 1927)
  • 1862 – Cornelius McKane, American physician, educator, and hospital founder (d. 1912)
  • 1866 – Enrique Simonet, Spanish painter and academic (d. 1927)
  • 1873 – Leo Fall, Austrian composer (d. 1925)
  • 1873 – Konstantin von Neurath, German politician and diplomat, 13th German Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1956)
  • 1875 – Fritz Kreisler, Austrian-American violinist and composer (d. 1962)
  • 1877 – Frank L. Packard, Canadian author (d. 1942)
  • 1878 – Joe Lydon, American boxer (d. 1937)
  • 1880 – Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (d. 1969)
  • 1881 – Orval Overall, American baseball player and manager (d. 1947)
  • 1882 – Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (d. 1944)
  • 1882 – James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet (d. 1941)
  • 1883 – Johnston McCulley, American author and screenwriter, created Zorro (d. 1958)
  • 1883 – Julia Nava de Ruisánchez, Mexican activist and writer (d. 1964)
  • 1886 – William Rose Benét, American poet and author (d. 1950)
  • 1887 – Ernst Hanfstaengl, German businessman (d. 1975)
  • 1889 – Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general (d. 1952)
  • 1890 – Charles Correll, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1972)
  • 1892 – Tochigiyama Moriya, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 27th Yokozuna (d. 1959)
  • 1893 – Cornelius Lanczos, Hungarian mathematician and physicist (d. 1974)
  • 1893 – Raoul Riganti, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1970)
  • 1893 – Damdin Sükhbaatar, Mongolian soldier and politician (d. 1924)
  • 1895 – George Halas, American football player and coach (d. 1983)
  • 1895 – Robert Philipp, American painter (d. 1981)
  • 1895 – George Sutcliffe, Australian public servant (d. 1964)
  • 1896 – Kazimierz Kuratowski, Polish mathematician and logician (d. 1980)
  • 1897 – Howard Deering Johnson, American businessman, founded Howard Johnson’s (d. 1972)
  • 1897 – Gertrude Blanch, Russian-American mathematician (d. 1996)
  • 1900 – Anni Frind, German lyric soprano (d. 1987)
  • 1900 – Willie Kamm, American baseball player and manager (d. 1988)
  • 1901 – Jascha Heifetz, Lithuanian-born American violinist and educator (d. 1987)
  • 1902 – Newbold Morris, American lawyer and politician (d. 1966)
  • 1902 – John Tonkin, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1995)
  • 1904 – Bozorg Alavi, Iranian author and activist (d. 1997)
  • 1905 – Ayn Rand, Russian-born American novelist and philosopher (d. 1982)
  • 1908 – Wes Ferrell, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
  • 1909 – Frank Albertson, American actor (d. 1964)
  • 1911 – Jack Pizzey, Australian politician, 29th Premier of Queensland (d. 1968)
  • 1912 – Millvina Dean, English civil servant and cartographer (d. 2009)
  • 1912 – Burton Lane, American songwriter and composer (d. 1997)
  • 1913 – Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor and singer (d. 1985)
  • 1914 – Eric Kierans, Canadian economist and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Communications (d. 2004)
  • 1915 – Abba Eban, South African-Israeli politician and diplomat, 1st Israel Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (d. 2005)
  • 1915 – Khushwant Singh, Indian journalist and author (d. 2014)
  • 1916 – Xuân Diệu, Vietnamese poet and author (d. 1985)
  • 1917 – Mary Ellis, British World War II ferry pilot (d. 2018)
  • 1917 – Đỗ Mười, Vietnamese politician, 5th Prime Minister of Vietnam (d. 2018)
  • 1918 – Hella Haasse, Indonesian-Dutch author (d. 2011)
  • 1919 – Lisa Della Casa, Swiss soprano and actress (d. 2012)
  • 1919 – Georg Gawliczek, German footballer and manager (d. 1999)
  • 1920 – George Hardwick, English footballer and coach (d. 2004)
  • 1920 – John Russell, American Olympic equestrian
  • 1920 – Arthur Willis, English footballer, full-back, player-manager (d. 1987)
  • 1922 – Kunwar Digvijay Singh, Indian field hockey player (d. 1978)
  • 1922 – Robert Chef d’Hôtel, French athlete (d. 2019)
  • 1922 – James L. Usry, American politician, first African-American mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey (d. 2002)
  • 1922 – Stoyanka Mutafova, Bulgarian actress (d. 2019)
  • 1923 – Jean Babilée, French dancer and choreographer (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – James Dickey, American poet and novelist (d. 1997)
  • 1923 – Svetozar Gligorić, Serbian and Yugoslav chess grandmaster (d.2012)
  • 1923 – Bonita Granville, American actress and producer (d. 1988)
  • 1923 – Red Schoendienst, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2018)
  • 1923 – Liz Smith, American journalist and author (d. 2017)
  • 1923 – Clem Windsor, Australian rugby player and surgeon (d. 2007)
  • 1924 – Elfi von Dassanowsky, Austrian-American singer, pianist, producer (d. 2007)
  • 1924 – Sonny Stitt, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1982)
  • 1925 – Elaine Stritch, American actress and singer (d. 2014)
  • 1926 – Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, French academic and politician, 20th President of France
  • 1927 – Stan Getz, American saxophonist (d. 1991)
  • 1927 – Doris Sams, American baseball player (d. 2012)
  • 1928 – Ciriaco De Mita, 47th Prime minister of Italy
  • 1928 – Jay Handlan, American basketball player and engineer (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Tommy Harmer, English footballer, inside forward, youth team coach (d. 2007)
  • 1929 – Sheila Matthews Allen, American actress and producer (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – George Band, English engineer and mountaineer (d. 2011)
  • 1929 – Věra Chytilová, Czech actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – John Henry Holland, American computer scientist and academic (d. 2015)
  • 1929 – Waldemar Kmentt, Austrian operatic tenor (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Dries van Agt, Dutch politician, diplomat and jurist, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
