Events
★
457 -
Leo I becomes emperor of the
Byzantine Empire.
★
1074 - Battle of Montesarchio wherein the
prince of Benevento,
Pandulf IV, is killed battling the encroaching
Normans.
★
1301 - Edward of
Caernarvon (later King
Edward II of England) becomes the first
English Prince of Wales.
★
1550 -
Julius III becomes
Pope.
★
1795 - The
11th Amendment to the
United States Constitution is passed.
★
1807 -
Napoleonic Wars:
Battle of Eylau -
Napoléon's
French Empire begins fighting against
Russian and
Prussian forces of the
Fourth Coalition at Eylau,
Poland.
★
1812 - The
strongest in a series of
earthquakes strikes
New Madrid, Missouri.
★
1819 - Sir Thomas
Stamford Raffles leaves
Singapore after just taking over it, leaving it in the hands of
William Farquhar.
★
1842 -
Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras
Ali Alula, Regent of the
Emperor of Ethiopia defeats warlord
Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.
★
1856 - The
colonial Tasmanian Parliament passes the first piece of
legislation (the Electoral Act 1856) anywhere in the world providing for
elections by way of a
secret ballot.
[1]
★
1863 -
''HMS Orpheus'' sinks off the coast of
Auckland,
New Zealand, killing 189.
★
1882 - The last heavyweight
boxing championship
bare-knuckle fight takes place in Mississippi City,
Mississippi.
★
1894 - The
Cripple Creek miner's strike, led by the
Western Federation of Miners, begins in
Cripple Creek, Colorado.
★
1898 -
Émile Zola is brought to trial for
libel for publishing ''
J'Accuse''.
★
1904 - A
fire in
Baltimore, Maryland destroys over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
★
1914 -
Charlie Chaplin first appears as "
The Tramp", as his first film ''Kid Auto Races at Venice'' is released at
Keystone Studios.
★
1935 - Birthday of
Tottenham Hotspur legend
Cliff Jones (footballer).
★
1944 -
World War II: In
Anzio,
Italy German forces launch a counteroffensive.
★ 1944 - World War II: American Aircraft carrier strike on
Truk.
★
1948 - Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as Army chief of staff and was succeeded by Gen.
Omar Bradley.
★
1962 - The
United States Government bans all
Cuban imports and exports.
★
1967 - A fire at a restaurant in
Montgomery,
Alabama kills 25 people.
★
1969 - The original
Hetch Hetchy Moccasin Powerhouse is removed from service.
★
1971 - Women gain the right to vote in
Switzerland.
★
1974 -
Grenada becomes independent from the
United Kingdom.
★
1976 - Future
Hall of Famer Darryl Sittler of the
Toronto Maple Leafs scores six goals and records four assists in an 11-4 victory over the
Boston Bruins, setting a
NHL record with 10 points in one game.
★
1979 -
Pluto moves inside
Neptune's orbit for the first time since either was known to science.
★ 1979 - The final session of Iranian
National Consultative Assembly was held.
★
1984 -
Space Shuttle program:
STS-41-B Mission -
Astronauts
Bruce McCandless II and
Robert L. Stewart make the first untethered
space walk using the
Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).
★
1986 - Twenty-eight years of one-family rule end in
Haiti, when
President Jean-Claude Duvalier flees the
Caribbean nation.
★
1990 -
Collapse of the Soviet Union: The
Central Committee of the
Soviet Communist Party agrees to give up its monopoly of power.
★
1991 -
Haiti's first democratically-elected president,
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is sworn in.
★ 1991 - The
IRA launched a mortar attack on
10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting.
★
1992 - The
Maastricht Treaty signed, it led to the creation of the
European Union.
★
1995 -
Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the
1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in
Islamabad, Pakistan.
★
1999 -
Crown Prince Abdullah became the King of
Jordan on the death of his father, King
Hussein.
★
2000 -
Bahria University is established through the
Presidential Ordinance No. V of
2000 of
Government of
Pakistan.
Births
★
1102 -
Empress Matilda, Princess of England and wife of
Henry V of the Holy Roman Empire (d.
1169)
★
1478 - Sir
Thomas More, English statesman, humanist, and author (d.
1535)
★
1612 -
Thomas Killigrew, English dramatist (d.
1683)
★
1693 - Empress
Anna of Russia (d.
1740)
★
1804 -
John Deere, American manufacturer (
Deere & Company) (d.
1886)
★
1812 -
Charles Dickens, English novelist (d.
1870)
★
1842 -
Alexandre Ribot, French statesman (d.
1923)
★
1867 -
Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author (d.
1957)
★
1870 -
Alfred Adler, Austrian psychologist (d.
1937)
★
1877 -
Godfrey Harold Hardy, English mathematician (d.
1947)
★
1885 -
Sinclair Lewis, American writer,
Nobel Prize Laureate (d.
1951)
★ 1885 -
Hugo Sperrle, German field marshal (d.
1953)
★
1887 -
Eubie Blake, American musician and composer (d.
1983)
★
1889 -
Harry Nyquist, important contributor to
information theory (d.
