1710

  • March 12- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.
    • 1622 – Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, founders of the Society of Jesus, are canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.
    • 1689 – James II of England landed at Kinsale, starting the Williamite War in Ireland.
    • 1811 – Peninsular War: A day after a successful rearguard action, French Marshal Michel Ney once again successfully delays the pursuing Anglo-Portuguese force at the Battle of Redinha.
    • 1912 – The Girl Guides (later renamed the Girl Scouts of the USA) are founded in the United States.
    • 1913 – The future capital of Australia is officially named Canberra.
    • 1918 – Moscow becomes the capital of Russia again after Saint Petersburg held this status for most of the period since 1713.
    • 1920 – The Kapp Putsch begins when the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt is ordered to march on Berlin.
    • 1928 – In California, the St. Francis Dam fails; the resulting floods kill 431 people.
    • 1930 – Mahatma Gandhi begins the Salt March, a 200-mile march to the sea to protest the British monopoly on salt in India.
    • 1933 – Great Depression: Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses the nation for the first time as President of the United States. This is also the first of his “fireside chats”.
    • 1938 – Anschluss: German troops occupy and absorb Austria.
    • 1940 – Winter War: Finland signs the Moscow Peace Treaty with the Soviet Union, ceding almost all of Finnish Karelia.
    • 1942 – The Battle of Java ends with the surrender of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command to the Japanese Empire in Bandung, West Java, Dutch East Indies.
    • 1947 – Cold War: The Truman Doctrine is proclaimed to help stem the spread of Communism.
    • 1950 – The Llandow air disaster kills 80 people when the aircraft they are travelling in crashes near Sigingstone, Wales. At the time this was the world’s deadliest air disaster.
    • 1967 – Suharto takes power from Sukarno when the People’s Consultative Assembly inaugurate him as Acting President of Indonesia.
    • 1968 – Mauritius achieves independence from the United Kingdom.
    • 1971 – The 1971 Turkish military memorandum is sent to the Süleyman Demirel government of Turkey and the government resigns.
    • 1989 – Sir Tim Berners-Lee submits his proposal to CERN for an information management system, which subsequently develops into the world wide web.
    • 1992 – Mauritius becomes a republic while remaining a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
    • 1993 – Several bombs explode in Mumbai, India, killing about 300 people and injuring hundreds more.
    • 1993 – North Korea announces that it will withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and refuses to allow inspectors access to its nuclear sites.
    • 1999 – Former Warsaw Pact members the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland join NATO.
    • 2003 – Zoran Đinđić, Prime Minister of Serbia, is assassinated in Belgrade.
    • 2003 – The World Health Organization officially release a global warning of outbreaks of Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
    • 2004 – The President of South Korea, Roh Moo-hyun, is impeached by its National Assembly: the first such impeachment in the nation’s history.
    • 2009 – Financier Bernard Madoff pleads guilty to one of the largest frauds in Wall Street’s history.
    • 2011 – A reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant explodes and releases radioactivity into the atmosphere a day after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
    • 2014 – A gas explosion in the New York City neighborhood of East Harlem kills eight and injures 70 others.
    • 2019 – In the House of Commons, the revised EU Withdrawal Bill was rejected by a margin of 149 votes.

    Births on March 12

    • 1270 – Charles, Count of Valois (d. 1325)
    • 1515 – Caspar Othmayr, German Lutheran pastor and composer (d. 1553)
    • 1607 – Paul Gerhardt, German poet and composer (d. 1676)
    • 1613 – André Le Nôtre, French gardener and architect (d. 1700)
    • 1626 – John Aubrey, English historian and philosopher (d. 1697)
    • 1637 – Anne Hyde, Duchess of York and Albany (d. 1671)
    • 1672 – Richard Steele, Irish-Welsh journalist and politician (d. 1729)
    • 1685 – George Berkeley, Irish bishop and philosopher (d. 1753)
    • 1710 – Thomas Arne, English composer (d. 1778)
    • 1735 – François-Emmanuel Guignard, comte de Saint-Priest, French politician and diplomat (d. 1821)
    • 1753 – Jean Denis, French politician, lawyer, jurist, journalist, and historian (d. 1827)
    • 1766 – Claudius Buchanan, Scottish theologian (d. 1815)
    • 1781 – Frederica of Baden, Queen consort to Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden (d. 1826)
    • 1784 – William Buckland, English geologist and paleontologist; Dean of Westminster (d. 1856)
    • 1795 – William Lyon Mackenzie, Scottish-Canadian journalist and politician, 1st Mayor of Toronto (d. 1861)
    • 1795 – George Tyler Wood, American military officer and politician (d. 1858)
    • 1806 – Jane Pierce, American wife of Franklin Pierce, 15th First Lady of the United States (d. 1863)
    • 1807 – James Abbott, Indian Army officer (d. 1896)
    • 1815 – Louis-Jules Trochu, French military leader and politician (d. 1896)
    • 1821 – John Abbott, Canadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1893)
    • 1821 – Medo Pucić, Croatian writer and politician (d. 1882)
    • 1823 – Katsu Kaishū, Japanese statesman (d. 1899)
    • 1824 – Gustav Kirchhoff, Russian-German physicist and academic (d. 1887)
    • 1832 – Charles Boycott, English farmer and agent (d. 1897)
    • 1834 – Hilary A. Herbert, Secretary of the Navy (d. 1919)
    • 1835 – Simon Newcomb, Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician (d. 1909)
    • 1837 – Alexandre Guilmant, French organist and composer (d. 1911)
    • 1838 – William Henry Perkin, English chemist and academic (d. 1907)
    • 1843 – Gabriel Tarde, French sociologist and criminologist (d. 1904)
    • 1855 – Eduard Birnbaum, Polish-born German cantor (d. 1920)
    • 1857 – William V. Ranous, American actor and director (d. 1915)
    • 1858 – Adolph Ochs, American publisher (d. 1935)
    • 1859 – Ernesto Cesàro, Italian mathematician (d. 1906)
    • 1860 – Eric Stenbock, Estonian poet and author (d. 1895)
    • 1863 – Gabriele D’Annunzio, Italian soldier, journalist, poet, and playwright (d. 1938)
    • 1863 – Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian and Ukrainian mineralogist and chemist (d. 1945)
    • 1864 – W. H. R. Rivers, English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist, and psychiatrist (d. 1922)
    • 1874 – Edmund Eysler, Austrian composer (d. 1949)
    • 1877 – Wilhelm Frick, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of the Interior (d. 1946)
    • 1878 – Gemma Galgani, Italian mystic and saint (d. 1903)
    • 1880 – Henry Drysdale Dakin, English-American chemist and academic (d. 1952)
    • 1881 – Väinö Tanner, Finnish politician of Social Democratic Party of Finland (d. 1966)
    • 1882 – Carlos Blanco Galindo, Bolivian politician (d. 1943)
    • 1883 – Sándor Jávorka, Hungarian botanist (d. 1961)
    • 1888 – Walter Hermann Bucher, German-American geologist and paleontologist (d. 1965)
    • 1888 – Hans Knappertsbusch, German conductor (d. 1965)
    • 1890 – Evert Taube, Swedish singer-songwriter and lute player (d. 1976)
    • 1896 – Jesse Fuller, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 1976)
    • 1898 – Tian Han, Chinese playwright (d. 1968)
    • 1898 – Luitpold Steidle, German army officer and politician (d. 1984)
    • 1899 – Ramón Muttis, Argentine footballer (d. 1955)
    • 1900 – Rinus van den Berge, Dutch athlete (d. 1972)
    • 1900 – Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, 19th President of Colombia (d. 1975)
    • 1904 – Lyudmila Keldysh, Russian mathematician (d. 1976)
    • 1905 – Takashi Shimura, Japanese actor (d. 1982)
    • 1907 – Dorrit Hoffleit, American astronomer and academic (d. 2007)
    • 1908 – Rita Angus, New Zealand painter (d. 1970)
    • 1908 – David Marshall, Singaporean lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Singapore (d. 1995)
    • 1909 – Petras Cvirka, Lithuanian author (d. 1947)
    • 1910 – Masayoshi Ōhira, Japanese politician, 68th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1980)
    • 1910 – László Lékai, Archbishop of Esztergom and Cardinal (d. 1986)
    • 1911 – Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Mexican academic and politician, 49th President of Mexico (d. 1979)
    • 1912 – Willie Hall, English international footballer (d. 1967)
    • 1912 – Irving Layton, Romanian-Canadian poet and academic (d. 2006)
    • 1913 – Yashwantrao Chavan, Indian politician, 5th Deputy Prime Minister of India (d. 1984)
    • 1913 – Agathe von Trapp, Hungarian-American singer and author (d. 2010)
    • 1915 – Alberto Burri, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1995)
    • 1915 – Jiří Mucha, Czech journalist (d. 1991)
    • 1917 – Leonard Chess, American record company executive, co-founder of Chess Records (d. 1969)
    • 1917 – Millard Kaufman, American author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
    • 1917 – Googie Withers, Indian-Australian actress (d. 2011)
    • 1918 – Pádraig Faulkner, Irish Fianna Fáil politician (d. 2012)
    • 1918 – Elaine de Kooning, American painter and academic (d. 1989)
    • 1921 – Gianni Agnelli, Italian businessman (d. 2001)
    • 1921 – Gordon MacRae, American actor and singer (d. 1986)
    • 1922 – Jack Kerouac, American author and poet (d. 1969)
    • 1922 – Lane Kirkland, American sailor and union leader (d. 1999)
    • 1923 – Hjalmar Andersen, Norwegian speed skater and cyclist (d. 2013)
    • 1923 – Norbert Brainin, Austrian violinist (d. 2005)
    • 1923 – Wally Schirra, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2007)
    • 1923 – Mae Young, American wrestler (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Leo Esaki, Japanese physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1925 – Harry Harrison, American author and illustrator (d. 2012)
    • 1926 – George Ariyoshi, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Hawaii
    • 1926 – Arthur A. Hartman, American career diplomat (d. 2015)
    • 1926 – John Clellon Holmes, American author and professor (d. 1988)
    • 1926 – David Nadien, American violinist (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Raúl Alfonsín, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 46th President of Argentina (d. 2009)
    • 1927 – Emmett Leith, professor of electrical engineering and co-inventor of three-dimensional holography (d. 2005)
    • 1927 – Sudharmono, 5th Vice President of Indonesia (d. 2006)
    • 1928 – Edward Albee, American director and playwright (d. 2016)
    • 1929 – Win Tin, Burmese journalist and politician, co-founded the National League for Democracy (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Antony Acland, British former diplomat and Provost of Eton College
    • 1931 – Józef Tischner, Polish priest and philosopher (d. 2000)
    • 1932 – Bob Houbregs, Canadian basketball player (d. 2014)
    • 1932 – Andrew Young, American pastor and politician, 14th United States Ambassador to the United Nations
    • 1933 – Myrna Fahey, American actress (d. 1973)
    • 1933 – Barbara Feldon, American actress
    • 1934 – Francisco J. Ayala, Spanish-American evolutionary biologist and philosopher
    • 1936 – Virginia Hamilton, American children’s books author (d. 2002)
    • 1936 – Michał Heller, Polish professor of philosophy
    • 1936 – Eddie Sutton, American basketball player and coach
    • 1937 – Zoltán Horvath, Hungarian sabre fencer
    • 1937 – Zurab Sotkilava, Georgian operatic tenor (d. 2017)
    • 1938 – Vladimir Msryan, Armenian actor, (d. 2010)
    • 1938 – Johnny Rutherford, American race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1938 – Juan Horacio Suárez, Argentine bishop
    • 1940 – Al Jarreau, American singer (d. 2017)
    • 1941 – Josip Skoblar, former Croatian footballer
    • 1942 – Jimmy Wynn, American baseball player (d. 2020)
    • 1943 – Ratko Mladić, Serbian general
    • 1944 – Erwin Mueller, former American basketball player (d. 2018)
    • 1945 – Anne Summers, Australian feminist writer, editor, publisher and public servant
    • 1946 – Dean Cundey, American cinematographer and film director
    • 1946 – Liza Minnelli, American actress, singer and dancer
    • 1946 – Frank Welker, American voice actor and singer
    • 1947 – Peter Harry Carstensen, German educator and politician
    • 1947 – Jan-Erik Enestam, Finland-Swedish politician
    • 1947 – David Rigert, Soviet Olympic weightlifter
    • 1947 – Mitt Romney, American businessman and politician, 70th Governor of Massachusetts
    • 1948 – Virginia Bottomley, Scottish social worker and politician, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
    • 1948 – Kent Conrad, American politician
    • 1948 – James Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1949 – Rob Cohen, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1949 – David Mellor, British politician
    • 1950 – Javier Clemente, Spanish footballer and manager
    • 1952 – André Comte-Sponville, French philosopher
    • 1952 – Yasuhiko Okudera, former Japanese footballer
    • 1952 – John Mitchell, English footballer, forward
    • 1953 – Pavel Pinigin, former Soviet wrestler and Olympic champion
    • 1954 – Anish Kapoor, Indian-English sculptor
    • 1956 – Ove Aunli, former Norwegian cross-country skier
    • 1956 – Stanisław Bobak, Polish ski jumper (d. 2010)
    • 1956 – Steve Harris, English bass player and songwriter
    • 1956 – Lesley Manville, English actress
    • 1956 – Dale Murphy, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1956 – Pim Verbeek, Dutch football manager (d. 2019)
    • 1957 – Patrick Battiston, French footballer and coach
    • 1957 – Marlon Jackson, American singer-songwriter and dancer
    • 1957 – Andrey Lopatov, Soviet basketball player
    • 1958 – Phil Anderson, English-Australian cyclist
    • 1959 – Milorad Dodik, Bosnian Serb politician and president of Republika Srpska
    • 1959 – Luenell, American comedian and actress
    • 1959 – Michael Walter, German luger (d. 2016)
    • 1960 – Jason Beghe, American actor
    • 1960 – Courtney B. Vance, American actor and painter
    • 1961 – Titus Welliver, American actor
    • 1962 – Julia Campbell, American actress
    • 1962 – Andreas Köpke, former German footballer
    • 1962 – Chris Sanders, American illustrator and voice actor
    • 1962 – Darryl Strawberry, American baseball player and minister
    • 1963 – John Andretti, American race car driver (d. 2020)
    • 1963 – Candy Costie, American swimmer
    • 1963 – Joaquim Cruz, Brazilian runner and coach
    • 1963 – Reiner Gies, German boxer
    • 1963 – Ian Holloway, English footballer and manager
    • 1963 – Paul Way, English golfer
    • 1964 – Dieter Eckstein, retired German footballer
    • 1964 – Umirzak Shukeyev, Kazakh chairman of Samruk-Kazyna
    • 1965 – Steve Finley, American baseball player
    • 1965 – Ivari Padar, former Minister of Finance and Minister of Agriculture of the Estonian Social Democratic Party
    • 1966 – David Daniels, American countertenor
    • 1966 – Grant Long, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1967 – Julio Dely Valdés, Panamanian footballer and manager
    • 1968 – Tammy Duckworth, Thai-American colonel, pilot, and politician
    • 1968 – Aaron Eckhart, American actor and producer
    • 1969 – Graham Coxon, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1969 – Jake Tapper, American journalist and author
    • 1970 – Karen Bradley, British politician
    • 1970 – Dave Eggers, American author and screenwriter
    • 1970 – Mathias Grönberg, Swedish golfer
    • 1970 – Rex Walters, American basketball player and coach
    • 1971 – Isaiah Rider, American basketball player and rapper
    • 1971 – Dragutin Topić, Serbian high jumper
    • 1972 – Doron Sheffer, Israeli basketball player
    • 1974 – Charles Akonnor, former Ghanaian footballer
    • 1974 – Walid Badir, former Israeli footballer
    • 1975 – Nicolae Grigore, former Romanian footballer
    • 1975 – Edgaras Jankauskas, former Lithuanian footballer
    • 1975 – Srđan Pecelj, Bosnian footballer
    • 1976 – Deron Quint, American ice hockey defenseman
    • 1976 – Zhao Wei, Chinese actress, film director, producer and pop singer
    • 1977 – Michelle Burgher, track and field athlete
    • 1977 – Ramiro Corrales, American soccer player
    • 1977 – Amdy Faye, former Senegalese footballer
    • 1977 – Brent Johnson, American ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Casey Mears, American race car driver
    • 1978 – Marco Ferreira, Portuguese footballer
    • 1978 – Arina Tanemura, Japanese author and illustrator
    • 1979 – Rhys Coiro, American actor
    • 1979 – Pete Doherty, English musician, songwriter, actor, poet, writer, and artist
    • 1979 – Jamie Dwyer, Australian field hockey player and coach
    • 1979 – Gerard López, former Spanish footballer
    • 1979 – Ben Sandford, New Zealand skeleton racer
    • 1979 – Tim Wieskötter, German sprint canoer
    • 1979 – Edwin Villafuerte, Ecuadorian goalkeeper
    • 1980 – Césinha, Brazilian footballer
    • 1980 – Becky Holliday, American pole vaulter
    • 1980 – Jens Mouris, Dutch cyclist
    • 1980 – Douglas Murray, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Kenta Kobayashi, Japanese wrestler and kick-boxer
    • 1981 – Katarina Srebotnik, Slovenian tennis player
    • 1981 – Holly Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1982 – Lili Bordán, Hungarian-American actress
    • 1982 – Samm Levine, American actor and comedian
    • 1982 – Ilya Nikulin, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Hisato Satō, Japanese footballer
    • 1982 – Yūto Satō, Japanese footballer
    • 1982 – Tobias Schweinsteiger, German footballer
    • 1983 – Atif Aslam, Pakistani singer and actor
    • 1984 – Shreya Ghoshal, Indian singer
    • 1984 – Jaimie Alexander, American actress
    • 1985 – Marco Bonanomi, Italian racing driver
    • 1985 – Aleksandr Bukharov, Russian footballer
    • 1985 – Ed Clancy, English track and road cyclist
    • 1985 – Andriy Tovt, Ukrainian footballer
    • 1986 – Martynas Andriuškevičius, Lithuanian basketball player
    • 1986 – Oleh Dopilka, Ukrainian footballer
    • 1986 – Danny Jones, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
    • 1986 – Ben Offereins, Australian runner
    • 1986 – František Rajtoral, Czech footballer (d. 2017)
    • 1987 – Manuele Boaro, Italian cyclist
    • 1987 – Jessica Hardy, American swimmer
    • 1987 – Maxwell Holt, American volleyball player
    • 1987 – Teimour Radjabov, Azerbaijani chess player
    • 1987 – Chris Seitz, American soccer player
    • 1987 – Vadim Shipachyov, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Pablo Velázquez, Paraguayan footballer
    • 1988 – Sebastian Brendel, German canoe racer
    • 1988 – Kostas Mitroglou, Greek footballer
    • 1988 – Cristian Chagas Tarouco, Brazilian footballer
    • 1989 – Jordan Adéoti, French footballer
    • 1989 – Vytautas Černiauskas, Lithuanian footballer
    • 1989 – Tyler Clary, former American swimmer
    • 1989 – Richard Eckersley, English footballer
    • 1989 – Chen Jianghua, Chinese basketball player
    • 1989 – Siim Luts, Estonian footballer
    • 1990 – Alexander Kröckel, German skeleton racer
    • 1990 – Irakli Kvekveskiri, Georgian footballer
    • 1990 – Dawid Kubacki, Polish ski jumper
    • 1990 – Matias Myttynen, Finnish ice hockey player
    • 1990 – Ilija Nestorovski, Macedonian footballer
    • 1990 – Milena Raičević, Montenegrin handballer
    • 1990 – Mikko Sumusalo, Finnish footballer
    • 1991 – Felix Kroos, German footballer
    • 1991 – Niclas Heimann, German footballer
    • 1991 – Leandro Fernandez, Argentine footballer
    • 1992 – Daniele Baselli, Italian footballer
    • 1992 – Jordan Ferri, French footballer
    • 1992 – Ciara Mageean, Irish middle-distance runner
    • 1992 – Jiří Skalák, Czech footballer
    • 1993 – Shehu Abdullahi, Nigerian footballer
    • 1993 – Amjad Attwan, Iraqi footballer
    • 1993 – Anton Shramchenko, Belarusian footballer
    • 1994 – Katie Archibald, Scottish track cyclist
    • 1994 – Jerami Grant, American basketball player
    • 1994 – Christina Grimmie, American singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1996 – Sehrou Guirassy, French footballer
    • 1996 – Karim Hafez, Egyptian footballer
    • 1996 – Robert Murić, Croatian footballer
    • 1997 – Dean Henderson, English footballer
    • 1997 – Allan Saint-Maximin, French footballer
    • 1997 – Felipe Vizeu, Brazilian footballer
    • 1998 – Mecole Hardman, American football player
    • 1998 – Daniel Samohin, Israeli figure skater
    • 1998 – Elizaveta Ukolova, Czech figure skater

