Explore fascinating moments from history that shaped our world
The passenger ferry MV Rabaul Queen capsized and sank in rough conditions in the Solomon Sea, resulting in at least 88 deaths.
Omid, Iran's first domestically made satellite, was successfully launched from Semnan Space Center.
Following a Derby di Sicilia match in Catania, football violence caused the death of police officer Filippo Raciti, leading to new safety regulations at Italian sporting events.
Swiss tennis player Roger Federer became the top-ranked men's singles player, a position he held for a record 237 consecutive weeks.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon (pictured), the most numerous fixed-wing aircraft currently in military service, made its first flight.
The Troubles: Protestors burned the British Embassy in Ireland following the massacre of 14 civilians in Derry by British forces.
113 alleged communists were arrested and detained without trial by Singapore's security agencies.
World War II: The Soviet Red Army captured 91,000 tired and starving German soldiers, ending the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest battles in human history.
The first act of the Norwegian resistance movement took place with the bombing of Oslo East Station by the Osvald Group to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling.
The Export–Import Bank of the United States, the country's official export credit agency, was established.
The signing of the Treaty of Tartu ended the Estonian War of Independence, with Soviet Russia agreeing to recognize the country's independence and renounce in perpetuity all rights to its territory.
New York City's Grand Central Terminal, the world's largest train station by number of platforms, opened immediately after midnight.
Mexican–American War: During the American occupation of Mexico City, diplomats signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war and had Mexico cede 1.36 million square kilometres (530,000 sq mi) of territory and the United States pay US$15 million.
J. S. Bach led the first performance of his chorale cantata Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, BWV 125, based on Luther's paraphrase of the Nunc dimittis.
Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk was rescued by English captain Woodes Rogers and his crew after spending four years as a castaway on an uninhabited island in the Pacific, providing the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe.
Jan van Riebeeck, the founder of Cape Town, produced the first bottle of South African wine (vineyard pictured).
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina dies at the age of 68.
Nine leaders of the Transylvanian peasant revolt were executed at Torda.
Terra Mariana, comprising present-day Estonia and Latvia, was established as a principality of the Holy Roman Empire.
An assembly at the Abbey of Payerne crowned Conrad II (pictured) king of Burgundy.
Alaric II, King of the Visigoths, promulgated a collection of Roman law known as the Breviary of Alaric.
The Burmese military establishes the State Administration Council, the military junta, after deposing the democratically elected government in the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.
The ferry MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea near the Finschhafen District, with an estimated 146–165 dead.
Police officer Filippo Raciti is killed when a clash breaks out in the Sicily derby between Catania and Palermo, in the Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. This event led to major changes in stadium regulations in Italy.
The Government of Canada introduces the Civil Marriage Act. This legislation would become law on July 20, 2005, legalizing same-sex marriage.
Swiss tennis player Roger Federer becomes the No. 1 ranked men's singles player, a position he will hold for a record 237 weeks.
First digital cinema projection in Europe (Paris) realized by Philippe Binant with the DLP CINEMA technology developed by Texas Instruments.
Cebu Pacific Flight 387 crashes into Mount Sumagaya in the Philippines, killing all 104 people on board.
Apartheid: F. W. de Klerk announces the unbanning of the African National Congress and promises to release Nelson Mandela.
Soviet–Afghan War: The last Soviet armoured column leaves Kabul.
After the 1986 People Power Revolution, the Philippines enacts a new constitution.
Hama massacre: The government of Syria attacks the town of Hama.
Reports surface that the FBI is targeting allegedly corrupt Congressmen in the Abscam operation.
Idi Amin replaces President Milton Obote as leader of Uganda.
The international Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands is signed in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran.
Pakistan suggests a six-point agenda with Kashmir after the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965.
Nine experienced ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union die under mysterious circumstances.
The Detroit Red Wings played in the first outdoor hockey game by any NHL team in an exhibition against the Marquette Branch Prison Pirates in Marquette, Michigan.
World War II: The Battle of Stalingrad comes to an end when Soviet troops accept the surrender of the last organized German troops in the city.
The Osvald Group is responsible for the first, active event of anti-Nazi resistance in Norway, to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling.
Leonarde Keeler administers polygraph tests to two murder suspects, the first time polygraph evidence was admitted in U.S. courts.
The Export-Import Bank of the United States is incorporated.
Serum run to Nome: Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod race.
Ulysses by James Joyce is published.
The uprising called the "pork mutiny" starts in the region between Kuolajärvi and Savukoski in Finland.
The Tartu Peace Treaty is signed between Estonia and Russia.
Grand Central Terminal opens in New York City.
The Paris Film Congress opens, an attempt by European producers to form an equivalent to the MPPC cartel in the United States.
Funeral of Queen Victoria.
Boston, Detroit, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Chicago and St. Louis, agree to form baseball's American League.
The Australian Premiers' Conference held in Melbourne decides to locate Australia's capital city, Canberra, between Sydney and Melbourne.
In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the first Groundhog Day is observed.
The sentences of the trial of the warlocks of Chiloé are imparted.
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed.
The Seven Brothers (Seitsemän veljestä), a novel by Finnish author Aleksis Kivi, is published first time in several thin booklets.
Pro-Imperial forces capture Osaka Castle from the Tokugawa shogunate and burn it to the ground.
Brigham Young declares war on Timpanogos in the Battle at Fort Utah.
Mexican–American War: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed.
The last of the River Thames frost fairs comes to an end.
The siege of Mantua ends after eight months when Count Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser surrenders the fortress of Mantua to Napoleon Bonaparte. The fall of Mantua secures French control over Northern Italy and marks the beginning of the conclusion of the Italian campaign of 1796-1797, and sets the stage for the end of the War of the First Coalition.
J. S. Bach leads the first performance of his chorale cantata Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, BWV 125, based on Luther's paraphrase of the Nunc dimittis.
Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island, inspiring Daniel Defoe's adventure book Robinson Crusoe.
New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.
Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Inverlochy.
Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Mortimer's Cross results in the death of Owen Tudor.
Nine leaders of the Transylvanian peasant revolt are executed at Torda.
An intense earthquake struck the Principality of Catalonia, with the epicenter near Camprodon. Widespread destruction and heavy casualties were reported.
Terra Mariana, eventually comprising present-day Latvia and Estonia, is established.
The Battle of Lincoln, at which Stephen, King of England is defeated and captured by the allies of Empress Matilda.
Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor becomes king of Burgundy.
Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor in nearly 40 years.
Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King Louis III of France is defeated by the Norse Great Heathen Army at Lüneburg Heath in Saxony.
Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (Breviarium Alaricianum or Lex Romana Visigothorum), a collection of "Roman law".
Eleonore Caburet, French rhythmic gymnast
Munetaka Murakami, Japanese baseball player
Jeff Okudah, American football player
Shiho Katō, Japanese singer and model
Ellie Bamber, English actress
Christian Dvorak, American ice hockey player
Paul Mescal, Irish actor
Harry Winks, English footballer
Paul Digby, English footballer
Aleksander Jagiełło, Polish footballer
Arfa Karim, Pakistani student and computer prodigy (died 2012)
Curtis Lazar, Canadian ice hockey player
Caterina Bosetti, Italian volleyball player
Bobby Decordova-Reid, English footballer
Ravel Morrison, English footballer
Lammtarra, American race horse (died 2014)
Joonas Tamm, Estonian footballer
Nathan Delfouneso, English footballer

