Events
- 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
- 1555 - Bishop of Gloucester John Hooper is burned at the stake.
- 1621 - Gregory XV becomes Pope, the last Pope elected by acclamation.
- 1775 - American Revolutionary War: British Parliament declares Massachusetts in rebellion.
- 1788 - The Habsburg Empire joins the Russo-Turkish War in the Russian camp.
- 1822 - Haiti invades the newly founded Dominican Republic.
- 1825 - After no presidential candidate received a majority of electoral votes, the United States House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams President of the United States.
- 1861 - American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is elected the Provisional President of the Confederate States of America by the Confederate convention at Montgomery, Alabama.
- 1870 - The U.S. Weather Bureau was established.
- 1885 - The first Japanese arrive in Hawaii.
- 1889 - The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is established as a Cabinet-level agency.
- 1895 - William G. Morgan invents volleyball.
- 1900 - Davis Cup competition is established.
- 1904 - Battle of Port Arthur
- 1920 - By the terms of the Svalbard Treaty, international diplomacy recognizes Norwegian sovereignty over Arctic archipelago Svalbard, and designates it as demilitarized.
- 1922 - Brazil becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.
- 1934 - The Balkan Entente is formed.
- 1942 - World War II: Top United States military leaders hold their first formal meeting to discuss American military strategy in the war.
- 1942 - Daylight saving time goes into effect in the United States.
- 1943 - World War II: Allied authorities declare Guadalcanal secure after Imperial Japan evacuates its remaining forces from the island, ending the Battle of Guadalcanal.
- 1945 - The Battle of the Atlantic the HMS Venturer sinking U-Boat 864 off the coast of Norway.
- 1950 - Second Red Scare: Senator Joseph McCarthy accuses the United States State Department of being filled with Communists.
- 1960 - Joanne Woodward receives the first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- 1962 - Jamaica becomes independent nation within the Commonwealth of Nations.
- 1964 - The Beatles make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing before a "record-busting" audience of 73 million viewers.
- 1965 - Vietnam War: The first United States combat troops are sent to South Vietnam.
- 1969 - First test flight of the Boeing 747.
- 1971 - The 6.4 on the Richter Scale Sylmar earthquake hits the San Fernando Valley area of California.
- 1971 - Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League player to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1971 - Apollo program: Apollo 14 returns to Earth after the third manned moon landing.
- 1973 - Biju Patnaik of the Pragati Legislature Party elected leader of opposition in the state assembly in Orissa, India.
- 1975 - The Soyuz 17 Soviet spacecraft returns to Earth.
- 1986 - Comet Halley reaches perihelion, its closest approach to the sun, during its second visit to the inner solar system in the 20th century.
- 1991 - Voters in Lithuania vote for independence.
- 1994 - Vance-Owen peace plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina is announced.
- 1995 - Space Shuttle astronauts Bernard A. Harris, Jr. and Michael Foale become the first African American and first Briton, respectively, to perform spacewalks.
- 1996 - The Irish Republican Army declares the end of its 18 month ceasefire shortly followed by a large bomb in London's Canary Wharf.
- 2001 - The American submarine USS Greeneville accidentally strikes and sinks the Ehime-Maru, a Japanese training vessel operated by the Uwajima Fishery High School.
