Events

• 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia

• 1637 – Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor.

• 1764 – The city of St. Louis, Missouri is established.

• 1805 – Harmony Society is officially formed.

• 1835 – The first constitutional law in modern Serbia was adopted.

• 1852 – Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, London, admits its first patient.

• 1862 – American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant attacks Fort Donelson, Tennessee.

• 1879 – Women's rights: American President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.

• 1891 – AIK is founded at Biblioteksgatan 8 in Stockholm by Isidor Behrens.

• 1898 – Spanish-American War: The USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing more than 260. This event leads the United States to declare war on Spain.

• 1906 – The British Labour Party is organised.

• 1933 – In Miami, Florida, Giuseppe Zangara attempts to assassinate President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, but instead shoots Chicago, Illinois Mayor Anton J. Cermak, who dies of his wounds on March 6, 1933.

• 1942 – World War II: The Fall of Singapore. Following an assault by Japanese forces, the British General Arthur Percival surrenders. About 80,000 Indian, United Kingdom and Australian soldiers become prisoners of war, the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history. The Sook Ching massacre begins.

• 1944 – World War II: The assault on Monte Cassino, Italy, begins.

• 1950 – The Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China sign a mutual defense treaty.

• 1952 – King George VI is buried in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

• 1961 – Sabena Flight 548 crashes in Belgium, killing 73, with the entire United States Figure Skating team, several coaches and family.

• 1965 – A new red-and-white maple leaf design is adopted as the flag of Canada, replacing the old Canadian Red Ensign banner.

• 1970 – A Dominican DC-9 crashes into the sea during takeoff from Santo Domingo, killing 102.

• 1971 – Decimalisation of British coinage is completed on Decimal Day.

• 1972 – Sound recordings are granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time.

• 1976 – The 1976 Constitution of Cuba is adopted by the national referendum.

• 1980 – Television One and Television Two (formerly South Pacific Television) under the newly formed Television New Zealand goes to air for the first time.

• 1982 – The drilling rig Ocean Ranger sinks during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing 84 rig workers.

• 1989 – Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan: The Soviet Union officially announces that all of its troops have left Afghanistan.

• 1991 – The Visegrád Agreement, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland.

• 1996 – At the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, a Long March 3 rocket, carrying an Intelsat 708, crashes into a rural village after liftoff, killing many people.

• 1999 – Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party, widely recognized as terrorist organization), is arrested in Kenya.

• 2000 – Indian Point II nuclear power plant in New York State vents a small amount of radioactive steam when a steam generator fails.

• 2001 – First draft of the complete Human Genome is published in Nature

• 2003 – Protests against the Iraq war occur in over 600 cities worldwide. It is estimated that between 8 million to 30 million people took part, making this the largest peace demonstration in the history of the world.

• 2005 – YouTube, the popular Internet site on which videos may be shared and viewed by others, is launched in the United States.

Births

• 1458 – Ivan the Young, Ruler of Tver (d. 1490)

• 1471 – Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence (d. 1503)

• 1564 – Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer and physicist (d. 1642)

• 1571 – Michael Praetorius, German composer (d. 1621)

• 1620 – François Charpentier, French archaeologist (d. 1702)

• 1705 – Charles-André van Loo, French painter (d. 1765)

• 1710 – King Louis XV of France (d. 1774)

• 1725 – Abraham Clark, American founding father (d. 1794)

• 1734 – William Stacy, Continental Army officer, and pioneer to the Ohio Country (d. 1802)

• 1739 – Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, French architect (d. 1813)

• 1748 – Jeremy Bentham, English philosopher (d. 1832)

• 1759 – Friedrich August Wolf, German archaeologist (d. 1824)

• 1792 – Floride Calhoun, Second Lady of the United States (d. 1866)

• 1809 – Cyrus McCormick, American inventor (d. 1884)

• 1809 – André Dumont, Belgian geologist (d. 1857)

• 1812 – Charles Lewis Tiffany, American jeweler (d. 1902)

• 1820 – Susan B. Anthony, American suffragist (d. 1906)

• 1825 – Carter Harrison, Sr., American politician (d. 1893)

• 1835 – Demetrius Vikelas, Greek author (d. 1908)

