February 26

Dr. Muhammad Ahsan Farooqi ڈاکٹر محمد احسن فاروقی

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اردو کے نامور نقاد اور افسانہ، ناول نگار ڈاکٹر محمد احسن فاروقی 22 نومبر 1913ء کو قیصر باغ لکھنؤ میں پیدا ہوئے تھے۔ وہ لکھنؤ یونیورسٹی کے فارغ التحصیل تھے اور انہوں نے ’’رومانوی شاعروں پر ملٹن کے اثرات‘‘ کے موضوع پر پی ایچ ڈی کیا تھا۔
قیام پاکستان کے بعد وہ کراچی یونیورسٹی، سندھ یونیورسٹی اور بلوچستان یونیورسٹی کے شعبہ انگریزی سے وابستہ رہے۔ وہ اردو کے صف اول کے ناقدین میں شمار ہوتے ہیں، ان کی تنقیدی کتب میں اردو ناول کی تنقیدی تاریخ، ناول کیا ہے، ادبی تخلیق اور ناول، میر انیس اور مرثیہ نگاری اور تاریخ انگریزی ادب کے نام سرفہرست ہیں۔
ان کے ناولوں میں شام اودھ، آبلہ دل کا، سنگ گراں اور سنگم شامل ہیں جبکہ افسانوں کا مجموعہ رہ رسم آشنائی کے نام سے اشاعت پذیر ہوا۔

26 فروری 1978ء کو ڈاکٹر محمد احسن فاروقی کوئٹہ میں وفات پاگئے۔وہ کراچی میں خراسان باغ کے قبرستان میں آسودۂ خاک ہیں۔

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غالب کی ظرافت

ڈاکٹر احسن فاروقی کے ایک یادگار مضمون سے اقتباسات

“حیوانِ ظریف” اردو تنقید نگاری کا سب سے اہم الہامی فقرہ ہے ، کیونکہ اس کے ذریعہ حالی ؔ کی تنقیدی نظر ہمیں غالبؔ کی فطرت کے راز سے اس طرح آگاہ کرتی ہے جیسا کہ اردو کا کوئی تنقیدی فقرہ اب تک ہمیں کسی شاعر یا دیب کی فطرت سے آگاہ نہ کر سکا۔
غالب کو نہ معلوم کیا کیا کہا گیا ہے مگر سب غلط ، وہ حیوانِ ظریف کے سوا اور کچھ ہیں ہی نہیں ۔ان کو مفکر ، المیہ نگار ، غزل خواں ، مدح سرا ، تنقید نگار اور نہ معلوم کیا کچھ نہیں ثابت کیا گیا ہے ۔ وہ یہ سب ہیں مگر یہ سب باتیں ان کی ظریف حیوانیت کا حصہ ہیں ۔ وہ مکمل حیوان ِ ظریف ہیں ۔ جو اپنی ظرافت میں تمام کائنات کو ہی نہیں بلکہ ہر قسم کے جذباتی تاثرات کو لے لیتے ہیں۔
یوں تو دنیا میں لاکھوں قسم کے ظریف ہوئے مگر مکمل حیوانِ ظریف اگر ادب میں کوئی اور ہوا تو وہ ولیم شیکسپیئر تھا ۔ یہ دو ہی اور تیسرا شاید گوئٹے مکمل حیوانِ ظریف ہوئے ۔
مکمل حیوانِ ظریف کیا ہوتا ہے ۔؟ اس کا اندازہ لگانے کیلئے شیکسپیئر سے شروع کیجئے ۔
شیکسپیئر کی سب سے عظیم تصنیف جو تمام یورپ کی بھی عظیم ترین تصنیف ہے وہ “کنگ لیئر” ہے ۔ اس تصنیف میں المیہ نگاری اپنے کمال پر پہنچتی ہے ، مگر لیئر کا المیہ کچھ نہیں رہ جاتا ۔ اگر اس میں سے اس کے فول کے مزاح کو نکال لیجئے ۔ کلاسیکی نقاد اٹھارویں صدی تک شیکسپیئر کو طربیہ نگار ہی مانتے رہے اور اس کی المیہ نگاری سے انکار ہی کرتے رہے ۔ ظاہر ہے شیکسپیئر یونانی المیہ نگاروں کی سی فطرت ہر گز نہیں رکھتا تھا ۔ مگر وہ یونانی طربیہ نگاروں کی طرح کا بھی نہیں تھا ۔ وہ نشاط الثانیہ کی روح تھا جو بنیادی طور ظریف تھی ۔ مگر جس کی ظرفت کے دائرے میں ہر قسم کے تاثرات آ جاتے تھے ۔ لیئر کی تکالیف کے ساتھ آسمان و زمین متزلزل ہیں ۔ مگر اس حد سے زیادہ تاریک عالم میں فول ہر جگہ اور ہر وقت اپنی مزاح کی پھلجڑیاں ہی چھوڑ رہا ہے ۔ اس ڈرامے کا مصنف کیا ہے۔؟ حیوانِ ظریف ، مکمل حیوانِ ظریف اور کچھ نہیں ۔

