Historical Events
- Feb 4 51st NHL All-Star Game, Pepsi Centre, Denver, CO: North America beats World, 14-12; MVP: Bill Guerin, Boston Bruins, RW
- Feb 4 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 38-17; MVP: Rich Gannon, Oakland Raiders, QB
- Feb 7 51st Berlin International Film Festival: "Intimacy" wins the Golden Bear
- Feb 9 American submarine USS Greeneville accidentally strikes and sinks the Ehime-Maru, a Japanese training vessel operated by the Uwajima Fishery High School; nine the Ehime-Maru's crew members were killed, including four high school students.
- Feb 11 50th NBA All-Star Game, MCI Centre, Washington, D.C.: East beats West, 111-110; MVP: Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers, G
- Feb 12 "Ain't Nothing 'bout You" single released by Brooks & Dunn
ESPY Awards
Feb 12 9th ESPY Awards: Tiger Woods, Marion Jones win
- Feb 12 NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft lands in the "saddle" region of 433 Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid
- Feb 13 An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter Scale hits El Salvador, killing at least 400.
- Feb 15 First draft of the complete human genome is published in the journal "Nature"
- Feb 16 Mathieu Schneider of the Los Angeles Kings becomes the first defenseman in history to score a goal against all 30 NHL teams as LA beats Minnesota, 4-0
Daytona 500
Feb 18 43rd Daytona 500: Michael Waltrip wins tragic race; last lap crash claims life of Dale Earnhardt, prompting sport to implement new safety procedures
Event of Interest
Feb 18 FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested for spying for the Soviet Union. He is ultimately convicted and sentenced to life in prison, where he dies
- Feb 19 An Oklahoma City bombing museum is dedicated at the Oklahoma City National Memorial
- Feb 20 The United States Supreme Court declines to consider an appeal by five major oil companies against Unocal's patent on production of cleaner "reformulated" gasoline sold in California
- Feb 21 43rd Grammy Awards: "Beautiful Day"; Shelby Lynne win
- Feb 23 32nd NAACP Image Awards: "Remember the Titans" wins Outstanding Motion Picture
BAFTA Awards
Feb 25 54th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs): "Gladiator" Best Film, Ang Lee Best Director
- Feb 26 The Taliban destroy two giant Buddha statues in Bamyan, Afghanistan.
Soul Train Music Awards
Feb 28 15th Soul Train Music Awards: The Isley Brothers, Destiny's Child & Jay-Z win
- Feb 28 Six passengers and four railway staff are killed and a further 82 people suffer serious injuries in the Selby rail crash
- Feb 28 The Nisqually Earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale hits the Nisqually Valley and the Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia area of the U.S. state of Washington.
- Feb 28 The US Environmental Protection Agency announces that it intends to proceed with implementation of tighter restrictions on sulfur content in diesel fuel; the rule is opposed by many in the refining industry
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 19 David Mazouz, American actor (Gotham), born in Los Angeles, California
Famous Weddings
Diane von Furstenberg
Feb 2 Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg (54) weds media tycoon Barry Diller
David Justice
Feb 8 MLB outfielder David Justice (34) weds model Rebecca Villalobos
Weird Al Yankovic
Feb 10 American parody singer and accordionist Weird Al Yankovic (41) weds American marketing executive Suzanne Krajewski (41)
Kathy Griffin
Feb 18 Comedian Kathy Griffin (37) weds computer administrator Matthew Moline (32) at the 360 Degree Restaurant in Hollywood
Famous Deaths
- Feb 1 André D'Allemagne, Quebec teacher, political observer and essayist, dies at 71
- Feb 4 Iannis Xenakis, Romanian-born, Greek-French composer, music theorist, and architect who helped revolutionize 20th century classical music (Metastaseis), dies after several years of serious illness at 78
