February 1

February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 333 days remaining until the end of the year (334 in leap years).

Events

• 481 – Vandal king Huneric organises a conference between Catholic and Arian bishops at Carthage.
• 1327 – Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.
• 1329 – King John of Bohemia captures Medvėgalis, an important fortress of the pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and baptizes 6,000 of its defenders
• 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn, Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights (Prussia).
• 1662 – The Chinese general Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege.
• 1713 – The Kalabalik or Tumult in Bendery results from the Ottoman sultan's order that his unwelcome guest, King Charles XII of Sweden, be seized.
• 1790 – In New York City, the Supreme Court of the United States convenes for the first time.
• 1793 – French Revolutionary Wars: France declares war on the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
• 1796 – The capital of Upper Canada is moved from Newark to York.
• 1814 – Mayon Volcano in the Philippines erupts, killing around 1,200 people, the most devastating eruption of the volcano.
• 1835 – Slavery is abolished in Mauritius.
• 1861 – American Civil War: Texas secedes from the United States.
• 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln signs the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• 1876 – A murder conviction effectively forces the violent Pennsylvanian Irish anti-owner coal miners, the "Molly Maguires", to disband.
• 1884 – The first volume (A to Ant) of the Oxford English Dictionary is published.
• 1893 – Thomas A. Edison finishes construction of the first motion picture studio, the Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey.
• 1895 – Fountains Valley, Pretoria, the oldest nature reserve in Africa, is proclaimed by President Paul Kruger.
• 1897 – Shinhan Bank, the oldest bank in South Korea, opens in Seoul.
• 1908 – King Carlos I of Portugal and his son, Prince Luis Filipe, are killed in Terreiro do Paco, Lisbon.
• 1918 – Russia adopts the Gregorian Calendar.
• 1920 – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police begins operations.
• 1924 – The United Kingdom recognizes the USSR.
• 1942 – World War II: Josef Terboven, Reichskommissar of German-occupied Norway, appoints Vidkun Quisling the Minister President of the National Government.
• 1942 – World War II: U.S. Navy conducts Marshalls-Gilberts raids, the first offensive action by the United States against Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater.
• 1942 – Voice of America, the official external radio and television service of the United States government, begins broadcasting with programs aimed at areas controlled by the Axis powers.
• 1946 – Trygve Lie of Norway is picked to be the first United Nations Secretary General.
• 1946 – The Parliament of Hungary abolishes the monarchy after nine centuries, and proclaims the Hungarian Republic.
• 1953 – North Sea flood of 1953 (Dutch, Watersnoodramp, literally "flood disaster") was a major flood caused by a heavy storm, that occurred on the night of Saturday, 31 January 1953 and morning of Sunday, 1 February 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland.
• 1957 – Felix Wankel's first working prototype (DKM 54) of the Wankel engine runs at the NSU research and development department Versuchsabteilung TX in Germany
• 1960 – Four black students stage the first of the Greensboro sit-ins at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.
• 1964 – The Beatles have their first number one hit in the United States with I Want to Hold Your Hand
• 1965 – The Hamilton River in Labrador, Canada is renamed the Churchill River in honour of Winston Churchill.
• 1968 – Vietnam War: The execution of Viet Cong officer Nguyen Van Lem by South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyen Ngoc Loan is videotaped and photographed by Eddie Adams. This image helped build opposition to the Vietnam War.
• 1968 – Canada's three military services, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, are unified into the Canadian Forces.
• 1968 – The New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad are merged to form Penn Central Transportation.
• 1972 – Kuala Lumpur becomes a city by a royal charter granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
• 1974 – A fire in the 25-story Joelma Building in Sao Paulo, Brazil kills 189 and injures 293.
• 1974 – Kuala Lumpur is declared a Federal Territory.
• 1978 – Director Roman Polanski skips bail and flees the United States to France after pleading guilty to charges of having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
• 1979 – Convicted bank robber Patty Hearst is released from prison after her sentence is commuted by President Jimmy Carter.
• 1979 – The Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran, Iran after nearly 15 years of exile.
• 1982 – Senegal and the Gambia form a loose confederation known as Senegambia.
• 1989 – The Western Australian towns of Kalgoorlie and Boulder amalgamate to form the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
• 1990 – Humanitas publishing house is founded in Bucharest, shortly after the Romanian Revolution, by the philosopher Gabriel Liiceanu.
