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

• 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.
• 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 Paço, Lisbon.
• 1918 – Russia adopts the Gregorian calendar.
• 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 and the United Kingdom.
• 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 Nguyễn Văn Lém by South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyễn Ngọc 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 São 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 – 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.
• 2009 – The first cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was formed in Iceland, making her the country's first female prime minister and the world's first openly LGBT head of government.
• 2012 – At least 72 people are killed and over 500 injured as a result of clashes between fans of Egyptian football teams Al-Masry and Al-Ahly in the city of Port Said.
• 2013 – The Shard, the tallest building in the European Union, is opened to the public.

Births

• 1261 – Walter de Stapledon, English bishop and politician, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1326)
• 1402 – Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (d. 1445)
• 1459 – Conrad Celtes, German poet and scholar (d. 1508)
• 1462 – Johannes Trithemius, German lexicographer, historian, and cryptographer (d. 1516)
• 1501 – Queen Munjeong of Korea (d. 1565)
• 1552 – Edward Coke, English lawyer, judge, and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (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 pianist and composer (d. 1765)
• 1710 – Konrad Ernst Ackermann, German actor (d. 1771)
• 1761 – Christiaan Hendrik Persoon, South African-French mycologist and academic (d. 1836)
• 1763 – Thomas Campbell, Irish minister and theologian (d. 1854)
• George Duff, Scottish captain (d. 1805)
• 1796 – Abraham Emanuel Fröhlich, Swiss minister, poet, and educator (d. 1865)
• 1801 – Émile Littré, French lexicographer and philosopher (d. 1881)
• George Hendric Houghton, American clergyman and theologian (d. 1897)
• 1836 – Emil Hartmann, Danish organist and composer (d. 1898)
• 1841 – William Davenport, American magician (d. 1877)
• 1844 – G. Stanley Hall, American psychologist and academic (d. 1924)
• 1851 – Durham Stevens, American lawyer and 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 lawyer and 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, designed the Grand Hotel Aranybika (d. 1955)
• 1878 – Milan Hodža, Slovak journalist and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (d. 1944)
• 1882 – Louis St. Laurent, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1973)
• 1884 – Bradbury Robinson, American football player and physician (d. 1949)
• 1884 – Yevgeny Zamyatin, Russian journalist and author (d. 1937)
• 1887 – Charles Nordhoff, English-American lieutenant, pilot, and author (d. 1947)
• 1888 – Charles January, American soccer player (d. 1970)
• 1890 – Nikolai Reek, Estonian general and politician, 11th Estonian Minister of War (d. 1942)
• 1894 – John Ford, American director and producer (d. 1973)
• 1894 – James P. Johnson, American pianist and composer (d. 1955)
• 1895 – Conn Smythe, Canadian businessman (d. 1980)
• 1897 – Denise Robins, English journalist and author (d. 1985)
• 1898 – Leila Denmark, American pediatrician and author (d. 2012)
• 1901 – Frank Buckles, American soldier (d. 2011)
• 1901 – Clark Gable, American actor and singer (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)
• Joan Morgan, English actress (d. 2004)
• 1905 – Emilio G. Segrè, Italian-American physicist and academic, 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 pianist and composer (d. 1993)
• George Pal, Hungarian-American animator and producer (d. 1980)
• 1908 – Louis Rasminsky, Canadian economist and banker (d. 1998)
• George Beverly Shea, Canadian-American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
• 1910 – Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Chinese general and politician (d. 2009)
• 1915 – Stanley Matthews, English footballer and manager (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 and soldier (d. 1944)
• 1918 – Muriel Spark, Scottish-Italian author and poet (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 and singer
• 1922 – Renata Tebaldi, Italian soprano (d. 2004)
• 1923 – Ben Weider, Canadian businessman, co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (d. 2008)
• 1924 – Richard Hooker, American surgeon and author (d. 1997)
• 1924 – Emmanuel Scheffer, German-Israeli footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2012)
• 1925 – Giovanni Riggi, American mob boss (d. 2015)
• 1927 – Galway Kinnell, American poet and academic (d. 2014)
• 1928 – Sam Edwards, Welsh physicist and academic (d. 2015)
• 1928 – Tom Lantos, Hungarian-American academic and politician (d. 2008)
• 1928 – Stuart Whitman, American actor
• 1930 – Shahabuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi judge and politician, 12th President of Bangladesh
• 1930 – Mario Beaulieu, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1998)
• 1930 – Hussain Muhammad Ershad, Indian-Bangladeshi general and politician, 10th President of Bangladesh
• 1930 – Peter Tapsell, English soldier and politician
• 1931 – Boris Yeltsin, Russian politician, 1st President of Russia (d. 2007)
• 1932 – Jan Ramberg, Swedish lawyer and judge