• 1841 – Manoel Ferraz de Campos Salles, Brazilian politician (d. 1913)

• 1845 – Elihu Root, American statesman, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1937)

• 1847 – Robert Fuchs, Austrian composer (d. 1927)

• 1849 – Sir Rickman Godlee, English surgeon (d. 1925)

• 1856 – Emil Kraepelin, German psychiatrist (d. 1926)

• 1861 – Charles Edouard Guillaume, French physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1938)

• 1861 – Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician and philosopher (d. 1947)

• 1873 – Hans von Euler-Chelpin, German chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1964)

• 1874 – Sir Ernest Shackleton, Irish Antarctic explorer (d. 1922)

• 1877 – Louis Renault, French automobile executive (d. 1944)

• 1882 – John Barrymore, American actor (d. 1942)

• 1883 – Sax Rohmer, English author (d. 1959)

• 1890 – Robert Ley, Nazi official (d. 1945)

• 1892 – James Forrestal, United States Secretary of Defense (d. 1949)

• 1893 – Walter Donaldson, American songwriter (d. 1947)

• 1895 – Earl Thomson, Canadian athlete (d. 1971)

• 1896 – Arthur Shields, Irish actor (d. 1970)

• 1898 – Totò, Italian actor and composer (d. 1967)

• 1898 – Allen Woodring, American runner (d. 1982)

• 1899 – Georges Auric, French composer (d. 1983)

• 1899 – Gale Sondergaard, American actress (d. 1985)

• 1904 – Antonin Magne, French cyclist (d. 1983)

• 1905 – Harold Arlen, American composer (d. 1986)

• 1907 – Jean Langlais, French composer and organist (d. 1991)

• 1907 – Cesar Romero, American actor (d. 1994)

• 1908 – Sarto Fournier, Quebec politician (d. 1980)

• 1909 – Miep Gies, Dutch biographer of Anne Frank

• 1909 – Guillermo Gorostiza Paredes, Spanish footballer (d. 1966)

• 1910 – Irena Sendler, Polish social worker (d. 2008)

• 1911 – Leonard Woodcock, American labor union official and diplomat (d. 2001)

• 1913 – Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (d. 1997)

• 1914 – Hale Boggs, American politician (d. 1972)

• 1914 – Kevin McCarthy, American actor

• 1916 – Mary Jane Croft, American actress (d. 1999)

• 1918 – Allan Arbus, American actor

• 1918 – Hank Locklin, American country music singer and songwriter (d. 2009)

• 1920 – Endicott Peabody, 62^nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1997)

• 1921 – Radha Krishna Choudhary, Indian historian and writer (d. 1985)

• 1922 – John Bayard Anderson, American politician

• 1923 – Yelena Bonner, Russian human rights activist, widow of Andrei Sakharov

• 1927 – Harvey Korman, American actor and comedian (d. 2008)

• 1929 – Graham Hill, English race car driver (d. 1975)

• 1929 – James Schlesinger, American politician

• 1930 – Nico Minardos, American actor

• 1931 – Claire Bloom, British actress

• 1931 – Geoff Edwards, American television game show host

• 1934 – Graham Kennedy, Australian actor (d. 2005)

• 1934 – Niklaus Wirth, Swiss computer scientist

• 1935 – Susan Brownmiller, American feminist and writer

• 1935 – Roger Chaffee, astronaut (d. 1967)

• 1935 – Gene Hickerson, American football player

• 1937 – Gregory Mcdonald, American author

• 1939 – Ole Ellefsæter, Norwegian cross-country skier

• 1939 – Robert Hansen, American serial killer

• 1940 – John Hadl, American football player

• 1940 – Hamzah Haz, Indonesian politician

• 1941 – Florinda Bolkan, Brazilian actress

• 1941 – Brian Holland, American songwriter and producer

• 1944 – Mick Avory, British drummer (The Kinks)

• 1945 – John Helliwell, British musician (Supertramp)

• 1945 – Douglas Hofstadter, American academic and writer

• 1946 – Esko Seppänen, Finnish politician

• 1947 – John Coolidge Adams, American composer

• 1947 – Marisa Berenson, American actress

• 1947 – David Brown, American musician (Santana) (d. 2000)

