Historical Events
- Feb 1 Former MLB Commissioner Ford Frick as well as ex-players Earle Combs and Jesse Haines are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
Chichester-Clark meets Callaghan
Feb 1 Northern Ireland PM Chichester-Clark meets British Home Secretary James Callaghan to discuss the economy of Northern Ireland
Sawchuk's Final Victory
Feb 1 Rangers' goalie Terry Sawchuk records his 447th (and final) victory, and 103rd career shutout when New York beats the Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-0; both are NHL records at the time
- Feb 1 Stalled commuter train rammed by express in Argentina, 139 die
- Feb 1 West-Germany & USSR sign gas contract
- Feb 1 WMAA TV channel 29 in Jackson, MS (PBS) begins broadcasting
27th Golden Globes
Feb 2 27th Golden Globes: Anne of the Thousand Days, John Wayne, & Genevieve Bujold
Maravich 1st to 30,000
Feb 2 Louisiana State University's Pete Maravich becomes 1st to score 3,000 college basketball points
- Feb 4 "Charles Aznavour" opens at Music Box Theater NYC for 23 performances
- Feb 4 "Gantry" opens at George Abbott Theater NYC for 1 performance
"Patton"
Feb 4 "Patton" directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring George C. Scott premieres in New York (Academy Awards Best Picture 1971)
- Feb 4 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Feb 5 1st Test Cricket ton of Barry Richards, 126, 164 balls, 20 fours 1 six
- Feb 5 Test Cricket debut of John Traicos, South Africa v Australia, Durban
- Feb 5 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Feb 5 WSCV TV channel 51 in Fort Lauderdale, FL (IND) suspends broadcasting
- Feb 6 Graeme Pollock completes 274 v Australia at Durban
- Feb 6 NBA expands to 18 teams with Buffalo, Cleveland, Houston & Portland
- Feb 7 "Hollywood Palace" last airs on ABC TV
- Feb 7 "Jingle Jangle" hits #10 on the pop singles chart by Archies
- Feb 7 LSU's "Pistol" Pete Marovich scores 69 pts in losing cause
- Feb 7 US female Figure Skating championship won by Janet Lynn
- Feb 7 US male Figure Skating championship won by Tim Wood
- Feb 10 26.4 cm precipitation falls on Mount Washington NH (state record)
- Feb 10 Dry powder avalanche moving at 120 mph smashes into youth hostel at Val d'Isere, France, killing 40 Belgian, French, & German youths
- Feb 11 26.37 cm (10.38") of rainfall, Mt Washington, NH (state 24-hr rec)
- Feb 11 Japan becomes 4th nation to put a satellite (Osumi) in orbit
Sports History
Feb 11 John Lennon pays £1,344 fines for 96 protesting South African rugby team playing in Scotland
- Feb 12 Anthony Shaffer's "Sleuth" premieres in NYC
- Feb 13 16th National Film Awards (India): "Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne" wins the Golden Lotus
- Feb 13 Man-eating tiger is reported to have killed 48, 80 km from New Delhi
- Feb 13 NL offices begins move from Cincinnati to San Francisco (completed Feb 23)
- Feb 14 Stanley Lebowsky and Fred Tobias' musical "Gantry", based on Sinclair Lewis novel "Elmer Gantry", opens and closes at George Abbott Theater, NYC. after 1 performance
World Skating Champion
Feb 15 Ard Schenk becomes world champion all-round skater
- Feb 15 Dominican DC-9 crashes into sea at Santo Domingo, kills 102
- Feb 15 KAMU TV channel 15 in College Station, TX (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Feb 15 Nationalists disrupt UN session on Congo
Boxing Title Fight
Feb 16 Joe Frazier TKOs Jimmy Ellis in 5 for heavyweight boxing title
Event of Interest
Feb 18 US President Richard Nixon launches the "Nixon doctrine"
Sports History
Feb 19 AL Cy Young Award winner Denny McLain suspended for bookmaking
Daytona 500
Feb 22 12th Daytona 500: Pete Hamilton wins by just 3 car lengths over David Pearson, after passing him with 9 laps to go
- Feb 23 Guyana becomes a republic (National Day)
- Feb 23 Holy Eucharist given by women for 1st time in Roman Catholic service