    Deaths on March 12

    • 417 – Innocent I, pope of the Catholic Church
    • 604 – Gregory I, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 540)
    • 1022 – Symeon the New Theologian (b. 949)
    • 1316 – Stefan Dragutin (b. c. 1244)
    • 1539 – Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English diplomat and politician (b.1477)
    • 1648 – Tirso de Molina, Spanish monk and poet (b. 1571)
    • 1699 – Peder Griffenfeld, Danish politician (b. 1635)
    • 1898 – Zachris Topelius, Finnish-Swedish journalist, historian, and author (b. 1818)
    • 1916 – Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Austrian author (b. 1830)
    • 1925 – Sun Yat-sen, Chinese physician and politician, 1st President of the Republic of China (b. 1866)
    • 1929 – Asa Griggs Candler, American businessman and politician, 44th Mayor of Atlanta (b. 1851)
    • 1935 – Mihajlo Pupin, Serbian-American physicist and chemist (b. 1858)
    • 1942 – William Henry Bragg, English physicist, chemist, and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
    • 1943 – Gustav Vigeland, Norwegian sculptor (b. 1869)
    • 1946 – Ferenc Szálasi, Hungarian soldier and politician, Head of State of Hungary (b. 1897)
    • 1949 – Wilhelm Steinkopf, German chemist (b. 1879)
    • 1954 – Marianne Weber, German sociologist and suffragist (b. 1870)
    • 1955 – Charlie Parker, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1920)
    • 1955 – Theodor Plievier, German author best known for his anti-war novel (b. 1892)
    • 1957 – Josephine Hull, American actress (b. 1877)
    • 1971 – Eugene Lindsay Opie, American physician and pathologist (b. 1873)
    • 1973 – Frankie Frisch, American baseball player and manager (b. 1898)
    • 1974 – George D. Sax, American banker and businessman (b. 1904)
    • 1985 – Eugene Ormandy, Hungarian-American violinist and conductor (b. 1899)
    • 1989 – Maurice Evans, English-American actor (b. 1901)
    • 1991 – Ragnar Granit, Finnish-Swedish neuroscientist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1900)
    • 1991 – William Heinesen, Faroese author, poet, and author (b. 1900)
    • 1992 – Lucy M. Lewis, American potter (b. 1890)
    • 1998 – Beatrice Wood, American painter and potter (b. 1893)
    • 1999 – Yehudi Menuhin, American-Swiss violinist and conductor (b. 1916)
    • 1999 – Bidu Sayão, Brazilian-American soprano (b. 1902)
    • 2000 – Aleksandar Nikolić, Yugoslav basketball coach (b. 1924)
    • 2001 – Morton Downey Jr., American singer-songwriter, actor, and talk show host (b. 1933)
    • 2001 – Robert Ludlum, American author (b. 1927)
    • 2001 – Victor Westhoff, Dutch botanist and academic (b. 1916)
    • 2002 – Spyros Kyprianou, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 2nd President of Cyprus (b. 1932)
    • 2002 – Jean-Paul Riopelle, Canadian painter and sculptor (b. 1923)
    • 2003 – Zoran Đinđić, Serbian philosopher and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Serbia (b. 1952)
    • 2003 – Howard Fast, American novelist and screenwriter (b. 1914)
    • 2003 – Lynne Thigpen, American actress and singer (b. 1948)
    • 2004 – Milton Resnick, Russian-American painter (b. 1917)
    • 2006 – Victor Sokolov, Russian-American priest and journalist (b. 1947)
    • 2008 – Jorge Guinzburg, Argentinian journalist and producer (b. 1949)
    • 2008 – Lazare Ponticelli, Italian-French soldier and supercentenarian (b. 1897)
    • 2010 – Miguel Delibes, Spanish journalist and author (b. 1920)
    • 2011 – Nilla Pizzi, Italian singer (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – Dick Harter, American basketball player and coach (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Michael Hossack, American drummer (b. 1946)
    • 2012 – Friedhelm Konietzka, German-Swiss footballer and manager (b. 1938)
    • 2013 – Clive Burr, English drummer and songwriter (b. 1957)
    • 2013 – Michael Grigsby, English director and producer (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Ganesh Pyne, Indian painter and illustrator (b. 1937)
    • 2014 – Věra Chytilová, Czech actress, director, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
    • 2014 – Paul C. Donnelly, American scientist and engineer (b. 1923)
    • 2014 – José Policarpo, Portuguese cardinal (b. 1936)
    • 2015 – Willie Barrow, American minister and activist (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Michael Graves, American architect and academic, designed the Portland Building and the Humana Building (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Ada Jafri, Pakistani poet and author (b. 1924)
    • 2015 – Terry Pratchett, English journalist, author, and screenwriter (b. 1948)
    • 2016 – Rafiq Azad, Bangladeshi poet and author (b. 1942)
    • 2016 – Felix Ibru, Nigerian architect and politician, Governor of Delta State (b. 1935)
    • 2016 – Lloyd Shapley, American mathematician and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)

    Holidays and observances on March 12

    • Arbor Day (China)
    • Arbor Day (Taiwan)
    • Aztec New Year
    • Christian feast day:
      • Alphege
      • Bernard of Carinola (or of Capua)
      • Gorgonius, Peter Cubicularius and Dorotheus of Nicomedia
      • Mura (McFeredach)
      • Fina
      • Maximilian of Tebessa
      • Paul Aurelian
      • Pope Gregory I (Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Church, and Anglican Communion)
      • Theophanes the Confessor
      • March 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • National Day (Mauritius)
    • World Day Against Cyber Censorship
    • Youth Day (Zambia)
  • March 11- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 222 – Alexander Severus becomes emperor of Rome, replacing his cousin, 18-year-old Elagabalus. The bodies of the assassinated emperor and his mother, Julia Soaemias, are dragged through the streets of the city and thrown into the Tiber.
    • 1387 – Battle of Castagnaro: English condottiero Sir John Hawkwood leads Padova to victory in a factional clash with Verona.
    • 1641 – Guaraní forces living in the Jesuit reductions defeat bandeirantes loyal to the Portuguese Empire at the Battle of Mbororé in present-day Panambí, Argentina.
    • 1649 – The Frondeurs and the French sign the Peace of Rueil.
    • 1702 – The Daily Courant, England’s first national daily newspaper, is published for the first time.
    • 1708 – Queen Anne withholds Royal Assent from the Scottish Militia Bill, the last time a British monarch vetoes legislation.
    • 1784 – The signing of the Treaty of Mangalore brings the Second Anglo-Mysore War to an end.
    • 1811 – During André Masséna’s retreat from the Lines of Torres Vedras, a division led by French Marshal Michel Ney fights off a combined Anglo-Portuguese force to give Masséna time to escape.
    • 1824 – The United States Department of War creates the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
    • 1845 – Flagstaff War: Unhappy with translational differences regarding the Treaty of Waitangi, chiefs Hone Heke, Kawiti and Māori tribe members chop down the British flagpole for a fourth time and drive settlers out of Kororareka, New Zealand.
    • 1848 – Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin become the first Prime Ministers of the Province of Canada to be democratically elected under a system of responsible government.
    • 1851 – The first performance of Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi takes place in Venice.
    • 1861 – American Civil War: The Constitution of the Confederate States of America is adopted.
    • 1864 – The Great Sheffield Flood kills 238 people in Sheffield, England.
    • 1872 – Construction of the Seven Sisters Colliery, South Wales, begins; located on one of the richest coal sources in Britain.
    • 1879 – Shō Tai formally abdicated his position of King of Ryūkyū, under orders from Tokyo, ending the Ryukyu Kingdom.
    • 1888 – The Great Blizzard of 1888 begins along the eastern seaboard of the United States, shutting down commerce and killing more than 400.
    • 1917 – World War I: Mesopotamian campaign: Baghdad falls to Anglo-Indian forces commanded by General Stanley Maude.
    • 1927 – In New York City, Samuel Roxy Rothafel opens the Roxy Theatre.
    • 1931 – Ready for Labour and Defence of the USSR, abbreviated as GTO, is introduced in the Soviet Union.
    • 1941 – World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act into law, allowing American-built war supplies to be shipped to the Allies on loan.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy attempts a large-scale kamikaze attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at Ulithi atoll in Operation Tan No. 2.
    • 1945 – World War II: The Empire of Vietnam, a short-lived Japanese puppet state, is established with Bảo Đại as its ruler.
    • 1946 – Rudolf Höss, the first commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, is captured by British troops.
    • 1975 – Vietnam War: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong guerrilla forces establish control over Buôn Ma Thuột commune from the South Vietnamese army.
    • 1977 – The 1977 Hanafi Siege: More than 130 hostages held in Washington, D.C., by Hanafi Muslims are set free after ambassadors from three Islamic nations join negotiations.
    • 1978 – Coastal Road massacre: At least 37 are killed and more than 70 are wounded when Fatah hijack an Israeli bus, prompting Israel’s Operation Litani.
    • 1981 – Hundreds of students protest in the University of Pristina in Kosovo, then part of Yugoslavia, to give their province more political rights. The protests then became a nationwide movement.
    • 1983 – Pakistan successfully conducts a cold test of a nuclear weapon.
    • 1983 – Bob Hawke is appointed Prime Minister of Australia.
    • 1985 – Mikhail Gorbachev is elected to the position of General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union making Gorbachev the USSR’s de facto, and last, head of state.
    • 1990 – Lithuania declares itself independent from the Soviet Union.
    • 1990 – Patricio Aylwin is sworn in as the first democratically elected President of Chile since 1970.
    • 1993 – Janet Reno is confirmed by the United States Senate and sworn in the next day, becoming the first female Attorney General of the United States.
    • 1999 – Infosys becomes the first Indian company listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
    • 2004 – Madrid train bombings: Simultaneous explosions on rush-hour trains in Madrid, Spain, killing 192 people.
    • 2006 – Michelle Bachelet is inaugurated as first female president of Chile.
    • 2007 – Georgia claims Russian helicopters attacked the Kodori Valley in Abkhazia, an accusation that Russia categorically denies later.
    • 2009 – Winnenden school shooting: Sixteen are killed and 11 are injured before recent-graduate Tim Kretschmer shoots and kills himself, leading to tightened weapons restrictions in Germany.
    • 2010 – Economist and businessman Sebastián Piñera is sworn in as President of Chile, while three earthquakes, the strongest measuring magnitude 6.9 and all centered next to Pichilemu, capital of Cardenal Caro province, hit central Chile during the ceremony.
    • 2011 – An earthquake measuring 9.0 in magnitude strikes 130 km (81 mi) east of Sendai, Japan, triggering a tsunami killing thousands of people. This event also triggered the second largest nuclear accident in history, and one of only two events to be classified as a Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
    • 2012 – A U.S. soldier kills 16 civilians in the Panjwayi District of Afghanistan near Kandahar.
    • 2016 – At least 21 people are killed by flooding and mudslides in and around São Paulo, Brazil, following heavy rain.
    • 2020 – The World Health Organization (WHO) declares a pandemic due to the COVID-19 virus.