• 1934 – Nicolae Breban, Romanian author, poet, and playwright
• 1935 – Dory Dixon, Jamaican-Mexican wrestler and pastor
• 1936 – Tuncel Kurtiz, Turkish actor, playwright, and director (d. 2013)
• 1936 – Azie Taylor Morton, American educator and politician, 36th Treasurer of the United States (d. 2003)
• 1937 – Don Everly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Everly Brothers)
• 1937 – Garrett Morris, American actor and singer
• 1937 – Ray Sawyer, American singer-songwriter (Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show)
• 1938 – Sherman Hemsley, American actor and singer (d. 2012)
• 1939 – Fritjof Capra, Austrian physicist, author, and academic
• 1939 – Claude François, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and dancer (d. 1978)
• 1939 – Paul Gillmor, American lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
• 1940 – Bibi Besch, Austrian-American actress (d. 1996)
• 1940 – Hervé Filion, Canadian harness racer
• 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 and manager
• 1944 – Mike Enzi, American soldier, accountant, and 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)
• 1947 – Mike Brant, Cypriot-Israeli singer (d. 1975)
• 1947 – Adam Ingram, Scottish politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
• 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)
• 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 – Jenő Jandó, Hungarian pianist and educator
• 1954 – Marijke Amado, Dutch television host
• 1954 – Bill Mumy, American singer-songwriter and actor
• 1956 – Brahmanandam, Indian actor and singer
• 1957 – Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Saudi Arabian businessman (d. 2007)
• 1957 – Gilbert Hernandez, American cartoonist
• 1958 – Luther Blissett, Jamaican-English footballer and manager
• 1958 – Ryō Horikawa, Japanese voice actor
• 1958 – Eleanor Laing, Scottish lawyer and politician
• 1958 – Jackie Shroff, Indian actor, singer, and producer
• 1961 – Volker Fried, German field hockey player and coach
• 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 – Mario Pelchat, Canadian singer-songwriter
• 1964 – Bugge Wesseltoft, Norwegian pianist and record producer (Jazzland Recordings)
• 1964 – Linus Roache, English actor
• 1965 – Sherilyn Fenn, American actress and singer
• 1965 – Brandon Lee, American actor and martial artist (d. 1993)
• 1965 – Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
• 1966 – Michelle Akers, American soccer player
• 1967 – Meg Cabot, American author and screenwriter
• 1968 – Cheb Hasni, Algerian musician
• 1968 – Lisa Marie Presley, American singer-songwriter
• 1968 – Mark Recchi, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1968 – Pauly Shore, American comedian, actor, director, and producer
• 1969 – Gabriel Batistuta, Argentinian footballer
• 1969 – Andrew Breitbart, American journalist, author, and publisher (d. 2012)
• 1969 – Brian Krause, American actor and screenwriter
• 1969 – Thomas Ong, Singaporean actor
• 1970 – Nico, Romanian singer
• 1970 – Yasuyuki Kazama, Japanese race car driver
• 1970 – Malik Sealy, American basketball player and actor (d. 2000)
• 1971 – Harald Brattbakk, Norwegian footballer and pilot
• 1971 – Michael C. Hall, American actor, singer, and producer
• 1971 – Tomomi Hayashi, Japanese-Estonian architect
• 1971 – Ajay Jadeja, Indian cricketer, sportscaster, and actor
• 1971 – Ron Welty, American drummer (The Offspring and Steady Ground)
• 1971 – Zlatko Zahovič, Slovenian footballer
• 1972 – Kami, Japanese drummer (Malice Mizer) (d. 1999)
• 1973 – Andrew DeClercq, American basketball player and coach
• 1973 – Yuri Landman, Dutch instrument maker
• 1973 – Makiko Ohmoto, Japanese voice actress
• 1973 – Óscar Pérez Rojas, Mexican footballer
• 1974 – Walter McCarty, American basketball player and coach
• 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, English-Irish footballer and sportscaster
• 1977 – Robert Traylor, American basketball player (d. 2011)
• 1978 – Tim Harding, Australian singer and actor (Hi-5)
• 1979 – Valentín Elizalde, Mexican singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
• 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
• 1983 – Andrew VanWyngarden, American singer
• 1983 – Iveta Benešová, Czech tennis player
• 1983 – Kevin Martin, American basketball player
• 1983 – Anna Suzuki, Japanese actress and model
• 1983 – Jurgen Van den Broeck, Belgian cyclist
• 1984 – Darren Fletcher, Scottish footballer
• 1984 – Lee Thompson Young, American actor (d. 2013)
• 1984 – Sandra Seifert, Filipino model, environmentalist, Miss Earth-Air 2009
• 1985 – Jodi Gordon, Australian model and actress
• 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 – Wu Jingyu, Chinese martial artist
• 1987 – Heather Morris, American actress, singer, and dancer
• 1987 – Giuseppe Rossi, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Ronda Rousey, American mixed martial artist and actress
• 1988 – Brett Anderson, American baseball player
• 1988 – Masahiro Higashide, Japanese actor and model
• 1989 – Ricky Pinheiro, Portuguese footballer
• 1990 – Dan Gosling, English footballer
• 1991 – Luca Caldirola, Italian footballer
• 1992 – Mao Ichimichi, Japanese actress and model
• 1993 – Jussi Kanervo, Finnish hurdler for South Carolina Gamecocks
• 1993 – Diego Mella, Italian footballer
• 1994 – Harry Styles, English singer-songwriter (One Direction)
• 1994 – Ryo Yoshizawa, Japanese actor

