Famous Birthdays
John Witherspoon (1723-1794)
Feb 5 Scottish-American president of the College of New Jersey who signed the Declaration of Independence, born in Gifford, Scotland
- Feb 17 Tobias Mayer, German astronomer "method of lunars" for longitude determination, born in Marbach (d. 1762)
- Feb 21 Louis-Pierre Anquetil, French historian (d. 1808)
- Feb 23 Richard Price, Welsh philosopher (d. 1791)
- Feb 24 John Burgoyne, British general (surrendered at Saratoga during the American Revolutionary War), born in Sutton, England (d. 1792)
Famous Deaths
- Feb 2 Antonio Maria Valsalva, Italian anatomist (anatomy of the ear), dies at 66
Christopher Wren (1632-1723)
Feb 25 English astronomer and architect (St. Paul's Cathedral), dies at 90
- Feb 26 Thomas d'Urfey, English songwriter and playwright who helped evolve ballad opera, dies at around 69-70
Year of the Rabbit
Year of the Dragon
Year of the Snake
Year of the Horse
Year of the Goat/Sheep
Year of the Monkey