Events
- 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster signed, ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain.
- 1649 - King Charles I of England is beheaded.
- 1661 - Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England is formally executed - after having been dead for two years.
- 1790 - The first boat specialized as a lifeboat is tested on the River Tyne.
- 1806 - The original Lower Trenton Bridge (also called the Trenton Makes the World Takes Bridge), which spans the Delaware River between Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, New Jersey, is opened.
- 1820 - Edward Bransfield lands on the Antarctic mainland.
- 1826 - The Menai Suspension Bridge connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the north West coast of Waleswas opened. The bridge was not the first suspension bridge, but was somuch larger than anything previously built that it is considered theworld's first modern suspension bridge.
- 1835 - In the first assassination attempt against an USA President, a mentally ill man named Richard Lawrence attempts to assassinate President Andrew Jackson in the United States Capitol. Both of Lawrence's pistols misfire, and Jackson proceeds to beat his would-be assassin with his cane.
- 1841 - A fire destroys two-thirds of the then villa (now city) of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
- 1847 - Yerba Buena, California is renamed San Francisco.
- 1862 - The first American ironclad warship, the USS Monitor is launched.
- 1889 - Archduke Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown, was found dead with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera in Mayerling .
- 1900 - United Kingdom forces fighting Boers in South Africa ask for reinforcements.
- 1911 - The destroyer USS Terry makes the first airplane rescue at sea saving the life of James McCurdy 10 miles from Havana, Cuba.
- 1911 - The Canadian Naval Service becomes the Royal Canadian Navy.
- 1913 - House of Lords rejects Irish Home Rule Bill.
- 1925 - Government of Turkey throws Patriarch Constantine VI out of Istanbul.
- 1930 - the world's first radiosonde is launched in Pavlovsk, USSR
- 1933 - Adolf Hitler is sworn in as Chancellor of Germany.
- 1943 - World War II: Second day of the Battle of Rennell Island. U.S. cruiser Chicago is sunk and a U.S. destroyer is heavily damaged by Japanese torpedo bombers.
- 1943 - Holocaust in Letychiv, Ukraine: German Gestapo commence mass shootings of Jews from Letychiv Ghetto. 200 surviving Jews from Letychiv slave labor camp were ordered to undress and were shot with machine-gun into a ravine. Some 7,000 Jews were murdered in Letychiv.
- 1944 - World War II: United States troops land on Majuro.
- 1945 - The Wilhelm Gustloff, overfilled with refugees, sinks in the Baltic Seaafter being torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, leading to the deadliestmaritime disaster in known history, killing roughly 9,000 people.
- 1945 - World War II: 126 American Rangers and Filipino resistance liberate 500 prisoners from the Cabanatuan POW camp.
- 1945 -World War II: Hitler gives his last ever public address; a radioaddress on the 12th anniversary of his coming to power. (A subsequentaddress on 24 February was not read by Hitler.)
- 1948 - Indian pacifist and leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist.
- 1956 - American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.'s home is bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
- 1962 - Two of the high-wire Flying Wallendas are killed when their famous seven-person pyramid collapses during a performance in Detroit, Michigan.
- 1964 - Ranger program: Ranger 6 launched.
- 1968 - Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive begins when Viet Cong forces launch a series of surprise attacks in South Vietnam.Although an overall defeat for the Viet Cong, media coverage of theoffensive would turn American public opinion against the war.
- 1969 - The Beatles' last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London. The impromptu concert is broken up by the police.
- 1972 - Bloody Sunday: United Kingdom British Paratroopers kill fourteen civil rights /anti internment marchers in Northern Ireland.
- 1972 - Pakistan withdraws from the Commonwealth of Nations.
- 1975 - First faroese stamp issued.
- 1976 - George H. W. Bush becomes 11th director of the CIA.
- 1979 - Varig 707-323C freighter, flown by the same commander of Flight 820, disappears over the ocean 30 minutes after taking off from Tokyo.
- 1982 -Richard Skrenta writes the first PC virus code, which is 400 lines longand disguised as an Apple boot program called "Elk Cloner."
