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What happened in history on this day: February 2?
On February 2 in ...
- 506 - King Alarik II of Visigoten delegates Lex Romania Visigothorum out.
- 962 - Pope John XII crowns German King Otto I the Great Emperor.
- 1032 - Koenraad II succeeds Rudolf III as king of Bourgundy.
- 1032 - Rudolf III last independent king of Bourgundy, dies.
- 1119 - Guido di Borgogna elected Pope Callistus II.
- 1141 - Battle at Lincoln: King Stephen captured.
- 1435 - Johanna II lawless Queen of Naples (1414-35), dies at age 61.
- 1461 - Second battle of Saint Alban's-Lancastrians defeat Yorkists.
- 1502 - Birth of Damiao de Góis Portuguese humanist scholar.
- 1536 - Pedro de Mendoza finds the Argentine city of Buenos Aires.
- 1540 - George Schenck van Toutenburg governor/viceroy of Frisia/Groningen.
- 1550 - English Edward Seymour duke of Somerset, freed.
- 1563 - Hans Neusiedler Hungarian/German luitist/author, dies at approximately 54.
- 1583 - Birth of Anna Roemers Visscher Dutch poetess.
- 1594 - Giovanni Perluigi da Palestrina Italian composer, dies at age 68.
- 1595 - Birth of Jacob van Campen painter/architect (New Church, Amsterdam).
- 1597 - Lucas van Valckenborch Flemish painter, buried at about age 61.
- 1600 - Birth of Gabriel Naudé France, librarian (Mazarin Library).
- 1637 - Zorilla's "El más Impropio Verdugo Para Las" premieres in Madrid.
- 1649 - Birth of Benedict XIII [Pierfrancesco Orsini], Italy, 245th pope (1724-30).
- 1650 - Birth of Nell [Eleanor] Gwyn English actress/mistress (King Charles II).
- 1651 - Birth of William Phips in Maine; ship builder, captain, governor.
- 1653 - New Amsterdam becomes a city (later New York City, New York).
- 1660 - Govert Flinck Dutch painter (Isaac blesses Jacob), dies at age 45.
- 1660 - Jean BG duke of Orléans brother of French king Louis XIII, dies at age 51.
- 1669 - Birth of Louis Marchand composer.
- 1704 - Guillaume F A de l'Hospital French mathematician, dies at about age 62.
- 1714 - Nicholas Rowe's "tragedy of Jane Shore" premieres in London.
- 1723 - Antonio M Valsalva Italian anatomist, dies at age 66.
- 1732 - King Frederik Willem I moves Lutherans towards East-Prussia.
- 1742 - British Walpole government resigns.
- 1754 - Birth of Charles-Maurice duke of Talleyrand-Périgord French bishop/premier (1815).
- 1762 - Thomas Arnes opera "Artaxerxes" premieres in London.
- 1769 - Clement XIII [Carlo Rezzonico], Pope (1758-69), dies at age 75.
- 1780 - Birth of Johannes van den Bosch; Governor-General (Netherlands East Indies).
- 1789 - Death of Armand-Louis Couperin at age 63; French composer/organist (Notre Dame).
- 1793 - Death of William Aiton at age 61; English botanist (Kew Gardens).
- 1798 - Federal Street Theater in Boston, Massachusetts, becomes first in US destroyed by fire.
- 1802 - First leopard exhibited in US, in Boston, Massachusetts (admission 25 cents).
- 1803 - Birth of Albert Sidney Johnston; General (Confederate Army) (dies 1862).
- 1804 - Death of Caesar Rodney at age 62; US judge (signed Declaration of Independence).
- 1811 - Russian settlers establish Fort Ross trading post, north of San Francisco, California.
- 1813 - Birth of József Eötvös; Hungarian Minister of Education (1848).
- 1815 - Birth of Nathaniel Collins McLean; US Brigadier General (Union volunteers) (dies 1905).
- 1817 - Birth of John Glover; English chemist (sulfuric acid).
- 1820 - Birth of Hans E Schack; Danish politician/writer (Phantasterne).
- 1827 - Birth of Abner Monroe Perrin; Brigadier General (Confederate Army) (dies 1864).
- 1828 - Frederik Sigismund, Earl of Bylandt, Vice-Admiral, dies at age 78.
- 1829 - Madman Jonathan Martin sets York Cathedral afire, does £60,000 damage.
- 1843 - US and British settlers in Oregon Country choose governmental committee.
- 1848 - First shipload of Chinese arrive in San Francisco.
- 1848 - Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends US-Mexican War; US acquires 500,000 square miles of land: Texas, California, New Mexico, and Arizona for $15 million.
- 1848 - John Henry Newman founds the first Oratory in the English-speaking world when he establishes the Birmingham Oratory at 'Maryvale', Old Oscott, England.
