Events

• 1500 – The Battle of Hemmingstedt.

• 1600 – The philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori in Rome for heresy.

• 1621 – Myles Standish is appointed as first commander of Plymouth colony.

• 1753 – In Sweden February 17 is followed by March 1 as the country moves from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.

• 1801 – An electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr Vice President by the United States House of Representatives.

• 1809 – Miami University is chartered by the State of Ohio.

• 1814 – The Battle of Mormans.

• 1819 – The United States House of Representatives passes the Missouri Compromise.

• 1854 – The United Kingdom recognizes the independence of the Orange Free State.

• 1864 – American Civil War: The H. L. Hunley becomes the first submarine to engage and sink a warship, the .

• 1865 – American Civil War: Columbia, South Carolina is burned as Confederate forces flee from advancing Union forces.

• 1867 – The first ship passes through the Suez Canal.

• 1871 – The victorious Prussian Army parades though Paris, France after the end of the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War.

• 1904 – Madama Butterfly receives its premiere at La Scala in Milan.

• 1913 – The Armory Show opens in New York City, displaying works of artists who are to become some of the most influential painters of the early 20th century.

• 1924 – In Miami, Florida, Johnny Weissmuller sets a new world record in the 100-yard freestyle swimming competition with a time of 52-2/5 seconds.

• 1925 – Harold Ross and Jane Grant found The New Yorker magazine; the debut issue is dated February 21, 1925.

• 1933 – Newsweek magazine is published for the first time.

• 1933 – The Blaine Act ends Prohibition in the United States.

• 1944 – World War II: Battle of Eniwetok Atoll begins. The battle ends in an American victory on February 22.

• 1944 – World War II: Operation Hailstone begins. U.S. naval air, surface, and submarine attack against Truk (Chuuk), Japan's main base in the central Pacific, in support of the Eniwetok invasion.

• 1947 – The Voice of America begins to transmit radio broadcasts to the Soviet Union.

• 1957 – A fire at a home for the elderly in Warrenton, Missouri kills 72 people.

• 1958 – Pope Pius XII declares Saint Clare of Assisi (1193~1253) the patron saint of television.

• 1959 – Project Vanguard: Vanguard 2 – The first weather satellite is launched to measure cloud-cover distribution.

• 1962 – A storm kills more than 300 people in Hamburg, West Germany.

• 1964 – In Wesberry v. Sanders the Supreme Court of the United States rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population.

• 1964 – Gabonese president Leon M'ba is toppled by a coup and his archrival, Jean-Hilaire Aubame, is installed in his place.

• 1965 – Project Ranger: The Ranger 8 probe launches on its mission to photograph the Mare Tranquillitatis region of the Moon in preparation for the manned Apollo missions. The Mare Tranquillitatis or "Sea of Tranquility" would become the site chosen for the Apollo 11 lunar landing.

• 1968 – In Springfield, Massachusetts the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opens.

• 1972 – Sales of the Volkswagen Beetle model exceed those of Ford Model-T.

• 1974 – Robert K. Preston, a disgruntled U.S. Army private, buzzes the White House with a stolen helicopter.

• 1978 – The Troubles: A Provisional IRA incendiary bomb is detonated at the La Mon restaurant, near Belfast, killing 12 and seriously injuring 30.

• 1979 – The Sino-Vietnamese War begins.

• 1995 – Colin Ferguson is convicted of six counts of murder for the December 1993 Long Island Rail Road shootings and later receives a 200+ year sentence.

• 1995 – The Cenepa War between Peru and Ecuador ends on a cease-fire brokered by the UN.

• 1996 – In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, world champion Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match.

• 1996 – NASA's Discovery Program begins as the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft lifts off on the first mission ever to orbit and land upon an asteroid, 433 Eros.

• 2003 – The London Congestion Charge scheme begins.

• 2006 – A massive mudslide occurs in Southern Leyte, Philippines; the official death toll is set at 1,126.

• 2008 – Kosovo declares independence.

Births

• 1490 – Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, Constable of France (d. 1527)

• 1519 – Francis, Duke of Guise, French soldier and politician (d. 1563)

• 1524 – Charles of Guise, French cardinal (d. 1574)

• 1581 – Fausto Poli, Italian Catholic priest (d. 1653)

• 1646 – Pierre Le Pesant, sieur de Boisguilbert, French economist (d. 1714)

• 1653 – Arcangelo Corelli, Italian composer (d. 1713)

• 1718 – Matthew Tilghman, American Continental Congressman (d. 1790)

• 1723 – Tobias Mayer, German astronomer (d. 1762)

• 1752 – Friedrich Maximilian Klinger, German writer (d. 1831)