    Births on March 11

    • 1279 – Mary of Woodstock, daughter of Edward I of England (d. c.1332)
    • 1503 – George Harper, English politician (d. 1558)
    • 1530 – Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (d. 1573)
    • 1544 – Torquato Tasso, Italian poet and educator (d. 1595)
    • 1634 – Nicholas Gassaway, English colonial military and political leader (d. 1691)
    • 1738 – Benjamin Tupper, American general (d. 1792)
    • 1745 – Bodawpaya, Burmese king (d. 1819)
    • 1785 – John McLean, American jurist and politician, 6th United States Postmaster General (d. 1861)
    • 1787 – Ivan Nabokov, Russian general (d. 1852)
    • 1806 – Louis Boulanger, French Romantic painter, lithographer and illustrator (d. 1867)
    • 1811 – Urbain Le Verrier, French mathematician and astronomer (d. 1877)
    • 1815 – Anna Bochkoltz, German operatic soprano, voice teacher and composer (d. 1879)
    • 1818 – Marius Petipa, French-Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 1910)
    • 1819 – Henry Tate, English businessman and philanthropist, founded Tate & Lyle (d. 1899)
    • 1822 – Joseph Louis François Bertrand, French mathematician, economist, and academic (d. 1900)
    • 1854 – Jane Meade Welch, American journalist and lecturer (d. 1931)
    • 1863 – Andrew Stoddart, English cricketer and rugby player (d. 1915)
    • 1870 – Louis Bachelier, French mathematician and theorist (d. 1946)
    • 1872 – Kathleen Clarice Groom, Australian-English author and screenwriter (d. 1954)
    • 1873 – David Horsley, English-American film producer, co-founded Universal Studios (d. 1933)
    • 1876 – Carl Ruggles, American pianist and composer (d. 1971)
    • 1878 – Umegatani Tōtarō II, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 1927)
    • 1880 – Harry H. Laughlin, American eugenicist and sociologist (d. 1943)
    • 1884 – Lewi Pethrus, Swedish minister and hymn-writer (d. 1974)
    • 1884 – Ömer Seyfettin, Turkish soldier, author, and educator (d. 1920)
    • 1885 – Malcolm Campbell, English race car driver and journalist (d. 1948)
    • 1887 – Raoul Walsh, American actor and director (d. 1980)
    • 1887 – Kâzım Orbay, Turkish general and politician (d. 1964)
    • 1890 – Vannevar Bush, American engineer and academic (d. 1974)
    • 1893 – Wanda Gág, American author and illustrator (d. 1946)
    • 1895 – Shemp Howard, American actor (d. 1955)
    • 1896 – Olivério Pinto, Brazilian zoologist and physician (d. 1981)
    • 1897 – Henry Cowell, American pianist and composer (d. 1965)
    • 1898 – Dorothy Gish, American actress (d. 1968)
    • 1899 – James H. Douglas, Jr., American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 9th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense (d. 1988)
    • 1899 – Frederick IX of Denmark (d. 1972)
    • 1900 – Hanna Bergas, German teacher who contributed to the rescue of Jewish children during WWII (d. 1987)
    • 1903 – Ronald Syme, New Zealand historian and scholar (d. 1989)
    • 1903 – Lawrence Welk, American accordion player and bandleader (d. 1992)
    • 1907 – Jessie Matthews, English actress, singer, and dancer (d. 1981)
    • 1908 – Matti Sippala, Finnish javelin thrower (d. 1997)
    • 1910 – Robert Havemann, German chemist and academic (d. 1982)
    • 1911 – Sir Fitzroy Maclean, 1st Baronet, Egyptian-Scottish general and politician (d. 1996)
    • 1913 – Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke, German colonel and pilot (d. 1944)
    • 1915 – Vijay Hazare, Indian cricketer (d. 2004)
    • 1915 – J. C. R. Licklider, American computer scientist and psychologist (d. 1990)
    • 1916 – Ezra Jack Keats, American author and illustrator (d. 1983)
    • 1916 – Harold Wilson, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1995)
    • 1920 – Nicolaas Bloembergen, Dutch-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2017)
    • 1921 – Frank Harary, American mathematician and academic (d. 2005)
    • 1921 – Jeff Stollmeyer, Trinidadian cricketer (d. 1989)
    • 1921 – Astor Piazzolla, Argentine tango composer and bandoneon player (d. 1992)
    • 1922 – Cornelius Castoriadis, Greek economist and philosopher (d. 1997)
    • 1922 – José Luis López Vázquez, Spanish actor and director (d. 2009)
    • 1922 – Abdul Razak Hussein, Malaysian lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia (d. 1976)
    • 1923 – Louise Brough, American tennis player (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Margaret Oakley Dayhoff, American biochemist and academic (d. 1983)
    • 1925 – İlhan Selçuk, Turkish lawyer, journalist, and author (d. 2010)
    • 1926 – Ralph Abernathy, American minister and activist (d. 1990)
    • 1927 – Joachim Fuchsberger, German actor and television host (d. 2014)
    • 1927 – Col Geelan, Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 1996)
    • 1927 – Freda Meissner-Blau, Austrian activist and politician (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Robert Mosbacher, American sailor, businessman, and politician, 25th United States Secretary of Commerce (d. 2010)
    • 1927 – Josep Maria Subirachs, Spanish sculptor and painter (d. 2014)
    • 1928 – Albert Salmi, American actor (d. 1990)
    • 1929 – Timothy Carey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
    • 1929 – Jackie McGlew, South African cricketer (d. 1998)
    • 1930 – David Gentleman, English illustrator and engraver
    • 1930 – Claude Jutra, Canadian actor, director and screenwriter (d. 1986)
    • 1931 – Janosch, Polish-German author and illustrator
    • 1931 – Marisa Del Frate, Italian actress and singer (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Rupert Murdoch, Australian-American businessman and media magnate
    • 1932 – Leroy Jenkins, American violinist and composer (Revolutionary Ensemble) (d. 2007)
    • 1932 – Nigel Lawson, English journalist and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer
    • 1934 – Sam Donaldson, American journalist
    • 1936 – Hollis Frampton, American director, screenwriter, and photographer (d. 1984)
    • 1936 – Antonin Scalia, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (d. 2016)
    • 1938 – Joseph Brooks, American director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (d. 2011)
    • 1939 – Lorraine Hunt, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Lieutenant Governor of Nevada
    • 1939 – Orlando Quevedo, Filipino cardinal
    • 1940 – Alberto Cortez, Argentinian-Spanish singer-songwriter (d. 2019)
    • 1942 – Marcus Borg, American scholar, theologian and author (d. 2015)
    • 1942 – Joel Steiger, American director, producer and screenwriter
    • 1943 – Arturo Merzario, Italian race car driver
    • 1945 – Dock Ellis, American baseball player and coach (d. 2008)
    • 1945 – Harvey Mandel, American guitarist
    • 1946 – Mark Metcalf, American actor and producer
    • 1947 – Geoff Hunt, Australian squash player
    • 1947 – Tristan Murail, French composer and educator
    • 1948 – Roy Barnes, American lawyer and politician, 80th Governor of Georgia
    • 1949 – Griselda Pollock, South African-English historian and academic
    • 1950 – Sam Kekovich, Australian footballer and sportscaster
    • 1950 – Bobby McFerrin, American singer-songwriter, producer, and conductor
    • 1950 – Jerry Zucker, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1951 – Andres Metspalu, Estonian geneticist and academic
    • 1951 – Dominique Sanda, French model and actress
    • 1952 – Douglas Adams, English author and playwright (d. 2001)
    • 1953 – László Bölöni, Romanian-Hungarian footballer and manager
    • 1953 – Derek Daly, Irish-American race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1953 – Jimmy Iovine, American record producer and businessman, co-founded Interscope Records and Beats Electronics
    • 1953 – Bernie LaBarge, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1954 – David Newman, American composer and conductor
    • 1954 – Gale Norton, American lawyer and politician, 48th United States Secretary of the Interior
    • 1955 – Leslie Cliff, Canadian swimmer
    • 1955 – Nina Hagen, German singer and actress
    • 1955 – D. J. MacHale, American author, director, and screenwriter
    • 1956 – Willie Banks, American triple jumper
    • 1956 – Curtis Brown, American colonel, pilot and astronaut
    • 1956 – Helen Rollason, English journalist and sportscaster (d. 1999)
    • 1957 – The Lady Chablis, American drag queen performer (d. 2016)
    • 1958 – Ian Horrocks, English computer scientist and academic
    • 1958 – Tetsurō Oda, Japanese singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1958 – James Pinkerton, American journalist and author
    • 1958 – Anissa Jones, American child actress (d. 1976)
    • 1958 – Flemming Rose, Danish journalist and author
    • 1959 – Manuel Negrete Arias, Mexican footballer and coach
    • 1959 – Nina Hartley, American pornographic actress/director, sex educator, sex-positive feminist, and author
    • 1959 – Margus Oopkaup, Estonian actor
    • 1959 – Dejan Stojanović, Serbian-American journalist and poet
    • 1960 – Christophe Gans, French director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1960 – Junichi Sato, Japanese animator and director
    • 1960 – Warwick Taylor, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1961 – Elias Koteas, Canadian actor
    • 1961 – Bruce Watson, Canadian-Scottish guitarist
    • 1962 – Mary Gauthier, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1962 – Matt Mead, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Governor of Wyoming
    • 1963 – Gary Barnett, English footballer and manager
    • 1963 – Alex Kingston, English actress
    • 1963 – David LaChapelle, American photographer and director
    • 1964 – Peter Berg, American actor, director, producer and screenwriter
    • 1964 – Vinnie Paul, American drummer, songwriter and producer (d. 2018)
    • 1964 – Shane Richie, English actor and singer
    • 1965 – Nigel Adkins, English footballer and manager
    • 1965 – Jesse Jackson, Jr., American lawyer and politician
    • 1965 – Wallace Langham, American actor
    • 1965 – Jenny Packham, English fashion designer
    • 1965 – Allan Vainola, Estonian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1966 – Robbie Brookside, English wrestler and trainer
    • 1966 – John Thompson III, American basketball player and coach
    • 1966 – Ilias Zouros, Greek basketball player and coach
    • 1967 – John Barrowman, Scottish-American actor and singer
    • 1967 – Brad Carson, American lawyer and politician, United States Under Secretary of the Army
    • 1967 – Renzo Gracie, Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and trainer
    • 1967 – Cynthia Klitbo, Mexican actress
    • 1968 – Stéphane Bédard, Canadian lawyer and politician
    • 1968 – Simone Buchanan, Australian actress
    • 1968 – Lisa Loeb, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actress
    • 1969 – Terrence Howard, American actor and producer
    • 1969 – Soraya, Colombian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2006)
    • 1970 – Andre Nickatina, American rapper and producer
    • 1971 – Johnny Knoxville, American actor, stuntman, and producer
    • 1971 – Martin Ručinský, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1972 – Paolo Ponzo, Italian footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1973 – Martin Hiden, Austrian footballer and coach
    • 1974 – Bobby Abreu, Venezuelan baseball player
    • 1975 – João Barbosa, Portuguese racing driver
    • 1975 – Shawn Springs, American football player
    • 1976 – Thomas Gravesen, Danish footballer
    • 1976 – Kotomitsuki Keiji, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1977 – Becky Hammon, American-Russian basketball player and coach
    • 1978 – Scott Calderwood, English-Scottish footballer and manager
    • 1978 – Didier Drogba, Ivorian footballer
    • 1978 – Albert Luque, Spanish footballer
    • 1979 – Elton Brand, American basketball player
    • 1979 – Fred Jones, American basketball player
    • 1979 – Benji Madden, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1979 – Joel Madden, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1979 – Keren Peles, Israeli singer-songwriter and pianist
    • 1979 – Kirk Reynoldson, Australian rugby league player
    • 1980 – Paul Scharner, Austrian footballer
    • 1980 – Dan Uggla, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Heidi Cortez, American businesswoman and author
    • 1981 – Luke Johnson, English drummer and songwriter
    • 1981 – LeToya Luckett, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1982 – Brian Anderson, American baseball player
    • 1982 – Thora Birch, American actress
    • 1982 – Hasan Raza, Pakistani cricketer
    • 1983 – Lucy DeVito, American actress
    • 1985 – Paul Bissonnette, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Daniel Vázquez Evuy, Equatoguinean footballer
    • 1985 – Cassandra Fairbanks, American journalist and activist
    • 1985 – Luis Hernández, Mexican figure skater
    • 1985 – Stelios Malezas, Greek footballer
    • 1985 – Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lankan cricketer
    • 1985 – Derek Schouman, American football player
    • 1985 – Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Australian footballer
    • 1985 – Hakuhō Shō, Mongolian sumo wrestler, the 69th Yokozuna
    • 1986 – Dario Cologna, Swiss skier
    • 1986 – Mariko Shinoda, Japanese singer and actress
    • 1987 – Marc-André Gragnani, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Tanel Kangert, Estonian cyclist
    • 1987 – Ngonidzashe Makusha, Zimbabwean sprinter and long jumper
    • 1987 – Colin Munro, South African-New Zealand cricketer
    • 1988 – Fábio Coentrão, Portuguese footballer
    • 1988 – Cecil Lolo, South African footballer (d. 2015)
    • 1988 – Katsuhiko Nakajima, Japanese wrestler
    • 1989 – Anton Yelchin, Russian-born American actor (d. 2016)
    • 1990 – Ayumi Morita, Japanese tennis player
    • 1991 – Kamohelo Mokotjo, South African footballer
    • 1992 – Austin Swift, American actor
    • 1992 – KZ Tandingan, Filipina singer and rapper
    • 1993 – Jodie Comer, British actress
    • 1993 – Anthony Davis, American basketball player
    • 1994 – Andrew Robertson, Scottish footballer

    Deaths on March 11

    • 222 – Elagabalus, Roman emperor (b. 203)
    • 452 – Tai Wu Di, emperor of Northern Wei (b. 408)
    • 638 – Sophronius of Jerusalem (b. 560)
    • 857 – Eulogius of Córdoba, Spanish martyr and saint (b. 819)
    • 1198 – Marie of France, Countess of Champagne (b. 1145)
    • 1296 – John le Romeyn, Archbishop of York
    • 1353 – Theognostus, metropolitan of Kiev and Moscow
    • 1486 – Albrecht III Achilles, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1414)
    • 1514 – Donato Bramante, Italian architect, designed the San Pietro in Montorio (b. 1444)
    • 1575 – Matthias Flacius, Croatian theologian and reformer (b. 1520)
    • 1602 – Emilio de’ Cavalieri, Italian organist and composer (b. 1550)
    • 1607 – Giovanni Maria Nanino, Italian composer and educator (b. 1543)
    • 1646 – Stanisław Koniecpolski, Polish soldier and statesman (b. c. 1592)
    • 1665 – Clemente Tabone, Maltese landowner and militia member (b. c. 1575)
    • 1722 – John Toland, Irish philosopher and theorist (b. 1670)
    • 1759 – John Forbes, Scottish general (b. 1710)
    • 1820 – Benjamin West, American-English painter and academic (b. 1738)
    • 1851 – Marie Louise Coidavid, Queen of Haiti (b. 1778)
    • 1851 – George McDuffie, American lawyer and politician, 55th Governor of South Carolina (b. 1790)
    • 1854 – Willard Richards, American journalist and religious leader (b. 1804)
    • 1863 – Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet, English general (b. 1803)
    • 1869 – Vladimir Odoyevsky, Russian philosopher and critic (b. 1803)
    • 1870 – Moshoeshoe I of Lesotho (b. 1786)
    • 1874 – Charles Sumner, American lawyer and politician (b. 1811)
    • 1898 – William Rosecrans, American general and politician (b. 1819)
    • 1898 – Tigran Chukhajian, Armenian composer and conductor (b. 1837)
    • 1907 – Jean Casimir-Perier, French lawyer and politician, 6th President of France (b. 1847)
    • 1908 – Edmondo De Amicis, Italian journalist and author (b. 1846)
    • 1908 – Benjamin Waugh, American minister and activist (b. 1839)
    • 1915 – Thomas Alexander Browne, English-Australian author (b. 1826)
    • 1920 – Julio Garavito Armero, Colombian astronomer, mathematician, and engineer (b. 1865)
    • 1927 – Xenophon Stratigos, Greek general and politician, Greek Minister of Transport (b. 1869)
    • 1931 – F. W. Murnau, German-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1888)
    • 1937 – Joseph S. Cullinan, American businessman, co-founded Texaco (b. 1860)
    • 1944 – Hendrik Willem van Loon, Dutch-American journalist and historian (b. 1882)
    • 1944 – Edgar Zilsel, Austrian historian and philosopher of science, linked to the Vienna Circle (b. 1891)
    • 1949 – Anastasios Charalambis, Greek general and politician, 109th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1862)
    • 1949 – Henri Giraud, French general and politician (b. 1879)
    • 1952 – Pierre Renoir, French actor and director (b. 1885)
    • 1955 – Alexander Fleming, Scottish biologist, pharmacologist, and botanist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1881)
    • 1955 – Oscar F. Mayer, German-American businessman, founded Oscar Mayer (b. 1859)
    • 1957 – Richard E. Byrd, American admiral and explorer (b. 1888)
    • 1958 – Ole Kirk Christiansen, Danish businessman, founded The Lego Group (b. 1891)
    • 1959 – Lester Dent, American author (b. 1904)
    • 1960 – Roy Chapman Andrews, American paleontologist and explorer (b. 1884)
    • 1965 – Harry Altham, English cricketer, historian and coach (b. 1888)
    • 1967 – Geraldine Farrar, American soprano and actress (b. 1882)
    • 1968 – Haşim İşcan, Turkish educator and politician, 18th Mayor of İstanbul (b. 1898)
    • 1969 – John Daly, Irish runner (b. 1880)
    • 1969 – John Wyndham, English soldier and author (b. 1903)
    • 1970 – Erle Stanley Gardner, American lawyer and author (b. 1889)
    • 1971 – Philo Farnsworth, American inventor (b. 1906)
    • 1971 – Whitney Young, American activist (b. 1921)
    • 1977 – Ulysses S. Grant IV, American geologist and paleontologist (b. 1893)
    • 1978 – Claude François, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and dancer (b. 1939)
    • 1980 – Chandra Bhanu Gupta, Indian politician, 4th Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (b. 1902)
    • 1982 – Edmund Cooper, English poet and author (b. 1926)
    • 1982 – Horace Gregory, American poet, translator, and academic (b. 1898)
    • 1983 – Will Glickman, American playwright (b. 1910)
    • 1984 – Kostas Roukounas, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1903)
    • 1986 – Sonny Terry, American singer and harmonica player (b. 1911)
    • 1989 – James Kee, American lawyer and politician (b. 1917)
    • 1989 – John J. McCloy, American lawyer and banker (b. 1895)
    • 1992 – Richard Brooks, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1912)
    • 1995 – Myfanwy Talog, Welsh actress and singer (b. 1945)
    • 1996 – Vince Edwards, American actor and director (b. 1928)
    • 1999 – Herbert Jasper, Canadian psychologist, anatomist, and neurologist (b. 1906)
    • 1999 – Camille Laurin, Canadian psychiatrist and politician (b. 1922)
    • 2002 – James Tobin, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
    • 2006 – Bernie Geoffrion, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1931)
    • 2006 – Slobodan Milošević, Serbian lawyer and politician, 3rd President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (b. 1941)
    • 2007 – Betty Hutton, American actress and singer (b. 1921)
    • 2008 – Nils Taube, Estonian-English businessman (b. 1928)
    • 2009 – Charles Lewis, Jr., American businessman, co-founded Tapout Clothing (b. 1963)
    • 2010 – John Hill, Canadian-American wrestler (b. 1941)
    • 2010 – Merlin Olsen, American football player and actor (b. 1940)
    • 2010 – T. Somasekaram, Sri Lankan geographer and politician, 37th Surveyor General of Sri Lanka (b. 1934)
    • 2010 – Hans van Mierlo, Dutch journalist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1931)
    • 2011 – Gary Wichard, American football player and agent (b. 1950)
    • 2012 – Henry Adefope, Nigerian physician and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Nigeria (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Sid Couchey, American author and illustrator (b. 1919)
    • 2012 – James B. Morehead, American colonel and pilot (b. 1916)
    • 2012 – Gösta Schwarck, German-Danish pianist and composer (b. 1915)
    • 2013 – Erica Andrews, Mexican-American drag queen performer (b. 1969)
    • 2013 – Martin Adolf Bormann, German priest and theologian (b. 1930)
    • 2013 – Doug Christie, Canadian lawyer and activist (b. 1946)
    • 2013 – Simón Alberto Consalvi, Venezuelan journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Venezuela (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Florian Siwicki, Polish general and politician (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Dean Bailey, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1967)
    • 2014 – Joel Brinkley, American journalist and academic (b. 1952)
    • 2015 – Walter Burkert, German philologist and scholar (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Jimmy Greenspoon, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (b. 1948)
    • 2015 – Gerald Hurst, American chemist and academic (b. 1937)
    • 2016 – Iolanda Balaș, Romanian high jumper and educator (b. 1936)
    • 2016 – Keith Emerson, English musician and composer. (b. 1944)
    • 2016 – Doreen Massey, English geographer and academic (b. 1944)
    • 2018 – Mary Rosenblum, American science fiction and mystery author (b. 1952)

    Holidays and observances on March 11

    • Christian feast day:
      • Alberta of Agen
      • Áurea of San Millán
      • Benedict of Milan
      • Constantine
      • Eulogius of Córdoba
      • Blessed John Righi
      • Óengus of Tallaght
      • Sophronius of Jerusalem
      • Vindicianus
    • Day of Restoration of Independence from the Soviet Union in 1990 (Lithuania)
    • Johnny Appleseed Day (United States)
    • Moshoeshoe Day (Lesotho)
  • March 5 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 363 – Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death.
    • 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Eastern journey which he will later describe in his book Safarnama.
    • 1279 – The Livonian Order is defeated in the Battle of Aizkraukle by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
    • 1496 – King Henry VII of England issues letters patent to John Cabot and his sons, authorising them to explore unknown lands.
    • 1616 – Nicolaus Copernicus’s book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres is added to the Index of Forbidden Books 73 years after it was first published.
    • 1766 – Antonio de Ulloa, the first Spanish governor of Louisiana, arrives in New Orleans.
    • 1770 – Boston Massacre: Five Americans, including Crispus Attucks, are fatally shot by British troops in an event that would contribute to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War (also known as the American War of Independence) five years later.
    • 1811 – Peninsular War: A French force under the command of Marshal Victor is routed while trying to prevent an Anglo-Spanish-Portuguese army from lifting the Siege of Cádiz in the Battle of Barrosa.
    • 1824 – First Anglo-Burmese War: The British officially declare war on Burma.
    • 1836 – Samuel Colt patents the first production-model revolver, the .34-caliber.
    • 1850 – The Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales is opened.
    • 1860 – Parma, Tuscany, Modena and Romagna vote in referendums to join the Kingdom of Sardinia.
    • 1868 – Mefistofele, an opera by Arrigo Boito, receives its premiere performance at La Scala.
    • 1872 – George Westinghouse patents the air brake.
    • 1906 – Moro Rebellion: United States Army troops bring overwhelming force against the native Moros in the First Battle of Bud Dajo, leaving only six survivors.
    • 1912 – Italo-Turkish War: Italian forces are the first to use airships for military purposes, employing them for reconnaissance behind Turkish lines.
    • 1931 – The British Raj: Gandhi–Irwin Pact is signed.
    • 1933 – Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party receives 43.9% at the Reichstag elections, which allows the Nazis to later pass the Enabling Act and establish a dictatorship.
    • 1936 – First flight of K5054, the first prototype Supermarine Spitfire advanced monoplane fighter aircraft in the United Kingdom.
    • 1940 – Six high-ranking members of Soviet politburo, including Joseph Stalin, sign an order for the execution of 25,700 Polish intelligentsia, including 14,700 Polish POWs, in what will become known as the Katyn massacre.
    • 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces capture Batavia, capital of Dutch East Indies, which is left undefended after the withdrawal of the KNIL garrison and Australian Blackforce battalion to Buitenzorg and Bandung.
    • 1943 – First Flight of the Gloster Meteor, Britain’s first combat jet aircraft.
    • 1944 – World War II: The Red Army begins the Uman–Botoșani Offensive in the western Ukrainian SSR.
    • 1946 – Cold War: Winston Churchill coins the phrase “Iron Curtain” in his speech at Westminster College, Missouri.
    • 1953 – Joseph Stalin, the longest serving leader of the Soviet Union, dies at his Volynskoe dacha in Moscow after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage four days earlier.
    • 1960 – Indonesian President Sukarno dismissed the Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR), 1955 democratically elected parliament, and replaced with DPR-GR, the parliament of his own selected members.
    • 1963 – American country music stars Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas and their pilot Randy Hughes are killed in a plane crash in Camden, Tennessee.
    • 1965 – March Intifada: A Leftist uprising erupts in Bahrain against British colonial presence.
    • 1966 – BOAC Flight 911, a Boeing 707 aircraft, breaks apart in mid-air due to clear-air turbulence and crashes into Mount Fuji, Japan, killing all 124 people on board.
    • 1970 – The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons goes into effect after ratification by 43 nations.
    • 1974 – Yom Kippur War: Israeli forces withdraw from the west bank of the Suez Canal.
    • 1978 – The Landsat 3 is launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
    • 1979 – Soviet probes Venera 11, Venera 12 and the German-American solar satellite Helios II all are hit by “off the scale” gamma rays leading to the discovery of soft gamma repeaters.
    • 1981 – The ZX81, a pioneering British home computer, is launched by Sinclair Research and would go on to sell over 1​12 million units around the world.
    • 1982 – Soviet probe Venera 14 lands on Venus.
    • 2003 – In Haifa, 17 Israeli civilians are killed in the Haifa bus 37 suicide bombing.
    • 2012 – Tropical Storm Irina kills over 75 as it passes through Madagascar.