غالب کی ہستی بھی یہی کچھ کرتی نظر آتی ہے ۔ یورپ کے اور ہمارے ادب کے بنیادی فرق کاخیال رکھ کر دیکھئے ۔ یورپ کا ادب زیادہ تر خارجی ، ہمارا ادب زیادہ تر داخلی ۔ شیکسپیئر بھی سامنے آئینہ رکھتا ہے ، غالب خود اپنے سامنے آئینہ رکھتا ہے ۔ غالب کی فطرت میں بھی لیئر اور اس کا فول ساتھ ساتھ چل رہے ہیں ۔ اگر ایک کو الگ کر دیا جائے تو دوسرا بے معنی ہو جاتا ہے ۔
غالب کی زندگی کنگ لیئر کا سا المیہ ہے ، مگر المیہ کے ہر اہم جزو یا موقع پر حیوانِ ظریف کی فطرت بھی چمکتی نظر آتی ہے ۔
وبا ضرور ایک المیہ ہے ، اس کے المناک مناظر غالب کے سامنے ضرور ہوں گے ۔ مگر اس کے بابت وہ کیا لکھتے ہیں ۔
“وبا تھی کہاں جو میں لکھوں کہ اب کم ہے یا زیادہ ۔ ایک چھیاسٹھ برس کا مرد اور ایک چونسٹھ برس کی عورت ۔ ان دونوں میں سے کوئی بھی مرتا تو ہم جانتے کہ وبا تھی ۔ تف بریں وبا”

امراؤ سنگھ کی دوسری بیوی کا انتقال ضرور المناک تھا ۔مگر غالب اس پر لکھتے ہیں۔
“امراؤ سنگھ کے حال پر اس واسطے مجھ کو رحم اور اپنے واسطے رشک آیا ۔ اللہ اللہ ایک وہ ہیں کہ دو بار ان کی بیڑیاں کٹ چکی ہیں اورایک ہم ہیں کہ ایک اوپر پچاس برس سے جو پھانسی کا پھندا گلے میں پڑا ہے ، نہ ہی پھندا ٹوٹتا ہے نہ دم نکلتا ہے ۔”

غدر سے بڑا المیہ شاید ہی کوئی اور غالب کے سامنے گزرا ہو ۔ اس کے درمیان غالب بھی لیئر کی طرح ہیتھ پر پھٹے کپڑے شکستہ حال کھڑے ہیں اور آسمان سے تاریکی میں ، بجلی تڑپ تڑپ کر پیڑوں کو جلا کر خاک کر رہی ہے مگر ان کی فطرت میں چھپا ہوا فول اپنی اڑانے سے نہیں چوکتا ۔ غالب کے غدر کے زمانے والے مکاتیب کو “غدر کے واقعہ ہائلہ کی مرثیہ خوانی ” کہا گیا ہے ، مگر دیکھئے اس مرثیہ خوانی میں کتنی مزاح نگاری ہے ۔
“میاں حقیقت حال اس سے زیادہ نہیں ہے کہ اب تک جیتا ہوں ۔ بھاگ نہیں گیا ۔ نکالا نہیں گیا ۔ معرض باز پرس میں نہیں آیا ۔ آئندہ دیکھئے کیا ہوتا ہے ۔”

غالب ایک حد تک اس المیہ سے بچے ہوئے اس کا منظر ہی دیکھ رہے ہیں مگر اس کی زد میں بھی آ جاتے ہیں اور سکے لکھنے کے الزام میں “پنشن بھی گیا اور ریست کا نام و نشان خلعت و دربار بھی مٹا ۔”
مگر اس عالم میں آ کر ان کے خطوط میں مزاح کا رنگ اور بھی تیز ہو گیا ۔ لکھتے ہیں ۔
” میں نے سکہ نہیں کہا ، اگر کہا تو اپنی جان اور حرمت بچانے کو کہا ۔ یہ گناہ نہیں ہے ۔ اور اگر گناہ بھی ہے تو کیا ایسا سنگین ہے کہ ملکہ معظمہ کا اشتہار بھی اسے مٹا نہ سکے ۔ سبحان اللہ ! گولہ انداز کا بارود بنانا اور توپیں لگانا اور بینک گھر اور میگزین لوٹنا معاف ہو جائے گا اور شاعر کے دو مصرعے معاف نہ ہوں ۔ ہاں صاحب گولہ انداز کا بہنوئی مددگار ہے اور شاعر کا سالا بھی جانبدار نہیں ۔”