• 1991 – A runway collision between USAir Flight 1493 and SkyWest Flight 5569 at Los Angeles International Airport results in the deaths of 34 people, and injuries to 30 others.
• 1992 – The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal court declares Warren Anderson, ex-CEO of Union Carbide, a fugitive under Indian law for failing to appear in the Bhopal Disaster case.
• 1993 – Gary Bettman becomes the NHL's first commissioner
• 1994 – Punk rock band Green Day releases their album Dookie, which would eventually sell over 20 million copies worldwide.
• 1996 – The Communications Decency Act is passed by the U.S. Congress.
• 1998 – Rear Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne becomes the first female African American to be promoted to rear admiral.
• 2001 – Putrajaya, the Malaysian administrative city, is declared a Federal Territory.
• 2002 – Daniel Pearl, American journalist and South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, kidnapped January 23, 2002, is beheaded and mutilated by his captors.
• 2003 – Space Shuttle Columbia on mission STS-107 disintegrates during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
• 2004 – 251 people are trampled to death and 244 injured in a stampede at the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
• 2004 – Janet Jackson's breast is exposed during the half-time show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, resulting in US broadcasters adopting a stronger adherence to Federal Communications Commission censorship guidelines.
• 2005 – King Gyanendra of Nepal carries out a coup d'état to capture the democracy, becoming Chairman of the Councils of ministers.
• 2013 – The Shard, the tallest building in the European Union, is opened to the public.

Births

• 1261 – Walter de Stapledon, English bishop (d. 1326)
• 1459 – Conrad Celtes, German poet and scholar (d. 1508)
• 1462 – Johannes Trithemius, German lexicographer, historian, and cryptographer (d. 1516)
• 1501 – Queen Munjeong of Korean (d. 1565)
• 1552 – Edward Coke, English judge and politician (d. 1634)
• 1635 – Marquard Gude, German archaeologist and scholar (d. 1689)
• 1648 – Elkanah Settle, English poet and playwright (d. 1724)
• 1659 – Jacob Roggeveen, Dutch explorer (d. 1729)
• 1663 – Ignacia del Espíritu Santo, Filipino nun, founded the Religious of the Virgin Mary (d. 1748)
• 1687 – Johann Adam Birkenstock, German violinist and composer (d. 1733)
• 1690 – Francesco Maria Veracini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1768)
• 1701 – Johan Agrell, Swedish-German composer (d. 1765)
• 1710 – Konrad Ernst Ackermann, German actor (d. 1771)
• 1761 – Christian Hendrik Persoon, South African mycologist (d. 1836)
• 1763 – Thomas Campbell, Irish minister and theologian (d. 1854)
• 1764 – George Duff, Scottish captain (d. 1805)
• 1796 – Abraham Emanuel Fröhlich, Swiss poet (d. 1865)
• 1801 – Émile Littré, French lexicographer and philosopher (d. 1881)
• 1820 – George Hendric Houghton, American clergyman and theologian (d. 1897)
• 1836 – Emil Hartmann, Danish composer (d. 1898)
• 1841 – William Davenport, American magician (d. 1877)
• 1844 – G. Stanley Hall, American psychologist (d. 1924)
• 1851 – Durham Stevens, American diplomat (d. 1908)
• 1859 – Victor Herbert, Irish-American cellist, composer, and conductor (d. 1924)
• 1871 – Hellmer Hermandsen, Norwegian target shooter (d. 1958)
• 1872 – Jerome F. Donovan, American politician (d. 1949)
• 1872 – Andrew Kehoe, American murderer (d. 1927)
• 1873 – Joseph Allard, Canadian fiddler and composer (d. 1947)
• 1873 – John Barry, Irish soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1901)
• 1874 – Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1929)
• 1878 – Alfréd Hajós, Hungarian swimmer and architect (d. 1955)
• 1878 – Milan Hodža, Slovak journalist and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (d. 1944)
• 1882 – Louis St. Laurent, Canadian politician, 12th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1973)
• 1884 – Bradbury Robinson, American football player and physician (d. 1949)
• 1884 – Yevgeny Zamyatin, Russian author (d. 1937)
• 1887 – Charles Nordhoff, English-American author (d. 1947)
• 1888 – Charles January, American soccer player (d. 1970)
• 1890 – Nikolai Reek, Estonian general (d. 1942)
