Events

• 962 – Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor in nearly 40 years.

• 1032 – Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor becomes King of Burgundy.

• 1509 – The Battle of Diu takes place near Diu, India, between Portugal and Turkey.

• 1536 – Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina.

• 1542 – Portuguese under Christovão da Gama capture a Moslem-occupied hill fort in northern Ethiopia in the Battle of Baçente.

• 1653 – New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.

• 1709 – Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island, inspiring the book Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

• 1790 – The U.S. Supreme Court convenes for the first time.

• 1812 – Russia establishes a fur trading colony at Fort Ross, California.

• 1848 – Mexican-American War: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed.

• 1848 – California Gold Rush: The first ship with Chinese emigrants arrives in San Francisco, California.

• 1876 – The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed.

• 1878 – Greece declares war on Turkey.

• 1880 – The first electric streetlight is installed in Wabash, Indiana.

• 1882 – The Knights of Columbus are formed in New Haven, Connecticut.

• 1887 – In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania the first Groundhog Day is observed.

• 1899 – The Australian Premiers' Conference held in Melbourne decides to locate Australia's capital (Canberra) between Sydney and Melbourne.

• 1901 – Queen Victoria's funeral takes place.

• 1913 – Grand Central Station is opened in New York City.

• 1920 – The Tartu Peace Treaty is signed between Estonia and Russia.

• 1920 – France occupies Memel.

• 1922 – Ulysses by James Joyce is published.

• 1925 – Serum run to Nome: Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod race.

• 1925 – The Charlevoix-Kamouraska earthquake strikes northeastern North America.

• 1933 – Adolf Hitler dissolves the German Parliament.

• 1934 – The Export-Import Bank of the United States is incorporated.

• 1935 – Leonarde Keeler tests the first polygraph machine.

• 1940 – Frank Sinatra debuts with the Tommy Dorsey orchestra.

• 1943 – World War II: The last German forces surrender to the Soviets after the Battle of Stalingrad.

• 1946 – The Proclamation of Hungarian Republic is made.

• 1957 – Iskander Mirza of Pakistan lays the foundation-stone of the Guddu Barrage.

• 1966 – Pakistan suggests a six-point agenda with Kashmir after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

• 1967 – The American Basketball Association is formed.

• 1971 – Idi Amin replaces President Milton Obote as leader of Uganda.

• 1972 – The British embassy in Dublin is destroyed in protest over Bloody Sunday.

• 1974 – The F-16 Fighting Falcon flies for the first time.

• 1976 – The Groundhog Day gale hits the north-eastern United States and south-eastern Canada.

• 1980 – Reports surface that FBI were targeting Congressmen in the Abscam operation.

• 1980 – The Revolutionary Communist Party of Turkey is founded.

• 1982 – Hama Massacre: Syria attacks the town of Hama.

• 1987 – After the 1986 People Power Revolution in the Philippines, Philippines made a new constitution.

• 1989 – Soviet war in Afghanistan: The last Soviet Union armored column leaves Kabul.

• 1989 – Satellite television service Sky Television plc launched.

• 1990 – Apartheid: F.W. de Klerk allows the African National Congress to function legally and promises to release Nelson Mandela.

• 1998 – A Cebu Pacific Flight 387 DC-9-32 crashes into a mountain near Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, killing 104.

• 2002 – Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange marries Máxima Zorreguieta.

• 2007 – Four tornadoes hit Central Florida, killing 21 people.