• 1754 – Nicolas Baudin, French explorer (d. 1803)

• 1781 – René Laënnec, French physician (d. 1826)

• 1792 – Karl Ernst von Baer, German biologist (d. 1876)

• 1796 – Philipp Franz von Siebold, German physician (d. 1866)

• 1816 – Haller Nutt, Southern Plantation owner (d. 1864)

• 1820 – Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Catholic cardinal (d. 1898)

• 1820 – Henri Vieuxtemps, Belgian composer (d. 1881)

• 1821 – Lola Montez, Irish dancer (d. 1861)

• 1836 – Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Spanish poet (d. 1870)

• 1844 – Aaron Montgomery Ward, American department store founder (d. 1913)

• 1848 – Louisa Lawson, Australian suffragist and writer (d. 1920)

• 1848 – Albert Gustaf Dahlman, Swedish executioner, the last to carry out capital punishment in Sweden (d. 1920)

• 1854 – Friedrich Alfred Krupp, German industrialist (d. 1902)

• 1861 – Princess Helena, Duchess of Albany (d. 1922)

• 1862 – Mori Ōgai, Japanese novelist and poet (d. 1922)

• 1863 – Fyodor Sologub, Russian symbolist novelist and poet (d. 1927)

• 1864 – Jozef Murgaš, Slovak inventor (d. 1929)

• 1864 – Banjo Paterson, Australian poet (d. 1941)

• 1874 – Thomas J. Watson, American computer manufacturer (d. 1956)

• 1877 – Isabelle Eberhardt, Swiss explorer and writer (d. 1904)

• 1877 – André Maginot, French politician (d. 1932)

• 1885 – Steve Evans, American baseball player (d. 1943)

• 1887 – Leevi Madetoja, Finnish composer (d. 1947)

• 1888 – Otto Stern, German physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1969)

• 1893 – Wally Pipp, American baseball player (d. 1965)

• 1903 – Sadegh Hedayat, Iranian writer (d. 1951)

• 1904 – Hans Morgenthau, German political philosopher (d. 1980)

• 1908 – Red Barber, American baseball announcer (d. 1992)

• 1908 – Bo Yibo, Chinese politician (d. 2005)

• 1910 – Arthur Hunnicutt, American actor (d. 1979)

• 1910 – Marc Lawrence, American actor (d. 2005)

• 1911 – Oskar Seidlin, Silesian-born American literary scholar (d. 1984)

• 1912 – Andre Norton, American author (d. 2005)

• 1914 – Arthur Kennedy, American actor (d. 1990)

• 1914 – Wayne Morris, American actor (d. 1959)

• 1916 – Raf Vallone, Italian actor (d. 2002)

• 1916 – Alexander Obolensky, Russian prince and Rugby Union footballer (d. 1940)

• 1917 – Abdur Rahman Badawi, Egyptian philosopher (d. 2002)

• 1917 – Guillermo González Camarena, Mexican inventor (d. 1965)

• 1919 – Kathleen Freeman, American actress (d. 2001)

• 1920 – Ivo Caprino, Norwegian animated film director

• 1922 – Enrico Banducci, American nightclub owner (d. 2007)

• 1922 – Tommy Edwards, American singer (d. 1969)

• 1922 – Valentino Mazzia, American forensic anesthesiologist (d. 1999)

• 1922 – Marshall Teague, American race car driver (d. 1959)

• 1924 – Margaret Truman, American novelist (d. 2008)

• 1925 – Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (d. 2003)

• 1925 – Hal Holbrook, American actor

• 1928 – Marta Romero, Puerto Rican actress & singer

• 1929 – Paul Meger, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1929 – Chaim Potok, American author (d. 2002)

• 1929 – Patricia Routledge, English actress

• 1930 – Roger Craig, American baseball player and manager

• 1930 – Ruth Rendell, English writer

• 1932 – Buck Trent, American banjo player

• 1933 – Bobby Lewis, American singer

• 1933 – Craig L. Thomas, American politician (d. 2007)

• 1934 – Alan Bates, English actor (d. 2003)

• 1934 – Barry Humphries, Australian actor and comedian

• 1935 – Christina Pickles, UK-born American actress

• 1936 – Jim Brown, American football player

• 1939 – John Leyton, British singer

• 1939 – Mary Ann Mobley, American actress and beauty queen

• 1940 – Gene Pitney, American singer (d. 2006)

• 1941 – Julia McKenzie, English actress and theatre director

• 1942 – Huey P. Newton, American political activist (d. 1989)

