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March 7- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 161 – Marcus Aurelius and L. Commodus (who changes his name to Lucius Verus) become joint emperors of Rome on the death of Antoninus Pius.
  • 1277 – The University of Paris issues the last in a series of condemnations of various philosophical and theological theses.
  • 1573 – A peace treaty is signed between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice, ending the Ottoman–Venetian War and leaving Cyprus in Ottoman hands.
  • 1799 – Napoleon Bonaparte captures Jaffa in Palestine and his troops proceed to kill more than 2,000 Albanian captives.
  • 1814 – Emperor Napoleon I of France wins the Battle of Craonne.
  • 1827 – Brazilian marines unsuccessfully attack the temporary naval base of Carmen de Patagones, Argentina.
  • 1827 – Shrigley abduction: Ellen Turner is abducted by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a future politician in colonial New Zealand.
  • 1850 – Senator Daniel Webster gives his “Seventh of March” speech endorsing the Compromise of 1850 in order to prevent a possible civil war.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: Union forces engage Confederate troops at the Pea Ridge in northwestern Arkansas.
  • 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for an invention he calls the “telephone”.
  • 1900 – The German liner SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse becomes the first ship to send wireless signals to shore.
  • 1902 – Second Boer War: Boers, led by Koos de la Rey, inflict the biggest defeat upon the British since the beginning of the war, at Tweebosch.
  • 1914 – Prince William of Wied arrives in Albania to begin his reign as King.
  • 1936 – Prelude to World War II: In violation of the Locarno Pact and the Treaty of Versailles, Germany reoccupies the Rhineland.
  • 1941 – Günther Prien and the crew of German submarine U-47, one of the most successful U-boats of World War II, disappear without a trace.
  • 1945 – World War II: American troops seize the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine river at Remagen.
  • 1950 – Cold War: The Soviet Union issues a statement denying that Klaus Fuchs served as a Soviet spy.
  • 1951 – Korean War: Operation Ripper: United Nations troops led by General Matthew Ridgway begin an assault against Chinese forces.
  • 1951 – Iranian prime minister Ali Razmara is assassinated by Khalil Tahmasebi, a member of the Islamic fundamentalist Fada’iyan-e Islam, inside a mosque in Tehran.
  • 1965 – Bloody Sunday: A group of 600 civil rights marchers is brutally attacked by state and local police in Selma, Alabama.
  • 1967 – The Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat Sementara (MPRS), Indonesia’s provisional parliament, revoked Sukarno’s mandate as President of Indonesia.
  • 1968 – Vietnam War: The United States and South Vietnamese military begin Operation Truong Cong Dinh to root out Viet Cong forces from the area surrounding Mỹ Tho.
  • 1971 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, political leader of then East Pakistan (present day-Bangladesh), delivers his historic 7th March speech in the Racecourse Field (Now Suhrawardy Udyan) in Dhaka.
  • 1986 – Challenger Disaster: Divers from the USS Preserver locate the crew cabin of Challenger on the ocean floor.
  • 1987 – Lieyu massacre: Taiwanese military massacre of 19 unarmed Vietnamese refugees at Donggang, Lieyu, Kinmen.
  • 1989 – Iran and the United Kingdom break diplomatic relations after a fight over Salman Rushdie and his controversial novel, The Satanic Verses.
  • 1993 – The tugboat Thomas Hebert sank off the coast of New Jersey, USA.
  • 2006 – The terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba coordinates a series of bombings in Varanasi, India.
  • 2007 – The British House of Commons votes to make the upper chamber, the House of Lords, 100% elected.
  • 2009 – The Real Irish Republican Army kills two British soldiers and injures two other soldiers and two civilians at Massereene Barracks, the first British military deaths in Northern Ireland since the end of The Troubles.

Births on March 7

  • 189 – Publius Septimius Geta, Roman emperor (d. 211)
  • 942 – Mu’ayyad al-Dawla, Buyid emir (d. 983)
  • 1437 – Anna of Saxony, Electress of Brandenburg (d. 1512)
  • 1481 – Baldassare Peruzzi, Italian architect and painter (d. 1537)
  • 1482 – Fray Thomas de San Martín, Roman Catholic prelate and bishop (d. 1555)
  • 1543 – John Casimir of the Palatinate-Simmern, German prince and reigning count palatine of Simmern (d. 1592)
  • 1556 – Guillaume du Vair, French lawyer and author (d. 1621)
  • 1671 – Rob Roy MacGregor, Scottish outlaw (d. 1734)
  • 1678 – Filippo Juvarra, Italian architect, designed the Basilica of Superga (d. 1736)
  • 1693 – Clement XIII, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1769)
  • 1715 – Ewald Christian von Kleist, German soldier and poet (d. 1759)
  • 1723 – Prince Vittorio Amedeo Theodore of Savoy (d. 1725)
  • 1730 – Louis Auguste Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, French soldier and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1807)
  • 1765 – Nicéphore Niépce, French inventor, invented photography (d. 1833)
  • 1785 – Alessandro Manzoni, Italian author and poet (d. 1873)
  • 1788 – Antoine César Becquerel, French physicist and biochemist (d. 1878)
  • 1792 – John Herschel, English mathematician and astronomer (d. 1871)
  • 1811 – Increase A. Lapham, American botanist and author (d. 1875)
  • 1837 – Henry Draper, American physician and astronomer (d. 1882)
  • 1839 – Ludwig Mond, German-born chemist and British industrialist who discovered the metal carbonyls (d. 1909)
  • 1841 – William Rockhill Nelson, American businessman and publisher, founded The Kansas City Star (d. 1915)
  • 1843 – Marriott Henry Brosius, American senator (d. 1901)
  • 1849 – Luther Burbank, American botanist and author (d. 1926)
  • 1850 – Champ Clark, American lawyer and politician, 41st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 1921)
  • 1850 – Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Austrian-Czech sociologist and politician, 1st President of Czechoslovakia (d. 1937)
  • 1857 – Julius Wagner-Jauregg, Austrian physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1940)
  • 1872 – Piet Mondrian, Dutch-American painter (d. 1944)
  • 1873 – Madame Sul-Te-Wan, American actress (d. 1959)
  • 1875 – Maurice Ravel, French pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1937)
  • 1878 – Boris Kustodiev, Russian painter and stage designer (d. 1927)
  • 1885 – Milton Avery, American painter (d. 1965)
  • 1885 – John Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey, English admiral (d. 1971)
  • 1886 – Virginia Pearson, American actress (d. 1958)
  • 1886 – G. I. Taylor, English mathematician and physicist (d. 1975)
  • 1886 – Wilson Dallam Wallis, American anthropologist (d. 1970)
  • 1888 – William L. Laurence, Lithuanian-American journalist and author (d. 1977)
  • 1888 – Alidius Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer, Dutch lawyer and politician, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (d. 1978)
  • 1894 – Ana María O’Neill, Puerto Rican scholar and activist (d. 1981)
  • 1895 – Dorothy de Rothschild, English philanthropist and activist (d. 1988)
  • 1902 – Heinz Rühmann, German actor (d. 1994)
  • 1903 – Maud Lewis, Canadian folk artist (d. 1970)
  • 1904 – Ivar Ballangrud, Norwegian speed skater (d. 1969)
  • 1904 – Reinhard Heydrich, German SS officer (d. 1942)
  • 1908 – Anna Magnani, Italian actress (d. 1973)
  • 1910 – Will Glickman, American playwright (d. 1983)
  • 1911 – Sachchidananda Vatsyayan, Indian modern poet, journalist and author (d. 1987)
  • 1911 – Stefan Kisielewski, Polish libertarian writer and politician (d. 1991)
  • 1912 – Adile Ayda, Turkish engineer and diplomat (d. 1992)
  • 1913 – Dollard Ménard, Canadian general (d. 1997)
  • 1915 – Jacques Chaban-Delmas, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 2000)
  • 1917 – Janet Collins, American ballerina and choreographer (d. 2003)
  • 1917 – Betty Holberton, American engineer and programmer (d. 2001)
  • 1922 – Olga Ladyzhenskaya, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 2004)
  • 1922 – Mochtar Lubis, Indonesian journalist and author (d. 2004)
  • 1922 – Peter Murphy, English footballer, inside left (d. 1975)
  • 1922 – Andy Phillip, American basketball player and coach (d. 2001)
  • 1924 – Morton Bard, American psychologist (d. 1997)
  • 1924 – Bill Boedeker, American football player (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – Rene Gagnon, American soldier (d. 1979)
  • 1925 – Richard Vernon, British actor (d. 1997)
  • 1927 – James Broderick, American actor and director (d. 1982)
  • 1929 – Dan Jacobson, South African-English author and critic (d. 2014)
  • 1930 – Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, English photographer and politician (d. 2017)
  • 1930 – Robert Trotter, Scottish actor and photographer (d. 2013)
  • 1933 – Jackie Blanchflower, Northern Irish footballer and accountant (d. 1998)
  • 1933 – Ed Bouchee, American baseball player (d. 2013)
  • 1934 – Willard Scott, American television personality and actor
  • 1936 – Florentino Fernández, Cuban-American boxer and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1936 – Georges Perec, French author and screenwriter (d. 1982)
  • 1938 – David Baltimore, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1938 – Janet Guthrie, American professional race car driver, first woman to qualify and compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500
  • 1939 – Danyel Gérard, French singer-songwriter
  • 1940 – Daniel J. Travanti, American actor
  • 1941 – Piers Paul Read, English historian and author
  • 1942 – Michael Eisner, American businessman
  • 1942 – Tammy Faye Messner, American evangelist, television personality, and talk show host (d. 2007)
  • 1943 – Chris White, English singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1944 – Ranulph Fiennes, English soldier and explorer
  • 1944 – Townes Van Zandt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1997)
  • 1945 – Bob Herbert, American journalist
  • 1945 – Arthur Lee, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2006)
  • 1945 – Elizabeth Moon, American lieutenant and author
  • 1946 – John Heard, American actor and producer (d. 2017)
  • 1947 – Helen Eadie, Scottish politician (d. 2013)
  • 1947 – Walter Röhrl, German race car driver
  • 1949 – Ghulam Nabi Azad, Indian politician, Indian Minister of Health and Family Welfare
  • 1950 – Billy Joe DuPree, American football player
  • 1950 – Franco Harris, American football player and businessman
  • 1950 – J. R. Richard, American baseball player and minister
  • 1952 – William Boyd, Ghanaian-English author and screenwriter
  • 1952 – Ernie Isley, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1952 – Viv Richards, Antiguan cricketer and footballer
  • 1952 – Lynn Swann, American football player, sportscaster, and politician
  • 1954 – Eva Brunne, Swedish bishop
  • 1955 – Tommy Kramer, American football player
  • 1956 – Bryan Cranston, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1956 – Andrea Levy, English author (d. 2019)
  • 1957 – Robert Harris, English journalist and author
  • 1957 – Mark Richards, Australian surfer
  • 1957 – Tomás Yarrington, Mexican economist and politician, Governor of Tamaulipas
  • 1958 – Rick Bass, American author and environmentalist
  • 1958 – Rik Mayall, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1958 – Merv Neagle, Australian footballer and coach (d. 2012)
  • 1959 – Tom Lehman, American golfer
  • 1959 – Donna Murphy, American actress and singer
  • 1960 – Joe Carter, American baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1960 – Ivan Lendl, Czech tennis player and coach
  • 1960 – Jim Spivey, American runner and coach
  • 1961 – David Rutley, English businessman and politician
  • 1961 – Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, French politician
  • 1962 – Taylor Dayne, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1963 – Mike Eagles, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1963 – E. L. James, English author
  • 1964 – Bret Easton Ellis, American author and screenwriter
  • 1964 – Wanda Sykes, American comedian, actress, and screenwriter
  • 1965 – Steve Beuerlein, American football player and sportscaster
  • 1965 – Jesper Parnevik, Swedish golfer
  • 1966 – Terry Carkner, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1966 – Tony Daly, Australian rugby player
  • 1967 – Muhsin al-Ramli, Iraqi author, poet, translator, and academic
  • 1967 – Ruthie Henshall, English actress, singer, and dancer
  • 1967 – Ai Yazawa, Japanese author and illustrator
  • 1968 – Jeff Kent, American baseball player
  • 1969 – Massimo Lotti, Italian footballer
  • 1969 – Hideki Noda, Japanese race car driver
  • 1970 – Rachel Weisz, English-American actress and producer
  • 1971 – Peter Sarsgaard, American actor
  • 1971 – Matthew Vaughn, English director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1972 – Craig Polla-Mounter, Australian rugby league player
  • 1973 – Jason Bright, Australian race car driver
  • 1973 – Sébastien Izambard, French tenor and producer
  • 1973 – Işın Karaca, English-Turkish singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1974 – Jenna Fischer, American actress
  • 1974 – Facundo Sava, Argentinian footballer and manager
  • 1977 – Ronan O’Gara, Irish rugby player and coach
  • 1977 – Paul Cattermole, British singer and actor
  • 1978 – Jaqueline Jesus, Brazilian psychologist and activist
  • 1979 – Rodrigo Braña, Argentinian footballer
  • 1979 – Amanda Somerville, American singer-songwriter
  • 1980 – Murat Boz, Turkish singer-songwriter
  • 1980 – Eric Godard, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1980 – Laura Prepon, American actress
  • 1981 – Brent Kite, Australian rugby league player
  • 1983 – Manucho, Angolan footballer
  • 1983 – Sebastián Viera, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1984 – Mathieu Flamini, French footballer
  • 1984 – Lindsay McCaul, American singer-songwriter
  • 1985 – Andre Fluellen, American football player
  • 1985 – Cameron Prosser, Australian swimmer
  • 1985 – Gerwyn Price, Welsh darts player
  • 1986 – Ben Griffin, Australian footballer
  • 1987 – Hatem Ben Arfa, French footballer
  • 1987 – Niclas Bergfors, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1988 – Larry Asante, American football player
  • 1991 – Michele Rigione, Italian footballer
  • 1994 – Chase Kalisz, American swimmer
  • 1995 – Jerome Binnom-Williams, English footballer
  • 1995 – Aboubakar Kamara, French footballer, forward
  • 1996 – Liam Donnelly, Northern Irish footballer

Deaths on March 7

  • 161 – Antoninus Pius, Roman emperor (b. 86)
  • 413 – Heraclianus, Roman politician and failed usurper
  • 851 – Nominoe, King (or duke) of Brittany
  • 974 – John of Gorze, Frankish abbot and diplomat
  • 1226 – William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, English commander (b. 1176)
  • 1274 – Saint Thomas Aquinas, Italian priest and philosopher (b. 1225)
  • 1393 – Bogislaw VI, Duke of Pomerania (b.c. 1350)
  • 1407 – Francesco I Gonzaga, ruler of Mantua
  • 1517 – Maria of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (b. 1482)
  • 1550 – William IV, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1493)
  • 1578 – Margaret Douglas, English daughter of Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus (b. 1515)
  • 1625 – Johann Bayer, German lawyer and cartographer (b. 1572)
  • 1724 – Pope Innocent XIII (b. 1655)
  • 1767 – Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, Canadian politician, 2nd Colonial Governor of Louisiana (b. 1680)
  • 1778 – Charles De Geer, Swedish entomologist and archaeologist (b. 1720)
  • 1809 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard, French inventor, best known as a pioneer in balloon flight (b. 1753)
  • 1810 – Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood, English admiral (b. 1750)
  • 1838 – Robert Townsend, American spy (b. 1753)
  • 1897 – Harriet Ann Jacobs, African American Abolitionist and author (b. 1813)
  • 1904 – Ferdinand André Fouqué, French geologist and petrologist (b. 1828)
  • 1913 – Pauline Johnson, Canadian poet and author (b. 1861)
  • 1920 – Jaan Poska, Estonian lawyer and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1866)
  • 1928 – Robert Abbe, American surgeon and radiologist (b. 1851)
  • 1932 – Aristide Briand, French journalist and politician, Prime Minister of France, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
  • 1934 – Ernst Enno, Estonian poet and author (b. 1875)
  • 1938 – Andreas Michalakopoulos, Greek politician, 116th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1876)
  • 1947 – Lucy Parsons, American communist anarchist labor organizer (b. c 1853)
  • 1949 – Bradbury Robinson, American football player, physician, and politician (b. 1884)
  • 1952 – Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian guru and philosopher (b. 1893)
  • 1954 – Otto Diels, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1876)
  • 1957 – Wyndham Lewis, English painter and critic (b. 1882)
  • 1961 – Govind Ballabh Pant, Indian lawyer and politician, 2nd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (b. 1887)
  • 1967 – Alice B. Toklas, American writer (b. 1877)
  • 1971 – Richard Montague, American mathematician and philosopher (b. 1930)
  • 1973 – Lalo Ríos, Mexican actor (b. 1927)
  • 1975 – Mikhail Bakhtin, Russian philosopher and critic (b. 1895)
  • 1976 – Wright Patman, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (b. 1893)
  • 1981 – Kirill Kondrashin, Russian conductor (b. 1914)
  • 1982 – Ida Barney, American astronomer, mathematician, and academic (b. 1886)
  • 1983 – Igor Markevitch, Ukrainian conductor and composer (b. 1912)
  • 1986 – Jacob K. Javits, American colonel and politician, 58th New York State Attorney General (b. 1904)
  • 1988 – Divine, American drag queen and film actor (b. 1945)
  • 1991 – Cool Papa Bell, American baseball player (b. 1903)
  • 1993 – Tony Harris, South African cricketer (b. 1916)
  • 1993 – J. Merrill Knapp, American musicologist (b. 1914)
  • 1993 – Martti Larni, Finnish writer (b. 1909)
  • 1993 – Carlo Mazzarella, Italian actor and journalist (b. 1919)
  • 1993 – Angelo Piccaluga, Italian footballer (b. 1906)
  • 1993 – Eleanor Sanger, American television producer (b. 1929)
  • 1993 – Josef Steindl, Austrian economist (b. 1912)
  • 1993 – Frank Wells, Australian rules footballer (b. 1909)
  • 1997 – Edward Mills Purcell, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1912)
  • 1999 – Sidney Gottlieb, American chemist and theorist (b. 1918)
  • 1999 – Stanley Kubrick, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
  • 2000 – Pee Wee King, American singer-songwriter (b. 1914)
  • 2001 – Frankie Carle, American pianist and bandleader (b. 1903)
  • 2004 – Paul Winfield, American actor (b. 1941)
  • 2005 – John Box, English production designer and art director (b. 1920)
  • 2005 – Debra Hill, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1950)
  • 2006 – Gordon Parks, American photographer, director, and composer (b. 1912)
  • 2006 – Ali Farka Touré, Malian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1939)
  • 2007 – Ronnie Wells, American singer and educator (b. 1943)
  • 2012 – Ravi, Indian director and composer (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Włodzimierz Smolarek, Polish footballer and manager (b. 1957)
  • 2013 – Peter Banks, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1947)
  • 2013 – Sybil Christopher, Welsh actress (b. 1929)
  • 2013 – Damiano Damiani, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Frederick B. Karl, American lieutenant and politician (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Claude King, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Anatoly Borisovich Kuznetsov, Russian actor and director (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Ned O’Gorman, American poet and educator (b. 1929)
  • 2014 – Victor Shem-Tov, Israeli lawyer and politician, 8th Israeli Minister of Health (b. 1915)
  • 2015 – G. Karthikeyan, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1949)
  • 2015 – F. Ray Keyser, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 72nd Governor of Vermont (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Japanese author and illustrator (b. 1935)
  • 2016 – Adrian Hardiman, Irish lawyer and judge (b. 1951)
  • 2017 – Lynne Stewart, American attorney and activist (b. 1939)