1976)
★
1891 -
Ann Little, American actress (d.
1984)
★
1895 -
Anita Stewart, American film actress (d.
1961)
★
1898 -
Dock Boggs, American musician (d.
1971)
★
1905 -
Ulf von Euler, Swedish physiologist,
Nobel Prize Laureate (d.
1983)
★ 1905 -
Paul Nizan, French author (d.
1940)
★
1905 -
Cyril Demarne, British
Firefighter (d.
2007)
★
1906 -
Oleg Antonov, Soviet aircraft designer (d.
1984)
★ 1906 -
Puyi, Emperor of China (d.
1967)
★
1907 -
Yevgeniy Abalakov, Soviet mountaineer (d.
1948)
★
1908 -
Buster Crabbe, American swimmer and actor (d.
1983)
★
1909 -
Hélder Câmara, Roman catholic archbishop (d.
1999)
★
1914 -
Ramón Mercader, Spanish assassin of
Leon Trotsky (d.
1978)
★
1915 -
Eddie Bracken, American actor (d.
2002)
★ 1915 -
Teoctist, Ex-Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church (d.
2007)
★
1918 -
Markey Robinson, Northern Irish painter (d.
1999)
★
1920 -
An Wang, Chinese-born computer pioneer (d.
1990)
★
1924 -
Hattie Jacques, English actress (d.
1980)
★
1926 -
Konstantin Feoktistov, cosmonaut
★
1927 -
Juliette Greco, French singer and actor
★ 1927 -
Vladimir Kuts, Russian runner (d.
1975)
★
1932 -
Gay Talese, American author
★ 1932 -
Al Worden, American astronaut
★
1933 -
John Anderton, English footballer
★
1934 -
Earl King, American musician (d.
2003)
★ 1934 -
Eddie Fenech Adami, President of Malta
★ 1934 -
King Curtis, American saxophonist (d.
1971)
★
1937 -
Juan Pizarro,
Major League Baseball pitcher
★
1938 -
S. Ramachandran Pillai, Indian communist leader
★
1941 -
Peter Foxhall, Australian evangelist
★
1943 -
Gareth Hunt, English actor (d.
2007)
★
1945 -
Gerald Davies, Welsh rugby player
★ 1945 -
Pete Postlethwaite, English actor
★ 1945 -
Ian Jack, Scottish Journalist
★
1949 -
Joe English (musician), American drummer
★ 1949 -
Paulo César Carpegiani, Brazilian footballer and coach
★
1951 -
Benny Ayala, baseball player
★
1952 -
Vasco Rossi, Italian singer
★
1953 -
Dan Quisenberry, baseball player (d.
1998)
★
1954 -
Dieter Bohlen German composer
★
1955 -
Rolf Benirschke, American football player
★ 1955 -
Mario Coutinho, Brazilian physician
★ 1955 -
Miguel Ferrer, American actor
★
1956 -
Emo Philips, American comedian
★ 1956 -
Mark St. John, American musician, former member of
Kiss
★
1957 -
Carney Lansford, American baseball player
★
1960 -
James Spader, American actor
★
1962 -
Garth Brooks, American singer
★ 1962 -
Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian
★ 1962 -
David Bryan, American musician (
Bon Jovi)
★
1965 -
Jason Gedrick, American actor
★ 1965 -
Chris Rock, American comedian and actor
★
1967 -
Richie Burnett, Welsh darts player
★ 1967 -
Cheung Man, Hong Kong actress
★
1968 -
Peter Bondra, Ukrainian-born hockey player
★ 1968 -
Sully Erna, American singer (
Godsmack)
★
1969 -
Yves Racine, Canadian ice hockey player
★
1972 -
Alex Bassi, American race car driver
★ 1972 -
Robyn Lively, American actress
★
1974 -
Steve Nash, Canadian basketball player
★ 1974 -
J Dilla, also known as Jay-Dee, American hip-hop producer (d.
2006)
★
1975 -
Wes Borland, American guitarist (
Limp Bizkit)
★ 1975 -
Alexandre Daigle,
National Hockey League player
★
1977 -
Paul Comrie, Canadian ice hockey player
★
1978 -
Ashton Kutcher, American actor
★ 1978 -
Daniel Van Buyten, Belgian international footballer
★ 1978 -
Endy Chávez, baseball player
★ 1978 -
David Aebischer,
National Hockey League goaltender
★
1979 -
Cerina Vincent, American actress
★ 1979 -
Jon Leicester, American baseball player
★
1983 -
Christian Klien, Austrian racing driver
★ 1983 -
Georgios Gougoulias, Greek footballer
★
1985 -
Tina Majorino, American actress
★ 1985 -
Clara Bryant, American actress
★
1986 -
Deanna Casaluce, Canadian actress
★
1988 -
Ai Kago, Japanese singer
★
1989 -
Louisa Lytton, British actress
★
1991 -
Rachel Sibner, American actress
★
1993 -
David Dorfman, American actor
★
1996 -
Mai Hagiwara, Japanese singer
Deaths
★
999 -
Boleslaus II of Bohemia
★
1045 -
Emperor Go-Suzaku of Japan (b.
