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March 9- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 141 BC – Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China.
  • 1009 – First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg.
  • 1226 – Khwarazmian sultan Jalal ad-Din conquers the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.
  • 1230 – Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II defeats Theodore of Epirus in the Battle of Klokotnitsa.
  • 1500 – The fleet of Pedro Álvares Cabral leaves Lisbon for the Indies. The fleet will discover Brazil which lies within boundaries granted to Portugal in the Treaty of Tordesillas.
  • 1701 – Safavid troops retreat from Basra, ending a three year occupation.
  • 1765 – After a campaign by the writer Voltaire, judges in Paris posthumously exonerate Jean Calas of murdering his son. Calas had been tortured and executed in 1762 on the charge, though his son may have actually committed suicide.
  • 1776 – The Wealth of Nations by Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith is published.
  • 1796 – Napoléon Bonaparte marries his first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais.
  • 1811 – Paraguayan forces defeat Manuel Belgrano at the Battle of Tacuarí.
  • 1815 – Francis Ronalds describes the first battery-operated clock in the Philosophical Magazine
  • 1841 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in the United States v. The Amistad case that captive Africans who had seized control of the ship carrying them had been taken into slavery illegally.
  • 1842 – Giuseppe Verdi’s third opera, Nabucco, receives its première performance in Milan; its success establishes Verdi as one of Italy’s foremost opera composers.
  • 1842 – The first documented discovery of gold in California occurs at Rancho San Francisco, six years before the California Gold Rush.
  • 1847 – Mexican–American War: The first large-scale amphibious assault in U.S. history is launched in the Siege of Veracruz.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: USS Monitor and CSS Virginia fight to a draw in the Battle of Hampton Roads, the first battle between two ironclad warships.
  • 1908 – Inter Milan was founded on Football Club Internazionale, following a schism from A.C. Milan.
  • 1916 – Mexican Revolution: Pancho Villa leads nearly 500 Mexican raiders in an attack against the border town of Columbus, New Mexico.
  • 1933 – Great Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt submits the Emergency Banking Act to Congress, the first of his New Deal policies
  • 1942 – World War II: Dutch East Indies unconditionally surrendered to the Japanese forces in Kalijati, Subang, West Java, and the Japanese completed their Dutch East Indies campaign
  • 1944 – World War II: Soviet Army planes attack Tallinn, Estonia.
  • 1945 – World War II: A coup d’état by Japanese forces in French Indochina removes the French from power.
  • 1946 – Bolton Wanderers stadium disaster at Burnden Park, Bolton, England, kills 33 and injures hundreds more.
  • 1954 – McCarthyism: CBS television broadcasts the See It Now episode, “A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy”, produced by Fred Friendly.
  • 1956 – Soviet forces suppress mass demonstrations in the Georgian SSR, reacting to Nikita Khrushchev’s de-Stalinization policy.
  • 1957 – The 8.6 Mw  Andreanof Islands earthquake shakes the Aleutian Islands, causing over $5 million in damage from ground movement and a destructive tsunami.
  • 1959 – The Barbie doll makes its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York.
  • 1960 – Dr. Belding Hibbard Scribner implants for the first time a shunt he invented into a patient, which allows the patient to receive hemodialysis on a regular basis.
  • 1961 – Sputnik 9 successfully launches, carrying a dog and a human dummy, and demonstrating that the Soviet Union was ready to begin human spaceflight.
  • 1967 – Trans World Airlines Flight 553 crashes in a field in Concord Township, Ohio following a mid-air collision with a Beechcraft Baron, killing 26 people.
  • 1974 – The Mars 7 Flyby bus releases the descent module too early, missing Mars.
  • 1976 – Forty-two people die in the Cavalese cable car disaster, the worst cable-car accident to date.
  • 1977 – The Hanafi Siege: In a thirty-nine-hour standoff, armed Hanafi Muslims seize three Washington, D.C., buildings.
  • 1978 – President Soeharto inaugurated Jagorawi Toll Road, the first toll highway in Indonesia, connecting Jakarta, Bogor and Ciawi, West Java.
  • 1997 – Comet Hale–Bopp: Observers in China, Mongolia and eastern Siberia are treated to a rare double feature as an eclipse permits Hale-Bopp to be seen during the day.2011 – Space Shuttle Discovery makes its final landing after 39 flights.

Births on March 9

  • 1454 – Amerigo Vespucci, Italian cartographer and explorer (d. 1512)
  • 1564 – David Fabricius, German theologian, cartographer and astronomer (d. 1617)
  • 1568 – Aloysius Gonzaga, Italian saint (d. 1591)
  • 1662 – Franz Anton von Sporck, German noble (d. 1738)
  • 1697 – Friederike Caroline Neuber, German actress (d. 1760)
  • 1737 – Josef Mysliveček, Czech violinist and composer (d. 1781)
  • 1749 – Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, French journalist and politician (d. 1791)
  • 1753 – Jean-Baptiste Kléber, French general (d. 1800)
  • 1758 – Franz Joseph Gall, German neuroanatomist and physiologist (d. 1828)
  • 1763 – William Cobbett, English journalist and author (d. 1835)
  • 1806 – Edwin Forrest, American actor and philanthropist (d. 1872)
  • 1814 – Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet and playwright (d. 1861)
  • 1815 – David Davis, American jurist and politician (d. 1886)
  • 1820 – Samuel Blatchford, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1893)
  • 1824 – Amasa Leland Stanford, American businessman and politician, founded Stanford University (d. 1893)
  • 1847 – Martin Pierre Marsick, Belgian violinist, composer, and educator (d. 1924)
  • 1850 – Hamo Thornycroft, English sculptor and academic (d. 1925)
  • 1856 – Eddie Foy, Sr., American actor and dancer (d. 1928)
  • 1863 – Mary Harris Armor, American suffragist (d. 1950)
  • 1887 – Fritz Lenz, German geneticist and physician (d. 1976)
  • 1890 – Rupert Balfe, Australian footballer and lieutenant (d. 1915)
  • 1890 – Vyacheslav Molotov, Russian politician and diplomat, Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1986)
  • 1891 – José P. Laurel, Filipino lawyer, politician and President of the Philippines (d. 1959)
  • 1892 – Mátyás Rákosi, Hungarian politician (d. 1971)
  • 1892 – Vita Sackville-West, English author, poet, and gardener (d. 1962)
  • 1902 – Will Geer, American actor (d. 1978)
  • 1904 – Paul Wilbur Klipsch, American soldier and engineer, founded Klipsch Audio Technologies (d. 2002)
  • 1910 – Samuel Barber, American pianist and composer (d. 1981)
  • 1911 – Clara Rockmore, American classical violin prodigy and theremin player, (d. 1998)
  • 1915 – Johnnie Johnson, English air marshal and pilot (d. 2001)
  • 1918 – George Lincoln Rockwell, American sailor and politician, founded the American Nazi Party (d. 1967)
  • 1918 – Mickey Spillane, American crime novelist (d. 2006)
  • 1920 – Franjo Mihalić, Croatian-Serbian runner and coach (d. 2015)
  • 1921 – Carl Betz, American actor (d. 1978)
  • 1922 – Ian Turbott, New Zealand-Australian former diplomat and university administrator (d. 2016)
  • 1923 – James L. Buckley, American lawyer, judge, and politician
  • 1923 – André Courrèges, French fashion designer (d. 2016)
  • 1923 – Walter Kohn, Austrian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
  • 1926 – Joe Franklin, American radio and television host (d. 2015)
  • 1928 – Gerald Bull, Canadian-American engineer and academic (d. 1990)
  • 1928 – Keely Smith, American singer and actress (d. 2017)
  • 1929 – Desmond Hoyte, Guyanese lawyer, politician and President of Guyana (d. 2002)
  • 1929 – Zillur Rahman, Bangladeshi politician, 19th President of Bangladesh (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Ornette Coleman, American saxophonist, violinist, trumpet player, and composer (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Jackie Healy-Rae, Irish politician (d. 2014)
  • 1932 – Qayyum Chowdhury, Bangladeshi painter and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1932 – Walter Mercado, Puerto Rican-American astrologer and actor (d. 2019)
  • 1933 – Lloyd Price, American R&B singer-songwriter
  • 1933 – David Weatherall, English physician, geneticist, and academic (d. 2018)
  • 1934 – Yuri Gagarin, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1968)
  • 1934 – Joyce Van Patten, American actress
  • 1935 – Andrew Viterbi, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Qualcomm Inc.
  • 1936 – Mickey Gilley, American singer-songwriter and pianist[
  • 1936 – Marty Ingels, American actor and comedian (d. 2015)
  • 1937 – Bernard Landry, Canadian lawyer, politician and Premier of Quebec (d. 2018)
  • 1937 – Harry Neale, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1937 – Brian Redman, English race car driver
  • 1940 – Raul Julia, Puerto Rican-American actor (d. 1994)
  • 1941 – Jim Colbert, American golfer
  • 1941 – Ernesto Miranda, American criminal (d. 1976)
  • 1942 – Ion Caramitru, Romanian actor and artistic director
  • 1942 – Mark Lindsay, American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and producer
  • 1943 – Bobby Fischer, American chess player and author (d. 2008)
  • 1944 – Lee Irvine, South African cricketer
  • 1945 – Robert Calvert, English singer-songwriter and playwright (d. 1988)
  • 1945 – Robin Trower, English rock guitarist and vocalist
  • 1946 – Alexandra Bastedo, English actress (d. 2014)
  • 1946 – Warren Skaaren, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1990)
  • 1946 – Bernd Hölzenbein, German footballer and scout
  • 1947 – Keri Hulme, New Zealand author and poet
  • 1948 – Emma Bonino, Italian politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1948 – Eric Fischl, American painter and sculptor
  • 1948 – Jeffrey Osborne, American singer and drummer
  • 1949 – Neil Hamilton, Welsh lawyer and politician
  • 1950 – Doug Ault, American baseball player and manager (d. 2004)
  • 1950 – Andy North, American golfer
  • 1950 – Howard Shelley, English pianist and conductor
  • 1951 – Helen Zille, South African journalist, politician and Premier of the Western Cape1952 – Bill Beaumont, English rugby player and manager
  • 1954 – Carlos Ghosn, Brazilian-Lebanese-French business executive
  • 1954 – Bobby Sands, PIRA volunteer; Irish republican politician (d. 1981)
  • 1954 – Jock Taylor, Scottish motorcycle racer (d. 1982)
  • 1955 – Teo Fabi, Italian race car driver
  • 1955 – Józef Pinior, Polish academic and politician
  • 1956 – Mark Dantonio, American football player and coach
  • 1956 – Shashi Tharoor, Indian politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs
  • 1956 – David Willetts, English academic and politician
  • 1958 – Paul MacLean, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1959 – Takaaki Kajita, Japanese physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1959 – Lonny Price, American actor, director, and screenwriter
  • 1960 – Linda Fiorentino, American actress
  • 1961 – Rick Steiner, American wrestler
  • 1961 – Darrell Walker, American basketball player and coach
  • 1963 – Terry Mulholland, American baseball player
  • 1963 – Jean-Marc Vallée, Canadian director and screenwriter
  • 1964 – Juliette Binoche, French actress
  • 1964 – Phil Housley, American ice hockey player and coach
  • 1965 – Brian Bosworth, American football player and actor
  • 1965 – Benito Santiago, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
  • 1966 – Brendan Canty, American drummer and songwriter
  • 1966 – Tony Lockett, Australian footballer
  • 1968 – Youri Djorkaeff, French footballer
  • 1969 – Kimberly Guilfoyle, American lawyer and journalist
  • 1970 – Naveen Jindal, Indian businessman and politician
  • 1970 – Martin Johnson, English rugby player and coach
  • 1971 – Emmanuel Lewis, American actor
  • 1972 – Jodey Arrington, United States politician
  • 1973 – Liam Griffin, English race car driver
  • 1975 – Juan Sebastián Verón, Argentinian footballer
  • 1977 – Radek Dvořák, Czech ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Oscar Isaac, Guatemalan-American actor
  • 1981 – Antonio Bryant, American football player
  • 1981 – Clay Rapada, American baseball player
  • 1982 – Ryan Bayley, Australian cyclist
  • 1982 – Matt Bowen, Australian rugby league player
  • 1982 – Mirjana Lučić-Baroni, Croatian tennis player
  • 1983 – Wayne Simien, American basketball player[
  • 1983 – Clint Dempsey, American international soccer player, forward
  • 1984 – Abdoulay Konko, French footballer
  • 1984 – Julia Mancuso, American skier
  • 1985 – Brent Burns, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1985 – Jesse Litsch, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Pastor Maldonado, Venezuelan race car driver
  • 1985 – Parthiv Patel, Indian cricketer
  • 1986 – Colin Greening, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Brittany Snow, American actress and producer
  • 1989 – Taeyeon, South Korean artist, member of Girls’ Generation
  • 1990 – Daley Blind, Dutch footballer
  • 1990 – Matt Robinson, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1990 – YG (rapper), American rapper
  • 1991 – Jooyoung, Korean singer-songwriter
  • 1993 – Suga, South Korean artist (BTS)
  • 1994 – Morgan Rielly, Canadian ice hockey player

Deaths on March 9

  • 886 – Abu Ma’shar al-Balkhi, Muslim scholar and astrologer (b. 787)
  • 1202 – Sverre of Norway
  • 1440 – Frances of Rome, Italian nun and saint (b. 1384)
  • 1444 – Leonardo Bruni, Italian humanist (b. c.1370)
  • 1463 – Catherine of Bologna, Italian nun and saint (d. 1463)
  • 1566 – David Rizzio, Italian-Scottish courtier and politician (b. 1533).
  • 1649 – James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton, Scottish soldier and politician, (b. 1606)
  • 1649 – Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland, English soldier and politician (b. 1590)
  • 1661 – Cardinal Mazarin, Italian-French academic and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1602)
  • 1709 – Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu, English courtier and politician (b. 1638)
  • 1808 – Joseph Bonomi the Elder, Italian architect (b. 1739)
  • 1810 – Ozias Humphry, English painter and academic (b. 1742)
  • 1825 – Anna Laetitia Barbauld, English poet, author, and critic (b. 1743)
  • 1847 – Mary Anning, English paleontologist (b. 1799)
  • 1851 – Hans Christian Ørsted, Danish physicist and chemist (b. 1777)1888 – William I, German Emperor (b. 1797)
  • 1895 – Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Austrian journalist and author (b. 1836)
  • 1897 – Sondre Norheim, Norwegian-American skier (b. 1825)
  • 1918 – Frank Wedekind, German author and playwright (b. 1864)
  • 1925 – Willard Metcalf, American painter and academic (b. 1858)
  • 1926 – Mikao Usui, Japanese spiritual leader, founded Reiki (b. 1865)
  • 1937 – Paul Elmer More, American journalist and critic (b. 1864)
  • 1943 – Otto Freundlich, German painter and sculptor (b. 1878)
  • 1954 – Vagn Walfrid Ekman, Swedish oceanographer and academic (b. 1874)
  • 1955 – Miroslava, Czech-Mexican actress (b. 1925)
  • 1964 – Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, German general (b. 1870)
  • 1969 – Abdul Munim Riad, Egyptian general (b. 1919)
  • 1971 – Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria (b. 1902)
  • 1974 – Earl Wilbur Sutherland, Jr., American pharmacologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
  • 1974 – Harry Womack, American singer (b. 1945)
  • 1983 – Faye Emerson, American actress (b. 1917)
  • 1983 – Ulf von Euler, Swedish physiologist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
  • 1988 – Kurt Georg Kiesinger, German lawyer, politician and Chancellor of Germany (b. 1904)
  • 1989 – Robert Mapplethorpe, American photographer (b. 1946)
  • 1991 – Jim Hardin, American baseball player (b. 1943)
  • 1992 – Menachem Begin, Belarusian-Israeli soldier, politician and Prime Minister of Israel, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
  • 1993 – C. Northcote Parkinson, English historian and author (b. 1909)
  • 1994 – Charles Bukowski, American poet, novelist, and short story writer (b. 1920)
  • 1994 – Eddie Creatchman, Canadian wrestler, referee, and manager (b. 1928)
  • 1994 – Fernando Rey, Spanish actor (b. 1917)
  • 1997 – Jean-Dominique Bauby, French journalist and author (b. 1952)
  • 1997 – Terry Nation, Welsh author and screenwriter (b. 1930)
  • 1997 – The Notorious B.I.G., American rapper, songwriter, and actor (b. 1972)
  • 1999 – Harry Somers, Canadian pianist and composer (b. 1925)
  • 2000 – Jean Coulthard, Canadian composer and educator (b. 1908)
  • 2003 – Stan Brakhage, American director and cinematographer (b. 1933)
  • 2003 – Bernard Dowiyogo, Nauruan politician, President of Nauru (b. 1946)
  • 2006 – Tom Fox, American activist (b. 1951)
  • 2006 – John Profumo, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for War (b. 1915)
  • 2007 – Brad Delp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1951)
  • 2007 – Glen Harmon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1921)
  • 2010 – Willie Davis, American baseball player and manager (b. 1940)
  • 2010 – Doris Haddock, American activist and politician (b. 1910)
  • 2011 – David S. Broder, American journalist and academic (b. 1929)
  • 2013 – Max Jakobson, Finnish journalist and diplomat
  • 2013 – Merton Simpson, American painter and art collector (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – James Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead, Northern Irish soldier and politician (b. 1920)
  • 2016 – Robert Horton, American actor (b. 1924)
  • 2016 – Clyde Lovellette, American basketball player and coach (b. 1929)
  • 2017 – Howard Hodgkin, British painter (b. 1932)
  • 2018 – Jo Min-ki, Korean actor (b. 1965)
  • 2020 – John Bathersby, Australian Catholic bishop (b. 1936)