Holidays and observances on March 7

  • Christian feast day:
    • Blessed José Olallo
    • Blessed Leonid Feodorov (Russian Greek Catholic Church)
    • Perpetua and Felicity
    • Pierre-Henri Dorie, Siméon-François Berneux (part of The Korean Martyrs)
    • March 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Liberation of Sulaymaniyah (Iraqi Kurdistan)
  • Teacher’s Day (Albania)

March 7- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

March 6- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 12 BCE – The Roman Emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor.
  • 632 – The Farewell Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada’) of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
  • 845 – Execution of the 42 Martyrs of Amorium at Samarra.
  • 961 – Byzantine conquest of Chandax by Nikephoros Phokas, end of the Emirate of Crete.
  • 1204 – The Siege of Château Gaillard ends in a French victory over King John of England, who loses control of Normandy to King Philip II Augustus.
  • 1323 – Treaty of Paris of 1323 is signed.
  • 1454 – Thirteen Years’ War: Delegates of the Prussian Confederation pledge allegiance to King Casimir IV of Poland who agrees to commit his forces in aiding the Confederation’s struggle for independence from the Teutonic Knights.
  • 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Guam.
  • 1665 – The first joint Secretary of the Royal Society, Henry Oldenburg, publishes the first issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, the world’s longest-running scientific journal.
  • 1788 – The First Fleet arrives at Norfolk Island in order to found a convict settlement.
  • 1820 – The Missouri Compromise is signed into law by President James Monroe. The compromise allows Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state, brings Maine into the Union as a free state, and makes the rest of the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase territory slavery-free.
  • 1834 – York, Upper Canada, is incorporated as Toronto.
  • 1836 – Texas Revolution: Battle of the Alamo: After a thirteen-day siege by an army of 3,000 Mexican troops, the 187 Texas volunteers, including frontiersman Davy Crockett and colonel Jim Bowie, defending the Alamo are killed and the fort is captured.
  • 1857 – The Supreme Court of the United States rules in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case.
  • 1869 – Dmitri Mendeleev presents the first periodic table to the Russian Chemical Society.
  • 1882 – The Serbian kingdom is re-founded.
  • 1899 – Bayer registers “Aspirin” as a trademark.
  • 1902 – Real Madrid CF is founded.
  • 1912 – Italo-Turkish War: Italian forces become the first to use airships in war, as two dirigibles drop bombs on Turkish troops encamped at Janzur, from an altitude of 6,000 feet.
  • 1921 – Portuguese Communist Party is founded as the Portuguese Section of the Communist International.
  • 1930 – International Unemployment Day demonstrations globally initiated by the Comintern.
  • 1933 – Great Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares a “bank holiday”, closing all U.S. banks and freezing all financial transactions.
  • 1943 – Norman Rockwell published Freedom from Want in The Saturday Evening Post with a matching essay by Carlos Bulosan as part of the Four Freedoms series.
  • 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Fardykambos, one of the first major battles between the Greek Resistance and the occupying Royal Italian Army, ends with the surrender of an entire Italian battalion, the bulk of the garrison of the town of Grevena, leading to its liberation a fortnight later.
  • 1944 – World War II: Soviet Air Forces bomb an evacuated town of Narva in German-occupied Estonia, destroying the entire historical Swedish-era town.
  • 1945 – World War II: Cologne is captured by American troops. On the same day, Operation Spring Awakening, the last major German offensive of the war, begins.
  • 1946 – Ho Chi Minh signs an agreement with France which recognizes Vietnam as an autonomous state in the Indochinese Federation and the French Union.
  • 1951 – Cold War: The trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg begins.
  • 1953 – Georgy Malenkov succeeds Joseph Stalin as Premier of the Soviet Union and First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
  • 1957 – Ghana becomes the first Sub-Saharan country to gain independence from the British.
  • 1964 – Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad officially gives boxing champion Cassius Clay the name Muhammad Ali.
  • 1964 – Constantine II becomes King of Greece.
  • 1965 – Premier Tom Playford of South Australia loses power after 27 years in office.
  • 1967 – Cold War: Joseph Stalin’s daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva defects to the United States.
  • 1968 – Three rebels are executed by Rhodesia, the first executions since UDI, prompting international condemnation.
  • 1970 – An explosion at the Weather Underground safe house in Greenwich Village kills three.
  • 1975 – For the first time the Zapruder film of the assassination of John F. Kennedy is shown in motion to a national TV audience by Robert J. Groden and Dick Gregory.
  • 1975 – Algiers Accord: Iran and Iraq announce a settlement of their border dispute.
  • 1983 – The first United States Football League games are played.
  • 1984 – In the United Kingdom, a walkout at Cortonwood Colliery in Brampton Bierlow signals the start of a strike that lasted almost a year and involved the majority of the country’s miners.
  • 1987 – The British ferry MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes in about 90 seconds, killing 193.
  • 1988 – Three Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers are shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar in Operation Flavius.
  • 1992 – The Michelangelo computer virus begins to affect computers.
  • 2003 – Air Algérie Flight 6289 crashes at the Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport in Tamanrasset, Algeria, killing 102 out of the 103 people on board.
  • 2008 – A suicide bomber kills 68 people (including first responders) in Baghdad on the same day that a gunman kills eight students in Jerusalem.

Births on March 6

  • 1340 – John of Gaunt (d. 1399)
  • 1405 – John II of Castile (d. 1454)
  • 1459 – Jakob Fugger, German merchant and banker (d. 1525)
  • 1475 – Michelangelo, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1564)
  • 1483 – Francesco Guicciardini, Italian historian and politician (d. 1540)
  • 1493 – Juan Luis Vives, Spanish scholar and humanist (d. 1540)
  • 1495 – Luigi Alamanni, Italian poet and diplomat (d. 1556)
  • 1536 – Santi di Tito, Italian painter (d. 1603)
  • 1619 – Cyrano de Bergerac, French author and playwright (d. 1655)
  • 1663 – Francis Atterbury, English bishop and poet (d. 1732)
  • 1706 – George Pocock, English admiral (d. 1792)
  • 1716 – Pehr Kalm, Swedish-Finnish botanist and explorer (d. 1779)
  • 1724 – Henry Laurens, English-American merchant and politician, 5th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1792)
  • 1761 – Antoine-François Andréossy, French general and diplomat (d. 1828)
  • 1779 – Antoine-Henri Jomini, Swiss-French general (d. 1869)
  • 1780 – Lucy Barnes, American writer (d. 1809)
  • 1785 – Karol Kurpiński, Polish composer and conductor (d. 1857)
  • 1787 – Joseph von Fraunhofer, German physicist and astronomer (d. 1826)
  • 1806 – Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English-Italian poet and translator (d. 1861)
  • 1812 – Aaron Lufkin Dennison, American businessman, co-founded the Waltham Watch Company (d. 1895)
  • 1817 – Princess Clémentine of Orléans (d. 1907)
  • 1818 – William Claflin, American businessman and politician, 27th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1905)
  • 1823 – Charles I of Württemberg (d. 1891)
  • 1831 – Philip Sheridan, Irish-American general (d. 1888)
  • 1834 – George du Maurier, French-English author and illustrator (d. 1896)
  • 1841 – Viktor Burenin, Russian author, poet, playwright, and critic (d. 1926)
  • 1849 – Georg Luger, Austrian gun designer, designed the Luger pistol (d. 1923)
  • 1864 – Richard Rushall, British businessman (d. 1953)
  • 1870 – Oscar Straus, Viennese composer and conductor (d. 1954)
  • 1871 – Afonso Costa, Portuguese lawyer and politician, 59th Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1937)
  • 1872 – Ben Harney, American pianist and composer (d. 1938)
  • 1879 – Jimmy Hunter, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1962)
  • 1882 – F. Burrall Hoffman, American architect, co-designed Villa Vizcaya (d. 1980)
  • 1882 – Guy Kibbee, American actor and singer (d. 1956)
  • 1884 – Molla Mallory, Norwegian-American tennis player (d. 1959)
  • 1885 – Ring Lardner, American journalist and author (d. 1933)
  • 1886 – Jam Handy, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1983)
  • 1886 – Nella Walker, American actress and vaudevillian (d. 1971)
  • 1892 – Bert Smith, English international footballer, right half (d. 1969)
  • 1893 – Furry Lewis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1981)
  • 1893 – Ella P. Stewart, pioneering Black American pharmacist (d. 1987)
  • 1895 – Albert Tessier, Canadian priest and historian (d. 1976)
  • 1898 – Gus Sonnenberg, American football player and wrestler (d. 1944)
  • 1900 – Gina Cigna, French-Italian soprano and actress (d. 2001)
  • 1900 – Lefty Grove, American baseball player (d. 1975)
  • 1900 – Henri Jeanson, French journalist and author (d. 1970)
  • 1903 – Empress Kōjun of Japan (d. 2000)
  • 1904 – José Antonio Aguirre, Spanish lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Basque Country (d. 1960)
  • 1905 – Bob Wills, American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader (d. 1975)
  • 1906 – Lou Costello, American actor and comedian (d. 1959)
  • 1909 – Obafemi Awolowo, Nigerian lawyer and politician (d. 1987)
  • 1909 – Stanisław Jerzy Lec, Polish poet and author (d. 1966)
  • 1910 – Ella Logan, Scottish-American singer and actress (d. 1969)
  • 1912 – Mohammed Burhanuddin, Indian spiritual leader, 52nd Da’i al-Mutlaq (d. 2014)
  • 1917 – Donald Davidson, American philosopher and academic (d. 2003)
  • 1917 – Will Eisner, American illustrator and publisher (d. 2005)
  • 1917 – Frankie Howerd, English comedian (d. 1992)
  • 1918 – Howard McGhee, American trumpeter (d. 1987)
  • 1920 – Lewis Gilbert, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
  • 1921 – Leo Bretholz, Austrian-American holocaust survivor and author (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – Ed McMahon, American comedian, game show host, and announcer (d. 2009)
  • 1923 – Wes Montgomery, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 1968)
  • 1924 – Ottmar Walter, German footballer (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – William H. Webster, American lawyer and jurist, 14th Director of Central Intelligence
  • 1926 – Ann Curtis, American swimmer (d. 2012)
  • 1926 – Alan Greenspan, American economist and politician
  • 1926 – Ray O’Connor, Australian politician, 22nd Premier of Western Australia (d. 2013)
  • 1926 – Andrzej Wajda, Polish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1927 – William J. Bell, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2005)
  • 1927 – Gordon Cooper, American engineer, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2004)
  • 1927 – Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – Tom Foley, American lawyer and politician, 57th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – David Sheppard, English cricketer and bishop (d. 2005)
  • 1930 – Lorin Maazel, French-American violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 2014)
  • 1932 – Marc Bazin, Haitian lawyer and politician, 49th President of Haiti (d. 2010)
  • 1932 – Bronisław Geremek, Polish historian and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2008)
  • 1933 – Ted Abernathy, American baseball player (d. 2004)
  • 1933 – William Davis, German-English journalist and economist (d. 2019)
  • 1933 – Augusto Odone, Italian economist and inventor of Lorenzo’s oil (d. 2013)
  • 1934 – Red Simpson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1935 – Ron Delany, Irish runner and coach
  • 1935 – Derek Kevan, English footballer (d. 2013)
  • 1936 – Bob Akin, American race car driver and journalist (d. 2002)
  • 1936 – Marion Barry, American lawyer and politician, 2nd Mayor of the District of Columbia (d. 2014)
  • 1936 – Choummaly Sayasone, Laotian politician, 5th President of Laos
  • 1937 – Ivan Boesky, American businessman
  • 1937 – Valentina Tereshkova, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut
  • 1938 – Keishu Tanaka, Japanese politician, 17th Japanese Minister of Justice
  • 1939 – Kit Bond, American lawyer and politician, 47th Governor of Missouri
  • 1939 – Adam Osborne, Thai-Indian engineer and businessman, founded the Osborne Computer Corporation (d. 2003)
  • 1940 – Ken Danby, Canadian painter (d. 2007)
  • 1940 – Joanna Miles, French-born American actress
  • 1940 – R. H. Sikes, American golfer
  • 1940 – Willie Stargell, American baseball player and coach (d. 2001)
  • 1940 – Jeff Wooller, English accountant and banker
  • 1941 – Peter Brötzmann, German saxophonist and clarinet player
  • 1941 – Marilyn Strathern, Welsh anthropologist and academic
  • 1942 – Ben Murphy, American actor
  • 1944 – Richard Corliss, American journalist and critic (d. 2015)
  • 1944 – Kiri Te Kanawa, New Zealand soprano and actress
  • 1944 – Mary Wilson, American singer
  • 1945 – Angelo Castro, Jr., Filipino actor and journalist (d. 2012)
  • 1946 – David Gilmour, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1946 – Richard Noble, Scottish race car driver and businessman
  • 1947 – Kiki Dee, English singer-songwriter
  • 1947 – Dick Fosbury, American high jumper
  • 1947 – Anna Maria Horsford, American actress
  • 1947 – Rob Reiner, American actor, director, producer, and activist
  • 1947 – Jean Seaton, English historian and academic
  • 1947 – John Stossel, American journalist and author
  • 1948 – Stephen Schwartz, American composer and producer
  • 1949 – Shaukat Aziz, Pakistani economist and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Pakistan
  • 1949 – Martin Buchan, Scottish footballer and manager
  • 1950 – Arthur Roche, English archbishop
  • 1951 – Gerrie Knetemann, Dutch cyclist (d. 2004)
  • 1952 – Denis Napthine, Australian politician, 47th Premier of Victoria
  • 1953 – Madhav Kumar Nepal, Nepali banker and politician, 34th Prime Minister of Nepal
  • 1953 – Carolyn Porco, American astronomer and academic
  • 1953 – Phil Alvin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1954 – Jeff Greenwald, American author, photographer, and monologist
  • 1954 – Harald Schumacher, German footballer and manager
  • 1955 – Cyprien Ntaryamira, Burundian politician, 5th President of Burundi (d. 1994)
  • 1955 – Alberta Watson, Canadian actress (d. 2015)
  • 1956 – Peter Roebuck, English cricketer, journalist, and sportcaster (d. 2011)
  • 1956 – Steve Vizard, Australian television host, actor, and producer
  • 1960 – Sleepy Floyd, American basketball player and coach
  • 1962 – Alison Nicholas, British golfer
  • 1963 – D. L. Hughley, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1964 – Linda Pearson, Scottish sport shooter
  • 1965 – Allan Bateman, Welsh rugby player
  • 1965 – Jim Knight, English politician
  • 1966 – Alan Davies, English comedian, actor and screenwriter
  • 1967 – Julio Bocca, Argentinian ballet dancer and director
  • 1967 – Connie Britton, American actress
  • 1967 – Glenn Greenwald, American journalist and author
  • 1967 – Shuler Hensley, American actor and singer
  • 1968 – Moira Kelly, American actress and director
  • 1971 – Darrick Martin, American basketball player and coach
  • 1972 – Shaquille O’Neal, American basketball player, actor, and rapper
  • 1972 – Jaret Reddick, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1973 – Michael Finley, American basketball player
  • 1973 – Peter Lindgren, Swedish guitarist and songwriter
  • 1973 – Greg Ostertag, American basketball player
  • 1973 – Trent Willmon, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1974 – Guy Garvey, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1974 – Matthew Guy, Australian politician
  • 1974 – Brad Schumacher, American swimmer
  • 1974 – Beanie Sigel, American rapper
  • 1975 – Aracely Arámbula, Mexican actress and singer
  • 1975 – Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Canadian pianist and conductor
  • 1976 – Ken Anderson, American wrestler and actor
  • 1977 – Nantie Hayward, South African cricketer
  • 1977 – Giorgos Karagounis, Greek international footballer, midfielder
  • 1977 – Shabani Nonda, DR Congolese footballer
  • 1977 – Marcus Thames, American baseball player and coach
  • 1978 – Sage Rosenfels, American football player
  • 1978 – Chad Wicks, American wrestler
  • 1979 – Clint Barmes, American baseball player
  • 1979 – Érik Bédard, Canadian baseball player
  • 1979 – David Flair, American wrestler
  • 1979 – Tim Howard, American soccer player
  • 1980 – Emílson Cribari, Brazilian footballer
  • 1981 – Ellen Muth, American actress
  • 1983 – Andranik Teymourian, Armenian-Iranian footballer
  • 1984 – Daniël de Ridder, Dutch footballer
  • 1984 – Eskil Pedersen, Norwegian politician
  • 1984 – Chris Tomson, American drummer
  • 1985 – Bakaye Traoré, French-Malian footballer
  • 1986 – Jake Arrieta, American baseball player
  • 1986 – Francisco Cervelli, Venezuelan-Italian baseball player
  • 1986 – Ross Detwiler, American baseball player
  • 1986 – Eli Marienthal, American actor
  • 1986 – Charlie Mulgrew, Scottish footballer
  • 1987 – Kevin-Prince Boateng, Ghanaian-German footballer
  • 1987 – José Manuel Flores, Spanish footballer
  • 1988 – Agnes Carlsson, Swedish singer
  • 1988 – Marina Erakovic, New Zealand tennis player
  • 1988 – Simon Mignolet, Belgian footballer
  • 1989 – Agnieszka Radwańska, Polish tennis player
  • 1990 – Derek Drouin, Canadian athlete
  • 1991 – Lex Luger, American keyboard player and producer
  • 1991 – Emma McDougall, English footballer (d. 2013)
  • 1991 – Tyler Gregory Okonma, American rapper
  • 1993 – Andrés Rentería, Colombian footballer
  • 1994 – Nathan Redmond, English footballer
  • 1994 – Marcus Smart, American basketball player
  • 1994 – Wesley Hoedt, Dutch footballer
  • 1995 – Georgi Kitanov, Bulgarian footballer
  • 1996 – Christian Coleman, American sprinter
  • 1996 – Tyrell Fuimaono, Australian rugby player
  • 1996 – Timo Werner, German footballer