  • 1931 – Les Dawson, English comedian and author (d. 1993)
  • 1931 – Glynn Edwards, Malaysian-English actor (d. 2018)
  • 1931 – John Paul Harney, Canadian educator and politician
  • 1931 – Judith Viorst, American journalist and author
  • 1932 – Arthur Lyman, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player (d. 2002)
  • 1932 – Robert Mandan, American actor (d. 2018)
  • 1933 – M’el Dowd, American actress and singer (d. 2012)
  • 1933 – Tony Jay, English-American actor (d. 2006)
  • 1933 – Orlando “Cachaíto” López, Cuban bassist and composer (d. 2009)
  • 1933 – Than Shwe, Burmese general and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Burma
  • 1935 – Pete Brown, American golfer (d. 2015)
  • 1935 – Evgeny Velikhov, Russian physicist and academic
  • 1936 – Duane Jones, American actor (d. 1988)
  • 1936 – Metin Oktay, Turkish footballer and manager (d. 1991)
  • 1937 – Don Buford, American baseball player and coach
  • 1937 – Eric Arturo Delvalle, Panamanian lawyer and politician, President of Panama (d. 2015)
  • 1937 – Anthony Haden-Guest, British journalist, poet, and critic
  • 1937 – Remak Ramsay, American actor
  • 1937 – Tom Smothers, American comedian, actor, and activist
  • 1937 – Alexandra Strelchenko, Russian Singer (d. 2019)
  • 1938 – Norman Fowler, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
  • 1938 – Gene MacLellan, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 1995)
  • 1939 – Jackie Burroughs, English-born Canadian actress (d. 2010)
  • 1939 – Mary-Dell Chilton, American chemist and inventor and one of the founders of modern plant biotechnology
  • 1939 – Dale T. Mortensen, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2014)
  • 1940 – Alan Caddy, English guitarist and producer (d. 2000)
  • 1940 – Thomas M. Disch, American author and poet (d. 2008)
  • 1940 – Wayne Fontes, American football player and coach
  • 1940 – David Jason, English actor, director, and producer
  • 1941 – Terry Biddlecombe, English jockey (d. 2014)
  • 1942 – Bo Hopkins, American actor
  • 1942 – Graham Nash, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1944 – Andrew Davis, English organist and conductor
  • 1944 – Geoffrey Hughes, English actor (d. 2012)
  • 1944 – Ursula Oppens, American pianist and educator
  • 1945 – John Eatwell, Baron Eatwell, English economist and academic
  • 1946 – John Armitt, English engineer and businessman
  • 1946 – Alpha Oumar Konaré, Malian academic and politician, 3rd President of Mali
  • 1946 – Constantine Papadakis, Greek-American businessman and academic (d. 2009)
  • 1947 – Greg Antonacci, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
  • 1947 – Farrah Fawcett, American actress and producer (d. 2009)
  • 1948 – Ina Garten, American chef and author
  • 1948 – Al McKay, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1948 – Roger Williamson, English race car driver (d. 1973)
  • 1949 – Duncan Bannatyne, Scottish businessman and philanthropist
  • 1949 – Yasuko Namba, Japanese mountaineer (d. 1996)
  • 1949 – Brent Spiner, American actor and singer
  • 1949 – Ross Valory, American rock bass player and songwriter
  • 1950 – Osamu Kido, Japanese wrestler
  • 1950 – Libby Purves, British journalist and author
  • 1950 – Barbara Sukowa, German actress
  • 1950 – Genichiro Tenryu, Japanese wrestler
  • 1951 – Vangelis Alexandris, Greek basketball player and coach
  • 1951 – Ken Bruce, Scottish radio host
  • 1952 – John Cornyn, American lawyer and politician, 49th Attorney General of Texas
  • 1952 – Rick Dufay, French-American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1952 – Park Geun-hye, South Korean politician, 11th President of South Korea
  • 1952 – Ralph Merkle, American computer scientist and academic
  • 1952 – Carol Ann Susi, American actress (d. 2014)
  • 1953 – Duane Chapman, American bounty hunter
  • 1953 – Jerry Sisk, Jr., American gemologist, co-founded Jewelry Television (d. 2013)
  • 1954 – Christie Brinkley, American actress, model, and businesswoman
  • 1954 – Hansi Hinterseer, Austrian skier and actor
  • 1954 – Nelson Ne’e, Solomon Islander politician (d. 2013)
  • 1954 – John Tudor, American baseball player
  • 1955 – Leszek Engelking, Polish poet and author
  • 1955 – Bob Schreck, American author
  • 1955 – Michael Talbott, American actor
  • 1955 – Kim Zimmer, American actress
  • 1956 – Adnan Oktar, Turkish theorist and author
  • 1957 – Phil Barney, Algerian-French singer-songwriter
  • 1958 – Michel Marc Bouchard, Canadian playwright
  • 1961 – Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (d. 2013)
  • 1961 – Lauren Lane, American actress and academic
  • 1962 – Philippe Claudel, French author, director, and screenwriter
  • 1962 – Andy Fordham, English darts player
  • 1962 – Paul Kilgus, American baseball player
  • 1962 – Kate Raison, Australian actress
  • 1962 – Michael T. Weiss, American actor
  • 1963 – Eva Cassidy, American singer and guitarist (d. 1996)
  • 1963 – Kjell Dahlin, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1963 – Andrej Kiska, Slovak entrepreneur and philanthropist, President of Slovakia
  • 1963 – Philip Laats, Belgian martial artist
  • 1963 – Vigleik Storaas, Norwegian pianist
  • 1965 – Carl Airey, English footballer
  • 1965 – Naoki Sano, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
  • 1966 – Andrei Chesnokov, Russian tennis player and coach
  • 1966 – Robert DeLeo, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
  • 1966 – Adam Ferrara, American actor and comedian
  • 1966 – Michael Misick, Caicos Islander politician, Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands
  • 1967 – Artūrs Irbe, Latvian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1967 – Laurent Nkunda, Congolese general
  • 1968 – Sean Elliott, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Scott Erickson, American baseball player and coach
  • 1969 – Dana International, Israeli singer-songwriter
  • 1969 – Valeri Karpin, Estonian-Russian footballer and manager