Holidays and observances on March 9

  • Christian feast day:
    • Catherine of Bologna
    • Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
    • Frances of Rome
    • Pacian
    • Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria (Coptic Orthodox Church)
    • Gregory of Nyssa (Episcopal Church (United States))
    • March 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Teachers’ Day or Eid Al Moalim (Lebanon)

March 9- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

March 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem Shahnameh.
  • 1126 – Following the death of his mother Urraca, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of Castile and León.
  • 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bourgeois militias and the army of the bishop of Strasbourg.
  • 1576 – Spanish explorer Diego García de Palacio first sights the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Copán.
  • 1618 – Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion.
  • 1655 – John Casor becomes the first legally-recognized slave in England’s North American colonies where a crime was not committed.
  • 1658 – Treaty of Roskilde: After a devastating defeat in the Northern Wars (1655–1661), Frederick III, the King of Denmark–Norway is forced to give up nearly half his territory to Sweden to save the rest.
  • 1702 – Queen Anne, the younger sister of Mary II, becomes Queen regnant of England, Scotland, and Ireland
  • 1722 – The Safavid Empire of Iran is defeated by an army from Afghanistan at the Battle of Gulnabad, pushing Iran into anarchy.
  • 1736 – Nader Shah, founder of the Afsharid dynasty, is crowned Shah of Iran.
  • 1775 – An anonymous writer, thought by some to be Thomas Paine, publishes “African Slavery in America”, the first article in the American colonies calling for the emancipation of slaves and the abolition of slavery.
  • 1777 – Regiments from Ansbach and Bayreuth, sent to support Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War, mutiny in the town of Ochsenfurt.
  • 1782 – Gnadenhutten massacre: Ninety-six Native Americans in Gnadenhutten, Ohio, who had converted to Christianity, are killed by Pennsylvania militiamen in retaliation for raids carried out by other Indian tribes.
  • 1801 – War of the Second Coalition: At the Battle of Abukir, a British force under Sir Ralph Abercromby lands in Egypt with the aim of ending the French campaign in Egypt and Syria.
  • 1817 – The New York Stock Exchange is founded.
  • 1844 – King Oscar I ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: The Naval Battle of Hampton Roads begins.
  • 1868 – Sakai incident: Japanese samurai kill 11 French sailors in the port of Sakai, Osaka.
  • 1910 – French aviator Raymonde de Laroche becomes the first woman to receive a pilot’s license.
  • 1914 – First flights (for the Royal Thai Air Force) at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok.
  • 1916 – World War I: A British force unsuccessfully attempts to relieve the siege of Kut (present-day Iraq) in the Battle of Dujaila.
  • 1917 – International Women’s Day protests in St. Petersburg mark the beginning of the February Revolution (February 23rd in the Julian calendar).
  • 1917 – The United States Senate votes to limit filibusters by adopting the cloture rule.
  • 1920 – The Arab Kingdom of Syria, the first modern Arab state to come into existence, is established.
  • 1921 – Spanish Prime Minister Eduardo Dato Iradier is assassinated while exiting the parliament building in Madrid.
  • 1924 – A mine disaster kills 172 coal miners near Castle Gate, Utah.
  • 1936 – Daytona Beach and Road Course holds its first oval stock car race.
  • 1937 – Spanish Civil War: The Battle of Guadalajara begins.
  • 1942 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Army forces gave an ultimatum to Dutch East Indies Governor General Jonkheer Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer and KNIL Commander in Chief Lieutenant General Hein Ter Poorten, to unconditionally surrender.
  • 1942 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Army forces captured Rangoon, Burma from British.
  • 1947 – Thirteen thousand troops of the Republic of China Army arrive in Taiwan after the February 28 Incident and launch crackdowns which kill thousands of people, including many elites. This turns into a major root of the Taiwan independence movement.
  • 1949 – President of France Vincent Auriol and ex-emperor of Annam Bảo Đại sign the Élysée Accords, giving Vietnam greater independence from France and creating the State of Vietnam to oppose Viet Minh-led Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
  • 1957 – Egypt re-opens the Suez Canal after the Suez Crisis.
  • 1957 – The 1957 Georgia Memorial to Congress, which petitions the U.S. Congress to declare the ratification of the 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution null and void, is adopted by the U.S. state of Georgia.
  • 1963 – The Ba’ath Party comes to power in Syria in a coup d’état by a clique of quasi-leftist Syrian Army officers calling themselves the National Council of the Revolutionary Command.
  • 1965 – Thirty-five hundred United States Marines are the first American land combat forces committed during the Vietnam War.
  • 1966 – Nelson’s Pillar in Dublin, Ireland, destroyed by a bomb.
  • 1971 – The Fight of the Century between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali commences. Frazier wins in 15 rounds via unanimous decision.
  • 1974 – Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris, France.
  • 1979 – Philips demonstrates the compact disc publicly for the first time.
  • 1983 – Cold War: While addressing a convention of Evangelicals, U.S. President Ronald Reagan labels the Soviet Union an “evil empire”.
  • 1985 – A supposed failed assassination attempt on Islamic cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah in Beirut, Lebanon kills at least 45 and injures 175 others.
  • 2004 – A new constitution is signed by Iraq’s Governing Council.
  • 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, carrying a total of 239 people, disappears en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
  • 2017 – The Azure Window, a natural arch on the Maltese island of Gozo, collapses in stormy weather.

Births on March 8

  • 1286 – John III, Duke of Brittany (d. 1341)
  • 1293 – Beatrice of Castile (d. 1359)
  • 1495 – John of God, Portuguese friar and saint (d. 1550)
  • 1514 – Amago Haruhisa, Japanese daimyō (d. 1562)
  • 1518 – Sidonie of Saxony, Duchess of Brunswick-Calenberg (d. 1575)
  • 1550 – William Drury, English politician (d. 1590)
  • 1658 – Thomas Trevor, 1st Baron Trevor, British Baron (d. 1730)
  • 1566 – Carlo Gesualdo, Italian lute player and composer (d. 1613)
  • 1712 – John Fothergill, English physician and botanist (d. 1780)
  • 1714 – Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, German pianist and composer (d. 1788)
  • 1726 – Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, English admiral and politician, Treasurer of the Navy (d. 1799)
  • 1746 – André Michaux, French botanist and explorer (d. 1802)
  • 1748 – William V, Prince of Orange (d. 1806)
  • 1761 – Jan Potocki, Polish ethnologist, historian, linguist, and author (d. 1815)
  • 1799 – Simon Cameron, American journalist and politician, 26th United States Secretary of War (d. 1889)
  • 1804 – Alvan Clark, American astronomer and optician (d. 1887)
  • 1822 – Ignacy Łukasiewicz, Polish inventor and businessman, invented the Kerosene lamp (d. 1882)
  • 1826 – Johann Köler, Estonian painter and academic (d. 1899)
  • 1827 – Wilhelm Bleek, German linguist and anthropologist (d. 1875)
  • 1830 – João de Deus, Portuguese poet and educator (d. 1896)
  • 1839 – Josephine Cochrane, American inventor (d. 1913)
  • 1841 – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., American colonel, lawyer, and jurist (d. 1935)
  • 1848 – LaMarcus Adna Thompson, American engineer and businessman, developed the roller coaster (d. 1917)
  • 1856 – Bramwell Booth, English 2nd General of The Salvation Army (d. 1929)
  • 1856 – Colin Campbell Cooper, American painter and academic (d. 1937)
  • 1859 – Kenneth Grahame, Scottish-English banker and author (d. 1932)
  • 1865 – Frederic Goudy, American type designer, created Copperplate Gothic and Goudy Old Style (d. 1947)
  • 1879 – Otto Hahn, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
  • 1886 – Edward Calvin Kendall, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
  • 1892 – Juana de Ibarbourou, Uruguayan poet and author (d. 1979)
  • 1896 – Charlotte Whitton, Canadian journalist and politician, 46th Mayor of Ottawa (d. 1975)
  • 1899 – Elmer Keith, American gun designer and author (d. 1984)
  • 1900 – Howard H. Aiken, American physicist and computer scientist, created the Harvard Mark I (d. 1973)
  • 1902 – Louise Beavers, American actress and singer (d. 1962)
  • 1902 – Jennings Randolph, American journalist and politician (d. 1998)
  • 1907 – Konstantinos Karamanlis, Greek lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Greece (d. 1998)
  • 1909 – Beatrice Shilling, English motorcycle racer and engineer (d. 1990)
  • 1909 – Paula Strasberg, American actress and acting coach (d. 1966)
  • 1910 – Claire Trevor, American actress (d. 2000)
  • 1911 – Alan Hovhaness, Armenian-American pianist and composer (d. 2000)
  • 1912 – Preston Smith, American businessman and politician, 40th Governor of Texas (d. 2003)
  • 1912 – Meldrim Thomson, Jr., American publisher and politician, 73rd Governor of New Hampshire (d. 2001)
  • 1914 – Yakov Borisovich Zel’dovich, Belarusian-Russian physicist and astronomer (d. 1987)
  • 1918 – Eileen Herlie, Scottish-American actress (d. 2008)
  • 1920 – Douglass Wallop, American author and playwright (d. 1985)
  • 1921 – Alan Hale, Jr., American actor (d. 1990)
  • 1921 – Sahir Ludhianvi, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 1980)
  • 1922 – Ralph H. Baer, German-American video game designer, created the Magnavox Odyssey (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Cyd Charisse, American actress and dancer (d. 2008)
  • 1922 – Carl Furillo, American baseball player (d. 1989)
  • 1922 – Yevgeny Matveyev, Russian actor and director (d. 2003)
  • 1922 – Shigeru Mizuki, Japanese author and illustrator (d. 2015)
  • 1924 – Anthony Caro, English sculptor and illustrator (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Georges Charpak, Ukrainian-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2010)
  • 1924 – Sean McClory, Irish-American actor and director (d. 2003)
  • 1925 – Warren Bennis, American scholar, author, and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1926 – Francisco Rabal, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1929 – Hebe Camargo, Brazilian actress and singer (d. 2012)
  • 1930 – Bob Grim, American baseball player (d. 1996)
  • 1930 – Douglas Hurd, English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
  • 1931 – Neil Adcock, South African cricketer (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – John McPhee, American author and educator
  • 1931 – Gerald Potterton, English-Canadian animator, director, and producer
  • 1931 – Neil Postman, American author and critic (d. 2003)
  • 1934 – Marv Breeding, American baseball player and scout (d. 2006)
  • 1935 – George Coleman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader
  • 1936 – Sue Ane Langdon, American actress and singer
  • 1936 – Gábor Szabó, Hungarian guitarist and composer (d. 1982)
  • 1937 – Richard Fariña, American singer-songwriter and author (d. 1966)
  • 1937 – Juvénal Habyarimana, Rwandan politician, 2nd President of Rwanda (d. 1994)
  • 1938 – Pete Dawkins, American football player, colonel, and politician
  • 1939 – Jim Bouton, American baseball player and journalist (d. 2019)
  • 1939 – Lynn Seymour, Canadian ballerina and choreographer
  • 1939 – Lidiya Skoblikova, Russian speed skater and coach
  • 1939 – Robert Tear, Welsh tenor and conductor (d. 2011)
  • 1941 – Norman Stone, Scottish-English historian, author, and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1942 – Dick Allen, American baseball player and tenor
  • 1942 – Ann Packer, English sprinter, hurdler, and long jumper
  • 1943 – Susan Clark, Canadian actress and producer
  • 1943 – Michael Grade, English businessman
  • 1943 – Lynn Redgrave, English-American actress and singer (d. 2010)
  • 1943 – Dionysis Simopoulos, Greek physicist and astronomer
  • 1944 – Sergey Nikitin, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1945 – Jim Chapman, American lawyer and politician
  • 1945 – Micky Dolenz, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
  • 1945 – Anselm Kiefer, German painter and sculptor
  • 1945 – Sylvia Wiegand, American mathematician
  • 1946 – Robert Jaworski, Filipino basketball player, coach, and politician
  • 1946 – Randy Meisner, American singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1947 – Carole Bayer Sager, American singer-songwriter and painter
  • 1947 – Michael S. Hart, American author, founded Project Gutenberg (d. 2011)
  • 1947 – Vladimír Mišík, Czech singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1947 – Florentino Pérez, Spanish engineer and businessman
  • 1948 – Robert W. Boyd, American physicist and academic
  • 1948 – Gyles Brandreth, German-English actor, screenwriter, and politician
  • 1948 – Mel Galley, English rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008)
  • 1948 – Sam Lacey, American basketball player (d. 2014)
  • 1948 – Peggy March, American pop singer
  • 1948 – Jonathan Sacks, English rabbi, philosopher, and scholar
  • 1949 – Teofilo Cubillas, Peruvian footballer
  • 1951 – Phil Edmonds, Zambian-English cricketer and businessman
  • 1951 – Dianne Walker, American tap dancer
  • 1952 – George Allen, American lawyer and politician, 67th Governor of Virginia
  • 1953 – Jim Rice, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1954 – Steve James, American documentary filmmaker
  • 1954 – David Wilkie, Sri Lankan-Scottish swimmer
  • 1956 – Laurie Cunningham, English footballer (d. 1989)
  • 1956 – David Malpass, American economist and government official
  • 1957 – Clive Burr, English rock drummer (d. 2013)
  • 1957 – William Edward Childs, American pianist and composer
  • 1957 – Bob Stoddard, American baseball player
  • 1958 – Andy McDonald, English lawyer and politician
  • 1958 – Gary Numan, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1959 – Aidan Quinn, Irish-American actor
  • 1960 – Jeffrey Eugenides, American author and academic
  • 1960 – Irek Mukhamedov, Russian ballet dancer
  • 1960 – Buck Williams, American basketball player and coach
  • 1961 – Camryn Manheim, American actress
  • 1961 – Larry Murphy, Canadian ice hockey player and journalist
  • 1962 – Leon Robinson, American actor and producer
  • 1964 – Kate Betts, American journalist and author
  • 1965 – Kenny Smith, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1966 – Greg Barker, Baron Barker of Battle, English politician
  • 1966 – Jaime Levy, American computer scientist and academic
  • 1967 – Joel Johnston, American baseball player
  • 1968 – Michael Bartels, German race car driver
  • 1968 – Shawn Mullins, American singer-songwriter
  • 1969 – Juan de Dios Ramírez Perales, Mexican footballer
  • 1970 – Jason Elam, American football player
  • 1971 – Kit Symons, English-Welsh footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Georgios Georgiadis, Greek footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Matthew Nable, Australian rugby player and actor
  • 1972 – Lena Sundström, Swedish journalist and author
  • 1973 – Boris Kodjoe, Austrian-born American actor and producer
  • 1973 – Anneke van Giersbergen, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1975 – Mauro Briano, Italian footballer
  • 1976 – Gaz Coombes, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1976 – Juan Encarnación, Dominican baseball player
  • 1976 – Freddie Prinze, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1977 – James Van Der Beek, American actor
  • 1977 – Johann Vogel, Swiss footballer
  • 1978 – Nick Zano, American actor and producer
  • 1979 – Apathy, American rapper and producer
  • 1979 – Tom Chaplin, English singer-songwriter
  • 1979 – Andy Ross, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1980 – Stephen Milne, Australian footballer
  • 1981 – Michael Beauchamp, Australian footballer
  • 1981 – Timothy Jordan II, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1981 – Joost Posthuma, Dutch cyclist
  • 1982 – Nicolas Armindo, French racing driver
  • 1982 – Leonidas Kampantais, Greek footballer
  • 1982 – Isak Strand, Norwegian drummer, composer, and producer
  • 1983 – André Santos, Brazilian footballer
  • 1983 – Mark Worrell, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Rafik Djebbour, Algerian footballer
  • 1984 – Ross Taylor, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1984 – Sasha Vujačić, Slovenian basketball player
  • 1987 – Jonathan Wright, Australian rugby league player
  • 1988 – Benny Blanco, American rapper and producer
  • 1990 – Asier Illarramendi, Spanish footballer
  • 1990 – Petra Kvitová, Czech tennis player
  • 1990 – Nico Salva, Filipino basketball player
  • 1990 – Ben Tozer, English footballer
  • 1991 – Miriam Bryant, Swedish-Finnish singer-songwriter
  • 1991 – Tom English, Australian rugby player
  • 1992 – Uki Satake, Japanese singer, actress, and radio host
  • 1994 – Pablo Dyego, Brazilian footballer
  • 1994 – Claire Emslie, Scottish footballer
  • 1994 – Dylan Tombides, Australian footballer (d. 2014)
  • 1996 – Matthew Hammelmann, Australian rules footballer
  • 1998 – Tali Darsigny, Canadian weightlifter