Deaths on March 6

  • 190 – Liu Bian (poisoned by Dong Zhuo) (b. 176)
  • 653 – Li Ke, prince of the Tang Dynasty (b. 619)
  • 766 – Chrodegang, Frankish bishop and saint
  • 903 – Lu Guangqi, Chinese official and chancellor
  • 903 – Su Jian, Chinese official and chancellor
  • 1070 – Ulric I, Margrave of Carniola
  • 1251 – Rose of Viterbo, Italian saint (b. 1235)
  • 1353 – Roger Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Ruthyn
  • 1466 – Alvise Loredan, Venetian admiral and statesman (b. 1393)
  • 1490 – Ivan the Young, Ruler of Tver (b. 1458)
  • 1491 – Richard Woodville, 3rd Earl Rivers
  • 1531 – Pedro Arias Dávila, Spanish explorer and diplomat (b. 1440)
  • 1616 – Francis Beaumont, English playwright (b. 1584)
  • 1754 – Henry Pelham, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1694)
  • 1758 – Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Durham (b. 1705)
  • 1764 – Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke, English lawyer and politician, Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom (b. 1690)
  • 1796 – Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, French historian and author (b. 1713)
  • 1836 – Deaths at the Battle of the Alamo:
    • James Bonham, American lawyer and soldier (b. 1807)
    • James Bowie, American colonel (b. 1796)
    • Davy Crockett, American soldier and politician (b. 1786)
    • William B. Travis, American lieutenant colonel and lawyer (b. 1809)
  • 1854 – Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, Irish colonel and diplomat, Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies (b. 1778)
  • 1866 – William Whewell, English priest, historian, and philosopher (b. 1794)
  • 1867 – Charles Farrar Browne, American-English author and educator (b. 1834)
  • 1888 – Louisa May Alcott, American novelist and poet (b. 1832)
  • 1895 – Camilla Collett, Norwegian novelist and activist (b. 1813)
  • 1899 – Kaʻiulani of Hawaii (b. 1875)
  • 1900 – Gottlieb Daimler, German engineer and businessman, co-founded Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (b. 1834)
  • 1905 – John Henninger Reagan, American surveyor, judge, and politician, 3rd Confederate States of America Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1818)
  • 1905 – Makar Yekmalyan, Armenian composer (b. 1856)
  • 1919 – Oskars Kalpaks, Latvian colonel (b. 1882)
  • 1920 – Ömer Seyfettin, Turkish author and educator (b. 1884)
  • 1932 – John Philip Sousa, American conductor and composer (b. 1854)
  • 1933 – Anton Cermak, Czech-American lawyer and politician, 44th Mayor of Chicago (b. 1873)
  • 1935 – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., American colonel, lawyer, and jurist (b. 1841)
  • 1939 – Ferdinand von Lindemann, German mathematician and academic (b. 1852)
  • 1941 – Francis Aveling, Canadian priest, psychologist, and author (b. 1875)
  • 1941 – Gutzon Borglum, American sculptor and academic, designed Mount Rushmore (b. 1867)
  • 1948 – Ross Lockridge, Jr., American author, poet, and academic (b. 1914)
  • 1948 – Alice Woodby McKane, First Black woman doctor in Savannah, Georgia (b. 1865)
  • 1950 – Albert François Lebrun, French engineer and politician, 15th President of France (b. 1871)
  • 1951 – Ivor Novello, Welsh singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1893)
  • 1951 – Volodymyr Vynnychenko, Ukrainian playwright and politician, Prime Minister of Ukraine (b. 1880)
  • 1952 – Jürgen Stroop, German general (b. 1895)
  • 1955 – Mammad Amin Rasulzade, Azerbaijani scholar and politician (b. 1884)
  • 1961 – George Formby, English singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1904)
  • 1964 – Paul of Greece (b. 1901)
  • 1965 – Margaret Dumont, American actress (b. 1889)
  • 1967 – John Haden Badley, English author and educator, founded the Bedales School (b. 1865)
  • 1967 – Nelson Eddy, American actor and singer (b. 1901)
  • 1967 – Zoltán Kodály, Hungarian composer, linguist, and philosopher (b. 1882)
  • 1970 – William Hopper, American actor (b. 1915)
  • 1973 – Pearl S. Buck, American novelist, essayist, short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
  • 1974 – Ernest Becker, American anthropologist and author (b. 1924)
  • 1976 – Maxie Rosenbloom, American boxer (b. 1903)
  • 1977 – Alvin R. Dyer, American religious leader (b. 1903)
  • 1978 – Dennis Viollet, English-American soccer player and manager (b. 1933)
  • 1981 – George Geary, English cricketer and coach (b. 1893)
  • 1981 – Rambhau Mhalgi, Indian politician and member of the Lok Sabha (b. 9 July 1921)
  • 1982 – Ayn Rand, Russian-American philosopher, author, and playwright (b. 1905)
  • 1984 – Billy Collins, Jr., American boxer (b. 1961)
  • 1984 – Martin Niemöller, German pastor and theologian (b. 1892)
  • 1984 – Homer N. Wallin, American admiral (b. 1893)
  • 1984 – Henry Wilcoxon, Dominican-American actor and producer (b. 1905)
  • 1986 – Georgia O’Keeffe, American painter (b. 1887)
  • 1988 – Mairéad Farrell, Provisional IRA volunteer (b. 1957)
  • 1988 – Daniel McCann, Provisional IRA volunteer (b. 1957)
  • 1988 – Seán Savage, Provisional IRA volunteer (b. 1965)
  • 1994 – Melina Mercouri, Greek actress and politician, 9th Greek Minister of Culture (b. 1920)
  • 1997 – Cheddi Jagan, Guyanese politician, 4th President of Guyana (b. 1918)
  • 1997 – Michael Manley, Jamaican soldier, pilot, and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Jamaica (b. 1924)
  • 1997 – Ursula Torday, English author (b. 1912)
  • 1999 – Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Bahrain king (b. 1933)
  • 2000 – John Colicos, Canadian actor (b. 1928)
  • 2002 – Bryan Fogarty, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1969)
  • 2004 – Hercules, American wrestler (b. 1957)
  • 2004 – Frances Dee, American actress (b. 1909)
  • 2005 – Hans Bethe, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
  • 2005 – Danny Gardella, American baseball player and trainer (b. 1920)
  • 2005 – Tommy Vance, English radio host (b. 1943)
  • 2005 – Teresa Wright, American actress (b. 1918)
  • 2005 – Gladys Marín, Chilean activist and political figure. (b.1938)
  • 2006 – Anne Braden, American journalist and activist (b. 1924)
  • 2006 – Kirby Puckett, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1960)
  • 2007 – Jean Baudrillard, French photographer and theorist (b. 1929)
  • 2007 – Ernest Gallo, American businessman, co-founded E & J Gallo Winery (b. 1909)
  • 2008 – Peter Poreku Dery, Ghanaian cardinal (b. 1918)
  • 2009 – Francis Magalona, Filipino rapper, producer, and actor (b. 1964)
  • 2010 – Endurance Idahor, Nigerian footballer (b. 1984)
  • 2010 – Mark Linkous, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1962)
  • 2010 – Betty Millard, American philanthropist and activist (b. 1911)
  • 2012 – Francisco Xavier do Amaral, East Timorese politician, 1st President of East Timor (b. 1937)
  • 2012 – Donald M. Payne, American businessman and politician (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – Helen Walulik, American baseball player (b. 1929)
  • 2013 – Chorão, Brazilian singer-songwriter (Charlie Brown Jr.) (b. 1970)
  • 2013 – Stompin’ Tom Connors, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1936)
  • 2013 – Alvin Lee, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1944)
  • 2013 – W. Wallace Cleland, American biochemist and academic (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Alemayehu Atomsa, Ethiopian educator and politician (b. 1969)
  • 2014 – Frank Jobe, American soldier and surgeon (b. 1925)
  • 2014 – Sheila MacRae, English-American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Martin Nesbitt, American lawyer and politician (b. 1946)
  • 2014 – Manlio Sgalambro, Italian philosopher, author, and poet (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Fred Craddock, American minister and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Ram Sundar Das, Indian lawyer and politician, 18th Chief Minister of Bihar (b. 1921)
  • 2015 – Enrique “Coco” Vicéns, Puerto Rican-American basketball player and politician (b. 1926)
  • 2016 – Nancy Reagan, American actress, 42nd First Lady of the United States (b. 1921)
  • 2016 – Sheila Varian, American horse trainer and breeder (b. 1937)
  • 2017 – Robert Osborne, American actor and historian (b. 1932)
  • 2018 – Peter Nicholls, Australian science fiction critic and encyclopedist (b. 1939)

Holidays and observances on March 6

  • Christian feast day:
    • Chrodegang
    • Colette
    • Fridolin
    • Kyneburga, Kyneswide and Tibba
    • Marcian of Tortona
    • William W. Mayo and Charles Frederick Menninger (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Olegarius
    • March 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • European Day of the Righteous, commemorates those who have stood up against crimes against humanity and totalitarism with their own moral responsibility. (Europe)
  • Foundation Day (Norfolk Island), the founding of Norfolk Island in 1788.
  • Independence Day (Ghana), celebrates the independence of Ghana from the UK in 1957.
  • The Day of the Dude, celebrated by the adherents of Dudeism

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

On This Day

March 4- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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)

March 4- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

February 24 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /

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

February 24 in History

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

Births on February 24

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

Deaths on February 24

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

Holidays and observances on February 24

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

February 24 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 705 – Empress Wu Zetian abdicates the throne, restoring the Tang dynasty.
  • 1316 – The Battle of Picotin, between Ferdinand of Majorca and the forces of Matilda of Hainaut, ends in victory for Ferdinand.
  • 1371 – Robert II becomes King of Scotland, beginning the Stuart dynasty.
  • 1495 – King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city’s throne.
  • 1632 – Ferdinando II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, the dedicatee, receives the first printed copy of Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems .
  • 1651 – St. Peter’s Flood: A storm surge floods the Frisian coast, drowning 15,000 people.
  • 1744 – War of the Austrian Succession: The Battle of Toulon causes several Royal Navy captains to be court-martialed, and the Articles of War to be amended.
  • 1797 – The last Invasion of Britain begins near Fishguard, Wales.
  • 1819 – By the Adams–Onís Treaty, Spain sells Florida to the United States for five million U.S. dollars.
  • 1821 – Greek War of Independence: Alexander Ypsilantis crosses the Prut river at Sculeni into the Danubian Principalities.
  • 1847 – Mexican–American War: The Battle of Buena Vista: Five thousand American troops defeat 15,000 Mexican troops.
  • 1848 – The French Revolution of 1848, which would lead to the establishment of the French Second Republic, begins.
  • 1853 – Washington University in St. Louis is founded as Eliot Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.
  • 1855 – The Pennsylvania State University is founded in State College, Pennsylvania (as the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania).
  • 1856 – The United States Republican Party opens its first national convention in Pittsburgh.
  • 1862 – Jefferson Davis is officially inaugurated for a six-year term as the President of the Confederate States of America in Richmond, Virginia. He was previously inaugurated as a provisional president on February 18, 1861.
  • 1872 – The Prohibition Party holds its first national convention in Columbus, Ohio, nominating James Black as its presidential nominee.
  • 1878 – In Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many of five-and-dime Woolworth stores.
  • 1889 – President Grover Cleveland signs a bill admitting North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington as U.S. states.
  • 1899 – Filipino forces led by General Antonio Luna launch counterattacks for the first time against the American forces during the Philippine–American War. The Filipinos fail to regain Manila from the Americans.
  • 1904 – The United Kingdom sells a meteorological station on the South Orkney Islands to Argentina; the islands are subsequently claimed by the United Kingdom in 1908.
  • 1909 – The sixteen battleships of the Great White Fleet, led by USS Connecticut, return to the United States after a voyage around the world.
  • 1915 – World War I: The Imperial German Navy institutes unrestricted submarine warfare.
  • 1921 – After Russian forces under Baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg drive the Chinese out, the Bogd Khan is reinstalled as the emperor of Mongolia.
  • 1942 – World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders General Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines as the Japanese victory becomes inevitable.
  • 1943 – World War II: Members of the White Rose resistance, Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, and Christoph Probst are executed in Nazi Germany.
  • 1944 – World War II: American aircraft mistakenly bomb the Dutch towns of Nijmegen, Arnhem, Enschede and Deventer, resulting in 800 dead in Nijmegen alone.
  • 1944 – World War II: The Soviet Red Army recaptures Krivoi Rog.
  • 1946 – The “Long Telegram”, proposing how the United States should deal with the Soviet Union, arrives from the US embassy in Moscow.
  • 1957 – Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam survives a communist shooting assassination attempt in Buôn Ma Thuột.
  • 1958 – Egypt and Syria join to form the United Arab Republic.
  • 1959 – Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500.
  • 1972 – The Official Irish Republican Army detonates a car bomb at Aldershot barracks, killing seven and injuring nineteen others.
  • 1973 – Cold War: Following President Richard Nixon’s visit to the People’s Republic of China, the two countries agree to establish liaison offices.
  • 1974 – The Organisation of the Islamic Conference summit begins in Lahore, Pakistan. Thirty-seven countries attend and twenty-two heads of state and government participate. It also recognizes Bangladesh.
  • 1974 – Samuel Byck attempts to hijack an aircraft at Baltimore/Washington International Airport with the intention of crashing it into the White House to assassinate Richard Nixon, but is killed by police.
  • 1980 – Miracle on Ice: In Lake Placid, New York, the United States hockey team defeats the Soviet Union hockey team 4–3.
  • 1983 – The notorious Broadway flop Moose Murders opens and closes on the same night at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre.
  • 1984 – President of Bangladesh, H M Ershad upgraded South Sylhet’s sub-division status to a district and renamed it back to Moulvibazar.
  • 1986 – Start of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines.
  • 1994 – Aldrich Ames and his wife are charged by the United States Department of Justice with spying for the Soviet Union.
  • 1995 – The Corona reconnaissance satellite program, in existence from 1959 to 1972, is declassified.
  • 1997 – In Roslin, Midlothian, British scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly has been successfully cloned.
  • 2002 – Angolan political and rebel leader Jonas Savimbi is killed in a military ambush.
  • 2005 – The 6.4 Mw  Zarand earthquake shakes the Kerman Province of Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), leaving 612 people dead and 1,411 injured.
  • 2006 – At least six men stage Britain’s biggest robbery, stealing £53m (about $92.5 million or €78 million) from a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent.
  • 2011 – New Zealand’s second deadliest earthquake strikes Christchurch, killing 185 people.
  • 2011 – Bahraini uprising: Tens of thousands of people march in protest against the deaths of seven victims killed by police and army forces during previous protests.
  • 2012 – A train crash in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 51 people and injures 700 others.
  • 2014 – President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine is impeached by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine by a vote of 328–0, fulfilling a major goal of the Euromaidan rebellion.
  • 2015 – A ferry carrying 100 passengers capsizes in the Padma River, killing 70 people.
  • 2018 – A man throws a grenade at the U.S embassy in Podgorica, Montenegro. He dies at the scene from a second explosion, with no one else hurt.