Births
- 1533 - Shimazu Yoshihisa, Japanese samurai (d. 1611)
- 1645 - Johann Aegidius Bach, German violistian (d. 1716)
- 1666 - George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, British soldier (d. 1737)
- 1748 - Luther Martin, American patriot (d. 1826)
- 1756 - Karel Blažej Kopřiva, Czech composer (d. 1785)
- 1763 - Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Baden (d. 1830)
- 1769 - Susette Gontard, the beloved of the poet Friedrich Hölderlin (d. 1802
- 1773 - William Henry Harrison, President of the United States (d. 1841)
- 1775 - Farkas Bolyai, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1856)
- 1781 - Johann Baptist von Spix, German scientist (d. 1826)
- 1783 - Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet (d. 1852)
- 1789 - Franz Xaver Gabelsberger, German inventor of the stenography (d. 1849)
- 1800 - Hyrum Smith, American religious leader (d. 1844)
- 1814 - Samuel Jones Tilden, 28th Governor of New York (d. 1886)
- 1830 - Abd-ul-Aziz, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1876)
- 1834 - Felix Dahn, German author (d. 1912)
- 1839 - Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (d. 1896)
- 1846 - Wilhelm Maybach, German automotive designer (d. 1929)
- 1846 - Whitaker Wright, English mining tycoon (d. 1904)
- 1865 - Mrs. Patrick Campbell, British actress (d. 1940)
- 1865 - Erich von Drygalski, German geographer, geophysicist, and polar scientist (d. 1949)
- 1874 - Amy Lowell, American poet (d. 1925)
- 1880 - Lipót Fejér, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1959)
- 1885 - Alban Berg, Austrian composer (d. 1935)
- 1891 - Ronald Colman, English actor (d. 1958)
- 1892 - Peggy Wood, American actress (d. 1978)
- 1892 - Tommy Treichel, American professional wrestler (d. 1936)
- 1895 - Hermann Brill, German politician (d. 1959)
- 1897 - Charles Kingsford Smith, Australian pilot (d. 1935)
- 1901 - Brian Donlevy, Irish actor (d. 1972)
- 1901 - James Murray, American actor (d. 1936)
- 1902 - Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, German women's leader (d. 1999)
- 1906 - André Kostolany, stock market expert and speculator (d. 1999)
- 1909 - Heather Angel, British actress (d. 1986)
- 1909 - Carmen Miranda, Brazilian actress (d. 1955)
- 1909 - Dean Rusk, United States Secretary of State (d. 1994)
- 1909 - Harald Genzmer, German composer (d. 2007)
- 1910 - Jacques Monod, French biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1976)
- 1911 - William Darby, American WWII Army officer (d. 1945)
- 1914 - Gypsy Rose Lee, American dancer (d. 1970)
- 1914 - Ernest Tubb, American singer (d. 1984)
- 1914 - Bill Veeck, American baseball executive (d. 1986)
- 1915 - Lennard Pearce, English actor (d. 1984)
- 1916 - Tex Hughson, American baseball player (d. 1993)
- 1922 - Kathryn Grayson, American actress
- 1922 - Jim Laker, English cricketer (d. 1986)
- 1923 - Brendan Behan, Irish author (d. 1964)
- 1925 - Burkhard Heim, German physicist (d. 2001)
- 1926 - Garret FitzGerald, 7th Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland
- 1928 - Frank Frazetta, American illustrator
- 1928 - Rinus Michels, Dutch football coach (d. 2005)
- 1928 - Roger Mudd, American journalist
- 1929 - Clement Meadmore, Australian-born sculptor (d. 2005)
- 1930 - Garner Ted Armstrong, American evangelist (d. 2003)
- 1931 - Thomas Bernhard, Austrian playwright and novelist (d. 1989)
- 1931 - Josef Masopust, Czech footballer
- 1932 - Tatsuro Hirooka, Japanese baseball player
- 1932 - Gerhard Richter, German painter
