Historical Events
"Corsair"
Feb 1 Lord Byron's "Corsair" sells 10,000 copies on day of publication
- Feb 1 Volcano Mayon on Luzon Philippines erupts killing 1,200
Battle of Champaubert
Feb 10 Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Champaubert, the French beat the Russians
- Feb 11 Norway's independence proclaimed
- Feb 17 Battle of Mormant: French Imperial army defeat Russian Austrian forces (War of the Sixth Coalition)
- Feb 18 The Battle of Montereau; victory of French under Napoleon Bonaparte against Austrians and Württembergers under the King of Württemberg.
- Feb 25 Australia's first currency - the holey dollar introduced, made of Spanish 'pieces of eight' with the centers stamped out, for the colony of New South Wales [1]
Symphony No. 8
Feb 27 Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 in F major premieres in Vienna
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 7 Gardner Quincy Colton, American lecturer who was the first to use nitrous oxide as an anesthetic in dentistry, born in Georgia, Vermont (d. 1898)
- Feb 9 Samuel J. Tilden, American politician (Governor of New York 1875-76, Presidential candidate 1876) and philanthropist (NY Public Library), born in New Lebanon, New York (d. 1886)
- Feb 18 Samuel Fenton Cary, U. S. Congressman (d. 1900)
- Feb 21 Nicolo Gabrielli, Italian opera composer, born in Naples, Kingdom of Naples (d. 1891)
- Feb 22 Oskar Kolberg, Polish ethnographer, folklorist, and composer (Lud), born in Przysucha, Poland (d. 1890)
- Feb 25 Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian national poet and painter, born in Moryntsi, Ukraine (d. 1861) [OS]
- Feb 26 Charles Joseph Sainte-Claire Deville, French geologist (d. 1876)