1009)
★
1317 -
Robert, Count of Clermont, French founder of the House of Bourbon (b.
1256)
★
1560 -
Bartolomeo Bandinelli, Italian sculptor (b.
1493)
★
1626 -
William V, Duke of Bavaria (b.
1548)
★
1642 -
William Bedell, English clergyman (b.
1571)
★
1652 -
Gregorio Allegri, Italian composer (b.
1582)
★
1690 -
William Morice, English royalist statesman
★
1693 -
Paul Pellisson, French writer (b.
1624)
★
1736 -
Stephen Gray, English astronomer and scientist (b.
1666)
★
1779 -
William Boyce, English composer (b.
1711)
★
1799 -
Qianlong, Emperor of China (b.
1711)
★
1801 -
Daniel Chodowiecki, Polish painter (b.
1726)
★
1823 -
Ann Radcliffe, English novelist (b.
1764)
★
1837 - King
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden (b.
1778)
★
1839 -
Karl August Nicander, Swedish poet (b.
1799)
★
1871 -
Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, piano manufacturer (
Steinway & Sons) (b.
1797)
★
1873 -
Sheridan Le Fanu, Irish writer (b.
1814)
★
1878 -
Pope Pius IX (b.
1792)
★
1897 -
Galileo Ferraris, Italian physicist (b.
1847)
★
1919 -
William Halford, American naval officer and
Medal of Honor recipient (b.
1841)
★
1920 -
Aleksandr Vasilevich Kolchak, Russian military commander (b.
1874)
★
1937 -
Elihu Root, American statesman and diplomat,
Nobel Prize Laureate (b.
1845)
★
1938 -
Harvey Firestone, American manufacturer (b.
1868)
★
1939 -
Boris Grigoriev, Russian painter (b.
1886)
★
1942 -
Ivan Bilibin, Russian illustrator (b.
1876)
★
1959 -
Guitar Slim, American blues guitarist (b.
1926)
★
1960 -
Igor Kurchatov, Russian physicist (b.
1903)
★
1962 -
Clara Nordström, German writer and translator (b.
1886)
★
1963 -
Learco Guerra, Italian cyclist (b.
1902)
★
1968 -
Nick Adams, American actor (b.
1931)
★
1979 -
Josef Mengele, Nazi war criminal (b.
1911)
★
1980 -
Secondo Campini, Italian jet pioneer (b.
1904)
★
1985 -
Matt Monro, English singer (b.
1932)
★
1986 -
Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegalese historian (b.
1923)
★
1990 -
Jimmy Van Heusen, American songwriter (b.
1913)
★
1991 -
Amos Yarkoni, legendary
Israeli soldier (b.
1920)
★ 1991 -
Jean-Paul Mousseau, Quebec painter, member of
Les Automatistes (b.
1927)
★
1992 -
Buzz Sawyer, wrestler (b.
1959)
★
1994 -
Witold Lutosławski, Polish composer (b.
1913)
★ 1994 -
Stephen Milligan, British journalist and politician (b.
1948)
★
1996 -
Phillip Davidson, US Army general (b.
1915)
★
1998 -
Lawrence Sanders, American author (b.
1920)
★
1999 - King
Hussein of Jordan (b.
1935)
★ 1999 -
José Silva, author of
Silva Method and the Silva UltraMind ESP System (b.
1914)
★ 1999 -
Bobby Troup, American musician and actor (b.
1918)
★
2000 -
Big Pun, Puerto Rican-American rapper (b.
1971)
★ 2000 -
Doug Henning, Canadian magician (b.
1947)
★
2001 -
Dale Evans, American actress and singer (b.
1912)
★ 2001 -
Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American author and aviator (b.
1906)
★
2002 -
Elisa Bridges, American model (b.
1973)
★ 2002 -
Jack Fairman, British racing driver (b.
1913)
★
2003 -
Augusto Monterroso, Guatemalan author (b.
1921)
★ 2003 -
John Reading, Mayor of Oakland, California (b.
1917)
★
2006 - Princess
Hadice Hayriye Ayshe Dürrühsehvar (b.
1914)
★
2007 -
Alan MacDiarmid, New Zealand chemist (b.
1927)
Holidays and observances
★
Independence Day in
Grenada (
1974).
★
Bahá'à Faith -
Feast of Mulk[2] (
Dominion) - First day of the 18th month of the
Bahá'à Calendar.
★
Sapporo Snow Festival in
Sapporo,
Japan (
2005).
★
International Men's Day in
Malta.
Liturgical feasts
★
Saints Paul Miki and his 25 companians (d. Nagasaki, 1597)
★ Blessed
Eugenia Smet (d. 1871)
★
February 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Notes
1. Terry Newman, 'Tasmania and the Secret Ballot' (2003), 49(1) Aust J Pol & Hist 93 [1], accessed February 27, 2006
External links
★
BBC: On This Day
★
★
On This Day in Canada
----