    Births on March 5

    • 1133 – Henry II of England (d. 1189)
    • 1224 – Saint Kinga of Poland (d. 1292)
    • 1324 – David II of Scotland (d. 1371)
    • 1326 – Louis I of Hungary (d. 1382)
    • 1340 – Cansignorio della Scala, Lord of Verona (d. 1375)
    • 1451 – William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, English Earl (d. 1491)
    • 1512 – Gerardus Mercator, Flemish mathematician, cartographer, and philosopher (d. 1594)
    • 1523 – Rodrigo de Castro Osorio, Spanish cardinal (d. 1600)
    • 1527 – Ulrich, Duke of Mecklenburg (d. 1603)
    • 1539 – Christoph Pezel, German theologian (d. 1604)
    • 1563 – John Coke, English civil servant and politician (d. 1644)
    • 1575 – William Oughtred, English minister and mathematician (d. 1660)
    • 1585 – John George I, Elector of Saxony (d. 1656)
    • 1585 – Frederick I, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg (d. 1638)
    • 1637 – Jan van der Heyden, Dutch painter and engineer (d. 1712)
    • 1658 – Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, French explorer and politician, 3rd Colonial Governor of Louisiana (d. 1730)
    • 1693 – Johann Jakob Wettstein, Swiss theologian and scholar (d. 1754)
    • 1696 – Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Italian painter (d. 1770)
    • 1703 – Vasily Trediakovsky, Russian poet and playwright (d. 1768)
    • 1713 – Edward Cornwallis, English general and politician, Governor of Gibraltar (d. 1776)
    • 1713 – Frederick Cornwallis, English archbishop (d. 1783)
    • 1723 – Princess Mary of Great Britain (d. 1773)
    • 1733 – Vincenzo Galeotti, Italian-Danish dancer and choreographer (d. 1816)
    • 1739 – Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge, American colonel and physician (d. 1819)
    • 1748 – Jonas Carlsson Dryander, Swedish botanist and biologist (d. 1810)
    • 1748 – William Shield, English violinist and composer (d. 1829)
    • 1750 – Jean-Baptiste-Gaspard d’Ansse de Villoison, French scholar and academic (d. 1805)
    • 1751 – Jan Křtitel Kuchař, Czech organist, composer, and educator (d. 1829)
    • 1774 – Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse, Danish organist and composer (d. 1842)
    • 1779 – Benjamin Gompertz, English mathematician and statistician (d. 1865)
    • 1785 – Carlo Odescalchi, Italian cardinal (d. 1841)
    • 1794 – Jacques Babinet, French physicist, mathematician, and astronomer (d. 1872)
    • 1794 – Robert Cooper Grier, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1870)
    • 1814 – Wilhelm von Giesebrecht, German historian and academic (d. 1889)
    • 1800 – Georg Friedrich Daumer, German poet and philosopher (d. 1875)
    • 1815 – John Wentworth, American journalist and politician, 19th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1888)
    • 1817 – Austen Henry Layard, English archaeologist, academic, and politician, Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (d. 1894)
    • 1830 – Étienne-Jules Marey, French physiologist and chronophotographer (d. 1904)
    • 1830 – Charles Wyville Thomson, Scottish historian and zoologist (d. 1882)
    • 1834 – Félix de Blochausen, Luxembourgian politician, 6th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (d. 1915)
    • 1834 – Marietta Piccolomini, Italian soprano (d. 1899)
    • 1853 – Howard Pyle, American author and illustrator (d. 1911)
    • 1862 – Siegbert Tarrasch, German chess player and theoretician (d. 1934)
    • 1867 – Louis-Alexandre Taschereau, Canadian lawyer and politician, 14th Premier of Quebec (d. 1952)
    • 1869 – Michael von Faulhaber, German cardinal (d. 1952)
    • 1870 – Frank Norris, American journalist and author (d. 1902)
    • 1870 – Evgeny Paton, French-Ukrainian engineer (d. 1953)
    • 1871 – Rosa Luxemburg, Polish-Russian economist and philosopher (d. 1919)
    • 1871 – Konstantinos Pallis, Greek general and politician, Minister Governor-General of Macedonia (d. 1941)
    • 1873 – Olav Bjaaland, Norwegian skier and explorer (d. 1961)
    • 1874 – Henry Travers, English-American actor (d. 1965)
    • 1875 – Harry Lawson, Australian politician, 27th Premier of Victoria (d. 1952)
    • 1876 – Thomas Inskip, 1st Viscount Caldecote, English lawyer and politician, 8th Lord Chief Justice of England (d. 1947)
    • 1876 – Elisabeth Moore, American tennis player (d. 1959)
    • 1879 – William Beveridge, Bangladeshi-English economist and academic (d. 1963)
    • 1879 – Andres Larka, Estonian general and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of War (d. 1943)
    • 1880 – Sergei Natanovich Bernstein, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1968)
    • 1882 – Dora Marsden, English author and activist (d. 1960)
    • 1883 – Pauline Sperry, American mathematician (d. 1967)
    • 1885 – Marius Barbeau, Canadian ethnographer and academic (d. 1969)
    • 1886 – Dong Biwu, Chinese judge and politician, Chairman of the People’s Republic of China (d. 1975)
    • 1886 – Freddie Welsh, Welsh boxer (d. 1927)
    • 1887 – Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazilian guitarist and composer (d. 1959)
    • 1894 – Henry Daniell, English-American actor (d. 1963)
    • 1898 – Zhou Enlai, Chinese politician, 1st Premier of the People’s Republic of China (d. 1976)
    • 1898 – Misao Okawa, Japanese super-centenarian (d. 2015)
    • 1900 – Lilli Jahn, Jewish German doctor (d. 1944)
    • 1900 – Johanna Langefeld, German guard and supervisor of three Nazi concentration camps (d. 1974)
    • 1901 – Friedrich Günther, Prince of Schwarzburg (d. 1971)
    • 1901 – Julian Przyboś, Polish poet, essayist and translator (d. 1970)
    • 1904 – Karl Rahner, German priest and theologian (d. 1984)
    • 1905 – László Benedek, Hungarian-American director and cinematographer (d. 1992)
    • 1908 – Fritz Fischer, German historian and author (d. 1999)
    • 1908 – Irving Fiske, American author and playwright (d. 1990)
    • 1908 – Rex Harrison, English actor (d. 1990)
    • 1910 – Momofuku Ando, Taiwanese-Japanese businessman, founded Nissin Foods (d. 2007)
    • 1910 – Ennio Flaiano, Italian author, screenwriter, and critic (d. 1972)
    • 1912 – Jack Marshall, New Zealand colonel, lawyer, and politician, 28th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1988)
    • 1915 – Henry Hicks, Canadian academic and politician, 16th Premier of Nova Scotia (d. 1990)
    • 1915 – Laurent Schwartz, French mathematician and academic (d. 2002)
    • 1918 – Milt Schmidt, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 2017)
    • 1918 – Red Storey, Canadian football player, referee, and sportscaster (d. 2006)
    • 1918 – James Tobin, American economist and academic (d. 2002)
    • 1920 – José Aboulker, Algerian surgeon and activist (d. 2009)
    • 1920 – Virginia Christine, American actress (d. 1996)
    • 1920 – Rachel Gurney, English actress (d. 2001)
    • 1920 – Wang Zengqi, Chinese writer (d. 1997)
    • 1921 – Elmer Valo, American baseball player and coach (d. 1998)
    • 1922 – James Noble, American actor (d. 2016)
    • 1922 – Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1975)
    • 1923 – Juan A. Rivero, Puerto Rican biologist and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Laurence Tisch, American businessman, co-founded the Loews Corporation (d. 2003)
    • 1924 – Roger Marche, French footballer (d. 1997)
    • 1927 – Jack Cassidy, American actor and singer (d. 1976)
    • 1927 – Robert Lindsay, 29th Earl of Crawford, Scottish businessman and politician
    • 1928 – J. Hillis Miller, American academic and critic
    • 1929 – Erik Carlsson, Swedish race car driver (d. 2015)
    • 1929 – J. B. Lenoir, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1967)
    • 1930 – John Ashley, Canadian ice hockey player and referee (d. 2008)
    • 1930 – Del Crandall, American baseball player and manager
    • 1931 – Fred, French author and illustrator (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Barry Tuckwell, Australian horn player and educator (d. 2020)
    • 1932 – Paul Sand, American actor
    • 1933 – Walter Kasper, German cardinal and theologian
    • 1934 – Daniel Kahneman, Israeli-American economist and psychologist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1935 – Letizia Battaglia, Italian photographer and journalist
    • 1935 – Philip K. Chapman, Australian-American astronaut and engineer
    • 1936 – Canaan Banana, Zimbabwean minister and politician, 1st President of Zimbabwe (d. 2003)
    • 1936 – Dale Douglass, American golfer
    • 1936 – Dean Stockwell, American actor
    • 1937 – Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigerian general and politician, 5th President of Nigeria
    • 1938 – Paul Evans, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1938 – Lynn Margulis, American biologist and academic (d. 2011)
    • 1938 – Fred Williamson, American football player, actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1939 – Samantha Eggar, English actress
    • 1939 – Tony Rundle, Australian politician, 40th Premier of Tasmania
    • 1939 – Benyamin Sueb, Indonesian actor and comedian (d. 1995)
    • 1939 – Peter Woodcock, Canadian serial killer (d. 2010)
    • 1939 – Pierre Wynants, Belgian chef
    • 1940 – Tom Butler, English bishop
    • 1940 – Ken Irvine, Australian rugby league player (d. 1990)
    • 1940 – Graham McRae, New Zealand race car driver
    • 1940 – Sepp Piontek, German footballer and manager
    • 1941 – Des Wilson, New Zealand-English businessman and activist
    • 1942 – Felipe González, Spanish lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Spain
    • 1942 – Mike Resnick, American author and editor (d. 2020)
    • 1942 – David Watkins, Welsh rugby player
    • 1943 – Lucio Battisti, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1998)
    • 1944 – Peter Brandes, Danish painter and sculptor
    • 1944 – Roy Gutman, American journalist and author
    • 1945 – Wilf Tranter, English footballer
    • 1946 – Richard Bell, Canadian pianist (d. 2007)
    • 1946 – Guerrino Boatto, Italian illustrator and painter (d. 2018)
    • 1946 – Graham Hawkins, English footballer and manager (d. 2016)
    • 1946 – Murray Head, English actor and singer
    • 1947 – Clodagh Rodgers, Northern Irish singer and actress
    • 1947 – Kent Tekulve, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1948 – Paquirri, Spanish bullfighter (d. 1984)
    • 1948 – Eddy Grant, Guyanese-British singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1948 – Richard Hickox, English conductor and scholar (d. 2008)
    • 1948 – Elaine Paige, English singer and actress
    • 1948 – Jan van Beveren, Dutch footballer and coach (d. 2011)
    • 1949 – Bernard Arnault, French businessman, philanthropist, and art collector
    • 1949 – Franz Josef Jung, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of Defence
    • 1949 – Tom Russell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1951 – Rodney Hogg, Australian cricketer and coach
    • 1952 – Petar Borota, Serbian footballer and coach (d. 2010)
    • 1952 – Mike Squires, American baseball player and scout
    • 1953 – Katarina Frostenson, Swedish poet and author
    • 1953 – Michael J. Sandel, American philosopher and academic
    • 1953 – Tokyo Sexwale, South African businessman and politician, 1st Premier of Gauteng
    • 1954 – Marsha Warfield, American actress
    • 1954 – João Lourenço, Angolan president
    • 1955 – Penn Jillette, American magician, actor, and author
    • 1956 – Teena Marie, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2010)
    • 1956 – Christopher Snowden, English engineer and academic
    • 1957 – Mark E. Smith, English singer, songwriter and musician (d. 2018)
    • 1957 – Ray Suarez, American journalist and author
    • 1958 – Volodymyr Bezsonov, Ukrainian footballer and manager
    • 1958 – Bob Forward, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1958 – Andy Gibb, English-Australian singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1988)
    • 1959 – Vazgen Sargsyan, Armenian colonel and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Armenia (d. 1999)
    • 1960 – Paul Drayson, Baron Drayson, English businessman and politician, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology
    • 1963 – Joel Osteen, American pastor, author, and television host
    • 1964 – Bertrand Cantat, French singer-songwriter
    • 1964 – Gerald Vanenburg, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1965 – José Semedo, Portuguese footballer and coach
    • 1966 – Oh Eun-sun, South Korean mountaineer
    • 1966 – Bob Halkidis, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
    • 1966 – Michael Irvin, American football player, sportscaster, and actor
    • 1966 – Aasif Mandvi, Indian-American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Zachery Stevens, American singer-songwriter
    • 1968 – Gordon Bajnai, Hungarian businessman and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Hungary
    • 1968 – Theresa Villiers, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
    • 1969 – Paul Blackthorne, English actor and producer
    • 1969 – Danny King, English author and playwright
    • 1969 – Moussa Saïb, Algerian footballer and manager
    • 1969 – M.C. Solaar, Afro-French rapper
    • 1970 – Mike Brown, American basketball player and coach
    • 1970 – John Frusciante, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
    • 1970 – Yuu Watase, Japanese illustrator
    • 1971 – Greg Berry, English footballer and coach
    • 1971 – Jeffrey Hammonds, American baseball player and scout
    • 1971 – Yuri Lowenthal, American voice actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Filip Meirhaeghe, Belgian cyclist
    • 1971 – Mark Protheroe, Australian rugby league player
    • 1973 – Yannis Anastasiou, Greek footballer and manager
    • 1973 – Nelly Arcan, Canadian author (d. 2009)
    • 1973 – Juan Esnáider, Argentinian footballer and manager
    • 1973 – Ryan Franklin, American baseball player
    • 1973 – Nicole Pratt, Australian tennis player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1973 – Špela Pretnar, Slovenian skier
    • 1974 – Kevin Connolly, American actor and director
    • 1974 – Jens Jeremies, German footballer
    • 1974 – Eva Mendes, American model and actress
    • 1975 – Luciano Burti, Brazilian race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1975 – Sasho Petrovski, Australian footballer
    • 1975 – Chris Silverwood, English cricketer and coach
    • 1976 – Neil Jackson, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1976 – Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
    • 1976 – Paul Konerko, American baseball player
    • 1976 – Norm Maxwell, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1977 – Taismary Agüero, Cuban-Italian volleyball player
    • 1978 – Jared Crouch, Australian footballer
    • 1978 – Mike Hessman, American baseball player and coach
    • 1978 – Kimberly McCullough, American actress, singer, and dancer
    • 1978 – Carlos Ochoa, Mexican footballer
    • 1979 – Martin Axenrot, Swedish drummer
    • 1979 – Lee Mears, English rugby player
    • 1980 – Shay Carl, American businessman, co-founded Maker Studios
    • 1981 – Barret Jackman, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Paul Martin, American ice hockey player
    • 1982 – Dan Carter, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1982 – Philipp Haastrup, German footballer
    • 1983 – Édgar Dueñas, Mexican footballer
    • 1984 – Branko Cvetković, Serbian basketball player
    • 1984 – Guillaume Hoarau, French footballer
    • 1985 – David Marshall, Scottish footballer
    • 1985 – Brad Mills, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Kenichi Matsuyama, Japanese actor
    • 1986 – Alexandre Barthe, French footballer
    • 1986 – Matty Fryatt, English footballer
    • 1987 – Anna Chakvetadze, Russian tennis player
    • 1987 – Chris Cohen, English footballer
    • 1988 – Liassine Cadamuro-Bentaïba, Algerian footballer
    • 1990 – Danny Drinkwater, English footballer
    • 1990  – Mason Plumlee, American basketball player
    • 1990 – Alex Smithies, English footballer
    • 1991 – Ramiro Funes Mori, Argentinian footballer
    • 1991 – Daniil Trifonov, Russian pianist and composer
    • 1993 – El Hadji Ba, French footballer
    • 1993 – Joshua Coyne, American violinist and composer
    • 1993 – Harry Maguire, English footballer
    • 1994 – Daria Gavrilova, Russian-Australian tennis player
    • 1994 – Kyle Schwarber, American baseball player
    • 1996 – Taylor Hill, American model
    • 1996 – Emmanuel Mudiay, Congolese basketball player
    • 1997 – Milena Venega, Cuban rower
    • 1998 – Bo Bichette, American baseball player
    • 1999 – Madison Beer, American singer, songwriter and producer.
    • 2007 – Roman Griffin Davis, British actor, second youngest Golden Globe recipient.