- 1852 - Birth of Hâmid Abdülhak in Istanbul; Turkish romantic poet/playwright.
- 1852 - Birth of Teunis Stoel; actor/director (Small Theater, Rotterdam).
- 1852 - Birth of José Guadalupe Posada in Aguascalientes, Mexico; artist (calaveras skeletons).
- 1854 - Pope Pius IX publishes encyclical On the persecution of Armenians.
- 1859 - Birth of Havelock Ellis; US physician/sexologist (Psychology of Sex).
- 1869 - James Oliver invents the removable tempered steel plow blade.
- 1870 - The Cardiff Giant (supposed petrified human) proves to be gypsum.
- 1873 - Birth of Freiherr Konstantin von Neurath; German Secretary of State (1932-38).
- 1873 - Birth of Leopold Fall in Austria; operetta composer (Dollar Princess).
- 1875 - Birth of Annette Kolb; German/French author (Small Fanfare).
- 1876 - Baseball's National League officially forms in the USA with teams in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia, and Saint Louis.
- 1878 - Birth of Christian Gauss; educator/writer (Phi Beta Kappa award namesake).
- 1878 - Greece declares war on Turkey.
- 1880 - SS Strathleven arrives in London with first Australian frozen mutton.
- 1881 - Aleksej F Pisemski, Russian writer (Clodhopper), dies at age 59.
- 1881 - Birth of Karl Frederick; pistol champion (Olympics-gold-1920).
- 1882 - Birth of James Joyce in Ireland; novelist/poet (Dubliners, Ulysses, Finnigan's Wake).
- 1882 - Birth of James Stephens; Irish poet (Crock of Gold).
- 1882 - Knights of Columbus forms in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
- 1884 - Birth of Julis Deutsch in Austria; politician/General Spanish Republican Army.
- 1884 - Birth of S Z Sakall in Budapest, Hungary; actor (Dolly Sisters, Casablanca).
- 1885 - Birth of Aldo Palazzeschi [Giurlani]; Italian writer (I cavalli bianchi).
- 1886 - Birth of Kurt Baschwitz; German/Dutch sociologist/journalist (Du und).
- 1887 - Groundhog Day is celebrated for the first time at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, USA.
- 1888 - Birth of Frank Lloyd in Scotland; actor/director (Mutiny on the Bounty, Oliver Twist).
- 1890 - Birth of Jean J M de Lattre de Tassigny; French General (Indo-China).
- 1891 - Birth of Antonio Segni; premier/president (Italy).
- 1891 - Birth of Frank Foyston; NHL Hall of Famer (Seattle).
- 1892 - Bottle cap with cork seal patented by William Painter (Baltimore, USA).
- 1892 - Longest boxing match under modern rules; 77 rounds in Nameoki, Illinois between Harry Sharpe and Frank Crosby.
- 1894 - US warship Kearsarge is wrecked on Roncador Reef, near Solomon Island.
- 1895 - Birth of George S Halas AKA Papa Bear; end/coach (Chicago Bears), co-founder NFL.
- 1898 - Birth of Josephina J "Fien" de la Mar; Dutch actress (Theatre De la Mar).
- 1899 - Birth of Benny Rubin in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; actor/comedian (Benny Rubin Show).
- 1900 - Birth of Asa Smith Bushnell Junior in Springfield, Ohio, USA; Secretary of US Olympics (1945-65).
- 1901 - Birth of Connie Gilchrist in Brooklyn, New York, USA; actress (Cry Havoc, Letter to Three Wives).
- 1901 - Birth of Jascha Heifetz in Vilna, Lithuania; US violin virtuoso (Carnegie Hall).
- 1902 - Birth of Tyra Ryman in Arboga, Sweden; actress (Peter the Tramp).
- 1903 - Birth of Frank McGrath in Mound City, Missouri, USA; actor (Wagon Train).
- 1904 - Birth of Buzurg Alavi; Persian author (Panjah va sih nafar, Namal'ha).
- 1905 - Birth of Ayn Rand in Russia; Russian-American philosopher, writer (Atlas Shrugged 1957, The Fountainhead).
- 1906 - Birth of Gale Gordon in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Here's Lucy, Our Miss Brooks).
- 1906 - Pope releases encyclical against separation of church and state.
- 1907 - Dmitri I Mendelejev, Russian chemist (Periodic Table), dies at age 72.
- 1908 - Birth of Anita Garvin; actress (Swiss Miss, Blotto, Charlatan, Hats Off).
- 1908 - Birth of Cal Tinney in Oklahoma, USA; comedian (Stop Me If You Heard This One).
- 1909 - Adolf Stoecker, German anti-semite/prime minister, dies at age 73.
