Historical Events
- Feb 4 German extortionist Klaus-Peter Sabotta is jailed for life for attempted murder and extortion in connection with the sabotage of German railway lines.
- Feb 4 Simulation video game "The Sims" developed by Maxis released in North America
50th NHL All-Star Game
Feb 6 50th NHL All-Star Game, Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON: World beats North America, 9-4; MVP: Pavel Bure, Florida Panthers, RW
NFL Pro Bowl
Feb 6 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 51-31; MVP: Randy Moss, Minnesota Vikings, WR, HI
- Feb 7 Bahria University is established through Presidential Ordinance No. V of 2000 by the Government of Pakistan
Both Sides Now
Feb 8 Reprise Records releases "Both Sides Now", Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell's 17th studio album, a collection of torch songs, including re-worked versions of two of her own, backed by an orchestra
NBA All-Star Game
Feb 13 49th NBA All-Star Game, Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA: West beats East, 137-127; MVPs: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs, F; Shaquille O'Neal, LA Lakers, C
Music Premiere
Feb 13 Robert Wilson and Lou Reed's avant garde opera "POEtry", based on the life and work of Edgar Allan Poe, premieres at the Thalia Theater, Hamburg, Germany
Event of Interest
Feb 13 The last original "Peanuts" comic strip appears in newspapers one day after Charles M. Schulz dies
ESPY Awards
Feb 14 8th ESPY Awards: Tiger Woods, Mia Hamm win
- Feb 14 The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker enters orbit around asteroid 433 Eros, the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.
- Feb 15 Indian Point II nuclear power plant in New York State vents a small amount of radioactive steam when a steam generator fails
NHL History
Feb 15 Martin Brodeur becomes first goaltender in NHL history to get credit for a "game winning" goal as New Jersey wins, 4-2 over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers
- Feb 18 Stjepan Mesić becomes the second President of Croatia
Daytona 500
Feb 20 42nd Daytona 500: Polesitter Dale Jarrett wins his 3rd Great American Race ahead of Jeff Gordon and Bill Elliott
Grammy Awards
Feb 23 42nd Grammy Awards: "Smooth" by Santana; Christina Aguilera win
Two Against Nature
Feb 29 Giant Records releases American rock band Steely Dan's "Two Against Nature", their eighth studio album, and first in 20 years; it wins four Grammy Awards.
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 10 Yara Shahidi, American actress (Black-ish), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Feb 20 Kristóf Milák, Hungarian swimmer (Olympic gold men's 200m butterfly, silver 100m butterfly 2020; World C'ship gold 200m butterfly 2019 WR 1:50.73), born in Budapest, Hungary
- Feb 26 Maggie Mac Neil, Canadian swimmer (Olympic gold women's 100m butterfly 2020; World C'ship gold 2019), born in Jiujiang, China
Famous Deaths
- Feb 1 Dick Rathmann, American auto racer (first Indy pole-sitter to complete no laps), dies at 74
- Feb 1 Roger Landry, Canadian businessman and newspaper publisher (La Presse), dies at 86
- Feb 2 Todor Popov, Bulgarian composer, dies at 79
- Feb 3 Richard Kleindienst, American lawyer and civil servant (Attorney General during Watergate scandal, 1972-73), dies of lung cancer at 76
- Feb 4 Carl Albert, American politician, 54th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1971-77), dies at 91
- Feb 4 Doris Coley, American pop singer (The Shirelles - "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"; "Baby It's You"), dies of breast cancer at 58
- Feb 4 Phil Tonken, American radio and television announcer, dies at 80
- Feb 5 Barbara Pentland, Canadian concert pianist and composer, dies at 88
- Feb 5 Claude Autant-Lara, French film director (Four Bags Full, Rouge et noir), dies at 98