• 1894 – John Ford, American director and producer (d. 1973)
• 1894 – Lucian Grigorescu, Romanian painter (d. 1965)
• 1894 – James P. Johnson, American pianist and composer (d. 1955)
• 1895 – Conn Smythe, Canadian businessman (d. 1980)
• 1897 – Denise Robins, English author (d. 1985)
• 1898 – Leila Denmark, American pediatrician (d. 2012)
• 1901 – Frank Buckles, American soldier (d. 2011)
• 1901 – Clark Gable, American actor (d. 1960)
• 1902 – Therese Brandl, German concentration camp guard (d. 1947)
• 1902 – Langston Hughes, American poet and author (d. 1967)
• 1904 – S. J. Perelman, American author and screenwriter (d. 1979)
• 1905 – Emilio G. Segrè, Italian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
• 1906 – Hildegarde, American actress and singer (d. 2005)
• 1906 – Adetokunbo Ademola, Nigerian jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of Nigeria (d. 1993)
• 1907 – Günter Eich, German author and songwriter (d. 1972)
• 1907 – Camargo Guarnieri, Brazilian composer (d. 1993)
• 1908 – George Pal, Hungarian-American animator and producer (d. 1980)
• 1908 – Louis Rasminsky, Canadian economist (d. 1998)
• 1909 – George Beverly Shea, Canadian-American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
• 1910 – Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Chinese politician (d. 2009)
• 1915 – Stanley Matthews, English footballer (d. 2000)
• 1915 – Alicia Rhett, American actress and painter (d. 2014)
• 1917 – A. K. Hangal, Indian actor (d. 2012)
• 1917 – José Luis Sampedro, Spanish economist and author (d. 2013)
• 1917 – Eiji Sawamura, Japanese baseball player (d. 1944)
• 1918 – Muriel Spark, Scottish author (d. 2006)
• 1918 – Ignacy Tokarczuk, Polish archbishop (d. 2012)
• 1920 – Mike Scarry, American football player and coach (d. 2012)
• 1921 – Patricia Robins, English author
• 1921 – Peter Sallis, English actor
• 1922 – Renata Tebaldi, Italian soprano (d. 2004)
• 1922 – John Coombs, English racing driver and racing team owner (d. 2013)
• 1923 – Ben Weider, Canadian businessman, co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (d. 2008)
• 1924 – Richard Hooker, American author (d. 1997)
• 1924 – Emmanuel Scheffer, German-Israeli footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2012)
• 1926 – Shane Devine, American judge (d. 1999)
• 1927 – Jimmy Andrews, Scottish footballer (d. 2012)
• 1927 – Galway Kinnell, American poet and academic (d. 2014)
• 1928 – Sam Edwards, Welsh physicist and academic
• 1928 – Tom Lantos, Hungarian-American politician (d. 2008)
• 1928 – Stuart Whitman, American actor
• 1930 – Shahabuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi judge and politician, 11th President of Bangladesh
• 1930 – Mario Beaulieu, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1998)
• 1930 – Hussain Muhammad Ershad, Indian-Bangladeshi politician, 9th President of Bangladesh
• 1930 – Peter Tapsell, English politician
• 1931 – Iajuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi politician, 13th President of Bangladesh (d. 2012)
• 1931 – Bob Smith, American baseball player (d. 2013)
• 1931 – Boris Yeltsin, Russian politician, 1st President of Russia (d. 2007)
• 1932 – Jan Ramberg, Swedish lawyer and judge
• 1934 – Nicolae Breban, Romanian author
• 1934 – Bob Shane, American singer and guitarist (The Kingston Trio)
• 1935 – Dory Dixon, Jamaican-Mexican wrestler
• 1936 – Azie Taylor Morton, American politician, 36th Treasurer of the United States (d. 2003)
• 1937 – Antonis Christeas, Greek basketball player (d. 2011)
• 1937 – Don Everly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Everly Brothers)
• 1937 – Garrett Morris, American actor
• 1937 – Ray Sawyer, American singer-songwriter (Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show)
• 1938 – Sherman Hemsley, American actor (d. 2012)
• 1939 – Fritjof Capra, Austrian physicist
• 1939 – Claude François, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and dancer (d. 1978)
• 1939 – Paul Gillmor, American lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
• 1939 – Del McCoury, American singer and guitarist (Del McCoury Band)
• 1939 – Joe Sample, American pianist and composer (The Crusaders) (d. 2014)
• 1940 – Bibi Besch, Austrian-American actress (d. 1996)
