Historical Events
"La Boheme"
Feb 1 Giacomo Puccini's opera "La Boheme" premieres in Turin
- Feb 8 Georges Feydeau's farce "Le Dindon" premieres in Paris
- Feb 8 Western Conference forms to be first Western college football season, later renamed Big 10 Conference
Salome
Feb 11 Oscar Wilde's "Salome" premieres in Paris
Der Judenstaat
Feb 14 Austro-Hungarian Zionist Theodor Herzl publishes "Der Judenstaat" (The Jewish State), encouraging Jews to purchase land in Palestine
Sports History
Feb 14 George Lohmann takes a hat-trick for England v South Africa, 8-7 for inning - their lowest ever
- Feb 14 Stanley Cup, Victoria Skating Rink, Montreal, Quebec: Winnipeg Victorias beat Montreal Victorias, 2-0
- Feb 14 Theodor Hertzl's "Der Judenstaat" (The Jewish State) is published, proposing a Jewish homeland as a means of escaping anti-Semitism in Europe
The Yellow Kid
Feb 16 First US newspaper comic strip, Richard Felton Outcault's "The Yellow Kid," is published in William Randolph Hearst’s "New York Journal" [1]
- Feb 17 Muzzling Order on the London County Council enforced
- Feb 18 Cave of Winds at Niagara Falls goes almost dry for first time in 50 yrs
- Feb 23 Tootsie Roll introduced by Leo Hirshfield
- Feb 25 Italian government decides to attack governor Baratieri of Eritrea
- Feb 28 France dismisses Queen Ranavalona III of Madagascar and exiles her to the island of Réunion
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 1 Anastasio Somoza García [Tacho], General, dictator and President of Nicaragua (1937-56), born in San Marcos, Nicaragua (d. 1956)
- Feb 1 Frank Lane, American MLB executive (GM Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, KC Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers), born in Cincinnati, Ohio (d. 1981)
- Feb 2 Kazimierz Kuratowski, Polish mathematician and logician (d. 1980)
- Feb 3 Johannes Urzidil, German-Bohemian poet and historian, born in Prague (d. 1970)
- Feb 4 Friedrich Glauser, German-language Swiss writer (Sergeant Studer detective novels), born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (d. 1938)
- Feb 4 Friedrich Hund, German physicist (d. 1997)
- Feb 7 Harold Hoffman, American politician (Governor of New Jersey 1935-38), born in South Amboy, New Jersey (d. 1954)
- Feb 7 Jacob Paludan, Danish writer and critic (Jorgen Stein), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 1975)
- Feb 8 Orville Caldwell, American actor (Patsy, French Doll, Last Warning), born in Oakland, California (d. 1967)
- Feb 9 Alberto Vargas, Peruvian-American painter, primarily of "pin-up girls", born in Arequipa, Peru (d. 1982)
- Feb 14 Edward Arthur Milne, English astrophysicist (kinematic relativity), born in Yorkshire, England (d. 1950)
- Feb 15 Arthur Shields, Irish actor ("The River"; "Enchanted Island"), born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1970)
- Feb 16 Alexander Brailowsky, Russian-French pianist (Chopin specialist), born in Kiev, Russian Empire (d. 1976)
André Breton (1896-1966)
Feb 18 French writer and poet, founder of Surrealism, born in Tinchebray, France
- Feb 20 Henri de Lubac, French Jesuit cardinal and theologist of the "new theology” movement that influenced the Second Vatican Council, born in Cambrai, France (d. 1991)
- Feb 21 Sylvain Poons, Dutch stage actor and singer (Blue Jackets), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1985)
- Feb 22 Edvin Wide, Swedish runner (Olympic silver 1924 and world record holder), born in Kimito, Finland (d. 1996)
- Feb 22 Enid Markey, American actress, 1st to play Tarzan's Jane, born in Dillon, Colorado (d. 1981)
- Feb 22 Nacio Herb Brown, American composer (Singin' In The Rain), born in Deming, New Mexico (d. 1964)
- Feb 22 Paul Van Ostaijen, Belgian-Dutch poet, writer and critic (Occupied City), born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1928)
- Feb 24 Richard Thorpe, American director (Jailhouse Rock), born in Hutchinson, Kansas (d. 1991)
- Feb 25 John Little McClellan, American lawyer and politician (Sen-D-Ark), born in Sheridan, Arkansas (d. 1977)
- Feb 26 Andrei Zjdanov, Russian politician (against kosmopolitism), born in Mariupol, Russian Empire (d. 1948)
- Feb 26 Eduard Flipse, Dutch conductor and composer, born in Wissenkerke, Netherlands (d. 1973)
- Feb 28 Jud Wilson, American Baseball HOF infielder (NgL World Series 1943, 44; Baltimore Black Sox, Homestead Grays, Philadelphia Stars), born in Remington, Virginia (d. 1963)
- Feb 28 Philip Showalter Hench, American physician (Nobel Prize 1950 for cortisone), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1965)
- Feb 29 Morarji Desai, Indian politician and activist, 4th Prime Minister of India (1977-79), born in Bhadeli, British India (d. 1995)
- Feb 29 Stanley Swash, British businessman (CEO of Woolworths) (d. 1997)
- Feb 29 William A. Wellman, American film director (Star is Born 1937), born in Brookline, Massachusetts (d. 1975)
- Feb 29 Wladimir Rudolfovich Vogel, Swiss composer, born in Zurich (d. 1984)
Famous Deaths
- Feb 3 Jane Wilde, Irish poet, nationalist and mother of Oscar Wilde, dies at 74
- Feb 4 Henry David Leslie, English composer, dies at 73
- Feb 6 Abraham van Stolk, Dutch art collector, dies at 82
- Feb 12 Ambroise Thomas, French opera composer (Mignon), and music professor, dies at 84
- Feb 12 Isaac Murphy, American jockey, 628 wins on 1,412 mounts (44.5%), dies at 35
- Feb 13 Carl Martin Reinthaler, German composer, dies at 73
- Feb 15 E. J. Nicholson [Eliza Jane], American publisher (New Orleans' "Daily Picayune"), dies at 47
- Feb 26 Arsène Houssaye, French novelist and poet, dies at 80