  • 1970 – Roar Strand, Norwegian footballer
  • 1970 – Jennifer Westfeldt, American actress and singer
  • 1971 – Michelle Gayle, English singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1971 – Arly Jover, Spanish actress
  • 1971 – Isaac Kungwane, South African footballer and sportscaster (d. 2014)
  • 1971 – Jason Taylor, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1971 – Hwang Seok-jeong, South Korean actress
  • 1972 – Melvin Mora, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1972 – Aleksey Naumov, Russian footballer
  • 1973 – Andrei Luzgin, Estonian tennis player and coach
  • 1973 – Aleksander Tammert, Estonian discus thrower
  • 1973 – Marissa Jaret Winokur, American actress and singer
  • 1975 – Todd Bertuzzi, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1975 – Donald Driver, American football player
  • 1975 – Ieroklis Stoltidis, Greek footballer
  • 1976 – Ryan Farquhar, Northern Irish motorcycle racer
  • 1976 – James Hickman, English swimmer
  • 1976 – Ana Roces, Filipino actress
  • 1977 – Shakira, Colombian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1977 – Libor Sionko, Czech footballer
  • 1978 – Adam Christopher, New Zealand writer
  • 1978 – Eden Espinosa, American actress and singer
  • 1978 – Annabel Ellwood, Australian tennis player
  • 1978 – Barry Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1978 – Rich Sommer, American actor
  • 1978 – Faye White, English footballer
  • 1979 – Urmo Aava, Estonian race car driver
  • 1979 – Fani Chalkia, Greek hurdler and sprinter
  • 1979 – Christine Lampard, Irish television host
  • 1979 – Klaus Mainzer, German rugby player
  • 1979 – Shamita Shetty, Indian actress
  • 1979 – Irini Terzoglou, Greek shot putter
  • 1980 – Angela Finger-Erben, German journalist
  • 1980 – Teddy Hart, Canadian wrestler
  • 1980 – Oleguer Presas, Spanish footballer
  • 1981 – Emre Aydın, Turkish singer-songwriter
  • 1981 – Michelle Bass, English model and singer
  • 1981 – Salem al-Hazmi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 77 (d. 2001)
  • 1982 – Sergio Castaño Ortega, Spanish footballer
  • 1982 – Kelly Mazzante, American basketball player
  • 1982 – Kan Mi-youn, South Korean singer, model, and host
  • 1983 – Ronny Cedeño, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1983 – Carolina Klüft, Swedish heptathlete and jumper
  • 1983 – Jordin Tootoo, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1983 – Vladimir Voskoboinikov, Estonian footballer
  • 1983 – Alex Westaway, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1984 – Brian Cage, American wrestler
  • 1984 – Mao Miyaji, Japanese actress
  • 1984 – Rudi Wulf, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1985 – Masoud Azizi, Afghan sprinter
  • 1985 – Renn Kiriyama, Japanese actor
  • 1985 – Kristo Saage, Estonian basketball player
  • 1985 – Silvestre Varela, Portuguese footballer
  • 1986 – Gemma Arterton, English actress and singer
  • 1986 – Miwa Asao, Japanese volleyball player
  • 1987 – Anthony Fainga’a, Australian rugby player
  • 1987 – Saia Fainga’a, Australian rugby player
  • 1987 – Faydee, Australian singer
  • 1987 – Athena Imperial, Filipino journalist, Miss Earth-Water 2011
  • 1987 – Mimi Page, American singer-songwriter and composer
  • 1987 – Gerard Piqué, Spanish footballer
  • 1987 – Javon Ringer, American football player
  • 1987 – Jill Scott, English footballer
  • 1987 – Victoria Song, Chinese singer and actress
  • 1987 – Martin Spanjers, American actor and producer
  • 1988 – Zosia Mamet, American actress
  • 1989 – Harrison Smith, American football player
  • 1989 – Southside, American record producer
  • 1991 – Nathan Delfouneso, English footballer
  • 1991 – Gregory Mertens, Belgian footballer (d. 2015)
  • 1991 – Shohei Nanba, Japanese actor
  • 1992 – Lammtarra, American race horse (d. 2014)
  • 1992 – Joonas Tamm, Estonian footballer
  • 1993 – Ravel Morrison, English footballer
  • 1993 – Bobby Decordova-Reid, English born Jamaican international footballer, forward
  • 1995 – Paul Digby, English footballer
  • 1995 – Aleksander Jagiełło, Polish footballer
  • 1995 – Arfa Karim, Pakstani student and computer prodigy (d. 2012)
  • 1996 – Harry Winks, English international footballer, midfielder

Deaths on February 2

  • 619 – Laurence of Canterbury, English archbishop and saint
  • 880 – Bruno, duke of Saxony
  • 1124 – Bořivoj II, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1064)
  • 1218 – Konstantin of Rostov (b. 1186)
  • 1237 – Joan, Lady of Wales
  • 1250 – Eric XI of Sweden (b. 1216)
  • 1294 – Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1229)
  • 1347 – Thomas Bek, Bishop of Lincoln, was the bishop of Lincoln (b. 1282)
  • 1348 – Narymunt, Prince of Pinsk
  • 1435 – Joan II of Naples, Queen of Naples (b. 1371)
  • 1446 – Vittorino da Feltre, Italian humanist (b. 1378)
  • 1448 – Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Egyptian jurist and scholar (b. 1372)
  • 1461 – Owen Tudor, Welsh founder of the Tudor dynasty (b. c. 1400)
  • 1512 – Hatuey, Caribbean tribal chief
  • 1529 – Baldassare Castiglione, Italian soldier and diplomat (b. 1478)
  • 1580 – Bessho Nagaharu, Japanese daimyō (b. 1558)
  • 1594 – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Italian composer and educator (b. 1525)
  • 1648 – George Abbot, English author and politician (b. 1603)
  • 1660 – Gaston, Duke of Orléans (b. 1608)
  • 1660 – Govert Flinck, Dutch painter (b. 1615)
  • 1661 – Lucas Holstenius, German geographer and historian (b. 1596)
  • 1675 – Ivan Belostenec, Croatian linguist and lexicographer (b. 1594)
  • 1688 – Abraham Duquesne, French admiral (b. 1610)
  • 1704 – Guillaume de l’Hôpital, French mathematician and academic (b. 1661)
  • 1712 – Martin Lister, English physician and geologist (b. 1639)
  • 1714 – John Sharp, English archbishop (b. 1643)
  • 1723 – Antonio Maria Valsalva, Italian anatomist and physician (b. 1666)
  • 1768 – Robert Smith, English mathematician and theorist (b. 1689)
  • 1769 – Pope Clement XIII (b. 1693)