• 1943 – Costas Azariadis, Greek macroeconomist

• 1944 – Karl Jenkins, Welsh composer

• 1945 – Zina Bethune, American actress

• 1945 – Brenda Fricker, Irish actress

• 1946 – Dodie Stevens, American singer

• 1948 – José José, Mexican singer and actor

• 1948 – Rick Majerus, American basketball coach

• 1948 – Don Scardino, American television director and actor

• 1949 – Fred Frith, English musician and composer

• 1952 – Karin Janz, East German gymnast

• 1953 – Norman Pace, British actor and comic

• 1954 – Rene Russo, American actress

• 1955 – Mo Yan, Chinese novelist

• 1956 – Richard Karn, American actor

• 1957 – Loreena McKennitt, Canadian musician

• 1959 – Aryeh Deri, Israeli rabbi and politician

• 1959 – Neil Lomax, American football player

• 1962 – Samuel Bayer, American music video director

• 1962 – Alison Hargreaves, British mountaineer (d. 1995)

• 1962 – Tyrone "Ty" Jones, American screenwriter

• 1962 – David McComb, Australian musician (The Triffids) (d. 1999)

• 1962 – Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor

• 1963 – Michael Jordan, American basketball player

• 1963 – Jen-Hsun Huang, American entrepreneur and businessman

• 1963 – Rene Syler, American journalist

• 1964 – Buster Olney, American sports columnist

• 1965 – Michael Bay, American film director

• 1966 – Ioannis Kalitzakis, Greek footballer

• 1966 – Michael Lepond, American musician (Symphony X)

• 1966 – Quorthon, Swedish musician (Bathory) (d. 2004)

• 1966 – Luc Robitaille, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1967 – Chanté Moore, American singer

• 1968 – Bryan Cox, National Football League player

• 1969 – Tuesday Knight, American actress

• 1970 – Tim Mahoney, American musician (311)

• 1970 – Tommy Moe, American Olympic skier

• 1970 – Dominic Purcell, English-born actor

• 1971 – Martyn Bennett, Canadian composer (d. 2005)

• 1971 – Jeremy Edwards, British actor

• 1971 – Denise Richards, American actress

• 1972 – Billie Joe Armstrong, American musician (Green Day)

• 1972 – LG Petrov, Swedish singer (Entombed)

• 1972 – Philippe Candeloro, French figure skater

• 1972 – Taylor Hawkins, American musician (Foo Fighters)

• 1972 – Ralphie May, American comedian

• 1972 – Valeria Mazza, Argentinian model

• 1972 – Yuki Isoya, Japanese singer (formerly Judy and Mary)

• 1973 – Drew Barry, American basketball player

• 1973 – SaRenna Lee, American pornographic actress

• 1974 – Kaoru, Japanese musician

• 1974 – Jerry O'Connell, American actor

• 1974 – Bryan White, American singer

• 1975 – Wish Bone, American rapper (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)

• 1975 – Harisu, South Korean singer, model and actress

• 1975 – Todd Harvey, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1975 – Vaclav Prospal, Czech ice hockey player

• 1976 – Kelly Carlson, American actress

• 1976 – Scott Williamson, American baseball player

• 1976 – William Roussel, French musician (Mütiilation)

• 1977 – Wong Choong Hann, Malaysian Badminton player

• 1978 – Jacob Wetterling, American kidnapping victim

• 1979 – Dee, Puerto Rican pornographic actress

• 1979 – Josh Willingham, American baseball player

• 1980 – Al Harrington, American basketball player

• 1980 – Klemi Saban, Israeli footballer

• 1980 – Jason Ritter, American actor

• 1981 – Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor

• 1981 – Paris Hilton, American actress and heiress

• 1982 – Adriano, Brazilian footballer

• 1982 – Brian Bruney, American baseball player

• 1982 – Steven Pienaar, South African footballer

• 1983 – Gérald Cid, French footballer

• 1983 – Marios Kaperonis, Greek boxer

• 1984 – Jimmy Jacobs, American professional wrestler

• 1984 – Kenta Kamakari, Japanese actor and seiyuu

• 1984 – AB de Villiers, South African cricketer

• 1984 – Sadha - South Indian film actress

• 1985 – Anne Curtis, Filipino actress and commercial model

• 1985 – Anders Jacobsen, Norwegian skijumper

• 1986 – Joey O'Brien, Irish footballer

• 1988 – Natascha Kampusch, Austrian kidnapping victim

• 1989 – Rebecca Adlington, British swimmer

• 1991 – Bonnie Wright, British actress

• 1992 – Meaghan Jette Martin, American actress and singer

Deaths

• 364 – Jovian, Roman Emperor (b. 331)

• 440 – Mesrop Mashtots, Armenian monk and linguist (b. 360)

• 1339 – Otto, Duke of Austria (b. 1301)

• 1371 – Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria

• 1596 – Friedrich Sylburg, German classical scholar (b. 1536)