Births

• 1208 – James I of Aragon (d. 1276)

• 1455 – King John of Denmark (d. 1513)

• 1494 – Bona Sforza, queen of Sigismund I of Poland (d. 1557)

• 1502 – Damião de Góis, Portuguese philosopher (d. 1574)

• 1506 – René de Birague, French cardinal and chancellor (d. 1583)

• 1522 – Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician (d. 1565)

• 1600 – Gabriel Naudé, French librarian and scholar (d. 1653)

• 1613 – Noël Chabanel, French Jesuit missionary (d. 1649)

• 1621 – Johannes Schefferus, Alsatian humanist (d. 1679)

• 1649 – Pope Benedict XIII (d. 1730)

• 1650 – Nell Gwynne, English actress and royal mistress (d. 1687)

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

• 1695 – William Borlase, English naturalist (d. 1772)

• 1695 – François de Chevert, French general (d. 1769)

• 1700 – Johann Christoph Gottsched, German writer (d. 1766)

• 1711 – Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz, Austrian diplomat (d. 1794)

• 1714 – Gottfried August Homilius, German composer (d. 1785)

• 1717 – Ernst Gideon Freiherr von Laudon, Austrian field marshal (d. 1790)

• 1786 – Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician (d. 1856)

• 1802 – Jean Baptiste Boussingault, French chemist (d. 1887)

• 1803 – Albert Sidney Johnston, American Confederate general (d. 1862)

• 1829 – Alfred Brehm, German zoologist (d. 1884)

• 1829 – William Stanley, inventor and engineer (d. 1909)

• 1841 – François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss hydrologist (d. 1912)

• 1842 – Yulian Vasilievich Sokhotski, Russian mathematician (d. 1927)

• 1849 – Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, Slovak poet (d. 1921)

• 1851 – José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican artist (d. 1913)

• 1860 – Curtis Guild, Jr., American politician (d. 1915)

• 1861 – Solomon R. Guggenheim, American art collector and philanthropist (d. 1949)

• 1873 – Konstantin von Neurath, German diplomat and statesman (d. 1956)

• 1875 – Fritz Kreisler, Austrian violinist (d. 1962)

• 1878 – Alfréd Hajós, Hungarian swimmer (d. 1955)

• 1881 – Orval Overall, American baseball player (d. 1947)

• 1882 – James Joyce, Irish author (d. 1941)

• 1887 – Ernst Hanfstängl, German pianist and politician (d. 1975)

• 1888 – Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (d. 1969)

• 1889 – Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general, posthumous Marshal of France (d. 1952)

• 1890 – Charles Correll, American actor (d. 1972)

• 1893 – Cornelius Lanczos, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1974)

• 1893 – Raoul Riganti, Argentine racing driver (d. 1970)

• 1895 – George Halas, American NFL co-founder (d. 1983)

• 1896 – Kazimierz Kuratowski, Polish mathematician and logician (d. 1980)

• 1897 – Aimé Avignon, France's former oldest living man (d. 2007)

• 1897 – Howard Johnson, American hotelier (d. 1972)

• 1900 – Willie Kamm, American baseball player (d. 1988)

• 1901 – Jascha Heifetz, Lithuanian violinist (d. 1987)

• 1902 – Newbold Morris, American politician (d. 1966)

• 1905 – Ayn Rand, Russian-born American author and philosopher (d. 1982)

• 1908 – Wes Ferrell, American baseball player (d. 1976)

• 1909 – Frank Albertson, American actor (d. 1964)

• 1912 – Millvina Dean, last living survivor of the RMS Titanic (d. 2009)

• 1912 – Burton Lane, American composer and lyricist (d. 1997)

• 1913 – Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor (d. 1985)

• 1914 – Eric Kierans, Canadian politician and economist (d. 2004)

• 1915 – Abba Eban, Israeli diplomat (d. 2002)

• 1915 – Stan Leonard, Canadian professional golfer (d. 2005)

• 1916 – Xuân Diệu, Vietnamese poet (d. 1985)

• 1918 – Hella S. Haasse, Dutch writer

• 1923 – James Dickey, American poet and author (d. 1997)

• 1923 – Bonita Granville, American actress (d. 1988)

• 1923 – Red Schoendienst, American baseball player and manager

• 1923 – Liz Smith, American gossip columnist

• 1924 – Elfi von Dassanowsky, Austrian-born American producer and musician

• 1925 – Elaine Stritch, American actress

• 1926 – Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, French politician

• 1927 – Stan Getz, American musician (d. 1991)