  • 1802 – Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip, English politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (b. 1713)
  • 1804 – George Walton, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Georgia (b. 1749)
  • 1831 – Vincenzo Dimech, Maltese sculptor (b. 1768)
  • 1836 – Letizia Ramolino, Italian noblewoman (b. 1750)
  • 1861 – Théophane Vénard, French Catholic missionary (b. 1829)
  • 1881 – Henry Parker, English-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of New South Wales (b. 1808)
  • 1904 – Ernest Cashel, American-Canadian criminal (b. 1882)
  • 1904 – William Collins Whitney, American financier and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1841)
  • 1905 – Henri Germain, French banker and politician, founded Le Crédit Lyonnais (b. 1824)
  • 1907 – Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist and academic (b. 1834)
  • 1909 – Carlo Acton, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1829)
  • 1913 – Gustaf de Laval, Swedish engineer (b. 1845)
  • 1918 – John L. Sullivan, American boxer (b. 1858)
  • 1919 – Julius Kuperjanov, Estonian lieutenant (b. 1894)
  • 1925 – Antti Aarne, Finnish historian and academic (b. 1867)
  • 1925 – Jaap Eden, Dutch speed skater and cyclist (b. 1873)
  • 1926 – Vladimir Sukhomlinov, Russian general and politician (b. 1848)
  • 1932 – Agha Petros, Assyrian general and politician (b. 1880)
  • 1939 – Bernhard Gregory, Estonian-German chess player (b. 1879)
  • 1942 – Ado Birk, Estonian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1883)
  • 1942 – Daniil Kharms, Russian poet and playwright (b. 1905)
  • 1942 – Hugh D. McIntosh, Australian businessman (b. 1876)
  • 1945 – Alfred Delp, German priest and philosopher (b. 1907)
  • 1945 – Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, German economist and politician (b. 1884)
  • 1945 – Johannes Popitz, German lawyer and politician (b. 1884)
  • 1948 – Thomas W. Lamont, American banker and philanthropist (b. 1870)
  • 1948 – Bevil Rudd, South African runner and journalist (b. 1894)
  • 1950 – Constantin Carathéodory, Greek mathematician and academic (b. 1873)
  • 1952 – Callistratus of Georgia, Georgian patriarch (b. 1866)
  • 1954 – Hella Wuolijoki, Estonian-Finnish author and politician (b. 1886)
  • 1956 – Charley Grapewin, American actor (b. 1869)
  • 1956 – Truxtun Hare, American football player and hammer thrower (b. 1878)
  • 1956 – Pyotr Konchalovsky, Russian painter (b. 1876)
  • 1957 – Grigory Landsberg, Russian physicist and academic (b. 1890)
  • 1962 – Shlomo Hestrin, Canadian-Israeli biochemist and academic (b. 1914)
  • 1966 – Hacı Ömer Sabancı, Turkish businessman (b. 1906)
  • 1968 – Tullio Serafin, Italian conductor and director (b. 1878)
  • 1969 – Boris Karloff, English actor (b. 1887)
  • 1970 – Lawrence Gray, American actor (b. 1898)
  • 1970 – Bertrand Russell, English mathematician and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1872)
  • 1972 – Natalie Clifford Barney, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1876)
  • 1973 – Hendrik Elias, Belgian academic and politician, 9th Mayor of Ghent (b. 1902)
  • 1974 – Imre Lakatos, Hungarian-English mathematician and philosopher (b. 1922)
  • 1975 – Gustave Lanctot, Canadian historian and academic (b. 1883)
  • 1979 – Jim Burke, Australian cricketer (b. 1930)
  • 1979 – Sid Vicious, English singer and bass player (b. 1957)
  • 1980 – William Howard Stein, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
  • 1982 – Paul Desruisseaux, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
  • 1983 – Sam Chatmon, American singer and guitarist (b. 1897)
  • 1986 – Anita Cobby, Australian murder victim (b. 1959)
  • 1986 – Gino Hernandez, American wrestler (b. 1957)
  • 1987 – Carlos José Castilho, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1927)
  • 1987 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (b. 1922)
  • 1988 – Marcel Bozzuffi, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
  • 1989 – Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater and coach (b. 1951)
  • 1989 – Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand minister and politician, 30th New Zealand Minister of Finance (b. 1901)
  • 1990 – Paul Ariste, Estonian linguist and academic (b. 1905)
  • 1990 – Joe Erskine, Welsh boxer (b. 1934)
  • 1992 – Bert Parks, American actor, singer, television personality; Miss America telecast presenter (b. 1914)
  • 1993 – François Reichenbach, French director and screenwriter (b. 1921)
  • 1994 – Marija Gimbutas, Lithuanian-American archeologist (b. 1921)
  • 1995 – Thomas Hayward, American tenor and actor (b. 1917)
  • 1995 – Fred Perry, English-Australian tennis player (b. 1909)
  • 1995 – Donald Pleasence, English-French actor (b. 1919)
  • 1996 – Gene Kelly, American actor, singer, dancer, and director (b. 1912)
  • 1997 – Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (b. 1913)
  • 1997 – Sanford Meisner, American actor and coach (b. 1904)
  • 1998 – Haroun Tazieff, German-French geologist and cinematographer (b. 1914)
  • 1999 – David McComb, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)
  • 2002 – Paul Baloff, American singer-songwriter (b. 1960)
  • 2002 – Claude Brown, American author (b. 1937)
  • 2003 – Lou Harrison, American composer and educator (b. 1917)
  • 2004 – Bernard McEveety, American director and producer (b. 1924)
  • 2005 – Birgitte Federspiel, Danish actress (b. 1925)
  • 2005 – Max Schmeling, German boxer (b. 1905)
  • 2007 – Vijay Arora, Indian actor (b. 1944)
  • 2007 – Billy Henderson, American singer (b. 1939)
  • 2007 – Joe Hunter, American pianist (b. 1927)
  • 2007 – Filippo Raciti, Italian police officer (b. 1967)
  • 2007 – Eric Von Schmidt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1931)
  • 2007 – Masao Takemoto, Japanese gymnast (b. 1919)
  • 2008 – Barry Morse, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1918)
  • 2008 – Katoucha Niane, Guinean model and author (b. 1960)