• 1940 – Hervé Filion, Canadian harness racer
• 1940 – Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, Bangladeshi politician
• 1941 – Karl Dall, German comedian, singer, and television host
• 1941 – Jerry Spinelli, American author
• 1942 – Terry Jones, Welsh actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1942 – Masa Saito, Japanese wrestler
• 1942 – Muna Wassef, Syrian actress
• 1943 – Fred Barnes, American journalist
• 1943 – Anne Weyman, English businesswoman
• 1944 – Paul Blair, American baseball player and coach (d. 2013)
• 1944 – Lucian Boia, Romanian historian
• 1944 – Mike Enzi, American politician
• 1944 – Petru Popescu, Romanian-American director, producer, and author
• 1944 – Dick Snyder, American basketball player
• 1944 – Burkhard Ziese, German footballer and manager (d. 2010)
• 1945 – Serge Joyal, Canadian lawyer and politician
• 1946 – Chris Clark, American singer
• 1946 – Elisabeth Sladen, English actress (d. 2011)
• 1946 – Gerhard Welz, German footballer
• 1947 – Mike Brant, Cypriot-Israeli singer (d. 1975)
• 1947 – Ian Gibson, English businessman
• 1947 – Adam Ingram, Scottish politician
• 1947 – Normie Rowe, Australian singer
• 1947 – Jessica Savitch, American journalist (d. 1983)
• 1948 – Rick James, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Mynah Birds) (d. 2004)
• 1948 – Ferruccio Mazzola, Italian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
• 1950 – Mike Campbell, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch)
• 1950 – Elizabeth France, English civil servant
• 1950 – Alan Moller, American meteorologist and photographer (d. 2014)
• 1951 – Christina Dodwell, Nigerian-English explorer and author
• 1951 – Sonny Landreth, American guitarist and songwriter
• 1951 – Andrew Smith, English politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
• 1952 – Owoye Andrew Azazi, Nigerian general (d. 2012)
• 1952 – Dennis Condrey, American wrestler
• 1952 – Jenő Jandó, Hungarian pianist
• 1953 – Brendon Batson, English footballer
• 1954 – Marijke Amado, Dutch television host
• 1954 – Chuck Dukowski, American singer-songwriter and bass player (Black Flag, Würm, Black Face, and October Faction)
• 1954 – Bill Mumy, American singer-songwriter and actor
• 1955 – Ernie Camacho, American baseball player
• 1955 – Teresa Pearce, English politician
• 1956 – Brahmanandam, Indian actor
• 1956 – Exene Cervenka, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (X, The Knitters, and Auntie Christ)
• 1956 – Mike Kitchen, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1957 – Renae Jacobs, American voice actress
• 1957 – Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Saudi Arabian businessman (d. 2007)
• 1958 – Luther Blissett, Jamaican-English footballer and manager
• 1958 – Margie Abbott, New Zealand-Australian wife of Tony Abbott
• 1958 – Ryō Horikawa, Japanese voice actor
• 1958 – Eleanor Laing, Scottish lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
• 1958 – Jackie Shroff, Indian actor
• 1961 – Volker Fried, German field hockey player
• 1961 – Daniel M. Tani, American engineer and astronaut
• 1962 – José Luis Cuciuffo, Argentinian footballer (d. 2004)
• 1962 – Tomoyasu Hotei, Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (Boøwy and Complex)
• 1963 – Takashi Murakami, Japanese painter and sculptor
• 1964 – Jani Lane, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Warrant and Saints of the Underground) (d. 2011)
• 1964 – Mario Pelchat, Canadian singer-songwriter
• 1964 – Linus Roache, English actor
• 1965 – Sherilyn Fenn, American actress
• 1965 – Brandon Lee, American actor and martial artist (d. 1993)
• 1965 – Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
• 1966 – Michelle Akers, American soccer player
• 1966 – Vasilis Dimitriadis, Greek footballer
• 1966 – Donna Edmondson, American model
• 1966 – Rob Lee, English footballer
• 1967 – Meg Cabot, American author
• 1967 – Shishupal Natthu Patle, Indian politician
• 1968 – Kent Mercker, American baseball player
• 1968 – Lisa Marie Presley, American singer-songwriter
• 1968 – Mark Recchi, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1968 – Pauly Shore, American comedian and actor
• 1969 – Gabriel Batistuta, Argentinian footballer
• 1969 – Andrew Breitbart, American publisher and author (d. 2012)