- 1909 - Birth of Franc Albertson in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, USA; actor (Psycho, Alice Adams).
- 1909 - Italian writer Marinetti publishes Futurist Manifest in Paris, France.
- 1910 - Birth of Hendrik H K Beernink; Dutch politician (CHU).
- 1912 - Birth of Burton Lane; Broadway composer (Finian's Rainbow).
- 1912 - Birth of Stefan Schnabel; German actor (Anna, Dracula's Widow, Firefox).
- 1912 - Frederick R Law parachutes from Statue of Liberty (stunt for Pathe).
- 1915 - Birth of Evert Werkman; Dutch journalist (Het Parool).
- 1918 - Birth of Hella Serafia Van Lelyveld-Haasse in Batavia, Dutch East Indies; Dutch author (Cider for Poor People).
- 1918 - Heavyweight boxing champion John L Sullivan of Massachusetts, USA, dies at age 59.
- 1919 - Birth of Allie Reynolds; New York Yankees pitcher (1952 American League ERA leader (2.07)).
- 1919 - Monarchist riot in Portugal.
- 1920 - Birth of Dr An Wang; founder (Wang Labs, Wang Computers).
- 1920 - France occupies (German) Memel territory.
- 1920 - Tarto/Dorpat peace treaty: USSR recognizes Estonian independence.
- 1922 - James Joyce's book Ulysses is published in Paris, France (1,000 copies).
- 1923 - Birth of Al "Red" Schoendienst; baseball manager/second baseman (Saint Louis Cardinals).
- 1923 - Birth of Bonita Granville in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Hitler's Children, Lone Ranger).
- 1923 - Birth of James Dickey in Atlanta, Georgia, USA; author/poet/actor (Deliverance).
- 1923 - Birth of Mary Elizabeth "Liz" Smith in Fort Worth, Texas, USA; gossip columnist (New York Daily News, NBC-TV).
- 1923 - Ethyl gasoline first marketed in USA, in Dayton, Ohio.
- 1923 - US signs friendship treaty with Central American countries.
- 1924 - Birth of Tine Balder [Clementine Alabama Cobbaut]; Flemish actress (Antigone).
- 1924 - International Ski Federation (FIS) founded.
- 1925 - Antti Aarne, Finnish sociologist, dies at age 57.
- 1925 - Belgian episcopacy rejects liberalism, communism and socialism.
- 1925 - National League holds Golden Jubilee Year meeting at same hotel where National League began.
- 1926 - Birth of Elaine Stritch in Detroit, Michigan, USA; actress (My Sister Eileen, Company).
- 1926 - Birth of Miguel Cardinal Obando y Bravo; first Central American cardinal (Nicaragua).
- 1926 - Birth of Nydia M E Ecury; Arubian poet/actress (Kantika pa Mama Tera).
- 1926 - Birth of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing; President of France (1974-81).
- 1926 - Birth of Wanda Lewis in Struther, Ohio, USA; actress (This is Music, Paul Dixon Show).
- 1927 - Birth of Richard Ray; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Georgia, 1983-).
- 1927 - Birth of Stan Getz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; jazz tenor saxophonist (Benny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey).
- 1928 - Birth of Howard Caine in Nashville, Tennessee, USA; actor (Californians).
- 1928 - Birth of Luigi Ciriaco De Mita; Prime Minister of Italy (1988-89).
- 1929 - Albert Steinrück, German actor (Golem), dies at age 56.
- 1931 - First siyyum of Talmud celebrated by Daf Yomi students.
- 1931 - First use of a rocket to deliver mail (Austria).
- 1931 - Birth of Andreas "Andries" van Agt; Dutch politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (CDA, 1977-82).
- 1931 - Theodor Batthynyi, Hungarian contra-revolutionary, dies at age 71.
- 1932 - Birth of Robert Mandan in Clever, Missouri, USA; actor (Chester - Soap, James - Three's a Crowd).
- 1932 - In Geneva, Switzerland, a World Disarmament Conference begins.
- 1932 - Clarrie Grimmett takes 14 wickets versus South Africa (7-116 and 7-83).
- 1932 - Reconstruction Finance Corporation is organized in the USA.
- 1933 - Two days after becoming chancellor, Adolf Hitler dissolves German Parliament.
- 1933 - Adolf Hitler meets with a group of generals and admirals at the home of General von Hammerstein. He assures them they could begin a rearmament program, in defiance of the Versailles Treaty.
- 1933 - Göring bans communist meetings/demonstrations in Germany.
- 1934 - Birth of [Clyde] Skip Batten in Los Angeles, California, USA; rocker (Byrds - "Turn Turn Turn").
- 1934 - Dutch Roman Catholic Bishops warn against fascism/Nazism.