- 1933 - Loris Azzaro, French fashion designer (d. 2003)
- 1934 - John Ziegler, former NHL Commissioner
- 1936 - Stompin' Tom Connors, Canadian country singer
- 1936 - Clive Swift, British actor
- 1937 - Clete Boyer, American baseball player (d. 2007)
- 1939 - Barry Mann, American singer
- 1939 - Janet Suzman, South African actress
- 1940 - Brian Bennett, British musician (The Shadows)
- 1940 - J. M. Coetzee, South African author, Nobel laureate
- 1941 - Sheila Kuehl, American actress
- 1942 - Carole King, American singer
- 1943 - Barbara Lewis, American singer and songwriter
- 1943 - Jonny Nilsson, Swedish speedskater
- 1943 - Joe Pesci, American actor
- 1943 - Joseph E. Stiglitz, American economist, Nobel laureate
- 1944 - Derryn Hinch, Australian media personality
- 1944 - Alice Walker, American writer
- 1945 - Mia Farrow, American actress
- 1945 - Gérard Lenorman, French singer
- 1946 - Séan Neeson, Northern Irish politician
- 1946 - Vince Papale, NFL player
- 1947 - Carla Del Ponte, Swiss UN prosecutor
- 1947 - Joe Ely, American musician
- 1947 - Major Harris, American singer
- 1949 - Judith Light, American actress
- 1950 - Richard F. Colburn, American politician
- 1952 - Danny White, American football player
- 1952 - Mookie Wilson, American baseball player
- 1953 - Ciarán Hinds, Northern Irish actor
- 1953 - Gabriel Rotello, American television documentary producer
- 1954 - Christopher Gardner, American entrepreneur
- 1954 - Kevin Warwick, Cyborg Scientist
- 1955 - JM J. Bullock, American actor
- 1955 - Charles Shaughnessy, British actor
- 1957 - Gordon Strachan, Scottish football player and manager
- 1958 - Chris Nilan, National Hockey League player
- 1958 - Cyrille Regis, English former footballer
- 1960 - Holly Johnson, British singer (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
- 1961 - John Kruk, American baseball player
- 1961 - Jussi Lampi, Finnish musician and actor
- 1962 - Anik Bissonnette, Quebec ballet dancer (Les Grands Ballets Canadiens)
- 1963 - Brian Greene, American physicist
- 1963 - Travis Tritt, American singer
- 1965 - Igor Malkov, Russian speedskater
- 1965 - Julie Warner, American actress
- 1966 - Ellen van Langen, Dutch athlete
- 1967 - Todd Pratt, American baseball player
- 1968 - Alejandra Guzmán, Mexican singer
- 1969 - Jimmy Smith, American football player
- 1970 - Glenn McGrath, Australian cricketer
- 1971 - Sharon Case, American actress
- 1971 - Johan Mjällby, Swedish footballer
- 1972 - Crispin Freeman, American voice actor
- 1973 - Svetlana Boginskaya, Soviet gymnast
- 1974 - Amber Valletta, American model
- 1975 - Viktor Chistiakov, Russian-born Australian athlete
- 1975 - Clinton Grybas, Australian Football commentator (d. 2008)
- 1976 - Charlie Day, American actor
- 1976 - Vladimir Guerrero, Dominican baseball player
- 1976 - Georgios Korakakis, Greek footballer
- 1978 - Airton Daré, Brazilian racing driver
- 1978 - Daniel Mann, British television commentator
- 1979 - David Gray, English snooker player
- 1979 - Akinori Iwamura, Japanese baseball player
- 1979 - Irina Slutskaya, Russian figure skater
- 1979 - Zhang Ziyi, Chinese actress
- 1980 - Angelos Charisteas, Greek footballer
- 1980 - Shelly Martinez, American wrestler
- 1981 - Joël Camathias, Swiss racing driver
- 1981 - The Reverend Tholomew Plague, drummer (Avenged Sevenfold)
- 1981 - John Walker Lindh, American Taliban fighter
- 1982 - Ami Suzuki, Japanese singer
- 1983 - Mikel Arruabarrena, Spanish footballer
- 1984 - Han Kyung, Korean singer Super Junior