Deaths on March 8

  • 865 – Rudolf of Fulda, German theologian
  • 1126 – Urraca of León and Castile (b. 1079)
  • 1137 – Adela of Normandy, by marriage countess of Blois (b. c. 1067)
  • 1144 – Pope Celestine II
  • 1223 – Wincenty Kadłubek, Polish bishop and historian (b. 1161)
  • 1365 – Queen Noguk of Korea
  • 1403 – Bayezid I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1360)
  • 1441 – Margaret of Burgundy, Duchess of Bavaria
  • 1466 – Francesco I Sforza, Duke of Milan (b. 1401)
  • 1550 – John of God, Portuguese friar and saint (b. 1495)
  • 1619 – Veit Bach, German baker and miller (b. 1550)
  • 1641 – Xu Xiake, Chinese geographer and explorer (b. 1587)
  • 1702 – William III of England (b. 1650)
  • 1717 – Abraham Darby I, English blacksmith (b. 1678)
  • 1723 – Christopher Wren, English architect, designed St. Paul’s Cathedral (b. 1632)
  • 1731 – Ferdinand Brokoff, Czech sculptor (b. 1688)
  • 1771 – Louis August le Clerc, French-Danish sculptor and academic (b. 1688)
  • 1819 – Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1739)
  • 1844 – Charles XIV John of Sweden (b. 1763)
  • 1869 – Hector Berlioz, French composer, conductor, and critic (b. 1803)
  • 1872 – Cornelius Krieghoff, Dutch-Canadian painter (b. 1815)
  • 1874 – Millard Fillmore, American lawyer and politician, 13th President of the United States (b. 1800)
  • 1887 – Henry Ward Beecher, American minister and activist (b. 1813)
  • 1887 – James Buchanan Eads, American engineer, designed the Eads Bridge (b. 1820)
  • 1889 – John Ericsson, Swedish-American engineer, designed the USS Monitor (b. 1803)
  • 1917 – Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German general and businessman, founded the Zeppelin Company (b. 1838)
  • 1923 – Krišjānis Barons, Latvian linguist and author (b. 1835)
  • 1923 – Johannes Diderik van der Waals, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1837)
  • 1930 – William Howard Taft, American lawyer, jurist, and politician, 27th President of the United States (b. 1857)
  • 1930 – Edward Terry Sanford, American lawyer, jurist, and politician, United States Assistant Attorney General (b. 1865)
  • 1935 – Hachikō, Japanese dog (b. 1923)
  • 1937 – Howie Morenz, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1902)
  • 1941 – Sherwood Anderson, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1876)
  • 1942 – José Raúl Capablanca, Cuban chess player and theoretician (b. 1888)
  • 1944 – Fredy Hirsch, German Jewish athlete who helped thousands of Jewish children in the Holocaust (b. 1916)
  • 1945 – Frederick Bligh Bond, English archaeologist and architect (b. 1864)
  • 1948 – Hulusi Behçet, Turkish dermatologist and scientist (b. 1889)
  • 1957 – Othmar Schoeck, Swiss composer and conductor (b. 1886)
  • 1961 – Thomas Beecham, English conductor and composer (b. 1879)
  • 1971 – Harold Lloyd, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1893)
  • 1973 – Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, American keyboard player and songwriter (b. 1945)
  • 1975 – George Stevens, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1904)
  • 1976 – Alfons Rebane, Estonian colonel (b. 1908)
  • 1983 – Chabuca Granda, Peruvian-American singer-songwriter (b. 1920)
  • 1983 – Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton, English lieutenant and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (b. 1904)
  • 1983 – William Walton, English composer (b. 1902)
  • 1985 – Edward Andrews, American actor (b. 1914)
  • 1988 – Amar Singh Chamkila, Indian singer-songwriter (b. 1961)
  • 1988 – Werner Hartmann, German physicist and academic (b. 1912)
  • 1991 – John Bellairs, American author and academic (b. 1938)
  • 1993 – Billy Eckstine, American trumpet player (b. 1914)
  • 1996 – Jack Churchill, British colonel (b. 1906)
  • 1997 – Gershon Liebman, French rabbi (b. 1905)
  • 1998 – Ray Nitschke, American football player and actor (b. 1936)
  • 1999 – Adolfo Bioy Casares, Argentinian journalist and author (b. 1914)
  • 1999 – Peggy Cass, American actress and comedian (b. 1924)
  • 1999 – Joe DiMaggio, American baseball player and coach (b. 1914)
  • 2001 – Edward Winter, American actor (b. 1937)
  • 2003 – Adam Faith, English singer (b. 1940)
  • 2003 – Karen Morley, American actress (b. 1909)
  • 2004 – Muhammad Zaidan, Syrian terrorist, founded the Palestine Liberation Front (b. 1948)
  • 2005 – César Lattes, Brazilian physicist and academic (b. 1924)
  • 2005 – Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen commander and politician, 3rd President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (b. 1951)
  • 2007 – John Inman, English actor (b. 1935)
  • 2007 – John Vukovich, American baseball player and coach (b. 1947)
  • 2009 – Hank Locklin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1918)
  • 2009 – Zbigniew Religa, Polish surgeon and politician, Polish Minister of Health (b. 1938)
  • 2011 – Mike Starr, American bass player (b. 1966)
  • 2012 – Simin Daneshvar, Iranian author and academic (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Minoru Mori, Japanese businessman, founded the Mori Art Museum (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – Steven Rubenstein, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1962)
  • 2013 – Haseeb Ahsan, Pakistani cricketer and manager (b. 1939)
  • 2013 – John O’Connell, Irish journalist and politician, 17th Irish Minister of Health (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin, German soldier and publisher (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Leo Bretholz, Austrian-American Holocaust survivor and author (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – William Guarnere, American sergeant (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Tjol Lategan, South African rugby player (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Sam Simon, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1955)
  • 2016 – Aldo Ferrer, Argentinian economist and diplomat (b. 1927)
  • 2016 – Ross Hannaford, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1950)
  • 2016 – George Martin, English composer, conductor, and producer (b. 1926)
  • 2018 – Kate Wilhelm, American author (b. 1928)
  • 2019 – Marshall Brodien, American actor (b. 1934)
  • 2019 – Cedrick Hardman, American football player and actor (b. 1948)
  • 2020 – Max von Sydow, Swedish actor (b. 1929)

Holidays and observances on March 8

  • Christian feast day:
    • Edward King (Church of England)
    • Felix of Burgundy
    • Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy (the Church of England, The Episcopal Church (USA))
    • John of God
    • Philemon the actor
    • March 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Canberra Day can fall, while March 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Monday in March (Australian Capital Territory)
  • Earliest day on which Commonwealth Day can fall, while March 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Monday in March (Commonwealth of Nations)
  • Earliest day on which Decoration Day can fall, while March 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Wednesday in March (Liberia)
  • Earliest day on which Passion Sunday can fall, while April 17 is the latest; observed on the fifth Sunday of Lent (Christianity)
  • International Women’s Day, and its related observances:
    • International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day

March 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /
  • 363 – Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death.
  • 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Eastern journey which he will later describe in his book Safarnama.
  • 1279 – The Livonian Order is defeated in the Battle of Aizkraukle by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
  • 1496 – King Henry VII of England issues letters patent to John Cabot and his sons, authorising them to explore unknown lands.
  • 1616 – Nicolaus Copernicus’s book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres is added to the Index of Forbidden Books 73 years after it was first published.
  • 1766 – Antonio de Ulloa, the first Spanish governor of Louisiana, arrives in New Orleans.
  • 1770 – Boston Massacre: Five Americans, including Crispus Attucks, are fatally shot by British troops in an event that would contribute to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War (also known as the American War of Independence) five years later.
  • 1811 – Peninsular War: A French force under the command of Marshal Victor is routed while trying to prevent an Anglo-Spanish-Portuguese army from lifting the Siege of Cádiz in the Battle of Barrosa.
  • 1824 – First Anglo-Burmese War: The British officially declare war on Burma.
  • 1836 – Samuel Colt patents the first production-model revolver, the .34-caliber.
  • 1850 – The Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales is opened.
  • 1860 – Parma, Tuscany, Modena and Romagna vote in referendums to join the Kingdom of Sardinia.
  • 1868 – Mefistofele, an opera by Arrigo Boito, receives its premiere performance at La Scala.
  • 1872 – George Westinghouse patents the air brake.
  • 1906 – Moro Rebellion: United States Army troops bring overwhelming force against the native Moros in the First Battle of Bud Dajo, leaving only six survivors.
  • 1912 – Italo-Turkish War: Italian forces are the first to use airships for military purposes, employing them for reconnaissance behind Turkish lines.
  • 1931 – The British Raj: Gandhi–Irwin Pact is signed.
  • 1933 – Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party receives 43.9% at the Reichstag elections, which allows the Nazis to later pass the Enabling Act and establish a dictatorship.
  • 1936 – First flight of K5054, the first prototype Supermarine Spitfire advanced monoplane fighter aircraft in the United Kingdom.
  • 1940 – Six high-ranking members of Soviet politburo, including Joseph Stalin, sign an order for the execution of 25,700 Polish intelligentsia, including 14,700 Polish POWs, in what will become known as the Katyn massacre.
  • 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces capture Batavia, capital of Dutch East Indies, which is left undefended after the withdrawal of the KNIL garrison and Australian Blackforce battalion to Buitenzorg and Bandung.
  • 1943 – First Flight of the Gloster Meteor, Britain’s first combat jet aircraft.
  • 1944 – World War II: The Red Army begins the Uman–Botoșani Offensive in the western Ukrainian SSR.
  • 1946 – Cold War: Winston Churchill coins the phrase “Iron Curtain” in his speech at Westminster College, Missouri.
  • 1953 – Joseph Stalin, the longest serving leader of the Soviet Union, dies at his Volynskoe dacha in Moscow after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage four days earlier.
  • 1960 – Indonesian President Sukarno dismissed the Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR), 1955 democratically elected parliament, and replaced with DPR-GR, the parliament of his own selected members.
  • 1963 – American country music stars Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas and their pilot Randy Hughes are killed in a plane crash in Camden, Tennessee.
  • 1965 – March Intifada: A Leftist uprising erupts in Bahrain against British colonial presence.
  • 1966 – BOAC Flight 911, a Boeing 707 aircraft, breaks apart in mid-air due to clear-air turbulence and crashes into Mount Fuji, Japan, killing all 124 people on board.
  • 1970 – The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons goes into effect after ratification by 43 nations.
  • 1974 – Yom Kippur War: Israeli forces withdraw from the west bank of the Suez Canal.
  • 1978 – The Landsat 3 is launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
  • 1979 – Soviet probes Venera 11, Venera 12 and the German-American solar satellite Helios II all are hit by “off the scale” gamma rays leading to the discovery of soft gamma repeaters.
  • 1981 – The ZX81, a pioneering British home computer, is launched by Sinclair Research and would go on to sell over 1​1⁄2 million units around the world.
  • 1982 – Soviet probe Venera 14 lands on Venus.
  • 2003 – In Haifa, 17 Israeli civilians are killed in the Haifa bus 37 suicide bombing.
  • 2012 – Tropical Storm Irina kills over 75 as it passes through Madagascar.

Births on March 5

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

Deaths on March 5

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

Holidays and observances on March 5

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

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

On This Day

March 3- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
  • 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japan.
  • 1575 – Mughal Emperor Akbar defeats Sultan of Bengal Daud Khan Karrani’s army at the Battle of Tukaroi.
  • 1585 – The Olympic Theatre, designed by Andrea Palladio, is inaugurated in Vicenza.
  • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: The first amphibious landing of the United States Marine Corps begins the Battle of Nassau.
  • 1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Continental Army is routed at the Battle of Brier Creek near Savannah, Georgia.
  • 1799 – The Russo-Ottoman siege of Corfu ends with the surrender of the French garrison.
  • 1820 – The U.S. Congress passes the Missouri Compromise.
  • 1845 – Florida is admitted as the 27th U.S. state.
  • 1849 – The Territory of Minnesota is created.
  • 1857 – Second Opium War: France and the United Kingdom declare war on China.
  • 1859 – The two-day Great Slave Auction, the largest such auction in United States history, concludes.
  • 1861 – Alexander II of Russia signs the Emancipation Manifesto, freeing serfs.
  • 1865 – Opening of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the founding member of the HSBC Group.
  • 1873 – Censorship in the United States: The U.S. Congress enacts the Comstock Law, making it illegal to send any “obscene literature and articles of immoral use” through the mail.
  • 1875 – Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen receives its première at the Opéra-Comique in Paris.
  • 1875 – The first ever organized indoor game of ice hockey is played in Montreal, Quebec, Canada as recorded in the Montreal Gazette.
  • 1878 – The Russo-Turkish War ends with Bulgaria regaining its independence from the Ottoman Empire according to the Treaty of San Stefano.
  • 1885 – The American Telephone & Telegraph Company is incorporated in New York.
  • 1891 – Shoshone National Forest is established as the first national forest in the US and world.
  • 1910 – Rockefeller Foundation: John D. Rockefeller Jr. announces his retirement from managing his businesses so that he can devote all his time to philanthropy.
  • 1913 – Thousands of women march in the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C.
  • 1918 – Russia signs the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, agreeing to withdraw from World War I, and conceding German control of the Baltic States, Belarus and Ukraine. It also conceded Turkish control of Ardahan, Kars and Batumi.
  • 1923 – TIME magazine is published for the first time.
  • 1924 – The 407-year-old Islamic caliphate is abolished, when Caliph Abdülmecid II of the Ottoman Caliphate is deposed. The last remnant of the old regime gives way to the reformed Turkey of Kemal Atatürk.
  • 1924 – The Free State of Fiume is annexed by the Kingdom of Italy.
  • 1931 – The United States adopts The Star-Spangled Banner as its national anthem.
  • 1938 – Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia.
  • 1939 – In Bombay, Mohandas Gandhi begins a hunger strike in protest at the autocratic rule in British India.
  • 1940 – Five people are killed in an arson attack on the offices of the communist newspaper Flamman in Luleå, Sweden.
  • 1942 – World War II: Ten Japanese warplanes raid Broome, Western Australia, killing more than 100 people.
  • 1943 – World War II: In London, 173 people are killed in a crush while trying to enter an air-raid shelter at Bethnal Green tube station.
  • 1944 – The Order of Nakhimov and Order of Ushakov are instituted in USSR as the highest naval awards.
  • 1945 – World War II: American and Filipino troops recapture Manila.
  • 1945 – World War II: The RAF accidentally bombs the Bezuidenhout area of The Hague, Netherlands, killing 511 people.
  • 1951 – Jackie Brenston, with Ike Turner and his band, records “Rocket 88”, often cited as “the first rock and roll record”, at Sam Phillips’s recording studios in Memphis, Tennessee.
  • 1953 – A De Havilland Comet (Canadian Pacific Air Lines) crashes in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 11.
  • 1958 – Nuri al-Said becomes Prime Minister of Iraq for the eighth time.
  • 1969 – Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 9 to test the lunar module.
  • 1972 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 405 crashes as a result of a control malfunction and insufficient training in emergency procedures.
  • 1974 – Turkish Airlines Flight 981 crashes at Ermenonville near Paris, France killing all 346 aboard.
  • 1980 – The USS Nautilus is decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register.
  • 1985 – Arthur Scargill declares that the National Union of Mineworkers’ national executive voted to end the longest-running industrial dispute in Great Britain without any peace deal over pit closures.
  • 1985 – A magnitude 8.3 earthquake strikes the Valparaíso Region of Chile, killing 177 and leaving nearly a million people homeless.
  • 1986 – The Australia Act 1986 commences, causing Australia to become fully independent from the United Kingdom.
  • 1991 – An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers.
  • 2005 – James Roszko murders four Royal Canadian Mounted Police constables during a drug bust at his property in Rochfort Bridge, Alberta, then commits suicide. This is the deadliest peace-time incident for the RCMP since 1885 and the North-West Rebellion.
  • 2005 – Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly an airplane non-stop around the world solo without refueling.
  • 2005 – Margaret Wilson is elected as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, beginning a period lasting until August 23, 2006 where all the highest political offices (including Elizabeth II as Head of State), were occupied by women, making New Zealand the first country for this to occur.
  • 2013 – A bomb blast in Karachi, Pakistan, kills at least 45 people and injured 180 others in a predominately Shia Muslim area.