  • 2011 – Edward Amy, Canadian general (b. 1918)
  • 2011 – Defne Joy Foster, Turkish actress (b. 1975)
  • 2011 – Margaret John, Welsh actress (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Joyce Barkhouse, Canadian author (b. 1913)
  • 2012 – Frederick William Danker, American lexicographer and scholar (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – George Esper, American journalist and academic (b. 1932)
  • 2012 – Dorothy Gilman, American author (b. 1923)
  • 2012 – James F. Lloyd, American pilot and politician (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (b. 1961)
  • 2013 – John Kerr, American actor and lawyer (b. 1931)
  • 2013 – Chris Kyle, American soldier and sniper (b. 1974)
  • 2013 – Lino Oviedo, Paraguayan general and politician (b. 1943)
  • 2013 – Pepper Paire, American baseball player (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – P. Shanmugam, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Puducherry (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Walt Sweeney, American football player (b. 1941)
  • 2013 – Guy F. Tozzoli, American architect (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Gerd Albrecht, German conductor (b. 1935)
  • 2014 – Tommy Aquino, American motorcycle racer (b. 1992)
  • 2014 – Nicholas Brooks, English historian (b. 1941)
  • 2014 – Eduardo Coutinho, Brazilian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1933)
  • 2014 – Philip Seymour Hoffman, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1967)
  • 2014 – Luis Raúl, Puerto Rican comedian and actor (b. 1962)
  • 2014 – Bunny Rugs, Jamaican singer (b. 1948)
  • 2014 – Nigel Walker, English footballer (b. 1959)
  • 2015 – Joseph Alfidi, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1949)
  • 2015 – Dave Bergman, American baseball player (b. 1953)
  • 2015 – Andriy Kuzmenko, Ukrainian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1968)
  • 2015 – Molade Okoya-Thomas, Nigerian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (b. 1922)
  • 2015 – The Jacka, American rapper and producer (b. 1977)
  • 2016 – Bob Elliott, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1923)

Holidays and observances on February 2

  • Anniversary of Treaty of Tartu (Estonia)
  • Christian Feast Day:
    • Adalbard
    • Cornelius the Centurion
    • Martyrs of Ebsdorf
    • February 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Constitution Day (Philippines)
  • Day of Youth (Azerbaijan)
  • Earliest day on which Shrove Monday can fall, while March 8 is the latest; celebrated on Monday before Ash Wednesday (Christianity), and its related observances:
    • Bun Day (Iceland)
    • Fastelavn (Denmark/Norway)
    • Nickanan Night (Cornwall)
    • Rosenmontag (Germany)
  • Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple or Candlemas (Western Christianity), and its related observances:
    • A quarter day in the Christian calendar (due to Candlemas). (Scotland)
    • Celebration of Yemanja or Our Lady of Navigators (Candomblé)
    • Le Jour des Crêpes (France)
    • Our Lady of the Candles (Filipino Catholics)
    • Virgin of Candelaria (Tenerife, Spain)
  • Groundhog Day (United States and Canada), and its related observances:
    • Marmot Day (Alaska)
  • Inventor’s Day (Thailand)
  • Trader’s Day (Poland)
  • Victory of the Battle of Stalingrad (Russia)
  • World Wetlands Day

February 2 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

January 29 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 904 – Sergius III is consecrated pope, after coming out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher.
  • 946 – Caliph Al-Mustakfi is blinded and deposed by Emir Mu’izz al-Dawla, ruler of the Buyid Empire. He is succeeded by Al-Muti as caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate.
  • 1258 – First Mongol invasion of Đại Việt: Đại Việt defeats the Mongols at the battle of Đông Bộ Đầu, forcing the Mongols to withdraw from the country.
  • 1814 – War of the Sixth Coalition: France defeats Russia and Prussia in the Battle of Brienne.
  • 1819 – Stamford Raffles lands on the island of Singapore.
  • 1845 – “The Raven” is published in The Evening Mirror in New York, the first publication with the name of the author, Edgar Allan Poe.
  • 1850 – Henry Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850 to the U.S. Congress.
  • 1856 – Queen Victoria issues a Warrant under the Royal sign-manual that establishes the Victoria Cross to recognise acts of valour by British military personnel during the Crimean War.
  • 1861 – Kansas is admitted as the 34th U.S. state.
  • 1863 – The Bear River Massacre: A detachment of California Volunteers led by Colonel Patrick Edward Connor engage the Shoshone at Bear River, Washington Territory, killing hundreds of men, women and children.
  • 1886 – Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile.
  • 1891 – Liliuokalani is proclaimed the last monarch and only queen regnant of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
  • 1907 – Charles Curtis of Kansas becomes the first Native American U.S. Senator.
  • 1911 – Mexican Revolution: Mexicali is captured by the Mexican Liberal Party, igniting the Magonista rebellion of 1911.
  • 1916 – World War I: Paris is first bombed by German zeppelins.
  • 1918 – Ukrainian–Soviet War: The Bolshevik Red Army, on its way to besiege Kiev, is met by a small group of military students at the Battle of Kruty.
  • 1918 – Ukrainian–Soviet War: An armed uprising organized by the Bolsheviks in anticipation of the encroaching Red Army begins at the Kiev Arsenal, which will be put down six days later.
  • 1936 – The first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced.
  • 1940 – Three trains on the Nishinari Line; present Sakurajima Line, in Osaka, Japan, collide and explode while approaching Ajikawaguchi Station. One hundred and eighty-one people are killed.
  • 1941 – Alexandros Koryzis becomes Prime Minister of Greece upon the sudden death of his predecessor, dictator Ioannis Metaxas.