- Feb 7 "Lonesome Dave" Peverett, British rock singer and musician (Foghat, Savoy Brown), dies of complications from cancer at 56
- Feb 7 Big Pun [Christopher Rios], Puerto Rican-American rapper ("I'm Not A Player"), dies of a heart attack at 28
- Feb 7 Doug Henning, Canadian magician, dies at 52
- Feb 8 Bob Collins [Harold Lee], American radio broadcaster (WGN- 720AM, Chicago, 1986-2000), die in mid-air plane collision at 57
- Feb 8 Derrick Thomas, American Pro and College Football Hall of Fame linebacker / end (Pro Bowl 1989–97; First-team All-Pro 1990–92; KC Chiefs), dies of a pulmonary embolism at 33
- Feb 8 Sid Abel, Canadian ice hockey player (Detroit Red Wings), dies at 81
- Feb 9 Beau Jack, American boxer (NYSAC world lightweight champion 1942-44), dies of complications from Parkinson's disease at 78
- Feb 10 Jim Varney, American actor (Ernest Goes to Jail; Hey Vern: The Beverly Hillbillies movie), dies of lung cancer at 50
- Feb 10 Ronald Roseman, American oboist, composer, and music professor, dies of cancer at 66
- Feb 11 Jacqueline Auriol, French aviator, dies at 82
- Feb 11 Roger Vadim, French film director (And God Created Woman; Barbarella), dies of cancer at 72
- Feb 12 (Jalacy) "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins, American blues-rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter ("I Put a Spell On You"), and actor, dies of an aneurysm at 70
- Feb 12 Andy Lewis, Australian musician (The Whitlams), commits suicide at 33
Charles M. Schulz (1922-2000)
Feb 12 American cartoonist (Peanuts), dies of colon cancer at 77
- Feb 12 Oliver [William Swofford], American pop singer ("Good Morning Starshine"), dies of cancer at 54
Tom Landry (1924-2000)
Feb 12 American NFL player, 1949-55 (NY Giants) and coach, 1960-88 (Dallas Cowboys), dies of leukemia at 75
- Feb 13 James Cooke Brown, American author and inventor (b. 1921)
- Feb 14 Walter Zinn, Canadian-American nuclear physicist (invented the breeder reactor), dies at 93
- Feb 16 Karsten Solheim, American golf entrepreneur (PING, Solheim Cup), dies at 88
- Feb 16 Lila Kedrova, Russian-born actress (Zorba the Greek (1964), Sword of the Valiant, The Tenant), dies of congestive heart disease and Alzheimer's disease at 81
- Feb 16 Marceline Day [Newlin], American actress, mostly in silent films (The Cameraman; The Jazz Age; The Arm of the Law), dies at 91
- Feb 18 Willy Maltaite, Belgian comics creator (b. 1927
- Feb 19 Anatoly Sobchak, Russian politician (Mayor of Saint Petersburg), dies of a suspected poisoning at 62
- Feb 19 Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Austrian-New Zealand artist and architect (Hundertwasserhaus) known for his work in environmental protection, dies at 71
- Feb 19 Marin Goleminov, Bulgarian violinist, composer, and pedagogue, dies at 91
- Feb 20 Anatoly Sobchak, Russian politician (b. 1937)
- Feb 21 Antonio Díaz-Miguel, Spanish basketball coach (b. 1933)
- Feb 21 Violet Archer [Balestreri], Canadian percussionist, composer, teacher, and organist, dies at 86
- Feb 22 Fernando Buesa, Spanish politician (b. 1946)
- Feb 22 Louis Alfred Mennini, American composer, dies at 79
- Feb 23 Albrecht Goes, German writer and theologian, dies at 91
- Feb 23 Ofra Haza, Israeli singer (b. 1957)
- Feb 23 Stanley Matthews, English soccer forward (54 caps; Stoke City, Blackpool; 1st British player to be knighted), dies at 85
- Feb 26 George L. Street III, American Navy Submariner and Medal of Honor recipient, dies at 86
- Feb 26 Giovanna of Savoy, Italian princess, and Tsaritsa of Bulgaria (1930-43), dies at 92
- Feb 28 George Siravo, American big band and session saxophonist, composer, arranger and conductor (Columbia Records), dies at 83
- Feb 29 Abe Bolar, American double bass player (Oklahoma City Blue Devils; Hot Lips Page; Count Basie), dies at 90
- Feb 29 Dennis Danell, American punk rock guitarist (Social Distortion), dies of heart failure at 38