Gregory Mertens, Belgian footballer (died 2015)
Shohei Nanba, Japanese actor
Harrison Smith, American football player
Southside, American record producer
JuJu Chan, Hong Kong-American actress, martial artist, singer, and writer
Zosia Mamet, American actress
Brad Peacock, American baseball player

Anthony Fainga'a, Australian rugby player
Saia Fainga'a, Australian rugby player
Faydee, Australian singer
Athena Imperial, Filipino journalist, Miss Earth-Water 2011
Mimi Page, American singer-songwriter and composer
Gerard Piqué, Spanish footballer
Javon Ringer, American football player
Jill Scott, English footballer
Martin Spanjers, American actor and producer
Gemma Arterton, English actress and singer
Miwa Asao, Japanese volleyball player
Morris Almond, American basketball player
Masoud Azizi, Afghan sprinter
Renn Kiriyama, Japanese actor
Kristo Saage, Estonian basketball player
Silvestre Varela, Portuguese footballer
Brian Cage, American wrestler
Chin-Lung Hu, Taiwanese baseball player
Mao Miyaji, Japanese actress
Rudi Wulf, New Zealand rugby player
Ronny Cedeño, Venezuelan baseball player
Carolina Klüft, Swedish heptathlete and jumper
Jordin Tootoo, Canadian ice hockey player
Jason Vargas, American baseball player