- Feb 4 J. J. Johnson, American jazz trombonist and composer, dies at 77
- Feb 4 Pankaj Roy, Indian cricket batsman (45 Tests, 5 x 100, HS 173; WR opening partnership [Vinoo Mankad] 413; Bengal), dies at 72
- Feb 4 Raimo Kangro, Estonian composer (Butterflies in the Stone), dies at 51
- Feb 6 Filemon Lagman, Filipino Communist revolutionary (b. 1953)
- Feb 6 Fulgence Charpentier, French Canadian journalist, dies at 103
- Feb 6 Jack Hyles, Independent Baptist pastor (First Baptist Church of Hammond 1959-2001), dies at 74
Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1906-2001)
Feb 7 American author and aviator (Gift from the Sea), dies of a stroke at 94
Herbert A. Simon (1916-2001)
Feb 9 American political scientist (Nobel Prize in Economics, 1978; Turing Award, 1975), dies at 84
- Feb 9 Reginald Marsh, British actor (Sicilians: It Happened Here), dies at 74
- Feb 10 Abraham Beame, American politician (Mayor of New York City, 1974-44, 1st Jewish mayor), dies at 94
- Feb 10 George "Buddy" Tate, American jazz saxophonist, dies at 87
- Feb 10 Lewis Arquette, American actor (Horror Show; Book of Love), dies at 65
- Feb 12 Kristina Söderbaum, German actress and photographer, dies at 88
- Feb 13 Montague Woodhouse, British military officer and politician (WWII organized the resistance forces in Crete, MI6 agent), dies at 83
- Feb 14 Alan Ross, British poet and editor (London Magazine), dies at 78
- Feb 15 Boris Goldovsky, Russian-American conductor, educator (Tanglewood, 1942-62), and opera broadcast commentator (Metropolitan Opera, 1946-85), dies at 92
- Feb 16 Bob Buhl, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1960, 60²; World Series 1957 Milwaukee Braves; Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies), dies at 72
- Feb 16 Howard W. Koch, American film director (b. 1916)
- Feb 16 William Masters, American gynecologist who studied sexual dysfunction, dies of complications from Parkinson's disease at 85
- Feb 17 Bob Geary, Canadian football player and manager (b. 1933)
- Feb 17 Debbie Dean [Reba Smith], American pop singer and songwriter (Motown), dies at 73
- Feb 17 Khalid Abdul Muhammed, American Nation of Islam spokesman (b. 1948)
- Feb 18 Balthus [Balthazar Klossowski], French Polish painter, dies at 92
- Feb 18 Colin Cole, British Principal King of Arms (highest English and Welsh heraldic office), dies at 78
Dale Earnhardt (1951-2001)
Feb 18 American auto racer (7 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championships), dies in crash during Daytona 500 at 49
- Feb 18 Eddie Mathews, American Baseball HOF third baseman (512 career HRs; 12 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1957, 68; Boston/Milwaukee Braves) and manager (Atlanta Braves 1972-74), dies from pneumonia at 69
- Feb 19 Charles Trenet, French pop singer and songwriter ("Boum!"; "La Mer"), dies at 87
- Feb 19 Priscilla Davis, American socialite (b. 1942)
- Feb 19 Stanley Kramer, American producer/director (Inherit the Wind), dies at 87
- Feb 20 Bill Rigney, American baseball infielder (MLB All Star 1948; NY Giants) and manager (NY/SF Giants; LA Angels; Minnesota Twins), dies at 83
- Feb 20 Rosemary DeCamp, American actress (b. 1910)
- Feb 21 Ronnie Hilton, British radio presenter and singer (Moonraker), dies at 75
- Feb 22 John Farley, American folk singer and guitarist (Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death), dies at 61
- Feb 23 Robert Enrico, French film director and screenwriter (b. 1931)
- Feb 23 Ruth Railton, British musical director (National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, 1948-65), dies at 85
Claude Shannon (1916-2001)
Feb 24 American mathematician and information theorist (A Mathematical Theory of Communication), dies at 84 [1]
Donald Bradman (1908-2001)
Feb 25 Australian cricket batsman and captain (52 Tests; 6,996 runs @ WR 99.94 average; HS 334; 29 x 100s), dies of pneumonia at 92
- Feb 26 Arturo Uslar Pietri, Venezuelan writer, historian and politician (Lanzas Coloradas), dies at 94