- Feb 24 29 Swiss Army officers die in avalanche (Reckingen, Switzerland)
- Feb 24 Dutch schlager singer Heintje Simons (14) wins his 7th gold record
- Feb 24 KVDO TV channel 3 in Salem, OR (IND) begins broadcasting
- Feb 26 Carole Bayer (Sager) and George Fischoff's musical "Georgy" opens at Winter Garden Theater, NYC; runs for 4 performances
- Feb 26 The Beatles release "Hey Jude" compilation album in US (originally to be titled "Beatles Again")
- Feb 27 NY Times (falsely) reports US army has ended domestic surveillance
- Feb 28 Bicycles permitted to cross Golden Gate Bridge
- Feb 28 Carole Bayer (Sager) and George Fischoff's musical "Georgy" closes at Winter Garden Theater, NYC, after 4 performances
- Feb 28 Caroline Walker runs world female record marathon (3:02:53)
- Feb 28 KIIN (now KUN) TV channel 12 in Iowa City, IA (PBS) 1st broadcast
- Feb 28 WUTR TV channel 20 in Utica-Rome, NY (ABC) begins broadcasting
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 1 Yasuyuki Kazama, Japanese auto racer (D1 GP 2005), born in Nagano, Japan
- Feb 2 C. Ernst Harth, Canadian actor
- Feb 2 Erik ten Hag, Dutch football player (FC Twente) and coach (Manchester United), born in Haaksbergen, Netherlands
- Feb 2 James Murphy, American electronic dance-punk rock musician and record producer (LCD Soundsystem - "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House"), born in Princeton Junction, New Jersey,
- Feb 2 Nikolaos Michopoulos, Greek footballer
- Feb 2 Roar Strand, Norwegian footballer
- Feb 3 Óscar Córdoba, Colombian soccer goalkeeper (73 caps; América de Cali, Boca Juniors, Beşiktaş), born in Cali, Colombia
- Feb 3 Richard Kotzen, American rock guitarist and singer (Poison; Mr. Bigg; The Winery Dogs), born in Reading, Pennsylvania
- Feb 3 Warwick Davis, English actor (Willow, Professor Flitwick in Harry Potter films), born in Epsom, England
- Feb 4 Gabrielle Anwar, English actress (Body Snatchers), born in Laleham, England
- Feb 4 John Frascatore, American baseball pitcher (St Louis Cardinals)
- Feb 5 Darren Lehmann, Australian cricket batsman (27 Tests @ 44.95, 5 x 100s; 117 ODIs) and coach (Australia 2013-18), born in Gawler, Australia
- Feb 6 Jeff Rouse, American 50m/100m backstroke swimmer (Olymp-gold/silver-92, 96), born in Fredericksburg, Virginia
- Feb 6 Mark Hutton, Australian baseball pitcher (NY Yankees), born in Adelaide, Australia
- Feb 6 Per Frandsen, Danish footballer, born in Copenhagen, Denmark
- Feb 7 Chris Gardocki, NFL punter (Indianapolis Colts)
- Feb 7 Denis Chasse, NHL right wing (Winnipeg Jets), born in Montreal, Quebec
- Feb 8 Alonzo Mourning, American NBA executive and center (Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets), born in Chesapeake, Virginia
- Feb 8 Cameron Cuffy, West Indian cricketer (St Vincent & WI fast bowler), born in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Glenn McGrath (54 years old)
Feb 9 Australian cricket fast bowler (124 Tests, 563 wickets @ 21.64, BB 8/24; NSW CA, Worcestershire CCC, Middlesex CCC), born in Dubbo, Australia
- Feb 10 Åsne Seierstad, Norwegian journalist, born in Oslo, Norway
- Feb 10 Bobby Jones, American pitcher (NY Mets), born in Fresno, California
- Feb 10 Brendan Eppert, US speed skater (Olympics 1994), born in St Louis, Missouri
- Feb 10 Myrea Pettit, British illustrator
- Feb 10 Nobushige Kumakubo, Japanese racing driver, born in Fukushima, Japan
- Feb 10 Noureddine Naybet, Moroccan footballer, born in Casablanca, Morocco
- Feb 11 Alistair Brown, English cricketer (Surrey & England ODI opening batsman 1996), born in Beckenham, United Kingdom
- Feb 11 Fredrik Thordendal, Swedish heavy metal guitarist (Meshuggah), born in Umeå, Sweden
- Feb 12 Bryan Roy, Dutch football manager and player (Ajax), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Feb 12 Dell Demps, Canadian NBA guard (San Antonio Spurs), born in Long Beach, Canada