Vladimir Voskoboinikov, Estonian footballer
Alex Westaway, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
Sergio Castaño Ortega, Spanish footballer
Kelly Mazzante, American basketball player
Kan Mi-youn, South Korean singer, model, and host
Lance Allred, American basketball player and activist
Emre Aydın, Turkish singer-songwriter
Michelle Bass, English model and singer
Salem al-Hazmi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 77 (died 2001)
Teddy Hart, Canadian wrestler
Zhang Jingchu, Chinese actress
Oleguer Presas, Spanish footballer
Urmo Aava, Estonian race car driver
Fani Chalkia, Greek hurdler and sprinter
Christine Lampard, Irish television host

Shamita Shetty, Indian actress
Irini Terzoglou, Greek shot putter
Adam Christopher, New Zealand writer
Barry Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager
Dan Gadzuric, Dutch basketball player
Lee Ji-ah, South Korean actress
Rich Sommer, American actor
Faye White, English footballer
Shakira, Colombian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
Libor Sionko, Czech footballer
Ryan Farquhar, Northern Irish motorcycle racer
James Hickman, English swimmer
Ana Roces, Filipino actress
Todd Bertuzzi, Canadian ice hockey player
Donald Driver, American football player

Ieroklis Stoltidis, Greek footballer
Andrei Luzgin, Estonian tennis player and coach
Aleksander Tammert, Estonian discus thrower
Marissa Jaret Winokur, American actress and singer
Hisashi, Japanese musician
Melvin Mora, Venezuelan baseball player
Aleksey Naumov, Russian footballer
Michelle Gayle, English singer-songwriter and actress
Arly Jover, Spanish actress
Isaac Kungwane, South African footballer and sportscaster (died 2014)
Rockwilder, American rapper and producer
Hwang Seok-jeong, South Korean actress
Jason Taylor, Australian rugby league player and coach
Roar Strand, Norwegian footballer
Erik ten Hag, Dutch footballer and manager
Jennifer Westfeldt, American actress and singer
Dana International, Israeli singer-songwriter
Valeri Karpin, Estonian-Russian footballer and manager
Kenny Albert, American sportscaster
Sean Elliott, American basketball player and sportscaster
Scott Erickson, American baseball player and coach
Artūrs Irbe, Latvian ice hockey player and coach
Laurent Nkunda, Congolese general
Andrei Chesnokov, Russian tennis player and coach
Robert DeLeo, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
Adam Ferrara, American actor and comedian

Michael Misick, Caicos Islander politician, Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands
Carl Airey, English footballer
Naoki Sano, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
Ilya Byakin, Russian ice hockey player

Eva Cassidy, American singer and guitarist (died 1996)
Kjell Dahlin, Swedish ice hockey player
Andrej Kiska, Slovak entrepreneur and philanthropist, President of Slovakia
Philip Laats, Belgian martial artist
Stephen McGann, English actor
Vigleik Storaas, Norwegian pianist
Philippe Claudel, French author, director, and screenwriter
Andy Fordham, English darts player (died 2021)
Luke Johnson, English businessman

Paul Kilgus, American baseball player
Kate Raison, Australian actress
Michael T. Weiss, American actor

Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (died 2013)
Lauren Lane, American actress and academic
Dexter Manley, American football player
Michel Marc Bouchard, Canadian playwright
Phil Barney, Algerian-French singer-songwriter
Adnan Oktar, Turkish cult leader
Leszek Engelking, Polish poet and author (died 2022)
Bob Schreck, American author
Michael Talbott, American actor
Kim Zimmer, American actress
Jean-Michel Dupuis, French actor (died 2024)
Christie Brinkley, American actress, model, and businesswoman
Hansi Hinterseer, Austrian skier and actor
Nelson Ne'e, Solomon Islander politician (died 2013)

John Tudor, American baseball player
Duane Chapman, American bounty hunter[citation needed]
Jerry Sisk, Jr., American gemologist, co-founded Jewelry Television (died 2013)
Dave Casper, American football player
John Cornyn, American lawyer and politician, 49th Attorney General of Texas
Park Geun-hye, South Korean politician, 11th President of South Korea
Ralph Merkle, American computer scientist and academic