Births on March 3

  • 1455 – John II of Portugal (d. 1495)
  • 1455 – Ascanio Sforza, Catholic cardinal (d. 1505)
  • 1506 – Luís of Portugal, Duke of Beja (d. 1555)
  • 1520 – Matthias Flacius, Croatian theologian and reformer (d. 1575)
  • 1583 – Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, English-Welsh soldier, historian, and diplomat (d. 1648)
  • 1589 – Gisbertus Voetius, Dutch minister, theologian, and academic (d. 1676)
  • 1606 – Edmund Waller, English poet and politician (d. 1687)
  • 1652 – Thomas Otway, English playwright and author (d. 1685)
  • 1678 – Madeleine de Verchères, Canadian rebel leader (d. 1747)
  • 1756 – William Godwin, English journalist and author (d. 1836)
  • 1778 – Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1841)
  • 1793 – William Macready, English actor and manager (d. 1873)
  • 1800 – Heinrich Georg Bronn, German geologist and paleontologist (d. 1862)
  • 1803 – Thomas Field Gibson, English manufacturer who aided the welfare of the Spitalfields silk weavers (d. 1889)
  • 1805 – Jonas Furrer, Swiss politician (d. 1861)
  • 1816 – William James Blacklock, English-Scottish painter (d. 1858)
  • 1819 – Gustave de Molinari, Dutch-Belgian economist and theorist (d. 1912)
  • 1825 – Shiranui Kōemon, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 1879)
  • 1831 – George Pullman, American engineer and businessman, founded the Pullman Company (d. 1897)
  • 1839 – Jamsetji Tata, Indian businessman, founded Tata Group (d. 1904)
  • 1841 – John Murray, Canadian-Scottish oceanographer and biologist (d. 1914)
  • 1845 – Georg Cantor, Russian-German mathematician and philosopher (d. 1918)
  • 1847 – Alexander Graham Bell, Scottish-American engineer and academic, invented the telephone (d. 1922)
  • 1860 – John Montgomery Ward, American baseball player and manager (d. 1925)
  • 1866 – Fred A. Busse, American lawyer and politician, 39th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1914)
  • 1868 – Émile Chartier, French philosopher and journalist (d. 1951)
  • 1869 – Henry Wood, English conductor (d. 1944)
  • 1871 – Maurice Garin, Italian-French cyclist (d. 1957)
  • 1873 – William Green, American union leader and politician (d. 1952)
  • 1880 – Florence Auer, American actress and screenwriter (d. 1962)
  • 1880 – Yōsuke Matsuoka, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1946)
  • 1882 – Elisabeth Abegg, German anti-Nazi resistance fighter (d. 1974)
  • 1882 – Charles Ponzi, Italian businessman (d. 1949)
  • 1883 – Cyril Burt, English psychologist and geneticist (d. 1971)
  • 1883 – Paul Marais de Beauchamp, French zoologist (d. 1977)
  • 1887 – Lincoln J. Beachey, American pilot (d. 1915)
  • 1891 – Damaskinos of Athens, Greek archbishop (d. 1949)
  • 1893 – Beatrice Wood, American illustrator and potter (d. 1998)
  • 1895 – Ragnar Frisch, Norwegian economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
  • 1895 – Matthew Ridgway, American general (d. 1993)
  • 1898 – Emil Artin, Austrian-German mathematician and academic (d. 1962)
  • 1900 – Edna Best, British stage and film actress, appeared on early television in 1938 (d. 1974)
  • 1902 – Ruby Dandridge, African-American film and radio actress (d. 1987)
  • 1901 – Claude Choules, English-Australian soldier (d. 2011)
  • 1903 – Vasily Kozlov, Belarusian general and politician (d. 1967)
  • 1906 – Artur Lundkvist, Swedish poet and critic (d. 1991)
  • 1911 – Jean Harlow, American actress (d. 1937)
  • 1911 – Hugues Lapointe, Canadian lawyer and politician, 22nd Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 1982)
  • 1913 – Margaret Bonds, American pianist and composer (d. 1972)
  • 1913 – Harold J. Stone, American actor (d. 2005)
  • 1914 – Asger Jorn, Danish painter and sculptor (d. 1973)
  • 1916 – Paul Halmos, Hungarian-American mathematician (d. 2006)
  • 1917 – Sameera Moussa, Egyptian physicist and academic (d. 1952)
  • 1918 – Arthur Kornberg, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
  • 1920 – Julius Boros, American golfer and accountant (d. 1994)
  • 1920 – James Doohan, Canadian-American actor and soldier (d. 2005)
  • 1920 – Ronald Searle, English-French soldier and illustrator (d. 2011)
  • 1921 – Diana Barrymore, American actress (d. 1960)
  • 1922 – Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 2002)
  • 1923 – Barney Martin, American police officer and actor (d. 2005)
  • 1923 – Doc Watson, American bluegrass singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2012)
  • 1924 – Tomiichi Murayama, Japanese soldier and politician, 52nd Prime Minister of Japan
  • 1926 – James Merrill, American poet and playwright (d. 1995)
  • 1927 – Pierre Aubert, Swiss lawyer and politician (d. 2016)
  • 1930 – Ion Iliescu, Romanian engineer and politician, 2nd President of Romania
  • 1934 – Peter Brooke, Baron Brooke of Sutton Mandeville, English politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
  • 1934 – Jimmy Garrison, American bassist and educator (d. 1976)
  • 1935 – Mal Anderson, Australian tennis player
  • 1935 – Michael Walzer, American philosopher and academic
  • 1935 – Zhelyu Zhelev, Bulgarian philosopher and politician, 2nd President of Bulgaria (d. 2015)
  • 1939 – Larry Burkett, American author and radio host (d. 2003)
  • 1939 – M. L. Jaisimha, Indian cricketer (d. 1999)
  • 1940 – Germán Castro Caycedo, Colombian author and journalist
  • 1940 – Perry Ellis, American fashion designer, founded Perry Ellis (d. 1986)
  • 1940 – Jean-Paul Proust, French-Monacan police officer and politician, 21st Minister of State of Monaco (d. 2010)
  • 1941 – Mike Pender, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1945 – George Miller, Australian director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1945 – Hattie Winston, American actress
  • 1947 – Clifton Snider, American author, poet, and critic
  • 1947 – Jennifer Warnes, American singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1948 – Snowy White, English guitarist
  • 1949 – Ron Chernow, American historian, journalist, and author
  • 1949 – Bonnie J. Dunbar, American engineer, academic, and astronaut
  • 1949 – Jesse Jefferson, American baseball player (d. 2011)
  • 1950 – Kamal Ahmed Majumder, Bangladeshi politician
  • 1951 – Andy Murray, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1951 – Heizō Takenaka, Japanese economist and politician
  • 1952 – Rudy Fernandez, Filipino actor and producer (d. 2008)
  • 1953 – Robyn Hitchcock, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1953 – Zico, Brazilian footballer and coach
  • 1954 – Keith Fergus, American golfer
  • 1954 – John Lilley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1954 – Édouard Lock, Moroccan-Canadian dancer and choreographer
  • 1955 – Darnell Williams, English-American actor and director
  • 1956 – Zbigniew Boniek, Polish footballer and manager
  • 1956 – John Fulton Reid, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1957 – Stephen Budiansky, American historian, journalist, and author
  • 1957 – Thom Hoffman, Dutch actor and photographer
  • 1958 – Miranda Richardson, English actress
  • 1959 – Ira Glass, American radio host and producer
  • 1959 – Duško Vujošević, Montenegrin basketball player and coach
  • 1960 – Neal Heaton, American baseball player and coach
  • 1961 – Mary Page Keller, American actress and producer
  • 1961 – John Matteson, American biographer
  • 1961 – Perry McCarthy, English race car driver
  • 1961 – Fatima Whitbread, English javelin thrower
  • 1962 – Glen E. Friedman, American photographer
  • 1962 – Jackie Joyner-Kersee, American heptathlete and long jumper
  • 1962 – Herschel Walker, American football player and mixed martial artist
  • 1963 – Martín Fiz, Spanish runner
  • 1963 – Khaltmaagiin Battulga, 5th President of Mongolia
  • 1964 – Raúl Alcalá, Mexican cyclist
  • 1964 – Laura Harring, Mexican-American model and actress, Miss USA 1985
  • 1964 – Glenn Kulka, Canadian ice hockey player and wrestler
  • 1965 – Dragan Stojković, Serbian footballer and manager
  • 1966 – Tone Lōc, American rapper, producer, and actor
  • 1966 – Timo Tolkki, Finnish guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1968 – Brian Cox, English keyboard player and physicist
  • 1968 – Brian Leetch, American ice hockey player
  • 1970 – Julie Bowen, American actress
  • 1970 – Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistani cricketer and coach
  • 1971 – Charlie Brooker, English journalist, producer, and author
  • 1971 – Tyler Florence, American chef and author
  • 1972 – Darren Anderton, English international footballer, midfielder and sportscaster
  • 1973 – Xavier Bettel, Luxembourger lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Luxembourg
  • 1973 – Matthew Marsden, English actor and martial artist
  • 1974 – David Faustino, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1976 – Fraser Gehrig, Australian footballer
  • 1976 – Isabel Granada, Filipino-Spanish actress (d. 2017)
  • 1976 – Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, Estonian politician, 28th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1976 – Kampamba Mulenga Chilumba, Zambian politician
  • 1977 – Ronan Keating, Irish singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1977 – Stéphane Robidas, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1977 – Buddy Valastro, American chef and television host
  • 1978 – Matt Diaz, American baseball player
  • 1979 – Albert Jorquera, Spanish footballer
  • 1980 – Mason Unck, American football player
  • 1981 – David Bailey, American basketball player
  • 1981 – Julius Malema, South African politician
  • 1981 – Emmanuel Pappoe, Ghanaian footballer
  • 1982 – Jessica Biel, American actress, singer, and producer
  • 1982 – Colton Orr, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1982 – Tolu Ogunlesi, Nigerian journalist and writer
  • 1982 – Brent Tate, Australian rugby league player
  • 1983 – Ashley Hansen, Australian footballer
  • 1983 – Sarah Poewe, South African swimmer
  • 1984 – Valerio Bernabò, Italian rugby player
  • 1984 – Santonio Holmes, American football player
  • 1984 – Alexander Semin, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Jed Collins, American football player
  • 1986 – Stacie Orrico, American singer-songwriter
  • 1986 – Mehmet Topal, Turkish footballer
  • 1987 – Jesús Padilla, Mexican footballer
  • 1987 – Shraddha Kapoor, Indian actress, singer, and designer
  • 1988 – Teodora Mirčić, Serbian tennis player
  • 1988 – Michael Morrison, English footballer
  • 1988 – Jan-Arie van der Heijden, Dutch footballer
  • 1988 – Max Waller, English cricketer
  • 1989 – Erwin Mulder, Dutch footballer
  • 1990 – Vladimir Janković, Greek-Serbian basketball player
  • 1991 – Anri Sakaguchi, Japanese actress
  • 1991 – Cho-rong, South Korean singer
  • 1993 – Gabriela Cé, Brazilian tennis player
  • 1993 – Josef Dostál, Czech kayaker
  • 1993 – James Roberts, Australian rugby league player
  • 1994 – Umika Kawashima, Japanese singer and actress
  • 1996 – Cameron Johnson, American basketball player
  • 1997 – Camila Cabello, Cuban-American singer
  • 1998 – Jayson Tatum, American basketball player