• 1928 – Aloyisus Leon Higginbotham, Jr., American civil rights activist (d. 1998)

• 1931 – Dries van Agt, Dutch politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1977 until 1982

• 1931 – Les Dawson, British comedian (d. 1993)

• 1931 – Judith Viorst, American author

• 1932 – Robert Mandan, American actor

• 1933 – Tony Jay, English actor (d. 2006)

• 1933 – Than Shwe, ruler of Myanmar

• 1936 – Duane Jones, American actor

• 1937 – Don Buford, American baseball player

• 1937 – Remak Ramsay, American actor

• 1937 – Tom Smothers, American musician and comedian

• 1939 – Akbar Adibi, Iranian scientist (d. 2000)

• 1940 – Wayne Fontes, American football coach

• 1940 – David Jason, English actor

• 1941 – Terry Biddlecombe, English horse racing jockey

• 1942 – Graham Nash, British-born American musician

• 1943 – Susan Hanson, English actress

• 1944 – Andrew Davis, British conductor

• 1944 – Karen Foss, American broadcaster

• 1944 – Geoffrey Hughes, British actor

• 1946 – Alpha Oumar Konaré, Mali politician

• 1947 – Farrah Fawcett, American actress (d. 2009)

• 1948 – Ina Garten, American author and TV personality

• 1948 – Al McKay, American guitarist and songwriter (Earth, Wind & Fire)

• 1948 – Roger Williamson, English racecar driver (d. 1973)

• 1949 – Francisco Maturana, Colombian football manager

• 1949 – Brent Spiner, American actor

• 1949 – Ross Valory, American musician (Journey)

• 1950 – Genichiro Tenryu, Japanese professional wrestler

• 1950 – Barbara Sukowa, German actress

• 1952 – John Cornyn, American politician

• 1953 – Duane Chapman, American bounty hunter

• 1954 – Christie Brinkley, American model

• 1954 – Hansi Hinterseer, Austrian singer and actor

• 1954 – John Tudor, American baseball player

• 1955 – Leszek Engelking, Polish poet, writer and translator

• 1955 – Virginia Leng, British equestrian

• 1957 – Phil Barney, French singer

• 1958 – Michel Marc Bouchard, Quebec playwright

• 1960 – Jari Porttila, Finnish sports journalist

• 1961 – Lauren Lane, American actress

• 1961 – Steve Penney, National Hockey League goaltender

• 1962 – Andy Fordham, English darts player

• 1962 – Paul Kilgus, American baseball player

• 1962 – Michael T. Weiss, American actor

• 1963 – Eva Cassidy, American singer (d. 1996)

• 1963 – Philip Laats, Belgian judoka

• 1965 – Carl Airey, English footballer

• 1965 – Naoki Sano, Japanese professional wrestler

• 1966 – Andrei Chesnokov, Russian tennis player

• 1966 – D. C. Douglas, American actor and director

• 1966 – Robert DeLeo, American musician (Stone Temple Pilots)