Carol Ann Susi, American actress (died 2014)
Vangelis Alexandris, Greek basketball player and coach

Ken Bruce, Scottish radio host

Osamu Kido, Japanese wrestler (died 2023)
Libby Purves, British journalist and author
Bárbara Rey, Spanish singer and actress
Barbara Sukowa, German actress

Genichiro Tenryu, Japanese wrestler
Duncan Bannatyne, Scottish businessman and philanthropist
Jack McGee, American actor

Yasuko Namba, Japanese mountaineer (died 1996)
Brent Spiner, American actor and singer
Ross Valory, American bass player and songwriter
Ina Garten, American chef and author
Al McKay, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer

Roger Williamson, English race car driver (died 1973)
Greg Antonacci, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2017)
Farrah Fawcett, American actress and producer (died 2009)

John Armitt, English engineer and businessman
Blake Clark, American comedian and actor
Alpha Oumar Konaré, Malian academic and politician, 3rd President of Mali
Constantine Papadakis, Greek-American businessman and academic (died 2009)
John Eatwell, Baron Eatwell, English economist and academic
Andrew Davis, English organist and conductor (died 2024)

Geoffrey Hughes, English actor (died 2012)
Ursula Oppens, American pianist and educator
Graham Nash, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Terry Biddlecombe, English jockey (died 2014)
Lee Redmond, American woman with the longest fingernails (died 2023)

Cory Wells, American pop-rock singer (died 2015)
Alan Caddy, English guitarist and producer (died 2000)
Thomas M. Disch, American author and poet (died 2008)
Wayne Fontes, American football player and coach

David Jason, English actor, director, and producer

Jackie Burroughs, English-born Canadian actress (died 2010)
Mary-Dell Chilton, American chemist and inventor and one of the founders of modern plant biotechnology
Dale T. Mortensen, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2014)
Norman Fowler, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
Bo Hopkins, American actor (died 2022)
Gene MacLellan, Canadian singer-songwriter (died 1995)
Don Buford, American baseball player and coach
Eric Arturo Delvalle, Panamanian lawyer and politician, President of Panama (died 2015)
Anthony Haden-Guest, British journalist, poet, and critic
Remak Ramsay, American actor
Tom Smothers, American comedian, actor, and activist (died 2023)
Alexandra Strelchenko, Ukrainian actress and singer (died 2019)
Metin Oktay, Turkish footballer and manager (died 1991)
Pete Brown, American golfer (died 2015)
Evgeny Velikhov, Russian physicist and academic (died 2024)
Khalil Ullah Khan, Bangladeshi actor (died 2014)
M'el Dowd, American actress and singer (died 2012)

Tony Jay, English-American actor (died 2006)
Orlando "Cachaíto" López, Cuban bassist and composer (died 2009)
Than Shwe, Burmese general and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Burma
Arthur Lyman, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player (died 2002)
Robert Mandan, American actor (died 2018)

Les Dawson, English comedian and author (died 1993)
Glynn Edwards, Malaysian-English actor (died 2018)
John Paul Harney, Canadian educator and politician (died 2021)
Dries van Agt, Dutch politician, diplomat and jurist, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (died 2024)
Judith Viorst, American journalist and author
Sheila Matthews Allen, American actress and producer (died 2013)

George Band, English engineer and mountaineer (died 2011)

Věra Chytilová, Czech actress, director, and screenwriter (died 2014)

John Henry Holland, American computer scientist and academic (died 2015)
Waldemar Kmentt, Austrian operatic tenor (died 2015)

Ciriaco De Mita, 47th Prime minister of Italy (died 2022)
Gamal Hamdan, Egyptian scholar and geographer (died 1993)
Jay Handlan, American basketball player and engineer (died 2013)
Tommy Harmer, English footballer and youth team coach (died 2007)
Stan Getz, American saxophonist (died 1991)

Doris Sams, American baseball player (died 2012)
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, French academic and politician, 20th President of France (died 2020)
Elaine Stritch, American actress and singer (died 2014)
Sonny Stitt, American saxophonist and composer (died 1982)

Elfi von Dassanowsky, Austrian-American singer, pianist, producer (died 2007)
Jean Babilée, French dancer and choreographer (died 2014)
James Dickey, American poet and novelist (died 1997)
Svetozar Gligorić, Serbian and Yugoslav chess grandmaster (died 2012)
Bonita Granville, American actress and producer (died 1988)