- 1989 - The American embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan closes.
- 1994 - Péter Lékó becomes the youngest grand master in chess.
- 1995 - Workers from the National Institutes of Health announce the success of clinical trials testing the first preventive treatment for sickle-cell disease.
- 1996 - Suspected leader of the Irish National Liberation Army Gino Gallagher is killed while in line for his unemployment benefit.
- 1996 - Comet Hyakutake is discovered by Japanese amateur astronomer Yuji Hyakutake.
- 2000 - Off the coast of Ivory Coast, Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean, killing 169.
- 2003 - Belgium legally recognizes same-sex marriage.
Births
- 133 - Marcus Severus Didius Julianus, Roman Emperor (d. 193)
- 1505 - Thomas Tallis, English composer (d. 1585)
- 1563 - Franciscus Gomarus, Dutch theologian (d. 1641)
- 1615 - Thomas Rolfe, American colonial settler (d. 1675)
- 1661 - Charles Rollin, French historian (d. 1741)
- 1687 - Johann Balthasar Neumann, German architect (d. 1753)
- 1697 - Johann Joachim Quantz, German flautist and composer (d. 1773)
- 1720 - Charles De Geer, Swedish industrialist and entomologist (d. 1778)
- 1754 - John Lansing, Jr., American statesman (d. 1829)
- 1781 - Adelbert von Chamisso, German writer (d. 1838)
- 1822 - Franz Ritter von Hauer, Austrian geologist (d. 1899)
- 1832 - Infanta Luisa Fernanda, Duchess of Montpensier (d. 1897)
- 1841 - Félix Faure, 6th President of the French Third Republic (d. 1899)
- 1859 - Tony Mullane, Irish-born American baseball player (d. 1944)
- 1861 - Charles Martin Loeffler, German-born composer (d. 1935)
- 1873 - Georges Ricard-Cordingley, painter (d. 1939)
- 1878 - Anton Hansen Tammsaare, Estonian author (d. 1940)
- 1882 - Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States (d. 1945)
- 1889 - Jaishankar Prasad, Hindi poet, dramatist and novelist (d. 1937)
- 1894 - Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria (d. 1943)
- 1899 - Max Theiler, South African virologist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1972)
- 1901 - Rudolf Caracciola, German race car driver (d. 1959)
- 1902 - Nikolaus Pevsner, German-born art historian (d. 1983)
- 1910 - C Subramaniam, Indian politician (d. 2000)
- 1911 - Roy Eldridge, American musician (d. 1989)
- 1912 - Francis Schaeffer, American Evangelical theologian and pastor (d. 1984)
- 1912 - Barbara W. Tuchman, American historian (d. 1989)
- 1913 - Percy Thrower, British Television Gardener (d. 1988)
- 1914 - John Ireland, Canadian actor (d. 1992)
- 1914 - David Wayne, American actor (d. 1995)
- 1915 - Joachim Peiper, German military leader (d. 1976)
- 1915 - John Profumo, British cabinet minister (d. 2006)
- 1917 - Paul Frère, Belgian racing driver
- 1918 - David Opatoshu, American television actor (d. 1996)
- 1919 - Nikolay Glazkov, Russian poet (d. 1979)
- 1920 - Carwood Lipton, American WWII veteran (d. 2001)
- 1920 - Delbert Mann, American film director
- 1922 - Dick Martin, American comedian
- 1924 - Lloyd Alexander, American writer (d. 2007)
- 1925 - Douglas Engelbart, American computer scientist
- 1925 - Dorothy Malone, American actress
- 1927 - Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden (d. 1986)
- 1928 - Hal Prince, American stage producer and director
- 1929 - Lucille Teasdale-Corti, Canadian surgeon and international aid worker (d. 1996)
- 1930 - Sandy Amorós, Cuban baseball player (d. 1992)
- 1930 - Samuel J. Byck, American attempted assassin of Richard Nixon (d. 1974)