• 1947 – Rusty Hamer, American actor (d. 1990)

• 1948 – Ron Cey, American baseball player

• 1948 – Art Spiegelman, American cartoonist

• 1949 – Ken Anderson, American football player

• 1949 – Hans Graf, Austrian conductor

• 1950 – Hark Tsui, Hong Kong film director

• 1951 – Melissa Manchester, American singer

• 1951 – Jane Seymour, British actress

• 1953 – Tony Adams, Irish film producer (d. 2005)

• 1954 – Matt Groening, American cartoonist

• 1954 – Armand Parmentier, Belgian athlete

• 1955 – Christopher McDonald, American actor

• 1955 – Janice Dickinson, American Ex-Supermodel

• 1956 – Hitoshi Ogawa, Japanese racing driver (d. 1992)

• 1957 – Jimmy Spencer, American race car driver

• 1957 – Steve Farhood, American boxing historian and analyst

• 1958 – Chrystine Brouillet, Quebec novelist

• 1958 – Matthew Ward, American singer, (Second Chapter of Acts), songwriter and author

• 1959 – Ali Campbell, British singer and songwriter (UB40)

• 1959 – Brian Propp, Canadian hockey player

• 1959 – Hugo Savinovich, Ecuadorian wrestler

• 1960 – Mikey Craig, British musician (Culture Club)

• 1960 – Roman Kostrzewski, Polish heavy metal musician

• 1960 – Darrell Green, American football player

• 1964 – Chris Farley, American actor and comedian (d. 1997)

• 1964 – Mark Price, American basketball player

• 1964 – Leland D. Melvin, NASA astronaut

• 1967 – Jane Child, Canadian musician

• 1967 – Kelley Menighan Hensley, American actress

• 1968 – Axelle Red, Belgian singer and songwriter

• 1968 – Mieke Suys, Belgian triathlete

• 1969 – Josh Marshall, American journalist

• 1969 – Bryan Williams, American record executive and rapper

• 1970 – Craig Gass, American impressionist and comedian

• 1971 – Alex Borstein, American actress

• 1971 – Renée O'Connor, American actress and director

• 1971 – Ray Sefo, New Zealand kickboxer

• 1972 – Jaromír Jágr, Czech hockey player

• 1973 – Kateřina Neumannová, Czech cross country skier

• 1973 – Amy Van Dyken, American swimmer

• 1973 – Sarah Wynter, Australian actress

• 1974 – Miranda July, American performance artist

• 1974 – Gina Lynn, American porn actress

• 1974 – Tomi Putaansuu, Finnish singer (Lordi)

• 1974 – Ugueth Urbina, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player

• 1974 – Alexander Wurz, Austrian race car driver

• 1975 – Serge Aubin, Canadian hockey player

• 1975 – Brendon Small, American comedian and animator

• 1976 – Brandon Boyd, American musician (Incubus)

• 1976 – Óscar Freire, Spanish cyclist

• 1976 – Ronnie Vannucci Jr., American musician (The Killers)

• 1977 – Brooks Wackerman, American musician

• 1978 – Kimberly Goss, American singer and musician (Sinergy)

• 1978 – Tuan Le, American poker player

• 1979 – Alenka Kejžar, Slovenian swimmer

• 1979 – Josh Low, English footballer

• 1979 – Gordon Shedden, Scottish race car driver

• 1980 – Conor Oberst, American singer and songwriter (Bright Eyes)

• 1981 – Matt Hoopes, American musician (Relient K)

• 1981 – Olivia Longott, American singer

• 1981 – Diego Martínez, Mexican footballer

• 1981 – Jenna Morasca, American model

• 1983 – Ashley Tesoro, American actress and singer

• 1983 – Russell Martin, Canadian baseball player

• 1984 – Meera Jasmine, Indian actress

• 1984 – Dorota Rabczewska, Polish singer (Virgin)

• 1986 – Gabriel Paletta, Argentine footballer

• 1987 – Jarrod Sammut, Australian-Maltese rugby league player, Penrith Panthers.