Red Schoendienst, American baseball player, coach, and manager (died 2018)
Liz Smith, American journalist and author (died 2017)
Clem Windsor, Australian rugby player and surgeon (died 2007)
Kunwar Digvijay Singh, Indian field hockey player (died 1978)

Robert Chef d'Hôtel, French athlete (died 2019)
Stoyanka Mutafova, Bulgarian actress (died 2019)
James L. Usry, American politician, first African-American mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey (died 2002)
George Hardwick, English footballer and coach (died 2004)
John Russell, American Olympic equestrian (died 2020)
Arthur Willis, English football player-manager (died 1987)
Lisa Della Casa, Swiss soprano and actress (died 2012)
Georg Gawliczek, German footballer and manager (died 1999)
Hella Haasse, Indonesian-Dutch author (died 2011)
Mary Ellis, British World War II ferry pilot (died 2018)
Đỗ Mười, Vietnamese politician, 5th Prime Minister of Vietnam (died 2018)

Xuân Diệu, Vietnamese poet and author (died 1985)
Abba Eban, South African-Israeli politician and diplomat, 1st Israel Ambassador to the United Nations (died 2002)
Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (died 2005)
Khushwant Singh, Indian journalist and author (died 2014)
Eric Kierans, Canadian economist and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Communications (died 2004)

Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor and singer (died 1985)
Millvina Dean, English civil servant and cartographer (died 2009)

Burton Lane, American songwriter and composer (died 1997)
Jack Pizzey, Australian politician, 29th Premier of Queensland (died 1968)
Frank Albertson, American actor (died 1964)

Wes Ferrell, American baseball player and manager (died 1976)
Ayn Rand, Russian-born American novelist and philosopher (died 1982)

Bozorg Alavi, Iranian author and activist (died 1997)
Newbold Morris, American lawyer and politician (died 1966)
John Tonkin, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Western Australia (died 1995)
Jascha Heifetz, Lithuanian-American violinist and educator (died 1987)
Willie Kamm, American baseball player and manager (died 1988)
Howard Deering Johnson, American businessman, founded Howard Johnson's (died 1972)

Gertrude Blanch, Russian-American mathematician (died 1996)
Kazimierz Kuratowski, Polish mathematician and logician (died 1980)
George Halas, American football player and coach (died 1983)
Robert Philipp, American painter (died 1981)
George Sutcliffe, Australian public servant (died 1964)
Cornelius Lanczos, Hungarian mathematician and physicist (died 1974)
Raoul Riganti, Argentinian race car driver (died 1970)
Damdin Sükhbaatar, Mongolian soldier and politician (died 1924)
Tochigiyama Moriya, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 27th Yokozuna (died 1959)
Charles Correll, American actor and screenwriter (died 1972)
Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general (died 1952)
Ernst Hanfstaengl, German businessman (died 1975)
William Rose Benét, American poet and author (died 1950)
Mikhail Frunze, Soviet revolutionary, politician, army officer and military theorist (died 1925)

Johnston McCulley, American author and screenwriter, created Zorro (died 1958)
Julia Nava de Ruisánchez, Mexican activist and writer (died 1964)
Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (died 1944)
James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet (died 1941)
Orval Overall, American baseball player and manager (died 1947)

Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (died 1969)
Joe Lydon, American boxer (died 1937)
Frank L. Packard, Canadian author (died 1942)
Fritz Kreisler, Austrian-American violinist and composer (died 1962)
Leo Fall, Austrian composer (died 1925)
Konstantin von Neurath, German politician and diplomat, 13th German Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 1956)
Abul Kasem, Bengali politician (died 1936)
Alexander Atabekian, Armenian physician and anarchist publisher (died 1933)
Enrique Simonet, Spanish painter and academic (died 1927)
Émile Coste, French fencer (died 1927)
Cornelius McKane, American physician, educator, and hospital founder (died 1912)
Solomon R. Guggenheim, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (died 1949)
Curtis Guild, Jr., American journalist and politician, 43rd Governor of Massachusetts (died 1915)
Jan Drozdowski, Polish pianist and music teacher (died 1918)
Frederick William Vanderbilt, American railway magnate (died 1938)
Makar Yekmalyan, Armenian composer (died 1905)
José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican illustrator and engraver (died 1913)

Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, Slovak poet and playwright (died 1921)