    Deaths on March 5

    • 254 – Pope Lucius I (b. 200)
    • 824 – Suppo I, Frankish nobleman
    • 1239 – Hermann Balk, German knight
    • 1410 – Matthew of Kraków, Polish reformer (b. 1335)
    • 1417 – Manuel III Megas Komnenos, Emperor of Trebizond (b. 1364)
    • 1534 – Antonio da Correggio, Italian painter and educator (b. 1489)
    • 1539 – Nuno da Cunha, Portuguese admiral and politician, Governor of Portuguese India (b. 1487)
    • 1599 – Guido Panciroli, Italian historian and jurist (b. 1523)
    • 1611 – Shimazu Yoshihisa, Japanese daimyō (b. 1533)
    • 1622 – Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma (b. 1569)
    • 1695 – Henry Wharton, English writer and librarian (b. 1664)
    • 1726 – Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull, English politician, Lord President of the Council (b. 1655)
    • 1770 – Crispus Attucks, American slave (b. 1723)
    • 1778 – Thomas Arne, English composer and educator (b. 1710)
    • 1815 – Franz Mesmer, German physician and astrologist (b. 1734)
    • 1827 – Pierre-Simon Laplace, French mathematician and astronomer (b. 1749)
    • 1827 – Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist and academic (b. 1745)
    • 1829 – John Adams, English sailor and mutineer (b. 1766)
    • 1849 – David Scott, Scottish historical painter (b. 1806)
    • 1876 – Marie d’Agoult, German-French historian and author (b. 1805)
    • 1893 – Hippolyte Taine, French historian and critic (b. 1828)
    • 1895 – Nikolai Leskov, Russian author, playwright, and journalist (b. 1831)
    • 1895 – Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet, English general and scholar (b. 1810)
    • 1907 – Friedrich Blass, German philologist, scholar, and academic (b. 1843)
    • 1925 – Johan Jensen, Danish mathematician and engineer (b. 1859)
    • 1927 – Franz Mertens, Polish-Austrian mathematician and academic (b. 1840)
    • 1929 – David Dunbar Buick, Scottish-American businessman, founded Buick (b. 1854)
    • 1934 – Reşit Galip, Turkish academic and politician, 6th Turkish Minister of National Education (b. 1893)
    • 1935 – Roque Ruaño, Spanish priest and engineer (b. 1877)
    • 1940 – Cai Yuanpei, Chinese philosopher and academic (b. 1868)
    • 1944 – Max Jacob, French poet and author (b. 1876)
    • 1945 – Lena Baker, African American maid and murderer (b. 1900)
    • 1947 – Alfredo Casella, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1883)
    • 1950 – Edgar Lee Masters, American poet, author, and playwright (b. 1868)
    • 1950 – Roman Shukhevych, Ukrainian general and politician (b. 1907)
    • 1953 – Herman J. Mankiewicz, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1897)
    • 1953 – Sergei Prokofiev, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1891)
    • 1953 – Joseph Stalin, Soviet dictator and politician of Georgian descent, 2nd leader of the Soviet Union (b. 1878)
    • 1955 – Antanas Merkys, Lithuanian lawyer and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Lithuania (b. 1888)
    • 1963 – Patsy Cline, American singer-songwriter (b. 1932)
    • 1963 – Cowboy Copas, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1913)
    • 1963 – Hawkshaw Hawkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1921)
    • 1965 – Chen Cheng, Chinese general and politician, 27th Premier of the Republic of China (b. 1897)
    • 1965 – Pepper Martin, American baseball player and manager (b. 1904)
    • 1966 – Anna Akhmatova, Ukrainian-Russian poet, author, and translator (b. 1889)
    • 1967 – Mischa Auer, Russian-American actor (b. 1905)
    • 1967 – Mohammad Mosaddegh, Iranian political scientist and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Iran (b. 1882)
    • 1967 – Georges Vanier, Canadian general and politician, 19th Governor General of Canada (b. 1888)
    • 1971 – Allan Nevins, American journalist and author (b. 1890)
    • 1973 – Robert C. O’Brien, American journalist and author (b. 1918)
    • 1974 – John Samuel Bourque, Canadian colonel and politician (b. 1894)
    • 1974 – Billy De Wolfe, American actor (b. 1907)
    • 1974 – Sol Hurok, Ukrainian-American businessman (b. 1888)
    • 1976 – Otto Tief, Estonian lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1889)
    • 1977 – Tom Pryce, Welsh race car driver (b. 1949)
    • 1980 – Jay Silverheels, Canadian-American actor (b. 1912)
    • 1981 – Yip Harburg, American songwriter and composer (b. 1896)
    • 1982 – John Belushi, American actor (b. 1949)
    • 1984 – Pierre Cochereau, French organist and composer (b. 1924)
    • 1984 – Tito Gobbi, Italian operatic baritone (b. 1913)
    • 1984 – William Powell, American actor (b. 1892)
    • 1988 – Alberto Olmedo, Argentine comedian and actor (b. 1933)
    • 1990 – Gary Merrill, American actor and director (b. 1915)
    • 1995 – Vivian Stanshall, English singer-songwriter and musician (b. 1943)
    • 1996 – Whit Bissell, American character actor (b. 1909)
    • 1997 – Samm Sinclair Baker, American writer (b. 1909)
    • 1997 – Jean Dréville, French director and screenwriter (b. 1906)
    • 1999 – Richard Kiley, American actor and singer (b. 1922)
    • 2000 – Lolo Ferrari, French dancer, actress and singer (b. 1963)
    • 2005 – David Sheppard, English cricketer and bishop (b. 1929)
    • 2008 – Joseph Weizenbaum, German computer scientist and author (b. 1923)
    • 2010 – Charles B. Pierce, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1938)
    • 2010 – Richard Stapley, British actor and writer (b. 1923)
    • 2011 – Manolis Rasoulis, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1945)
    • 2012 – Paul Haines, New Zealand-Australian author (b. 1970)
    • 2012 – Philip Madoc, Welsh-English actor (b. 1934)
    • 2012 – Robert B. Sherman, American songwriter and screenwriter (b. 1925)
    • 2012 – William O. Wooldridge, American sergeant (b. 1922)
    • 2013 – Paul Bearer, American wrestler and manager (b. 1954)
    • 2013 – Hugo Chávez, Venezuelan colonel and politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1954)
    • 2013 – Duane Gish, American biochemist and academic (b. 1921)
    • 2014 – Geoff Edwards, American actor and game show host (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Ailsa McKay, Scottish economist and academic (b. 1963)
    • 2014 – Leopoldo María Panero, Spanish poet and translator (b. 1948)
    • 2014 – Ola L. Mize, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Vlada Divljan, Serbian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1958)
    • 2015 – Edward Egan, American cardinal (b. 1932)
    • 2016 – Hassan Al-Turabi, Sudanese activist and politician (b. 1932)
    • 2016 – Ray Tomlinson, American computer programmer and engineer (b. 1941)
    • 2016 – Al Wistert, American football player and coach (b. 1920)
    • 2017 – Kurt Moll, German opera singer (b. 1938)

    Holidays and observances on March 5

    • Christian feast day:
      • Ciarán of Saigir
      • John Joseph of the Cross
      • Piran
      • Theophilus, bishop of Caesarea
      • Thietmar of Minden
      • March 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Custom Chief’s Day (Vanuatu)
    • Day of Physical Culture and Sport (Azerbaijan)
    • Learn from Lei Feng Day (China)
    • St Piran’s Day (Cornwall)
  • March 4- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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

    Births on March 4

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

    Deaths on March 4

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

    Holidays and observances on March 4

    • Christian feast day:
      • Adrian of Nicomedia
      • Casimir
      • Felix of Rhuys
      • Giovanni Antonio Farina (Catholic Church)
      • Blessed Humbert III, Count of Savoy (Roman Catholic Church)
      • Paul Cuffee (Episcopal Church)
      • Peter of Pappacarbone
      • Blessed Zoltán Meszlényi
      • March 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • St Casimir’s Day (Poland and Lithuania)
  • February 28 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 202 BC – Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty.
    • 870 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople closes.
    • 1246 – The siege of Jaén ends in the context of the Spanish Reconquista resulting in the Castilian takeover of the city from the Taifa of Jaen.
    • 1525 – Aztec king Cuauhtémoc is executed on the order of conquistador Hernán Cortés.
    • 1638 – The Scottish National Covenant is signed in Edinburgh.
    • 1700 – Today is followed by March 1 in Sweden, thus creating the Swedish calendar.
    • 1710 – Battle of Helsingborg: 14,000 Danish invaders under Jørgen Rantzau are decisively defeated by an equally sized Swedish force under Magnus Stenbock. This is the last time Swedish and Danish troops meet on Swedish soil.
    • 1728 – Peshwa Bajirao I of the Maratha Empire defeats Asaf Jah I in the Battle of Palkhed.
    • 1827 – The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is incorporated, becoming the first railroad in America offering commercial transportation of both people and freight.
    • 1838 – Robert Nelson, leader of the Patriotes, proclaims the independence of Lower Canada (today Quebec).
    • 1844 – A gun on USS Princeton explodes while the boat is on a Potomac River cruise, killing six people, including two United States Cabinet members.
    • 1847 – The Battle of the Sacramento River during the Mexican–American War is a decisive victory for the United States leading to the capture of Chihuahua.
    • 1849 – Regular steamship service from the east to the west coast of the United States begins with the arrival of the SS California in San Francisco Bay, four months 22 days after leaving New York Harbor.
    • 1867 – Seventy years of Holy See–United States relations are ended by a Congressional ban on federal funding of diplomatic envoys to the Vatican and are not restored until January 10, 1984.
    • 1870 – The Bulgarian Exarchate is established by decree of Sultan Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire.
    • 1874 – One of the longest cases ever heard in an English court ends when the defendant is convicted of perjury for attempting to assume the identity of the heir to the Tichborne baronetcy.
    • 1893 – The USS Indiana, the lead ship of her class and the first battleship in the United States Navy comparable to foreign battleships of the time, is launched.
    • 1897 – Queen Ranavalona III, the last monarch of Madagascar, is deposed by a French military force.
    • 1900 – The Second Boer War: The 118-day “Siege of Ladysmith” is lifted.
    • 1904 – S.L. Benfica is founded in Portugal.
    • 1922 – The United Kingdom ends its protectorate over Egypt through a Unilateral Declaration of Independence.
    • 1925 – The Charlevoix-Kamouraska earthquake strikes northeastern North America.
    • 1933 – Gleichschaltung: The Reichstag Fire Decree is passed in Germany a day after the Reichstag fire.
    • 1935 – DuPont scientist Wallace Carothers invents nylon.
    • 1939 – The erroneous word “dord” is discovered in the Webster’s New International Dictionary, Second Edition, prompting an investigation.
    • 1940 – Basketball is televised for the first time (Fordham University vs. the University of Pittsburgh in Madison Square Garden).
    • 1942 – The heavy cruiser USS Houston is sunk in the Battle of Sunda Strait with 693 crew members killed, along with HMAS Perth which lost 375 men.
    • 1947 – February 28 Incident: In Taiwan, civil disorder is put down with the loss of an estimated 30,000 civilians.
    • 1948 – Christiansborg Cross-Roads shooting in the Gold Coast, when a British police officer opens fire on a march of ex-servicemen, killing three of them and sparking major riots and looting in Accra.
    • 1953 – James Watson and Francis Crick announce to friends that they have determined the chemical structure of DNA; the formal announcement takes place on April 25 following publication in April’s Nature (pub. April 2).
    • 1954 – The first color television sets using the NTSC standard are offered for sale to the general public.
    • 1958 – A school bus in Floyd County, Kentucky hits a wrecker truck and plunges down an embankment into the rain-swollen Levisa Fork river. The driver and 26 children die in what remains one of the worst school bus accidents in U.S. history.
    • 1959 – Discoverer 1, an American spy satellite that is the first object intended to achieve a polar orbit, is launched but fails to achieve orbit.
    • 1966 – A NASA T-38 Talon crashes into the McDonnell Aircraft factory while attempting a poor-visibility landing at Lambert Field, St. Louis, killing astronauts Elliot See and Charles Bassett.
    • 1972 – China–United States relations: The United States and China sign the Shanghai Communiqué.
    • 1975 – In London, an underground train fails to stop at Moorgate terminus station and crashes into the end of the tunnel, killing 43 people.
    • 1980 – Andalusia approves its statute of autonomy through a referendum.
    • 1983 – The final episode of M*A*S*H airs, with almost 106 million viewers. It still holds the record for the highest viewership of a season finale.
    • 1985 – The Provisional Irish Republican Army carries out a mortar attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station at Newry, killing nine officers in the highest loss of life for the RUC on a single day.
    • 1986 – Olof Palme, 26th Prime Minister of Sweden, is assassinated in Stockholm.
    • 1991 – The first Gulf War ends.
    • 1993 – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raid the Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas with a warrant to arrest the group’s leader David Koresh. Four ATF agents and six Davidians die in the initial raid, starting a 51-day standoff.
    • 1995 – Former Australian Liberal party leader John Hewson resigns from the Australian parliament almost two years after losing the 1993 Australian federal election.
    • 1997 – An earthquake in northern Iran is responsible for about 3,000 deaths.
    • 1997 – GRB 970228, a highly luminous flash of gamma rays, strikes the Earth for 80 seconds, providing early evidence that gamma-ray bursts occur well beyond the Milky Way.
    • 1998 – First flight of RQ-4 Global Hawk, the first unmanned aerial vehicle certified to file its own flight plans and fly regularly in U.S. civilian airspace.
    • 1998 – Kosovo War: Serbian police begin the offensive against the Kosovo Liberation Army in Kosovo.
    • 2002 – During the religious violence in Gujarat, the 97 people killed in the Naroda Patiya massacre and 69 in Gulbarg Society massacre.
    • 2004 – Over one million Taiwanese participate in the 228 Hand-in-Hand rally form a 500-kilometre (310 mi) long human chain to commemorate the February 28 Incident in 1947.
    • 2005 – A suicide bombing at a police recruiting centre in Al Hillah, Iraq kills 127.
    • 2013 – Pope Benedict XVI resigns as the pope of the Catholic Church, becoming the first pope to do so since Pope Gregory XII, in 1415.

    Births on February 28

    • 1119 – Emperor Xizong of Jin (d. 1150)
    • 1155 – Henry the Young King, son and heir of Henry II of England (d. 1183)
    • 1261 – Margaret of Scotland, Queen of Norway (d. 1283)
    • 1518 – Francis III, Duke of Brittany, Duke of Brittany (d. 1536)
    • 1533 – Michel de Montaigne, French philosopher and author (d. 1592)
    • 1535 – Cornelius Gemma, Dutch astronomer and astrologer (d. 1578)
    • 1552 – Jost Bürgi, Swiss mathematician and clockmaker (d. 1632)
    • 1612 – John Pearson, English bishop, theologian, and scholar (d. 1686)
    • 1627 – Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Essex (d. 1703)
    • 1675 – Guillaume Delisle, French cartographer (d. 1726)
    • 1683 – René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, French entomologist and academic (d. 1757)
    • 1704 – Louis Godin, French astronomer and academic (d. 1760)
    • 1712 – Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, French general (d. 1759)
    • 1724 – George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, English field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1807)
    • 1792 – Karl Ernst von Baer, German biologist, meteorologist, and geographer (d. 1876)
    • 1812 – Berthold Auerbach, German poet and author (d. 1882)
    • 1820 – John Tenniel, English illustrator (d. 1914)
    • 1833 – Alfred von Schlieffen, German field marshal (d. 1913)
    • 1840 – Henri Duveyrier, French explorer (d. 1892)
    • 1848 – Arthur Giry, French historian and academic (d. 1899)
    • 1851 – Samuel W. McCall, American journalist and politician, 47th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1923)
    • 1858 – Tore Svennberg, Swedish actor and director (d. 1941)
    • 1865 – Wilfred Grenfell, English physician and missionary (d. 1940)
    • 1866 – Vyacheslav Ivanov, Russian poet and playwright (d. 1949)
    • 1873 – William McMaster Murdoch, Scottish sailor (d. 1912)
    • 1878 – Pierre Fatou, French mathematician and astronomer (d. 1929)
    • 1882 – Geraldine Farrar, American soprano and actress (d. 1967)
    • 1882 – José Vasconcelos, Mexican philosopher, lawyer, and politician, Mexican Secretary of Public Education (d. 1959)
    • 1883 – Seán Mac Diarmada, Irish rebel leader (d. 1916)
    • 1884 – Ants Piip, Estonian lawyer and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1942)
    • 1887 – William Zorach, Lithuanian-American sculptor and painter (d. 1966)
    • 1894 – Ben Hecht, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1964)
    • 1895 – Marcel Pagnol, French author, playwright and director (d. 1974)
    • 1896 – Philip Showalter Hench, American physician and endocrinologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
    • 1898 – Zeki Rıza Sporel, Turkish footballer (d. 1969)
    • 1900 – Wolf Hirth, German pilot and engineer, co-founded Schempp-Hirth (d. 1959)
    • 1901 – Linus Pauling, American chemist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
    • 1903 – Vincente Minnelli, American director and screenwriter (d. 1986)
    • 1906 – Bugsy Siegel, American gangster (d. 1947)
    • 1907 – Milton Caniff, American cartoonist (d. 1988)
    • 1908 – Billie Bird, American actress (d. 2002)
    • 1909 – Stephen Spender, English author and poet (d. 1995)
    • 1911 – Otakar Vávra, Czech director and screenwriter (d. 2011)
    • 1915 – Ketti Frings, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1981)
    • 1915 – Peter Medawar, Brazilian-English biologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
    • 1915 – Zero Mostel, American actor and comedian (d. 1977)
    • 1916 – Cesar Climaco, Filipino lawyer and politician, 10th Mayor of Zamboanga City (d. 1984)
    • 1917 – Ernesto Alonso, Mexican actor, director, and producer (d. 2007)
    • 1919 – Alfred Marshall, American businessman, founded Marshalls (d. 2013)
    • 1919 – Brian Urquhart, English soldier and diplomat, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
    • 1920 – Jadwiga Piłsudska, Polish soldier, pilot, and architect (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Pierre Clostermann, French pilot, engineer, and author (d. 2006)
    • 1922 – Yuri Lotman, Russian-Estonian historian and scholar (d. 1993)
    • 1923 – Charles Durning, American soldier and actor (d. 2012)
    • 1924 – Uno Prii, Estonian-Canadian architect (d. 2000)
    • 1924 – Robert A. Roe, American soldier and politician (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Harry H. Corbett, Burmese-English actor (d. 1982)
    • 1926 – Svetlana Alliluyeva, Russian-American author and educator (d. 2011)
    • 1928 – Stanley Baker, Welsh actor and producer (d. 1976)
    • 1928 – Tom Aldredge, American actor (d. 2011)
    • 1928 – Sylvia del Villard, actress, dancer, choreographer and Afro-Puerto Rican activist (d. 1990)
    • 1929 – Hayden Fry, American football player and coach (d. 2019)
    • 1929 – Frank Gehry, Canadian-American architect, designed 8 Spruce Street and Walt Disney Concert Hall
    • 1929 – John Montague, American-Irish poet and academic (d. 2016)
    • 1929 – Rangaswamy Srinivasan, Indian-American physical chemist and inventor
    • 1930 – Leon Cooper, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1931 – Iajuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi academic and politician, 14th President of Bangladesh (d. 2012)
    • 1931 – Peter Alliss, English golfer and sportscaster
    • 1931 – Gavin MacLeod, American actor
    • 1931 – Len Newcombe, Welsh footballer, outside forward and scout (d. 1996)
    • 1931 – Dean Smith, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1932 – Don Francks, Canadian actor, singer, and jazz musician (d. 2016)
    • 1933 – Rein Taagepera, Estonian political scientist and politician
    • 1934 – Willie Bobo, American Latin Jazz/Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist (d. 1983)
    • 1937 – Jeff Farrell, American swimmer
    • 1938 – Foge Fazio, American football player and coach (d. 2009)
    • 1939 – John Fahey, American guitarist (d. 2001)
    • 1939 – Chögyam Trungpa, Tibetan philosopher and scholar (d. 1987)
    • 1939 – Daniel C. Tsui, Chinese-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1939 – Tommy Tune, American actor, singer, dancer, and director
    • 1940 – Aldo Andretti, Italian-American race car driver
    • 1940 – Mario Andretti, Italian-American race car driver
    • 1940 – Joe South, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer (d. 2012)
    • 1942 – Brian Jones, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 1969)
    • 1942 – Dino Zoff, Italian footballer and manager
    • 1943 – Barbara Acklin, American singer-songwriter (d. 1998)
    • 1943 – Hans Dijkstal, Egyptian-Dutch educator and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2010)
    • 1943 – Donnie Iris, American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1944 – Kelly Bishop, American actress and dancer
    • 1944 – Edward Greenspan, Canadian lawyer and author (d. 2014)
    • 1944 – Sepp Maier, German footballer and manager
    • 1944 – Storm Thorgerson, English graphic designer (d. 2013)
    • 1945 – Mimsy Farmer, American-French actress and sculptor
    • 1945 – Bubba Smith, American football player and actor (d. 2011)
    • 1945 – Linda Preiss Rothschild, American mathematician and academic
    • 1946 – Philip Bailhache, English lawyer and politician
    • 1946 – Robin Cook, Scottish educator and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 2005)
    • 1946 – Syreeta Wright, African-American singer songwriter (d. 2004)
    • 1947 – Stephanie Beacham, English actress
    • 1948 – Steven Chu, American physicist and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Energy, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1948 – Mike Figgis, English director, screenwriter, and composer
    • 1948 – Bernadette Peters, American actress, singer, and author
    • 1948 – Mercedes Ruehl, American actress
    • 1948 – Alfred Sant, Maltese politician, 11th Prime Minister of Malta
    • 1951 – Bill Cratty, American dancer and choreographer (d. 1998)
    • 1951 – Debora Green, American physician convicted of murder
    • 1953 – Ingo Hoffmann, Brazilian race car driver
    • 1953 – Paul Krugman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1953 – Ricky Steamboat, American wrestler, referee, and trainer
    • 1954 – Brian Billick, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
    • 1955 – Adrian Dantley, American basketball player and coach
    • 1955 – Gilbert Gottfried, American comedian, actor, and singer
    • 1956 – Terry Leahy, English businessman
    • 1956 – Guy Maddin, Canadian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer
    • 1957 – Paul Delph, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 1996)
    • 1957 – Ainsley Harriott, English chef and author
    • 1957 – Ian Smith, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster
    • 1957 – John Turturro, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Cindy Wilson, American singer-songwriter
    • 1958 – Manuel Torres Félix, Mexican criminal and narcotics trafficker (d. 2012)
    • 1958 – Natalya Estemirova, Russian journalist and activist (d. 2009)
    • 1958 – Jeanne Mas, Spanish-French singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1958 – David R. Ross, Scottish historian and author (d. 2010)
    • 1959 – Jack Abramoff, American businessman and lobbyist
    • 1959 – Megan McDonald, American librarian and author
    • 1961 – Rae Dawn Chong, Canadian-American actress
    • 1961 – Mark Latham, Australian politician
    • 1961 – Barry McGuigan, Irish-British boxer
    • 1962 – Gary Belcher, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster
    • 1963 – Claudio Chiappucci, Italian cyclist
    • 1964 – Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, Uzbekistan sprinter and cyclist
    • 1965 – Colum McCann, Irish-American author and academic
    • 1965 – Norman Smiley, English-American wrestler and trainer
    • 1966 – Vincent Askew, American basketball player and coach
    • 1966 – Paulo Futre, Portuguese footballer
    • 1966 – Archbishop Jovan VI of Ohrid
    • 1967 – Colin Cooper, English footballer and manager
    • 1967 – Martin Tielli, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1969 – Sean Farrel, English footballer, forward
    • 1969 – Butch Leitzinger, American race car driver
    • 1969 – Robert Sean Leonard, American actor
    • 1969 – Patrick Monahan, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1970 – Daniel Handler, American journalist, author, and accordion player
    • 1970 – Noureddine Morceli, Algerian runner
    • 1971 – Junya Nakano, Japanese pianist and composer
    • 1971 – Peter Stebbings, Canadian actor and director
    • 1972 – Rory Cochrane, American actor
    • 1972 – Ville Haapasalo, Finnish actor and screenwriter
    • 1973 – Eric Lindros, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1973 – Scott McLeod, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1973 – Nicolas Minassian, French race car driver
    • 1973 – Masato Tanaka, Japanese wrestler
    • 1974 – Lee Carsley, English-Irish footballer and manager
    • 1974 – Alexander Zickler, German footballer and manager
    • 1975 – Mike Rucker, American football player
    • 1976 – Ali Larter, American actress
    • 1977 – Jason Aldean, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1977 – Lance Hoyt, American football player and wrestler
    • 1978 – Jeanne Cherhal, French singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1978 – Benjamin Raich, Austrian skier
    • 1978 – Jamaal Tinsley, American basketball player
    • 1978 – Mariano Zabaleta, Argentinian tennis player
    • 1979 – Sébastien Bourdais, French race car driver
    • 1979 – Ivo Karlović, Croatian tennis player
    • 1979 – Primož Peterka, Slovenian ski jumper
    • 1980 – Pascal Bosschaart, Dutch footballer
    • 1980 – Lucian Bute, Romanian-Canadian boxer
    • 1980 – Christian Poulsen, Danish footballer
    • 1980 – Tayshaun Prince, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Brian Bannister, American baseball player and scout
    • 1982 – Natalia Vodianova, Russian-French model and actress
    • 1984 – Noureen DeWulf, American actress
    • 1984 – Karolína Kurková, Czech model and actress
    • 1985 – Tim Bresnan, English cricketer
    • 1985 – Jelena Janković, Serbian tennis player
    • 1985 – Diego Ribas da Cunha, Brazilian footballer
    • 1986 – Travis Stevens, American judoka
    • 1987 – Antonio Candreva, Italian footballer
    • 1988 – Aroldis Chapman, Cuban baseball player
    • 1988 – Markéta Irglová, Czech singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
    • 1989 – Carlos Dunlap, American football player
    • 1989 – Charles Jenkins, American basketball player
    • 1989 – Kevin Proctor, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1989 – Angelababy, Chinese actress
    • 1990 – Takayasu Akira, Japanese sumo wrestler
    • 1994 – Jake Bugg, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1994 – Arkadiusz Milik, Polish footballer
    • 1999 – Luka Dončić, Slovenian basketball player