- 1930 - Gene Hackman, American actor
- 1930 - Magnus Malan, South African politician
- 1931 - John Crosbie, Canadian politician
- 1931 - Allan W. Eckert, American historian, naturalist, and author
- 1931 - Shirley Hazzard, Australian-born author
- 1932 - Knock Yokoyama, Japanese comedian and politician
- 1933 - Louis Rukeyser, American journalist (d. 2006)
- 1935 - Richard Brautigan, American writer and poet (d. 1984)
- 1936 - F. Vernon Boozer, American politician
- 1936 - Patrick Caulfield, British painter and printmaker (d. 2005)
- 1936 - Horst Jankowski, German popular pianist (d. 1998)
- 1937 - Ed Hansen, American film director and editor (d. 2005)
- 1937 - Vanessa Redgrave, English actress
- 1937 - Boris Spassky, Russian chess player
- 1938 - Islom Karimov, President of Uzbekistan
- 1941 - Gregory Benford, American author and scientist
- 1941 - Dick Cheney, 46th Vice President of the United States
- 1941 - Tineke Lagerberg, Dutch swimmer
- 1942 - Marty Balin, American musician
- 1943 - Davey Johnson, American baseball player and manager
- 1945 - Michael Dorris, American author (d. 1997)
- 1947 - Les Barker, English poet
- 1947 - Steve Marriott, English musician (The Small Faces) (d. 1991)
- 1948 - Nick Broomfield, English film- and documentary-maker
- 1948 - Paul Magee, Provisional Irish Republican Army member
- 1949 - Peter Agre, American biologist, Nobel laureate
- 1951 - Phil Collins, English musician
- 1951 - Charles S. Dutton, American actor
- 1951 - Bobby Stokes, English former footballer (d. 1995)
- 1952 - Doug Falconer, Canadian football player
- 1955 - Curtis Strange, American golfer
- 1955 - Judith Tarr, American author
- 1956 - Jeremy Gittins, English actor
- 1956 - Keiichi Tsuchiya, Japanese racing driver
- 1957 - Payne Stewart, American golfer (d. 1999)
- 1958 - Brett Butler, American actress and comedian
- 1959 - Mark Eitzel, American singer and musician (American Music Club)
- 1959 - Jody Watley, American singer
- 1961 - Dexter Scott King, American actor and son of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King
- 1962 - King Abdullah II of Jordan
- 1962 - Mary Kay Letourneau, American convicted statutory rapist
- 1965 - Julie McCullough, American model and actress
- 1966 - Danielle Goyette, Quebec female ice hockey player
- 1968 - Trevor Dunn, American musician (Mr. Bungle, Fantômas, Secret Chiefs 3)
- 1968 - Prince Felipe of Spain
- 1969 - Carolyn Kepcher, American businesswoman and reality TV show star
- 1971 - Kimo von Oelhoffen, American football player
- 1972 - Lupillo Rivera, Mexican singer
- 1972 - Chris Simon, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1973 - Jalen Rose, American basketball player
- 1974 - Christian Bale, Welsh actor
- 1974 - Olivia Colman, English actress
- 1974 - Jemima Khan, British socialite
- 1975 - Juninho Pernambucano, Brazilian footballer
- 1975 - Yumi Yoshimura, Japanese singer (Puffy Amiyumi)
- 1976 - Andy Milonakis, American comedian
- 1977 - Deltha O'Neal, American football player
- 1978 - John Patterson, American baseball player
- 1980 - Leilani Dowding, British glamour model
- 1980 - Wilmer Valderrama, American actor
- 1980 - Pavel Ponomaryov, Russian-Estonian actor
- 1981 - Dimitar Berbatov, Bulgarian footballer
- 1981 - Peter Crouch, English footballer
- 1981 - Josh Kelley, American musician
- 1981 - Mathias Lauda, Austrian racing driver
- 1982 - Jorge Cantu, Mexican baseball player
- 1984 - Jeremy Hermida, American baseball player
- 1984 - Josh Harris, American Videographer/Musician