• 1600 – Giordano Bruno, Italian philosopher (burned at the stake) (b. 1548)

• 1609 – Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1549)

• 1624 – Juan de Mariana, Spanish historian (b. 1536)

• 1659 – Abel Servien, French diplomat (b. 1593)

• 1673 – Molière, French playwright (b. 1622)

• 1680 – Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles, English statesman and writer (b. 1599)

• 1680 – Jan Swammerdam, Dutch biologist (b. 1637)

• 1715 – Antoine Galland, French archaeologist (b. 1646)

• 1732 – Louis Marchand, French organist and harpsichordist (b. 1669)

• 1768 – Arthur Onslow, English politician (b. 1691)

• 1780 – Andreas Felix von Oefele, German historian and librarian (b. 1706)

• 1841 – Ferdinando Carulli, Italian guitarist (b. 1770)

• 1854 – John Martin, English painter (b. 1789)

• 1856 – Heinrich Heine, German writer (b. 1797)

• 1874 – Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet, Belgian mathematician (b. 1796)

• 1883 – Napoleon Coste, French guitarist and composer (b. 1806)

• 1883 – Vasudeo Balwant Phadke, Indian revolutionary (b. 1845)

• 1890 – Christopher Sholes, American inventor (b. 1819)

• 1909 – Geronimo, Apache leader (b. 1829)

• 1912 – Edgar Evans, Welsh naval officer (b. 1876)

• 1919 – Wilfrid Laurier, 7th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1841)

• 1934 – King Albert I of Belgium (b. 1875)

• 1934 – Siegbert Tarrasch, German chess player (b. 1862)

• 1939 – Willy Hess, German violinist (b. 1859)

• 1943 – Armand J. Piron, American jazz violinist and composer (b. 1888)

• 1943 – Konstantin Bogaevsky, Russian painter (b. 1872)

• 1958 – Hugh McCrae, Australian writer (b. 1876)

• 1961 – Nita Naldi, American actress (b. 1897)

• 1962 – Bruno Walter, German conductor (b. 1876)

• 1970 – Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Israeli writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1888)

• 1970 – Alfred Newman, American film composer (b. 1901)

• 1977 – Janani Luwum, Ugandan Archbishop (b. 1922)

• 1982 – Nestor Chylak, American baseball umpire (b. 1922)

• 1982 – Thelonious Monk, American jazz pianist (b. 1917)

• 1982 – Lee Strasberg, Austrian-born actor (b. 1901)

• 1986 – Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian philosopher (b. 1895)

• 1989 – Lefty Gomez, American baseball player (b. 1908)

• 1990 – Erik Rhodes, American actor (b. 1906)

• 1990 – Hap Day, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (b. 1901)

• 1994 – Randy Shilts, American author and activist (b. 1951)

• 1996 – Hervé Bazin, French writer (b. 1911)

• 1996 – Michel Pablo, Greek Trotskyist leader (b. 1911)

• 1997 – Zein Isa, Palestinian militant

• 1998 – Ernst Jünger, German author (b. 1895)

• 1998 – Bob Merrill, American composer and lyricist (b. 1921)

• 2001 – Khalid Abdul Muhammed, American Nation of Islam spokesman (b. 1948)

• 2001 – Bob Geary, Canadian football player and manager (b. 1933)

• 2001 – Barry Burman, English artist (b. 1943)

• 2003 – Steve Bechler, American baseball player(b. 1979)

• 2004 – José López Portillo, President of Mexico (b. 1920)

• 2005 – Dan O'Herlihy, Irish actor (b. 1919)

• 2005 – Omar Sivori, Argentine footballer (b. 1935)

• 2006 – Ray Barretto, Puerto Rican musician (b. 1929)

• 2006 – Bill Cowsill, American singer (The Cowsills) (b. 1948)

• 2007 – Jurga Ivanauskaitė, Lithuanian writer (b. 1961)

• 2007 – Mike Awesome, American professional wrestler (b. 1965)

• 2007 – Dermot O'Reilly, Irish-born musician, producer and songwriter (b. 1943)

• 2007 – Maurice Papon, French Nazi collaborator (b. 1910)

• 2008 – Brian Harris, English footballer (b. 1935)

• 2009 – Gazanfer Özcan, Turkish actor (b. 1931)

• 2009 – Conchita Cintrón, Chilean bullfighter (b. 1922)

Holidays and observances

• Roman Empire – Quirinalia in honor of Quirinus.

• Ancient Latvia – Tanis Diena observed.

• Seven Founders of the Servite Order

• Saint Alexis Falconieri (d. 1310)

• Saint Constabilis

• February 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Kosovo Independence Day