Historical Events
Bernanke Succeeds Greenspan
Feb 1 Economist Ben Bernanke becomes chairman of the US Federal Reserve, succeeding Alan Greenspan
- Feb 1 High school senior Epiphanny Prince scores US girls national prep basketball record 113 points in Murry Bergtraum HS's 137-32 win over Brandeis HS; surpasses Cheryl Miller's 105
Sports History
Feb 1 Thierry Henry breaks Arsenal legend Cliff Bastin's league goals record, bringing his league goal tally to 151
Uma Thurman Honored
Feb 7 Uma Thurman is named a knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France for outstanding achievement in the field of art and literature
48th Grammy Awards
Feb 8 48th Grammy Awards: Boulevard Of Broken Dreams, John Legend win
- Feb 9 56th Berlin International Film Festival: "Grbavica" wins the Golden Bear
Michaels Joins Saturday Night Football
Feb 9 Al Michaels joins NBC's "Sunday Night Football" broadcast with John Madden
XX Winter Olympics
Feb 10 XX Winter Olympic Games open in Turin, Italy, Luciano Pavarotti sings "Nessun dorma" in his last ever performance
Cheney Hunting Accident
Feb 11 US Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shoots and injures Harry Whittington while on a quail hunt on a ranch in Riviera, Texas
- Feb 12 A powerful winter storm blankets the Northeastern United States dumping 1 to 2 feet of snow from Washington, D.C. up to Boston, Massachusetts. The storm dumped a record 26.9 inches of snow in New York City.
- Feb 12 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 23-17; MVP: Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, LB
- Feb 16 The last Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army
- Feb 17 A massive mudslide occurs in Southern Leyte, Philippines; the official death toll is set at 1,126.
- Feb 19 48th Daytona 500: Jimmie Johnson driving from Hendrick Motorsports wins 203 lap race; goes on to win his first championship
NBA All-Star Game
Feb 19 55th NBA All-Star Game, Toyota Centre, Houston, TX: East beats West, 122-120; MVP: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers, F
BAFTA Awards
Feb 19 59th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs): "Brokeback Mountain" Best Film, Ang Lee Best Director
- Feb 22 At least six men stage Britain's biggest robbery ever, stealing £53m (about $92.5 million or 78€ million) from a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent
- Feb 23 Dubai Ports World agrees to postpone its plans to take over management of six U.S. ports after the proposal ignited harsh bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill.
Event of Interest
Feb 24 President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declares Proclamation 1017 placing the country in a state of emergency in attempt to subdue possible military coup.
- Feb 26 XX Winter Olympic Games close in Turin, Italy
Famous Weddings
Glenn Close
Feb 3 Academy Award-winning actress Glenn Close (58) weds David Evans Shaw in Maine
- Feb 4 2004 Summer Olympics badminton player gold medalist Taufik Hidayat (24) weds Armi Dianti Gumelar at Hotel Mulia Senayan in Jakarta
Carlene Carter
Feb 4 Daughter of June Carter country singer Carlene Carter (50) weds (for a fourth time) Joe Breen at Cinnamon Hill in Jamaica; divorce 2020
Henry Hill
Feb 14 American mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill (62) weds 3rd wife Lisa Caserta
Famous Deaths
- Feb 1 Bryce Harland, New Zealand diplomat, dies at 74
- Feb 1 Dick Bass, American NFL running back (Pro Bowl 1962, 63, 66; LA Rams), dies at 68
- Feb 3 Al Lewis [Alexander Meister], American actor (The Munsters, Used Cars), dies at 82
- Feb 3 Lou Jones, American athlete (Olympic gold 4x400m relay 1956), dies at 74
- Feb 3 Romano Mussolini, Italian jazz pianist, and bandleader, dies of heart failure at 78
- Feb 3 Tilo Medek [Müller-Medek], German composer (Die Todesfuge), musicologist, and music publisher, dies at 66
Betty Friedan (1921-2006)
Feb 4 American writer (The Feminine Mystique), and feminist (1st President of NOW, 1966-70), dies of congestive heart failure at 85