- 1984 - Dioner Navarro, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1985 - David Gallagher, American actor
- 1986 - Princess Raiyah bint Al Hussein, of Jordan
- 1987 - Magdalena Neuner, German biathlete
- 1987 - Joe O'Cearuill, Irish footballer
- 1989 - Wu Chia-ching, Taiwanese pool player
- 1989 - Gia Farrell, American singer
- 1990 - Camille Winbush, American actress
- 1996 - Jimmy Bennett, American actor
Deaths
- 1011 - Bernard I, Duke of Saxony
- 1199 - Minamoto no Yoritomo, Japanese shogun (b. 1147)
- 1450 - Agnès Sorel, mistress of King Charles VII of France (b. 1421)
- 1555 - Rowland Taylor, English pastor (executed) (b. 1510)
- 1619 - Lucilio Vanini, Italian philosopher (b. 1585)
- 1640 - Murad IV, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1612)
- 1675 - Gerhard Douw, Dutch painter (b. 1613)
- 1709 - François Louis, Prince of Conti, French general (b. 1664)
- 1751 - Henri François d'Aguesseau, Chancellor of France (b. 1668)
- 1752 - Fredric Hasselquist, Swedish naturalist (b. 1722)
- 1777 - Seth Pomeroy, American gunsmith and soldier (b. 1706)
- 1782 - Joseph Aloysius Assemani, Syrian orientalist (b. 1710)
- 1803 - Jean François de Saint-Lambert, French poet (b. 1716)
- 1857 - Dionysios Solomos, Greek poet of the Greek national anthem (b. 1798)
- 1874 - Jules Michelet, French historian (b. 1798)
- 1881 - Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Russian novelist (b. 1821)
- 1891 - Johan Jongkind, Dutch painter (b. 1819)
- 1906 - Paul Laurence Dunbar, American poet (b. 1872)
- 1940 - Eugene Bleuler, Swiss psychiatrist (b. 1857)
- 1951 - Eddy Duchin, American musician (b. 1910)
- 1957 - Miklós Horthy, Hungarian admiral (b. 1868)
- 1960 - Alexandre Benois, Russian artist (b. 1870)
- 1960 - Ernő Dohnányi, Hungarian pianist, conductor and composer (b. 1877)
- 1966 - Sophie Tucker, Russian-born actress (b. 1884)
- 1969 - Gabby Hayes, American actor (b. 1885)
- 1973 - Vasiliki Maliaros, Greek actress (b. 1883)
- 1973 - Max Yasgur, American farmer (Woodstock Festival) (b. 1919)
- 1976 - Percy Faith, Canadian musician (b. 1908)
- 1977 - Sergey Ilyushin, Russian aircraft designer (b. 1894)
- 1978 - Costante Girardengo, Italian cyclist (b. 1893)
- 1978 - Julio Jaramillo, Ecuadorian singer (b. 1935)
- 1979 - Dennis Gabor, Hungarian physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1900)
- 1981 - Bill Haley, American musician (Bill Haley & His Comets) (b. 1925)
- 1984 - Yuri Andropov, Soviet politician (b. 1914)
- 1989 - Osamu Tezuka, Japanese manga artist (b. 1928)
- 1991 - James Cleveland, American gospel singer (b. 1931)
- 1994 - Howard Martin Temin, American geneticist, Nobel laureate (b. 1934)
- 1995 - J. William Fulbright, American politician (b. 1905)
- 1995 - David Wayne, American actor (b. 1914)
- 1997 - Brian Connolly, Scottish singer (Sweet) (b. 1945)
- 1999 - Bryan Mosley, British actor (b. 1931)
- 2001 - Herbert Simon, American economist, Nobel laureate (b. 1916)
- 2002 - Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom (b. 1930)
- 2002 - Vicente Sardinero, Spanish baritone (b. 1937)
- 2004 - Claude Ryan, Canadian newspaper director and politician (b. 1925)
- 2006 - Freddie Laker, British airline entrepreneur (b. 1922)
- 2006 - Nadira, Indian actress (b. 1932)
- 2007 - Hank Bauer, American baseball player (b. 1922)
- 2007 - Ian Richardson, Scottish actor (b. 1934)
Holidays and Observances
- Saint Ansbert of Rouen
- Saint Maron's Day - Lebanon
- Saint Apollonia, patron saint of dentists and dental technicians
- February 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
