Historical Events
- Feb 1 Arsenal’s English Premier League record 33-game unbeaten streak at home ends when the Gunners go down, 4-2 to Manchester United at Highbury
- Feb 1 Canada introduces the Civil Marriage Act, making Canada the fourth country to sanction same-sex marriage.
- Feb 1 Nepalese King Gyanendra exercises Coup d'état to capture the democracy becoming Chairman of the Councils of ministers.
Blair Longest Labour PM
Feb 6 Tony Blair, now the longest-serving Labour PM, marks 2,838 days as British Prime Minister
- Feb 7 Britain's Ellen MacArthur becomes the then fastest person to sail solo around the world, taking 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds
- Feb 8 Leaders of both Palestine and Israel declare a truce in what many hope will be a "new era of peace"
- Feb 10 55th Berlin International Film Festival: "U-Carmen" wins the Golden Bear
Engagement of Charles and Camilla
Feb 10 His Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales announces engagement to Camilla Parker Bowles
NFL Pro Bowl
Feb 13 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 38-27; MVP: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts, QB, HI
- Feb 14 Lebanon's former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, is assassinated, prompting the country to fall into chaos.
- Feb 14 Online video sharing site YouTube is launched in the United States by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim; headquarteredin San Bruno, California
- Feb 14 Seven people are killed and 151 wounded in a series of bombings by suspected Al-Qaeda-linked militants that hit the Philippines' Makati financial district in Metro Manila, Davao City, and General Santos City.
- Feb 16 2004-05 NHL season is cancelled by Commissioner Gary Bettman; first time a North American professional sports league has called off a season due to labor dispute
- Feb 16 Kyoto Protocol comes into force following its ratification by Russia, committing industrialized nations to limit and reduce greenhouse gases
The Apprentice UK
Feb 16 The UK version of "The Apprentice" with British business magnate Alan Sugar premieres on the BBC
- Feb 20 47th Daytona 500: Jeff Gordon able to hold off Kurt Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr over 3 extra laps to win his third Daytona 500
- Feb 20 54th NBA All-Star Game, Pepsi Center, Denver, CO: East beats West, 125-115; MVP: Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers, G
- Feb 20 Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout.
- Feb 22 19th Soap Opera Digest Awards - "General Hospital" wins
Summit of Interest
Feb 23 Slovakia Summit 2005 begins; George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend - 1st visit of a sitting US President to Slovakia
- Feb 23 Vote of the controversial French law on colonialism, repealed start of 2006
- Feb 26 25th Golden Raspberry Awards: "Catwoman" wins
Event of Interest
Feb 26 President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak orders the constitution changed to allow multi-candidate presidential elections, asking the Egyptian parliament to amend Article 76
Academy Awards
Feb 27 77th Academy Awards: "Million Dollar Baby", Jamie Foxx, and Hilary Swank win
Soul Train Music Awards
Feb 28 19th Soul Train Music Awards: Ice Cube, Usher & Ciara win
- Feb 28 A suicide bombing at a police recruiting centre in Al Hillah, Iraq kills 127.
- Feb 28 Lebanon's pro-Syrian prime minister, Omar Karami, resigns amid large anti-Syria street demonstrations in Beirut.
Dakota
Feb 28 Stereophonics release their single "Dakota", later their first #1 UK single
2005 History
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 25 Linda Caicedo, Colombian football player (Real Madrid, Colombia), born in Candelaria, Colombia
Famous Weddings
Keith Hernandez
Feb 14 Retired baseball player Keith Hernandez (51) weds Kai Thompson in Miami Beach, Florida
Bobby Flay
Feb 20 American "Iron Chef America" host Bobby Flay (40) weds former "Law and Order: SVU" actress Stephanie March (30) at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in New York City; divorce in 2015
Famous Deaths
- Feb 1 Franco Mannino, Italian pianist, conductor, classical concert, opera, and film score composer (Death in Venice; Il diavolo in giardino), dies at 80
- Feb 1 George Douglass Milne, British peer, soldier and artist, dies at 95
- Feb 1 John Vernon [Adolphus Agopsowicz], Canadian actor (Animal House, Chained Heat, Dirty Harry), dies at 72
Max Schmeling (1905-2005)
Feb 2 German boxer (world heavyweight champion 1930-32), dies at 99
- Feb 3 Corrado Cardinal Bafile, Italian Catholic cardinal (b. 1903)
- Feb 3 Ernst Mayr, German-American biologist (evolutionary theory), dies at 100
- Feb 3 Zurab Zhvania, Prime Minister of Georgia (b. 1963)
- Feb 4 Peter Heine, South African cricketer (solid South African fast bowler in 1950's), dies at 76