    Deaths on February 28

    • 628 – Khosrow II, Shah of Iran – Sasanian Empire (b. c. 570)
    • 911 – Abu Abdallah al-Shi’i, Muslim Shia imam
    • 1105 – Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse (b. c. 1042)
    • 1261 – Henry III, Duke of Brabant (b. 1230)
    • 1326 – Leopold I, Duke of Austria (b. 1290)
    • 1453 – Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine (b. 1400)
    • 1510 – Juan de la Cosa, Spanish cartographer and explorer (b. 1450)
    • 1551 – Martin Bucer, German Protestant reformer (b. 1491)
    • 1572 – Aegidius Tschudi, Swiss historian and author (b. 1505)
    • 1621 – Cosimo II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1590)
    • 1648 – Christian IV of Denmark (b. 1577)
    • 1786 – John Gwynn, English architect and engineer (b. 1713)
    • 1788 – Thomas Cushing, American lawyer and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1725)
    • 1857 – André Dumont, Belgian geologist and academic (b. 1809)
    • 1869 – Alphonse de Lamartine, French author and poet (b. 1790)
    • 1879 – Hortense Allart, Italian-French author (b. 1801)
    • 1891 – George Hearst, American businessman and politician (b. 1820)
    • 1916 – Henry James, American novelist, short writer, and critic (b. 1843)
    • 1925 – Friedrich Ebert, German politician, 1st President of Germany (b. 1871)
    • 1929 – Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian physician and immunologist (b. 1874)
    • 1932 – Guillaume Bigourdan, French astronomer and academic (b. 1851)
    • 1935 – Chiquinha Gonzaga, Brazilian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1847)
    • 1936 – Charles Nicolle, French biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1866)
    • 1941 – Alfonso XIII of Spain (b. 1886)
    • 1942 – Karel Doorman, Dutch admiral (b. 1889)
    • 1959 – Maxwell Anderson, American journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1888)
    • 1963 – Rajendra Prasad, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st President of India (b. 1884)
    • 1966 – Charles Bassett, American captain, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1931)
    • 1966 – Elliot See, American commander, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1927)
    • 1967 – Henry Luce, American publisher, co-founded Time Magazine (b. 1898)
    • 1977 – Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, American actor and comedian (b. 1905)
    • 1978 – Zara Cully, American actress (b. 1892)
    • 1978 – Eric Frank Russell, English author (b. 1905)
    • 1983 – Winifred Atwell, Trinidadian pianist (b. 1910 or 1914)
    • 1987 – Stephen Tennant, English author (b. 1906)
    • 1991 – Wassily Hoeffding, Finnish-American statistician and theorist (b. 1914)
    • 1993 – Ishirō Honda, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
    • 1993 – Ruby Keeler, Canadian-American actress and dancer (b. 1909)
    • 1998 – Dermot Morgan, Irish comedian and actor (b. 1952)
    • 1998 – Arkady Shevchenko, Ukrainian diplomat (b. 1930)
    • 2002 – Mary Stuart, American actress and singer (b. 1926)
    • 2002 – Helmut Zacharias, German violinist and composer (b. 1920)
    • 2003 – Chris Brasher, Guyanese-English runner and journalist, co-founded the London Marathon (b. 1928)
    • 2003 – Fidel Sánchez Hernández, Salvadorian general and politician, President of El Salvador (b. 1917)
    • 2004 – Daniel J. Boorstin, American historian and librarian (b. 1914)
    • 2004 – Carmen Laforet, Spanish author (b. 1921)
    • 2004 – Andres Nuiamäe, Estonian sergeant (b. 1982)
    • 2005 – Chris Curtis, English singer and drummer (b. 1941)
    • 2006 – Owen Chamberlain, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1920)
    • 2007 – Charles Forte, Baron Forte, Italian-English businessman, founded the Forte Group (b. 1908)
    • 2007 – Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. American historian and critic (b. 1917)
    • 2007 – Billy Thorpe, English-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1946)
    • 2008 – Joseph M. Juran, Romanian-American engineer and businessman (b. 1904)
    • 2009 – Paul Harvey, American radio host (b. 1918)
    • 2011 – Annie Girardot, French actress (b. 1931)
    • 2011 – Jane Russell, American actress and singer (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Frisner Augustin, Haitian drummer and composer (b. 1948)
    • 2012 – Jim Green, American-Canadian educator and politician (b. 1943)
    • 2012 – Hal Roach, Irish comedian and author (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Donald A. Glaser, American physicist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Neil McCorkell, English cricketer and coach (b. 1912)
    • 2014 – Hugo Brandt Corstius, Dutch linguist and author (b. 1935)
    • 2014 – Lee Lorch, American mathematician and activist (b. 1915)
    • 2015 – Alex Johnson, American baseball player (b. 1942)
    • 2015 – Yaşar Kemal, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1923)
    • 2016 – George Kennedy, American actor (b. 1925)
    • 2017 – Pierre Pascau, Mauritian-Canadian journalist (b. 1938)
    • 2019 – André Previn, German-American pianist, conductor, and composer. (b. 1929)
    • 2020 – Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe’s (b. 1930)
    • 2020 – Freeman Dyson, British-born American physicist and mathematician (b. 1923)
    • 2020 – Sir Lenox Hewitt, Australian public servant (b. 1917)

    Holidays and observances on February 28

    • Christian feast day:
      • Abercius (martyr)
      • Anna Julia Cooper and Elizabeth Evelyn Wright (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Hilarius
      • Mar Abba
      • Oswald of Worcester
      • Romanus of Condat
      • Rufinus
      • February 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Rare Disease Day can fall, while February 29 is the latest; observed on the last day of February (international)
    • The third 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)
    • Día de Andalucía (Andalusia, Spain)
    • Kalevala Day, the day of Finnish culture. (Finland)
    • National Science Day (India)
    • Peace Memorial Day (Taiwan)
    • Teachers’ Day (Arab states)
  • |

    February 27 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity.
    • 425 – The University of Constantinople is founded by Emperor Theodosius II at the urging of his wife Aelia Eudocia.
    • 907 – Abaoji, a Khitan chieftain, is enthroned as Emperor Taizu, establishing the Liao dynasty in northern China.
    • 1560 – The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Lords of the Congregation of Scotland.
    • 1594 – Henry IV is crowned King of France.
    • 1617 – Sweden and Russia sign the Treaty of Stolbovo, ending the Ingrian War and shutting Russia out of the Baltic Sea.
    • 1626 – Yuan Chonghuan is appointed Governor of Liaodong, after leading the Chinese into a great victory against the Manchurians under Nurhaci.
    • 1700 – The island of New Britain is discovered by Europeans.
    • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge in North Carolina breaks up a Loyalist militia.
    • 1782 – American Revolutionary War: The House of Commons of Great Britain votes against further war in America.
    • 1801 – Pursuant to the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, Washington, D.C. is placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress.
    • 1809 – Action of 27 February 1809: Captain Bernard Dubourdieu captures HMS Proserpine.
    • 1812 – Argentine War of Independence: Manuel Belgrano raises the Flag of Argentina in the city of Rosario for the first time.
    • 1812 – Poet Lord Byron gives his first address as a member of the House of Lords, in defense of Luddite violence against Industrialism in his home county of Nottinghamshire.
    • 1844 – The Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti.
    • 1860 – Abraham Lincoln makes a speech at Cooper Union in the city of New York that is largely responsible for his election to the Presidency.
    • 1864 – American Civil War: The first Northern prisoners arrive at the Confederate prison at Andersonville, Georgia.
    • 1870 – The current flag of Japan is first adopted as the national flag for Japanese merchant ships.
    • 1881 – First Boer War: The Battle of Majuba Hill takes place.
    • 1898 – King George I of Greece survives an assassination attempt.
    • 1900 – Second Boer War: In South Africa, British military leaders receive an unconditional notice of surrender from Boer General Piet Cronjé at the Battle of Paardeberg.
    • 1900 – The British Labour Party is founded.
    • 1900 – Fußball-Club Bayern München is founded.
    • 1902 – Second Boer War: Australian soldiers Harry “Breaker” Morant and Peter Handcock are executed in Pretoria after being convicted of war crimes.
    • 1916 – Ocean liner SS Maloja strikes a mine near Dover and sinks with the loss of 155 lives.
    • 1921 – The International Working Union of Socialist Parties is founded in Vienna.
    • 1922 – A challenge to the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, allowing women the right to vote, is rebuffed by the Supreme Court of the United States in Leser v. Garnett.
    • 1933 – Reichstag fire: Germany’s parliament building in Berlin, the Reichstag, is set on fire; Marinus van der Lubbe, a young Dutch Communist claims responsibility.
    • 1939 – United States labor law: The U.S. Supreme Court rules in NLRB v. Fansteel Metallurgical Corp. that the National Labor Relations Board has no authority to force an employer to rehire workers who engage in sit-down strikes.
    • 1940 – Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discover carbon-14.
    • 1942 – World War II: During the Battle of the Java Sea, an Allied strike force is defeated by a Japanese task force in the Java Sea in the Dutch East Indies.
    • 1943 – The Smith Mine #3 in Bearcreek, Montana, explodes, killing 74 men.
    • 1943 – In Berlin, the Gestapo arrest 1,800 Jewish men with German wives, leading to the Rosenstrasse protest.
    • 1951 – The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, limiting Presidents to two terms, is ratified.
    • 1961 – The first congress of the Spanish Trade Union Organisation is inaugurated.
    • 1962 – Two dissident Republic of Vietnam Air Force pilots bomb the Independence Palace in Saigon in a failed attempt to assassinate South Vietnam President Ngô Đình Diệm.
    • 1963 – The Dominican Republic receives its first democratically elected president, Juan Bosch, since the end of the dictatorship led by Rafael Trujillo.
    • 1964 – The Government of Italy asks for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over.
    • 1971 – Doctors in the first Dutch abortion clinic (the Mildredhuis in Arnhem) start performing artificially-induced abortions.
    • 1973 – The American Indian Movement occupies Wounded Knee in protest of the federal government.
    • 1976 – The formerly Spanish territory of Western Sahara, under the auspices of the Polisario Front declares independence as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
    • 1988 – Sumgait pogrom: The Armenian community in Sumgait, Azerbaijan is targeted in a violent pogrom.
    • 1991 – Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that “Kuwait is liberated”.
    • 2002 – Ryanair Flight 296 catches fire at London Stansted Airport. Subsequent investigations criticize Ryanair’s handling of the evacuation.
    • 2002 – Godhra train burning: A Muslim mob torches a train returning from Ayodhya, killing 59 Hindu pilgrims.
    • 2004 – A bombing of a Superferry by Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines’ worst terrorist attack kills 116.
    • 2004 – Shoko Asahara, the leader of the Japanese doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo, is sentenced to death for masterminding the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack.
    • 2007 – The Chinese Correction: The Shanghai Stock Exchange falls 9%, the largest drop in ten years.
    • 2010 – An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale strikes central parts of Chile leaving over 500 victims, and thousands injured. The quake triggers a tsunami which strikes Hawaii shortly after.
    • 2013 – A shooting takes place at a factory in Menznau, Switzerland, in which five people (including the perpetrator) are killed and five others injured.
    • 2015 – Russian politician Boris Nemtsov is assassinated.