دلی کے مکانوں کو ڈھایا جانا وہ دردناک طریقہ پر بیان کرتے ہیں ۔ مگر میر مہدی کی آنکھیں دکھنے آ گئی ہیں تو مزاح کا رنگ یوں پھوٹ نکلتا ہے ۔
” تمہاری آنکھوں کے غبار کی وجہ یہ ہے کہ جو مکان دلی میں ڈھائے گئے اور جہاں جہاں سڑکیں نکلیں ، جتنی گرد اڑی ، اس کو آپ نے ازراہِ محبت اپنی آنکھوں میں جگہ دی ۔”

دلی کے لوگوں کی تباہی اور بربادی کے نقوش ان کےخطوط میں بڑی گہری المناکی سے ابھرتے ہیں مگر ان ہی میں حافظ محمد بخش کا لطیفہ بھی آ ہی جاتا ہے۔
” حاکم نے پوچھا ۔ حافظ محمد بخش کون؟ عرض کیا کہ میں ، پھر پوچھا کہ حافظ مموں کون؟ عرض کیا کہ میرا اصل نام محمد بخش ہے ۔ “مموں” مشہور ہے ، فرمایا یہ کچھ بات نہین ، حافظ محمد بخش بھی تم اور حافط مموں بھی تم ۔ سارا جہاں بھی تم ، جو دنیا میں ہے وہ بھی تم ، ہم مکان کس کو دیں ، مسل داخل دفتر ہوئی ، میاں مموں اپنے گھر چلے آئے ۔”

غالب کا ادراک بھی آفاقی ہے ، جس میں دردناک سے دردناک بات کے پس منظر میں بھی ایک شگفتگی ہے ، جو درد کے پیچھے ایک عجیب دائمی مسکراہٹ کو چھپا ہوا دکھاتی ہے ، معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ ایک آفاقی مسکراہٹ کے پردے سے ہیبت ، پریشانی ، درد و غم ، حس ، عظمت ، گناہ ، نیکی کے نقوش ابھرتے ہیں اور تمام تکلیف دہ صورتوں کو بھی ایک آفاقی ہمدردی کی سطح پر نقش و نگار کی طرح دکھاتے ہیں۔ ناامیدی کا اس سے بہتراظہار اور کیا ہو سکتا ہے ؎

رہی نہ طاقتِ گفتار اور اگر ہو بھی
تو کس امید پہ کہئے کہ آرزو کیا ہے

مگر اس شعر کو جتنا پڑھتے جائیے ، اتنی ہی ناامیدی دور ہوتی جاتی ہے ۔ ایک عجیب تسکین کا عالم طاری ہو جاتا ہے ، امید اور ناامیدی آرزو سے وابستہ ہیں مگر یہ شعر ہمیں وہاں لے جاتا ہے ، جہاں آرزو ہی آفاق کے دائمی رنگ میں غائب ہوگئی ، جہاں کائنات کے چہرے پر ایک دائمی مسکراہٹ دائمی شگفتگی کے سوا اور کچھ نہیں ہے ۔ اپنے ایک شعر میں غالب نے کہا ہے ۔

ہم وہاں ہیں جہاں سے ہم کو بھی
کچھ ہماری خبر نہیں آتی

میں نے اپنے مضمون “مزاح اور مزاح نگاری ” میں اعلی ٰ ترین درجہ مزاح کی وضاحت کرتے ہوئے مضمون کو اس شعر پر ختم کیا ہے ، اصل بات یہ ہے کہ غالب کا ہر شعر اس عالم سے نکل کر آتا دکھائی دیتا ہے ۔ اعلیٰ ترین مزاح ایک عجیب قسم کی ہمدردی کا نام ہے جو مزاحیہ تخلیق کو یا مزاح نگار کو ہمارا قریب ترین دوست بنا دیتی ہے ۔ شیکسپئر کی طرح غالب بھی ہمارے قریب ترین مخلص دوست ہو جاتے ہیں ۔ ہماری زندگی کے ہر قدم پر اور ہر موقع پر ان کے شعر ہمارے سامنے آتے ہیں اور ہمای وقتی الجھنوں کو ، دل دوز تکالیف کو ایک نئی تشکیل دے کر اس آفاقی مزاج سے ہم آہنگ کرتے ہیں جو ہمارے لیے تسکین کی آخری پشت پناہ ہے ۔ غالب کے کثرت سے شعر ایسے ہیں ، جو صاف طور پر مزاحیہ ہیں اور ہر ہر قسم کے مزاح کی مثال ان کے اشعار سے دی جا سکتی ہے ۔ پھکڑ لیجئے :۔