- 1935 - Lie detector first used in US court (Portage, Wisconsin).
- 1937 - Birth of Martina Arroyo in New York City, New York, USA; operatic soprano (New York Metropolitan).
- 1937 - Birth of Tom Smothers in New York City, New York, USA; comedian (Smother Brother Show, Serial).
- 1939 - Birth of Rachel English in London, England; author (My first 500).
- 1940 - Birth of Alan "Tea" Caddy; rock guitarist (Tornados - "Globetrotter").
- 1940 - Birth of Thomas M[ichael] Disch; American sci-fi author (The Man Who Had No Idea, Genocides, 102 H-Bombs).
- 1942 - Birth of Barry Diller; founder (Fox-TV).
- 1942 - Birth of Bo Hopkins in Greenville, South Carolina, USA; actor (Dynasty, Doc Elliot, The Rockford Files).
- 1942 - Birth of Graham Nash; rocker (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - "Southern Cross", Hollies).
- 1942 - Los Angeles Times urges security measures against Japanese-Americans.
- 1942 - US auto factories switch from commercial to war production.
- 1943 - The remainder of the German 6th Army surrenders at Stalingrad. About 150,000 Axis soldiers died in the battle, another 150,000 were taken prisoner. In total, about 450,000 on both sides died.
- 1943 - Birth of Peter MacBeth; rocker (Foundations).
- 1943 - Chicago Cubs return to original uniform after experimenting with a vest.
- 1944 - 4th US marine division conquerors Roi, Marshall Islands.
- 1944 - Allied troops first set foot on Japanese territory.
- 1944 - Major League Baseball officials meet in New York City, New York to discuss postwar action.
- 1944 - Birth of Andrew Davis in Ashbridge, England; conductor (New Philharmonic Orchestra-London).
- 1944 - Birth of Katherine Crawford in Los Angeles, California, USA; actress (Gemini Man, Captains and the Kings).
- 1944 - Birth of Ursula Oppens in New York City, New York, USA; pianist/co-founder (Speculum Musicae-New York City).
- 1945 - Escape attempt at Mauthausen concentration camp.
- 1945 - Karl F Goerdeler, mayor (Leipzig)/"July 20th plot", hanged at age 60.
- 1946 - An Austrian court sentences former Finance Minister Rudolf Neumayer to life imprisonment for treason, for voting in favor of annexation with Germany.
- 1946 - Two Italian archaeological libraries stolen by Germany during the war are returned to Rome.
- 1946 - The Supreme Allied Headquarters reports casualties of the Hiroshima blast: 78,150 dead, 13,983 missing, 9,428 serious and 27,997 minor injuries, 176,987 general sufferers.
- 1946 - The US Navy Department announces US submarine fleet sunk 1,944 Japanese major vessels during the war, including 194 warships, killing 276,000. The Navy also admits that the US violated the 1930 London Naval Treaty in ordering unrestricted submarine warfare against Japan.
- 1946 - Birth of Howard Bellamy in Darby, Florida, USA; vocalist (Bellamy Brothers - "Let Your Love Flow").
- 1947 - Birth of Aleksandr Medved in the USSR; wrestler (Olympics-gold-1964, 1968, 1972).
- 1947 - Birth of Mary Farrah Leni Fawcett in Corpus Christi, Texas, USA; actress (Charlie's Angels, Burning Bed).
- 1947 - Birth of Peter Lucia; rock drummer (Tommy James and Shondells - "Crystal Blue").
- 1948 - Birth of Alan McKay; rocker (Earth Wind and Fire - "Boogie Wonderland").
- 1948 - Birth of Tony DeMeur; rocker (Fabulous Poodles - "Anna Rexia", "Suicide Bridge").
- 1948 - US President Harry Truman urges congress to adopt a civil rights program.
- 1949 - Birth of Ross Valory in San Francisco, California, USA; rock bassist (Journey - "Who's Crying Now", "Open Arms").
- 1949 - Birth of Sherry Mathis in Memphis, Tennessee, USA; actress (Search for Tomorrow).
- 1949 - Birth of Tom Tripplehorn; rocker (Gary Lewis and Playboys - "This Diamond Ring").
- 1949 - Golfing champion Ben Hogan seriously injured in an auto accident.
- 1950 - CBS premieres the What's My Line? 30-minute TV game show.
- 1950 - Birth of Barbara Sukowa in the German Federal Republic; actress (Zentropia, Sicilian, Voyager, Lola).
- 1950 - Birth of Osamu Kido; wrestler (NJPW/UWF).
- 1951 - -35 degrees F (-37 degrees C), Greenburg, Indiana, USA (state record until 1994).
- 1951 - Birth of Kim Zimmer in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA; actress (Guiding Light, Doctors, One Life to Live).