- 1985 - Aaadietya Pandey, Indian astrologer
- 1986 - Sam Duckworth, British singer-songwriter
- 1987 - Rebecca Knox, Irish professional wrestler
- 1988 - Rob Pinkston, American actor
- 1989 -
Mark Hoyos
, American citizen - 1990 - Jake Thomas, American actor
- 1990 -
Saskia Boggs
, American writer - 1992 - Matthew Werkmeister, Australian actor
- 2005 - Prince Hashem bin Al Abdullah II, of Jordan
- 1030 - William V, Duke of Aquitaine (b. 969)
- 1181 - Emperor Takakura of Japan (b. 1161)
- 1384 - Louis II of Flanders (b. 1330)
- 1574 - Damião de Góis, Portuguese philosopher (b. 1502)
- 1606 - Everard Digby, English conspirator (b. 1578)
- 1649 - King Charles I of England (executed) (b. 1600)
- 1730 - Tsar Peter II of Russia (b. 1715)
- 1836 - Betsy Ross, American seamstress (b. 1752)
- 1858 - Coenraad Jacob Temminck, Dutch zoologist (b. 1778)
- 1867 - Emperor Kōmei of Japan (b. 1831)
- 1869 - William Carleton, Irish novelist (b. 1794)
- 1889 - Crown Prince Rudolph of Austria (b. 1858)
- 1926 - Barbara La Marr, American actress (b. 1896)
- 1928 - Johannes Andreas Grib Fibiger, Danish scientist, Nobel laureate (b. 1867)
- 1929 - La Goulue, French Cancan dancer (b. 1866)
- 1934 - Frank Nelson Doubleday, American publisher (b. 1862)
- 1948 - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi, Indian freedom fighter (b. 1869)
- 1948 - Orville Wright, American aviation pioneer (b. 1871)
- 1951 - Ferdinand Porsche, Austrian automotive engineer (b. 1875)
- 1958 - Jean Crotti, Swiss artist (b. 1878)
- 1958 - Ernst Heinkel, German aviation engineer (b. 1888)
- 1962 - Manuel de Abreu, Brazilian physician (b. 1894)
- 1963 - Francis Poulenc, French composer (b. 1899)
- 1969 - Georges Pire, Belgian monk, Nobel laureate (b. 1910)
- 1980 - Professor Longhair, American musician (b. 1918)
- 1982 - Lightnin' Hopkins, American musician (b. 1912)
- 1991 - John Bardeen, American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1908)
- 1991 - John McIntire, American actor (b. 1907)
- 1994 - Pierre Boulle, French author (b. 1912)
- 1995 - Gerald Durrell, British naturalist, zookeeper, author, and television presenter (b. 1925)
- 1998 - Richard Cassilly, American tenor (b. 1927)
- 1999 - Huntz Hall, American actor (b. 1919)
- 1999 - Ed Herlihy, American broadcaster (b. 1909)
- 2001 - Jean-Pierre Aumont, French actor (b. 1911)
- 2001 - Johnnie Johnson, British fighter pilot (b. 1915)
- 2001 - Joseph Ransohoff, the father of modern neurosurgery (b. 1915)
- 2005 - Martyn Bennet, Canadian musician (b. 1971)
- 2005 - Wes Wehmiller, American musician (b. 1971)
- 2006 - Coretta Scott King, American activist and wife of Martin Luther King, Jr. (b. 1927)
- 2007 - Nikos Kourkoulos, Greek actor, artistic director of the Greek National Theater (b. 1934)
- 2007 - Sidney Sheldon, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1917)
Holidays and Observances
- Martyr Day, India - India. Also called Sarvodaya Day.
Liturgical Observances
- St. Mutien-Marie Wiaux (+1917)
- St. Hippolytus
- St. Hyacintha Mariscotti
- St. Aldegonde
- Saint Balthild[SUP][1][/SUP]
- St. Martina
- St. Savina, martyred under Emperor Diocletian
- Saint Anthony the Great's feast in the Coptic Church
- King Charles the Martyr (Anglicanism)
- Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic Church: Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs
- This Feast honors the three great Fathers of the Eastern Church -- St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. John Chrysostom