  • 1943 – World War II: The first day of the Battle of Rennell Island, USS Chicago (CA-29) is torpedoed and heavily damaged by Japanese bombers.
  • 1944 – World War II: Approximately 38 people are killed and about a dozen injured when the Polish village of Koniuchy (present-day Kaniūkai, Lithuania) is attacked by Soviet partisan units.
  • 1944 – In Bologna, Italy, the Anatomical theatre of the Archiginnasio is completely destroyed in an air-raid, during the Second World War.
  • 1948 – The Pakistan Socialist Party is founded in Karachi.
  • 1959 – The first Melodifestivalen is held in Cirkus, Stockholm, Sweden.
  • 1963 – The first inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced.
  • 1967 – The “ultimate high” of the hippie era, the Mantra-Rock Dance, takes place in San Francisco and features Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, and Allen Ginsberg.
  • 1980 – The Rubik’s Cube makes its international debut at the Ideal Toy Corp. in Earl’s Court, London.
  • 1989 – Cold War: Hungary establishes diplomatic relations with South Korea, making it the first Eastern Bloc nation to do so.
  • 1991 – Gulf War: The Battle of Khafji, the first major ground engagement of the war, as well as its deadliest, begins.
  • 1996 – President Jacques Chirac announces a “definitive end” to French nuclear weapons testing.
  • 2001 – Thousands of student protesters in Indonesia storm parliament and demand that President Abdurrahman Wahid resign due to alleged involvement in corruption scandals.
  • 2002 – In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush describes “regimes that sponsor terror” as an Axis of evil, in which he includes Iraq, Iran and North Korea.
  • 2005 – The first direct commercial flights from mainland China (from Guangzhou) to Taiwan since 1949 arrived in Taipei. Shortly afterwards, a China Airlines flight lands in Beijing.
  • 2009 – The Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt rules that people who do not adhere to one of the three government-recognised religions, while not allowed to list any belief outside of those three, are still eligible to receive government identity documents.
  • 2009 – Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich is removed from office following his conviction of several corruption charges, including the alleged solicitation of personal benefit in exchange for an appointment to the United States Senate as a replacement for then-U.S. president-elect Barack Obama.
  • 2013 – SCAT Airlines Flight 760 crashes near the Kazakh city of Almaty, killing 21 people.
  • 2013 – Alabama bunker hostage crisis: After shooting and killing of school bus driver, 66 years old Charles Albert Poland, Jr, by 65 year old Vietnam War era veteran, Jimmy Lee Dykes.
  • 2017 – Quebec City mosque shooting: Alexandre Bissonnette opens fire at mosque in Sainte-Foy, Quebec, killing six and wounding 19 others in a spree shooting.

Births on January 29

  • 919 – Shi Zong, emperor of the Liao Dynasty (d. 951)
  • 1455 – Johann Reuchlin, German-born humanist and scholar (d. 1522)
  • 1475 – Giuliano Bugiardini, Italian painter (d. 1555)
  • 1499 – Katharina von Bora, wife of Martin Luther; formerly a Roman Catholic nun (d. 1552)
  • 1525 – Lelio Sozzini, Italian humanist and reformer (d. 1562)
  • 1584 – Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (d. 1647)
  • 1591 – Franciscus Junius, pioneer of Germanic philology (d. 1677)
  • 1602 – Countess Amalie Elisabeth of Hanau-Münzenberg (d. 1651)
  • 1632 – Johann Georg Graevius, German scholar and critic (d. 1703)
  • 1650 – Juan de Galavís, Spanish Roman Catholic archbishop of Santo Domingo and Bogotá (d. 1739)
  • 1688 – Emanuel Swedenborg, Swedish astronomer, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1772)
  • 1711 – Giuseppe Bonno, Austrian composer (d. 1788)
  • 1715 – Georg Christoph Wagenseil, Austrian organist and composer (d. 1777)
  • 1717 – Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, English field marshal and politician, 19th Governor General of Canada (d. 1797)
  • 1718 – Paul Rabaut, French pastor (d. 1794)
  • 1737 – Thomas Paine, prominent for publishing Common Sense (1776), which established him as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States (d. 1809)
  • 1749 – Christian VII of Denmark (d. 1808)
  • 1754 – Moses Cleaveland, American general, lawyer, and politician, founded Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1806)
  • 1756 – Henry Lee III, American general and politician, 9th Governor of Virginia (d. 1818)
  • 1761 – Albert Gallatin, Swiss-American ethnologist, linguist, and politician, 4th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1849)
  • 1782 – Daniel Auber, French composer (d. 1871)
  • 1801 – Johannes Bernardus van Bree, Dutch violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1857)
  • 1810 – Ernst Kummer, Polish-German mathematician and academic (d. 1893)
  • 1810 – Mary Whitwell Hale, American teacher, school founder, and hymnwriter (d. 1862)
  • 1843 – William McKinley, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 25th President of the United States (d. 1901)
  • 1846 – Karol Olszewski, Polish chemist, mathematician, and physicist (d. 1915)
  • 1852 – Frederic Hymen Cowen, Jamaican-English pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1935)
  • 1858 – Henry Ward Ranger, American painter and academic (d. 1916)
  • 1860 – Anton Chekhov, Russian playwright and short story writer (d. 1904)
  • 1861 – Florida Ruffin Ridley, African-American civil rights activist, teacher, editor, and writer (d. 1943)
  • 1862 – Frederick Delius, English composer (d. 1934)
  • 1866 – Julio Peris Brell, Spanish painter (d. 1944)
  • 1866 – Romain Rolland, French historian, author, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1944)
  • 1867 – Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, Spanish journalist and author (d. 1928)
  • 1870 – Süleyman Nazif, Turkish poet and civil servant (d. 1927)
  • 1874 – John D. Rockefeller, Jr., American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1960)
  • 1876 – Havergal Brian, English composer (d. 1972)