Deaths on March 3

  • 532 – Winwaloe, founder of Landévennec Abbey (b. c. 460)
  • 1009 – Abd al-Rahman Sanchuelo, Umayyad chief minister (b. 983)
  • 1111 – Bohemond I, Italo-Norman nobleman (b. 1058)
  • 1195 – Hugh de Puiset, bishop of Durham (b. c. 1125)
  • 1239 – Vladimir IV Rurikovich, Grand Prince of Kiev (b. 1187)
  • 1311 – Antony Bek, bishop of Durham
  • 1323 – Andrew Harclay, 1st Earl of Carlisle, English military leader
  • 1383 – Hugh III, Italian nobleman
  • 1459 – Ausiàs March, Catalan knight and poet (b. 1397)
  • 1542 – Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, illegitimate son of Edward IV
  • 1554 – John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (b. 1503)
  • 1578 – Sebastiano Venier, doge of Venice (b. 1496)
  • 1578 – Michael Kantakouzenos Şeytanoğlu, Ottoman Greek magnate
  • 1588 – Henry XI, duke of Legnica (b. 1539)
  • 1592 – Michael Coxcie, Flemish painter (b. 1499)
  • 1605 – Clement VIII, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1536)
  • 1611 – William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus, Scottish nobleman (b. 1552)
  • 1616 – Matthias de l’Obel, Flemish physician and botanist (b. 1538)
  • 1700 – Chhatrapati Rajaram, 3rd Chhatrapati of Maratha Empire (b. 1670)
  • 1703 – Robert Hooke, English architect and philosopher (b. 1635)
  • 1706 – Johann Pachelbel, German organist and composer (b. 1653)
  • 1744 – Jean Barbeyrac, French scholar and jurist (b. 1674)
  • 1765 – William Stukeley, English archaeologist and historian (b. 1687)
  • 1768 – Nicola Porpora, Italian composer and educator (b. 1686)
  • 1792 – Robert Adam, Scottish-English architect and politician, designed the Culzean Castle (b. 1728)
  • 1850 – Oliver Cowdery, American religious leader (b. 1806)
  • 1894 – Ned Williamson, American baseball player (b. 1857)
  • 1901 – George Gilman, American businessman, founded The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (b. 1826)
  • 1905 – Antonio Annetto Caruana, Maltese archaeologist and author (b. 1830)
  • 1927 – Mikhail Artsybashev, Ukrainian author and playwright (b. 1878)
  • 1927 – J. G. Parry-Thomas, Welsh race car driver and engineer (b. 1884)
  • 1929 – Katharine Wright, American educator (b. 1874)
  • 1932 – Eugen d’Albert, Scottish-German pianist and composer (b. 1864)
  • 1943 – George Thompson, English cricketer and umpire (b. 1877)
  • 1959 – Lou Costello, American actor and comedian (b. 1906)
  • 1961 – Paul Wittgenstein, Austrian-American pianist (b. 1887)
  • 1966 – Joseph Fields, American playwright, director, and producer (b. 1895)
  • 1966 – William Frawley, American actor and vaudevillian (b. 1887)
  • 1966 – Alice Pearce, American actress (b. 1917)
  • 1981 – Rebecca Lancefield, American microbiologist and researcher (b. 1895)
  • 1982 – Firaq Gorakhpuri, Indian poet and critic (b. 1896)
  • 1982 – Georges Perec, French author and screenwriter (b. 1936)
  • 1983 – Hergé, Belgian author and illustrator (b. 1907)
  • 1987 – Danny Kaye, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1911)
  • 1988 – Henryk Szeryng, Polish-Mexican violinist and composer (b. 1918)
  • 1988 – Sewall Wright, American biologist and geneticist (b. 1889)
  • 1990 – Charlotte Moore Sitterly, American astronomer (b. 1898)
  • 1991 – Arthur Murray, American dancer and educator (b. 1895)
  • 1991 – William Penney, Baron Penney, Gibraltar-born English mathematician, physicist, and academic (b. 1909)
  • 1993 – Mel Bradford, American author and critic (b. 1934)
  • 1993 – Carlos Marcello, Tunisian-American mob boss (b. 1910)
  • 1993 – Carlos Montoya, Spanish guitarist and composer (b. 1903)
  • 1993 – Albert Sabin, Polish-American physician and virologist (b. 1906)
  • 1994 – John Edward Williams, American author and academic (b. 1922)
  • 1995 – Howard W. Hunter, American religious leader, 14th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1907)
  • 1996 – Marguerite Duras, French author and director (b. 1914)
  • 1996 – John Krol, American cardinal (b. 1910)
  • 1998 – Fred W. Friendly, American journalist and broadcaster (b. 1915)
  • 1999 – Gerhard Herzberg, German-Canadian chemist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
  • 1999 – Lee Philips, American actor and director (b. 1927)
  • 2000 – Toni Ortelli, Italian composer and conductor (b. 1904)
  • 2001 – Louis Edmonds, American actor (b. 1923)
  • 2001 – Eugene Sledge, American soldier, author, and academic (b. 1923)
  • 2002 – G. M. C. Balayogi, Indian lawyer and politician, 12th Speaker of the Lok Sabha (b. 1951)
  • 2003 – Horst Buchholz, German actor (b. 1933)
  • 2003 – Luis Marden, American linguist, photographer, and explorer (b. 1913)
  • 2003 – Goffredo Petrassi, Italian composer and conductor (b. 1904)
  • 2005 – Max Fisher, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1928)
  • 2006 – Ivor Cutler, Scottish poet and songwriter (b. 1923)
  • 2006 – Else Fisher, Australian-Swedish dancer, choreographer, and director (b. 1918)
  • 2006 – William Herskovic, Hungarian-American humanitarian (b. 1914)
  • 2007 – Osvaldo Cavandoli, Italian cartoonist (b. 1920)
  • 2008 – Giuseppe Di Stefano, Italian tenor and actor (b. 1921)
  • 2008 – Norman Smith, English drummer and producer (b. 1923)
  • 2009 – Gilbert Parent, Canadian educator and politician, 33rd Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada (b. 1935)
  • 2010 – Keith Alexander, English footballer and manager (b. 1956)
  • 2010 – Michael Foot, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Employment (b. 1913)
  • 2011 – May Cutler, Canadian journalist, author, and politician (b. 1923)
  • 2012 – Ralph McQuarrie, American conceptual designer and illustrator (b. 1929)
  • 2012 – Ronnie Montrose, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1947)
  • 2012 – Alex Webster, American football player and coach (b. 1931)
  • 2013 – Luis Cubilla, Uruguayan footballer and manager (b. 1940)
  • 2013 – Bobby Rogers, American singer-songwriter (b. 1940)
  • 2013 – James Strong, Qantas CEO from 1993 to 2001 (b. 1944)
  • 2014 – Robert Ashley, American soldier and composer (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – Sherwin B. Nuland, American surgeon, author, and educator (b. 1930)
  • 2014 – William R. Pogue, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1930)
  • 2015 – Ernest Braun, Austrian-English physicist and academic (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – M. Stanton Evans, American journalist and author (b. 1934)
  • 2016 – Hayabusa, Japanese wrestler (b. 1968)
  • 2016 – Berta Cáceres, Honduran environmentalist (b. 1973)
  • 2016 – Martin Crowe, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster (b. 1962)
  • 2016 – Thanat Khoman, Thai politician and diplomat, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1914)
  • 2016 – Sarah Tait, Australian Olympic rower (b. 1983)
  • 2017 – René Préval, Haitian politician (b. 1943)
  • 2018 – Roger Bannister, English middle-distance athlete, first man to run a four-minute mile (b. 1929)
  • 2018 – Mal Bryce, Australian politician (b. 1943)
  • 2018 – Vanessa Goodwin, Australian politician (b. 1969)
  • 2018 – David Ogden Stiers, American actor, voice actor and musician (b. 1942)
  • 2019 – Peter Hurford OBE, British organist and composer (b. 1930)
  • 2020 – Charles J. Urstadt, American real estate executive and investor (b. 1928)

Holidays and observances on March 3

  • Christian feast day:
    • Anselm, Duke of Friuli
    • Arthelais
    • Cunigunde of Luxembourg
    • Katharine Drexel
    • John and Charles Wesley (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Marinus and Asterius of Caesarea
    • Winwaloe
    • March 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Hinamatsuri or “Girl’s Day” (Japan)
  • Liberation and Freedom Day (Charlottesville, Virginia, USA)
  • Liberation Day (Bulgaria)
  • Martyrs’ Day (Malawi)
  • Mother’s Day (Georgia)
  • Sportsmen’s Day (Egypt)
  • Teacher’s Day (Lebanon)
  • World Hearing Day
  • World Wildlife Day

March 3- History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

March 1 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /

March 1 in History

  • 509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia.
  • 86 BC – Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army, enters Athens, removing the tyrant Aristion who was supported by troops of Mithridates VI of Pontus ending the Siege of Athens and Piraeus.
  • 293 – Emperor Diocletian and Maximian appoint Constantius Chlorus and Galerius as Caesars. This is considered the beginning of the Tetrarchy, known as the Quattuor Principes Mundi (“Four Rulers of the World”).
  • 317 – Crispus and Constantine II, sons of Roman Emperor Constantine I, and Licinius Iunior, son of Emperor Licinius, are made Caesares.
  • 350 – Vetranio is asked by Constantina, sister of Constantius II, to proclaim himself Caesar.
  • 834 – Emperor Louis the Pious is restored as sole ruler of the Frankish Empire. After his re-accession to the throne, his eldest son Lothair I flees to Burgundy.
  • 1457 – The Unitas Fratrum is established in the village of Kunvald, on the Bohemian-Moravian borderland. It is to date the second oldest Protestant denomination.
  • 1476 – Forces of the Catholic Monarchs engage the combined Portuguese-Castilian armies of Afonso V and Prince John at the Battle of Toro.
  • 1562 – Sixty-three Huguenots are massacred in Wassy, France, marking the start of the French Wars of Religion.
  • 1565 – The city of Rio de Janeiro is founded.
  • 1628 – Writs issued in February by Charles I of England mandate that every county in England (not just seaport towns) pay ship tax by this date.
  • 1633 – Samuel de Champlain reclaims his role as commander of New France on behalf of Cardinal Richelieu.
  • 1642 – Georgeana, Massachusetts (now known as York, Maine), becomes the first incorporated city in the United States.
  • 1692 – Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba are brought before local magistrates in Salem Village, Massachusetts, beginning what would become known as the Salem witch trials.
  • 1700 – Sweden introduces its own Swedish calendar, in an attempt to gradually merge into the Gregorian calendar, reverts to the Julian calendar on this date in 1712, and introduces the Gregorian calendar on this date in 1753.
  • 1713 – The siege and destruction of Fort Neoheroka begins during the Tuscarora War in North Carolina, effectively opening up the colony’s interior to European colonization.
  • 1781 – The Articles of Confederation goes into effect in the United States.
  • 1790 – The first United States census is authorized.
  • 1793 – French Revolutionary War: Battle of Aldenhoven during the Flanders Campaign.
  • 1796 – The Dutch East India Company is nationalized by the Batavian Republic.
  • 1803 – Ohio becomes the 17th state of The United States.
  • 1805 – Justice Samuel Chase is acquitted at the end of his impeachment trial by the U.S. Senate.
  • 1811 – Leaders of the Mamluk dynasty are killed by Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali.
  • 1815 – Napoleon returns to France from his banishment on Elba.
  • 1815 – Georgetown University’s congressional charter is signed into law by President James Madison.
  • 1836 – A convention of delegates from 57 Texas communities convenes in Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas, to deliberate independence from Mexico.
  • 1845 – United States President John Tyler signs a bill authorizing the United States to annex the Republic of Texas.
  • 1852 – Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton, is appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
  • 1854 – German psychologist Friedrich Eduard Beneke disappears; two years later his remains are found in a canal near Charlottenburg.
  • 1867 – Nebraska becomes the 37th U.S. state; Lancaster, Nebraska is renamed Lincoln and becomes the state capital.
  • 1868 – The Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity is founded at the University of Virginia.
  • 1870 – Marshal F. S. López dies during the Battle of Cerro Corá thus marking the end of the Paraguayan War.
  • 1872 – Yellowstone National Park is established as the world’s first national park.
  • 1873 – E. Remington and Sons in Ilion, New York begins production of the first practical typewriter.
  • 1881 – The first Minnesota State Capitol burns down.
  • 1886 – The Anglo-Chinese School, Singapore is founded by Bishop William Oldham.
  • 1893 – Electrical engineer Nikola Tesla gives the first public demonstration of radio in St. Louis, Missouri.
  • 1896 – Battle of Adwa: An Ethiopian army defeats an outnumbered Italian force, ending the First Italo-Ethiopian War.
  • 1896 – Henri Becquerel discovers radioactive decay.
  • 1901 – The Australian Army is formed.
  • 1910 – The deadliest avalanche in United States history buries a Great Northern Railway train in northeastern King County, Washington, killing 96 people.
  • 1914 – The Republic of China joins the Universal Postal Union.
  • 1917 – The Zimmermann Telegram is reprinted in newspapers across the United States after the U.S. government releases its unencrypted text.
  • 1919 – March 1st Movement begins in Korea under Japanese rule.
  • 1921 – The Australian cricket team captained by Warwick Armstrong becomes the first team to complete a whitewash of The Ashes, something that would not be repeated for 86 years.
  • 1921 – Following mass protests in Petrograd demanding greater freedom in the RSFSR, the Kronstadt rebellion began, with sailors and citizens taking up arms against the Bolsheviks.
  • 1932 – Charles Lindbergh’s son is kidnapped.
  • 1936 – The Hoover Dam is completed.
  • 1939 – An Imperial Japanese Army ammunition dump explodes at Hirakata, Osaka, Japan, killing 94.
  • 1941 – World War II: Bulgaria signs the Tripartite Pact, allying itself with the Axis powers.
  • 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces land on Java, the main island of the Dutch East Indies, at Merak and Banten Bay (Banten), Eretan Wetan (Indramayu) and Kragan (Rembang).
  • 1946 – The Bank of England is nationalised.
  • 1947 – The International Monetary Fund begins financial operations.
  • 1949 – Indonesian Army recaptures and occupies for six hours its capital city Yogyakarta from the Dutch.
  • 1950 – Cold War: Klaus Fuchs is convicted of spying for the Soviet Union by disclosing top secret atomic bomb data.
  • 1953 – Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin suffers a stroke and collapses; he dies four days later.
  • 1954 – Nuclear weapons testing: The Castle Bravo, a 15-megaton hydrogen bomb, is detonated on Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in the worst radioactive contamination ever caused by the United States.
  • 1954 – Armed Puerto Rican nationalists attack the United States Capitol building, injuring five Representatives.
  • 1956 – The International Air Transport Association finalizes a draft of the Radiotelephony spelling alphabet for the International Civil Aviation Organization.
  • 1956 – Formation of the East German Nationale Volksarmee.
  • 1958 – Samuel Alphonsus Stritch is appointed Pro-Prefect of the Propagation of Faith and thus becomes the first U.S. member of the Roman Curia.
  • 1961 – United States President John F. Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps.
  • 1961 – Uganda becomes self-governing and holds its first elections.
  • 1964 – Villarrica Volcano begins a strombolian eruption causing lahars that destroy half of the town of Coñaripe.
  • 1966 – Venera 3 Soviet space probe crashes on Venus becoming the first spacecraft to land on another planet’s surface.
  • 1966 – The Ba’ath Party takes power in Syria.
  • 1971 – President of Pakistan Yahya Khan indefinitely postpones the pending national assembly session, precipitating massive civil disobedience in East Pakistan.
  • 1972 – The Thai province of Yasothon is created after being split off from the Ubon Ratchathani Province.
  • 1973 – Black September storms the Saudi embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, resulting in the assassination of three Western hostages.
  • 1974 – Watergate scandal: Seven are indicted for their role in the Watergate break-in and charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice.
  • 1981 – Provisional Irish Republican Army member Bobby Sands begins his hunger strike in HM Prison Maze.
  • 1983 – First collection of twelve Swatch models was introduced in Zürich, Switzerland.
  • 1990 – Steve Jackson Games is raided by the United States Secret Service, prompting the later formation of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
  • 1991 – Uprisings against Saddam Hussein begin in Iraq, leading to the death of more than 25,000 people mostly civilian.
  • 1992 – Bosnia and Herzegovina declares its independence from Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
  • 1998 – Titanic became the first film to gross over $1 billion worldwide.
  • 2002 – U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda begins in eastern Afghanistan.
  • 2002 – The Envisat environmental satellite successfully launches aboard an Ariane 5 rocket to reach an orbit of 800 km (500 mi) above the Earth, which was the then-largest payload at 10.5 m long and with a diameter of 4.57 m.
  • 2003 – Management of the United States Customs Service and the United States Secret Service move to the United States Department of Homeland Security.
  • 2003 – The International Criminal Court holds its inaugural session in The Hague.
  • 2005 – In Roper v. Simmons, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the execution of juveniles found guilty of murder is unconstitutional.
  • 2006 – English-language Wikipedia reaches its one millionth article, Jordanhill railway station.
  • 2007 – Tornadoes break out across the southern United States, killing at least 20 people, including eight at Enterprise High School.
  • 2008 – The Armenian police clash with peaceful opposition rally protesting against allegedly fraudulent presidential elections, as a result ten people are killed.
  • 2014 – Thirty-five people are killed and 143 injured in a mass stabbing at Kunming Railway Station in China.