Julian Sochocki, Polish-Russian mathematician and academic (died 1927)
François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss limnologist and hydrologist (died 1912)
Alfred Brehm, German zoologist and illustrator (died 1884)

William Stanley, English engineer and philanthropist (died 1909)
Albert Sidney Johnston, American general (died 1862)
Jean-Baptiste Boussingault, French chemist and academic (died 1887)

Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (died 1856)
Henri de Rigny, French admiral and politician, French Minister of War (died 1835)
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French politician, Prime Minister of France (died 1838)
Ernst Gideon von Laudon, Austrian field marshal (died 1790)
Gottfried August Homilius, German organist and composer (died 1785)
Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg (died 1794)
Johann Christoph Gottsched, German author and critic (died 1766)

William Borlase, English geologist and archaeologist (died 1772)
François de Chevert, French general (died 1769)
Jean-Baptiste Morin, French composer (died 1745)
Louis Marchand, French organist and composer (died 1732)

William Phips, Royal governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (died 1695)
Pope Benedict XIII (died 1730)
Nell Gwyn, English actress, mistress of King Charles II of England (died 1687)
Johannes Schefferus, Swedish author and hymn-writer (died 1679)

Noël Chabanel, French missionary and saint (died 1649)
Ulrik of Denmark, Danish prince-bishop (died 1633)
Gabriel Naudé, French librarian and scholar (died 1653)
Georg II of Fleckenstein-Dagstuhl, German nobleman (died 1644)

Judith Quiney, William Shakespeare's youngest daughter (died 1662)

Hamnet Shakespeare, William Shakespeare's only son (baptised; (died 1596)
Alix Le Clerc, French Canoness Regular and foundress (died 1622)
Nicolaus Reimers, German astronomer (died 1600)
Piotr Skarga, Polish writer (died 1612)
Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician and academic (died 1565)
Gotthard Kettler, the last Master of the Livonian Order and the first Duke of Courland and Semigallia (died 1587)
John of Leiden, Dutch Anabaptist leader (died 1536)
René de Birague, Italian-French cardinal and politician (died 1583)
Damião de Góis, Portuguese philosopher and historian (died 1574)
Bona Sforza, queen of Sigismund I of Poland (died 1557)

Columba of Rieti, Italian Dominican sister (died 1501)
Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, Italian-Spanish historian and author (died 1526)
John, King of Denmark (died 1513)

Elisabeth of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony (died 1486)

James I of Aragon (died 1276)
Justin I, Byzantine emperor (died 527)

Brian Murphy, English comic actor (born 1932)
Don Murray, American actor (born 1929)
Carl Weathers, American football player and actor (born 1948)
K. Viswanath, Indian actor, director and screenwriter (born 1930)

Butch Miles, American jazz drummer (born 1944)

Captain Sir Tom Moore, British Army officer and charity campaigner (born 1920)

Bernard Ebbers, Canadian businessman, the co-founder and CEO of WorldCom (born 1941)
Mad Mike Hoare, British-Irish military officer and mercenary (born 1919)
Bob Elliott, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (born 1923)
Joseph Alfidi, American pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1949)

Dave Bergman, American baseball player (born 1953)
Andriy Kuzmenko, Ukrainian singer-songwriter and actor (born 1968)
Molade Okoya-Thomas, Nigerian businessman and philanthropist (born 1935)
Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (born 1922)

The Jacka, American rapper and producer (born 1977)
Gerd Albrecht, German conductor (born 1935)
Tommy Aquino, American motorcycle racer (born 1992)
Nicholas Brooks, English historian (born 1941)

Eduardo Coutinho, Brazilian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1933)
Philip Seymour Hoffman, American actor, director, and producer (born 1967)

Luis Raúl, Puerto Rican comedian and actor (born 1962)

Bunny Rugs, Jamaican singer (born 1948)
Nigel Walker, English footballer (born 1959)

Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (born 1961)
John Kerr, American actor and lawyer (born 1931)
Chris Kyle, American soldier and sniper (born 1974)
Lino Oviedo, Paraguayan general and politician (born 1943)

Pepper Paire, American baseball player (born 1924)
P. Shanmugam, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Puducherry (born 1927)
Walt Sweeney, American football player (born 1941)
Guy F. Tozzoli, American architect (born 1922)
Joyce Barkhouse, Canadian author (born 1913)
Frederick William Danker, American lexicographer and scholar (born 1920)
George Esper, American journalist and academic (born 1932)