- Feb 4 Raiford "Ossie" Davis, American actor, director, author, and civil rights activist (Purlie Victorious, Do the Right Thing, Hot Stuff, Man Called Adam), dies from heart problems at 87
Gnassingbé Eyadéma (1935-2005)
Feb 5 General and President of Togo (1967-2005), dies of a heart attack at 69
- Feb 6 Karl Haas, American radio presenter (b. 1913)
- Feb 6 Lazar Berman, Russian pianist (Budapes,t 3rd place - 1956), dies at 74
- Feb 7 Bob Turner, Canadian Hockey HOF defenseman (Stanley Cup 1956, 57, 58, 59, 60 Montreal Canadiens; 6 x NHL All Star), dies at 71
- Feb 8 Helmut Eder, Austrian composer, dies at 88
- Feb 8 Jimmy Smith, American jazz musician and organist (Walk On The Wild Side), dies at 79
- Feb 8 Keith Knudsen, American drummer, vocalist and songwriter (The Doobie Brothers; Southern Pacific), dies of pneumonia at 56
- Feb 9 Tyrone Davis, American R&B singer ("Can I Change My Mind"; "Turn Back The Hands Of Time"), dies of complications from a stroke at 66
Arthur Miller (1915-2005)
Feb 10 American playwright (Death of a Salesman; The Crucible), dies of heart failure while battling bladder cancer at 89
- Feb 11 Jack L. Chalker, American author (b. 1944)
- Feb 12 Brian Kelly, American actor (Flipper, Straightaway), dies at 71
- Feb 12 John Vivian Dacie, English haematologist (discovered haemophilia B), dies at 92
- Feb 12 Rafael Vidal, Venezuelan athlete, dies in a car accident at 41
- Feb 12 Sammi Smith, American country music singer (Help Me Make It Through the Night), dies at 61
- Feb 13 Dick Weber, American professional ten-pin bowling pro (16x 300 games), dies at 75
- Feb 13 Emilios T. Harlaftis, Greek astrophysicist, dies at 40
- Feb 13 Lúcia Santos, Portuguese Carmelite nun and Fatima visionary, dies at 97
- Feb 13 Maurice Trintignant, French race car driver (Le Mans, 1954). and vintner, dies at 87
- Feb 13 Nelson Briles, American MLB player (St Louis Cardinals), dies at 61
- Feb 13 Sixten Ehrling, Swedish pianist, conductor (Royal Opera of Stockholm, 1953-60; Detroit Symphony, 1963-73), and educator (Juilliard, 1973-87), dies at 86
- Feb 14 Rafik Hariri, Lebanese politician and billionaire businessman (b. 1944)
- Feb 15 Pierre Bachelet, French singer and songwriter, dies of lung cancer at 60
- Feb 15 Sam Francis, American far-right conservative columnist and editor (The Washington Times, 1991-95), dies after unsuccessful heart surgery at 57
- Feb 16 Michael McCrum, English academic and Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University, dies at 80
- Feb 16 Nicole DeHuff, American actress (pneumonia) (b. 1975)
- Feb 16 Queen Narriman, second and last wife of King Farouk and mother of their only child King Fuad II
- Feb 17 Daniel "Dan" O'Herlihy, Irish actor (Twin Peaks, Fail Safe, Last Starfighter, Robocop), dies of natural causes at 85
- Feb 17 Omar Sívori, Argentine soccer forward and manager (19 caps Argentina, 9 caps Italy; Juventus), dies of pancreatic cancer at 69
Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005)
Feb 20 American journalist and author (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), commits suicide via a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 67
- Feb 20 John Raitt, American stage and screen singer and actor (Carousel; Pajama Game), dies from pneumonia at 88
- Feb 20 Pam Bricker, American jazz singer (Thievery Corporation) takes her own life at 50
- Feb 20 Sandra Dee [Alexandra Zuck], American actress (Gidget, Imitation of Life), dies of kidney disease complication at 62
- Feb 20 Tom Willmore, English geometer, dies at 85
- Feb 20 William Gordon Harris, British civil engineer, dies at 92
- Feb 21 Ara Berberian, American opera bass singer (Metropolitan Opera, 1979-97), dies at 74
- Feb 21 Eugene Scott, American religious broadcaster (b. 1929)
- Feb 21 Gérard Bessette, Quebec novelist and poet (b. 1920)
- Feb 21 Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Cuban novelist (b. 1929)
- Feb 22 Harry Simeone, American music arranger (Kate Smith Show, "The Little Drummer Boy"), dies at 94
- Feb 22 Lee Eun Ju, Korean actress (b. 1980)
- Feb 22 Reggie Roby, American football punter (3 × Pro Bowl; All-Pro 1984, 94; NFL 1980s All-Decade Team; Miami Dolphins), dies from a heart attack at 43
- Feb 22 Simone Simon, French actress (All Money Can Buy, Ladies in Love), dies from natural causes at 94
- Feb 22 Zdzisław Beksiński, Polish artist (b. 1929)
- Feb 25 Edward Patten, American soul singer (Gladys Knight & the Pips), dies of a stroke at 65
- Feb 25 Peter Benenson, Britsh founder of Amnesty International, dies at 83
- Feb 26 Ian Colquhoun, New Zealand cricket wicket-keeper (2 Tests, 4 dismissals), dies at 80
- Feb 26 Jef Raskin, American computer scientist (b. 1943)
- Feb 27 Allan Rae, Jamaican cricketer (prolific WI opening batsman 1948-53), dies at 82
- Feb 28 Chris Curtis [Crummey], British rock drummer, songwriter and vocalist (The Searchers - "Needles And Pins"), dies at 63