    Births on February 27

    • 272 – Constantine the Great, Roman emperor (d. 337)
    • 1343 – Alberto d’Este, Marquis of Ferrara (d. 1393)
    • 1427 – Ruprecht, Archbishop of Cologne (d. 1480)
    • 1500 – João de Castro, Portuguese nobleman and fourth viceroy of Portuguese India (d. 1548)
    • 1535 – Min Phalaung, Burmese monarch (d. 1593)
    • 1567 – William Alabaster, English poet (d. 1640)
    • 1572 – Francis II, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1632)
    • 1575 – John Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (d. 1616)
    • 1622 – Carel Fabritius, Dutch painter (d. 1654)
    • 1630 – Roche Braziliano, Dutch pirate (d. 1671)
    • 1659 – William Sherard, English botanist (d. 1728)
    • 1667 – Ludwika Karolina Radziwiłł, Prussian-Lithuanian wife of Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine (d. 1695)
    • 1689 – Pietro Gnocchi, Italian composer, director, historian, and geographer (d. 1775)
    • 1703 – Lord Sidney Beauclerk, English politician (d. 1744)
    • 1711 – Constantine Mavrocordatos, Ottoman ruler (d. 1769)
    • 1724 – Frederick Michael, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (d. 1767)
    • 1732 – Jean de Dieu-Raymond de Cucé de Boisgelin, French cardinal (d. 1804)
    • 1746 – Louis-Jérôme Gohier, French politician, French Minister of Justice (d. 1830)
    • 1748 – Anders Sparrman, Swedish physician and activist (d. 1820)
    • 1767 – Jacques-Charles Dupont de l’Eure, French lawyer and politician, 24th Prime Minister of France (d. 1855)
    • 1779 – Thomas Hazlehurst, English businessman, founded Hazlehurst & Sons (d. 1842)
    • 1789 – Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza, Chilean lawyer and politician, Chilean Minister of National Defense (d. 1818)
    • 1795 – José Antonio Navarro, American merchant and politician (d. 1871)
    • 1799 – Edward Belcher, British naval officer, hydrographer, and explorer (d. 1877)
    • 1799 – Frederick Catherwood, British artist, architect and explorer (d. 1854)
    • 1807 – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet and educator (d. 1882)
    • 1809 – Jean-Charles Cornay, French missionary and saint (d. 1837)
    • 1816 – William Nicholson, English-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of Victoria (d. 1865)
    • 1847 – Ellen Terry, English actress (d. 1928)
    • 1848 – Hubert Parry, English composer and historian (d. 1918)
    • 1859 – Bertha Pappenheim, Austrian-German activist and author (d. 1936)
    • 1863 – Joaquín Sorolla, Spanish painter (d. 1923)
    • 1863 – George Herbert Mead, American sociologist and philosopher (d. 1930)
    • 1864 – Eemil Nestor Setälä, Finnish linguist and politician, Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 1935)
    • 1867 – Irving Fisher, American economist and statistician (d. 1947)
    • 1867 – Wilhelm Peterson-Berger, Swedish composer and critic (d. 1942)
    • 1869 – Alice Hamilton, American physician and academic (d. 1970)
    • 1872 – Alexandru Vaida-Voevod, Romanian politician, Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1950)
    • 1875 – Vladimir Filatov, Russian-Ukrainian ophthalmologist and surgeon (d. 1956)
    • 1877 – Adela Verne, English pianist and composer (d. 1952)
    • 1877 – Joseph Grinnell, American zoologist and biologist (d. 1939)
    • 1878 – Alvan T. Fuller, American businessman and politician, 50th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1958)
    • 1880 – Xenophon Kasdaglis, Greek-Egyptian tennis player (d. 1943)
    • 1881 – Sveinn Björnsson, Danish-Icelandic lawyer and politician, 1st President of Iceland (d. 1952)
    • 1881 – L. E. J. Brouwer, Dutch mathematician, philosopher, and academic (d. 1966)
    • 1886 – Hugo Black, American captain, jurist, and politician (d. 1971)
    • 1887 – Pyotr Nesterov, Russian captain, pilot, and engineer (d. 1914)
    • 1888 – Roberto Assagioli, Italian psychiatrist and psychologist (d. 1974)
    • 1888 – Lotte Lehmann, German-American soprano and actress (d. 1976)
    • 1890 – Mabel Keaton Staupers, American nurse and advocate (d. 1989)
    • 1891 – David Sarnoff, American businessman, founded RCA (d. 1971)
    • 1892 – William Demarest, American actor (d. 1983)
    • 1895 – Miyagiyama Fukumatsu, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 1943)
    • 1897 – Marian Anderson, American singer (d. 1993)
    • 1899 – Charles Herbert Best, American-Canadian physiologist and biochemist, co-discovered Insulin (d. 1978)
    • 1901 – Marino Marini, Italian sculptor and academic (d. 1980)
    • 1901 – Kotama Okada, Japanese religious leader (d. 1974)
    • 1902 – Lúcio Costa, French-Brazilian architect and engineer, designed Gustavo Capanema Palace (d. 1998)
    • 1902 – Gene Sarazen, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 1999)
    • 1902 – John Steinbeck, American journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
    • 1903 – Reginald Gardiner, English-American actor and singer (d. 1980)
    • 1903 – Hans Rohrbach, German mathematician (d. 1993)
    • 1903 – Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Belorussian-American rabbi and philosopher (d. 1993)
    • 1904 – James T. Farrell, American author and poet (d. 1979)
    • 1904 – André Leducq, French cyclist (d. 1980)
    • 1904 – Yulii Borisovich Khariton, Russian physicist and academic (d. 1996)
    • 1905 – Franchot Tone, American actor, singer, and producer (d. 1968)
    • 1907 – Mildred Bailey, American singer (d. 1951)
    • 1907 – Momčilo Đujić, Serbian-American priest and commander (d. 1999)
    • 1910 – Joan Bennett, American actress (d. 1990)
    • 1910 – Peter De Vries, American journalist and author (d. 1993)
    • 1910 – Genrikh Kasparyan, Armenian chess player and composer (d. 1995)
    • 1910 – Kelly Johnson, American engineer, co-founded Skunk Works (d. 1990)
    • 1911 – Oscar Heidenstam, English bodybuilder (d. 1991)
    • 1912 – Kusumagraj, Indian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1999)
    • 1912 – Lawrence Durrell, Indian-French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1990)
    • 1913 – Paul Ricœur, French philosopher and academic (d. 2005)
    • 1913 – Kazimierz Sabbat, Polish soldier and politician, President of Poland (d. 1989)
    • 1913 – Irwin Shaw, American author and screenwriter (d. 1984)
    • 1915 – Denis Whitaker, Canadian general, football player, and businessman (d. 2001)
    • 1917 – John Connally, American lieutenant and politician, 61st United States Secretary of Treasury (d. 1993)
    • 1920 – Reg Simpson, English cricketer (d. 2013)
    • 1921 – Theodore Van Kirk, American soldier, pilot, and navigator (d. 2014)
    • 1922 – Hans Rookmaaker, Dutch historian, author, and scholar (d. 1977)
    • 1923 – Dexter Gordon, American saxophonist, composer, and actor (d. 1990)
    • 1925 – Pia Sebastiani, Argentine pianist and composer (d. 2015)
    • 1925 – Kenneth Koch, American poet, playwright and professor (d. 2002)
    • 1926 – David H. Hubel, Canadian-American neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Peter Whittle, English-New Zealand mathematician and theorist
    • 1928 – René Clemencic, Austrian composer, recorder player, harpsichordist, conductor and clavichord player
    • 1929 – Jack Gibson, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2008)
    • 1929 – Djalma Santos, Brazilian footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1929 – Patricia Ward Hales, British tennis player (d. 1985)
    • 1930 – Jovan Krkobabić, Serbian politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Peter Stone, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2003)
    • 1930 – Paul von Ragué Schleyer, American chemist and academic (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Joanne Woodward, American actress
    • 1932 – Dame Elizabeth Taylor, English-American actress and humanitarian (d. 2011)
    • 1932 – David Young, Baron Young of Graffham, English businessman and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
    • 1933 – Raymond Berry, American football player and coach
    • 1933 – Malcolm Wallop, American politician (d. 2011)
    • 1934 – Vincent Fourcade, French interior designer (d. 1992)
    • 1934 – Ralph Nader, American lawyer, politician, and activist
    • 1935 – Mirella Freni, Italian soprano and actress (d. 2020)
    • 1935 – Uri Shulevitz, American author and illustrator
    • 1936 – Sonia Johnson, American feminist activist and author
    • 1936 – Ron Barassi, Australian footballer and coach
    • 1936 – Roger Mahony, American cardinal
    • 1937 – Barbara Babcock, American actress
    • 1938 – Jake Thackray, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and journalist (d. 2002)
    • 1939 – Don McKinnon, English-New Zealand farmer and politician, 12th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
    • 1939 – Peter Revson, American race car driver (d. 1974)
    • 1940 – Pierre Duchesne, Canadian lawyer and politician, 28th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
    • 1940 – Howard Hesseman, American actor
    • 1940 – Bill Hunter, Australian actor (d. 2011)
    • 1941 – Paddy Ashdown, British captain and politician (d. 2018)
    • 1942 – Jimmy Burns, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1942 – Robert H. Grubbs, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1942 – Charlayne Hunter-Gault, American journalist
    • 1942 – Klaus-Dieter Sieloff, German footballer (d. 2011)
    • 1943 – Mary Frann, American actress (d. 1998)
    • 1943 – Morten Lauridsen, American composer and conductor
    • 1943 – Carlos Alberto Parreira, Brazilian footballer and manager
    • 1944 – Ken Grimwood, American author (d. 2003)
    • 1944 – Graeme Pollock, South African cricketer and coach
    • 1944 – Sir Roger Scruton, English philosopher and writer (d. 2020)
    • 1947 – Alan Guth, American physicist and cosmologist
    • 1947 – Gidon Kremer, Latvian violinist and conductor
    • 1950 – Annabel Goldie, Scottish lawyer and politician
    • 1950 – Julia Neuberger, Baroness Neuberger, English rabbi and politician
    • 1951 – Carl A. Anderson, 13th Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus
    • 1951 – Lee Atwater, American journalist, activist and political strategist (d. 1991)
    • 1951 – Walter de Silva, Italian car designer
    • 1951 – Steve Harley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1953 – Gavin Esler, Scottish journalist and author
    • 1953 – Ian Khama, English-Botswanan lieutenant and politician, 4th President of Botswana
    • 1953 – Stelios Kouloglou, Greek journalist, author, director and politician
    • 1954 – Neal Schon, American rock guitarist and singer-songwriter
    • 1956 – Belus Prajoux, Chilean tennis player
    • 1957 – Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1957 – Kevin Curran, American screenwriter and television producer (d. 2016)
    • 1957 – Robert de Castella, Australian runner
    • 1957 – Adrian Smith, English guitarist and songwriter
    • 1957 – Timothy Spall, English actor
    • 1958 – Naas Botha, South African rugby player and sportscaster
    • 1958 – Maggie Hassan, American politician, 81st Governor and United States Senator of New Hampshire
    • 1960 – Andrés Gómez, Ecuadorian tennis player
    • 1960 – Johnny Van Zant, American singer-songwriter
    • 1961 – James Worthy, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1962 – Adam Baldwin, American actor
    • 1963 – Nasty Suicide, Finnish musician and pharmacist
    • 1964 – Jeffrey Pasley, American educator and academic
    • 1965 – Noah Emmerich, American actor
    • 1965 – Pedro Chaves, Portuguese race car driver
    • 1966 – Donal Logue, Canadian actor and director
    • 1966 – Oliver Reck, German footballer and manager
    • 1966 – Baltasar Kormákur, Icelandic actor, director, and producer
    • 1967 – Dănuț Lupu, Romanian footballer
    • 1967 – Jony Ive, English industrial designer, former chief design officer (CDO) of Apple
    • 1968 – Matt Stairs, Canadian baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1969 – Gareth Llewellyn, Welsh rugby union player
    • 1969 – Juan E. Gilbert, American computer scientist, inventor, and academic
    • 1970 – Kent Desormeaux, American jockey
    • 1970 – Patricia Petibon, French soprano and actress
    • 1971 – Sara Blakely, American businesswoman, founded Spanx
    • 1971 – Derren Brown, English magician and painter
    • 1971 – David Rikl, Czech-English tennis player
    • 1971 – Roman Giertych, Polish lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland
    • 1971 – Rozonda Thomas, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (TLC)
    • 1973 – Peter Andre, English-Australian singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1973 – Mark Taylor, Welsh rugby player and manager
    • 1974 – Carte Goodwin, American lawyer and politician
    • 1975 – Aitor González, Spanish racing driver
    • 1975 – Prodromos Korkizoglou, Greek decathlete
    • 1976 – Sergei Semak, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager
    • 1976 – Ludovic Capelle, Belgian cyclist
    • 1978 – James Beattie, English footballer and manager
    • 1978 – Kakha Kaladze, Georgian footballer and politician
    • 1978 – Emelie Öhrstig, Swedish skier and cyclist
    • 1978 – Simone Di Pasquale, Italian ballet dancer
    • 1980 – Chelsea Clinton, American journalist and academic
    • 1980 – Scott Prince, Australian rugby league player
    • 1981 – Josh Groban, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1981 – Natalie Grandin, English-South African tennis player
    • 1981 – Élodie Ouédraogo, Belgian sprinter
    • 1982 – Ali Bastian, English actress
    • 1982 – Pat Richards, Australian rugby league player
    • 1982 – Bruno Soares, Brazilian tennis player
    • 1983 – Devin Harris, American basketball player
    • 1983 – Kate Mara, American actress
    • 1984 – Aníbal Sánchez, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Lotta Schelin, Swedish footballer
    • 1984 – Akseli Kokkonen, Norwegian ski jumper
    • 1985 – Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Russian footballer
    • 1985 – Braydon Coburn, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Vladislav Kulik, Ukrainian-Russian footballer
    • 1985 – Asami Abe, Japanese singer and actress
    • 1985 – Thiago Neves, Brazilian footballer
    • 1985 – Brett Stewart, Australian rugby league player
    • 1986 – Yovani Gallardo, American baseball player
    • 1986 – Jonathan Moreira, Brazilian footballer
    • 1986 – Sandeep Singh, Indian field hockey player
    • 1987 – Scott Davies, English footballer
    • 1987 – Bridie Kean, Australian wheelchair basketball player
    • 1987 – Florence Kiplagat, Kenyan runner
    • 1987 – Sandy Paillot, French footballer
    • 1987 – Valeriy Andriytsev, Ukrainian wrestler
    • 1987 – Maximiliano Moralez, Argentinian footballer
    • 1988 – Iain Ramsay, Australian footballer
    • 1988 – Dustin Jeffrey, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1989 – David Button, English footballer, goalkeeper
    • 1989 – Lloyd Rigby, English footballer
    • 1990 – Elijah Taylor, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1991 – Azeem Rafiq, Pakistani cricketer
    • 1992 – Ty Dillon, American race car driver
    • 1992 – Meyers Leonard, American basketball player
    • 1992 – Filip Krajinović, Serbian tennis player
    • 1992 – Ioannis Potouridis, Greek footballer
    • 1992 – Jonjo Shelvey, English footballer
    • 1995 – Laura Gulbe, Latvian tennis player
    • 1998 – Todd Cantwell, English footballer

    Deaths on February 27

    • 640 – Pepin of Landen, Frankish lord (b. 580)
    • 906 – Conrad the Elder, Frankish nobleman
    • 956 – Theophylact, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (b. 917)
    • 1167 – Robert of Melun, English theologian and bishop
    • 1416 – Eleanor of Castile, queen consort of Navarre (b. c. 1363)
    • 1425 – Prince Vasily I of Moscow (b. 1371)
    • 1483 – William VIII of Montferrat (b. 1420)
    • 1558 – Johann Faber of Heilbronn, controversial Catholic preacher (b. 1504)
    • 1558 – Kunigunde of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, German Noblewoman (b. 1524)
    • 1659 – Henry Dunster, English-American clergyman and academic (b. 1609)
    • 1699 – Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire (b. 1625)
    • 1706 – John Evelyn, English gardener and author (b. 1620)
    • 1712 – Sir William Villiers, 3rd Baronet, English politician (b. 1645)
    • 1720 – Samuel Parris, English-American minister (b. 1653)
    • 1735 – John Arbuthnot, Scottish physician and polymath (b. 1667)
    • 1784 – Count of St. Germain, European adventurer (b. 1710)
    • 1795 – Tanikaze Kajinosuke, Japanese sumo wrestler (b. 1750)
    • 1844 – Nicholas Biddle, American banker and politician (b. 1786)
    • 1887 – Alexander Borodin, Russian composer and chemist (b. 1833)
    • 1892 – Louis Vuitton, French fashion designer and businessman, founded Louis Vuitton (b. 1821)
    • 1902 – Harry “Breaker” Morant, English-Australian lieutenant (b. 1864)
    • 1921 – Schofield Haigh, English cricketer and umpire (b. 1871)
    • 1931 – Chandra Shekhar Azad, Indian revolutionary (b. 1906)
    • 1936 – Joshua W. Alexander, American judge and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of Commerce (b. 1852)
    • 1936 – Ivan Pavlov, Russian physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1849)
    • 1937 – Hosteen Klah, Navajo artist, medicine man, and weaver (b. 1867)
    • 1937 – Emily Malbone Morgan, American saint, foundress of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross (b. 1862)
    • 1943 – Kostis Palamas, Greek poet and playwright (b. 1859)
    • 1956 – Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Speaker of the Lok Sabha (b. 1888)
    • 1964 – Orry-Kelly, Australian-American costume designer (b. 1897)
    • 1968 – Frankie Lymon, American singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
    • 1969 – Marius Barbeau, Canadian ethnographer and academic (b. 1883)
    • 1973 – Bill Everett, American author and illustrator (b. 1917)
    • 1977 – John Dickson Carr, American author and playwright (b. 1905)
    • 1980 – George Tobias, American actor (b. 1901)
    • 1985 – Ray Ellington, English singer and drummer (b. 1916)
    • 1985 – Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., American politician and diplomat, 3rd United States Ambassador to the United Nations (b. 1902)
    • 1985 – J. Pat O’Malley, English-American actor and singer (b. 1904)
    • 1986 – Jacques Plante, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1929)
    • 1987 – Bill Holman, American cartoonist (b. 1903)
    • 1987 – Joan Greenwood, English actress (b. 1921)
    • 1989 – Konrad Lorenz, Austrian zoologist, ethologist, and ornithologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1903)
    • 1992 – S. I. Hayakawa, Canadian-American linguist and politician (b. 1906)
    • 1993 – Lillian Gish, American actress (b. 1893)
    • 1998 – George H. Hitchings, American pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
    • 1998 – J. T. Walsh, American actor (b. 1943)
    • 1999 – Horace Tapscott, American pianist and composer (b. 1934)
    • 2002 – Spike Milligan, Irish soldier, actor, comedian, and author (b. 1918)
    • 2003 – John Lanchbery, English-Australian composer and conductor (b. 1923)
    • 2003 – Fred Rogers, American minister and television host (b. 1928)
    • 2004 – Yoshihiko Amino, Japanese historian and academic (b. 1928)
    • 2004 – Paul Sweezy, American economist and journalist (b. 1910)
    • 2006 – Otis Chandler, American publisher (b. 1927)
    • 2006 – Robert Lee Scott, Jr., American general and author (b. 1908)
    • 2006 – Linda Smith, English comedian and author (b. 1958)
    • 2007 – Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven, German general (b. 1914)
    • 2008 – William F. Buckley, Jr., American author and journalist, founded the National Review (b. 1925)
    • 2008 – Myron Cope, American journalist and sportscaster (b. 1929)
    • 2008 – Ivan Rebroff, German vocalist of Russian descent with four and a half octave range (b. 1931)
    • 2010 – Nanaji Deshmukh, Indian educator and activist (b. 1916)
    • 2011 – Frank Buckles, American soldier (b. 1901)
    • 2011 – Necmettin Erbakan, Turkish engineer and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1926)
    • 2011 – Duke Snider, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster (b. 1926)
    • 2011 – Gary Winick, American director and producer (b. 1961)
    • 2012 – Ma Jiyuan, Chinese general (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Tina Strobos, Dutch physician and psychiatrist (b. 1920)
    • 2012 – Helga Vlahović, Croatian journalist and producer (b. 1945)
    • 2013 – Van Cliburn, American pianist (b. 1934)
    • 2013 – Ramon Dekkers, Dutch mixed martial artist and kick-boxer (b. 1969)
    • 2013 – Dale Robertson, American actor (b. 1923)
    • 2013 – Adolfo Zaldívar, Chilean lawyer and politician (b. 1943)
    • 2014 – Aaron Allston, American game designer and author (b. 1960)
    • 2014 – Terry Rand, American basketball player (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Boris Nemtsov, Russian academic and politician, First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia (b. 1959)
    • 2015 – Leonard Nimoy, American actor (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Julio César Strassera, Argentinian lawyer and jurist (b. 1933)
    • 2016 – Yi Cheol-seung, South Korean lawyer and politician (b. 1922)
    • 2016 – James Z. Davis, American lawyer and judge (b. 1943)
    • 2018 – Steve Folkes, Australian rugby league player and coach (b. 1959)
    • 2019 – France-Albert René, Seychellois politician, 2nd President of Seychelles (b. 1935)