Dorothy Gilman, American author (born 1923)
James F. Lloyd, American pilot and politician (born 1922)
Edward Amy, Canadian general (born 1918)
Defne Joy Foster, Turkish actress (born 1975)

Margaret John, Welsh actress (born 1926)
Barry Morse, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1918)

Katoucha Niane, Guinean model and author (born 1960)
Vijay Arora, Indian actor (born 1944)

Billy Henderson, American singer (born 1939)

Joe Hunter, American pianist (born 1927)
Filippo Raciti, Italian police officer (born 1967)

Eric Von Schmidt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1931)
Masao Takemoto, Japanese gymnast (born 1919)
Birgitte Federspiel, Danish actress (born 1925)
Max Schmeling, German boxer (born 1905)
Bernard McEveety, American director and producer (born 1924)
Lou Harrison, American composer and educator (born 1917)

Paul Baloff, American singer-songwriter (born 1960)
Claude Brown, American author (born 1937)

David McComb, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1962)
Haroun Tazieff, German-French geologist and cinematographer (born 1914)

Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (born 1913)

Sanford Meisner, American actor and coach (born 1904)
Gene Kelly, American actor, singer, dancer, and director (born 1912)

Thomas Hayward, American tenor and actor (born 1917)
Fred Perry, English tennis player (born 1909)
Donald Pleasence, English-French actor (born 1919)
Marija Gimbutas, Lithuanian-American archeologist (born 1921)
François Reichenbach, French director and screenwriter (born 1921)
Bert Parks, American actor, singer, television personality; Miss America telecast presenter (born 1914)
Paul Ariste, Estonian linguist and academic (born 1905)
Joe Erskine, Welsh boxer (born 1934)
Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater and coach (born 1951)
Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand minister and politician, 30th New Zealand Minister of Finance (born 1901)
Marcel Bozzuffi, French actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1929)
Carlos José Castilho, Brazilian footballer and manager (born 1927)
Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (born 1922)

Anita Cobby, Australian murder victim (born 1959)
Gino Hernandez, American wrestler (born 1957)
Sam Chatmon, American singer and guitarist (born 1897)
Paul Desruisseaux, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1905)

William Howard Stein, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1911)

Jim Burke, Australian cricketer (born 1930)
Sid Vicious, English singer and bass player (born 1957)
Gustave Lanctot, Canadian historian and academic (born 1883)
Imre Lakatos, Hungarian-English mathematician and philosopher (born 1922)
Hendrik Elias, Belgian academic and politician, 9th Mayor of Ghent (born 1902)
Natalie Clifford Barney, American author, poet, and playwright (born 1876)
Lawrence Gray, American actor (born 1898)
Bertrand Russell, English mathematician and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1872)
Hannah Ryggen, Norwegian textile artist (born 1894)
Boris Karloff, English actor (born 1887)

Tullio Serafin, Italian conductor and director (born 1878)
Hacı Ömer Sabancı, Turkish businessman (born 1906)
Shlomo Hestrin, Canadian-Israeli biochemist and academic (born 1914)

Grigory Landsberg, Russian physicist and academic (born 1890)

Charley Grapewin, American actor (born 1869)
Truxtun Hare, American football player and hammer thrower (born 1878)
Pyotr Konchalovsky, Russian painter (born 1876)
Hella Wuolijoki, Estonian-Finnish author and politician (born 1886)
Callistratus of Georgia, Georgian patriarch (born 1866)
Constantin Carathéodory, Greek mathematician and academic (born 1873)
Thomas W. Lamont, American banker and philanthropist (born 1870)
Bevil Rudd, South African runner and journalist (born 1894)

Alfred Delp, German priest and philosopher (born 1907)
Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, German economist and politician (born 1884)
Johannes Popitz, German lawyer and politician (born 1884)
Ado Birk, Estonian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Estonia (born 1883)
Daniil Kharms, Russian poet and playwright (born 1905)
Hugh D. McIntosh, Australian businessman (born 1876)
Amanda McKittrick Ros, Irish author and poet (born 1860)