Births on March 1

  • 1105 – Alfonso VII, king of León and Castile (d. 1157)
  • 1261 – Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester (d. 1326)
  • 1389 – Antoninus of Florence, Italian archbishop and saint (d. 1459)
  • 1432 – Isabella of Coimbra (d. 1455)
  • 1456 – Vladislaus II of Hungary (d. 1516)
  • 1547 – Rudolph Goclenius, German philosopher and lexicographer (d. 1628)
  • 1554 – William Stafford, English courtier and conspirator (d. 1612)
  • 1577 – Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland (d. 1635)
  • 1597 – Jean-Charles della Faille, Flemish priest and mathematician (d. 1652)
  • 1611 – John Pell, English mathematician and linguist (d. 1685)
  • 1629 – Abraham Teniers, Flemish painter (d. 1670)
  • 1647 – John de Brito, Portuguese Jesuit missionary and martyr (d. 1693)
  • 1657 – Samuel Werenfels, Swiss theologian and author (d. 1740)
  • 1683 – Tsangyang Gyatso, sixth Dalai Lama (d. 1706)
  • 1683 – Caroline of Ansbach, British queen and regent (d. 1737)
  • 1732 – William Cushing, American lawyer and judge (d. 1810)
  • 1760 – François Buzot, French lawyer and politician (d. 1794)
  • 1769 – François Séverin Marceau-Desgraviers, French general (d. 1796)
  • 1807 – Wilford Woodruff, American religious leader, 4th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 1898)
  • 1810 – Frédéric Chopin, Polish pianist and composer (d. 1849)
  • 1812 – Augustus Pugin, English architect, co-designed the Palace of Westminster (d. 1852)
  • 1817 – Giovanni Duprè, Italian sculptor and educator (d. 1882)
  • 1821 – Joseph Hubert Reinkens, German bishop and academic (d. 1896)
  • 1835 – Philip Fysh, English-Australian politician, 12th Premier of Tasmania (d. 1919)
  • 1837 – William Dean Howells, American novelist, playwright, and critic (d. 1920)
  • 1842 – Nikolaos Gyzis, Greek painter and academic (d. 1901)
  • 1848 – Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Irish-American sculptor and academic (d. 1907)
  • 1852 – Théophile Delcassé, French politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1923)
  • 1863 – Alexander Golovin, Russian painter and set designer (d. 1930)
  • 1870 – E. M. Antoniadi, Greek-French astronomer and academic (d. 1944)
  • 1876 – Henri de Baillet-Latour, Belgian businessman (d. 1942)
  • 1880 – Lytton Strachey, British writer and critic (d. 1932)
  • 1886 – Oskar Kokoschka, Austrian-Swiss painter, poet, and playwright (d. 1980)
  • 1888 – Ewart Astill, English cricketer and billiards player (d. 1948)
  • 1888 – Fanny Walden, English cricketer and umpire, international footballer, outside right (d. 1949)
  • 1889 – Tetsuro Watsuji, Japanese historian and philosopher (d. 1960)
  • 1890 – Theresa Bernstein, Polish-American painter and author (d. 2002)
  • 1891 – Ralph Hitz, Austrian-American hotelier (d. 1940)
  • 1892 – Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Japanese author and educator (d. 1927)
  • 1893 – Mercedes de Acosta, American author, poet, and playwright (d. 1968)
  • 1896 – Dimitri Mitropoulos, Greek pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1960)
  • 1896 – Moriz Seeler, German playwright and producer (d. 1942)
  • 1899 – Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, German SS officer (d. 1972)
  • 1904 – Paul Hartman, American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1973)
  • 1904 – Glenn Miller, American trombonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1944)
  • 1905 – Doris Hare, Welsh-English actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2000)
  • 1906 – Phạm Văn Đồng, Vietnamese lieutenant and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Vietnam (d. 2000)
  • 1909 – Eugene Esmonde, English lieutenant and pilot (d. 1942)
  • 1909 – Winston Sharples, American pianist and composer (d. 1978)
  • 1910 – Archer John Porter Martin, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2002)
  • 1910 – David Niven, English soldier and actor (d. 1983)
  • 1912 – Gerald Emmett Carter, Canadian cardinal (d. 2003)
  • 1912 – Boris Chertok, Polish-Russian engineer and academic (d. 2011)
  • 1914 – Harry Caray, American sportscaster (d. 1998)
  • 1914 – Ralph Ellison, American novelist and literary critic (d. 1994)
  • 1917 – Robert Lowell, American poet (d. 1977)
  • 1918 – João Goulart, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 24th President of Brazil (d. 1976)
  • 1918 – Gladys Spellman, American educator and politician (d. 1988)
  • 1920 – Max Bentley, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1984)
  • 1921 – Cameron Argetsinger, American race car driver and lawyer (d. 2008)
  • 1921 – Terence Cooke, American cardinal (d. 1983)
  • 1921 – Richard Wilbur, American poet, translator, and essayist (d. 2017)
  • 1922 – William Gaines, American publisher (d. 1992)
  • 1922 – Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli general and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Israel, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1995)
  • 1924 – Arnold Drake, American author and screenwriter (d. 2007)
  • 1924 – Deke Slayton, American soldier, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1993)
  • 1926 – Robert Clary, French-American actor and author
  • 1926 – Cesare Danova, Italian-American actor (d. 1992)
  • 1926 – Pete Rozelle, American businessman and commissioner of the National Football League (d. 1996)
  • 1926 – Allan Stanley, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1927 – George O. Abell, American astronomer, professor at UCLA, science popularizer, and skeptic (d. 1983)
  • 1927 – Harry Belafonte, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1927 – Robert Bork, American lawyer and scholar, United States Attorney General (d. 2012)
  • 1928 – Jacques Rivette, French director, screenwriter, and critic (d. 2016)
  • 1929 – Georgi Markov, Bulgarian journalist and author (d. 1978)
  • 1930 – Gastone Nencini, Italian cyclist (d. 1980)
  • 1934 – Jean-Michel Folon, Belgian painter and sculptor (d. 2005)
  • 1934 – Joan Hackett, American actress (d. 1983)
  • 1935 – Robert Conrad, American actor, radio host and stuntman (d. 2020)
  • 1936 – Jean-Edern Hallier, French author (d. 1997)
  • 1939 – Leo Brouwer, Cuban guitarist, composer, and conductor
  • 1939 – Mustansar Hussain Tarar, Pakistani author
  • 1940 – Robin Gray, Australian politician, 37th Premier of Tasmania
  • 1940 – Robert Grossman, American painter, sculptor, and author (d. 2018)
  • 1941 – Robert Hass, American poet
  • 1942 – Richard Myers, American general
  • 1943 – Gil Amelio, American businessman
  • 1943 – José Ángel Iribar, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1943 – Rashid Sunyaev, Russian-German astronomer and physicist
  • 1944 – Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Indian politician, 7th Chief Minister of West Bengal
  • 1944 – John Breaux, American lawyer and politician
  • 1944 – Roger Daltrey, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
  • 1944 – Mike d’Abo, English singer
  • 1945 – Dirk Benedict, American actor and director
  • 1946 – Gerry Boulet, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 1990)
  • 1946 – Jim Crace, English author and academic
  • 1947 – Alan Thicke, Canadian-American actor and composer (d. 2016)
  • 1951 – Sergei Kourdakov, Russian-American KGB agent (d. 1973)
  • 1952 – Dave Barr, Canadian golfer
  • 1952 – Nevada Barr, American actress and author
  • 1952 – Leigh Matthews, Australian footballer, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1952 – Jerri Nielsen, American physician and explorer (d. 2009)
  • 1952 – Martin O’Neill, Northern Irish footballer and manager
  • 1953 – Sinan Çetin, Turkish actor, director, and producer
  • 1953 – Carlos Queiroz, Portuguese footballer and manager
  • 1954 – Catherine Bach, American actress
  • 1954 – Ron Howard, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1954 – Rod Reddy, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1956 – Tim Daly, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1956 – Dalia Grybauskaitė, Lithuanian politician, 6th President of Lithuania
  • 1958 – Nik Kershaw, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1958 – Wayne B. Phillips, Australian cricketer and coach
  • 1959 – Nick Griffin, English politician
  • 1961 – Mike Rozier, American football player
  • 1962 – Russell Coutts, New Zealand sailor
  • 1962 – Mark Gardner, American baseball player
  • 1962 – Bill Leen, American bass player and producer
  • 1963 – Bryan Batt, American actor and singer
  • 1963 – Maurice Benard, American actor
  • 1963 – Ron Francis, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
  • 1964 – Clinton Gregory, American singer-songwriter and fiddler
  • 1964 – Paul Le Guen, French footballer and manager
  • 1965 – Booker T, American wrestler and sportscaster
  • 1965 – Stewart Elliott, Canadian jockey
  • 1966 – Paul Hollywood, English chef
  • 1966 – Zack Snyder, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1967 – George Eads, American actor
  • 1967 – Aron Winter, Suriname-Dutch footballer and manager
  • 1969 – Javier Bardem, Spanish actor and producer
  • 1970 – Jason V Brock, American author, filmmaker, artist, scholar and musician
  • 1971 – Thomas Adès, English pianist, composer, and conductor
  • 1971 – Ivan Cleary, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1973 – Jack Davenport, English actor
  • 1973 – Anton Gunn, American academic and politician
  • 1973 – Chris Webber, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1974 – Mark-Paul Gosselaar, American actor
  • 1976 – Travis Kvapil, American race car driver
  • 1977 – Rens Blom, Dutch pole vaulter
  • 1977 – Esther Cañadas, Spanish actress and model
  • 1978 – Jensen Ackles, American actor and director
  • 1979 – Mikkel Kessler, Danish boxer
  • 1979 – Bruno Langlois, Canadian cyclist
  • 1980 – Shahid Afridi, Pakistani cricketer
  • 1980 – Abhay K, Indian poet and diplomat
  • 1980 – Sercan Güvenışık, German-Turkish footballer
  • 1980 – Djimi Traoré, Malian footballer
  • 1981 – Will Power, Australian race car driver
  • 1982 – Juan Manuel Ortiz, Spanish footballer
  • 1983 – Daniel Carvalho, Brazilian footballer
  • 1983 – Lupita Nyong’o, Mexican-Kenyan actress
  • 1983 – Davey Richards, American wrestler
  • 1983 – Anthony Tupou, Australian rugby league player
  • 1984 – Naima Mora, American model and actress
  • 1984 – Alexander Steen, Canadian-Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1985 – Andreas Ottl, German footballer
  • 1986 – Big E, American wrestler
  • 1987 – Kesha, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1988 – Yang Hyeon-jong, South Korean baseball player
  • 1989 – Tenille Tayla, Australian professional wrestler
  • 1989 – Carlos Vela, Mexican footballer
  • 1992 – Tom Walsh, New Zealand athlete
  • 1993 – Nathan Brown, Australian rugby league player
  • 1993 – Michael Conforto, American baseball player
  • 1993 – Kurt Mann, Australian rugby league player
  • 1993 – Josh McEachran, English footballer
  • 1994 – Justin Bieber, Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1994 – Tyreek Hill, American football player
  • 1996 – Lizzie Arnot, Scottish footballer
  • 1999 – Brogan Hay, Scottish footballer

Deaths on March 1

  • 492 – Felix III, pope of the Catholic Church
  • 589 – David, Welsh bishop and saint
  • 965 – Leo VIII, pope of the Catholic Church
  • 977 – Rudesind, Galician bishop (b. 907)
  • 991 – En’yū, Japanese emperor (b. 959)
  • 1058 – Ermesinde of Carcassonne, countess and regent of Barcelona (b. 972)
  • 1131 – Stephen II, king of Hungary and Croatia (b. 1101)
  • 1233 – Thomas, count of Savoy (b. 1178)
  • 1244 – Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr, Welsh noble, son of Llywelyn the Great (b. 1200)
  • 1320 – Ayurbarwada Buyantu Khan, Chinese emperor (b. 1286)
  • 1383 – Amadeus VI, count of Savoy (b. 1334)
  • 1510 – Francisco de Almeida, Portuguese soldier and explorer (b. 1450)
  • 1546 – George Wishart, Scottish minister and martyr (b. 1513)
  • 1620 – Thomas Campion, English poet and composer (b. 1567)
  • 1633 – George Herbert, English poet and orator (b. 1593)
  • 1643 – Girolamo Frescobaldi, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1583)
  • 1661 – Richard Zouch, English judge and politician (b. 1590)
  • 1666 – Ecaterina Cercheza, princess consort of Moldavia (b. 1620)
  • 1697 – Francesco Redi, Italian physician and poet (b. 1626)
  • 1734 – Roger North, English lawyer and author (b. 1653)
  • 1768 – Hermann Samuel Reimarus, German philosopher and author (b. 1694)
  • 1773 – Luigi Vanvitelli, Italian architect, designed the Palace of Caserta (b. 1700)
  • 1792 – Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1747)
  • 1792 – Angelo Emo, Venetian admiral and statesman (b. 1731)1841 – Claude Victor-Perrin, Duc de Belluno, French general and politician, French Minister of Defence (b. 1764)
  • 1862 – Peter Barlow, English mathematician and physicist (b. 1776)
  • 1875 – Tristan Corbière, French poet and educator (b. 1845)
  • 1882 – Theodor Kullak, German pianist, composer, and educator (b. 1818)
  • 1884 – Isaac Todhunter, English mathematician and academic (b. 1820)
  • 1906 – José María de Pereda, Spanish author (b. 1833)
  • 1911 – Jacobus Henricus van ‘t Hoff, Dutch-German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
  • 1914 – Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, English soldier and politician, 8th Governor General of Canada (b. 1845)
  • 1920 – John H. Bankhead, American lawyer and politician (b. 1842)
  • 1922 – Pichichi, Spanish footballer (b. 1892)
  • 1932 – Frank Teschemacher, American Jazz musician (b. 1906)
  • 1936 – Mikhail Kuzmin, Russian author and poet (b. 1871)
  • 1938 – Gabriele D’Annunzio, Italian journalist and politician (b. 1863)
  • 1940 – Anton Hansen Tammsaare, Estonian author (b. 1878)
  • 1942 – George S. Rentz, American commander (b. 1882)
  • 1943 – Alexandre Yersin, Swiss-French physician and bacteriologist (b. 1863)
  • 1952 – Mariano Azuela, Mexican physician and author (b. 1873)
  • 1966 – Fritz Houtermans, Polish-German physicist and academic (b. 1903)
  • 1974 – Bobby Timmons, American pianist and composer (b. 1935)
  • 1976 – Jean Martinon, French conductor and composer (b. 1910)
  • 1978 – Paul Scott, English author, poet, and playwright (b. 1920)
  • 1979 – Mustafa Barzani, Iraqi-Kurdistan politician (b. 1903)
  • 1980 – Wilhelmina Cooper, Dutch-American model and businesswoman, founded Wilhelmina Models (b. 1940)
  • 1980 – Dixie Dean, English footballer (b. 1907)
  • 1983 – Arthur Koestler, Hungarian-English journalist and author (b. 1905)
  • 1984 – Jackie Coogan, American actor (b. 1914)
  • 1988 – Joe Besser, American comedian and actor (b. 1907)
  • 1989 – Vasantdada Patil, Indian politician, 5th Chief Minister of Maharashtra (b. 1917)
  • 1991 – Edwin H. Land, American scientist and businessman, co-founded the Polaroid Corporation (b. 1909)
  • 1995 – César Rodríguez Álvarez, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1920)
  • 1995 – Georges J. F. Köhler, German biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1946)
  • 1998 – Archie Goodwin, American author and illustrator (b. 1937)
  • 2004 – Mian Ghulam Jilani, Pakistani general (b. 1914)
  • 2006 – Peter Osgood, English footballer (b. 1947)
  • 2006 – Jack Wild, English actor (b.1952)
  • 2010 – Kristian Digby, English television host and director (b. 1977)
  • 2012 – Andrew Breitbart, American journalist and publisher (b. 1969)
  • 2012 – Germano Mosconi, Italian journalist (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Bonnie Franklin, American actress, dancer, and singer (b. 1944)
  • 2014 – Alain Resnais, French director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (b. 1922)
  • 2015 – Minnie Miñoso, Cuban-American baseball player and coach (b. 1922)
  • 2018 – María Rubio, Mexican television, film and stage actress (b. 1934)
  • 2019 – Mike Willesee, Australian journalist and producer (b. 1942)

Holidays and observances on March 1

  • Beer Day, marked the end of beer prohibition in 1989 (Iceland)
  • Christian feast day:
    • Agnes Tsao Kou Ying (one of the Martyr Saints of China)
    • Albin
    • David
    • Eudokia of Heliopolis
    • Pope Felix III
    • Leoluca
    • Luperculus
    • Monan
    • Rudesind
    • Suitbert
    • March 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Commemoration of Mustafa Barzani’s Death (Iraqi Kurdistan)
  • Earliest day on which Casimir Pulaski Day can fall, while March 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in March. (Illinois)
  • Earliest day on which Children’s Day can fall, while March 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday in March. (New Zealand)
  • Earliest day on which Grandmother’s Day can fall, while March 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in March. (France)
  • Earliest day on which Laetare Sunday can fall, while April 4 is the latest; celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent. (Western Christianity), and its related observances:
    • Carnaval de la Laetare (Stavelot)
    • Mothering Sunday (United Kingdom)
  • Heroes’ Day (Paraguay)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina from Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992.
  • National “Cursed Soldiers” Remembrance Day (Poland)
  • National Pig Day (United States)
  • Remembrance Day (Marshall Islands)
  • Saint David’s Day or Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant (Wales and Welsh communities)
  • Samiljeol (South Korea)
  • Self-injury Awareness Day
  • Southeastern Europe celebration of the beginning of spring:
    • Baba Marta Day (Bulgaria)
    • Mărțișor (Romania and Moldova)
  • The final day (fourth or fifth) of Ayyám-i-Há (Bahá’í Faith)
  • World Civil Defence Day
  • Yap Day (Yap State)
  • Zero Discrimination Day

March 1 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

On This Day /

February 29, also known as leap day or leap year day, is a date added to most years that are divisible by 4, such as 2016, 2020, and 2024. A leap day is added in various solar calendars (calendars based on the Earth’s revolution around the Sun), including the Gregorian calendar standard in most of the world. Lunisolar calendars (whose months are based on the phases of the Moon) instead add a leap or intercalary month

In the Gregorian calendar, years that are divisible by 100, but not by 400, do not contain a leap day. Thus, 1700, 1800, and 1900 did not contain a leap day; neither will 2100, 2200, and 2300. Conversely, 1600 and 2000 did and 2400 will. Years containing a leap day are called leap years. Years not containing a leap day are called common years. In the Chinese calendar, this day will only occur in years of the monkey, dragon, and rat.