- Feb 12 Jim Creeggan, Canadian bassist (Barenaked Ladies), born in Scarborough, Toronto
- Feb 12 Judd Winick, American writer and artist, born in Long Island, New York
- Feb 13 Karoline Krüger, Norwegian pop singer-songwriter, and piano player, born in Bergen, Norway
- Feb 13 Kevin Stocker, American baseball infielder (Philadelphia Phillies), born in Spokane, Washington
- Feb 13 Ruben Brown, NFL guard (Buffalo Bills), born in Englewood, New Jersey
- Feb 14 Giuseppe Guerini, Italian cyclist, born in Gazzaniga, Italy
- Feb 14 Guillaume Raoux, French tennis player, born in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
- Feb 14 Kelly Stinnett, American baseball catcher (NY Mets), born in Lawton, Oklahoma
- Feb 14 Richard Smehlik, Czech NHL defenseman (Team Czech Rep, Buffalo), born in Ostrava, Czechia
- Feb 14 Sean Hill, American NHL defenseman (Ottawa Senators), born in Duluth, Minnesota
Simon Pegg (54 years old)
Feb 14 English comedian and actor (Shaun of the Dead, Mission: Impossible), born in Brockworth, England
- Feb 15 Craig Gass, American impressionist and comedian
- Feb 15 Gloria Trevi, Mexican singer and songwriter (Que Hago Aqui?), born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
- Feb 15 Shepard Fairey, American contemporary street artist, born in Charleston, North Carolina
- Feb 15 Tyrone Legette, NFL cornerback (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), born in Columbia, South Carolina
- Feb 16 Angelo Peruzzi, Italian footballer
- Feb 16 D.J. Wallis, American fitness competitor
- Feb 16 Serdar Ortaç, Turkish pop singer, born in Istanbul, Turkey
- Feb 17 Dominic Purcell, English-born Australian actor (Prison Break), born in Wallasey, England
- Feb 17 Tim Mahoney, American rock guitarist (311), born in Omaha, Nebraska
- Feb 17 Tommy Moe, American nordic skier (Olympic-gold/silver-1994), born in Anchorage, Alaska
- Feb 18 Raine Maida [Michael Maida], Canadian alt-rock singer-songwriter (Our Lady Peace - "Starseed"), born in Westin, Ontario
- Feb 18 Susan Egan, American actress, born in Seal Beach, California
- Feb 18 Tyler Green, American baseball pitcher (Philadelphia Phillies), born in Springfield, Ohio
- Feb 19 Bellamy Young, American actress (Scandal), born in Asheville, North Carolina
- Feb 19 Garland Hawkins, American NFL defensive end (Chicago Bears), born in Washington, D.C.
- Feb 19 Ruwan Kalpage, Sri Lankan cricket off-spinner
- Feb 20 Bryan Robinson, defensive end (St Louis Rams)
- Feb 20 Cheyenne Brando, Papeete Tahiti, daughter of Marlon
- Feb 20 Jeff Robinson, NFL defensive end (Denver Broncos, St Louis Rams)
- Feb 20 Leo Stefan, hockey forward (Team Germany), born in Chelyabinsk, Russia
- Feb 21 Javier De La Hoya, Mexican-American baseball pitcher (Florida Marlins), born in Durango, Mexico
- Feb 21 Marc Woodard, American NFL linebacker (Philadelphia Eagles), born in Kosciusko, Mississippi
- Feb 21 Michael Slater, Australian cricket batsman (74 Tests, 14 x 100, HS 219; NSW CA, Derbyshire CCC) and broadcaster (9 Network, 7 Network), born in Wagga Wagga, Australia
- Feb 23 Niecy Nash [Carol Denise Ensley], American actress, comedienne, and TV host (When They See Us), born in Compton, California
- Feb 23 Oksana Grigorieva [Chernukha], Russian singer-songwriter and pianist (Beautiful Heartache), born in Saransk, Mordovian ASSR, USSR
- Feb 24 Jeff Garcia, American football quarterback (4 x Pro Bowl; SF 49ers, TB Buccaneers; Longest touchdown pass: 99 yards [tied]), born in Gilroy, California
- Feb 24 Jonathan Ward, American actor (Doug-Charles in Charge; Beans Baxter), born in Baltimore, Maryland
- Feb 24 Kienast quintuplets, American quintuplets
- Feb 24 Wilson Alvarez, Maracaibo Venezuela, pitcher (Chicago White Sox)
- Feb 25 Alfred Jordan, CFL cornerback (Calgary Stampeders)
- Feb 25 Brian O'Neal, NFL full back (SF 49ers)