Bernhard Gregory, Estonian-German chess player (born 1879)
Agha Petros, Assyrian general and politician (born 1880)
Vladimir Sukhomlinov, Russian general and politician (born 1848)
Antti Aarne, Finnish historian and academic (born 1867)
Jaap Eden, Dutch speed skater and cyclist (born 1873)
Julius Kuperjanov, Estonian lieutenant (born 1894)
John L. Sullivan, American boxer (born 1858)
Gustaf de Laval, Swedish engineer (born 1845)
Carlo Acton, Italian pianist and composer (born 1829)
Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist and academic (born 1834)
Henri Germain, French banker and politician, founded Le Crédit Lyonnais (born 1824)

Ernest Cashel, American-Canadian criminal (born 1882)
William Collins Whitney, American financier and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Navy (born 1841)
Henry Parker, English-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of New South Wales (born 1808)
Théophane Vénard, French Catholic missionary (born 1829)
Letizia Ramolino, Italian noblewoman (born 1750)
Vincenzo Dimech, Maltese sculptor (born 1768)
George Walton, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Georgia (born 1749)
Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip, English politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (born 1713)
Ferdinand Ashmall, English centenarian, Catholic priest, died in 73rd year of his ministry (born 1695)
Pope Clement XIII (born 1693)
Robert Smith, English mathematician and theorist (born 1689)
Antonio Maria Valsalva, Italian anatomist and physician (born 1666)
John Sharp, English archbishop (born 1643)
Martin Lister, English physician and geologist (born 1639)
Guillaume de l'Hôpital, French mathematician and academic (born 1661)
Abraham Duquesne, French admiral (born 1610)
Ivan Belostenec, Croatian linguist and lexicographer (born 1594)
Lucas Holstenius, German geographer and historian (born 1596)
Gaston, Duke of Orléans (born 1608)
Govert Flinck, Dutch painter (born 1615)
George Abbot, English author and politician (born 1603)
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Italian composer and educator (born 1525)
Bessho Nagaharu, Japanese daimyō (born 1558)
Baldassare Castiglione, Italian soldier and diplomat (born 1478)
Hatuey, Caribbean tribal chief
Owen Tudor, Welsh founder of the Tudor dynasty (born c. 1400)
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Egyptian jurist and scholar (born 1372)
Vittorino da Feltre, Italian humanist (born 1378)
Joan II of Naples, Queen of Naples (born 1371)
Racek Kobyla of Dvorce
Narymunt, Prince of Pinsk
Thomas Bek, Bishop of Lincoln, was the bishop of Lincoln (born 1282)
Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (born 1229)
Eric XI of Sweden (born 1216)
Joan, Lady of Wales
Konstantin of Rostov (born 1186)
Bořivoj II, Duke of Bohemia (born 1064)

Bruno, duke of Saxony
Laurence of Canterbury, English archbishop and saint
Groundhog Day
Anniversary of Treaty of Tartu (Estonia)
Christian Feast Day: Adalbard
Christian Feast Day: Cornelius the Centurion
Christian Feast Day: Martyrs of Ebsdorf
Christian Feast Day: February 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Constitution Day (Philippines)
Day of Youth (Azerbaijan)
Earliest day on which Shrove Monday can fall, while March 8 is the latest; celebrated on Monday before Ash Wednesday (Christianity), and its related observances: Bun Day (Iceland)
Earliest day on which Shrove Monday can fall, while March 8 is the latest; celebrated on Monday before Ash Wednesday (Christianity), and its related observances: Fastelavn (Denmark/Norway)
Earliest day on which Shrove Monday can fall, while March 8 is the latest; celebrated on Monday before Ash Wednesday (Christianity), and its related observances: Nickanan Night (Cornwall)
Earliest day on which Shrove Monday can fall, while March 8 is the latest; celebrated on Monday before Ash Wednesday (Christianity), and its related observances: Rosenmontag (Germany)
Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple or Candlemas (Western Christianity), and its related observances: A quarter day in the Christian liturgical calendar (due to Candlemas). (Scotland)
Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple or Candlemas (Western Christianity), and its related observances: Celebration of Yemanja or Our Lady of Navigators (Candomblé)
Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple or Candlemas (Western Christianity), and its related observances: Chandeleur (France)
Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple or Candlemas (Western Christianity), and its related observances: Liichtmëssdag (Luxembourg)
Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple or Candlemas (Western Christianity), and its related observances: Our Lady of the Candles (Filipino Catholics)
Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple or Candlemas (Western Christianity), and its related observances: Virgin of Candelaria (Tenerife, Spain)
Victory of the Battle of Stalingrad (Russia)
World Wetlands Day