February in History
An event for every day
29 days of February, one event for each: what happened, the year, and at least 2 sources to read more. Some days hold a second event, used in alternate years; across all 58 events we have for February, the subjects run: culture 18, society 12, technology 11, sports 7, science 5, exploration 3, nature 2.
Every day is also a round of our daily history game, so the year and the story stay hidden for today and the next 30 days. You'll see the first clue instead, and the answer the day after it plays.
February, day by day
Showing all 29 days.
| Day | Year | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| February 1 | 1896 | 1896 Culture Puccini's opera La bohème premieres at the Teatro Regio in Turin, conducted by Arturo Toscanini. La bohème premiered in Turin in 1896 to mixed reviews but soon became one of the most performed operas in the world. It later inspired the Broadway musical Rent. Meanwhile in art: Post-Impressionism |
| February 2 | 1913 | 1913 Technology Grand Central Terminal opens in New York City, with its vast main concourse and star-painted ceiling. Grand Central Terminal opened in 1913 and has more platforms than any other station in the world. A campaign in the 1970s saved it from being demolished. Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism Sources: Wikipedia — Grand Central TerminalWikidata — Q11290 |
| February 3 | 2008 | 2008 Sports The New York Giants upset the unbeaten New England Patriots 17–14 in Super Bowl XLII. Super Bowl XLII was played in 2008. The "Helmet Catch" by David Tyree set up the winning touchdown, and the Patriots finished 18–1. |
| February 4 | 1991 | 1991 Culture Queen release Innuendo, the last album issued in Freddie Mercury's lifetime. Innuendo went to number one in the UK. Freddie Mercury was already seriously ill and died later that year, and "The Show Must Go On" became one of the band's best-remembered songs. |
| February 5 | 2017 | 2017 Sports The New England Patriots overturn a 25-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons in the first overtime Super Bowl. Super Bowl LI was played in 2017 at NRG Stadium in Houston. It was the largest comeback in Super Bowl history and Tom Brady's fifth title. |
| February 6 | 2018 | 2018 Technology SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket makes its first launch, sending a sports car into orbit around the Sun. The car and its dummy driver, nicknamed Starman, were sent on a path beyond the orbit of Mars. The matching landings of the two side boosters became one of the most memorable images of reusable rockets. |
| February 7 | 1974 | 1974 Society Grenada's national flag is raised at midnight as the island becomes independent from Britain. The red, yellow and green design was created by a Grenadian artist. The nutmeg makes it one of very few national flags to show a spice. |
| February 8 | 2015 | 2015 Culture Better Call Saul, the prequel to Breaking Bad, premieres on AMC. The series ran for six seasons and 63 episodes. Often compared favourably with the show it grew out of, it earned dozens of Emmy nominations. |
| February 9 | 1969 | 1969 Technology The Boeing 747, the first wide-body "jumbo jet," makes its first flight near Seattle. The 747 first flew in 1969 and entered service in 1970. It held the record for passenger capacity for 37 years and made long-distance flying affordable. |
| February 10 | 1971 | 1971 Culture Carole King releases Tapestry, one of the best-selling albums by a solo artist. Tapestry was released in 1971 and won four Grammy Awards. It has sold more than 25 million copies. Sources: Wikipedia — Tapestry (Carole King album)Wikidata — Q411032 |
| February 11 | 1929 | 1929 Society The Lateran Treaty is signed, creating Vatican City as an independent state. The Lateran Treaty of 1929 made Vatican City a country of just 44 hectares. It has its own post office, stamps and Swiss Guard. Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism |
| February 12 | 2023 | 2023 Sports The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38–35 in Super Bowl LVII. Super Bowl LVII was played in 2023 and won by a late field goal. It was Kansas City's third title and Mahomes' second Super Bowl MVP award. |
| February 13 | 1970 | 1970 Culture Black Sabbath release their debut album, a founding record of heavy metal. Black Sabbath's first album came out in 1970. Its sound, built on distorted guitars and ominous themes, is often called the first heavy metal album. Sources: Wikipedia — Black Sabbath (album)Wikidata — Q328482 |