• 1969 – Brian Krause, American actor and screenwriter
• 1969 – Thomas Ong, Singaporean actor
• 1969 – Joshua Redman, American saxophonist and composer
• 1969 – Patrick Wilson, American drummer (Weezer, The Special Goodness, and The Rentals)
• 1970 – Nico, Romanian singer
• 1970 – Yasuyuki Kazama, Japanese race car driver
• 1970 – Malik Sealy, American basketball player (d. 2000)
• 1971 – Harald Martin Brattbakk, Norwegian footballer
• 1971 – Michael C. Hall, American actor
• 1971 – Tomomi Hayashi, Japanese-Estonian architect
• 1971 – Ajay Jadeja, Indian cricketer
• 1971 – Jill Kelly, American porn actress, director, and producer
• 1971 – Alison Mowbray, English rower
• 1971 – Hynden Walch, American actress
• 1971 – Ron Welty, American drummer (The Offspring and Steady Ground)
• 1971 – Zlatko Zahovič, Slovenian footballer
• 1972 – Kami, Japanese drummer (Malice Mizer) (d. 1999)
• 1972 – Yoshi DeHerrera, American television host
• 1973 – Andrew DeClercq, American basketball player
• 1973 – Yuri Landman, Dutch instrument maker
• 1973 – Makiko Ohmoto, Japanese voice actress
• 1973 – Óscar Pérez Rojas, Mexican footballer
• 1974 – Walter McCarty, American basketball player
• 1974 – David Meca, Spanish swimmer
• 1975 – Big Boi, American rapper and producer (Outkast and Purple Ribbon All-Stars)
• 1975 – Martijn Reuser, Dutch footballer
• 1975 – Ekaterini Thanou, Greek sprinter
• 1976 – Phil Ivey, American poker player
• 1977 – Lari Ketner, American football player (d. 2014)
• 1977 – Kevin Kilbane, Irish footballer
• 1977 – Robert Traylor, American basketball player (d. 2011)
• 1978 – Domenick Davies, Welsh-German rugby player
• 1978 – Tim Harding, Australian singer and actor (Hi-5)
• 1978 – Ken Johnson, American basketball player
• 1979 – Julie Augustyniak, American soccer player
• 1979 – Valentín Elizalde, Mexican singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
• 1979 – Jason Isbell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Drive-By Truckers)
• 1979 – Rachelle Lefevre, Canadian actress
• 1979 – Juan Silveira dos Santos, Brazilian footballer
• 1980 – Keitani Graham, Micronesian wrestler (d. 2012)
• 1980 – Héctor Luna, Dominican baseball player
• 1980 – Moisés Muñoz, Mexican footballer
• 1980 – Otilino Tenorio, Ecuadorian footballer (d. 2005)
• 1981 – Rob Austin, English race car driver
• 1981 – Christian Giménez, Argentinian footballer
• 1981 – Luis Lamá, Angolan footballer
• 1981 – Raimo Pajusalu, Estonian volleyball player
• 1981 – Graeme Smith, South African cricketer
• 1982 – Gavin Henson, Welsh rugby player
• 1982 – Shoaib Malik, Pakistani cricketer
• 1982 – Kim Jong-wook, South Korean singer
• 1983 – Iveta Benešová, Czech tennis player
• 1983 – Kevin Martin, American basketball player
• 1983 – Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Belgian cyclist
• 1983 – Andrew VanWyngarden, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (MGMT)
• 1984 – Darren Fletcher, Scottish footballer
• 1984 – Lee Thompson Young, American actor (d. 2013)
• 1985 – Jodi Gordon, Australian actress and model
• 1985 – Rachael Scdoris, American runner and dog musher
• 1985 – Karine Sergerie, Canadian martial artist
• 1985 – Dean Shiels, Irish footballer
• 1986 – Jorrit Bergsma, Dutch speed skater
• 1986 – Lauren Conrad, American fashion designer and author
• 1987 – Sebastian Boenisch, Polish footballer
• 1987 – Ronda Rousey, American mixed martial artist, judoka and actress
• 1987 – Wu Jingyu, Chinese martial artist
• 1987 – Montario Hardesty, American football player
• 1987 – Heather Morris, American actress, singer, and dancer
• 1987 – Giuseppe Rossi, Italian footballer
• 1988 – Brett Anderson, American baseball player
• 1989 – Ricky Pinheiro, Portuguese footballer
• 1990 – Dan Gosling, English footballer
• 1990 – Laura Marling, English singer-songwriter (Noah and the Whale)
• 1991 – Luca Caldirola, Italian footballer
• 1993 – Diego Mella, Italian footballer
• 1994 – Anna-Lena Friedsam, German tennis player
• 1994 – Skylar Laine, American singer-songwriter
• 1994 – Harry Styles, English singer (One Direction)
• 1998 – Paris Smith, American actress and singer

Deaths

• 772 – Pope Stephen III (b. 720)
• 1248 – Henry II, Duke of Brabant (b. 1207)
• 1328 – Charles IV of France (b. 1294)
• 1542 – Girolamo Aleandro, Italian cardinal (b. 1480)