• 1988 – Hironori Kusano, Japanese singer

• 1990 – Erwin Sak, Polish footballer

• 1992 – Kaya Scodelario, British Actress

Deaths

• 1145 – Pope Lucius II

• 1621 – Michael Praetorius, German composer (b. 1571)

• 1637 – Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1578)

• 1738 – Matthias Braun, Czech sculptor (b. 1684)

• 1775 – Peter Dens, Flemish Catholic theologian (b. 1690)

• 1781 – Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German author and philosopher (b. 1729)

• 1818 – Friedrich Ludwig, Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen, Prussian general (b. 1746)

• 1835 – Henry Hunt, British politician (b. 1773)

• 1839 – Chevalier de Lorimier, Quebec notary (b. 1803)

• 1843 – Theodoros Kolokotronis, Greek military figure (b. 1770)

• 1844 – Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1757)

• 1847 – Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician (b. 1794)

• 1848 – Hermann von Boyen, Prussian field marshal (b. 1771)

• 1849 – Pierre François Verhulst, Belgian mathematician (b. 1804)

• 1857 – Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer (b. 1804)

• 1869 – Mirza Ghalib, Indian poet (b. 1796)

• 1905 – Lew Wallace, Union general in the American Civil War and novelist (b. 1827)

• 1911 – Theodor Escherich, German pediatrician (b. 1859)

• 1924 – Lionel Monckton, English composer for the musical theatre (b. 1861)

• 1928 – H. H. Asquith, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1852)

• 1932 – Minnie Maddern Fiske, American actress (b. 1865)

• 1939 – Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Russian painter (b. 1878)

• 1956 – Vincent de Moro-Giafferi, French criminal attorney (b. 1878)

• 1959 – Owen Willans Richardson, British physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1879)

• 1964 – Robert L. Thornton, American businessman and politician (b. 1880)

• 1965 – Nat King Cole, American singer and musician (b. 1919)

• 1966 – Camilo Torres Restrepo, Colombian Roman Catholic priest, member of the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group (b. 1929)

• 1966 – Gerard Ciołek, Polish architect (b. 1909)

• 1970 – Sir Hugh Dowding, commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain (b. 1882)

• 1971 – Dimitrios Loundras, Greek gymnast (b. 1885)

• 1973 – Wally Cox, American actor (b. 1924)

• 1973 – Tim Holt, American actor (b. 1919)

• 1974 – Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer (b. 1887)

• 1981 – Mike Bloomfield, American musician (b. 1943)

• 1981 – Karl Richter, German conductor (b. 1926)

• 1984 – Ethel Merman, American singer and actress (b. 1908)

• 1988 – Richard Feynman, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1918)

• 1992 – María Elena Moyano, Peruvian activist (b. 1960)

• 1992 – William Schuman, American composer (b. 1910)

• 1996 – Tommy Rettig, American actor (b. 1941)

• 1996 – McLean Stevenson, American actor (b. 1929)

• 1996 – Lucio Agostini, Canadian composer and conductor (b. 1913)

• 1998 – Louie Spicolli, American professional wrestler (b. 1971)

• 1999 – Big L, American rapper (b. 1974)

• 1999 – Henry Way Kendall, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1926)

• 2002 – Howard K. Smith, American journalist (b. 1914)

• 2002 – Kevin Smith, New Zealand actor (b. 1963)

• 2004 – Jens Evensen, Norwegian minister and jurist (b. 1917)

• 2004 – Jan Miner, American actress (b. 1917)

• 2005 – Samuel T. Francis, American journalist (b. 1947)

• 2005 – Pierre Bachelet, French singer and songwriter (b. 1944)

• 2007 – Walker Edmiston, actor (b. 1926)

• 2007 – Ray Evans, American songwriter (b. 1915)

• 2008 – Amnon Netzer, Iranian-Israeli historian (b. 1934)

• 2008 – Ashley Callie, South African actress (b. 1976)

• 2009 – Joe Cuba, Puerto-Rican musician (b. 1931)

• 2009 – Dr. Diether H. Haenicke, university president (b. 1935)

Holidays and observances

• Ancient Rome – Third and final day of Lupercalia

• Flag Day in Canada

• John Frum Day in Vanuatu

• National Day in Serbia

• Total Defence Day in Singapore

• Candlemas

• February 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Saint Siegfried of Sweden

• Saints Faustin and Jovita

• Saint Claude de la Colombière