| February 14 | 1912 | 1912 Society Arizona is admitted to the Union as the 48th US state, the last of the contiguous states. Arizona became a state in 1912, nicknamed the "Valentine State." No new states joined until Alaska and Hawaii in 1959. Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism Sources: Wikipedia — ArizonaWikidata — Q816 |
| February 15 | 1950 | 1950 Culture Disney's Cinderella premieres in Boston, rescuing the struggling studio. Cinderella premiered in 1950 and was the studio's biggest hit in years. Its success helped pay for more films and, later, Disneyland. Sources: Wikipedia — Cinderella (1950 film)Wikidata — Q191753 |
| February 16 | 1918 | 1918 Society The Council of Lithuania signs the Act of Independence in Vilnius, restoring Lithuania as a sovereign state. The act declared an independent, democratic Lithuania with Vilnius as its capital. Although the country was absorbed into the Soviet Union in 1940, the date remained a symbol of statehood and is celebrated today as Lithuania's State Restoration Day. Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism Sources: Wikipedia — Act of Independence of LithuaniaWikidata — Q166981 |
| February 17 | 1904 | 1904 Culture Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly premieres at La Scala in Milan and is booed by the audience. The first night at La Scala was a fiasco, blamed partly on the opera's length and partly on rivals in the audience. Puccini withdrew it, reshaped it, and the new version succeeded that spring. It became one of the most performed operas in the world, famous for the aria 'Un bel dì, vedremo'. Meanwhile in art: Post-Impressionism, Early Modernism |
| February 18 | 1977 | 1977 Technology The prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise makes its first flight, carried on the back of a Boeing 747. Enterprise flew atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft in 1977, then made five free-flight glides later that year. It never reached orbit and is now displayed at the Intrepid Museum in New York. Sources: Wikipedia — Space Shuttle EnterpriseWikidata — Q202347 |
| February 19 | 1985 | 1985 Culture BBC soap opera EastEnders airs its first episode, introducing the residents of Albert Square. Created by Tony Holland and Julia Smith, the show quickly became one of the most watched programs in Britain. Its Christmas Day episode in 1986 drew about 30 million viewers, one of the largest audiences in UK television history. |
| February 20 | 1816 | 1816 Culture Rossini's comic opera The Barber of Seville premieres in Rome, where the first night is a noisy failure. Gioachino Rossini's opera met a hostile opening night, reportedly stirred up by admirers of an older opera on the same story by Giovanni Paisiello, and mishaps on stage added to the chaos. The second performance went much better, and it became one of the most popular comic operas ever written. Meanwhile in art: Neoclassicism, Romanticism Sources: Wikipedia — The Barber of SevilleWikidata — Q208659 |
| February 21 | 2005 | 2005 Culture The animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender premieres on Nickelodeon. The show ran for three seasons, each called a Book. It led to a sequel series, The Legend of Korra, as well as comics and a live-action remake, and is often ranked among the best animated series ever made. Sources: Wikipedia — Avatar: The Last AirbenderWikidata — Q11572 |
| February 22 | 1980 | 1980 Sports A U.S. team of college hockey players beats the heavily favored Soviet Union at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. The Soviet team had won gold at the four previous Winter Olympics and beaten the Americans 10-3 in an exhibition days earlier. Captain Mike Eruzione scored the winning goal. The game was not the final: the U.S. team then beat Finland to win the gold medal. |
| February 23 | 1947 | 1947 Technology The International Organization for Standardization is founded, setting global technical standards from Geneva. The organization has since published tens of thousands of standards, covering everything from screw threads and shipping containers to paper sizes and the way dates are written. National standards bodies from more than 160 countries are members. Sources: Wikipedia — International Organization for StandardizationWikidata — Q15028 |
| February 24 | 2011 | 2011 Exploration Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off on STS-133, its 39th and final mission. STS-133 in 2011 ended Discovery's 27-year career; it had flown 39 missions, more than any other orbiter. Discovery is now on display at the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. |
| February 25 | 1978 | 1978 Technology The first stretch of Vienna's modern U-Bahn opens, running underground from Reumannplatz to Karlsplatz. The network grew over the following decades to five lines. It took over parts of the older Stadtbahn, whose stations were designed by the architect Otto Wagner, and is now the backbone of the city's public transport. |
| February 26 | 1929 | 1929 Nature The US Congress creates Grand Teton National Park to protect a jagged mountain range in Wyoming. Congress set aside the core of the Teton Range as a national park. The first version protected the peaks and a few lakes; the park was greatly enlarged later to take in much of the valley below. Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism Sources: Wikipedia — Grand Teton National ParkWikidata — Q222695 |
| February 27 | 1812 | 1812 Society Manuel Belgrano raises the light blue and white flag of Argentina for the first time, near Rosario. Belgrano acted without waiting for the government's approval and was rebuked for it. The flag was later adopted, with the golden Sun of May added, and Rosario's National Flag Memorial now marks the place. Meanwhile in art: Neoclassicism, Romanticism |
| February 28 | 1922 | 1922 Society Britain issues a declaration recognizing Egypt as an independent sovereign state, ending its protectorate. The declaration followed years of nationwide protests and failed negotiations. Four 'reserved' matters left Britain with a strong role in the country for years. The kingdom lasted until 1953, when Egypt became a republic. Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism Sources: Wikipedia — Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian IndependenceWikidata — Q2583161 |
| February 29 | 1940 | 1940 Culture Gone with the Wind sweeps the Oscars, and Hattie McDaniel becomes the first Black performer to win an Academy Award. McDaniel's win was historic, yet she was seated at a segregated table away from her co-stars. Vivien Leigh won Best Actress as Scarlett O'Hara. After a newspaper printed the winners early, the Academy began keeping results in sealed envelopes the following year. Meanwhile in art: Early Modernism |
Born this month
Up to five well-known people born on each day of February, with their birth year. Names link to Wikipedia.
February 1–7
- February 1
- Boris Yeltsin (1931) · Soviet and Russian politician, 1st President of Russia (1931–2007)
- Clark Gable (1901) · American actor (1901–1960)
- Leymah Gbowee (1972) · Liberian peace activist (born 1972)
- John Ford (1894) · American film director (1894–1973)
- Langston Hughes (1901) · American writer and social activist (1901–1967)
- February 2
- Shakira (1977) · Colombian singer-songwriter (born 1977)
- Ayn Rand (1905) · Russian-born American writer and public philosopher (1905–1982)
- Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (1926) · French official and politician (1926–2020)
- Park Geun-hye (1952) · President of South Korea from 2013 to 2017
- February 3
- Felix Mendelssohn (1809) · German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of Jewish descent (1809-1847)
- Alvar Aalto (1898) · Finnish architect and designer (1898–1976)
- Simone Weil (1909) · French philosopher, writer, and social activist (1909–1943)
- Gertrude Stein (1874) · American author (1874–1946)
- Joachim Löw (1960) · German footballer and manager
- February 4
- Rosa Parks (1913) · civil rights activist
- Dan Quayle (1947) · vice president of the United States from 1989 to 1993
- Ludwig Erhard (1897) · Chancellor of West Germany (1963–1966)
- Charles Lindbergh (1902) · American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist (1902–1974)
- Conrad Bain (1923) · Canadian-American actor, personality, entertainer, and activist (1923–2013)
- February 5
- Cristiano Ronaldo (1985) · Portuguese association football player (born 1985)
- Neymar (1992) · Brazilian footballer (born 1992)
- Charlotte Rampling (1946) · British actress (born 1946)
- William S. Burroughs (1914) · American novelist, short story writer, essayist, painter, and spoken word performer (1914–1997)
- Robert Peel (1788) · Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1788–1850)
- February 6
- Ronald Reagan (1911) · president of the United States from 1981 to 1989 and actor (1911–2004)
- Bob Marley (1945) · Jamaican reggae musician (1945–1981)
- François Truffaut (1932) · French film director (1932–1984)
- Eva Braun (1912) · photographer, longtime companion and later wife of Adolf Hitler (1912–1945)
- Zsa Zsa Gabor (1917) · Hungarian-American socialite and actress (1917–2016)
- February 7
- Charles Dickens (1812) · English novelist and social critic (1812–1870)
- Sinclair Lewis (1885) · American writer and playwright (1885–1951)
- Alfred Adler (1870) · Austrian psychotherapist (1870–1937)
- Tawakkol Karman (1979) · Yemeni-Turkish journalist, politician and human rights activist (born 1979)
- G.H. Hardy (1877) · British mathematician (1877–1947)
February 8–14
- February 8
- Jules Verne (1828) · French writer (1828–1905)
- Dmitri Mendeleev (1834) · Russian chemist (1834–1907)
- John Ruskin (1819) · English writer and art critic (1819–1900)
- James Dean (1931) · American actor (1931–1955)
- Mauricio Macri (1959) · president of Argentina from 2015 to 2019
- February 9
- William Henry Harrison (1773) · president of the United States in 1841 (1773-1841)
- J. M. Coetzee (1940) · South African and Australian writer and scholar (born 1940)
- Alice Walker (1944) · American author and activist (born 1944)
- Joseph Stiglitz (1943) · American economist, professor, and recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics
- Tom Hiddleston (1981) · English actor (born 1981)
- February 10
- Bertolt Brecht (1898) · German poet, playwright, and theatre director (1898–1956)
- Boris Pasternak (1890) · Russian writer (1890–1960)
- Harold Macmillan (1894) · Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963
- Walter Houser Brattain (1902) · American physicist (1902–1987)
- Lee Hsien Loong (1952) · 3rd Prime Minister of Singapore from 2004 to 2024
- February 11
- Thomas Edison (1847) · American inventor and businessman (1847–1931)
- Jennifer Aniston (1969) · American actress (born 1969)
- Taylor Lautner (1992) · American actor
- Sarah Palin (1964) · Governor of Alaska from 2006 to 2009
- Gabriel Boric (1986) · president of Chile from 2022 to 2026
- February 12
- Abraham Lincoln (1809) · president of the United States from 1861 to 1865 (1809-1865)
- Charles Darwin (1809) · English naturalist and biologist (1809–1882)
- Pran (1920) · Indian actor (1920–2013)
- Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (1768) · also known as Francis I, Emperor of Austria (1768-1835)
- Christina Ricci (1980) · American actress (born 1980)
- February 13
- William Shockley (1910) · American physicist and inventor (1910–1989)
- Robbie Williams (1974) · British singer (born 1974)
- Ivan Krylov (1769) · Russian writer (1769–1844)
- Georges Simenon (1903) · Belgian writer (1903–1986)
- Paul Biya (1933) · Cameroonian politician
- February 14
- Mark Rutte (1967) · Secretary General of NATO since 2024 and former Prime Minister of the Netherlands (2010–2024)
- Simon Pegg (1970) · English actor (born 1970)
- Frederick Douglass (1818) · African-American social reformer, writer, and abolitionist (c. 1818–1895)
- Charles Thomson Rees Wilson (1869) · Scottish physicist and meteorologist (1869-1959)
- Edinson Cavani (1987) · Uruguayan association football player
February 15–21
- February 15
- Alfred North Whitehead (1861) · English mathematician and philosopher (1861–1947)
- Susan B. Anthony (1820) · American women's rights activist (1820–1906)
- Charles Édouard Guillaume (1861) · Swiss physicist (1861-1938)
- Dzhokhar Dudayev (1944) · Soviet general, Chechen leader (1944-1996)
- Hastings Banda (1898) · First president of Malawi
- February 16
- Octave Mirbeau (1848) · French writer, art critic and journalist (1848–1917)
- Ernst Haeckel (1834) · German zoologist (1834-1919)
- Elizabeth Olsen (1989) · American actress (born 1989)
- John McEnroe (1959) · American former tennis player (born 1959)
- Diego Godín (1986) · Uruguayan association football player (born 1986)
- February 17
- Michael Jordan (1963) · American basketball player and businessman (born 1963)
- Paris Hilton (1981) · American media personality (born 1981)
- Mo Yan (1955) · Chinese novelist and screenwriter
- Ed Sheeran (1991) · English singer-songwriter (born 1991)
- Hal Holbrook (1925) · American actor (1925–2021)
- February 18
- Toni Morrison (1931) · African American novelist, essayist, and academic (1931–2019)
- John Travolta (1954) · American actor (born 1954)
- Ramakrishna (1836) · Indian mystic and religious preacher (1836–1886)
- Yoko Ono (1933) · Japanese artist and activist based in the United States (born 1933)
- Dr. Dre (1965) · American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor
- February 19
- Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (1953) · president of Argentina from 2007 to 2015
- Svante August Arrhenius (1859) · Swedish astronomer, chemist and physicist (1859–1927)
- Saparmyrat Nyýazow (1940) · President of Turkmenistan from 1990 to 2006
- André Breton (1896) · French writer and poet, co-founder of Surrealism (1896–1966)
- Jennifer Doudna (1964) · American biochemist
- February 20
- Rihanna (1988) · Barbadian singer (born 1988)
- Kurt Cobain (1967) · American rock musician, singer and songwriter (1967–1994)
- Gordon Brown (1951) · Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2007 to 2010
- Sidney Poitier (1927) · Bahamian and American actor and diplomat (1927–2022)
- Ludwig Boltzmann (1844) · Austrian physicist and philosopher (1844–1906)
- February 21
- Corbin Bleu (1989) · American actor (born 1989)
- Robert Mugabe (1924) · 2nd President of Zimbabwe from 1987 to 2017
- Harald V of Norway (1937) · King of Norway from 1991 to 2026 (1937–2026)
- W. H. Auden (1907) · British-American poet (1907–1973)
- Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (1980) · fifth and reigning King of Bhutan
February 22–28
- February 22
- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788) · German philosopher (1788-1860)
- Heinrich Hertz (1857) · German physicist (1857–1894)
- Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell (1857) · lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, founder and Chief Scout of the Scout Movement (1857-1941)
- Drew Barrymore (1975) · American actress (born 1975)
- Horst Köhler (1943) · German politician (CDU); president of Germany, 2004–2010
- February 23
- Naruhito (1960) · Emperor of Japan (born 1960)
- Viktor Yushchenko (1954) · 3rd President of Ukraine
- Karl Jaspers (1883) · German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher (1883–1969)
- Emily Blunt (1983) · British actress (born 1983)
- Dakota Fanning (1994) · American actress and model (born 1994)
- February 24
- Steve Jobs (1955) · American entrepreneur; co-founder of Apple Inc. (1955–2011)
- Judith Butler (1956) · American feminist gender studies philosopher (born 1956)
- Yuval Noah Harari (1976) · Israeli historian and author of popular science bestsellers
- Erna Solberg (1961) · Prime Minister of Norway from 2013 to 2021
- David J. Wineland (1944) · American physicist
- February 25
- George Harrison (1943) · English musician and member of the Beatles (1943–2001)
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841) · French painter and sculptor (1841–1919)
- Lesya Ukrainka (1871) · Ukrainian poet, writer and feminist (1871–1913)
- José de San Martín (1778) · Argentine general and independence leader (1778–1850)
- Benedetto Croce (1866) · Italian philosopher (1866-1952)
- February 26
- Victor Hugo (1802) · French novelist, poet, dramatist and politician (1802–1885)
- Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (1954) · President of Turkey since 2014
- Johnny Cash (1932) · American country singer (1932–2003)
- Ahmet Davutoğlu (1959) · Turkish statesperson and writer (born 1959)
- Nadezhda Krupskaya (1869) · Russian revolutionary and politician (1869–1939)
- February 27
- John Steinbeck (1902) · American writer (1902–1968)
- Elizabeth Taylor (1932) · British-American actress (1932–2011)
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807) · American poet and educator (1807–1882)
- Rudolf Steiner (1861) · Austrian social reformer, occultist and esotericist (1861–1925)
- Joanne Woodward (1930) · American actress (born 1930)
- February 28
- Linus Pauling (1901) · American scientist (1901–1994)
- Paul Krugman (1953) · American economist (born 1953)
- Frank Gehry (1929) · Canadian and American architect (1929–2025)
- Ernest Renan (1823) · French philosopher and writer (1823–1892)
- Gilbert Gottfried (1955) · American stand-up comedian (1955–2022)
February 29
- February 29
- Gioachino Rossini (1792) · Italian opera composer (1792–1868)
- Pedro Sánchez (1972) · Prime Minister of Spain since 2018
- Morarji Desai (1896) · Prime Minister of India from 1977 to 1979
- Ferran Torres (2000) · Spanish footballer (born 2000)
Birth dates and descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
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