Births on February 22

  • 1028 – Al-Juwayni, Persian jurist and theologian (died 1085)
  • 1040 – Rashi, French rabbi and author (d. 1105)
  • 1302 – Gegeen Khan, Emperor Yingzong of Yuan (d. 1323)
  • 1403 – Charles VII of France (d. 1461)
  • 1440 – Ladislaus the Posthumous, Hungarian king (d. 1457)
  • 1500 – Rodolfo Pio da Carpi, Italian cardinal (d. 1564)
  • 1514 – Tahmasp I, Iranian shah (d. 1576)
  • 1520 – Moses Isserles, Polish rabbi (d. 1572)
  • 1550 – Charles de Ligne, 2nd Prince of Arenberg (d. 1616)
  • 1592 – Nicholas Ferrar, English scholar (d. 1637)
  • 1631 – Peder Syv, Danish historian (d. 1702)
  • 1649 – Bon Boullogne, French painter (d. 1717)
  • 1715 – Charles-Nicolas Cochin, French artist (d. 1790)
  • 1732 – George Washington, American general and politician, 1st President of the United States (d. 1799)
  • 1749 – Johann Nikolaus Forkel, German musicologist and theorist (d. 1818)
  • 1778 – Rembrandt Peale, American painter and curator (d. 1860)
  • 1788 – Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher and author (d. 1860)
  • 1796 – Alexis Bachelot, French priest and missionary (d. 1837)
  • 1796 – Adolphe Quetelet, Belgian mathematician, astronomer, and sociologist (d. 1874)
  • 1805 – Sarah Fuller Flower Adams, English poet and hymnwriter (d. 1848)
  • 1806 – Józef Kremer, Polish historian and philosopher (d. 1875)
  • 1817 – Carl Wilhelm Borchardt, German mathematician and academic (d. 1880)
  • 1819 – James Russell Lowell, American poet and critic (d. 1891)
  • 1824 – Pierre Janssen, French astronomer and mathematician (d. 1907)
  • 1825 – Jean-Baptiste Salpointe, French-American archbishop (d. 1898)
  • 1836 – Mahesh Chandra Nyayratna Bhattacharyya, Indian scholar and academic (d. 1906)
  • 1840 – August Bebel, German theorist and politician (d. 1913)
  • 1849 – Nikolay Yakovlevich Sonin, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1915)
  • 1857 – Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, English general, co-founded The Scout Association (d. 1941)
  • 1857 – Heinrich Hertz, German physicist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1894)
  • 1860 – Mary W. Bacheler, American physician and Baptist medical missionary (d. 1939)
  • 1863 – Charles McLean Andrews, American historian, author, and academic (d. 1943)
  • 1864 – Jules Renard, French author and playwright (d. 1910)
  • 1876 – Zitkala-Sa, American author and activist (d. 1938)
  • 1874 – Bill Klem, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1951)
  • 1879 – Johannes Nicolaus Brønsted, Danish chemist and academic (d. 1947)
  • 1880 – Eric Lemming, Swedish athlete (d. 1930)
  • 1881 – Joseph B. Ely, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1956)
  • 1881 – Albin Prepeluh, Slovenian journalist and politician (d. 1937)
  • 1882 – Eric Gill, English sculptor and illustrator (d. 1940)
  • 1883 – Marguerite Clark, American actress (d. 1940)
  • 1886 – Hugo Ball, German author and poet (d. 1927)
  • 1887 – Savielly Tartakower, Polish journalist, author, and chess player (d. 1956)
  • 1887 – Pat Sullivan, Australian-American animator and producer (d. 1933)
  • 1888 – Owen Brewster, American captain and politician, 54th Governor of Maine (d. 1961)
  • 1889 – Olave Baden-Powell, English scout leader, founded the Girl Guides (d. 1977)
  • 1889 – R. G. Collingwood, English historian and philosopher (d. 1943)
  • 1891 – Vlas Chubar, Russian economist and politician (d. 1939)
  • 1892 – Edna St. Vincent Millay, American poet and playwright (d. 1950)
  • 1895 – Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, Peruvian politician (d. 1979)
  • 1897 – Karol Świerczewski, Polish general (d. 1947)
  • 1899 – George O’Hara, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1966)
  • 1900 – Luis Buñuel, Spanish-Mexican director and producer (d. 1983)
  • 1903 – Morley Callaghan, Canadian author and playwright (d. 1990)
  • 1903 – Frank P. Ramsey, English economist, mathematician, and philosopher (d. 1930)
  • 1906 – Constance Stokes, Australian painter (d. 1991)
  • 1907 – Sheldon Leonard, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1997)
  • 1907 – Robert Young, American actor (d. 1998)
  • 1908 – Rómulo Betancourt, Venezuelan politician, 56th President of Venezuela (d. 1981)
  • 1908 – John Mills, English soldier and actor (d. 2005)
  • 1910 – George Hunt, English international footballer, forward (d. 1996)
  • 1914 – Renato Dulbecco, Italian-American virologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
  • 1915 – Gus Lesnevich, American boxer (d. 1964)
  • 1917 – Reed Crandall, American illustrator (d. 1982)
  • 1918 – Sid Abel, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 2000)
  • 1918 – Don Pardo, American radio and television announcer (d. 2014)
  • 1918 – Robert Wadlow, American man, the tallest person in recorded history (d. 1940)
  • 1921 – Jean-Bédel Bokassa, Central African general and politician, 2nd President of the Central African Republic (d. 1996)
  • 1921 – Giulietta Masina, Italian actress (d. 1994)
  • 1922 – Marshall Teague, American race car driver (d. 1959)
  • 1922 – Joe Wilder, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – Bleddyn Williams, Welsh rugby player and sportscaster (d. 2009)
  • 1923 – François Cavanna, French author and editor (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – Edward Gorey, American illustrator and poet (d. 2000)
  • 1925 – Gerald Stern, American poet and academic
  • 1926 – Kenneth Williams, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1988)
  • 1927 – Florencio Campomanes, Filipino political scientist and chess player (d. 2010)
  • 1927 – Guy Mitchell, American singer (d. 1999)
  • 1928 – Clarence 13X, American religious leader, founded the Nation of Gods and Earths (d. 1969)
  • 1928 – Texas Johnny Brown, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Paul Dooley, American actor
  • 1928 – Bruce Forsyth, English singer and television host (d. 2017)
  • 1929 – James Hong, American actor and director
  • 1929 – Rebecca Schull, American stage, film, and television actress
  • 1930 – Marni Nixon, American soprano and actress (d. 2016)
  • 1932 – Ted Kennedy, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2009)
  • 1932 – Zenaida Manfugás, Cuban-born American-naturalized pianist (d. 2012)
  • 1933 – Katharine, Duchess of Kent
  • 1933 – Sheila Hancock, English actress and author
  • 1933 – Ernie K-Doe, American R&B singer (d. 2001)
  • 1933 – Bobby Smith, English international footballer, centre forward (d. 2010)
  • 1934 – Sparky Anderson, American baseball player and manager (d. 2010)
  • 1936 – J. Michael Bishop, American microbiologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1937 – Tommy Aaron, American golfer
  • 1937 – Joanna Russ, American author and activist (d. 2011)
  • 1938 – Steve Barber, American baseball player (d. 2007)
  • 1938 – Tony Macedo, Gibraltarian born English footballer, goalkeeper
  • 1938 – Ishmael Reed, American poet, novelist, essayist
  • 1940 – Judy Cornwell, English actress
  • 1940 – Chet Walker, American basketball player
  • 1941 – Hipólito Mejía, Dominican politician, 52nd President of the Dominican Republic
  • 1942 – Christine Keeler, English model and dancer (d. 2017)
  • 1943 – Terry Eagleton, English philosopher and critic
  • 1943 – Horst Köhler, Polish-German economist and politician, 9th President of Germany
  • 1943 – Dick Van Arsdale, American basketball player
  • 1943 – Tom Van Arsdale, American basketball player
  • 1943 – Otoya Yamaguchi, Japanese assassin of Inejiro Asanuma (d. 1960)
  • 1944 – Jonathan Demme, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
  • 1944 – Mick Green, English rock & roll guitarist (d. 2010)
  • 1944 – Robert Kardashian, American lawyer and businessman (d. 2003)
  • 1944 – Christopher Meyer, English diplomat, British Ambassador to the United States
  • 1944 – Tom Okker, Dutch tennis player and painter
  • 1945 – Oliver, American pop singer (d. 2000)
  • 1946 – Kresten Bjerre, Danish footballer and manager (d. 2014)
  • 1947 – Pirjo Honkasalo, Finnish director, cinematographer, and screenwriter
  • 1947 – Harvey Mason, American drummer
  • 1947 – John Radford, English footballer and manager
  • 1947 – Frank Van Dun, Belgian philosopher and theorist
  • 1949 – John Duncan, Scottish footballer, forward and manager
  • 1949 – Niki Lauda, Austrian racing driver (d. 2019)
  • 1949 – Olga Morozova, Russian tennis player and coach
  • 1950 – Julius Erving, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1950 – Lenny Kuhr, Dutch singer-songwriter
  • 1950 – Miou-Miou, French actress
  • 1950 – Genesis P-Orridge, English singer-songwriter (d. 2020)
  • 1950 – Julie Walters, English actress and author
  • 1951 – Ellen Greene, American singer and actress
  • 1952 – Bill Frist, American physician and politician
  • 1952 – Joaquim Pina Moura, Portuguese Minister of Economy and Treasury and MP (d. 2020)
  • 1953 – Nigel Planer, English actor and screenwriter
  • 1955 – David Axelrod, American journalist and political adviser
  • 1955 – Tim Young, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1957 – Willie Smits, Dutch microbiologist and engineer
  • 1958 – Dave Spitz, American bass player and songwriter
  • 1959 – Jiří Čunek, Czech politician
  • 1959 – Kyle MacLachlan, American actor
  • 1959 – Bronwyn Oliver, Australian sculptor (d. 2006)
  • 1960 – Thomas Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde, Scottish politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
  • 1961 – Akira Takasaki, Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1962 – Steve Irwin, Australian zoologist and television host (d. 2006)
  • 1963 – Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
  • 1963 – Devon Malcolm, Jamaican-English cricketer
  • 1963 – Vijay Singh, Fijian-American golfer
  • 1964 – Ed Boon, American video game designer, co-created Mortal Kombat
  • 1964 – Diane Charlemagne, English singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1964 – Andy Gray, English footballer, midfielder and manager
  • 1965 – Chris Dudley, American basketball player and politician
  • 1965 – Kieren Fallon, Irish jockey
  • 1965 – Pat LaFontaine, American ice hockey player
  • 1966 – Rachel Dratch, American actress and comedian
  • 1966 – Thorsten Kaye, German-English actor
  • 1967 – Psicosis II, Mexican wrestler
  • 1968 – Shawn Graham, Canadian politician, 31st Premier of New Brunswick
  • 1968 – Bradley Nowell, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1996)
  • 1968 – Jeri Ryan, American model and actress
  • 1968 – Jayson Williams, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1969 – Thomas Jane, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1969 – Brian Laudrup, Danish footballer and sportscaster
  • 1969 – Marc Wilmots, Belgian footballer and manager
  • 1971 – Super Caló, Mexican wrestler
  • 1971 – Lea Salonga, Filipino actress and singer
  • 1972 – Michael Chang, American tennis player and coach
  • 1972 – Claudia Pechstein, German speed skater
  • 1973 – Philippe Gaumont, French cyclist (d. 2013)
  • 1973 – Juninho Paulista, Brazilian footballer
  • 1973 – Scott Phillips, American drummer and producer
  • 1974 – James Blunt, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1974 – Chris Moyles, English radio and television host
  • 1975 – Drew Barrymore, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1977 – Timo Rose, German actor, director, and producer
  • 1977 – Hakan Yakin, Swiss footballer
  • 1978 – Jenny Frost, English singer and dancer
  • 1979 – Brett Emerton, Australian footballer
  • 1979 – Lee Na-young, South Korean actress
  • 1980 – Shamari Fears, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1980 – Kang Sung-hoon, South Korean singer
  • 1980 – Jeanette Biedermann, German singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1983 – Shaun Tait, Australian cricketer
  • 1984 – Tommy Bowe, Irish rugby player
  • 1984 – Branislav Ivanović, Serbian footballer
  • 1985 – Hameur Bouazza, Algerian international footballer, winger
  • 1985 – Georgios Printezis, Greek basketball player
  • 1986 – Rajon Rondo, American basketball player
  • 1987 – Han Hyo-joo, South Korean actress and model
  • 1987 – Sergio Romero, Argentinian footballer
  • 1988 – Jonathan Borlée, Belgian sprinter
  • 1988 – Efraín Juárez, Mexican footballer
  • 1988 – Sebastian Tyrała, Polish-German footballer
  • 1989 – Franco Vázquez, Argentinian footballer
  • 1990 – Luca Profeta, Italian footballer
  • 1992 – Alexander Merkel, Kazakhstani-German footballer
  • 1999 – Harry Brook, English cricketer

Deaths on February 22

  • 556 – Maximianus, bishop of Ravenna (b. 499)
  • 606 – Sabinian, pope of the Catholic Church
  • 793 – Sicga, Anglo-Saxon nobleman and regicide
  • 845 – Wang, Chinese empress dowager
  • 954 – Guo Wei, Chinese emperor (b. 904)
  • 965 – Otto, duke of Burgundy (b. 944)
  • 970 – García I, king of Pamplona
  • 978 – Lambert, count of Chalon (b. 930)
  • 1071 – Arnulf III, count of Flanders
  • 1072 – Peter Damian, Italian cardinal
  • 1079 – John of Fécamp, Italian Benedictine abbot
  • 1111 – Roger Borsa, king of Sicily (b. 1078)
  • 1297 – Margaret of Cortona, Italian penitent (b. 1247)
  • 1371 – David II, king of Scotland (b. 1324)
  • 1452 – William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas (b. 1425)
  • 1500 – Gerhard VI, German nobleman (b. 1430)
  • 1511 – Henry, duke of Cornwall (b. 1511)
  • 1512 – Amerigo Vespucci, Italian cartographer and explorer (b. 1454)
  • 1627 – Olivier van Noort, Dutch explorer (b. 1558)
  • 1674 – Jean Chapelain, French poet and critic (b. 1595)
  • 1680 – La Voisin, French occultist (b. 1640)
  • 1690 – Charles Le Brun, French painter and theorist (b. 1619)
  • 1731 – Frederik Ruysch, Dutch physician and anatomist (b. 1638)
  • 1732 – Francis Atterbury, English bishop (b. 1663)
  • 1799 – Heshen, Chinese politician (b. 1750)
  • 1816 – Adam Ferguson, Scottish historian and philosopher (b. 1723)
  • 1875 – Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, French painter and illustrator (b. 1796)
  • 1875 – Charles Lyell, Scottish-English geologist and lawyer (b. 1797)
  • 1888 – Anna Kingsford, English physician and activist (b. 1846)
  • 1890 – John Jacob Astor III, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1822)
  • 1890 – Carl Bloch, Danish painter and academic (b. 1834)
  • 1897 – Charles Blondin, French tightrope walker and acrobat (b. 1824)
  • 1898 – Heungseon Daewongun, Korean king (b. 1820)
  • 1903 – Hugo Wolf, Austrian composer (b. 1860)
  • 1904 – Leslie Stephen, English historian, author, and critic (b. 1832)
  • 1913 – Ferdinand de Saussure, Swiss linguist and author (b. 1857)
  • 1913 – Francisco I. Madero, Mexican president and author (b. 1873)
  • 1923 – Théophile Delcassé, French politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1852)
  • 1939 – Antonio Machado, Spanish-French poet and author (b. 1875)
  • 1942 – Stefan Zweig, Austrian journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1881)
  • 1943 – Christoph Probst, German activist (b. 1919)
  • 1943 – Hans Scholl, German activist (b. 1918)
  • 1943 – Sophie Scholl, German activist (b. 1921)
  • 1944 – Kasturba Gandhi, Indian activist (b. 1869)
  • 1945 – Osip Brik, Russian avant garde writer and literary critic (b. 1888)
  • 1958 – Abul Kalam Azad, Indian scholar and politician, Indian Minister of Education (b. 1888)
  • 1960 – Paul-Émile Borduas, Canadian-French painter and critic (b. 1905)
  • 1961 – Nick LaRocca, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1889)
  • 1965 – Felix Frankfurter, Austrian-American lawyer and jurist (b. 1882)
  • 1971 – Frédéric Mariotti, French actor (b. 1883)
  • 1973 – Jean-Jacques Bertrand, Canadian lawyer and politician, 21st Premier of Quebec (b. 1916)
  • 1973 – Elizabeth Bowen, Anglo-Irish author (b. 1899)
  • 1973 – Katina Paxinou, Greek actress (b. 1900)
  • 1973 – Winthrop Rockefeller, American colonel and politician, 37th Governor of Arkansas (b. 1912)
  • 1976 – Angela Baddeley, English actress (b. 1904)
  • 1976 – Florence Ballard, American singer (b. 1943)
  • 1980 – Oskar Kokoschka, Austrian painter, poet and playwright (b. 1886)
  • 1982 – Josh Malihabadi, Indian-Pakistani poet and author (b. 1898)
  • 1983 – Adrian Boult, English conductor (b. 1889)
  • 1983 – Romain Maes, Belgian cyclist (b. 1913)
  • 1985 – Salvador Espriu, Spanish author, poet, and playwright (b. 1913)
  • 1985 – Efrem Zimbalist, Russian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1889)
  • 1986 – John Donnelly, Australian rugby league player (b. 1955)
  • 1987 – David Susskind, American talk show host and producer (b. 1920)
  • 1987 – Andy Warhol, American painter and photographer (b. 1928)
  • 1992 – Markos Vafiadis, Greek general and politician (b. 1906)
  • 1994 – Papa John Creach, American violinist (b. 1917)
  • 1995 – Ed Flanders, American actor (b. 1934)
  • 1997 – Joseph Aiuppa, American gangster (b. 1907)
  • 1998 – Abraham A. Ribicoff, American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (b. 1910)
  • 1999 – William Bronk, American poet and academic (b. 1918)
  • 1999 – Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player (b. 1964)
  • 2002 – Roden Cutler, Australian lieutenant and politician, 32nd Governor of New South Wales (b. 1916)
  • 2002 – Chuck Jones, American animator, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1912)
  • 2002 – Jonas Savimbi, Angolan general, founded UNITA (b. 1934)
  • 2004 – Andy Seminick, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1920)
  • 2005 – Lee Eun-ju, South Korean actress and singer (b. 1980)
  • 2005 – Simone Simon, French actress (b. 1910)
  • 2007 – George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe, English politician, Leader of the House of Lords (b. 1918)
  • 2007 – Dennis Johnson, American basketball player and coach (b. 1954)
  • 2012 – Sukhbir, Indian author and poet (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Frank Carson, Irish-English comedian and actor (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Marie Colvin, American journalist (b. 1956)
  • 2012 – Rémi Ochlik, French photographer and journalist (b. 1983)
  • 2013 – Atje Keulen-Deelstra, Dutch speed skater (b. 1938)
  • 2013 – Jean-Louis Michon, French-Swiss scholar and translator (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Wolfgang Sawallisch, German pianist and conductor (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Charlotte Dawson, New Zealand–Australian television host (b. 1966)
  • 2014 – Trebor Jay Tichenor, American pianist and composer (b. 1940)
  • 2014 – Leo Vroman, Dutch-American hematologist, poet, and illustrator (b. 1915)
  • 2015 – Chris Rainbow, Scottish singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1946)
  • 2016 – Yolande Fox, American model and singer, Miss America 1951 (b. 1928)
  • 2016 – Sonny James, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1928)
  • 2018 – Forges, Spanish cartoonist (b. 1942)
  • 2019 – Brody Stevens, American comedian and actor (b. 1970)
  • 2019 – Morgan Woodward, American actor (b. 1925)

Holidays and observances on February 22

  • Birthday of Scouting and Guiding founder Robert Baden-Powell and Olave Baden-Powell, and its related observance:
    • Founder’s Day or “B.-P. day” (World Organization of the Scout Movement)
    • World Thinking Day (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Baradates
    • Eric Liddell (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter (Roman Catholic Church)
    • Margaret of Cortona
    • February 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Crime Victims Day (Europe)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Saint Lucia from the United Kingdom in 1979.

February 22 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

February 19 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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

Births on February 19

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

Deaths on February 19

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

Holidays and observances on February 19

  • Armed Forces Day (Mexico)
  • Brâncuși Day (Romania)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Barbatus of Benevento
    • Boniface of Brussels
    • Conrad of Piacenza
    • Lucy Yi Zhenmei (one of Martyrs of Guizhou)
    • February 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Commemoration of Vasil Levski (Bulgaria)
  • Flag Day (Turkmenistan)
  • Shivaji Jayanti (Maharashtra, India)9

February 19 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

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

Births on February 18

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

Deaths on February 18

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

Holidays and observances on February 18

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

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

On This Day

February 14 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 748 – Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt.
  • 842 – Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German languages.
  • 1014 – Pope Benedict VIII crowns Henry of Bavaria, King of Germany and of Italy, as Holy Roman Emperor.
  • 1076 – Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
  • 1130 – Pope Innocent II is elected.
  • 1349 – Several hundred Jews are burned to death by mobs while the remaining Jews are forcibly removed from Strasbourg.
  • 1400 – Richard II of England dies, most probably from starvation, in Pontefract Castle, on the orders of Henry Bolingbroke.
  • 1530 – Spanish conquistadores, led by Nuño de Guzmán, overthrow and execute Tangaxuan II, the last independent monarch of the Tarascan state in present-day central Mexico.
  • 1556 – Thomas Cranmer is declared a heretic.
  • 1556 – Coronation of Akbar.
  • 1655 – The Mapuches launch coordinated attacks against the Spanish in Chile beginning the Mapuche uprising of 1655.
  • 1778 – The United States flag is formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time, when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte renders a nine gun salute to USS Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones.
  • 1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Kettle Creek is fought in Georgia.
  • 1779 – James Cook is killed by Native Hawaiians near Kealakekua on the Island of Hawaii.
  • 1797 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Cape St. Vincent: John Jervis, (later 1st Earl of St Vincent) and Horatio Nelson (later 1st Viscount Nelson) lead the British Royal Navy to victory over a Spanish fleet in action near Gibraltar.
  • 1804 – Karađorđe leads the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire.
  • 1831 – Ras Marye of Yejju marches into Tigray and defeats and kills Dejazmach Sabagadis in the Battle of Debre Abbay.
  • 1835 – The original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in the Latter Day Saint movement, is formed in Kirtland, Ohio.
  • 1849 – In New York City, James Knox Polk becomes the first serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken.
  • 1852 – Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, the first hospital in England to provide in-patient beds specifically for children, is founded in London.
  • 1855 – Texas is linked by telegraph to the rest of the United States, with the completion of a connection between New Orleans and Marshall, Texas.
  • 1859 – Oregon is admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.
  • 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone, as does Elisha Gray.
  • 1879 – The War of the Pacific breaks out when the Chilean Army occupies the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta.
  • 1899 – Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.
  • 1900 – British forces begin the Battle of the Tugela Heights in an effort to lift the Siege of Ladysmith.
  • 1903 – The United States Department of Commerce and Labor is established (later split into the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor).
  • 1912 – Arizona is admitted as the 48th and the last contiguous U.S. state.
  • 1912 – The U.S. Navy commissions its first class of diesel-powered submarines.
  • 1919 – The Polish–Soviet War begins.
  • 1920 – The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago.
  • 1924 – The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company changes its name to International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).
  • 1929 – Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre: Seven people, six of them gangster rivals of Al Capone’s gang, are murdered in Chicago.
  • 1942 – Battle of Pasir Panjang contributes to the fall of Singapore.
  • 1943 – World War II: Rostov-on-Don, Russia is liberated.
  • 1943 – World War II: Tunisia Campaign: General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim’s Fifth Panzer Army launches a concerted attack against Allied positions in Tunisia.
  • 1944 – World War II: In the Action of 14 February 1944, a Royal Navy submarine sinks a German-controlled Italian submarine in the Strait of Malacca.
  • 1945 – World War II: On the first day of the bombing of Dresden, the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces begin fire-bombing Dresden.
  • 1945 – World War II: Navigational error leads to the mistaken bombing of Prague, Czechoslovakia by an American squadron of B-17s assisting in the Soviet’s Vistula–Oder Offensive.
  • 1945 – World War II: Mostar is liberated by Yugoslav partisans
  • 1945 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt meets King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia aboard the USS Quincy, officially beginning U.S.-Saudi diplomatic relations.
  • 1946 – The Bank of England is nationalized.
  • 1949 – The Knesset (parliament of Israel) convenes for the first time.
  • 1949 – The Asbestos Strike begins in Canada. The strike marks the beginning of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec.
  • 1961 – Discovery of the chemical elements: Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized at the University of California.
  • 1966 – Australian currency is decimalized.
  • 1979 – In Kabul, Setami Milli militants kidnap the American ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs who is later killed during a gunfight between his kidnappers and police.
  • 1983 – United American Bank of Knoxville, Tennessee collapses. Its president, Jake Butcher, is later convicted of fraud.
  • 1989 – Union Carbide agrees to pay $470 million to the Indian government for damages it caused in the 1984 Bhopal disaster.
  • 1989 – Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini issues a fatwa encouraging Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.
  • 1990 – Ninety-two people are killed when Indian Airlines Flight 605 crashes in Bangalore, India.
  • 1990 – The Voyager 1 spacecraft takes the photograph of planet Earth that later become famous as Pale Blue Dot.
  • 1998 – An oil tanker train collides with a freight train in Yaoundé, Cameroon, spilling fuel oil. One person scavenging the oil created a massive explosion which killed 120.
  • 2000 – The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker enters orbit around asteroid 433 Eros, the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.
  • 2004 – In a suburb of Moscow, Russia, the roof of the Transvaal water park collapses, killing more than 25 people, and wounding more than 100 others.
  • 2005 – In Beirut, 23 people, including former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, are killed when the equivalent of around 1,000 kg of TNT is detonated while Hariri’s motorcade drives through the city.
  • 2005 – Seven people are killed and 151 wounded in a series of bombings by suspected al-Qaeda-linked militants that hit Makati, Davao City, and General Santos City, all in the Philippines.
  • 2005 – YouTube is launched by a group of college students, eventually becoming the largest video sharing website in the world and a main source for viral videos.
  • 2008 – Northern Illinois University shooting: A gunman opens fire in a lecture hall of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb County, Illinois, resulting in six fatalities (including the gunman) and 21 injuries.
  • 2011 – As a part of Arab Spring, the Bahraini uprising begins with a ‘Day of Rage’.
  • 2018 – Jacob Zuma resigns as President of South Africa.
  • 2018 – A shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida is one of the deadliest school massacres with 17 fatalities and 15 injuries.
  • 2019 – Pulwama attack takes place in Lethpora in Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir, India in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel and a suicide bomber were killed and 35 were injured.

Births on February 14

  • 1404 – Leon Battista Alberti, Italian painter, poet, and philosopher (d. 1472)
  • 1408 – John FitzAlan, 14th Earl of Arundel (d. 1435)
  • 1452 – Pandolfo Petrucci, tyrant of Siena (d. 1512)
  • 1468 – Johannes Werner, German priest and mathematician (d. 1522)
  • 1483 – Babur, Moghul emperor (d. 1530)
  • 1490 – Valentin Friedland, German scholar and educationist of the Reformation (d. 1556)
  • 1513 – Domenico Ferrabosco, Italian composer (d. 1573)
  • 1545 – Lucrezia de’ Medici, Duchess of Ferrara (d. 1561)
  • 1602 – Francesco Cavalli, Italian composer (d. 1676)
  • 1614 – John Wilkins, English bishop, academic and natural philosopher (d. 1672)
  • 1625 – Countess Palatine Maria Eufrosyne of Zweibrücken, Swedish princess (d. 1687)
  • 1628 – Valentine Greatrakes, Irish faith healer (d. 1683)
  • 1640 – Countess Palatine Anna Magdalena of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler (d. 1693)
  • 1670 – Rajaram Raj Bhonsle, third Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire (d. 1700)
  • 1679 – Georg Friedrich Kauffmann, German organist and composer (d. 1735)
  • 1692 – Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, French author and playwright (d. 1754)
  • 1701 – Enrique Flórez, Spanish historian and author (d. 1773)
  • 1763 – Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French general (d. 1813)
  • 1782 – Eleanora Atherton, English philanthropist (d. 1870)
  • 1784 – Heinrich Baermann, German clarinetist (d. 1847)
  • 1799 – Walenty Wańkowicz, Polish painter and illustrator (d. 1842)
  • 1800 – Emory Washburn, American historian, lawyer, and politician, 22nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1877)
  • 1808 – Michael Costa, Italian-English conductor and composer (d. 1884)
  • 1813 – Lydia Hamilton Smith, African-American businesswoman (d. 1884)
  • 1819 – Christopher Latham Sholes, American journalist and politician, invented the typewriter (d. 1890)
  • 1824 – Winfield Scott Hancock, American general and politician (d. 1886)
  • 1828 – Edmond François Valentin About, French journalist and author (d. 1885)
  • 1835 – Piet Paaltjens, Dutch minister and poet (d. 1894)
  • 1838 – Margaret E. Knight, American inventor (d. 1914)
  • 1846 – Julian Scott, American soldier and drummer, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1901)
  • 1847 – Anna Howard Shaw, American physician, minister, and activist (d. 1919)
  • 1848 – Benjamin Baillaud, French astronomer and academic (d. 1934)
  • 1855 – Frank Harris, Irish author and journalist (d. 1931)
  • 1859 – George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., American engineer, inventor of the Ferris wheel (d. 1896)
  • 1860 – Eugen Schiffer, German lawyer and politician, Vice-Chancellor of Germany (d. 1954)
  • 1869 – Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Scottish physicist and meteorologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
  • 1878 – Julius Nieuwland, Belgian priest, chemist and academic (d. 1936)
  • 1882 – John Barrymore, American actor (d. 1942)
  • 1884 – Nils Olaf Chrisander, Swedish actor and director (d. 1947)
  • 1884 – Kostas Varnalis, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1974)
  • 1890 – Nina Hamnett, Welsh-English painter and author (d. 1956)
  • 1890 – Dick Richards Welsh international footballer, forward
  • 1891 – Katherine Stinson, American aviator (d. 1977)
  • 1892 – Radola Gajda, Czech commander and politician (d. 1948)
  • 1894 – Jack Benny, American actor and producer (d. 1974)
  • 1895 – Wilhelm Burgdorf, German general (d. 1945)
  • 1895 – Max Horkheimer, German philosopher and sociologist (d. 1973)
  • 1898 – Bill Tilman, English mountaineer and explorer (d. 1977)
  • 1898 – Fritz Zwicky, Swiss-American physicist and astronomer (d. 1974)
  • 1900 – Jessica Dragonette, American singer (d. 1980)
  • 1903 – Stuart Erwin, American actor (d. 1967)
  • 1905 – Thelma Ritter, American actress and singer (d. 1969)
  • 1907 – Johnny Longden, English-American jockey and trainer (d. 2003)
  • 1911 – Willem Johan Kolff, Dutch physician and inventor (d. 2009)
  • 1912 – Tibor Sekelj, Hungarian lawyer, explorer, and author (d. 1988)
  • 1913 – Mel Allen, American sportscaster (d. 1996)
  • 1913 – Woody Hayes, American football player and coach (d. 1987)
  • 1913 – Jimmy Hoffa, American trade union leader (d. 1975)
  • 1913 – James Pike, American bishop (d. 1969)
  • 1916 – Marcel Bigeard, French general (d. 2010)
  • 1916 – Sally Gray, English actress and singer (d. 2006)
  • 1916 – Masaki Kobayashi, Japanese director and producer (d. 1996)
  • 1916 – Edward Platt, American actor (d. 1974)
  • 1917 – Herbert A. Hauptman, American mathematician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2011)
  • 1921 – Hugh Downs, American journalist, game show host, and producer
  • 1921 – Hazel McCallion, Canadian businesswoman and politician, 3rd Mayor of Mississauga
  • 1923 – Jay Hebert, American golfer (d. 1997)
  • 1924 – Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma (d. 2017)
  • 1927 – Lois Maxwell, Canadian-Australian model and actress (d. 2007)
  • 1928 – William Allain, American soldier and politician, 58th Governor of Mississippi (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Vicente T. Blaz, American general and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1929 – Vic Morrow, American actor and director (d. 1982)
  • 1931 – Bernie Geoffrion, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2006)
  • 1931 – Brian Kelly, American actor and director (d. 2005)
  • 1932 – Harriet Andersson, Swedish actress
  • 1934 – Florence Henderson, American actress and singer (d. 2016)
  • 1935 – David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, Scottish academic and diplomat, 27th Governor of Hong Kong
  • 1936 – Anna German, Polish singer (d. 1982)
  • 1937 – John MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market, English politician, Secretary of State for Transport
  • 1937 – Magic Sam, American singer and guitarist (d. 1969)
  • 1939 – Razzy Bailey, American country music singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1939 – Blowfly, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2016)
  • 1939 – Eugene Fama, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1940 – James Maynard, American businessman, co-founded Golden Corral
  • 1941 – Donna Shalala, American academic and politician, 18th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
  • 1941 – Paul Tsongas, American lawyer and politician (d. 1997)
  • 1942 – Michael Bloomberg, American businessman and politician, 108th Mayor of New York City
  • 1942 – Andrew Robinson, American actor and director
  • 1942 – Ricardo Rodríguez, Mexican race car driver (d. 1962)
  • 1943 – Eric Andersen, American singer-songwriter
  • 1943 – Maceo Parker, American saxophonist
  • 1943 – Aaron Russo, American director and producer (d. 2007)
  • 1944 – Carl Bernstein, American journalist and author
  • 1944 – Alan Parker, English director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1944 – Ronnie Peterson, Swedish race car driver (d. 1978)
  • 1945 – Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein
  • 1945 – Rod Masterson, American lieutenant and actor (d. 2013)
  • 1946 – Bernard Dowiyogo, Nauru politician, President of Nauru (d. 2003)
  • 1946 – Gregory Hines, American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 2003)
  • 1947 – Tim Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
  • 1947 – Judd Gregg, American lawyer and politician, 76th Governor of New Hampshire
  • 1948 – Kitten Natividad, Mexican-American actress and dancer
  • 1948 – Pat O’Brien, American journalist and author
  • 1948 – Wally Tax, Dutch singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1948 – Teller, American magician and actor
  • 1950 – Roger Fisher, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1951 – Terry Gross, American radio host and producer
  • 1951 – Kevin Keegan, English footballer and manager
  • 1952 – Sushma Swaraj, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs (d. 2019)
  • 1954 – Jam Mohammad Yousaf, Pakistani politician, Chief Minister of Balochistan (d. 2013)
  • 1955 – Carol Kalish, American publisher (d. 1991)
  • 1956 – Howard Davis Jr., American boxer and trainer (d. 2015)
  • 1956 – Dave Dravecky, American baseball player
  • 1956 – Katharina Fritsch, German sculptor and academic
  • 1957 – Alan Hunter, American television host and actor
  • 1957 – Soile Isokoski, Finnish soprano and actress
  • 1957 – Alan Smith, English bishop
  • 1958 – Grant Thomas, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1959 – Renée Fleming, American soprano and actress
  • 1960 – Philip Jones, English admiral
  • 1960 – Jim Kelly, American football player and businessman
  • 1960 – Meg Tilly, American actress and author
  • 1963 – Enrico Colantoni, Canadian actor, director, and producer
  • 1963 – John Marzano, American baseball player (d. 2008)
  • 1964 – Gianni Bugno, Italian cyclist and sportscaster
  • 1966 – Petr Svoboda, Czech ice hockey player and agent
  • 1967 – Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Greek-English businessman, founded easyJet
  • 1967 – Manuela Maleeva, Bulgarian-Swiss tennis player
  • 1967 – Mark Rutte, Dutch businessman and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
  • 1968 – Jules Asner, American model and television host
  • 1968 – Chris Lewis, Guyanese-English cricketer
  • 1968 – Scott McClellan, American civil servant and author, 25th White House Press Secretary
  • 1969 – Meg Hillier, English journalist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
  • 1970 – Giuseppe Guerini, Italian cyclist
  • 1970 – Sean Hill, American ice hockey player
  • 1970 – Simon Pegg, English actor, director, and producer
  • 1971 – Kris Aquino, Filipino talk show host, actress, and producer
  • 1971 – Gheorghe Mureșan, Romanian basketball player
  • 1972 – Drew Bledsoe, American football player and coach
  • 1972 – Musōyama Masashi, Japanese sumo wrestler
  • 1972 – Najwa Nimri, Spanish actress and singer
  • 1972 – Jaan Tallinn, Estonian computer programmer, co-developed Skype
  • 1972 – Rob Thomas, American singer-songwriter
  • 1973 – H. D. Ackerman, South African cricketer
  • 1973 – Tyus Edney, American basketball player and coach
  • 1973 – Steve McNair, American football player (d. 2009)
  • 1973 – Annalisa Buffa, Italian mathematician
  • 1974 – Valentina Vezzali, Italian fencer and politician
  • 1976 – Liv Kristine, Norwegian singer-songwriter
  • 1976 – Rie Rasmussen, Danish model, film director, writer, photographer, and actress
  • 1977 – Cadel Evans, Australian cyclist
  • 1977 – Jim Jefferies, Australian comedian and actor
  • 1977 – Darren Purse, English footballer
  • 1977 – Elmer Symons, South African motorcycle racer (d. 2007)
  • 1977 – Anna Erschler, Russian mathematician
  • 1977 – Robert J. Jackson Jr., American law professor
  • 1978 – Richard Hamilton, American basketball player
  • 1978 – Darius Songaila, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
  • 1980 – Josh Senter, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1980 – Michelle Ye, Hong Kong actress and producer
  • 1981 – Matteo Brighi, Italian footballer
  • 1981 – Randy de Puniet, French motorcycle racer
  • 1981 – Brad Halsey, American baseball player (d. 2014)
  • 1982 – Marián Gáborík, Slovak ice hockey player
  • 1982 – John Halls, English footballer and model
  • 1982 – Lenka Tvarošková, Slovak tennis player
  • 1983 – Callix Crabbe, Virgin Islander baseball player
  • 1983 – Rocky Elsom, Australian rugby player
  • 1983 – Bacary Sagna, French footballer
  • 1985 – Karima Adebibe, English model and actress
  • 1985 – Tyler Clippard, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Heart Evangelista, Filipino singer and actress
  • 1985 – Philippe Senderos, Swiss international footballer, centre back
  • 1985 – Miki Yeung, Hong Kong singer and actress
  • 1986 – Michael Ammermüller, German race car driver
  • 1986 – Oliver Lee, English actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1986 – Gao Lin, Chinese footballer
  • 1987 – Edinson Cavani, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1987 – Tom Pyatt, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1987 – David Wheater, English footballer
  • 1988 – Katie Boland, Canadian actress, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1988 – Ángel Di María, Argentinian footballer
  • 1988 – Siim Liivik, Estonian ice hockey player
  • 1988 – Asia Nitollano, American singer and dancer
  • 1989 – Néstor Calderón, Mexican footballer
  • 1989 – Adam Matuszczyk, Polish footballer
  • 1989 – Emma Miskew, Canadian curler
  • 1989 – Brandon Sutter, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1989 – Jurij Tepeš, Slovenian ski jumper
  • 1989 – Kristian Thomas, English gymnast
  • 1990 – Sefa Yılmaz, German-Turkish footballer
  • 1991 – Daniela Mona Lambin, Estonian footballer
  • 1991 – Chris Rowney, English footballer
  • 1992 – Christian Eriksen, Danish footballer
  • 1992 – Freddie Highmore, English actor
  • 1996 – Lucas Hernandez, French footballer

Deaths on February 14

  • 869 – Cyril, Greek missionary bishop (b. 827)
  • 945 – Lian Chongyu, Chinese general
  • 945 – Zhu Wenjin, Chinese emperor
  • 1009 – Bruno of Querfurt, German missionary bishop
  • 1010 – Fujiwara no Korechika, Japanese nobleman (b. 974)
  • 1140 – Leo I, Armenian prince
  • 1140 – Sobĕslav I, duke of Bohemia
  • 1164 – Sviatoslav Olgovich, Kievan prince
  • 1229 – Rǫgnvaldr Guðrøðarson, king of the Isles
  • 1317 – Margaret of France, queen of England
  • 1400 – Richard II, king of England (b. 1367)
  • 1440 – Dietrich of Oldenburg, German nobleman
  • 1489 – Nicolaus von Tüngen, prince-bishop of Warmia
  • 1528 – Edzard I, German nobleman (b. 1462)
  • 1549 – Il Sodoma, Italian painter (b. 1477)
  • 1571 – Odet de Coligny, French cardinal (b. 1517)
  • 1676 – Abraham Bosse, French engraver and illustrator (b. 1602)
  • 1714 – Maria Luisa of Savoy, queen of Spain (b. 1688)
  • 1737 – Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot, English lawyer and politician Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1685)
  • 1744 – John Hadley, English mathematician, invented the octant (b. 1682)
  • 1779 – James Cook, English captain, cartographer, and explorer (b. 1728)
  • 1780 – William Blackstone, English jurist and politician (b. 1723)
  • 1782 – Singu Min, Burmese king (b. 1756)
  • 1808 – John Dickinson, American lawyer and politician 5th Governor of Delaware (b. 1732)
  • 1831 – Vicente Guerrero, Mexican general and politician, 2nd President of Mexico (b. 1782)
  • 1831 – Henry Maudslay, English engineer (b. 1771)
  • 1870 – St. John Richardson Liddell, American general (b. 1815)
  • 1881 – Fernando Wood, American merchant and politician, 73rd Mayor of New York City (b. 1812)
  • 1884 – Lydia Hamilton Smith, African-American businesswoman (b. 1813)
  • 1885 – Jules Vallès, French journalist and author (b. 1832)
  • 1891 – William Tecumseh Sherman, American general (b. 1820)
  • 1894 – Eugène Charles Catalan, Belgian-French mathematician and academic (b. 1814)
  • 1901 – Edward Stafford, Scottish-New Zealand educator and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1819)
  • 1910 – Giovanni Passannante, Italian anarchist (b. 1849)
  • 1922 – Heikki Ritavuori, Finnish lawyer and politician (b. 1880)
  • 1929 – Thomas Burke, American sprinter, coach, and lawyer (b. 1875)
  • 1930 – Thomas Mackenzie, Scottish-New Zealand cartographer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1853)
  • 1933 – Carl Correns, German botanist and geneticist (b. 1864)
  • 1942 – Adnan Saidi, Malayan lieutenant (b. 1915)
  • 1943 – Dora Gerson, German actress and singer (b. 1899)
  • 1943 – David Hilbert, Russian-German mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (b. 1862)
  • 1948 – Mordecai Brown, American baseball player and manager (b. 1876)
  • 1949 – Yusuf Salman Yusuf, Iraqi politician (b. 1901)
  • 1950 – Karl Guthe Jansky, American physicist and engineer (b. 1905)
  • 1952 – Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (b. 1896)
  • 1958 – Abdur Rab Nishtar, Pakistani politician, 2nd Governor of Punjab (b. 1899)
  • 1959 – Baby Dodds, American drummer (b. 1898)
  • 1967 – Sig Ruman, German-American actor (b. 1884)
  • 1969 – Vito Genovese, Italian-American mob boss (b. 1897)
  • 1970 – Herbert Strudwick, English cricketer and coach (b. 1880)
  • 1974 – Stewie Dempster, New Zealand cricketer and coach (b. 1903)
  • 1975 – Julian Huxley, English biologist and eugenicist, co-founded the World Wide Fund for Nature (b. 1887)
  • 1975 – P. G. Wodehouse, English novelist and playwright (b. 1881)
  • 1979 – Adolph Dubs, American lieutenant and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Afghanistan (b. 1920)
  • 1983 – Lina Radke, German runner and coach (b. 1903)
  • 1986 – Edmund Rubbra, English composer and conductor (b. 1901)
  • 1987 – Dmitry Kabalevsky, Russian pianist and composer (b. 1904)
  • 1988 – Frederick Loewe, German-American composer (b. 1901)
  • 1989 – James Bond, American ornithologist and zoologist (b. 1900)
  • 1989 – Vincent Crane, English pianist (b. 1943)
  • 1994 – Andrei Chikatilo, Soviet serial killer (b. 1936)
  • 1994 – Christopher Lasch, American historian and critic (b. 1932)
  • 1995 – Michael V. Gazzo, American actor and playwright (b. 1923)
  • 1995 – U Nu, Burmese politician, 1st Prime Minister of Burma (b. 1907)
  • 1996 – Bob Paisley, English footballer and manager (b. 1919)
  • 1999 – John Ehrlichman, American lawyer and politician, 12th White House Counsel (b. 1925)
  • 1999 – Buddy Knox, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1933)
  • 2002 – Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1922)
  • 2002 – Mick Tucker, English drummer (b. 1947)
  • 2003 – Johnny Longden, English jockey and trainer (b. 1907)
  • 2004 – Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist (b. 1970)
  • 2005 – Rafic Hariri, Lebanese businessman and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1944; assassinated)
  • 2006 – Lynden David Hall, English singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1974)
  • 2007 – Ryan Larkin, Canadian animator and director (b. 1943)
  • 2007 – Gareth Morris, English flute player and educator (b. 1920)
  • 2009 – Bernard Ashley, English engineer and businessman, co-founded Laura Ashley plc (b. 1926)
  • 2009 – Louie Bellson, American drummer and composer (b. 1924)
  • 2010 – Doug Fieger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
  • 2010 – Dick Francis, Welsh jockey and author (b. 1920)
  • 2010 – Linnart Mäll, Estonian historian, orientalist, and translator (b. 1938)
  • 2011 – George Shearing, English-American pianist and composer (b. 1919)
  • 2012 – Mike Bernardo, South African boxer and martial artist (b. 1969)
  • 2012 – Tonmi Lillman, Finnish drummer and producer (b. 1973)
  • 2012 – Dory Previn, American singer-songwriter (b. 1925)
  • 2012 – Péter Rusorán, Hungarian swimmer, water polo player, and coach (b. 1940)
  • 2013 – Glenn Boyer, American historian and author (b. 1924)
  • 2013 – Ronald Dworkin, American philosopher and scholar (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Tom Finney, English footballer (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Chris Pearson, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of Yukon (b. 1931)
  • 2014 – Mike Stepovich, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Alaska Territory (b. 1919)
  • 2015 – Louis Jourdan, French-American actor and singer (b. 1921)
  • 2015 – Philip Levine, American poet and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Franjo Mihalić, Croatian-Serbian runner and coach (b. 1920)
  • 2016 – Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, English lieutenant, engineer, and politician (b. 1928)
  • 2016 – Steven Stucky, American composer and academic (b. 1949)
  • 2018 – Ruud Lubbers, Dutch politician and diplomat, Prime Minister and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (b. 1939)
  • 2018 – Morgan Tsvangirai, 2nd Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (b. 1952).

Holidays and observances on February 14

  • Christian feast day:
    • Cyril and Methodius, patron saints of Europe (Roman Catholic Church)
    • Manchan
    • Valentine (Valentine’s Day)
    • February 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Statehood Day (Arizona, United States)
  • Statehood Day (Oregon, United States)
  • Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (Armenian Apostolic Church)
  • Parents’ Worship Day (parts of India)

February 14 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

February 13 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /

February 13 in History

  • 951 – Guo Wei, a court official, leads a military coup and declares himself emperor of the new Later Zhou.
  • 962 – Emperor Otto I and Pope John XII co-sign the Diploma Ottonianum, recognizing John as ruler of Rome.
  • 1322 – The central tower of Ely Cathedral falls on the night of 12th–13th.
  • 1462 – The Treaty of Westminster is finalised between Edward IV of England and the Scottish Lord of the Isles.
  • 1503 – Challenge of Barletta: Tournament between 13 Italian and 13 French knights near Barletta.
  • 1542 – Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, is executed for adultery.
  • 1633 – Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition.
  • 1660 – With the accession of young Charles XI of Sweden, his regents begin negotiations to end the Second Northern War.
  • 1689 – William and Mary are proclaimed co-rulers of England.
  • 1692 – Massacre of Glencoe: Almost 80 Macdonalds at Glen Coe, Scotland are killed early in the morning for not promptly pledging allegiance to the new king, William of Orange.
  • 1726 – Parliament of Negrete between Mapuche and Spanish authorities in Chile bring an end to the Mapuche uprising of 1723–26.
  • 1755 – Treaty of Giyanti signed by VOC, Pakubuwono III and Prince Mangkubumi. The treaty divides the Javanese kingdom of Mataram into 2: Sunanate of Surakarta and Sultanate of Yogyakarta.
  • 1849 – The delegation headed by Metropolitan bishop Andrei Șaguna hands out to the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria the General Petition of Romanian leaders in Transylvania, Banat and Bukovina, which demands that the Romanian nation be recognized.
  • 1861 – Italian unification: The Siege of Gaeta ends with the capitulation of the defending fortress, effectively bringing an end of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
  • 1867 – Work begins on the covering of the Senne, burying Brussels’s primary river and creating the modern central boulevards.
  • 1880 – Thomas Edison observes Thermionic emission.
  • 1913 – The 13th Dalai Lama proclaims Tibetan independence following a period of domination by Manchu Qing dynasty and initiated a period of almost four decades of independence.
  • 1914 – Copyright: In New York City the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is established to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members.
  • 1920 – The Negro National League is formed.
  • 1931 – The British Raj completes its transfer from Calcutta to New Delhi.
  • 1935 – A jury in Flemington, New Jersey finds Bruno Hauptmann guilty of the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby, the son of Charles Lindbergh.
  • 1945 – World War II: The siege of Budapest concludes with the unconditional surrender of German and Hungarian forces to the Red Army.
  • 1945 – World War II: Royal Air Force bombers are dispatched to Dresden, Germany to attack the city with a massive aerial bombardment.
  • 1951 – Korean War: Battle of Chipyong-ni, which represented the “high-water mark” of the Chinese incursion into South Korea, commences.
  • 1954 – Frank Selvy becomes the only NCAA Division I basketball player ever to score 100 points in a single game.
  • 1955 – Israel obtains four of the seven Dead Sea Scrolls.
  • 1960 – With the success of a nuclear test codenamed “Gerboise Bleue”, France becomes the fourth country to possess nuclear weapons.
  • 1960 – Black college students stage the first of the Nashville sit-ins at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee.
  • 1961 – An allegedly 500,000-year-old rock is discovered near Olancha, California, US, that appears to anachronistically encase a spark plug.
  • 1967 – American researchers discover the Madrid Codices by Leonardo da Vinci in the National Library of Spain.
  • 1975 – Fire at One World Trade Center (North Tower) of the World Trade Center in New York.
  • 1978 – Hilton bombing: a bomb explodes in a refuse truck outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, killing two refuse collectors and a policeman.
  • 1979 – An intense windstorm strikes western Washington and sinks a ​1⁄2-mile-long section of the Hood Canal Bridge.
  • 1981 – A series of sewer explosions destroys more than two miles of streets in Louisville, Kentucky.
  • 1983 – A cinema fire in Turin, Italy, kills 64 people.
  • 1984 – Konstantin Chernenko succeeds the late Yuri Andropov as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
  • 1990 – German reunification: An agreement is reached on a two-stage plan to reunite Germany.
  • 1991 – Gulf War: Two laser-guided “smart bombs” destroy the Amiriyah shelter in Baghdad. Allied forces said the bunker was being used as a military communications outpost, but over 400 Iraqi civilians inside were killed.
  • 1996 – The Nepalese Civil War is initiated in the Kingdom of Nepal by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist-Centre).
  • 1999 – The last hockey game is played in Maple Leaf Gardens: the Toronto Maple Leafs lose 6–2 to the Chicago Blackhawks.
  • 2001 – An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter magnitude scale hits El Salvador, killing at least 944.
  • 2004 – The Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announces the discovery of the universe’s largest known diamond, white dwarf star BPM 37093. Astronomers named this star “Lucy” after The Beatles’ song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”.
  • 2007 – Taiwan opposition leader Ma Ying-jeou resigns as the chairman of the Kuomintang party after being indicted on charges of embezzlement during his tenure as the mayor of Taipei; Ma also announces his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election.
  • 2008 – Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes a historic apology to the Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations.
  • 2010 – A bomb explodes in the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India, killing 17 and injuring 60 more.
  • 2011 – For the first time in more than 100 years the Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, are able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855.
  • 2012 – The European Space Agency (ESA) conducted the first launch of the European Vega rocket from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
  • 2017 – Kim Jong-nam, brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, is assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Births on February 13

  • 1440 – Hartmann Schedel, German physician (d. 1514)
  • 1457 – Mary of Burgundy, Sovereign Duchess regnant of Burgundy, married to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1482)
  • 1469 – Elia Levita, Renaissance Hebrew grammarian (d. 1549)
  • 1480 – Girolamo Aleandro, Italian cardinal (d. 1542)
  • 1523 – Valentin Naboth, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1593)
  • 1539 – Elisabeth of Hesse, Electress Palatine (d. 1582)
  • 1569 – Johann Reinhard I, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg (d. 1625)
  • 1599 – Pope Alexander VII (d. 1667)
  • 1602 – William V, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1637)
  • 1672 – Étienne François Geoffroy, French physician and chemist (d. 1731)
  • 1683 – Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, Italian painter (d. 1754)
  • 1719 – George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, English admiral and politician (d. 1792)
  • 1721 – John Reid, Scottish general (d. 1807)
  • 1728 – John Hunter, Scottish surgeon and anatomist (d. 1793)
  • 1766 – Thomas Robert Malthus, English economist and scholar (d. 1834)
  • 1768 – Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier, French general and politician, 15th Prime Minister of France (d. 1835)
  • 1769 – Ivan Krylov, Russian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1844)
  • 1805 – Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet, German mathematician and academic (d. 1859)
  • 1811 – François Achille Bazaine, French general (d. 1888)
  • 1815 – Rufus Wilmot Griswold, American anthologist, editor, poet and critic (d. 1857)
  • 1831 – John Aaron Rawlins, American general and politician, 29th United States Secretary of War (d. 1869)
  • 1834 – Heinrich Caro, Sephardic Jewish Polish-German chemist and academic (d. 1910)
  • 1835 – Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Indian religious leader (d. 1908)
  • 1849 – Lord Randolph Churchill, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (d. 1895)
  • 1855 – Paul Deschanel, Belgian-French politician, 11th President of France (d. 1922)
  • 1863 – Hugo Becker, German cellist and composer (d. 1941)
  • 1867 – Harold Mahony, Scottish-Irish tennis player (d. 1905)
  • 1870 – Leopold Godowsky, Polish-American pianist and composer (d. 1938)
  • 1873 – Feodor Chaliapin, Russian opera singer (d. 1938)
  • 1876 – Fritz Buelow, German-American baseball player and umpire (d. 1933)
  • 1879 – Sarojini Naidu, Indian poet and activist (d. 1949)
  • 1880 – Dimitrie Gusti, Romanian sociologist, ethnologist, historian, and philosopher (d. 1955)
  • 1881 – Eleanor Farjeon, Jewish-English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1965)
  • 1883 – Hal Chase, American baseball player and manager (d. 1947)
  • 1883 – Yevgeny Vakhtangov, Russian-Armenian actor and director (d. 1922)
  • 1884 – Alfred Carlton Gilbert, American pole vaulter and businessman, founded the A. C. Gilbert Company (d. 1961)
  • 1885 – Bess Truman, American wife of Harry S. Truman, 35th First Lady of the United States (d. 1982)
  • 1887 – Géza Csáth, Hungarian playwright and critic (d. 1919)
  • 1888 – Georgios Papandreou, Greek lawyer, economist, and politician, 162nd Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1968)
  • 1889 – Leontine Sagan, Austrian actress and director (d. 1974)
  • 1891 – Kate Roberts, Welsh author and activist (d. 1985)
  • 1891 – Grant Wood, American painter and academic (d. 1942)
  • 1892 – Robert H. Jackson, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 57th United States Attorney General (d. 1954)
  • 1898 – Hubert Ashton, English cricketer and politician (d. 1979)
  • 1900 – Barbara von Annenkoff, Russian-born German film and stage actress (d. 1979)
  • 1901 – Paul Lazarsfeld, Austrian-American sociologist and academic (d. 1976)
  • 1902 – Harold Lasswell, American political scientist and theorist (d. 1978)
  • 1903 – Georgy Beriev, Georgian-Russian engineer, founded the Beriev Aircraft Company (d. 1979)
  • 1903 – Georges Simenon, Belgian-Swiss author (d. 1989)
  • 1906 – Agostinho da Silva, Portuguese philosopher and author (d. 1994)
  • 1907 – Katy de la Cruz, Filipino-American singer and actress (d. 2004)
  • 1910 – William Shockley, English-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
  • 1911 – Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Indian-Pakistani poet and journalist (d. 1984)
  • 1911 – Jean Muir, American actress and educator (d. 1996)
  • 1912 – Harald Riipalu, Russian-Estonian commander (d. 1961)
  • 1912 – Margaretta Scott, English actress (d. 2005)
  • 1913 – Khalid of Saudi Arabia (d. 1982)
  • 1915 – Lyle Bettger, American actor (d. 2003)
  • 1915 – Aung San, Burmese general and politician, 5th Premier of British Crown Colony of Burma (d. 1947)
  • 1916 – Dorothy Bliss, American invertebrate zoologist (d. 1987)
  • 1919 – Tennessee Ernie Ford, American singer and actor (d. 1991)
  • 1919 – Eddie Robinson, American football player and coach (d. 2007)
  • 1920 – Boudleaux Bryant, American songwriter (d. 1987)
  • 1920 – Eileen Farrell, American soprano and educator (d. 2002)
  • 1921 – Jeanne Demessieux, French pianist and composer (d. 1968)
  • 1921 – Aung Khin, Burmese painter (d. 1996)
  • 1922 – Francis Pym, Baron Pym, Welsh soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 2008)
  • 1922 – Gordon Tullock, American economist and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1923 – Michael Anthony Bilandic, American soldier, judge, and politician, 49th Mayor of Chicago (d. 2002)
  • 1923 – Chuck Yeager, American general and pilot; first test pilot to break the sound barrier
  • 1924 – Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, French journalist and politician (d. 2006)
  • 1926 – Fay Ajzenberg-Selove, American nuclear physicist (d. 2012)
  • 1928 – Gerald Regan, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Premier of Nova Scotia (d. 2019)
  • 1929 – Omar Torrijos, Panamanian commander and politician, Military Leader of Panama (d. 1981)
  • 1930 – Ernst Fuchs, Austrian painter, sculptor, and illustrator (d. 2015)
  • 1930 – Israel Kirzner, English-American economist, author, and academic
  • 1932 – Susan Oliver, American actress (d. 1990)
  • 1933 – Paul Biya, Cameroon politician, 2nd President of Cameroon
  • 1933 – Kim Novak, American actress
  • 1933 – Emanuel Ungaro, French fashion designer (d. 2019)
  • 1934 – George Segal, American actor
  • 1937 – Ali El-Maak, Sudanese author and academic (d. 1992)
  • 1937 – Angelo Mosca, American-Canadian football player and wrestler
  • 1938 – Oliver Reed, English actor (d. 1999)
  • 1940 – Bram Peper, Dutch sociologist and politician, Mayor of Rotterdam
  • 1941 – Sigmar Polke, German painter and photographer (d. 2010)
  • 1941 – Bo Svenson, Swedish-American actor, director, and producer
  • 1942 – Carol Lynley, American model and actress (d. 2019)
  • 1942 – Peter Tork, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor (d. 2019)
  • 1942 – Donald E. Williams, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2016)
  • 1943 – Elaine Pagels, American theologian and academic
  • 1944 – Stockard Channing, American actress
  • 1944 – Jerry Springer, English-American television host, actor, and politician, 56th Mayor of Cincinnati
  • 1945 – Marian Dawkins, English biologist and academic
  • 1945 – King Floyd, American singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
  • 1945 – Simon Schama, English historian and author
  • 1945 – William Sleator, American author and composer (d. 2011)
  • 1946 – Richard Blumenthal, American sergeant and politician, 23rd Attorney General of Connecticut
  • 1946 – Janet Finch, English sociologist and academic
  • 1946 – Colin Matthews, English composer and educator
  • 1947 – Stephen Hadley, American soldier and diplomat, 21st United States National Security Advisor
  • 1947 – Mike Krzyzewski, American basketball player and coach
  • 1947 – Bogdan Tanjević, Montenegrin-Bosnian professional basketball coach
  • 1947 – Kevin Bloody Wilson, Australian comedian, singer-songwriter, and guitarist
  • 1949 – Peter Kern, Austrian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1950 – Vera Baird, English lawyer and politician
  • 1950 – Peter Gabriel, English singer-songwriter and musician
  • 1952 – Ed Gagliardi, American bass player (d. 2014)
  • 1953 – Akio Sato, Japanese wrestler and manager
  • 1954 – Donnie Moore, American baseball player (d. 1989)
  • 1955 – Joe Birkett, American lawyer, judge, and politician
  • 1956 – Peter Hook, English singer, songwriter, bass player, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer
  • 1957 – Denise Austin, American fitness trainer and author
  • 1958 – Pernilla August, Swedish actress
  • 1958 – Marc Emery, Canadian publisher and activist
  • 1958 – Jean-François Lisée, Canadian journalist and politician
  • 1958 – Derek Riggs, English painter and illustrator
  • 1958 – Øivind Elgenes, Norwegian vocalist, guitarist and composer
  • 1959 – Gaston Gingras, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1960 – Pierluigi Collina, Italian footballer and referee
  • 1960 – John Healey, English journalist and politician
  • 1960 – Gary Patterson, American football player and coach
  • 1960 – Artur Yusupov, Russian-German chess player and author
  • 1961 – Marc Crawford, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1961 – cEvin Key, Canadian singer-songwriter, drummer, keyboard player, and producer
  • 1961 – Henry Rollins, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
  • 1962 – Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, Puerto Rican lawyer and politician
  • 1962 – Baby Doll, American wrestler and manager
  • 1962 – Michele Greene, American actress
  • 1964 – Stephen Bowen, American engineer, captain, and astronaut
  • 1964 – Ylva Johansson, Swedish educator and politician, Swedish Minister of Employment
  • 1965 – Peter O’Neill, Papua New Guinean accountant and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea
  • 1966 – Neal McDonough, American actor and producer
  • 1966 – Jeff Waters, Canadian guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1966 – Freedom Williams, American rapper and singer
  • 1967 – Stanimir Stoilov, Bulgarian footballer and coach
  • 1968 – Kelly Hu, American actress
  • 1969 – Joyce DiDonato, American soprano and actress
  • 1970 – Karoline Krüger, Norwegian singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1971 – Sonia Evans, English singer-songwriter
  • 1971 – Mats Sundin, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1971 – Todd Williams, American baseball player
  • 1972 – Virgilijus Alekna, Lithuanian discus thrower
  • 1972 – Charlie Garner, American football player
  • 1974 – Fonzworth Bentley, American rapper and actor
  • 1974 – Robbie Williams, English singer-songwriter
  • 1975 – Ben Collins, English race car driver
  • 1975 – Katie Hopkins, English media personality and columnist
  • 1976 – Jörg Bergmeister, German race car driver
  • 1976 – Shannon Nevin, Australian rugby league player
  • 1977 – Randy Moss, American football player and coach
  • 1978 – Niklas Bäckström, Finnish ice hockey player
  • 1978 – Philippe Jaroussky, French countertenor
  • 1979 – Anders Behring Breivik, Norwegian murderer
  • 1979 – Rafael Márquez, Mexican footballer
  • 1979 – Rachel Reeves, English economist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
  • 1979 – Mena Suvari, American actress and fashion designer
  • 1980 – Carlos Cotto, Puerto Rican-American wrestler and boxer
  • 1981 – Luisão, Brazilian footballer
  • 1982 – Even Helte Hermansen, Norwegian guitarist and composer
  • 1982 – Michael Turner, American football player
  • 1983 – Mike Nickeas, Canadian baseball player
  • 1983 – Anna Watkins, English rower
  • 1984 – Hinkelien Schreuder, Dutch swimmer
  • 1985 – Kwak Ji-min, South Korean actress
  • 1986 – Luke Moore, English footballer
  • 1986 – Aqib Talib, American football player
  • 1987 – Eljero Elia, Dutch footballer
  • 1988 – Ryan Goins, American baseball player
  • 1988 – Eddy Pettybourne, New Zealand-Samoan rugby league player
  • 1989 – Rodrigo Possebon, Brazilian footballer
  • 1991 – Eliaquim Mangala, French footballer
  • 1991 – Junior Roqica, Australian-Fijian rugby league player
  • 1991 – Vianney, French singer
  • 1994 – Memphis Depay, Dutch footballer

Deaths on February 13

  • 106 – Emperor He of Han (Han Hedi) of the Chinese Eastern Han Dynasty (b. AD 79)
  • 721 – Chilperic II, Frankish king (b. 672)
  • 858 – Kenneth MacAlpin, Scottish king (probable; b. 810)
  • 921 – Vratislaus I, duke of Bohemia
  • 936 – Xiao Wen, empress of the Liao Dynasty
  • 942 – Muhammad ibn Ra’iq, Abbasid emir and regent
  • 988 – Adalbert Atto, Lombard nobleman
  • 1021 – Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, Fatimid caliph (b. 985)
  • 1130 – Honorius II, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1060
  • 1141 – Béla II, king of Hungary and Croatia (b. 1110)
  • 1199 – Stefan Nemanja, Serbian grand prince (b. 1113)
  • 1219 – Minamoto no Sanetomo, Japanese shōgun (b. 1192)
  • 1332 – Andronikos II Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1259)
  • 1351 – Kō no Morofuyu, Japanese general
  • 1539 – Isabella d’Este, Italian noblewoman (b. 1474)
  • 1542 – Catherine Howard, English wife of Henry VIII of England (executed;b. 1521)
  • 1571 – Benvenuto Cellini, Italian painter and sculptor (b. 1500)
  • 1585 – Alfonso Salmeron, Spanish priest and scholar (b. 1515)
  • 1602 – Alexander Nowell, English clergyman and theologian (b. 1507)
  • 1660 – Charles X Gustav, king of Sweden (b. 1622)
  • 1662 – Elizabeth Stuart, queen of Bohemia (b. 1596)
  • 1693 – Johann Caspar Kerll, German organist and composer (b. 1627)
  • 1727 – William Wotton, English linguist and scholar (b. 1666)
  • 1728 – Cotton Mather, American minister and author (b. 1663)
  • 1732 – Charles-René d’Hozier, French historian and author (b. 1640)
  • 1741 – Johann Joseph Fux, Austrian composer and theorist (b. 1660)
  • 1787 – Roger Joseph Boscovich, Croatian physicist, astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (b. 1711)
  • 1787 – Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, French lawyer and politician, Foreign Minister of France (b. 1717)
  • 1813 – Samuel Ashe, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of North Carolina (b. 1725)
  • 1818 – George Rogers Clark, American general (b. 1752)
  • 1826 – Peter Ludwig von der Pahlen, Russian general and politician, Governor-General of Baltic provinces (b. 1745)
  • 1831 – Edward Berry, English admiral (b. 1768)
  • 1837 – Mariano José de Larra, Spanish journalist and author (b. 1809)
  • 1845 – Henrik Steffens, Norwegian-German philosopher and poet (b. 1773)
  • 1877 – Costache Caragiale, Romanian actor and manager (b. 1815)
  • 1883 – Richard Wagner, German composer (b. 1813)
  • 1888 – Jean-Baptiste Lamy, French-American archbishop (b. 1814)
  • 1892 – Provo Wallis, Canadian-English admiral (b. 1791)
  • 1893 – Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, Mexican intellectual and journalist (b. 1834)
  • 1905 – Konstantin Savitsky, Russian painter (b. 1844)
  • 1906 – Albert Gottschalk, Danish painter (b. 1866)
  • 1934 – József Pusztai, Slovene-Hungarian poet and journalist (b. 1864)
  • 1942 – Otakar Batlička, Czech journalist (b. 1895)
  • 1942 – Epitácio Pessoa, Brazilian lawyer, judge, and politician, 11th President of Brazil (b. 1865)
  • 1950 – Rafael Sabatini, Italian-English novelist and short story writer (b. 1875)
  • 1951 – Lloyd C. Douglas, American minister and author (b. 1877)
  • 1952 – Josephine Tey, Scottish author and playwright (b. 1896)
  • 1954 – Agnes Macphail, Canadian educator and politician (b. 1890)
  • 1956 – Jan Łukasiewicz, Polish mathematician and philosopher (b. 1878)
  • 1958 – Christabel Pankhurst, English activist, co-founded the Women’s Social and Political Union (b. 1880)
  • 1958 – Georges Rouault, French painter and illustrator (b. 1871)
  • 1964 – Paulino Alcántara, Filipino-Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1896)
  • 1964 – Werner Heyde, German psychiatrist and academic (b. 1902)
  • 1967 – Yoshisuke Aikawa, entrepreneur, businessman, and politician, founded Nissan Motor Company (b. 1880)
  • 1967 – Abelardo L. Rodríguez, substitute president of Mexico (1932-1934) (b. 1889)
  • 1968 – Mae Marsh, American actress (b. 1895)
  • 1968 – Portia White, Canadian opera singer (b. 1911)
  • 1973 – Marinus Jan Granpré Molière, Dutch architect and educator (b. 1883)
  • 1975 – André Beaufre, French general (b. 1902)
  • 1976 – Murtala Mohammed, Nigerian general and politician, 4th President of Nigeria (b. 1938)
  • 1976 – Lily Pons, French-American soprano and actress (b. 1904)
  • 1980 – David Janssen, American actor (b. 1931)
  • 1984 – Cheong Eak Chong, Singaporean entrepreneur (b. 1888)
  • 1986 – Yuri Ivask, Russian-American poet and critic (b. 1907)
  • 1989 – Wayne Hays, American lieutenant and politician (b. 1911)
  • 1991 – Arno Breker, German sculptor and illustrator (b. 1900)
  • 1992 – Nikolay Bogolyubov, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and physicist (b. 1909)
  • 1996 – Martin Balsam, American actor (b. 1919)
  • 1997 – Robert Klark Graham, American eugenicist and businessman (b. 1906)
  • 1997 – Mark Krasnosel’skii, Russian-Ukrainian mathematician and academic (b. 1920)
  • 2000 – Anders Aalborg, Canadian educator and politician (b. 1914)
  • 2000 – James Cooke Brown, American sociologist and author (b. 1921)
  • 2000 – John Leake, English soldier (b. 1949)
  • 2002 – Waylon Jennings, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1937)
  • 2003 – Kid Gavilán, Cuban-American boxer (b. 1926)
  • 2003 – Walt Whitman Rostow, American economist; 7th United States National Security Advisor (b. 1916)
  • 2004 – François Tavenas, Canadian engineer and academic (b. 1942)
  • 2004 – Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, Chechen politician, 2nd President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (b. 1952)
  • 2005 – Nelson Briles, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1943)
  • 2005 – Lúcia Santos, Portuguese nun (b. 1907)
  • 2006 – P. F. Strawson, English philosopher and author (b. 1919)
  • 2007 – Elizabeth Jolley, English-Australian author and academic (b. 1923)
  • 2007 – Charlie Norwood, American captain and politician (b. 1941)
  • 2007 – Richard Gordon Wakeford, English air marshal (b. 1922)
  • 2008 – Kon Ichikawa, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1915)
  • 2009 – Edward Upward, English author and educator (b. 1903)
  • 2010 – Lucille Clifton, American poet and academic (b. 1936)
  • 2010 – Dale Hawkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1936)
  • 2012 – Russell Arms, American actor and singer (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – Louise Cochrane, American-English screenwriter and producer (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – Daniel C. Gerould, American playwright and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – Gerry Day, American journalist and screenwriter (b. 1922)
  • 2013 – Miles J. Jones, American pathologist and physician (b. 1952)
  • 2013 – Pieter Kooijmans, Dutch judge and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for The Netherlands (b. 1933)
  • 2013 – Andrée Malebranche, Haitian artist (b. 1916)
  • 2013 – Yuko Tojo, Japanese activist and politician (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – Balu Mahendra, Sri Lankan-Indian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – Richard Møller Nielsen, Danish footballer and manager (b. 1937)
  • 2014 – Ralph Waite, American actor and activist (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Faith Bandler, Australian activist and author (b. 1918)
  • 2015 – Stan Chambers, American journalist and actor (b. 1923)
  • 2016 – O. N. V. Kurup, Indian poet and academic (b. 1931)
  • 2016 – Antonin Scalia, American lawyer and judge, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (b. 1936)
  • 2017 – Ricardo Arias Calderón, Panamanian politician, Vice President (1990–1992) (b. 1933)
  • 2017 – Aileen Hernandez, American union organizer and activist (b. 1926)
  • 2017 – Seijun Suzuki, Japanese filmmaker (b. 1923)
  • 2017 – Kim Jong-nam, North Korean politician (b. 1971)
  • 2017 – E-Dubble, American rapper (b. 1982)
  • 2018 – Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark, French-born Danish royal (b. 1934)

Holidays and observances on February 13

  • Children’s Day (Myanmar)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Absalom Jones (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Beatrice of Ornacieux
    • Castor of Karden
    • Catherine of Ricci
    • Ermenilda of Ely
    • Fulcran
    • Jordan of Saxony
    • Polyeuctus (Roman Catholic Church)
    • February 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • World Radio Day

February 13 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

February 11 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.
  • AD 55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman empire, on the eve of his coming of age clears the way for Nero to become Emperor.
  • 1534 – Henry VIII of England is recognized as supreme head of the Church of England.
  • 1659 – The assault on Copenhagen by Swedish forces is beaten back with heavy losses.
  • 1794 – First session of United States Senate opens to the public.
  • 1808 – Jesse Fell burns anthracite on an open grate as an experiment in heating homes with coal.
  • 1812 – Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry is accused of “gerrymandering” for the first time.
  • 1823 – Carnival tragedy of 1823: About 110 boys are killed during a stampede at the Convent of the Minori Osservanti in Valletta, Malta.
  • 1826 – University College London is founded as University of London.
  • 1840 – Gaetano Donizetti’s opera La fille du régiment receives its first performance in Paris, France.
  • 1843 – Giuseppe Verdi’s opera I Lombardi alla prima crociata receives its first performance in Milan, Italy.
  • 1855 – Kassa Hailu is crowned Tewodros II, Emperor of Ethiopia.
  • 1856 – The Kingdom of Awadh is annexed by the British East India Company and Wajid Ali Shah, the king of Awadh, is deposed.
  • 1858 – Bernadette Soubirous’s first vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes, France.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: The United States House of Representatives unanimously passes a resolution guaranteeing noninterference with slavery in any state.
  • 1873 – King Amadeo I of Spain abdicates.
  • 1889 – Meiji Constitution of Japan is adopted.
  • 1903 – Anton Bruckner’s 9th Symphony receives its first performance in Vienna, Austria.
  • 1906 – Pope Pius X publishes the encyclical Vehementer Nos.
  • 1919 – Friedrich Ebert (SPD), is elected President of Germany.
  • 1929 – Kingdom of Italy and the Vatican sign the Lateran Treaty.
  • 1937 – The Flint sit-down strike ends when General Motors recognizes the United Auto Workers trade union.
  • 1938 – BBC Television produces the world’s first ever science fiction television programme, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Čapek play R.U.R., that coined the term “robot”.
  • 1942 – World War II: Second day of the Battle of Bukit Timah is fought in Singapore.
  • 1953 – Cold War: U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower denies all appeals for clemency for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
  • 1953 – The Soviet Union breaks off diplomatic relations with Israel.
  • 1959 – The Federation of Arab Emirates of the South is created as a protectorate of the United Kingdom.
  • 1970 – Japan launches Ohsumi, becoming the fourth nation to put an object into orbit using its own booster.
  • 1971 – Cold War: the Seabed Arms Control Treaty opened for signature outlawing nuclear weapons on the ocean floor in international waters.
  • 1979 – The Iranian Revolution establishes an Islamic theocracy under the leadership of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
  • 1990 – Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa after 27 years as a political prisoner.
  • 1990 – Buster Douglas, a 42:1 underdog, knocks out Mike Tyson in ten rounds at Tokyo to win boxing’s world Heavyweight title.
  • 1997 – Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
  • 1999 – Pluto crosses Neptune’s orbit, ending a nearly 20-year period when it was closer to the Sun than the gas giant; Pluto is not expected to interact with Neptune’s orbit again until 2231.
  • 2001 – A Dutch programmer launched the Anna Kournikova virus infecting millions of emails via a trick photo of the tennis star.
  • 2008 – Rebel East Timorese soldiers seriously wound President José Ramos-Horta. Rebel leader Alfredo Reinado is killed in the attack.
  • 2011 – Arab Spring: The first wave of the Egyptian revolution culminates in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak and the transfer of power to the Supreme Military Council after 17 days of protests.
  • 2013 – The Vatican confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI would resign the papacy as a result of his advanced age.
  • 2014 – A military transport plane crashes in a mountainous area of Oum El Bouaghi Province in eastern Algeria, killing 77 people.
  • 2015 – A university student was murdered as she resisted an attempted rape in Turkey, sparking nationwide protests and public outcry against harassment and violence against women.
  • 2016 – A man shoots six people dead at an education center in Jizan Province, Saudi Arabia.
  • 2017 – North Korea test fires a ballistic missile across the Sea of Japan.
  • 2018 – Saratov Airlines Flight 703 crashes near Moscow, Russia with 71 deaths and no survivors.

Births on February 11

  • 1380 – Poggio Bracciolini, Italian scholar and translator (d. 1459)
  • 1466 – Elizabeth of York (d. 1503)
  • 1535 – Pope Gregory XIV (d. 1591)
  • 1568 – Honoré d’Urfé, French author and playwright (d. 1625)
  • 1649 – William Carstares, Scottish minister and academic (d. 1715)
  • 1657 – Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle, French poet and playwright (d. 1757)
  • 1708 – Egidio Duni, Italian composer (d. 1775)
  • 1764 – Joseph Chénier, French poet and playwright (d. 1811)
  • 1776 – Ioannis Kapodistrias, Greek politician, 1st Governor of Greece (d. 1831)
  • 1800 – Henry Fox Talbot, English photographer and politician, invented the calotype (d. 1877)
  • 1802 – Lydia Maria Child, American journalist, author, and activist (d. 1880)
  • 1805 – Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, Native American-French Canadian explorer (d. 1866)
  • 1812 – Alexander H. Stephens, American lawyer and politician, Vice President of the Confederate States of America (d. 1883)
  • 1813 – Otto Ludwig, German author, playwright, and critic (d. 1865)
  • 1821 – Auguste Mariette, French archaeologist and scholar (d. 1881)
  • 1830 – Hans Bronsart von Schellendorff, Prussian pianist and composer (d. 1913)
  • 1833 – Melville Fuller, American lawyer and jurist, Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1910)
  • 1839 – Josiah Willard Gibbs, American physicist (d. 1903)
  • 1845 – Ahmet Tevfik Pasha, Ottoman soldier and politician, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (d. 1936)
  • 1847 – Thomas Edison, American engineer and businessman, developed the light bulb and phonograph (d. 1931)
  • 1855 – Ellen Day Hale, American painter and author (b. 1855)
  • 1860 – Rachilde, French author and playwright (d. 1953)
  • 1863 – John F. Fitzgerald, American politician; Mayor of Boston (d. 1950)
  • 1864 – Louis Bouveault, French chemist (d. 1909)
  • 1869 – Helene Kröller-Müller, German-Dutch art collector and philanthropist, founded the Kröller-Müller Museum (d. 1939)
  • 1869 – Else Lasker-Schüler, German poet and author (d. 1945)
  • 1874 – Elsa Beskow, Swedish author and illustrator (d. 1953)
  • 1881 – Carlo Carrà, Italian painter (d. 1966)
  • 1897 – Emil Leon Post, Polish-American mathematician and logician (d.1954)
  • 1898 – Leo Szilard, Hungarian-American physicist and academic (d. 1964)
  • 1900 – Ellen Broe, Danish nurse, pioneer in nursing education (d. 1994)
  • 1900 – Hans-Georg Gadamer, German philosopher and scholar (d. 2002)
  • 1900 – Jōsei Toda, Japanese educator and activist (d. 1958)
  • 1902 – Arne Jacobsen, Danish architect, designed Radisson Blu Royal Hotel (d. 1971)
  • 1904 – Keith Holyoake, New Zealand farmer and politician, Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1983)
  • 1904 – Lucile Randon, French Supercentenarian
  • 1908 – Philip Dunne, American screenwriter (d. 1992)
  • 1908 – Vivian Fuchs, English explorer (d. 1999)
  • 1909 – Max Baer, American boxer and actor (d. 1959)
  • 1909 – Joseph L. Mankiewicz, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1993)
  • 1912 – Rudolf Firkušný, Czech-American pianist and educator (d. 1994)
  • 1914 – Matt Dennis, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2002)
  • 1914 – Josh White, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1969)
  • 1915 – Patrick Leigh Fermor, English soldier, author, and scholar (d. 2011)
  • 1915 – Richard Hamming, American mathematician and academic (d. 1998)
  • 1917 – Sidney Sheldon, American author and screenwriter (d. 2007)
  • 1920 – Farouk I, King of Egypt (d. 1965)
  • 1920 – Daniel F. Galouye, American author (d. 1976)
  • 1920 – Billy Halop, American actor (d. 1976)
  • 1920 – Daniel James, Jr., American general and pilot (d. 1978)
  • 1921 – Lloyd Bentsen, American colonel and politician, United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 2006)
  • 1921 – Ottavio Missoni, Italian hurdler and fashion designer, founded Missoni (d. 2013)
  • 1923 – Antony Flew, English philosopher and academic (d. 2010)
  • 1924 – Budge Patty, American tennis player
  • 1925 – Virginia E. Johnson, American psychologist and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Kim Stanley, American actress (d. 2001)
  • 1926 – Paul Bocuse, French chef (d. 2018)
  • 1926 – Leslie Nielsen, Canadian-American actor and producer (d. 2010)
  • 1930 – Roy De Forest, American painter and academic (d. 2007).
  • 1932 – Dennis Skinner, English miner and politician
  • 1934 – Mel Carnahan, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, Governor of Missouri (d. 2000)
  • 1934 – Tina Louise, American actress and singer
  • 1934 – Manuel Noriega, Panamanian general and politician, Military leader of Panama (d. 2017)
  • 1934 – Mary Quant, British fashion designer
  • 1934 – David Taylor, English veterinarian and television host (d. 2013)
  • 1935 – Gene Vincent, American singer and guitarist (d. 1971)
  • 1936 – Burt Reynolds, American actor and director (d. 2018)
  • 1937 – Ian Gow, British Member of Parliament who was assassinated by the IRA (d. 1990)
  • 1937 – Bill Lawry, Australian cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1937 – Eddie Shack, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1937 – Phillip Walker, American singer and guitarist (d. 2010)
  • 1938 – Bevan Congdon, New Zealand cricketer (d. 2018)
  • 1939 – Gerry Goffin, American songwriter (d. 2014)
  • 1940 – Mick Staton, American soldier and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1941 – Sérgio Mendes, Brazilian pianist and composer
  • 1942 – Otis Clay, American singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
  • 1943 – Joselito, Spanish singer and actor
  • 1943 – Alan Rubin, American trumpet player (d. 2011)
  • 1944 – Mike Oxley, American lawyer and politician (d. 2016)
  • 1944 – Joy Williams, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist
  • 1946 – Ian Porterfield, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 2007)
  • 1947 – Yukio Hatoyama, Japanese engineer and politician and Prime Minister of Japan
  • 1947 – Derek Shulman, Scottish singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1951 – Mike Leavitt, American politician, 14th Governor of Utah
  • 1953 – Philip Anglim, American actor
  • 1953 – Jeb Bush, American banker, politician and Governor of Florida
  • 1953 – Tom Veryzer, American baseball player (d. 2014)
  • 1954 – Wesley Strick, American director and screenwriter
  • 1956 – Didier Lockwood, French violinist (d. 2018)
  • 1959 – Roberto Moreno, Brazilian race car driver
  • 1960 – Richard Mastracchio, American engineer and astronaut
  • 1962 – Tammy Baldwin, American lawyer and politician
  • 1962 – Sheryl Crow, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1964 – Sarah Palin, American journalist, politician and Governor of Alaska
  • 1964 – Ken Shamrock, American martial artist and wrestler
  • 1965 – Vicki Wilson, Australian netball player
  • 1968 – Mo Willems, American author and illustrator
  • 1969 – Jennifer Aniston, American actress and producer
  • 1969 – Andreas Hilfiker, Swiss footballer
  • 1969 – John Salako, Nigerian-English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
  • 1971 – Damian Lewis, English actor
  • 1972 – Steve McManaman, English footballer
  • 1973 – Varg Vikernes, Norwegian guitarist and songwriter
  • 1974 – Nick Barmby, English international footballer, midfielder and manager
  • 1974 – D’Angelo, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1974 – Jaroslav Špaček, Czech ice hockey player and coach
  • 1975 – Andy Lally, American race car driver
  • 1975 – Callum Thorp, Australian cricketer
  • 1975 – Jacque Vaughn, American basketball player and coach
  • 1976 – Tony Battie, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1979 – Brandy Norwood, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
  • 1982 – Ľubomíra Kalinová, Slovak biathlete
  • 1982 – Neil Robertson, Australian snooker player
  • 1983 – Rafael van der Vaart, Dutch international footballer, midfielder
  • 1984 – Maarten Heisen, Dutch sprinter
  • 1984 – Marco Marcato, Italian cyclist
  • 1984 – Maxime Talbot, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1985 – Šárka Strachová, Czech skier
  • 1987 – Luca Antonelli, Italian footballer
  • 1987 – Juanmi Callejón, Spanish footballer
  • 1987 – Ellen van Dijk, Dutch cyclist
  • 1987 – Brian Matusz, American baseball player
  • 1987 – Jan Smeekens, Dutch speed skater
  • 1988 – Vlad Moldoveanu, Romanian basketball player
  • 1990 – Javier Aquino, Mexican footballer
  • 1991 – Nikola Mirotic, Spanish basketball player
  • 1992 – Lasse Norman Hansen, Danish track and road cyclist
  • 1993 – Ben McLemore, American basketball player
  • 1994 – Dansby Swanson, American baseball player
  • 1996 – Jonathan Tah, German footballer

Deaths on February 11

  • AD 55 – Britannicus, Roman son of Claudius (b. 41)
  • 244 – Gordian III, Roman emperor (b. 225)
  • 641 – Heraclius, Byzantine emperor (b. 575)
  • 731 – Pope Gregory II (b. 669)
  • 824 – Pope Paschal I
  • 1141 – Hugh of Saint Victor, German philosopher and theologian (b. 1096)
  • 1503 – Elizabeth of York (b. 1466)
  • 1626 – Pietro Cataldi, Italian mathematician and astronomer (b. 1548)
  • 1650 – René Descartes, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1596)
  • 1755 – Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei, Italian archaeologist, playwright, and critic (b. 1675)
  • 1763 – William Shenstone, English poet and gardener (b. 1714)
  • 1795 – Carl Michael Bellman, Swedish poet and composer (b. 1740)
  • 1829 – Alexander Griboyedov, Russian poet, playwright, and composer (b. 1795)
  • 1862 – Elizabeth Siddal, English poet and artist’s model (b. 1829)
  • 1868 – Léon Foucault, French physicist and academic (b. 1819)
  • 1898 – Félix María Zuloaga, Mexican general and unconstitutional interim president (1858 and 1860-1862) (b. 1813)
  • 1901 – Milan I of Serbia (b. 1855)
  • 1917 – Oswaldo Cruz, Brazilian physician and epidemiologist (b. 1872)
  • 1918 – Alexey Kaledin, Russian general (b. 1861)
  • 1931 – Charles Algernon Parsons, English-Irish engineer, invented the steam turbine (b. 1854)
  • 1940 – John Buchan, Scottish-Canadian historian and politician, Governor General of Canada (b. 1875)
  • 1940 – Ellen Day Hale, American painter and author (b. 1855)
  • 1942 – Jamnalal Bajaj, Indian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1884)
  • 1947 – Martin Klein, Estonian wrestler and coach (b. 1884)
  • 1948 – Sergei Eisenstein, Russian director and screenwriter (b. 1898)
  • 1949 – Axel Munthe, Swedish doctor (b. 1857)
  • 1958 – Ernest Jones, Welsh neurologist and psychoanalyst (b. 1879)
  • 1963 – John Olof Dahlgren, Swedish-American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1872)
  • 1963 – Sylvia Plath, American poet, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1932)
  • 1967 – A. J. Muste, Dutch-American minister and activist (b. 1885)
  • 1968 – Howard Lindsay, American playwright (b. 1889)
  • 1973 – J. Hans D. Jensen, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
  • 1975 – Richard Ratsimandrava, Malagasy colonel and politician, President of Madagascar (b. 1931)
  • 1976 – Lee J. Cobb, American actor (b. 1911)
  • 1976 – Alexander Lippisch, German pilot and engineer (b. 1894)
  • 1977 – Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Indian lawyer and politician, President of India (b. 1905)
  • 1977 – Louis Beel, Dutch academic and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1902)
  • 1978 – James Bryant Conant, American chemist and academic (b. 1893)
  • 1978 – Harry Martinson, Swedish novelist, essayist, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
  • 1982 – Eleanor Powell, American actress and dancer (b. 1912)
  • 1985 – Henry Hathaway, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1898)
  • 1986 – Frank Herbert, American journalist and author (b. 1920)
  • 1989 – George O’Hanlon, American actor and voice artist (b. 1912)
  • 1993 – Robert W. Holley, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1922)
  • 1994 – Neil Bonnett, American race car driver (b. 1946)
  • 1994 – Sorrell Booke, American lieutenant, actor, and director (b. 1930)
  • 1994 – William Conrad, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1920)
  • 1994 – Paul Feyerabend, Austrian-Swiss philosopher and academic (b. 1924)
  • 1996 – Amelia Rosselli, Italian poet and author (b. 1930)
  • 2000 – Lord Kitchner, Trinidadian singer (b. 1922)
  • 2000 – Roger Vadim, French director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
  • 2002 – Frankie Crosetti, American baseball player and coach (b. 1910)
  • 2002 – Barry Foster, English actor (b. 1931)
  • 2004 – Shirley Strickland, Australian runner (b. 1925)
  • 2005 – Jack L. Chalker, American author (b. 1944)
  • 2006 – Peter Benchley, American author and screenwriter (b. 1940)
  • 2006 – Ken Fletcher, Australian tennis player (b. 1940)
  • 2006 – Jackie Pallo, English wrestler and actor (b. 1926)
  • 2008 – Tom Lantos, American lawyer and politician (b. 1928)
  • 2008 – Frank Piasecki, American engineer (b. 1919)
  • 2009 – Estelle Bennett, American singer (b. 1941)
  • 2009 – Willem Johan Kolff, Dutch-American physician and academic (b. 1911)
  • 2010 – Heward Grafftey, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1928)
  • 2010 – Alexander McQueen, English fashion designer, founder of his eponymous brand (b. 1969)
  • 2011 – Chuck Tanner, American baseball player and manager (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Siri Bjerke, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of the Environment (b. 1958)
  • 2012 – Aharon Davidi, Israeli general (b. 1927)
  • 2012 – Whitney Houston, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress (b. 1963)
  • 2013 – Rick Huxley, English bass player (b. 1940)
  • 2014 – Alice Babs, Swedish singer and actress (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Tito Canepa, Dominican-American painter (b. 1916)
  • 2014 – Fernando González Pacheco, Colombian journalist and actor (b. 1932)
  • 2015 – Roger Hanin, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Bob Simon, American journalist (b. 1941)
  • 2015 – Jerry Tarkanian, American basketball player and coach (b. 1930)
  • 2016 – Kevin Randleman, American mixed martial artist and wrestler (b. 1971)
  • 2016 – Zeng Xuelin, Thai-Chinese footballer and manager (b. 1929)
  • 2017 – Fab Melo, Brazilian basketball player (b. 1990)
  • 2017 – Jaap Rijks, Dutch Olympian (b. 1919)
  • 2018 – Vic Damone, American singer, songwriter and actor (b. 1928)
  • 2018 – Asma Jahangir, Pakistani human-rights lawyer and social activist (b. 1952)
  • 2018 – Jan Maxwell, American stage and television actress (b. 1956)
  • 2018 – Qazi Wajid, Pakistani drama actor, writer and artist (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances on February 11

  • Christian feast day:
    • Blaise Eastern Orthodox liturgics
    • Cædmon, first recorded Christian poet in England, circa 680 CE (Anglicanism)
    • Gobnait
    • Gregory II
    • Lazarus of Milan
  • European 112 Day (European Union)
  • Armed Forces Day (Liberia)
  • Evelio Javier Day (Panay Island, the Philippines)
  • Feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes (Catholic Church), and its related observance
    • World Day of the Sick (Roman Catholic Church)
  • Inventors’ Day (United States)
  • National Foundation Day (Japan)
  • Youth Day (Cameroon)
  • International Day of Women and Girls in Science (UN Women)

February 11 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

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