Events
- 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor in nearly 40 years.
- 1032 - Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor becomes King of Burgundy.
- 1509 - The Battle of Diu takes place near Diu, India, between Portugal and Turkey.
- 1536 - Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- 1542 - Portuguese under Christovão da Gama capture a Moslem-occupied hillfort in northern Ethiopia in the Battle of Baçente.
- 1653 - New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.
- 1709 - Alexander Selkirk is rescued from shipwreck on a desert island, inspiring the book Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.
- 1787 - Arthur St. Clair is elected the 9th President of the President of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation.
- 1790 - The U.S. Supreme Court convenes for the first time after an unsuccessful attempt on February 1.
- 1812 - Russia establishes a fur trading colony at what is now Fort Ross, California.
- 1848 - Mexican-American War: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed, ending the war.
- 1848 - California Gold Rush: The first ship with Chinese emigrants seeking fortune in California's gold country arrives in San Francisco, California.
- 1876 - The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed.
- 1878 - Greece declares war on Turkey.
- 1880 - The first electric streetlight is installed in Wabash, Indiana.
- 1882 - The Knights of Columbus are formed in New Haven, Connecticut.
- 1887 - In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania the first Groundhog Day is observed.
- 1899 - The Australian Premiers' Conference held in Melbourne decides to locate Australia's capital (Canberra) between Sydney and Melbourne.
- 1901 - Queen Victoria's funeral takes place.
- 1913 - Grand Central Station was opened in New York City.
- 1920 - The Tartu Peace Treaty is signed between Estonia and Russia.
- 1920 - France occupies Memel.
- 1922 - Ulysses by James Joyce is published in Paris, France.
- 1925 - Serum run to Nome: Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod race.
- 1933 - Adolf Hitler dissolves the German Parliament.
- 1935 - Leonard Keeler tests the first polygraph machine.
- 1940 - Frank Sinatra debuts with the Tommy Dorsey orchestra.
- 1943 - World War II: The last German forces surrender to the Soviets after the Battle of Stalingrad.
- 1946 - The Proclamation of Hungarian Republic is made.
- 1957 - President Iskander Mirza of Pakistan lays the foundation-stone of the Guddu Barrage across river Indus near Sukkur.
- 1966 - Pakistan suggests a six-point agenda with Kashmir dispute as number one item for the proposed Indo-Pak ministerial talks after 1965 war.
- 1967 - The American Basketball Association is formed.
- 1971 - After a coup in Uganda, Idi Amin replaces President Milton Obote as leader.
- 1972 - The British embassy in Dublin is destroyed in protest over Bloody Sunday.
- 1974 - The F-16 Fighting Falcon flies for the first time.
- 1976 - The Groundhog Day gale hits the north-eastern United States and south-eastern Canada.
- 1980 - Reports surface that FBI personnel were targeting members of the U.S. Congress in the Abscam sting operation.
- 1980 - This Revolutionary Communist Party of Turkey is formally founded.
- 1982 - Hama Massacre: The government of Syria attacks the town of Hama and kills thousands of people.
- 1989 - Soviet war in Afghanistan: The last Soviet Union armored column leaves Kabul, ending nine years of military occupation.
- 1989 - Satellite television service Sky Television plc launched in Europe.
- 1990 - Apartheid: In South Africa President F.W. de Klerk allows the African National Congress to legally function again and promises to set Nelson Mandela free.
- 1998 - A Cebu Pacific Air DC-9-32 crashes into a mountain near Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, killing 104.
- 2002 - The wedding of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands to the Argentinean born Máxima Zorreguieta takes place.
- 2002 - Eurodoc, the European Council for Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers, is founded in Girona, Spain.