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, Lord High Treasurer (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)
• Bakar of Georgia (b. 1699)
• 1761 – Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, French priest and historian (b. 1682)
• 1768 – Sir Robert Rich, 4th Baronet, English field marshal and politician (b. 1685)
• 1793 – William Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1717)
• 1832 – Archibald Murphey, American judge and politician (b. 1777)
• 1851 – Mary Shelley, English author and playwright (b. 1797)
• Mayor of San Francisco (b. 1824)
• 1897 – Constantin von Ettingshausen, Austrian geologist and botanist (b. 1826)
• Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet, Irish-English physicist, mathematician, and politician (b. 1819)
• 1907 – Léon Serpollet, French industrialist and pioneer of steam automobiles (b. 1858)
• 1908 – Carlos I of Portugal (b. 1863)
• 1922 – William Desmond Taylor, American actor and director (b. 1872)
• 1924 – Maurice Prendergast, American painter (b. 1858)
• 1928 – Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (b. 1869)
• Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1878)
• 1940 – Philip Francis Nowlan, American author, created Buck Rogers (b. 1888)
• 1940 – Zacharias Papantoniou, Greek journalist and critic (b. 1877)
• 1944 – Piet Mondrian, Dutch-American painter (b. 1872)
• 1945 – Prince Kiril of Bulgaria (b. 1895)
• 1946 – Jenő Törzs, Hungarian actor (b. 1887)
• 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 and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
• 1959 – Madame Sul-Te-Wan, American actress (b. 1873)
• 1966 – Hedda Hopper, American actress and journalist (b. 1885)
• 1966 – Buster Keaton, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1895)
• 1968 – Jacob van der Hoeden, Dutch-Israeli scientist and academic (b. 1891)
• 1970 – Alfréd Rényi, Hungarian mathematician and academic (b. 1921)
• 1976 – Werner Heisenberg, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
• 1976 – Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1878)
• 1979 – Abdi İpekçi, Turkish journalist and activist (b. 1929)
• 1980 – Gastone Nencini, Italian cyclist and painter (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 and academic (b. 1918)
• 1991 – Carol Dempster, American actress (b. 1901)
• 1991 – Jimmy MacDonald, Scottish-American sound effects artist, voice actor (b. 1906)
• 1992 – Jean Hamburger, French physician and surgeon (b. 1909)
• 1997 – Herb Caen, American journalist and author (b. 1916)
• 1999 – Barış Manço, Turkish singer-songwriter and producer (Moğollar and Kurtalan Ekspres) (b. 1943)
• 1999 – Paul Mellon, American art collector and philanthropist (b. 1907)
• 2001 – André D'Allemagne, Canadian political scientist and educator (b. 1929)
• 2002 – Aykut Barka, Turkish geologist and academic (b. 1951)
• 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 engineer and 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 – Suha Arın, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
• 2005 – John Vernon, Canadian-American actor (b. 1932)
• 2006 – Bryce Harland, New Zealand academic and diplomat (b. 1931)
• 2007 – Ahmad Abu Laban, Egyptian-Danish religious leader, founded The Islamic Society in Denmark (b. 1946)
• 2007 – Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian-American playwright and composer (b. 1911)
• 2007 – Seri Wangnaitham, Thai dancer and choreographer (b. 1937)
• 2008 – Beto Carrero, Brazilian actor and businessman (b. 1937)
• 2010 – Jack Brisco, American wrestler and manager (b. 1941)
• 2010 – Justin Mentell, American actor (b. 1982)
• 2010 – Jaap van der Poll, Dutch javelin thrower (b. 1914)
• 2011 – Knut Risan, Norwegian actor (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Gerlando Alberti, Italian mobster (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Don Cornelius, American television host and producer (b. 1936)
• 2012 – Angelo Dundee, American boxing trainer (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Wisława Szymborska, Polish poet and translator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Ed Koch, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 105th Mayor of New York City (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Robin Sachs, English 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 – Luis Aragonés, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1938)
• 2014 – Vasily Petrov, Russian marshal (b. 1917)
• 2014 – Rene Ricard, American poet, painter, and critic (b. 1946)
• 2014 – Maximilian Schell, Austrian-Swiss actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Aldo Ciccolini, Italian-French pianist (b. 1925)
• 2015 – Udo Lattek, German footballer, manager, and sportscaster (b. 1935)
• 2015 – Monty Oum, American animator, director, and screenwriter (b. 1981)

Holidays and observances

• Air Force Day (Nicaragua)
• Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery (Mauritius)
• Christian feast day:
  • Astina (Syrian Church)
  • Blessed Candlemas of San José
  • 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
• : On This DayThe New York Times
• On This Day in Canada