• 1967 – Arturs Irbe, Latvian hockey player

• 1967 – Laurent Nkunda, Congolese military leader

• 1968 – Sean Elliott, American basketball player

• 1968 – Scott Erickson, American baseball player

• 1968 – Simon Wickham-Smith, British musician

• 1968 – Thomas Teige, German martial artist, actor and record holder

• 1969 – Valeri Karpin, Russian footballer

• 1969 – Tim Sherwood, English footballer

• 1970 – C. Ernst Harth, Canadian actor

• 1970 – Nikolaos Michopoulos, Greek footballer

• 1970 – Roar Strand, Norwegian footballer

• 1970 – Jennifer Westfeldt, American actress

• 1972 – Tego Calderón Puerto Rican reggaeton

• 1972 – Dana International, Israeli singer

• 1972 – Melvin Mora, Venezuelan baseball player

• 1973 – Aleksander Tammert, Estonian discus thrower

• 1973 – Marissa Jaret Winokur, American actress

• 1975 – Todd Bertuzzi, Canadian hockey player

• 1975 – Vaggelis Koutsoures, Greek footballer

• 1975 – Ieroklis Stoltidis, Greek footballer

• 1975 – Niclas Wallin, Swedish hockey player

• 1976 – James Hickman, British swimmer

• 1976 – Lori Beth Denberg, American actress

• 1977 – Heather Martin, American gospel singer

• 1977 – Shakira, Colombian singer

• 1977 – Libor Sionko, Czech football player

• 1978 – Eden Espinosa, American singer and actress

• 1978 – Barry Ferguson, Scotish football player

• 1978 – Rich Sommer, American actor

• 1979 – Fani Halkia, Greek hurdler

• 1979 – Shamita Shetty, Indian actress

• 1979 – Irini Terzoglou, Greek shot putter

• 1979 – Urmo Aava, Estonian rally driver

• 1980 – Teddy Hart, Canadian professional wrestler

• 1980 – Gucci Mane, American rapper

• 1980 – Oleguer Presas, Spanish football player

• 1981 – Jason Kapono, American basketball player

• 1982 – Sergio Castaño, Spanish footballer

• 1982 – Han Ga In, South Korean model/actress

• 1982 – Kelly Mazzante, American basketball player

• 1982 – Brandy Talore, American pornographic actress

• 1983 – Ronny Cedeño, Venezuelan baseball player

• 1983 – Carolina Klüft, Swedish athlete

• 1983 – Will South, British musician (Thirteen Senses)

• 1983 – Jordin Tootoo, Canadian hockey player

• 1983 – Alex Westaway, British musician

• 1987 – Gerard Piqué, Spanish football player

• 1987 – Martin Spanjers, American actor

• 1990 – Dan Gosling, English Footballer currently playing for Everton

• 1992 – Danielle White, American singer

Deaths

• 1124 – Bořivoj II of Bohemia

• 1218 – Konstantin of Rostov, Prince of Novgorod (b. 1186)

• 1250 – Eric XI of Sweden (b. 1216)

• 1307 – Oljeitu Temur Khagan, Emperor of the Mongol Empire and the Yuan Dynasty.

• 1461 – Owen Tudor, Welsh founder of the Tudor dynasty of England

• 1529 – Baldassare Castiglione, Italian writer (b. 1478)

• 1580 – Bessho Nagaharu, Japanese retainer (b. 1558)

• 1594 – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Italian composer (b. 1525)

• 1648 – George Abbot, English writer

• 1660 – Govert Flinck, Dutch painter (b. 1615)

• 1660 – Gaston, Duke of Orléans, French politician (b. 1608)

• 1661 – Lucas Holstenius, German humanist (b. 1596)

• 1688 – Abraham Duquesne, French naval officer (b. 1610)

• 1704 – Guillaume François Antoine, Marquis de l'Hôpital, French mathematician (b. 1661)

• 1712 – Martin Lister, English naturalist and physician

• 1714 – John Sharp, English Archbishop of York (b. 1643)

• 1723 – Antonio Maria Valsalva, Italian anatomist (b. 1666)

• 1768 – Robert Smith, English mathematician (b. 1689)

• 1769 – Pope Clement XIII (b. 1693)

• 1802 – Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip, British statesman (b. 1713)

• 1804 – George Walton, Signer of the Declaration of Independence (b. 1749-50)

• 1895 – Archduke Albert, Austrian general (b. 1817)

• 1904 – William C. Whitney, American financier (b. 1841)

• 1907 – Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist (b. 1834)

• 1909 – Carlo Acton, Italian composer and concert pianist (b. 1829)

• 1918 – John L. Sullivan, American heavyweight boxer (b. 1858)

• 1922 – William Desmond Taylor, Irish film director (b. 1872)

• 1925 – Jaap Eden, Dutch skater and cyclist (b. 1873)

• 1926 – Vladimir Sukhomlinov, Russian general (b. 1848)

• 1932 – Agha Petros, Assyrian nationalist leader (b. 1880)