Births
- 1208 - James I of Aragon (d. 1276)
- 1455 - King John of Denmark (d. 1513)
- 1494 - Bona Sforza, queen of Sigismund I of Poland (d. 1557)
- 1502 - Damião de Góis, Portuguese philosopher (d. 1574)
- 1506 - René de Birague, French cardinal and chancellor (d. 1583)
- 1522 - Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician (d. 1565)
- 1600 - Gabriel Naudé, French librarian and scholar (d. 1653)
- 1613 - Noël Chabanel, French Jesuit missionary (d. 1649)
- 1621 - Johannes Schefferus, Alsatian-born humanist (d. 1679)
- 1649 - Pope Benedict XIII (d. 1730)
- 1650 - Nell Gwynne, English actress and royal mistress (d. 1687)
- 1669 - Louis Marchand, French organist and harpsichordist (d. 1732)
- 1695 - William Borlase, English naturalist (d. 1772)
- 1695 - François de Chevert, French general (d. 1769)
- 1700 - Johann Christoph Gottsched, German writer (d. 1766)
- 1711 - Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz, Austrian diplomat (d. 1794)
- 1714 - Gottfried August Homilius, German composer (d. 1785)
- 1717 - Ernst Gideon Freiherr von Laudon, Austrian field marshal (d. 1790)
- 1754 - Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, French politician (d. 1838)
- 1786 - Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician (d. 1856)
- 1802 - Jean Baptiste Boussingault, French chemist (d. 1887)
- 1803 - Albert Sidney Johnston, American Confederate general (d. 1862)
- 1829 - Alfred Brehm, German zoologist (d. 1884)
- 1841 - François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss hydrologist (d. 1912)
- 1842 - Yulian Vasilievich Sokhotski, Russian mathematician (d. 1927)
- 1849 - Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, Slovak poet (d. 1921)
- 1851 - José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican artist (d. 1913)
- 1861 - Solomon R. Guggenheim, American art collector and philanthropist (d. 1949)
- 1873 - Konstantin von Neurath, German foreign minister 1932-1938 (d. 1956)
- 1875 - Fritz Kreisler, Austrian violinist (d. 1962)
- 1878 - Alfréd Hajós, Hungarian swimmer (d. 1955)
- 1881 - Orval Overall, major league baseball pitcher (d. 1947)
- 1882 - James Joyce, Irish author (d. 1941)
- 1887 - Ernst Hanfstängl, German pianist and politician (d. 1975)
- 1888 - Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (d. 1969)
- 1889 - Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general, posthumous Marshal of France (d. 1952)
- 1890 - Charles Correll, American actor (d. 1972)
- 1893 - Cornelius Lanczos, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1974)
- 1893 - Raoul Riganti, Argentine racing driver (d. 1970)
- 1895 - George Halas, American football player, coach, and league founder (d. 1983)
- 1896 - Kazimierz Kuratowski, Polish mathematician and logician (d. 1980)
- 1897 - Howard Johnson, American hotelier (d. 1972)
- 1897 - Aimé Avignon, France's former oldest living man (d. 2007)
- 1900 - Willie Kamm, MLB third baseman (d. 1988)
- 1901 - Jascha Heifetz, Lithuanian violinist (d. 1987)
- 1902 - Newbold Morris, American politician (d. 1966)
- 1905 - Ayn Rand, Russian-born author and philosopher (d. 1982)
- 1908 - Wes Ferrell, All-Star MLB pitcher (d. 1976)
- 1909 - Frank Albertson, American actor (d. 1964)
- 1912 - Burton Lane, American composer and lyricist (d. 1997)
- 1913 - Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor (d. 1985)
- 1914 - Eric Kierans, Canadian politician and economist (d. 2004)
- 1915 - Abba Eban, Israeli diplomat (d. 2002)
- 1915 - Stan Leonard, Canadian professional golfer (d. 2005)
- 1916 - Xuân Diệu, Vietnamese poet (d. 1985)
- 1918 - Hella S. Haasse, Dutch writer
- 1923 - James Dickey, American poet and author (d. 1997)
- 1923 - Bonita Granville, American actress (d. 1988)
- 1923 - Red Schoendienst, baseball player and manager, and eventually Hall of Famer
- 1923 - Liz Smith, American gossip columnist
- 1924 - Elfi von Dassanowsky, Austrian-American producer and musician
- 1925 - Elaine Stritch, American actress
- 1926 - Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, French politician
- 1927 - Stan Getz, American musician (d. 1991)
- 1928 - Aloyisus Leon Higginbotham, Jr., civil rights activist and author (d. 1998)
- 1931 - Dries van Agt, Dutch politician
- 1931 - Les Dawson, British comedian (d. 1993)
- 1931 - Judith Viorst, American author
- 1932 - Robert Mandan, American actor
- 1933 - Than Shwe, ruler of Myanmar
- 1933 - Tony Jay, English actor (d. 2006)
- 1937 - Don Buford, All-Star MLB outfielder
- 1937 - Remak Ramsay, American actor
- 1937 - Tom Smothers, American musician and comedian
- 1939 - Akbar Adibi, Iranian scientist, father of electronics in Iran (d. 2000)
- 1940 - David Jason, English actor
- 1942 - Graham Nash, American (British-born) rock musician
- 1943 - Susan Hanson, English actress
- 1944 - Karen Foss, American broadcaster
- 1944 - Geoffrey Hughes, British actor
- 1945 - David Friedman, American economist
- 1946 - Alpha Oumar Konaré, ex-president of Mali
- 1947 - Farrah Fawcett, American actress
- 1948 - Al McKay, American guitarist and songwriter (Earth, Wind & Fire)
- 1949 - Brent Spiner, American actor
- 1949 - Ross Valory, American musician (Journey)
- 1949 - Francisco Maturana, Colombian football manager
- 1952 - Genichiro Tenryu, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1953 - Duane Chapman, American bounty hunter.
