Historical Events
- Feb 1 1st auto insurance policy in US issued, by Travelers Insurance Company
- Feb 1 Shinhan Bank, the oldest bank in South Korea, opens in Seoul.
- Feb 5 1st showing of a motion picture in Hawaii at the Hawaiian Opera House
- Feb 5 Marcel Proust meets Jean Lorrain in a pistol duel
The Benin Pendant Mask
Feb 9 Invasion of Benin City by British Expedition force, the city is burnt and looted, marks the end of the Nigerian Kingdom of Benin formed in the 11th century
Battle of Zapote Bridge
Feb 17 Emilio Aguinaldo and a group of katipuneros defeat Spanish forces led by General Camilo de Polavieja at the Battle of Zapote Bridge in Cavite
- Feb 17 National Organization of Mothers formed in American by Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst (Parent Teacher Association)
- Feb 19 Inaugural meeting of the Women's Institute at Stoney Creek, Ontario, set at the suggestion of Adelaide Hoodless, the organization will rapidly spread around the world [1]
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 1 Denise Robins, English romantic novelist (1st Long Kiss), born in London, England (d. 1985)
- Feb 2 Aimé Avignon, France's former oldest living man (d. 2007)
- Feb 2 Howard Johnson, American hotelier (Howard John's chain), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1972)
- Feb 4 Ludwig Erhard, German politician (CDU, as Chancellor of Germany 1963-66 led German "economic miracle"), born in Fürth, Kingdom of Bavaria (d. 1977)
- Feb 5 Dirk Stikker, Dutch politician, diplomat (Ambassador to Great Britain, 1952-58; Secretary General of NATO, 1961-64), and CEO (Heineken), Born in Winschoten, Netherlands (d. 1979)
- Feb 6 Alberto [de Almeida] Cavalcanti, Brazilian director (Nicholas Nickleby), born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (d. 1982)
Louis Buchalter (1897-1944)
Feb 6 Jewish-American mobster (Murder, Inc.), born in New York City
Max Newman (1897-1984)
Feb 7 British mathematician and codebreaker (Colossus), born in Chelsea, London
- Feb 7 Quincy Porter, American composer, teacher, and Pulitzer Prize winner (1954), born in New Haven, Connecticut (d. 1966)
- Feb 8 Zakir Husain, 3rd President of India (1967-69) and scholar, born in Hyderabad, Hyderabad State (d. 1969)
- Feb 9 Charles Kingsford-Smith, Australian pioneering aviator (1st transpacific flight), born in Brisbane, Australia (d. 1935)
- Feb 10 John Franklin Enders, American microbiologist (1954 Nobel in Physiology or Medicine for culturing poliovirus, developed measles vaccine), born in West Hartford, Connecticut (d. 1985)
- Feb 11 Yves de La Casiniere, French composer, born in Angers, France (d. 1971)
- Feb 12 Vola Vale [Smith], American actress, born in Buffalo, New York (d. 1970)
- Feb 14 Jørgen Bentzon, Danish composer, born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 1951)
- Feb 15 Earl Blaik, American College Football coach (NCAA C'ship 1944–46; AFCA Coach of the Year 1946; Army) and executive (AD Army 1948–59, born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1989)
- Feb 18 Charles Kuentz, WW1 veteran, changed nationality 4 times (d. 2005)
- Feb 19 Alma Rubens, American actress (Humoresque), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1931)
- Feb 20 Ivan Albright, American painter (Door, Window), born in North Harvey, Illinois (d. 1983)
- Feb 21 Celia Lovsky, Austrian-American actress (Soylent Green, T'Pau-Star Trek), born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (d. 1979)
- Feb 22 Bob Ysaguirre, American jazz double bass and tuba player (Don Redman Orchestra), born in Belize, British Honduras (now Belize City, Belize) (d. 1982)
- Feb 22 Karol Świerczewski, Polish general (d. 1947)
- Feb 27 Bernard Lyot, French astronomer (Coronagraph, Lyot-filter), born in Paris (d. 1952)
Marian Anderson (1897-1993)
Feb 27 American contralto and celebrated singer (My Lord, What a Morning), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Feb 27 Paul Schuitema, Dutch graphic designer and photographer (System-O-Color), born in Groningen, Netherlands (d. 1973)
Famous Deaths
- Feb 1 Constantin von Ettingshausen, Austrian geologist, dies at 70
- Feb 2 Infanta Luisa Fernanda, Duchess of Montpensier, dies at 65
- Feb 5 Charles "Old Hoss" Radbourn, American HOF pitcher, 1880-91 (won MLB record 60 games & Triple Crown 1884; no-hitter 1883; Providence Grays, Boston Beaneaters, and 3 other teams), dies at 42
- Feb 7 Galileo Ferraris, Italian physicist and electrical engineer, dies at 49
- Feb 13 Joseph O. Shelby, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 66
- Feb 19 Karl Weierstrass, German mathematician (theory of functions), dies at 81
- Feb 22 Charles Blondin, French acrobat and tight rope walker, dies at 72
- Feb 23 Woldemar Bargiel, German composer, dies at 68