    Holidays and observances on February 27

    • Christian feast day:
      • Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows
      • George Herbert (Anglicanism)
      • Honorina
      • Leander
      • February 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • The second day of Ayyám-i-Há (Bahá’í Faith) (Note: this observance is only on this date in the Gregorian calendar if Bahá’í Naw-Rúz takes place on March 21, which it does not in all years)
    • Doctors’ Day (Vietnam)
    • Independence Day (Dominican Republic), celebrates the first independence of Dominican Republic from Haiti in 1844.
    • Majuba Day (some Afrikaners in South Africa)
    • Marathi Language Day (Maharashtra, India)
    • World NGO Day
    • International Polar Bear Day
  • February 25 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor
    • 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II
    • 1336 – Four thousand defenders of Pilenai commit mass suicide rather than be taken captive by the Teutonic Knights.
    • 1797 – Colonel William Tate and his force of 1000–1500 soldiers surrender after the Last invasion of Britain.
    • 1831 – Battle of Olszynka Grochowska, part of Polish November Uprising against Russian Empire.
    • 1836 – Samuel Colt is granted a United States patent for the Colt revolver.
    • 1843 – Lord George Paulet occupies the Kingdom of Hawaii in the name of Great Britain in the Paulet Affair (1843).
    • 1848 – Provisional government in revolutionary France, by Louis Blanc’s motion, guarantees workers’ rights.
    • 1856 – A Peace conference opens in Paris after the Crimean War.
    • 1866 – Miners in Calaveras County, California, discover what is now called the Calaveras Skull – human remains that supposedly indicated that man, mastodons, and elephants had co-existed.
    • 1870 – Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the United States Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in the U.S. Congress.
    • 1875 – Guangxu Emperor of Qing dynasty China begins his reign, under Empress Dowager Cixi’s regency.
    • 1901 – J. P. Morgan incorporates the United States Steel Corporation.
    • 1912 – Marie-Adélaïde, the eldest of six daughters of Guillaume IV, becomes the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
    • 1916 – World War I: The Germans capture Fort Douaumont during the Battle of Verdun.
    • 1918 – German occupation of Estonia during World War I: Pernau, Reval, and Pskov are captured.
    • 1919 – Oregon places a one cent per U.S. gallon tax on gasoline, becoming the first U.S. state to levy a gasoline tax.
    • 1921 – Tbilisi, capital of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, is occupied by Bolshevist Russia.
    • 1928 – Charles Jenkins Laboratories of Washington, D.C. becomes the first holder of a broadcast license for television from the Federal Radio Commission.
    • 1932 – Adolf Hitler obtains German citizenship by naturalization, which allows him to run in the 1932 election for Reichspräsident.
    • 1933 – The USS Ranger is launched. It is the first US Navy ship to be designed from the start of construction as an aircraft carrier.
    • 1939 – The first of 2​12 million Anderson air raid shelters appeared in North London.
    • 1941 – February strike: In the occupied Amsterdam, a general strike is declared in response to increasing anti-Jewish measures instituted by the Nazis.
    • 1947 – The formal abolition of Prussia is proclaimed by the Allied Control Council. The Prussian government had already been abolished by the Preußenschlag of 1932.
    • 1948 – Cold War: The Communist Party takes control of government in Czechoslovakia and the period of the Third Republic ends.
    • 1951 – The first Pan American Games were officially opened in Buenos Aires, Argentina by President Juan Perón.
    • 1954 – Gamal Abdel Nasser is made premier of Egypt.
    • 1956 – Cold War: In his speech On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences, Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union denounces the cult of personality of Joseph Stalin.
    • 1964 – North Korean Prime Minister Kim Il-sung calls for the removal of feudalistic land ownership aimed at turning all cooperative farms into state-run ones.
    • 1968 – Vietnam War: One hundred thirty-five unarmed citizens of Hà My village in South Vietnam’s Qu?ng Nam Province are killed and buried en masse by South Korean troops in what would come to be known as the Hà My massacre.
    • 1980 – The government of Suriname is overthrown by a military coup led by Dési Bouterse.
    • 1986 – People Power Revolution: President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the Philippines’ first woman president.
    • 1987 – Southern Methodist University’s football program is the first college football program to be banned from competition by the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions.
    • 1991 – Gulf War: An Iraqi scud missile hits an American military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia killing 28 U.S. Army Reservists from Pennsylvania.
    • 1991 – Cold War: The Warsaw Pact is abolished.
    • 1992 – Khojaly massacre: About 613 civilians are killed by Armenian armed forces during the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
    • 1994 – Mosque of Abraham massacre: In the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron, Baruch Goldstein opens fire with an automatic rifle, killing 29 Palestinian worshippers and injuring 125 more before being subdued and beaten to death by survivors.
    • 1997 – Yi Han-yong, a North Korean defector, was murdered by unidentified assailants in Bundang, South Korea.
    • 2009 – Soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles mutiny at their headquarters in Pilkhana, Dhaka, Bangladesh, resulting in 74 deaths, including 57 army officials.
    • 2009 – Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 crashed during landing at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Netherlands, primarily due to a faulty radio altimeter, resulting in the death of nine passengers and crew including all three pilots.
    • 2015 – At least 310 people are killed in avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan.
    • 2016 – Three people are killed and fourteen others injured in a series of shootings in the small Kansas cities of Newton and Hesston.

    Births on February 25

    • 1259 – Infanta Branca of Portugal, daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal and Urraca of Castile (d. 1321)
    • 1337 – Wenceslaus I, Duke of Luxembourg (d. 1383)
    • 1475 – Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, last male member of the House of York (d. 1499)
    • 1540 – Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton, English aristocrat and courtier (d. 1614)
    • 1543 – Sharaf Khan Bidlisi, Emir of Bitlis (d. 1603)
    • 1591 – Friedrich Spee, German poet and author (d. 1635)
    • 1643 – Ahmed II, Ottoman sultan (d. 1695)
    • 1663 – Peter Anthony Motteux, French-English author, playwright and translator (d. 1718)
    • 1670 – Maria Margarethe Kirch, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1720)
    • 1682 – Giovanni Battista Morgagni, Italian anatomist and pathologist (d. 1771)
    • 1707 – Carlo Goldoni, Italian playwright and composer (d. 1793)
    • 1714 – René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou, French lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of France (d. 1792)
    • 1728 – John Wood, the Younger, English architect, designed the Royal Crescent (d. 1782)
    • 1752 – John Graves Simcoe, English-Canadian general and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (d. 1806)
    • 1755 – François René Mallarmé, French lawyer and politician (d. 1835)
    • 1778 – José de San Martín, Argentinian general and politician, 1st President of Peru (d. 1850)
    • 1806 – Emma Catherine Embury, American author and poet (d. 1863)
    • 1809 – John Hart, English-Australian politician, 10th Premier of South Australia (d. 1873)
    • 1812 – Carl Christian Hall, Danish lawyer and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Denmark (d. 1888)
    • 1816 – Giovanni Morelli, Italian historian and critic (d. 1891)
    • 1833 – John St. John, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Kansas (d. 1916)
    • 1841 – Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French painter and sculptor (d. 1919)
    • 1842 – Karl May, German author, poet, and playwright (d. 1912)
    • 1845 – George Reid, Scottish-Australian lawyer and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1918)
    • 1855 – Cesário Verde, Portuguese poet and author (d. 1886)
    • 1856 – Karl Gotthard Lamprecht, German historian and academic (d. 1915)
    • 1856 – Mathias Zdarsky, Czech-Austrian skier, painter, and sculptor (d. 1940)
    • 1857 – Robert Bond, Canadian politician; first Prime Minister of Newfoundland (d. 1927)
    • 1860 – William Ashley, English historian and academic (d. 1927)
    • 1865 – Andranik, Armenian general (d. 1927)
    • 1866 – Benedetto Croce, Italian philosopher and politician (d. 1952)
    • 1869 – Phoebus Levene, Russian-American biochemist and physician (d. 1940)
    • 1873 – Enrico Caruso, Italian-American tenor; the most popular operatic tenor of the early 20th century and the first great recording star. (d. 1921)
    • 1877 – Erich von Hornbostel, Austrian musicologist and scholar (d. 1935)
    • 1881 – William Z. Foster, American union leader and politician (d. 1961)
    • 1881 – Alexei Rykov, Russian politician, Premier of Russia (d. 1938)
    • 1883 – Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (d. 1981)
    • 1885 – Princess Alice of Battenberg, mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (d. 1969)
    • 1888 – John Foster Dulles, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 52nd United States Secretary of State (d. 1959)
    • 1890 – Myra Hess, English pianist and educator (d. 1965)
    • 1894 – Meher Baba, Indian spiritual master (d. 1969)
    • 1898 – William Astbury, physicist and molecular biologist (d. 1961)
    • 1901 – Vince Gair, Australian politician, 27th Premier of Queensland (d. 1980)
    • 1901 – Zeppo Marx, American comedian (the youngest of the Marx Brothers) and theatrical agent (d. 1979)
    • 1903 – King Clancy, Canadian ice hockey player, referee, and coach; rated one of the 100 greatest NHL players (d. 1986)
    • 1905 – Perry Miller, American historian, author, and academic (d. 1963)
    • 1906 – Mary Coyle Chase, American journalist and playwright; author of Harvey (d. 1981)
    • 1907 – Sabahattin Ali, Turkish journalist, author, and poet (d. 1948)
    • 1908 – Mary Locke Petermann, cellular biochemist (d. 1975)
    • 1908 – Frank G. Slaughter, American physician and author (d. 2001)
    • 1910 – Millicent Fenwick, American journalist and politician (d. 1992)
    • 1913 – Jim Backus, American actor and screenwriter; the voice of Mr. Magoo (d. 1989)
    • 1913 – Gert Fröbe, German actor; title role in Goldfinger (d. 1988)
    • 1917 – Anthony Burgess, English author, playwright, and critic (d. 1993)
    • 1918 – Bobby Riggs, American tennis player; winner of three major titles, 1939–1941 (d. 1995)
    • 1919 – Monte Irvin, American baseball player and executive (d. 2016)
    • 1920 – Philip Habib, American academic and diplomat, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (d. 1992)
    • 1921 – Pierre Laporte, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec (d. 1970)
    • 1921 – Andy Pafko, American baseball player and manager (d. 2013)
    • 1922 – Molly Reilly, Canadian aviator (d. 1980)
    • 1924 – Hugh Huxley, English-American biologist and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Shehu Shagari, former President of Nigeria (d. 2018)
    • 1925 – Lisa Kirk, American actress and singer (d. 1990)
    • 1926 – Masatoshi Gündüz Ikeda, Japanese-Turkish mathematician and academic; noted for contributions to algebraic number theory (d. 2003)
    • 1927 – Ralph Stanley, American bluegrass singer and banjo player; member of International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – Paul Elvstrøm, Danish yachtsman; winner of four Olympic gold medals, 1948–1960 (d. 2016)
    • 1928 – A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., prominent African-American civil rights advocate, author, and federal court judge (d. 1998)
    • 1928 – Larry Gelbart, American author and screenwriter; creator and producer of M*A*S*H TV series (d. 2009)
    • 1928 – Richard G. Stern, American author and academic (d. 2013)
    • 1932 – Tony Brooks, English racing driver; six Formula One victories, second in 1959 World Championship
    • 1932 – Faron Young, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist; member of Country Music Hall of Fame (d. 1996)
    • 1934 – Tony Lema, American golfer; winner of the 1964 Open Championship (d. 1966)
    • 1935 – Oktay Sinanoglu, Turkish physical chemist and molecular biophysicist; two-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (d. 2015)
    • 1937 – Tom Courtenay, award-winning English actor
    • 1937 – Bob Schieffer, American political author, journalist and TV interviewer
    • 1938 – Herb Elliott, Australian 1500 metres runner; 1960 Olympic champion and world record holder
    • 1938 – Farokh Engineer, Indian international cricketer; successful as batsman and wicketkeeper
    • 1940 – Ron Santo, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2010)
    • 1941 – David Puttnam, English film producer and academic
    • 1943 – George Harrison, English singer-songwriter, guitarist and film producer; lead guitarist of The Beatles (d. 2001)
    • 1944 – François Cevert, French racing driver (d. 1973)
    • 1946 – Jean Todt, French racing driver and team manager; FIA President, 2009–2021
    • 1947 – Lee Evans, American sprinter and athletics coach; two gold medals and world 400m record at 1968 Olympics
    • 1949 – Amin Maalouf, Lebanese-French journalist and author
    • 1950 – Francisco Fernández Ochoa, Spanish skier; 1972 Olympic slalom champion (d. 2006)
    • 1950 – Neil Jordan, Irish film director, screenwriter and author
    • 1950 – Néstor Kirchner, Argentinian politician; 51st President of Argentina, 2003–2007 (d. 2010)
    • 1951 – Don Quarrie, Jamaican sprinter and coach; four Olympic medals and two world records
    • 1952 – Joey Dunlop, Northern Irish motorcycle road racing champion; holds record for most wins (26) at the Isle of Man TT (d. 2000)
    • 1953 – José María Aznar, Spanish politician; Prime Minister of Spain, 1996–2004
    • 1958 – Kurt Rambis, American basketball player and coach; four-time NBA Finals champion
    • 1962 – Birgit Fischer, German kayaker; winner of eight Olympic gold medals
    • 1963 – Paul O’Neill, American baseball player and sportscaster; five-time World Series champion
    • 1967 – Ed Balls, British politician; Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
    • 1968 – Oumou Sangaré, Grammy Award-winning Malian Wassoulou musician
    • 1971 – Sean Astin, American actor, director and producer
    • 1974 – Dominic Raab, British politician; First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
    • 1981 – Park Ji-sung, South Korean footballer; the most successful Asian player with 19 career trophies
    • 1982 – Flavia Pennetta, Italian tennis player; winner of the 2015 US Open
    • 1988 – Tom Marshall, British photo colouriser and artist
    • 1999 – Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italian international footballer; youngest goalkeeper to play for Italy

    Deaths on February 25

    • 806 – Tarasios, patriarch of Constantinople
    • 891 – Fujiwara no Mototsune, Japanese regent (b. 836)
    • 944 – Lin Ding, Chinese official and chancellor
    • 1246 – Dafydd ap Llywelyn, Welsh king (b. 1212)
    • 1321 – Beatrice d’Avesnes, consort of Henry VI, Count of Luxembourg
    • 1495 – Sultan Cem, Ottoman politician (b. 1459)
    • 1522 – William Lily, English scholar and educator (b. 1468)
    • 1536 – Berchtold Haller, German-Swiss theologian and reformer (b. 1492)
    • 1536 – Jacob Hutter, founder of the Hutterites
    • 1547 – Vittoria Colonna, marchioness of Pescara (b. 1490)
    • 1558 – Eleanor of Austria (b. 1498)
    • 1600 – Sebastian de Aparicio, Spanish colonial industrialist and saint (b. 1502)
    • 1601 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1566)
    • 1634 – Albrecht von Wallenstein, Austrian general and politician (b. 1583)
    • 1655 – Daniel Heinsius, Flemish poet and scholar (b. 1580)
    • 1682 – Alessandro Stradella, Italian composer (b. 1639)
    • 1710 – Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, French soldier and explorer (b. 1639)
    • 1713 – Frederick I of Prussia (b. 1657)
    • 1723 – Christopher Wren, English architect, designed St Paul’s Cathedral (b. 1632)
    • 1756 – Eliza Haywood, English actress and poet (b. 1693)
    • 1796 – Samuel Seabury, American bishop (b. 1729)
    • 1798 – Louis Jules Mancini Mazarini, French poet and diplomat (b. 1716)
    • 1805 – Thomas Pownall, English politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1722)
    • 1819 – Francisco Manoel de Nascimento, Portuguese-French poet and educator (b. 1734)
    • 1822 – William Pinkney, American politician and diplomat, 7th United States Attorney General (b. 1764)
    • 1831 – Friedrich Maximilian Klinger, German author and playwright (b. 1752)
    • 1841 – Philip Pendleton Barbour, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 12th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1783)
    • 1850 – Daoguang Emperor of China (b. 1782)
    • 1852 – Thomas Moore, Irish poet and lyricist (b. 1779)
    • 1865 – Otto Ludwig, German author, playwright, and critic (b. 1813)
    • 1870 – Henrik Hertz, Danish poet and playwright (b. 1797)
    • 1875 – Thomas Reynolds, English-Australian politician, 5th Premier of South Australia (b. 1818)
    • 1877 – Jung Bahadur Rana, Nepalese ruler (b. 1816)
    • 1878 – Townsend Harris, American merchant, politician, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Japan (b. 1804)
    • 1888 – Josif Pancic, Serbian botanist and academic (b. 1814)
    • 1899 – Paul Reuter, German-English journalist and businessman, founded Reuters (b. 1816)
    • 1906 – Anton Arensky, Russian pianist and composer (b. 1861)
    • 1910 – Worthington Whittredge, American painter and educator (b. 1820)
    • 1911 – Friedrich Spielhagen, German author, theorist, and translator (b. 1829)
    • 1912 – William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (b. 1852)
    • 1914 – John Tenniel, English illustrator (b. 1820)
    • 1915 – Charles Edwin Bessey, American botanist, author, and academic (b. 1845)
    • 1916 – David Bowman, Australian politician (b. 1860)
    • 1920 – Marcel-Auguste Dieulafoy, French archaeologist and engineer (b. 1844)
    • 1922 – Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (b. 1869)
    • 1928 – William O’Brien, Irish journalist and politician (b. 1852)
    • 1934 – Elizabeth Gertrude Britton, American botanist and academic (b. 1857)
    • 1934 – John McGraw, American baseball player and manager (b. 1873)
    • 1945 – Mário de Andrade, Brazilian author, poet, and photographer (b. 1893)
    • 1950 – George Minot, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1885)
    • 1953 – Sergei Winogradsky, Ukrainian-Russian microbiologist and ecologist (b. 1856)
    • 1957 – Mark Aldanov, Russian author and critic (b. 1888)
    • 1957 – Bugs Moran, American mob boss (b. 1893)
    • 1963 – Melville J. Herskovits, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1895)
    • 1964 – Alexander Archipenko, Ukrainian sculptor and illustrator (b. 1887)
    • 1964 – Hinrich Lohse, German politician (b. 1896)
    • 1964 – Grace Metalious, American author (b. 1924)
    • 1970 – Mark Rothko, Latvian-American painter and academic (b. 1903)
    • 1971 – Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1884)
    • 1972 – Gottfried Fuchs, German-Canadian Olympic soccer player (b. 1889)
    • 1975 – Elijah Muhammad, American religious leader (b. 1897)
    • 1978 – Daniel James, Jr., American general and pilot (b. 1920)
    • 1980 – Robert Hayden, American poet and academic (b. 1913)
    • 1983 – Tennessee Williams, American playwright, and poet (b. 1911)
    • 1996 – Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-American physician and author (b. 1940)
    • 1997 – Andrei Sinyavsky, Russian journalist and publisher (b. 1925)
    • 1998 – W. O. Mitchell, Canadian author and playwright (b. 1914)
    • 1999 – Glenn T. Seaborg, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
    • 2001 – A. R. Ammons, American poet and critic (b. 1926)
    • 2001 – Donald Bradman, Australian international cricketer; holder of world record batting average (b. 1908)
    • 2005 – Peter Benenson, English lawyer, founded Amnesty International (b. 1921)
    • 2010 – Ihsan Dogramaci, Turkish pediatrician and academic (b. 1915)
    • 2012 – Louisiana Red, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1932)
    • 2015 – Harve Bennett, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1930)
    • 2015 – Eugenie Clark, American biologist and academic; noted ichthyologist (b. 1922)
    • 2020 – Dmitry Yazov, last Marshal of the Soviet Union (b. 1924)

    Holidays and observance on February 25

    Christian feast day

    • Æthelberht of Kent
    • Blessed Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervás
    • Gerland of Agrigento
    • John Roberts, writer and missionary
    • Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani
    • Saint Walpurga (she was canonised on 1 May and Walpurgis Night is celebrated 30 April)
  • February 16 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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

    Births on February 16

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

    Deaths on February 16

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

    Holidays and observances on February 16

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

    February 15 in History

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

    Births on February 15

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

    Deaths on February 15

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

    Holidays and observances on February 15

    • Christian feast day:
      • Blessed Michał Sopoćko
      • Claude de la Colombière
      • Faustinus and Jovita
      • Oswiu
      • Quinidius
      • Sigfrid of Sweden
      • Thomas Bray (Episcopal Church)
      • Walfrid
      • February 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Family Day can fall, while February 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in February. (parts of Canada)
    • Earliest day on which Washington’s Birthday can fall, while February 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in February. (United States)
    • Traditionally the feast day for the ancient Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia
    • International Duties Memorial Day (Russia, regional)
    • John Frum Day (Vanuatu)
    • Liberation Day (Afghanistan)
    • National Flag of Canada Day (Canada)
    • Parinirvana Day, also celebrated on February 8. (Mahayana Buddhism)
    • Singles Awareness Day
    • Statehood Day (Serbia)
    • Susan B. Anthony Day (Florida, United States)
    • The ENIAC Day (Philadelphia, United States)
    • Total Defence Day (Singapore)
  • February 12 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances 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)