- 1954 - Christie Brinkley, American model
- 1954 - Hansi Hinterseer, Austrian singer, actor, former skier
- 1954 - John Tudor, MLB pitcher
- 1958 - Michel Marc Bouchard, Quebec playwright
- 1960 - Jari Porttila, Finnish sports journalist
- 1961 - Lauren Lane, American actress
- 1961 - Steve Penney, National Hockey League goaltender
- 1962 - Andy Fordham, English darts player
- 1962 - Paul Kilgus, baseball player
- 1963 - Eva Cassidy, American singer (d. 1996)
- 1965 - Carl Airey, English footballer
- 1965 - Naoki Sano, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1966 - Andrei Chesnokov, Russian former tennis player
- 1966 - Robert DeLeo, American musician (Stone Temple Pilots)
- 1967 - Arturs Irbe, Latvian hockey player
- 1967 - Laurent Nkunda, Congolese general
- 1968 - Sean Elliott, American basketball player
- 1968 - Scott Erickson, MLB pitcher
- 1969 - Valeri Karpin, Russian footballer
- 1969 - Tim Sherwood, English footballer
- 1970 - Nikolaos Michopoulos, Greek footballer
- 1970 - C. Ernst Harth, Canadian actor
- 1970 - Jennifer Westfeldt, American actress
- 1970 - Roar Strand, Norwegian footballer
- 1972 - Dana International, Israeli singer
- 1972 - Melvin Mora, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1972 - Tego Calderón , nominated reggaeton singer/rapper.
- 1973 - Aleksander Tammert, Estonian discus thrower
- 1975 - Ieroklis Stoltidis, Greek footballer
- 1975 - Vaggelis Koutsoures, Greek footballer
- 1975 - Todd Bertuzzi, Canadian hockey player
- 1975 - Niclas Wallin, Swedish hockey player
- 1976 - James Hickman, British swimmer
- 1976 - Lori Beth Denberg, American actress
- 1977 - Shakira, Colombian singer
- 1977 - Libor Sionko, Czech football player
- 1977 - Heather Martin, American gospel singer
- 1978 - Eden Espinosa, American singer and stage actress
- 1978 - Barry Ferguson, Scotish football player
- 1979 - Fani Halkia, Greek hurdler
- 1979 - Irini Terzoglou, Greek shot putter
- 1980 - Teddy Hart, Canadian professional wrestler
- 1980 - Oleguer Presas, Spanish football player
- 1981 - Jason Kapono, American basketball player
- 1982 - Han Ga In, South Korean model/actress
- 1982 - Sergio Castaño, Spanish footballer
- 1982 - Kelly Mazzante, American basketball player
- 1983 - Carolina Klüft, Swedish athlete
- 1983 - Alex Westaway, British musician
- 1983 - Will South, Thirteen Senses frontman
- 1983 - Jordin Tootoo, Canadian hockey player
- 1987 - Gerard Piqué, Spanish football player
- 1987 - Martin Spanjers, American actor
- 1992 - Danielle White, American singer
Deaths
- 672 - Saint Chad
- 1124 - Bořivoj II of Bohemia
- 1218 - Konstantin of Rostov, Prince of Novgorod (b. 1186)
- 1250 - Eric XI of Sweden (b. 1216)
- 1461 - Owen Tudor, Welsh founder of the Tudor dynasty of England
- 1529 - Baldassare Castiglione, Italian writer (b. 1478)
- 1580 - Bessho Nagaharu, Japanese retainer (b. 1558)
- 1594 - Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Italian composer (b. 1525)
- 1648 - George Abbot, English writer
- 1660 - Govert Flinck, Dutch painter (b. 1615)
- 1660 - Gaston, Duke of Orléans, French politician (b. 1608)
- 1661 - Lucas Holstenius, German humanist (b. 1596)
- 1688 - Abraham Duquesne, French naval officer (b. 1610)
- 1704 - Guillaume François Antoine, Marquis de l'Hôpital, French mathematician (b. 1661)
- 1712 - Martin Lister, English naturalist and physician
- 1714 - John Sharp, English Archbishop of York (b. 1643)
- 1768 - Robert Smith, English mathematician (b. 1689)
- 1769 - Pope Clement XIII (b. 1693)
- 1802 - Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip, British statesman (b. 1713)
- 1804 - George Walton, Signer of the Declaration of Independence (b. 1749-50)
- 1895 - Archduke Albert, Austrian general (b. 1817)