• 1563 – Menas of Ethiopia (b. 1559)
• 1590 – Lawrence Humphrey, English theologian and academic (b. 1527)
• 1691 – Pope Alexander VIII (b. 1610)
• 1718 – Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury, English politician (b. 1660)
• 1733 – Augustus II the Strong, Polish king (b. 1670)
• 1734 – John Floyer, English physician and author (b. 1649)
• 1743 – Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni, Italian organist and composer (b. 1657)
• 1750 – Bakar of Georgia (b. 1699)
• 1761 – Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, French historian (b. 1682)
• 1768 – Sir Robert Rich, 4th Baronet, English field marshal and politician (b. 1685)
• 1793 – William Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington, English politician (b. 1717)
• 1832 – Archibald Murphey, American politician (b. 1777)
• 1850 – Edward Baker Lincoln, American son of Abraham Lincoln (b. 1846)
• 1851 – Mary Shelley, English author (b. 1797)
• 1893 – George Henry Sanderson, American politician, 22nd Mayor of San Francisco (b. 1824)
• 1897 – Constantin von Ettingshausen, Austrian geologist and botanist (b. 1826)
• 1903 – George Gabriel Stokes, Irish physicist (b. 1819)
• 1908 – Carlos I of Portugal (b. 1863)
• 1922 – William Desmond Taylor, American actor and director (b. 1872)
• 1928 – Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (b. 1869)
• 1936 – Georgios Kondylis, Greek general and politician, 128th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1878)
• 1940 – Philip Francis Nowlan, American author (b. 1888)
• 1940 – Zacharias Papantoniou, Greek journalist (b. 1877)
• 1944 – Piet Mondriaan, Dutch painter (b. 1872)
• 1945 – Prince Kiril of Bulgaria (b. 1895)
• 1949 – Nicolae Dumitru Cocea, Romanian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1880)
• 1949 – Herbert Stothart, American conductor and composer (b. 1885)
• 1954 – Yvonne de Bray, French actress (b. 1889)
• 1957 – Friedrich Paulus, German general (b. 1890)
• 1958 – Clinton Davisson, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
• 1959 – Madame Sul-Te-Wan, American actress (b. 1873)
• 1963 – Fleetwood Lindley, American florist (b. 1888)
• 1966 – Hedda Hopper, American actress and columnist (b. 1885)
• 1966 – Buster Keaton, American actor (b. 1895)
• 1968 – Jacob van der Hoeden, Dutch-Israeli scientist and academic (b. 1891)
• 1970 – Alfréd Rényi, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1921)
• 1976 – Werner Heisenberg, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
• 1976 – George Whipple, American physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1878)
• 1979 – Abdi İpekçi, Turkish journalist (b. 1929)
• 1980 – Gastone Nencini, Italian cyclist (b. 1930)
• 1981 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American businessman, founded the Douglas Aircraft Company (b. 1892)
• 1981 – Geirr Tveitt, Norwegian pianist and composer (b. 1908)
• 1986 – Alva Myrdal, Swedish sociologist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
• 1987 – Alessandro Blasetti, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1900)
• 1988 – Heather O'Rourke, American actress (b. 1975)
• 1989 – Elaine de Kooning, American painter (b. 1918)
• 1991 – Carol Dempster, American actress (b. 1901)
• 1991 – Phil Watson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1914)
• 1992 – Jean Hamburger, French physician (b. 1909)
• 1995 – Richey Edwards, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (Manic Street Preachers) (b. 1967)
• 1997 – Herb Caen, American journalist (b. 1916)
• 1999 – Paul Calvert, Canadian baseball player (b. 1917)
• 1999 – Paul Mellon, American philanthropist (b. 1907)
• 2001 – André D'Allemagne, Canadian political scientist and educator (b. 1929)
• 2002 – Hildegard Knef, German actress and singer (b. 1925)
• 2003 – crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia
  • • – Michael P. Anderson, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1959)
    • – David M. Brown, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1956)
    • – Kalpana Chawla, Indian-American astronaut (b. 1961)
    • – Laurel Clark, American captain, surgeon, and astronaut (b. 1961)
    • – Rick Husband, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1957)