A leap day is observed because the Earth’s period of orbital revolution around the Sun takes approximately six hours longer than 365 whole days. A leap day compensates for this lag, realigning the calendar with the Earth’s position in the Solar System; otherwise, seasons would occur later than intended in the calendar year. The Julian calendar used in Christendom until the 16th century added a leap day every four years; but this rule adds too many days (roughly three every 400 years), making the equinoxes and solstices shift gradually to earlier dates. By the 16th century the vernal equinox had drifted to March 11, so the Gregorian calendar was introduced both to shift it back by omitting several days, and to reduce the number of leap years via the aforementioned century rule to keep the equinoxes more or less fixed and the date of Easter consistently close to the vernal equinox.

Leap days can present a particular problem in computing known as the leap year bug when February 29 is not handled correctly in logic that accepts or manipulates dates. For example, this has happened with ATMs and Microsoft’s cloud system Azure.

Leap years

Although most modern calendar years have 365 days, a complete revolution around the Sun (one solar year) takes approximately 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds (or, for simplicity’s sake, approximately 365 days and 6 hours, or 365.25 days) .An extra 23 hours, 15 minutes, and 4 seconds thus accumulates every four years (again, for simplicity’s sake, approximately an extra 24 hours, or 1 day, every four years), requiring that an extra calendar day be added to align the calendar with the Sun’s apparent position. Without the added day, in future years the seasons would occur later in the calendar, eventually leading to confusion about when to undertake activities dependent on weather, ecology, or hours of daylight.

Solar years are actually slightly shorter than 365 days and 6 hours (365.25 days), which had been known since the 2nd century BC when Hipparchus stated that it lasted 365 + 1/4 − 1/300 days, but this was ignored by Julius Caesar and his astronomical adviser Sosigenes. The Gregorian calendar corrected this by adopting the length of the tropical year stated in three medieval sources, the Alfonsine tables, De Revolutionibus, and the Prutenic Tables, truncated to two sexagesimal places, 365 14/60 33/3600 days or 365 + 1/4 − 3/400 days or 365.2425 days. The length of the tropical year in 2000 was 365.24217 mean solar daysAdding a calendar day every four years, therefore, results in an excess of around 44 minutes every four years, or about 3 days every 400 years. To compensate for this, three days are removed every 400 years. The Gregorian calendar reform implements this adjustment by making an exception to the general rule that there is a leap year every four years. Instead, a year divisible by 100 is not a leap year unless that year is also divisible by 400. This means that the years 1600, 2000, and 2400 are leap years, while the years 1700, 1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300, and 2500 are not leap years.

Modern (Gregorian) calendar

The Gregorian calendar repeats itself every 400 years, which is exactly 20,871 weeks including 97 leap days (146,097 days). Over this period, February 29 falls on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday 13 times; Friday and Saturday 14 times; and Monday and Wednesday 15 times. Except for a century mark that is not a multiple of 400, consecutive leap days fall in order Sunday, Friday, Wednesday, Monday, Saturday, Thursday, Tuesday, and repeats again.

Early Roman calendar

Adding a leap day (after 23 February) shifts the commemorations in the 1962 Roman Missal.

Main article: Roman calendar

The calendar of the Roman king Numa Pompilius had only 355 days (even though it was not a lunar calendar) which meant that it would quickly become unsynchronized with the solar year. An earlier Roman solution to this problem was to lengthen the calendar periodically by adding extra days to February, the last month of the year. February consisted of two parts, each with an odd number of days. The first part ended with the Terminalia on the 23rd, which was considered the end of the religious year, and the five remaining days formed the second part. To keep the calendar year roughly aligned with the solar year, a leap month, called Mensis Intercalaris (“intercalary month”), was added from time to time between these two parts of February. The (usual) second part of February was incorporated in the intercalary month as its last five days, with no change either in their dates or the festivals observed on them. This followed naturally because the days after the Ides (13th) of February (in an ordinary year) or the Ides of Intercalaris (in an intercalary year) both counted down to the Kalends of March (i.e. they were known as “the nth day before the Kalends of March”). The Nones (5th) and Ides of Intercalaris occupied their normal positions.

The third-century writer Censorinus says:

When it was thought necessary to add (every two years) an intercalary month of 22 or 23 days, so that the civil year should correspond to the natural (solar) year, this intercalation was in preference made in February, between Terminalia [23rd]and Regifugium [24th].

Julian reform

Main article: Julian calendar

The set leap day was introduced in Rome as a part of the Julian reform in the 1st century BCE. As before, the intercalation was made after February 23. The day following the Terminalia (February 23) was doubled, forming the “bis sextum“—literally ‘twice sixth’, since February 24 was ‘the sixth day before the Kalends of March’ using Roman inclusive counting (March 1 was the Kalends of March and was also the first day of the calendar year). Inclusive counting initially caused the Roman priests to add the extra day every three years instead of four; Augustus was compelled to omit leap years for a few decades to return the calendar to its proper position. Although there were exceptions, the first day of the bis sextum (February 24) was usually regarded as the intercalated or “bissextile” day since the 3rd century CE. February 29 came to be regarded as the leap day when the Roman system of numbering days was replaced by sequential numbering in the late Middle Ages, although this has only been formally enacted in Sweden and Finland. In Britain, the extra day added to leap years remains notionally the 24th, although the 29th remains more visible on the calendar.

Born on February 29

A person born on February 29 may be called a “leapling”, a “leaper”, or a “leap-year baby”. Some leaplings celebrate their birthday in non-leap years on either February 28 or March 1, while others only observe birthdays on the authentic intercalary date, February 29.

Legal status: The effective legal date of a leapling’s birthday in non-leap years varies between jurisdictions.

In the United Kingdom and its former colony Hong Kong, when a person born on February 29 turns 18, they are considered to have their birthday on March 1 in the relevant year.

In New Zealand, a person born on February 29 is deemed to have their birthday on February 28 in non-leap years, for the purposes of Driver Licensing under §2(2) of the Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Rule 1999. The net result is that for drivers aged 75, or over 80, their driver licence expires at the end of the last day of February, even though their birthday would otherwise fall on the first day in March in non-leap years. Otherwise, New Zealand legislation is silent on when a person born on February 29 has their birthday, although case law would suggest that age is computed based on the number of years elapsed, from the day after the date of birth, and that the person’s birth day then occurs on the last day of the year period. This differs from English common law where a birthday is considered to be the start of the next year, the preceding year ending at midnight on the day preceding the birthday. While a person attains the same age on the same day, it also means that, in New Zealand, if something must be done by the time a person attains a certain age, that thing can be done on the birthday that they attain that age and still be lawful.

In Taiwan, the legal birthday of a leapling is February 28 in common years:

If a period fixed by weeks, months, and years does not commence from the beginning of a week, month, or year, it ends with the ending of the day which proceeds the day of the last week, month, or year which corresponds to that on which it began to commence. But if there is no corresponding day in the last month, the period ends with the ending of the last day of the last month.

Thus, in England and Wales or in Hong Kong, a person born on February 29 will have legally reached 18 years old on March 1. If they were born in Taiwan they legally become 18 on February 28, a day earlier.

In the United States, according to John Reitz, a professor of law at the University of Iowa, there is no “… statute or general rule that has anything to do with leap day.” Reitz speculates that “March 1 would likely be considered the legal birthday in non-leap years of someone born on leap day,”using the same reasoning as described for the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. However, for the purposes of Social Security, a person attains the next age the day before the anniversary of birth. Therefore, Social Security would recognize February 28 as the change in age for leap year births, not March 1

In fiction

There are many instances in children’s literature where a person’s claim to be only a quarter of their actual age turns out to be based on counting only their leap-year birthdays.

A similar device is used in the plot of Gilbert and Sullivan’s 1879 comic opera The Pirates of Penzance: as a child, Frederic was apprenticed to a band of pirates until his 21st birthday. Having passed his 21st year, he leaves the pirate band and falls in love. However, since he was born on February 29, his 21st birthday will not arrive until he is eighty-eight (since 1900 was not a leap year), so he must leave his fiancée and return to the pirates.

Since 1967, February 29 has been the official birthday of Superman, but not Clark Kent.

February 29 in History

  • 1504 – Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Jamaican natives to provide him with supplies.
  • 1644 – Abel Tasman’s second Pacific voyage begins.
  • 1704 – Queen Anne’s War: French forces and Native Americans stage a raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, killing 56 villagers and taking more than 100 captive.
  • 1712 – February 29 is followed by February 30 in Sweden, in a move to abolish the Swedish calendar for a return to the Julian calendar.
  • 1720 – Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden abdicates in favour of her husband, who becomes King Frederick I on March 24.
  • 1752 – King Alaungpaya founds Konbaung Dynasty, the last dynasty of Burmese monarchy.
  • 1768 – Polish nobles form the Bar Confederation.
  • 1796 – The Jay Treaty between the United States and Great Britain comes into force, facilitating ten years of peaceful trade between the two nations.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: Kilpatrick–Dahlgren Raid fails: Plans to free 15,000 Union soldiers being held near Richmond, Virginia are thwarted.
  • 1892 – St. Petersburg, Florida is incorporated.
  • 1912 – The Piedra Movediza (Moving Stone) of Tandil falls and breaks.
  • 1916 – Tokelau is annexed by the United Kingdom.
  • 1916 – Child labor: In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill, and mine workers is raised from 12 to 14 years old.
  • 1920 – Czechoslovak National Assembly adopts the Constitution.
  • 1936 – February 26 Incident in Tokyo ends.
  • 1940 – 12th Academy Awards: For her performance as “Mammy” in Gone with the Wind, Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award.
  • 1940 – Finland initiates Winter War peace negotiations.
  • 1940 – In a ceremony held in Berkeley, California, physicist Ernest Lawrence receives the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics from Sweden’s Consul General in San Francisco.
  • 1944 – World War II: The Admiralty Islands are invaded in Operation Brewer led by American General Douglas MacArthur.
  • 1960 – The 5.7 Mw  Agadir earthquake shakes coastal Morocco with a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme), destroying Agadir, and leaving 12,000 dead and another 12,000 injured.
  • 1972 – Vietnam War: Vietnamization: South Korea withdraws 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from Vietnam.
  • 1980 – Gordie Howe of the Hartford Whalers makes NHL history as he scores his 800th goal.
  • 1984 – Pierre Trudeau announces his retirement as Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister of Canada.
  • 1988 – South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is arrested along with one hundred other clergymen during a five-day anti-apartheid demonstration in Cape Town.
  • 1988 – Svend Robinson becomes the first member of the House of Commons of Canada to come out as gay.
  • 1992 – First day of Bosnia and Herzegovina independence referendum.
  • 1996 – Faucett Flight 251 crashes in the Andes; all 123 passengers and crew die.
  • 1996 – Siege of Sarajevo officially ends.
  • 2000 – Second Chechen War: Eighty-four Russian paratroopers are killed in a rebel attack on a guard post near Ulus Kert.
  • 2004 – Jean-Bertrand Aristide is removed as President of Haiti following a coup.
  • 2008 – The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence decides to withdraw Prince Harry from a tour of Afghanistan “immediately” after a leak leads to his deployment being reported by foreign media.
  • 2008 – Misha Defonseca admits to fabricating her memoir, Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years, in which she claims to have lived with a pack of wolves in the woods during the Holocaust.
  • 2012 – Tokyo Skytree construction is completed. It is the tallest tower in the world, 634 meters high, and the second-tallest artificial structure on Earth, next to Burj Khalifa.