- 1904 - William C. Whitney, American financier (b. 1841)
- 1907 - Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist (b. 1834)
- 1918 - John L. Sullivan, American heavyweight boxer (b. 1858)
- 1922 - William Desmond Taylor, Irish film director (b. 1872)
- 1925 - Jaap Eden, Dutch skater and cyclist (b. 1873)
- 1926 - Vladimir Sukhomlinov, Russian general (b. 1848)
- 1932 - Agha Petros, Assyrian nationalist leader
- 1942 - Daniil Kharms, Russian playwright (b. 1905)
- 1945 - Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, German politician (b. 1884)
- 1948 - Bevil Rudd, South African athlete (b. 1894)
- 1948 - Thomas W. Lamont, American banker; father or Corliss Lamont; great-grandfather of Ned Lamont (b. 1870)
- 1950 - Constantin Carathéodory, Greek mathematician (b. 1873)
- 1956 - Charles Grapewin, American actor (b. 1869)
- 1956 - Pyotr Konchalovsky, Russian painter (b. 1876)
- 1957 - Grigory Landsberg, Russian physicist (b. 1890)
- 1969 - Boris Karloff, English actor (b. 1887)
- 1970 - Lawrence Gray, American actor (b.1898)
- 1970 - Bertrand Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, English mathematician, writer and philosopher, Nobel laureate (b. 1872)
- 1973 - Hendrik Elias, Belgian politician (b. 1902)
- 1979 - Sid Vicious, English musician (Sex Pistols) (b. 1957)
- 1980 - William Howard Stein, Nobel laureate (b. 1911)
- 1982 - Paul Desruisseaux, French Canadian lawyer, businessman and politician (b 1905)
- 1987 - Castilho, Brazilian footballer (b. 1927)
- 1987 - Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist (b. 1922)
- 1988 - Marcel Bozzuffi, French film actor (b. 1929)
- 1989 - Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater (b. 1951)
- 1990 - Joe Erskine, Welsh boxer (b. 1934)
- 1992 - Bert Parks, American television host (b. 1914)
- 1995 - Fred Perry, British former tennis player (b. 1909)
- 1995 - Donald Pleasence, English actor (b. 1919)
- 1996 - Gene Kelly, American dancer, actor, and director (b. 1912)
- 1997 - Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (b. 1913)
- 1997 - Sanford Meisner, American actor (b. 1904)
- 1999 - David McComb, Australian musician (The Triffids) (b. 1962)
- 2002 - Paul Baloff, American singer (Exodus) (b. 1960)
- 2002 - Claude Brown, American writer (b. 1937)
- 2003 - Lou Harrison, American composer (b. 1917)
- 2004 - Bernard McEveety, American film director (b. 1924)
- 2005 - Max Schmeling, German boxer (b. 1905)
- 2007 - Vijay Arora, Indian film and television actor (b. 1944)
- 2007 - Billy Henderson, American singer (The Spinners) (b. 1939)
- 2007 - Joe Hunter, American pianist and bandleader of The Funk Brothers (b. 1927)
- 2007 - Filippo Raciti, Italian police officer (b. 1967)
- 2007 - Masao Takemoto, Japanese gymnast (b. 1919)
- 2007 - Eric von Schmidt, American folk/blues singer-songwriter (b. 1931)
Holidays and Observances
- Ancient Latvia - Veja Diena observed.
- Czech Republic - Hromnice.
- France - Crêpe Day.[SUP]
[/SUP] - Paganism - Imbolc (in northern hemisphere), Lughnasadh (in southern hemisphere).
- Scotland - A quarter day in the Christian calendar (due to Candlemas).
- United States and Canada - Groundhog Day.
- University of King's College - George III Day
- Yemanja - Celebration of Yemanja, the sea goddess.
Liturgical Feasts
- Roman Catholicism - Candlemas, The Presentation of the Lord, The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, World Day for Consecrated Life (also February 3 in the United States).
- St. Adelbald
- St. Cornelius
- Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic Church: Encounter of our Lord with Simeon - Major Feast Day
- February 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