    • – William C. McCool, American commander, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1961)
    • – Ilan Ramon, Israeli colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1954)
• 2003 – Mongo Santamaría, Cuban-American drummer and bandleader (b. 1922)
• 2004 – May O'Donnell, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1909)
• 2005 – John Vernon, Canadian actor (b. 1932)
• 2006 – Dick Bass, American football player (b. 1937)
• 2006 – Bryce Harland, New Zealand diplomat and academic (b. 1931)
• 2007 – Whitney Balliett, American journalist and critic (b. 1926)
• 2007 – Ray Berres, American baseball player (b. 1907)
• 2007 – Ahmad Abu Laban, Egyptian-Danish religious leader, founded The Islamic Society in Denmark (b. 1946)
• 2007 – Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian-American composer (b. 1911)
• 2007 – Seri Wangnaitham, Thai dancer and choreographer (b. 1937)
• 2008 – Beto Carrero, Brazilian businessman (b. 1937)
• 2010 – Jack Brisco, American wrestler (b. 1941)
• 2010 – Justin Mentell, American actor (b. 1982)
• 2010 – Jaap van der Poll, Dutch javelin thrower (b. 1914)
• 2011 – Douglas Haig, American actor (b. 1920)
• 2011 – Derek Rawcliffe,English bishop and author (b. 1921)
• 2011 – Knut Risan, Norwegian actor (b. 1930)
• 2011 – Les Stubbs, English footballer (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Gerlando Alberti, Italian mobster (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Robert B. Cohen, American businessman, founded Hudson News (b. 1925)
• 2012 – Don Cornelius, American television host and producer (b. 1936)
• 2012 – Angelo Dundee, American boxing trainer (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Ardath Mayhar, American author (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Ladislao Nerio, Salvadoran footballer (b. 1976)
• 2012 – David Peaston, American singer (b. 1957)
• 2012 – Wisława Szymborska, Polish poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Barney, American dog of George W. Bush (b. 2000)
• 2013 – Rudolf Dašek, Czech guitarist (b. 1933)
• 2013 – Helene Hale, American politician (b. 1918)
• 2013 – Paul Holmes, New Zealand journalist (b. 1950)
• 2013 – Ed Koch, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 105th Mayor of New York City (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Louis Luyt, South African businessman and politician (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Robin Sachs, English-American actor (b. 1951)
• 2013 – Cecil Womack, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Valentinos and Womack & Womack) (b. 1947)
• 2013 – Vladimir Yengibaryan, Armenian boxer (b. 1932)
• 2014 – Floyd Adams, Jr., American publisher and politician, 63rd Mayor of Savannah, Georgia (b. 1945)
• 2014 – Luis Aragonés, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1938)
• 2014 – Tony Hateley, English footballer (b. 1941)
• 2014 – Vasily Ivanovich Petrov, Russian marshal (b. 1917)
• 2014 – René Ricard, American poet, painter, and critic (b. 1946)
• 2014 – Maximilian Schell, Austrian-Swiss actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances

• Air Force Day (Nicaragua)
• Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery (Mauritius)
• Christian Feast Day:
  • Astina (Syrian Church)
  • Brigid, patron saint of Ireland
  • February 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Earliest day on which Constitution Day can fall, while February 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in February. (Mexico)
• Earliest day on which National Wear Red Day can fall, while February 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Friday in February. (United States)
• Federal Territory Day (Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, Malaysia)
• Heroes Day (Rwanda)
• Imbolc (Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, and some Neopagan groups in the Northern hemisphere)
• Memorial Day of the Republic (Hungary)
• National Freedom Day (United States)
• The first day of Quebec Winter Carnival, celebrated until February 17 (Quebec City)
• The start of Black History Month (United States and Canada)
• The start of LGBT History Month (United Kingdom)
• The start of National Bird-Feeding Month (United States)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada