February 1

February 1 in recent years

2024 (Thursday)

2023 (Wednesday)

2022 (Tuesday)

2021 (Monday)

2020 (Saturday)

2019 (Friday)

2018 (Thursday)

2017 (Wednesday)

2016 (Monday)

2015 (Sunday)

February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 333 days remain until the end of the year (334 in leap years).

Events

• 481 – Vandal king Huneric organises a conference between Catholic and Arian bishops at Carthage.
• 1327 – Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.
• 1329 – King John of Bohemia captures Medvėgalis, an important fortress of the pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and baptizes 6,000 of its defenders
• 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn, Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights (Prussia).
• 1662 – The Chinese general Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege.
• 1713 – The Kalabalik or Tumult in Bendery results from the Ottoman sultan's order that his unwelcome guest, King Charles XII of Sweden, be seized.
• 1793 – French Revolutionary Wars: France declares war on the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
• 1796 – The capital of Upper Canada is moved from Newark to York.
• 1814 – Mayon Volcano in the Philippines erupts, killing around 1,200 people, the most devastating eruption of the volcano.
• 1835 – Slavery is abolished in Mauritius.
• 1861 – American Civil War: Texas secedes from the United States.
• 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln signs the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• 1884 – The first volume (A to Ant) of the Oxford English Dictionary is published.
• 1893 – Thomas A. Edison finishes construction of the first motion picture studio, the Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey.
• 1895 – Fountains Valley, Pretoria, the oldest nature reserve in Africa, is proclaimed by President Paul Kruger.
• 1897 – Shinhan Bank, the oldest bank in South Korea, opens in Seoul.
• 1908 – King Carlos I of Portugal and his son, Prince Luis Filipe, are killed in Terreiro do Paço, Lisbon.
• 1918 – Russia adopts the Gregorian calendar.
• 1924 – The United Kingdom recognizes the USSR.
• 1942 – World War II: Josef Terboven, Reichskommissar of German-occupied Norway, appoints Vidkun Quisling the Minister President of the National Government.
• 1942 – World War II: U.S. Navy conducts Marshalls–Gilberts raids, the first offensive action by the United States against Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater.
• 1942 – Voice of America, the official external radio and television service of the United States government, begins broadcasting with programs aimed at areas controlled by the Axis powers.
• 1946 – Trygve Lie of Norway is picked to be the first United Nations Secretary-General.
• 1946 – The Parliament of Hungary abolishes the monarchy after nine centuries, and proclaims the Hungarian Republic.
• 1953 – North Sea flood of 1953 was caused by a heavy storm which occurred overnight, 31 January-1 February 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium and the U.K.
• 1960 – Four black students stage the first of the Greensboro sit-ins at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.
• 1964 – The Beatles have their first number one hit in the United States with "I Want to Hold Your Hand".
• 1965 – The Hamilton River in Labrador, Canada is renamed the Churchill River in honour of Winston Churchill.
• 1968 – Vietnam War: The execution of Viet Cong officer Nguyễn Văn Lém by South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan is videotaped and photographed by Eddie Adams.
• 1968 – Canada's three military services, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, are unified into the Canadian Forces.
• 1968 – The New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad are merged to form Penn Central Transportation.
• 1972 – Kuala Lumpur becomes a city by a royal charter granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
• 1974 – A fire in the 25-story Joelma Building in São Paulo, Brazil kills 189 and injures 293.
• 1979 – Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran after nearly 15 years of exile.
• 1981 – The Underarm bowling incident of 1981 occurred when Trevor Chappell bowls underarm on the final delivery of a game between Australia and New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
• 1982 – Senegal and the Gambia form a loose confederation known as Senegambia.
• 1989 – The Western Australian towns of Kalgoorlie and Boulder amalgamate to form the City of Kalgoorlie–Boulder.
• 1990 – Humanitas publishing house is founded in Bucharest, shortly after the Romanian Revolution, by the philosopher Gabriel Liiceanu.
• 1991 – A runway collision between USAir Flight 1493 and SkyWest Flight 5569 at Los Angeles International Airport results in the deaths of 34 people, and injuries to 30 others.
• 1992 – The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal court declares Warren Anderson, ex-CEO of Union Carbide, a fugitive under Indian law for failing to appear in the Bhopal disaster case.
• 1996 – The Communications Decency Act is passed by the U.S. Congress.
• 1998 – Rear Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne becomes the first female African American to be promoted to rear admiral.
• 2002 – Daniel Pearl, American journalist and South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, kidnapped January 23, 2002, is beheaded and mutilated by his captors.
• 2003 – Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during the reentry of mission STS-107 into the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
• 2004 – Hajj pilgrimage stampede: In a stampede at the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, 251 people are trampled to death and 244 injured.
• 2005 – King Gyanendra of Nepal carries out a coup d'état to capture the democracy, becoming Chairman of the Councils of ministers.
• 2009 – The first cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was formed in Iceland, making her the country's first female prime minister and the world's first openly LGBT head of government.
• 2010 – Suicide bombing in Baghdad occurs.
• 2012 – At least 72 people are killed and over 500 injured as a result of clashes between fans of Egyptian football teams Al-Masry and Al-Ahly in the city of Port Said.
• 2013 – The Shard, the tallest building in the European Union, is opened to the public.

Births

• 1261 – Walter de Stapledon, English bishop and politician, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1326)
• 1402 – Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (d. 1445)
• 1459 – Conrad Celtes, German poet and scholar (d. 1508)
• 1462 – Johannes Trithemius, German lexicographer, historian, and cryptographer (d. 1516)
• 1501 – Queen Munjeong of Korea (d. 1565)
• 1552 – Edward Coke, English lawyer, judge, and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (d. 1634)
• 1635 – Marquard Gude, German archaeologist and scholar (d. 1689)
• 1648 – Elkanah Settle, English poet and playwright (d. 1724)
• 1659 – Jacob Roggeveen, Dutch explorer (d. 1729)
• 1663 – Ignacia del Espíritu Santo, Filipino nun, founded the Religious of the Virgin Mary (d. 1748)
• 1687 – Johann Adam Birkenstock, German violinist and composer (d. 1733)
• 1690 – Francesco Maria Veracini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1768)
• 1701 – Johan Agrell, Swedish-German pianist and composer (d. 1765)
• 1761 – Christiaan Hendrik Persoon, South African-French mycologist and academic (d. 1836)
• 1763 – Thomas Campbell, Irish minister and theologian (d. 1854)
• 1764 – George Duff, Scottish captain (d. 1805)
• 1796 – Abraham Emanuel Fröhlich, Swiss minister, poet, and educator (d. 1865)
• 1801 – Émile Littré, French lexicographer and philosopher (d. 1881)
• 1820 – George Hendric Houghton, American clergyman and theologian (d. 1897)
• 1836 – Emil Hartmann, Danish organist and composer (d. 1898)
• 1844 – G. Stanley Hall, American psychologist and academic (d. 1924)
• 1851 – Durham Stevens, American lawyer and diplomat (d. 1908)
• 1858 – Ignacio Bonillas, Mexican diplomat (d. 1942)
• 1859 – Victor Herbert, Irish-American cellist, composer, and conductor (d. 1924)
• 1872 – Jerome F. Donovan, American lawyer and politician (d. 1949)
• 1873 – Joseph Allard, Canadian fiddler and composer (d. 1947)
• 1873 – John Barry, Irish soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1901)
• 1874 – Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1929)
• 1878 – Alfréd Hajós, Hungarian swimmer and architect, designed the Grand Hotel Aranybika (d. 1955)
• 1878 – Milan Hodža, Slovak journalist and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (d. 1944)
• 1881 – Tip Snooke, South African cricketer (d. 1966)
• 1882 – Louis St. Laurent, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1973)
• 1884 – Bradbury Robinson, American football player and physician (d. 1949)
• 1884 – Yevgeny Zamyatin, Russian journalist and author (d. 1937)
• 1887 – Charles Nordhoff, English-American lieutenant, pilot, and author (d. 1947)
• 1890 – Nikolai Reek, Estonian general and politician, 11th Estonian Minister of War (d. 1942)
• 1894 – John Ford, American director and producer (d. 1973)
• 1894 – James P. Johnson, American pianist and composer (d. 1955)
• 1895 – Conn Smythe, Canadian businessman (d. 1980)
• 1897 – Denise Robins, English journalist and author (d. 1985)
• 1898 – Leila Denmark, American pediatrician and author (d. 2012)
• 1901 – Frank Buckles, American soldier (d. 2011)
• 1901 – Clark Gable, American actor (d. 1960)
• 1902 – Therese Brandl, German concentration camp guard (d. 1947)
• 1902 – Langston Hughes, American poet and author (d. 1967)
• 1904 – S.J. Perelman, American author and screenwriter (d. 1979)
• 1905 – Joan Morgan, English actress (d. 2004)
• 1905 – Emilio G. Segrè, Italian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
• 1906 – Adetokunbo Ademola, Nigerian lawyer and jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of Nigeria (d. 1993)
• 1907 – Günter Eich, German author and songwriter (d. 1972)
• 1907 – Camargo Guarnieri, Brazilian pianist and composer (d. 1993)
• 1908 – George Pal, Hungarian-American animator and producer (d. 1980)
• 1908 – Louis Rasminsky, Canadian economist and banker (d. 1998)
• 1909 – George Beverly Shea, Canadian-American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
• 1910 – Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Chinese general and politician (d. 2009)
• 1915 – Stanley Matthews, English footballer and manager (d. 2000)
• 1917 – José Luis Sampedro, Spanish economist and author (d. 2013)
• 1917 – Eiji Sawamura, Japanese baseball player and soldier (d. 1944)
• 1918 – Muriel Spark, Scottish playwright and poet (d. 2006)
• 1918 – Ignacy Tokarczuk, Polish archbishop (d. 2012)
• 1920 – Mike Scarry, American football player and coach (d. 2012)
• 1921 – Renata Tebaldi, Italian soprano and actress (d. 2004)
• 1923 – Ben Weider, Canadian businessman, co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (d. 2008)
• 1924 – Richard Hooker, American novelist (d. 1997)
• 1924 – Emmanuel Scheffer, German-Israeli footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2012)
• 1927 – Galway Kinnell, American poet and academic (d. 2014)
• 1928 – Sam Edwards, Welsh physicist and academic (d. 2015)
• 1928 – Tom Lantos, Hungarian-American academic and politician (d. 2008)
• 1930 – Shahabuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi judge and politician, 12th President of Bangladesh
• 1930 – Hussain Muhammad Ershad, Indian-Bangladeshi general and politician, 10th President of Bangladesh
• 1930 – Peter Tapsell, English soldier and politician
• 1931 – Boris Yeltsin, Russian politician, 1st President of Russia (d. 2007)
• 1932 – Hassan Al-Turabi, Sudanese activist and politician (d. 2016)
• 1934 – Nicolae Breban, Romanian author, poet, and playwright
• 1934 – Bob Shane, American folk singer and guitarist (The Kingston Trio)
• 1936 – Tuncel Kurtiz, Turkish actor, playwright, and director (d. 2013)
• 1936 – Azie Taylor Morton, American educator and politician, 36th Treasurer of the United States (d. 2003)
• 1937 – Don Everly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1937 – Garrett Morris, American actor and comedian
• 1937 – Ray Sawyer, American singer and percussionist (Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show)
• 1938 – Jimmy Carl Black, American drummer and singer (d. 2008)
• 1938 – Jacky Cupit, American golfer
• 1938 – Sherman Hemsley, American actor and singer (d. 2012)
• 1939 – Fritjof Capra, Austrian physicist, author, and academic
• 1939 – Claude François, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and dancer (d. 1978)
• 1939 – Paul Gillmor, American lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
• 1939 – Ekaterina Maximova, Russian ballerina (d. 2009)
• 1939 – Del McCoury, American singer and guitarist
• 1939 – Joe Sample, American pianist and composer (d. 2014)
• 1941 – Jerry Spinelli, American author
• 1942 – Bibi Besch, Austrian-American actress (d. 1996)
• 1942 – Terry Jones, Welsh actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1942 – David Sincock, Australian cricketer
• 1944 – Mike Enzi, American soldier, accountant, and politician
• 1944 – Petru Popescu, Romanian-American director, producer, and author
• 1944 – Burkhard Ziese, German footballer and manager (d. 2010)
• 1945 – Serge Joyal, Canadian lawyer and politician, 50th Secretary of State for Canada
• 1946 – Elisabeth Sladen, English actress (d. 2011)
• 1947 – Adam Ingram, Scottish computer programmer and politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
• 1947 – Normie Rowe, Australian singer-songwriter and actor
• 1947 – Jessica Savitch, American journalist (d. 1983)
• 1948 – Rick James, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2004)
• 1948 – Ferruccio Mazzola, Italian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
• 1950 – Mike Campbell, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1950 – Ali Haydar Konca, Turkish politician, 4th Turkish Minister of European Union Affairs
• 1950 – Rich Williams, American guitarist and songwriter (Kansas)
• 1951 – Sonny Landreth, American guitarist and songwriter
• 1951 – Andrew Smith, English politician, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
• 1952 – Owoye Andrew Azazi, Nigerian general (d. 2012)
• 1954 – Chuck Dukowski, American singer-songwriter and bass player
• 1956 – Exene Cervenka, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1957 – Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Saudi Arabian businessman (d. 2007)
• 1957 – Gilbert Hernandez, American author and illustrator
• 1958 – Luther Blissett, Jamaican-English footballer and manager
• 1958 – Eleanor Laing, Scottish lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
• 1961 – Volker Fried, German field hockey player and coach
• 1961 – Daniel M. Tani, American engineer and astronaut
• 1962 – José Luis Cuciuffo, Argentinian footballer (d. 2004)
• 1962 – Marie-Laure Dougnac, French actress
• 1962 – Tomoyasu Hotei, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1962 – Takashi Murakami, Japanese painter and sculptor
• 1964 – Jani Lane, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
• 1964 – Mario Pelchat, Canadian singer-songwriter
• 1964 – Bugge Wesseltoft, Norwegian pianist and record producer
• 1964 – Linus Roache, English actor
• 1965 – Stéphanie of Monaco, designer, singer and princess
• 1965 – Brandon Lee, American actor and martial artist (d. 1993)
• 1966 – Michelle Akers, American soccer player
• 1967 – Meg Cabot, American author and screenwriter
• 1968 – Lisa Marie Presley, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1968 – Mark Recchi, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1968 – Pauly Shore, American comedian, actor, director, and producer
• 1969 – Gabriel Batistuta, Argentinian footballer
• 1969 – Andrew Breitbart, American journalist, author, and publisher (d. 2012)
• 1969 – Brian Krause, American actor and screenwriter
• 1969 – Franklyn Rose, Jamaican cricketer
• 1969 – Patrick Wilson, American drummer
• 1970 – Yasuyuki Kazama, Japanese race car driver
• 1970 – Malik Sealy, American basketball player and actor (d. 2000)
• 1971 – Harald Brattbakk, Norwegian footballer and pilot
• 1971 – Michael C. Hall, American actor and producer
• 1971 – Ajay Jadeja, Indian cricketer, sportscaster, and actor
• 1971 – Ron Welty, American drummer
• 1972 – Kami, Japanese drummer (d. 1999)
• 1973 – Andrew DeClercq, American basketball player and coach
• 1973 – Óscar Pérez Rojas, Mexican footballer
• 1974 – Walter McCarty, American basketball player and coach
• 1975 – Big Boi, American rapper and producer
• 1975 – Martijn Reuser, Dutch footballer
• 1976 – Phil Ivey, American poker player
• 1976 – Mat Rogers, Australian rugby player
• 1977 – Lari Ketner, American football player (d. 2014)
• 1977 – Kevin Kilbane, English-Irish footballer and sportscaster
• 1977 – Robert Traylor, American basketball player (d. 2011)
• 1978 – Tim Harding, Australian singer and actor
• 1979 – Valentín Elizalde, Mexican singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
• 1979 – Juan Silveira dos Santos, Brazilian footballer
• 1980 – Héctor Luna, Dominican baseball player
• 1980 – Moisés Muñoz, Mexican footballer
• 1980 – Otilino Tenorio, Ecuadorian footballer (d. 2005)
• 1981 – Rob Austin, English race car driver
• 1981 – Hins Cheung, Hong Kong singer-songwriter
• 1981 – Christian Giménez, Argentinian footballer
• 1981 – Graeme Smith, South African cricketer
• 1982 – Gavin Henson, Welsh rugby player
• 1982 – Shoaib Malik, Pakistani cricketer
• 1983 – Kevin Martin, American basketball player
• 1983 – Anna Suzuki, Japanese actress and model
• 1983 – Jurgen Van den Broeck, Belgian cyclist
• 1983 – Andrew VanWyngarden, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1984 – Darren Fletcher, Scottish footballer
• 1985 – Dean Shiels, Irish footballer
• 1986 – Jorrit Bergsma, Dutch speed skater
• 1986 – Lauren Conrad, American fashion designer and author
• 1987 – Sebastian Boenisch, Polish footballer
• 1987 – Moises Henriques, Portuguese-Australian cricketer
• 1987 – Austin Jackson, American baseball player
• 1987 – Ronda Rousey, American mixed martial artist and actress
• 1987 – Giuseppe Rossi, Italian footballer
• 1988 – Brett Anderson, American baseball player
• 1989 – Ricky Pinheiro, Portuguese footballer
• 1990 – Dan Gosling, English footballer
• 1990 – Laura Marling, British singer-songwriter
• 1991 – Blake Austin, Australian rugby league player
• 1991 – Luca Caldirola, Italian footballer
• 1991 – Kyle Palmieri, American hockey player
• 1992 – Mao Ichimichi, Japanese actress and model
• 1993 – Diego Mella, Italian footballer
• 1994 – Anna-Lena Friedsam, German tennis player
• 1994 – Skylar Laine, American singer-songwriter
• 1994 – Cameron McInnes, Australian rugby league player
• 1994 – Harry Styles, English singer-songwriter

Deaths

• 583 – Kan B'alam I, ruler of Palenque (b. 524)
• 772 – Pope Stephen III (b. 720)
• 850 – Ramiro I, king of Asturias
• 992 – Jawhar as-Siqilli, Fatimid statesman
• 1222 – Alexios Megas Komnenos, first Emperor of Trebizond
• 1248 – Henry II, Duke of Brabant (b. 1207)
• 1328 – Charles IV of France (b. 1294)
• 1542 – Girolamo Aleandro, Italian cardinal (b. 1480)
• 1563 – Menas of Ethiopia (b. 1559)
• 1590 – Lawrence Humphrey, English theologian and academic (b. 1527)
• 1691 – Pope Alexander VIII (b. 1610)
• 1718 – Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1660)
• 1733 – Augustus II the Strong, Polish king (b. 1670)
• 1734 – John Floyer, English physician and author (b. 1649)
• 1743 – Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni, Italian organist and composer (b. 1657)
• 1750 – Bakar of Georgia (b. 1699)
• 1761 – Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, French priest and historian (b. 1682)
• 1768 – Sir Robert Rich, 4th Baronet, English field marshal and politician (b. 1685)
• 1793 – William Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1717)
• 1832 – Archibald Murphey, American judge and politician (b. 1777)
• 1851 – Mary Shelley, English novelist and playwright (b. 1797)
• 1871 – Alexander Serov, Russian composer and critic (b. 1820)
• 1893 – George Henry Sanderson, American lawyer and politician, 22nd Mayor of San Francisco (b. 1824)
• 1897 – Constantin von Ettingshausen, Austrian geologist and botanist (b. 1826)
• 1903 – Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet, Irish-English physicist, mathematician, and politician (b. 1819)
• 1907 – Léon Serpollet, French businessman (b. 1858)
• 1908 – Carlos I of Portugal (b. 1863)
• 1922 – William Desmond Taylor, American actor and director (b. 1872)
• 1924 – Maurice Prendergast, American painter (b. 1858)
• 1928 – Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (b. 1869)
• 1936 – Georgios Kondylis, Greek general and politician, 128th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1878)
• 1940 – Philip Francis Nowlan, American author, created Buck Rogers (b. 1888)
• 1940 – Zacharias Papantoniou, Greek journalist and critic (b. 1877)
• 1944 – Piet Mondrian, Dutch-American painter (b. 1872)
• 1949 – Nicolae Dumitru Cocea, Romanian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1880)
• 1949 – Herbert Stothart, American conductor and composer (b. 1885)
• 1957 – Friedrich Paulus, German general (b. 1890)
• 1958 – Clinton Davisson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
• 1959 – Madame Sul-Te-Wan, American actress (b. 1873)
• 1966 – Hedda Hopper, American actress and journalist (b. 1885)
• 1966 – Buster Keaton, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1895)
• 1970 – Alfréd Rényi, Hungarian mathematician and academic (b. 1921)
• 1976 – Werner Heisenberg, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
• 1976 – George Whipple, American physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1878)
• 1979 – Abdi İpekçi, Turkish journalist and activist (b. 1929)
• 1981 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American engineer and businessman, founded the Douglas Aircraft Company (b. 1892)
• 1981 – Geirr Tveitt, Norwegian pianist and composer (b. 1908)
• 1986 – Alva Myrdal, Swedish sociologist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
• 1987 – Alessandro Blasetti, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1900)
• 1988 – Heather O'Rourke, American child actress (b. 1975)
• 1989 – Elaine de Kooning, American painter and academic (b. 1918)
• 1992 – Jean Hamburger, French physician and surgeon (b. 1909)
• 1996 – Ray Crawford, American race car driver, pilot, and businessman (b. 1915)
• 1997 – Herb Caen, American journalist and author (b. 1916)
• 1999 – Barış Manço, Turkish singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1943)
• 1999 – Paul Mellon, American art collector and philanthropist (b. 1907)
• 2001 – André D'Allemagne, Canadian political scientist and academic (b. 1929)
• 2002 – Aykut Barka, Turkish geologist and academic (b. 1951)
• 2002 – Hildegard Knef, German actress and singer (b. 1925)
• 2003 – crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia
  • – Michael P. Anderson, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1959)
  • – David M. Brown, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1956)
  • – Kalpana Chawla, Indian-American engineer and astronaut (b. 1961)
  • – Laurel Clark, American captain, surgeon, and astronaut (b. 1961)
  • – Rick Husband, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1957)
  • – William C. McCool, American commander, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1961)
  • – Ilan Ramon, Israeli colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1954)
• 2003 – Mongo Santamaría, Cuban-American drummer and bandleader (b. 1922)
• 2004 – Suha Arın, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
• 2005 – John Vernon, Canadian-American actor (b. 1932)
• 2007 – Ahmad Abu Laban, Egyptian-Danish religious leader, founded The Islamic Society in Denmark (b. 1946)
• 2007 – Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian-American playwright and composer (b. 1911)
• 2008 – Beto Carrero, Brazilian actor and businessman (b. 1937)
• 2010 – Jack Brisco, American wrestler and manager (b. 1941)
• 2012 – Don Cornelius, American television host and producer (b. 1936)
• 2012 – Wisława Szymborska, Polish poet and translator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Ed Koch, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 105th Mayor of New York City (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Shanu Lahiri, Indian painter and educator (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Cecil Womack, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
• 2014 – Luis Aragonés, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1938)
• 2014 – Vasily Petrov, Russian marshal (b. 1917)
• 2014 – Rene Ricard, American poet, painter, and critic (b. 1946)
• 2014 – Maximilian Schell, Austrian-Swiss actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Aldo Ciccolini, Italian-French pianist (b. 1925)
• 2015 – Udo Lattek, German footballer, manager, and sportscaster (b. 1935)
• 2015 – Monty Oum, American animator, director, and screenwriter (b. 1981)
• 2016 – Murray Louis, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1926)
• 2016 – Óscar Humberto Mejía Victores, Guatemalan general and politician, 27th President of Guatemala (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances

• Abolition of Slavery Day (Mauritius)
• Air Force Day (Nicaragua)
• Christian feast day:
  • Astina (Syrian Church)
  • Blessed Candlemas of San José
  • Brigid, patron saint of Ireland
  • Verdiana
  • February 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Earliest day on which Constitution Day can fall, while February 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in February. (Mexico)
• Earliest day on which National Wear Red Day can fall, while February 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Friday in February. (United States)
• Federal Territory Day (Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, Malaysia)
• Heroes Day (Rwanda)
• Imbolc (Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, and some Neopagan groups in the Northern hemisphere)
• Memorial Day of the Republic (Hungary)
• National Freedom Day (United States)
• The start of Black History Month (United States and Canada)
• The start of LGBT History Month (United Kingdom)
• The start of National Bird-Feeding Month (United States)
• World Hijab Day

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Today in Canadian History