- 1951 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
- 1952 - Charles De Roche, actor (Ten Commandments), dies at age 72.
- 1953 - Birth of James Mndaweni; South African worker's union leader/president (NACTU).
- 1954 - Bevo Francis, Rio Grande College, scores 113 points in basketball game.
- 1954 - Birth of Christie Brinkley; model (Sports Illustrated), actress (Vacation).
- 1954 - Birth of Jayantha Amerasinghe; cricket player (two Tests for Sri Lanka vs New Zealand 1983).
- 1954 - US President Dwight Eisenhower reports detonation of first Hydrogen bomb (done in 1952).
- 1955 - First Presidential news conference on network TV - Dwight Eisenhower on ABC.
- 1955 - Birth of Brent Spiner in Houston, Texas, USA; actor (Data - Star Trek: The Next Generation).
- 1955 - Birth of Michael Talbott in Waverly, Iowa, USA; actor (Stan - Miami Vice).
- 1956 - Charley Grapewin, actor (Ellery Queen), dies at age 86.
- 1957 - United Nations adopts a resolution calling for Israeli troops to leave Egypt.
- 1957 - Valéry Larbaud, French author/novelist/writer (Amants), dies at age 75.
- 1958 - Birth of Dexter Manley; NFL player (Washington Redskins).
- 1958 - Birth of Holly Hunter in Conyers, Georgia, USA; actress (Broadcast News, Once Around).
- 1958 - Fay Crocker win LPGA Havana Biltmore Golf Open.
- 1958 - Syria joins Egypt in United Arab Republic.
- 1959 - Buddy Holly's last performance.
- 1959 - Frank DeCaires, cricket player (West Indies bat versus England 1930, three Tests 232 runs), dies.
- 1959 - Vince Lombardi signs a five-year contract to coach the Green Bay Packers.
- 1960 - Birth of Eric Shea; actor (Castaway Cowboy).
- 1960 - Birth of Lee Chill in Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Canadian Tour golfer (1977 Ohio Junior).
- 1960 - Michale Eufemia sinks 625 balls in pool match without a miss.
- 1961 - Birth of Joey Benjamin; cricket pace bowler (in Saint Kitts England in 1994).
- 1962 - First pole vault over 16 feet (4.88 metre) (John Uelses - 16.25 feet, Milrose Games).
- 1962 - Eight of nine planets align for first time in 400 years.
- 1962 - Birth of Michael T Weiss in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actor (Jarod - Pretender, Dr Michael Horton - Days of Our Lives).
- 1962 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
- 1963 - Birth of Stephen McGann in Liverpool, England; actor (Catherine the Great).
- 1963 - Herman Bouber [Blom], actor/playwright (Bluejackets), dies at age 77.
- 1964 - GI Joe debuts as a popular American boy's toy.
- 1964 - Red Faber, Burleigh Grimes, Tim Keefe, Heinie Manush, John Montgomery Ward, and Miller Huggins are selected to Hall of Fame.
- 1964 - Sjoukje Dijkstra (Netherlands) wins Olympic gold for figure skating.
- 1965 - Birth of Harry Swayne; NFL tackle (San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos-Superbowl 32).
- 1965 - Richard P Blackmur, American critic/publisher (Good European), dies at age 61.
- 1966 - Birth of Robert DeLeo; bassist (Stone Temple Pilots).
- 1966 - Birth of Bob Alan Estes in Graham, Texas, USA; PGA golfer (1994 Texas Open).
- 1966 - Birth of Tony Plourde in Chibougamau, Québec, Canada; sabre (Olympics-1996).
- 1966 - Birth of Victor Muhammad; WLAF running back (London Monarchs).
- 1967 - Bolivia adopts its constitution.
- 1967 - Formation of the American Basketball Association is announced.
- 1968 - Birth of Paul McKenzie; Australian Finn class yachter (Olympics-1996).
- 1968 - Birth of Sari Krooks; ice hockey right wing (Finland, Olympics-1998).
- 1968 - Birth of Scott Erickson in Long Beach, California, USA; pitcher (Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles).
- 1968 - Birth of Sean Elliott; NBA forward (San Antonio Spurs).
- 1968 - Birth of Steve Henson; NBA guard (Detroit Pistons).
- 1968 - Birth of Ventson Donelson; Canadian Football League cornerback (Saskatchewan Roughriders).
- 1968 - Springer Publishers in West Berlin bombed.
- 1969 - Birth of Ijaz Ahmed Junior; cricket player (one Test Pakistan versus Sri Lanka 1995).
- 1969 - Birth of Jeff Christy; corner (Minnesota Vikings).
- 1969 - Birth of Jody Hull in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada; NHL right wing (Florida Panthers).
- 1969 - Boris Karloff [Pratt], British actor (Frankenstein), dies at age 81.
- 1969 - Giovanni Martinelli, opera singer (New York Metropolitan), dies at age 83.
- 1969 - Stan Coveleski and Waite Hoyt are voted into baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1970 - Bertrand Russell, philosopher, British Member of Parliament, dies in Merioneth at age 97.
- 1970 - Birth of Chris Luneburg; WLAF tackle (London Monarchs).
- 1970 - Birth of Diego Martos; WLAF linebacker (Barcelona Dragons).
- 1970 - Birth of Erik ten Hag; soccer player (FC Twente, RKC, FC Utrecht).
- 1970 - Birth of Ivan Vukov; soccer player (FC Volendam).
- 1970 - Pete Maravich becomes first to score 3,000 college basketball points.
- 1971 - Birth of Ben Mize; drummer (Counting Crows).
- 1971 - Birth of Ken Dilger; NFL tight end (Indianapolis Colts).
- 1971 - Birth of Tony Miller in Mount Pleasant, Texas, USA; 400 metre runner.
- 1971 - Idi Amin ousts Milton Obote to become dictator of Uganda.
- 1972 - Birth of T-Mo; rapper (Goodie Mob).
- 1972 - Birth of Charlie Williams; NFL safety (Dallas Cowboys).
- 1972 - Birth of Ivan Droppa Liptovsky in Mikulas, Czechoslovakia; NHL defenseman (Chicago).
- 1972 - Birth of Lance Brown; NFL defensive back (Arizona Cardinals).
- 1972 - Jessie Royce Landis, actress (North by Northwest), dies at age 67.
- 1972 - Lefty Gomez, Ross Youngs and William Harridge selected for Baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1973 - NBC-TV debuts Midnight Special with Helen Reddy as the hostess.
- 1973 - Birth of Dan Brandenburg; linebacker (Buffalo Bills).
- 1973 - Birth of Jose White; WLAF/NFL defensive tackle (Minnesota Vikings, Frankfurt Galaxy).
- 1973 - Birth of Patrick Jeffers; NFL wide receiver (Denver Broncos-Superbowl 32).
- 1973 - Birth of Radka Bobkova in Prague, Czechoslovakian Republic; tennis star (quarter Bournemouth).
- 1973 - Birth of Sergio Gonzalez; rocker (Menudo - "Cannonball").
- 1973 - Birth of Tim Denton; NFL cornerback (Atlanta Falcons).
- 1973 - Henry J Elias, Flemish historian/mayor of Gent, dies at age 70.
- 1973 - Richath Helms ends term as 8th director of US Central Intelligence Agency.
- 1973 - James R Schlesinger becomes director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (until July).
- 1973 - Test Cricket debut of Richard John Hadlee, New Zealand versus Pakistan, Wellington.
- 1974 - Barbra Streisand's first #1 hit, "The Way We Were".
- 1974 - Birth of David Buck in Honolulu, Hawaii; kayak (alternate-Olympics-1996).
- 1974 - Birth of J R Conrad; offensive tackle/guard (New York Jets).
- 1974 - Birth of Jeff Cassar; soccer goalkeeper (Olympics-gold-1996).
- 1974 - Jean Absil, Belgian composer (Bénédictions), dies at age 80.
- 1974 - Pope Paul VI encyclical "To Honor Mary".
- 1974 - Smallest crowd at Cleveland Arena, Ohio (1641 - Cleveland Cavaliers versus Golden State Warriors).
- 1975 - Army offensive against rebels in Eritrea, Ethiopia.
- 1975 - Birth of Macey Brooks; wide receiver (Dallas Cowboys).
- 1975 - Birth of Todd Bertuzzi in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada; NHL right wing (New York Islanders).
- 1975 - Off Alaska, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurs.
- 1975 - Donna Caponi Young wins LPGA Burdine's Golf Invitational.
- 1975 - US female Figure Skating championship won by Dorothy Hamill.
- 1975 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Gordon McKellen Junior.
- 1976 - ABC airs the 60-minute special The Honeymooners Second Honeymoon.
- 1976 - Rich Little Show debuts on NBC-TV.
- 1976 - Birth of Steven Dewick in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; swimmer (Olympics-1996).
- 1976 - Harry Elliott, England cricket wicketkeeper (3 Tests 1927-34), dies.
- 1976 - Johan[nes A] Kaart, Dutch actor (My Fair Lady), dies at age 78.
- 1976 - Roger Connor, Fred Lindstrom and umpire Cal Hubbard elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. Umpire Cal Hubbard is the first person to be elected to both the baseball and football Halls of Fame.
- 1977 - Burn up of Salyut 4 Space Station (USSR).
- 1977 - Toronto Maple Leafs' Ian Turnbull scores five goals in one game; NHL record for a defenseman.
- 1978 - Birth of Annabel Ellwood in Canberra, Australia; tennis star (1995 Futures NC).
- 1978 - Death of Wendy Barrie at age 65, British actress, TV hostess (Wendy Barrie Show) (born 1912).
- 1979 - Birth of Brandee Dawn McCoskey; Miss Alaska Teen-USA (1996).
- 1979 - Birth of Lindsay Langston in Modesto, California; archer (Olympics-1996).
- 1979 - Birth of Petra Cada in Prague, Czechoslovakia; Canadian table tennis player (Olympics-1996).
- 1979 - Jim Burke, cricket player (Australian opener), commits suicide.
- 1979 - Death of Sid Vicious AKA John Simon Ritchie of a heroin overdose at age 31, English musician (Sex Pistols) (born 1957).
- 1980 - FBI releases details of Abscam, a sting operation that targeted 31 elected and public officials for bribes for political favors.
- 1980 - William H Stein, American biochemist (Nobel Prize 1972), dies at age 68 (born 1911).
- 1980 - (to February 3) New Mexico State Penitentiary inmates riot; 33 are killed and more than 100 injured.
- 1981 - Louise Lorraine, actress (Adventures of Tarzan), dies.
- 1981 - Donald W Douglas, US aircraft pioneer/builder, dies at age 88.
- 1981 - Jan Donner, Dutch chairman of High Council, dies at age 89.
- 1982 - Government troops and Muslim-fundamentalists battle in Hamah, Syria.
- 1982 - Stringfellow Barr, US educationalist (100 Great Books), dies at age 85.
- 1982 - Birth of Kelly Mazzante; American basketball player.
- 1982 - Late Night with David Letterman TV show premieres on NBC.
- 1983 - Birth of Carolina Klüft; Swedish athlete competing in heptathlon, long jump and pentathlon.
- 1983 - Giovanni Vigliotto goes on trial for multiple counts of bigamy involving 105 women.
- 1983 - Bryan Valentine, cricket player (7 Tests for England, 454 runs), dies.
- 1983 - Pope John Paul II names 18 new cardinals.
- 1984 - Lebanese army fight in Beirut.
- 1985 - Birth of Fontel Mines; National Football League tight end.
- 1985 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Brian Boitano.
- 1986 - Ayako Okamoto win LPGA Elizabeth Arden Golf Classic.
- 1986 - Dalai Lama meets Pope John Paul II in India.
- 1986 - NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 28-24.
- 1986 - Disney returns to Sunday night TV on ABC, with Michael Eisner hosting the first The Disney Sunday Night Movie, entitled Help Wanted: Kids. It ranks 41st out of the week's 68 network programs.
- 1986 - Oscar Arias Sanchez elected President of Costa Rica.
- 1987 - Alfred Lion, record founder (Blue Note), dies at age 78.
- 1987 - Kansas City Royals' pitcher Dennis Leonard (3X 20 game winner), retires.
- 1987 - Patrick "Spike" Hughes, British jazz musician (Cinderella), dies at age 78.
- 1987 - Philippines adopts constitution.
- 1987 - Death of Alistair MacLean, British writer (heart attack) (born 1922).
- 1988 - David Boon's 6th Test Cricket century, 184 versus England at Sydney.
- 1988 - G Mennen Williams, US Supreme Court justice, dies at age 76 in Detroit, Michigan.
- 1989 - The last Soviet Union armored column leaves Kabul, Afghanistan, ending nine years of military occupation.
- 1989 - Satellite television service Sky Television PLC is launched in Europe.
- 1990 - Joel Fluellen, actor (Man Friday, Burning Cross), dies at age 79.
- 1990 - In South Africa, President F.W. de Klerk allows the African National Congress to legally function again and promises to free Nelson Mandela.
- 1990 - Death of Joe Erskine, former British heavyweight boxing champion (born 1934).
- 1991 - Aravinda De Silva scores 267 versus New Zealand at Wellington.
- 1991 - New Hampshire snaps its 32-game losing streak at home beating Holy Cross, 72-56.
- 1991 - US postage is raised from 25 cents to 29 cents.
- 1992 - Birth of Asya; American musician (Smoosh).
- 1992 - Bert Parks [Jacobson], TV host (Miss America Pageant), dies at age 77 (born 1914).
- 1992 - Colleen Walker wins Oldsmobile LPGA Golf Classic.
- 1992 - Danny Everett runs world record 400 metre indoor (45.02 seconds).
- 1992 - David Boon's 13 Test Cricket century, 107 versus India at Perth.
- 1992 - Disney's Dixie Landings Resort hotel opens in Walt Disney World.
- 1992 - Jack [John T] Aitken, British anatomist, dies at age 78.
- 1992 - Kieren Perkins swims world record 1500 metre freestyle (14 minutes 32.40 seconds).
- 1992 - Maurice J Hill, writer (Track of Thunder), dies of pneumonia at age 89.
- 1992 - NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 21-15.
- 1993 - François Reichenbach, French director (L'Amérique Insolite), dies at age 70.
- 1993 - Irina Privalova runs world record 50 metre indoor (6.05 seconds).
- 1993 - Death of Bernard Braden at age 76 following a series of strokes; broadcaster/actor (An Evening At Home With Bernard Braden And Barbara Kelly, The Braden Beat TV show, Sweepstakes Game TV show).
- 1994 - Stephen Barclay, actor (Pride of the Plains), dies at age 75.
- 1995 - Alexis d'Anjou de Bourbon-Condé, French prince/Russian, dies at age 47.
- 1995 - André Frossard, French publicist (Defense of Pope), dies at age 80.
- 1995 - Donald Pleasance, English actor (Halloween), dies at age 75 (born 1919).
- 1995 - Fred Perry, English tennis star (Wimbledon 1934-36), dies at age 85 (born 1909).
- 1995 - Henry Olonga no-balled for throwing in Zimbabwe-Pakistan Test Cricket.
- 1995 - Phillip Borsos, Tasmanian/Canadian director (Mean Season), dies.
- 1995 - NBC airs 100th episode of Seinfeld TV show.
- 1996 - Ali Landry, 22, (Louisiana), crowned 45th Miss USA.
- 1996 - Gene Kelly, American actor/dancer (Singing in the Rain), dies at age 83 (born 1912).
- 1996 - Ray McIntire, chemical engineer, dies at age 77.
- 1996 - Death of Shamus Culhane at age 87; pioneer animator (Popeye, Betty Boop, Woody Woodpecker).
- 1996 - The last show of the American TV talk show Danny airs.
- 1996 - Apple Computer's board of directors names Gilbert Amelio as new CEO, replacing Michael Spindler.
- 1997 - Mark O'Meara wins Pebble Beach National Golf Pro-am.
- 1997 - NFL Pro Bowl: AFC beats NFC 26-23 (overtime).
- 1998 - The Standard & Poor's 500 index closes above 1,000 for the first time, at 1,001.27.
- 1998 - Philippine DC-9 crashes apparently killing all 104 on board.
- 2000 - A flash flood in Bolivia breaks a crude oil pipeline, spilling over 30,000 litres of oil into the Desaguadero River.
- 2002 - Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands marries Máxima, Princess of Orange in Amsterdam.
- 2003 - Vaclac Havel retires as Czech president for ten years, and three more years before that as president of Czechoslovakia.
- 2003 - In Venezuela, a 14-month private-sector strike is lifted.
- 2004 - An eleven-story apartment building collapses in Konya, Turkey, killing more than 90 residents.
- 2007 - Martti Ahtisaari unveils a United Nations plan for the final status of Kosovo; Serbian leaders denounce the proposal.
- 2007 - The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change publishes its fourth assessment report, concluding that "most" of the observed warming since the mid-20th century is "very likely" to have had a human cause.
- 2007 - Three tornadoes cross a 70-mile path across Florida, USA, killing 21, injuring 100, destroying 1500 homes and mobile homes.
- 2007 - Palestinian factional violence: Hamas and its rival Fatah renew their truce after violence broke out following the initial ceasefire.
- 2007 - Chinese President Hu Jintao signs a series of economic deals with Sudan.
- 2007 - Eight people are killed in a mortar attack in Somalia's capital Mogadishu.
- 2008 - Rebels attack the capital of Chad, N'Djamena.
- 2008 - French President Nicolas Sarkozy marries model Carla Bruni.
- 2008 - Death of Joshua Lederberg, American molecular biologist and Nobel Prize laureate (born 1925).
- 2009 - Odyssey Marine of Florida announces it has discovered the wreck of the British warship HMS Victory in the English Channel. The ship sunk in a storm in 1744 with 1150 sailors and four tons of gold.
- 2010 - Shareholders of British chocolate-maker Cadbury vote in favor of the 11.7 billion pound takeover by Kraft of the USA.
- 2020 - Death of Mike Hoare at age 100; soldier of fortune, leader of the Wild Geese, 5 Commando.
- 2020 - Death of Mike Moore, 34th Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1949).
- 2021 - Death of Fausta Morganti, former Captain Regent of San Marino (born 1944).
- 2022 - President Jeff Zucker of the CNN US cable TV network resigns.
- 2022 - The name of the Washington Redskins NFL Football team is changed to the Washington Commanders.
- 2022 - Death of Monica Vitti at age 90; Italian actor (L'Avventura (1960)).
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