  • 1877 – Georges Catroux, French general and diplomat (d. 1969)
  • 1880 – W. C. Fields, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (d. 1946)
  • 1881 – Alice Catherine Evans, American microbiologist (d. 1975)
  • 1884 – Juhan Aavik, Estonian-Swedish composer and conductor (d. 1982)
  • 1888 – Sydney Chapman, English mathematician and geophysicist (d. 1970)
  • 1888 – Wellington Koo, Chinese statesman (d. 1985)
  • 1891 – Elizaveta Gerdt, Russian ballerina and educator (d. 1975)
  • 1891 – R. Norris Williams, Swiss-American tennis player and banker (d. 1968)
  • 1892 – Ernst Lubitsch, German American film director, producer, writer, and actor (d. 1947)
  • 1895 – Muna Lee, American poet and author (d. 1965)
  • 1901 – Allen B. DuMont, American engineer and broadcaster, founded the DuMont Television Network (d. 1965)
  • 1901 – E. P. Taylor, Canadian businessman and horse breeder (d. 1989)
  • 1903 – Yeshayahu Leibowitz, Russian-Israeli biochemist and philosopher (d. 1994)
  • 1905 – Barnett Newman, American painter and etcher (d. 1970)
  • 1906 – Joe Primeau, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1989)
  • 1913 – Victor Mature, American actor (d. 1999)
  • 1915 – Bill Peet, American author and illustrator (d. 2002)
  • 1915 – John Serry Sr., Italian-American concert accordionist and composer (d.2003)
  • 1917 – John Raitt, American actor and singer (d. 2005)
  • 1918 – John Forsythe, American actor (d. 2010)
  • 1921 – Geraldine Pittman Woods, American science administrator and embryologist (d. 1999)
  • 1923 – Jack Burke Jr., American golfer
  • 1923 – Paddy Chayefsky, American author and screenwriter (d. 1981)
  • 1926 – Abdus Salam, Pakistani-British physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
  • 1926 – Amelita Ramos, 11th First Lady of the Philippines
  • 1927 – Edward Abbey, American environmentalist and author (d. 1989)
  • 1929 – Elio Petri, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 1982)
  • 1929 – Joseph Kruskal, American mathematician and computer scientist (d. 2010)
  • 1931 – Leslie Bricusse, English playwright and composer
  • 1931 – Ferenc Mádl, Hungarian academic and politician, 2nd President of Hungary (d. 2011)
  • 1932 – Raman Subba Row, English cricketer and referee
  • 1932 – Tommy Taylor, English footballer (d. 1958)
  • 1933 – Sacha Distel, French singer and guitarist (d. 2004)
  • 1934 – Branko Miljković, Serbian poet and academic (d. 1961)
  • 1936 – Veturi Sundararama Murthy, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 2010)
  • 1937 – Hassan Habibi, Iranian lawyer and politician, 1st Vice President of Iran (d. 2013)
  • 1937 – Bobby Scott, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 1990)
  • 1939 – Germaine Greer, Australian journalist and author
  • 1940 – Katharine Ross, American actress and author
  • 1940 – Kunimitsu Takahashi, Japanese motorcycle racer and race car driver
  • 1941 – Robin Morgan, American actress, journalist, and author
  • 1943 – Tony Blackburn, English radio and television host
  • 1943 – Pat Quinn, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2014)
  • 1944 – Andrew Loog Oldham, English record producer and manager
  • 1944 – Patrick Lipton Robinson, Jamaican lawyer and judge
  • 1944 – Pauline van der Wildt, Dutch swimmer
  • 1945 – Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, Malian academic and politician, Prime Minister of Mali
  • 1945 – Jim Nicholson, Northern Irish politician
  • 1945 – Tom Selleck, American actor and businessman
  • 1946 – Bettye LaVette, American singer-songwriter
  • 1947 – Linda B. Buck, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1947 – David Byron, English singer-songwriter (d. 1985)
  • 1947 – Marián Varga, Slovak organist and composer
  • 1948 – Raymond Keene, English chess player and author
  • 1949 – doris davenport, American poet and teacher
  • 1949 – Evgeny Lovchev, Russian footballer and manager
  • 1949 – Tommy Ramone, Hungarian-American drummer and producer (d. 2014)
  • 1950 – Ann Jillian, American actress and singer
  • 1950 – Jody Scheckter, South African race car driver and sportscaster
  • 1951 – Fereydoon Forooghi, Iranian singer-songwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1951 – Andy Roberts, Caribbean cricketer
  • 1953 – Peter Baumann, German keyboard player and songwriter
  • 1953 – Charlie Wilson, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1953 – Teresa Teng, Taiwanese singer (d. 1995)
  • 1954 – Christian Bjelland IV, Norwegian businessman and art collector
  • 1954 – Terry Kinney, American actor and director
  • 1954 – Oprah Winfrey, American talk show host, actress, and producer, founded Harpo Productions
  • 1956 – Jan Jakub Kolski, Polish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer
  • 1957 – Philippe Dintrans, French rugby player
  • 1957 – Ron Franscell, American author and journalist
  • 1957 – Grażyna Miller, Italian journalist and poet
  • 1959 – Mike Foligno, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1960 – Gia Carangi, American supermodel (d. 1986)
  • 1960 – Greg Louganis, American diver and author
  • 1961 – Petra Thümer, German swimmer and photographer
  • 1962 – Nicholas Turturro, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1964 – John Anthony Gallagher, English-New Zealand rugby player
  • 1965 – Dominik Hašek, Czech ice hockey player
  • 1965 – Peter Lundgren, Swedish tennis player and coach
  • 1966 – Romário, Brazilian footballer, manager, and politician
  • 1967 – Stacey King, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Edward Burns, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1968 – Susi Erdmann, German luger and bobsledder
  • 1970 – Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Indian colonel and politician
  • 1970 – Heather Graham, American actress
  • 1970 – Jörg Hoffmann, German swimmer
  • 1970 – Paul Ryan, American economist and politician, 62nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
  • 1970 – Mohammed Yusuf, Nigerian Islamist leader, founded Boko Haram (d. 2009)
  • 1975 – Sara Gilbert, American actress, producer, and talk show host
  • 1980 – Ivan Klasnic, German-Croatian footballer