غنچہ نا شگفتہ کو دور سے مت دکھا کہ یوں
بوسہ کو پوچھتا ہوں میں منہ سے مجھے بتا کہ یوں

دھول دھپا اس سراپا ناز کا شیوہ نہیں
ہم ہی کر بیٹھے تھے غالب پیش دستی ایک دن

مزاحیہ حالت کے نقشے لیجئے:۔

گدا سمجھ کے وہ چپ تھا مری جو شامت آئے
اٹھا اور اٹھ قدم میں نے پاسباں کے لیے

میں نے کہا” بزم ناز چاہیے غیر سے تہی”
سن کے ستم ظریف نے مجھ کو اٹھا دیا کہ یوں

نفسیات پر مزاح لیجئے:۔

ہوا ہے شہہ کا مصاحب پھرے ہے اتراتا
وگرنہ شہر میں غالب ؔ کی آبرو کیا ہے!

ذکاوت ، لطیف طنز ، چوٹ ، ہر چیز کی کثرت سے مثالیں ملتی چلی جائیں گی ، مگر میں اس امر کی طرف توجہ دلانا چاہتا ہوں اور جس کی اب تک وضاحت نہیں ہوئی ہے ۔ وہ غالب کی فطرت ِ ظریف ہے جو ان کے ہر شعر کو ہمارے سامنے ہر مشکل وقت پر لا کر ہماری ہر مشکل کو آسان کر دیتی ہے اور ہمارے اندر وہ لاپروائی پیدا کر دیتی ہے جو مزاح کی روح ہے ۔ غالب ؔ کے وہ اشعار بھی جو زندگی کی تلخیوں کے تکلیف دہ مناظر پیش کرتے ہیں ، اپنے اندر ایک لطیف مزاح مضمر رکھتے ہیں ۔ جن کا نتیجہ یہ ہے کہ ہم ان کو پڑھ کر دائمی مسکراہٹ کے کیف میں پہنچ جاتے ہیں ۔
غالب کا پورا دیوان اس متحد اور مکمل ادراک کی مثال ہے جس کی بنیادی سطح مزاح ہے ۔ حالی ؔ اس کی تنقیدی تحلیل نہ کر سکے ۔ مگر غالبؔ کو حیوانِ ظریف کہنے سے ان کا مطلب یہی تھا ۔ آسی صاحب نے شرح دیوانِ غالب کے دیباچہ میں کثرت سے شعر غالب ؔ کی پوشیدہ ظرافت کی مثال میں پیش کیے ہیں ۔ غالب مفکر ہیں اور فکر کی گہرائیوں میں جہاں وہ پہنچے ہیں وہاں اقبال کے سوا کوئی اردو شاعر نہین پہنچا ۔ مگر ان کی بڑی سے بڑی فکر میں بھی ایک پرت ظرافت کی ضرور چڑھی نظر آتی ہے۔ ان کے فارسی اشعار میں بیشتر فکر میں ظرافت شامل نہیں نظر آتی ۔ مگر اسی فکری نکتہ کو جب وہ اردو میں ادا کرتے ہیں تو ظرافت شامل ہوئے بغیر نہیں رہتی ۔ مثلاً فارسی کا شعر ہے ؎

گفتنی نیست کہ برغالبؔ ناکام چہ رفت
می تواں یافت کہ ایں بندہ خداوند نہ داشت

یہی بات اردو میں آتی ہے تو یہ صورت اختیار کرتی ہے ؎

زندگی اپنی جب اس مشکل سے گزری غالبؔ
ہم بھی کیا یاد کریں گے کہ خدا رکھتے تھے

یہاں دوسرے مصرع میں مزاح صاف ہے ۔ جنت کے اہم مسئلہ کو وہ مزاح سے حل کرتے ہیں؎

ہم کو معلوم ہے جنت کی حقیقت لیکن
دل کے بہلانے کو غالبؔ یہ خیال اچھا ہے

قیامت کے سلسلے میں مزاح کچھ پوشیدہ ہو جاتا ہے ۔مگر وجود اس کا شعر کی جان نظر آتا ہے؎

نہیں کہ مجھ کو قیامت کا اعتقاد نہیں
شبِ فراق سے روزِ جزا زیاد نہیں

ان کے سنجیدہ سے سنجیدہ اشعار اور غزلیں المیہ کے ساتھ طربیہ کا ویسا ہی امتزاج پیش کرتے ہیں جیسے کہ “کنگ لیئر” میں لیئر پیش کرتا ہے

۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔

بشکریہ خالد محمود

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

by

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

by
  • 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)