- Feb 25 Corey Mayfield, NFL defensive tackle (Jacksonville Jaguars)
- Feb 25 Dave Brown, NFL quarterback (NY Giants)
- Feb 25 Troy Mallette, Sudbury, NHL left wing (Ottawa Senators)
- Feb 26 Katie O'Neill, American actress (Together We Stand), born in Los Angeles, California
- Feb 26 Meeno Peluce, Dutch actor (Bad News Bears), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Feb 26 Sasha Danilovic, Serbian NBA guard (Miami Heat), born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Feb 27 David White, American NFL linebacker (Buffalo Bills), born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Kent Desormeaux (54 years old)
Feb 27 American thoroughbred jockey (Kentucky Derby 1998, 2000, 08; Preakness Stakes 1998, 2008, 16; Belmont Stakes 2009; US Champion Jockey by wins 1987, 88, 89), born in Maurice, Louisiana
- Feb 27 Matthias Lechner, German art director, born in Mannheim, West Germany
- Feb 27 Michael A. Burstein, American writer, born in New York City
- Feb 27 Patricia Petibon, French opera singer, born in Montargis, France
- Feb 28 Daniel Handler, American writer, better known as Lemony Snicket
- Feb 28 Mika Stromberg, Finnish ice hockey defenseman (Team Finland), born in Helsinki, Finland
- Feb 28 Noureddine Morceli, Algeria, 1500m runner (Olympic gold 1996)
Famous Deaths
- Feb 1 Alfréd Rényi, Hungarian mathematician, dies at 48
- Feb 1 Blaž Arnič, Slovenian composer (Ples čarovnic (The Dance of the Witches)), and pedagogue, dies in a car crash at 69
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)
Feb 2 English mathematician and philosopher (Nobel 1950), dies at 97
- Feb 2 Dave Franklin, American composer (The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down), dies at 74
- Feb 2 Jaroslav Vogel, Czech composer and conductor (Brno Philharmonic, 1959-62; Ostrava Orchestra 1919- 43), dies at 76
- Feb 2 Lawrence Gray, American actor, dies at 71
- Feb 4 Louise Bogan, American poet (Sleeping Fury) and critic, dies at 72
- Feb 5 Rudy York, American baseball player (b. 1913)
- Feb 6 Roscoe Karns, American actor (Capt Shafer-Hennesey), dies at 78
- Feb 7 Abe Attell, American boxer known as "The Little Hebrew" and World Featherweight Champion (1906-12), dies at 86
- Feb 11 Emil Abranyi, Hungarian composer, conductor, and opera director, dies at 87
- Feb 11 H. M. Bateman, British cartoonist (The Man Who... series), dies at 82
- Feb 12 André Souris, Belgian composer, dies at 79
- Feb 13 Herbert Strudwick, English cricket wicketkeeper (28 Tests, 73 dismissals; Surrey CCC), dies at 90
- Feb 15 Hugh Dowding, commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain, dies at 87
- Feb 17 Alfred Newman, American film music arranger, conductor and composer, winner of 9 Academy Awards (The Robe; How The West Was Won; Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing), dies at 69
- Feb 17 Shmuel Agnon, Israeli writer (Day Before Yesterday, Nobel Prize for Literature 1966), dies at 81 [1]
- Feb 18 Desideer Stracke, Flemish jesuit and literature historian, dies at 94
- Feb 19 Ralph Flanders, American politician (Senator-Vermont), dies at 89
- Feb 20 Albert Louis Wolff, French conductor and composer, dies at 86
- Feb 20 Café Filho, 18th Brazilian President (1954-1955), dies aged 71
- Feb 20 Sophie Treadwell, American playwright and journalist, dies at 84
- Feb 23 Hirsch Jacobs, American thoroughbred horse trainer and owner (b. 1904)
- Feb 24 Conrad Nagel, American actor (All That Heaven Allows, Celebrity Time), dies at 72
- Feb 25 Mark Rothko [Marcus Rothkovich], Latvian-American abstract expressionist (Green on Blue), takes his own life at 66
- Feb 26 Ethel Leginska [Liggins], British pianist, conductor, composer, and music educator, dies of a stroke at 83
- Feb 27 Marie Dionne, one of the French Canadian Dionne quintuplets (b. 1934)
- Feb 27 Robert Bruce Lockhart, diplomat/writer, dies