  • 1982 – Adam Lambert, American singer, songwriter and actor
  • 1984 – Natalie du Toit, South African swimmer
  • 1984 – Nuno Morais, Portuguese footballer
  • 1985 – Marc Gasol, Spanish basketball player
  • 1987 – José Abreu, Cuban baseball player
  • 1988 – Tatyana Chernova, Russian heptathlete
  • 1988 – Shay Logan, English footballer
  • 1988 – Aydın Yılmaz, Turkish footballer
  • 1989 – Kevin Shattenkirk, American ice hockey player
  • 1993 – Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Japanese singer

Deaths on January 29

  • 661 – Ali, cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad (b. 601)
  • 702 – Princess Ōku of Japan (b. 661)
  • 757 – An Lushan, Chinese general (b. 703)
  • 870 – Salih ibn Wasif, Muslim general
  • 1119 – Pope Gelasius II (b. 1060)
  • 1327 – Adolf, Count Palatine of the Rhine (b. 1300)
  • 1465 – Louis, Duke of Savoy (b. 1413)
  • 1597 – Elias Ammerbach, German organist and composer (b. 1530)
  • 1608 – Frederick I, Duke of Württemberg (b. 1557)
  • 1647 – Francis Meres, English priest and author (b. 1565)
  • 1678 – Jerónimo Lobo, Portuguese missionary and author (b. 1593)
  • 1706 – Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset, English poet and courtier (b. 1638)
  • 1737 – George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, Scottish-English field marshal and politician, Colonial Governor of Virginia (b. 1666)
  • 1743 – André-Hercule de Fleury, French cardinal (b. 1653)
  • 1763 – Louis Racine, French poet (b. 1692)
  • 1820 – George III of the United Kingdom (b. 1738)
  • 1829 – Paul François Jean Nicolas, vicomte de Barras, French captain and politician (b. 1755)
  • 1829 – István Pauli, Hungarian-Slovenian priest and poet (b. 1760)
  • 1870 – Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1797)
  • 1871 – Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé, Canadian author (b. 1786)
  • 1888 – Edward Lear, English poet and illustrator (b. 1812)
  • 1899 – Alfred Sisley, French-English painter (b. 1839)
  • 1906 – Christian IX of Denmark (b. 1818)
  • 1928 – Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, Scottish field marshal (b. 1861)
  • 1931 – Henri Mathias Berthelot, French general during World War I (b. 1861)
  • 1933 – Sara Teasdale, American poet (b. 1884)
  • 1934 – Fritz Haber, Polish-German chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1868)
  • 1941 – Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and politician, 130th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1871)
  • 1944 – William Allen White, American journalist and author (b. 1868)
  • 1946 – Harry Hopkins, American businessman and politician, 8th United States Secretary of Commerce (b. 1890)
  • 1948 – Prince Aimone, Duke of Aosta (b. 1900)
  • 1950 – Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1885)
  • 1951 – Frank Tarrant, Australian cricketer and umpire (b. 1880)
  • 1956 – H. L. Mencken, American journalist and critic (b. 1880)
  • 1959 – Winifred Brunton, South African painter and illustrator (b. 1880)
  • 1962 – Fritz Kreisler, Austrian-American violinist and composer (b. 1875)
  • 1963 – Robert Frost, American poet and playwright (b. 1874)
  • 1964 – Alan Ladd, American actor (b. 1913)
  • 1969 – Allen Welsh Dulles, American banker, lawyer, and diplomat, 5th Director of Central Intelligence (b. 1893)
  • 1970 – B. H. Liddell Hart, French-English soldier, historian, and journalist (b. 1895)
  • 1977 – Freddie Prinze, American comedian and actor (b. 1954)
  • 1978 – Frank Nicklin, Australian politician, 28th Premier of Queensland (b. 1895)
  • 1980 – Jimmy Durante, American entertainer (b. 1893)
  • 1991 – Yasushi Inoue, Japanese author and poet (b. 1907)
  • 1992 – Willie Dixon, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1915)
  • 1993 – Adetokunbo Ademola, Nigerian lawyer and jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of Nigeria (b. 1906)
  • 1994 – Ulrike Maier, Austrian skier (b. 1967)
  • 1999 – Lili St. Cyr, American model and dancer (b. 1918)
  • 2002 – Harold Russell, Canadian-American soldier and actor (b. 1914)
  • 2003 – Frank Moss, American lawyer and politician (b. 1911)
  • 2004 – Janet Frame, New Zealand author and poet (b. 1924)
  • 2005 – Ephraim Kishon, Israeli author, screenwriter, and director (b. 1924)
  • 2006 – Nam June Paik, South Korean-American artist, (b. 1932)
  • 2008 – Bengt Lindström, Swedish painter and sculptor (b. 1925)
  • 2008 – Margaret Truman, American singer and author (b. 1924)
  • 2009 – Hélio Gracie, Brazilian martial artist (b. 1913)
  • 2011 – Milton Babbitt, American composer, educator, and theorist (b. 1916)
  • 2012 – Ranjit Singh Dyal, Indian general and politician, 10th Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Italian lawyer and politician, 9th President of Italy (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – Camilla Williams, American soprano and educator (b. 1919)
  • 2014 – François Cavanna, French journalist and author (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Colleen McCullough, Australian neuroscientist, author, and academic (b. 1937)
  • 2015 – Rod McKuen, American singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1933)
  • 2015 – Alexander Vraciu, American commander and pilot (b. 1918)
  • 2016 – Jean-Marie Doré, Guinean lawyer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Guinea (b. 1938)
  • 2016 – Jacques Rivette, French director, screenwriter, and critic (b. 1928)
  • 2019 – George Fernandes, Indian politician (b. 1930)
  • 2019 – James Ingram, American musician (b. 1952)

Holidays and observances on January 29

  • Christian feast day:
    • Andrei Rublev (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Aquilinus of Milan
    • Constantius of Perugia
    • Dallán Forgaill
    • Gildas
    • Juniper
    • Sabinian of Troyes
    • Sulpitius I of Bourges
    • Valerius of Trèves
    • January 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Fat Thursday can fall, while March 4 is the latest; celebrated on Thursday before Ash Wednesday. (Christianity)
  • Kansas Day (Kansas, United States)

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