Births on February 29

  • 1468 – Pope Paul III (d. 1549)
  • 1528 – Albert V, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1579)
  • 1528 – Domingo Báñez, Spanish theologian (d. 1604)
  • 1572 – Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon (d. 1638)
  • 1576 – Antonio Neri, Florentine priest and glassmaker (d. 1614)
  • 1640 – Benjamin Keach, Particular Baptist preacher and author whose name was given to Keach’s Catechism (d. 1704)
  • 1692 – John Byrom, English poet and educator (d. 1763)
  • 1724 – Eva Marie Veigel, Austrian-English dancer (d. 1822)
  • 1736 – Ann Lee, English-American religious leader, founded the Shakers (d. 1784)
  • 1792 – Gioachino Rossini, Italian composer (d. 1868)
  • 1812 – James Milne Wilson, Scottish-Australian soldier and politician, 8th Premier of Tasmania (d. February 29, 1880)
  • 1828 – Emmeline B. Wells, American journalist, poet, and activist (d. 1921)
  • 1836 – Dickey Pearce, American baseball player and manager (d. 1908)
  • 1852 – Frank Gavan Duffy, Irish-Australian lawyer and judge, 4th Chief Justice of Australia (d. 1936)
  • 1860 – Herman Hollerith, American statistician and businessman, co-founded the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (d. 1929)
  • 1876 – William Stewart, Scottish footballer
  • 1884 – Richard S. Aldrich, American lawyer and politician (d. 1941)
  • 1892 – Augusta Savage, American sculptor (d. 1962)
  • 1896 – Morarji Desai, Indian civil servant and politician, 4th Prime Minister of India (d. 1995)
  • 1896 – William A. Wellman, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1975)
  • 1904 – Jimmy Dorsey, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1957)
  • 1904 – Pepper Martin, American baseball player and manager (d. 1965)
  • 1908 – Balthus, French-Swiss painter and illustrator (d. 2001)
  • 1908 – Dee Brown, American historian and author (d. 2002)
  • 1908 – Alf Gover, English cricketer and coach (d. 2001)
  • 1908 – Louie Myfanwy Thomas, Welsh writer (d. 1968)
  • 1916 – Dinah Shore, American singer and actress (d. 1994)
  • 1916 – James B. Donovan, American lawyer (d. 1970)
  • 1916 – Leonard Shoen, founder of U-Haul Corp. (d. 1999)
  • 1920 – Fyodor Abramov, Russian author and critic (d. 1983)
  • 1920 – Arthur Franz, American actor (d. 2006)
  • 1920 – James Mitchell, American actor and dancer (d. 2010)
  • 1920 – Michèle Morgan, French-American actress and singer (d. 2016)
  • 1920 – Howard Nemerov, American poet and academic (d. 1991)
  • 1920 – Rolland W. Redlin, American lawyer and politician (d. 2011)
  • 1924 – David Beattie, New Zealand judge and politician, 14th Governor-General of New Zealand (d. 2001)
  • 1924 – Carlos Humberto Romero, Salvadoran politician, President of El Salvador (d. 2017)
  • 1924 – Al Rosen, American baseball player and manager (d. 2015)
  • 1928 – Joss Ackland, English actor
  • 1928 – Jean Adamson, British writer and illustrator
  • 1928 – Vance Haynes, American archaeologist, geologist, and author
  • 1928 – Seymour Papert, South African mathematician and computer scientist, co-created the Logo programming language (d. 2016)
  • 1932 – Gene H. Golub, American mathematician and academic (d. 2007)
  • 1932 – Masten Gregory, American race car driver (d. 1985)
  • 1932 – Reri Grist, American soprano and actress
  • 1932 – Jaguar, Brazilian cartoonist
  • 1932 – Gavin Stevens, Australian cricketer
  • 1936 – Jack Lousma, American colonel, astronaut, and politician
  • 1936 – Henri Richard, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2020)
  • 1936 – Alex Rocco, American actor (d. 2015)
  • 1936 – Nh. Dini, Indonesian writer (d. 2018)
  • 1940 – Sonja Barend, Dutch talk show host
  • 1940 – Bartholomew I of Constantinople
  • 1940 – William H. Turner, Jr., American horse trainer
  • 1944 – Ene Ergma, Estonian physicist and politician
  • 1944 – Dennis Farina, American police officer and actor (d. 2013)
  • 1944 – Nicholas Frayling, English priest and academic
  • 1944 – Phyllis Frelich, American actress (d. 2014)
  • 1944 – Steve Mingori, American baseball player (d. 2008)
  • 1944 – Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri, Italian author and illustrator
  • 1944 – Lennart Svedberg, Swedish ice hockey player (d. 1972).
  • 1948 – Hermione Lee, English author, critic, and academic
  • 1948 – Manoel Maria, Brazilian footballer
  • 1948 – Patricia A. McKillip, American author
  • 1948 – Henry Small, American-born Canadian singer
  • 1952 – Sharon Dahlonega Raiford Bush, American journalist and producer
  • 1952 – Tim Powers, American author and educator
  • 1952 – Raisa Smetanina, Russian cross-country skier
  • 1952 – Bart Stupak, American police officer and politician
  • 1956 – Jonathan Coleman, English-Australian radio and television host
  • 1956 – Bob Speller, Canadian businessman and politician, 30th Canadian Minister of Agriculture
  • 1956 – Aileen Wuornos, American serial killer (d. 2002)
  • 1960 – Lucian Grainge, English businessman
  • 1960 – Khaled, Algerian singer-songwriter
  • 1960 – Richard Ramirez, American serial killer (d. 2013)
  • 1964 – Dave Brailsford, English cyclist and coach
  • 1964 – Lyndon Byers, Canadian ice hockey player and radio host
  • 1964 – Mervyn Warren, American tenor, composer, and producer
  • 1968 – Chucky Brown, American basketball player and coach
  • 1968 – Pete Fenson, American curler and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Naoko Iijima, Japanese actress and model
  • 1968 – Bryce Paup, American football player and coach
  • 1968 – Howard Tayler, American author and illustrator
  • 1968 – Eugene Volokh, Ukrainian-American lawyer and educator
  • 1968 – Frank Woodley, Australian actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1972 – Mike Pollitt, English footballer and coach
  • 1972 – Sylvie Lubamba, Italian showgirl
  • 1972 – Antonio Sabàto, Jr., Italian-American model and actor
  • 1972 – Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain
  • 1972 – Dave Williams, American singer (d. 2002)
  • 1972 – Saul Williams, American singer-songwriter
  • 1972 – Pedro Zamora, Cuban-American activist and educator (d. 1994)
  • 1976 – Vonteego Cummings, American basketball player
  • 1976 – Gehad Grisha, Egyptian soccer referee
  • 1976 – Katalin Kovács, Hungarian sprint kayaker
  • 1976 – Terrence Long, American baseball player
  • 1976 – Ja Rule, American rapper and actor
  • 1980 – Çağdaş Atan, Turkish footballer and coach
  • 1980 – Chris Conley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1980 – Patrick Côté, Canadian mixed martial artist
  • 1980 – Simon Gagné, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1980 – Rubén Plaza, Spanish cyclist
  • 1980 – Peter Scanavino, American actor
  • 1980 – Clinton Toopi, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1980 – Taylor Twellman, American soccer player and sportscaster
  • 1984 – Rica Imai, Japanese model and actress
  • 1984 – Cullen Jones, American swimmer
  • 1984 – Nuria Martínez, Spanish basketball player
  • 1984 – Adam Sinclair, Indian field hockey player
  • 1984 – Rakhee Thakrar, English actress
  • 1984 – Dennis Walger, German rugby player
  • 1984 – Cam Ward, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1984 – Mark Foster, American singer, songwriter and musician
  • 1988 – Lena Gercke, German model and television host
  • 1988 – Benedikt Höwedes, German footballer
  • 1988 – Brent Macaffer, Australian Rules footballer
  • 1988 – Bobby Sanguinetti, American ice hockey player
  • 1988 – Milan Melindo, Filipino boxer
  • 1992 – Sean Abbott, Australian cricketer
  • 1992 – Ben Hampton, Australian rugby league player
  • 1992 – Eric Kendricks, American football player
  • 1992 – Caitlin EJ Meyer, American actress
  • 1996 – Nelson Asofa-Solomona, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1996 – Reece Prescod, British sprinter
  • 1996 – Claudia Williams, New Zealand tennis player
  • 2000 – Ferran Torres, Spanish footballer

Deaths on February 29

  • 468 – Pope Hilarius
  • 992 – Oswald of Worcester, Anglo-Saxon archbishop and saint (b. 925)
  • 1212 – Hōnen, Japanese monk, founded Jōdo-shū (b. 1133)
  • 1460 – Albert III, Duke of Bavaria-Munich (b. 1401)
  • 1528 – Patrick Hamilton, Scottish Protestant reformer and martyr (b. 1504)
  • 1592 – Alessandro Striggio, Italian composer and diplomat (b. 1540)
  • 1600 – Caspar Hennenberger, German pastor, historian and cartographer (b. 1529)
  • 1604 – John Whitgift, English archbishop and academic (b. 1530)
  • 1740 – Pietro Ottoboni, Italian cardinal (b. 1667)
  • 1744 – John Theophilus Desaguliers, French-English physicist and philosopher (b. 1683)
  • 1792 – Johann Andreas Stein, German piano builder (b. 1728)
  • 1820 – Johann Joachim Eschenburg, German historian and critic (b. 1743)
  • 1848 – Louis-François Lejeune, French general, painter and lithographer (b. 1775)
  • 1852 – Matsudaira Katataka, Japanese daimyō (b. 1806)
  • 1868 – Ludwig I of Bavaria (b. 1786)
  • 1880 – James Milne Wilson, Scottish-Australian soldier and politician, 8th Premier of Tasmania (b. February 29, 1812)
  • 1908
    • Pat Garrett, American sheriff (b. 1850)
    • John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow, Scottish-Australian politician, 1st Governor-General of Australia (b. 1860)
  • 1920 – Ernie Courtney, American baseball player (b. 1875)
  • 1928
    • Adolphe Appia, Swiss architect and theorist (b. 1862)
    • Ina Coolbrith, American poet and librarian (b. 1841)
  • 1940 – E. F. Benson, English archaeologist and author (b. 1867)
  • 1944 – Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, Finnish lawyer, judge and politician, 3rd President of Finland (b. 1861)
  • 1948
    • Robert Barrington-Ward, English lawyer and journalist (b. 1891)
    • Rebel Oakes, American baseball player and manager (b. 1883)
  • 1952 – Quo Tai-chi, Chinese politician and diplomat, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations (b. 1888)
  • 1956 – Elpidio Quirino, Filipino lawyer and politician, 6th President of the Philippines (b. 1890)
  • 1960
    • Melvin Purvis, American police officer and FBI agent (b. 1903)
    • Walter Yust, American journalist and author (b. 1894)
  • 1964 – Frank Albertson, American actor and singer (b. 1909)
  • 1968
    • Lena Blackburne, American baseball player, coach and manager (b. 1886)
    • Tore Ørjasæter, Norwegian poet and educator (b. 1886)
  • 1972 – Tom Davies, American football player and coach (b. 1896)
  • 1976 – Florence P. Dwyer, American politician (b. 1902)
  • 1980
    • Yigal Allon, Israeli general and politician, Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1918)
    • Gil Elvgren, American painter and illustrator (b. 1914)
  • 1984 – Ludwik Starski, Polish screenwriter and songwriter (b. 1903)
  • 1988 – Sidney Harmon, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1907)
  • 1992 – Ruth Pitter, English poet and author (b. 1897)
  • 1996
    • Wes Farrell, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1939)
    • Ralph Rowe, American baseball player, coach and manager (b. 1924)
  • 2000 – Dennis Danell, American guitarist (b. 1961)
  • 2004
    • Kagamisato Kiyoji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 42nd Yokozuna (b. 1923)
    • Jerome Lawrence, American playwright and author (b. 1915)
    • Harold Bernard St. John, Barbadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Barbados (b. 1931)
    • Lorrie Wilmot, South African cricketer (b. 1943)
  • 2008
    • Janet Kagan, American author (b. 1946)
    • Erik Ortvad, Danish painter and illustrator (b. 1917)
    • Akira Yamada, Japanese scholar and philosopher (b. 1922)
  • 2012
    • Roland Bautista, American guitarist (b. 1951)
    • Davy Jones, English singer, guitarist and actor (b. 1945)
    • Sheldon Moldoff, American illustrator (b. 1920)
    • P. K. Narayana Panicker, Indian social leader (b. 1930)
  • 2016
    • Wenn V. Deramas, Filipino director and screenwriter (b. 1966)
    • Gil Hill, American police officer, actor and politician (b. 1931)
    • Josefin Nilsson, Swedish singer (b. 1969)
    • Louise Rennison, English author (b. 1951)
    • Mumtaz Qadri, Pakistani assassin (b. 1985)

Holidays and observances on February 29

  • As a Christian feast day:
    • Auguste Chapdelaine (one of the Martyr Saints of China)
    • Oswald of Worcester (in leap year only)
    • Saint John Cassian
    • February 29 in the Orthodox church
  • The fourth day of Ayyám-i-Há (Bahá’í Faith) (observed on this date only if Bahá’í Naw-Rúz falls on March 21)
  • Rare Disease Day (in leap years; celebrated in common years on February 28)
  • Bachelor’s Day (Ireland, United Kingdom)

Folk traditions

There is a popular tradition known as Bachelor’s Day in some countries allowing a woman to propose marriage to a man on February 29If the man refuses, he then is obliged to give the woman money or buy her a dress. In upper-class societies in Europe, if the man refuses marriage, he then must purchase 12 pairs of gloves for the woman, suggesting that the gloves are to hide the woman’s embarrassment of not having an engagement ring. In Ireland, the tradition is supposed to originate from a deal that Saint Bridget struck with Saint Patrick.

In the town of Aurora, Illinois, single women are deputized and may arrest single men, subject to a four-dollar fine, every February 29.

In Greece, it is considered unlucky to marry on a leap day.

February 29 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

February 28 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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

Births on February 28

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

Deaths on February 28

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

Holidays and observances on February 28

  • Christian feast day:
    • Abercius (martyr)
    • Anna Julia Cooper and Elizabeth Evelyn Wright (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Hilarius
    • Mar Abba
    • Oswald of Worcester
    • Romanus of Condat
    • Rufinus
    • February 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Rare Disease Day can fall, while February 29 is the latest; observed on the last day of February (international)
  • The third day of Ayyám-i-Há (Bahá’í Faith) (Please note that this observance is only locked into this date the Gregorian calendar on this date if Bahá’í Naw-Rúz takes place on March 21, which it doesn’t in all years)
  • Día de Andalucía (Andalusia, Spain)
  • Kalevala Day, the day of Finnish culture. (Finland)
  • National Science Day (India)
  • Peace Memorial Day (Taiwan)
  • Teachers’ Day (Arab states)

February 28 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day

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

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

Births on February 27

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

Deaths on February 27

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

Holidays and observances on February 27

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

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

On This Day, Uncategorized

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

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

Births on February 26

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

Deaths on February 26

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

Holidays and observances on February 26

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

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

On This Day

February 25 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

On This Day /
  • 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor
  • 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II
  • 1336 – Four thousand defenders of Pilenai commit mass suicide rather than be taken captive by the Teutonic Knights.
  • 1797 – Colonel William Tate and his force of 1000–1500 soldiers surrender after the Last invasion of Britain.
  • 1831 – Battle of Olszynka Grochowska, part of Polish November Uprising against Russian Empire.
  • 1836 – Samuel Colt is granted a United States patent for the Colt revolver.
  • 1843 – Lord George Paulet occupies the Kingdom of Hawaii in the name of Great Britain in the Paulet Affair (1843).
  • 1848 – Provisional government in revolutionary France, by Louis Blanc’s motion, guarantees workers’ rights.
  • 1856 – A Peace conference opens in Paris after the Crimean War.
  • 1866 – Miners in Calaveras County, California, discover what is now called the Calaveras Skull – human remains that supposedly indicated that man, mastodons, and elephants had co-existed.
  • 1870 – Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, is sworn into the United States Senate, becoming the first African American ever to sit in the U.S. Congress.
  • 1875 – Guangxu Emperor of Qing dynasty China begins his reign, under Empress Dowager Cixi’s regency.
  • 1901 – J. P. Morgan incorporates the United States Steel Corporation.
  • 1912 – Marie-Adélaïde, the eldest of six daughters of Guillaume IV, becomes the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
  • 1916 – World War I: The Germans capture Fort Douaumont during the Battle of Verdun.
  • 1918 – German occupation of Estonia during World War I: Pernau, Reval, and Pskov are captured.
  • 1919 – Oregon places a one cent per U.S. gallon tax on gasoline, becoming the first U.S. state to levy a gasoline tax.
  • 1921 – Tbilisi, capital of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, is occupied by Bolshevist Russia.
  • 1928 – Charles Jenkins Laboratories of Washington, D.C. becomes the first holder of a broadcast license for television from the Federal Radio Commission.
  • 1932 – Adolf Hitler obtains German citizenship by naturalization, which allows him to run in the 1932 election for Reichspräsident.
  • 1933 – The USS Ranger is launched. It is the first US Navy ship to be designed from the start of construction as an aircraft carrier.
  • 1939 – The first of 2​1⁄2 million Anderson air raid shelters appeared in North London.
  • 1941 – February strike: In the occupied Amsterdam, a general strike is declared in response to increasing anti-Jewish measures instituted by the Nazis.
  • 1947 – The formal abolition of Prussia is proclaimed by the Allied Control Council. The Prussian government had already been abolished by the Preußenschlag of 1932.
  • 1948 – Cold War: The Communist Party takes control of government in Czechoslovakia and the period of the Third Republic ends.
  • 1951 – The first Pan American Games were officially opened in Buenos Aires, Argentina by President Juan Perón.
  • 1954 – Gamal Abdel Nasser is made premier of Egypt.
  • 1956 – Cold War: In his speech On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences, Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union denounces the cult of personality of Joseph Stalin.
  • 1964 – North Korean Prime Minister Kim Il-sung calls for the removal of feudalistic land ownership aimed at turning all cooperative farms into state-run ones.
  • 1968 – Vietnam War: One hundred thirty-five unarmed citizens of Hà My village in South Vietnam’s Qu?ng Nam Province are killed and buried en masse by South Korean troops in what would come to be known as the Hà My massacre.
  • 1980 – The government of Suriname is overthrown by a military coup led by Dési Bouterse.
  • 1986 – People Power Revolution: President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the Philippines’ first woman president.
  • 1987 – Southern Methodist University’s football program is the first college football program to be banned from competition by the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions.
  • 1991 – Gulf War: An Iraqi scud missile hits an American military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia killing 28 U.S. Army Reservists from Pennsylvania.
  • 1991 – Cold War: The Warsaw Pact is abolished.
  • 1992 – Khojaly massacre: About 613 civilians are killed by Armenian armed forces during the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
  • 1994 – Mosque of Abraham massacre: In the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron, Baruch Goldstein opens fire with an automatic rifle, killing 29 Palestinian worshippers and injuring 125 more before being subdued and beaten to death by survivors.
  • 1997 – Yi Han-yong, a North Korean defector, was murdered by unidentified assailants in Bundang, South Korea.
  • 2009 – Soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles mutiny at their headquarters in Pilkhana, Dhaka, Bangladesh, resulting in 74 deaths, including 57 army officials.
  • 2009 – Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 crashed during landing at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Netherlands, primarily due to a faulty radio altimeter, resulting in the death of nine passengers and crew including all three pilots.
  • 2015 – At least 310 people are killed in avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan.
  • 2016 – Three people are killed and fourteen others injured in a series of shootings in the small Kansas cities of Newton and Hesston.

Births on February 25

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

Deaths on February 25

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

Holidays and observance on February 25

Christian feast day

Further information: February 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Æthelberht of Kent
  • Blessed Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervás
  • Gerland of Agrigento
  • John Roberts, writer and missionary
  • Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani
  • Saint Walpurga (she was canonised on 1 May and Walpurgis Night is celebrated 30 April)

February 25 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day