• 1942 – Daniil Kharms, Russian playwright (b. 1905)

• 1945 – Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, German politician, member of the German resistance (b. 1884)

• 1945 – Johannes Popitz, Prussian finance minister, member of the German resistance (b. 1884)

• 1945 – Alfred Delp, German Jesuit priest, member of the German resistance (b. 1907)

• 1948 – Bevil Rudd, South African athlete (b. 1894)

• 1948 – Thomas W. Lamont, American banker; father or Corliss Lamont; great-grandfather of Ned Lamont (b. 1870)

• 1950 – Constantin Carathéodory, Greek mathematician (b. 1873)

• 1956 – Charles Grapewin, American actor (b. 1869)

• 1956 – Pyotr Konchalovsky, Russian painter (b. 1876)

• 1957 – Grigory Landsberg, Russian physicist (b. 1890)

• 1961 – Anna May Wong, American actress (b. 1905)

• 1969 – Boris Karloff, English actor (b. 1887)

• 1970 – Lawrence Gray, American actor (b. 1898)

• 1970 – Bertrand Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, English mathematician, writer and philosopher, Nobel laureate (b. 1872)

• 1972 – Natalie Clifford Barney, American writer (b. 1876)

• 1973 – Hendrik Elias, Belgian politician (b. 1902)

• 1979 – Sid Vicious, English musician (Sex Pistols) (b. 1957)

• 1980 – William Howard Stein, Nobel laureate (b. 1911)

• 1982 – Paul Desruisseaux, French Canadian lawyer, businessman and politician (b. 1905)

• 1983 – Sam Chatmon, American blues musician (b. 1897)

• 1987 – Castilho, Brazilian footballer (b. 1927)

• 1987 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist (b. 1922)

• 1988 – Marcel Bozzuffi, French film actor (b. 1929)

• 1989 – Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater (b. 1951)

• 1989 – Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand politician (b. 1901)

• 1990 – Joe Erskine, Welsh boxer (b. 1934)

• 1992 – Bert Parks, American television host (b. 1914)

• 1995 – Fred Perry, British tennis player (b. 1909)

• 1995 – Thomas Hayward, American tenor (b. 1917)

• 1995 – Donald Pleasence, English actor (b. 1919)

• 1996 – Gene Kelly, American dancer, actor, and director (b. 1912)

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

• 1997 – Sanford Meisner, American actor (b. 1904)

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

• 2002 – Paul Baloff, American singer (Exodus) (b. 1960)

• 2002 – Claude Brown, American writer (b. 1937)

• 2003 – Lou Harrison, American composer (b. 1917)

• 2004 – Bernard McEveety, American film director (b. 1924)

• 2005 – Max Schmeling, German boxer (b. 1905)

• 2007 – Vijay Arora, Indian film and television actor (b. 1944)

• 2007 – Billy Henderson, American singer (The Spinners) (b. 1939)

• 2007 – Joe Hunter, American pianist and bandleader of The Funk Brothers (b. 1927)

• 2007 – Filippo Raciti, Italian police officer (b. 1967)

• 2007 – Masao Takemoto, Japanese gymnast (b. 1919)

• 2007 – Eric von Schmidt, American folk/blues singer-songwriter (b. 1931)

• 2008 – Katoucha, Guinean model and activist (b. 1960)

Holidays and observances

• Ancient Latvia – Veja Diena observed.

• Czech Republic – Hromnice.

• France – Chandeleur (= Candlemas), AKA "Crêpe (Pancake) Day".

• Paganism – Imbolc (in northern hemisphere), Lughnasadh (in southern hemisphere).

• Scotland – A quarter day in the Christian calendar (due to Candlemas).

• United States and Canada – Groundhog Day.

• University of King's College – George III Day

• Yemanja – Celebration of Yemanja, the sea goddess.

• Roman Catholicism – Candlemas, The Presentation of the Lord, The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, World Day for Consecrated Life (also February 3 in the United States).

• St. Cornelius

• February 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• World Wetlands Day