- Feb 4 Myron Waldman, American animator (Fleischer Studio), dies at 97
- Feb 5 Franklin Cover, American actor (Tom-The Jeffersons), dies at 77
- Feb 5 Norma Candal, Puerto Rican actress and comedian (La criada malcriada), dies at 78
- Feb 6 Pedro Gonzales-Gonzalez, American actor (Rio Bravo), dies at 80
- Feb 7 Hadice Hayriye Ayshe Dürrühsehvar, Ottoman Princess of Berar, daughter of the last caliph Abdulmejid II, wife of last nizam of Hyderabad, dies at 92
- Feb 7 Jack Montrose, American "cool jazz" tenor saxophonist and arranger, dies at 78
- Feb 7 Shujauddin Butt, Pakistani cricket all-rounder (19 Tests, 20 wickets; Combined Services, Bahawalpur), dies at 75
- Feb 8 Akira Ifukube, Japanese composer, best known for his film scores in the Godzilla films, dies at 91
- Feb 8 Elton Dean, English jazz and progressive rock saxophonist (Soft Machine), dies of heart and liver ailments at 60 (b. 1945)
- Feb 9 Freddie Laker, British airline entrepreneur (Laker airlines), dies at 83
- Feb 9 Nadira, Indian actress (b. 1932)
- Feb 9 Ron Greenwood, English soccer defender (Brentford) and manager (West Ham Utd 1961-74; FA Cup 1964, European Cup Winners' Cup 1965; England 1977-82), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 84
- Feb 10 Dick Harmon, American golf instructor (Fred Couples, Jay Haas, Craig Stadler, Lanny Wadkins, Steve Elkington), dies from pneumonia at 58
- Feb 10 J. Dilla [James Dewitt Yancey], American rapper and producer (Donuts), dies of a heart attack at 32
- Feb 10 Norman E. Shumway, American pioneer cardiac transplant surgeon (1st US adult human to human heart transplantation), dies at 83
- Feb 11 Jackie Pallo, English professional wrestler, dies at 79
- Feb 11 Jockey Shabalala, South African singer (Ladysmith Black Mambazo), dies at 62
- Feb 13 Andreas Katsulas, Greek-American actor (b. 1946)
- Feb 13 Edna Lewis 'the Mother of Soul Food', American chef and author (elevated Southern cooking), dies at 89 [1]
- Feb 13 Peter Strawson, British philosopher (Oxford University), dies at 86
- Feb 13 Wang Xuan, Chinese computer scientist, dies at 66
- Feb 14 Darry Cowl, French musician and actor, dies at 80
- Feb 14 Hans Olof “Putte” Wickman, Swedish jazz clarinetist, dies at 81
- Feb 14 Lynden David Hall, British singer (b. 1974)
- Feb 14 Shoshana Damari, Israeli singer and actress (b. 1923)
- Feb 15 Andrey Petrov, Soviet-Russian classical and film score composer (Creation of the World), dies at 75
- Feb 16 Ernie Stautner, American Pro Football HOF defensive end (Super Bowl 1971, 77; 4 × All-Pro First Team; 9 × Pro Bowl; Pittsburgh Steelers), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 80
- Feb 16 Johnny Grunge, American pro wrestler (4 x ECW World Tag Team C'ship, WCW World Tag Team C'ship [with Rocco Rock], dies of sleep apnea complications at 39
- Feb 17 Bill Cowsill, American singer and musician (The Cowsills - "Hair"; "The Rain, The Park, And Other Thing"), dies of emphysema at 58
- Feb 17 Ray Barretto, American percussionist and Latin jazz bandleader (Charanga Moderna - "El Watusi"), dies at 76
- Feb 18 Charles Leonard, American pentathlete (Olympic silver medal 1936), dies at 92
- Feb 18 Richard Bright, American actor (Al Neri-Godfather), dies at 68
- Feb 20 Curt Gowdy, American sportscaster and author (Ford C. Frick Award; Pete Rozelle Award; lifetime achievement Emmy, 1992), dies of leukemia at 86
- Feb 20 Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist, writer and traveller (b. 1920)
- Feb 21 Angelica Rozeanu, Romanian table tennis player (World C'ship gold x 17; singles 1950-55), dies at 84
- Feb 22 Anthony Burger, American musician and singer (b. 1961)
- Feb 22 Hilde Domin [Hilde Palm], German writer and poet, dies at 96
- Feb 23 Benno Besson, Swiss actor and director (Der Arzt wider Willen), dies at 83
- Feb 23 Telmo Zarraonaindía, Spanish footballer (b. 1921)
- Feb 24 Denis Twitchett, Cambridge scholar, and Chinese historian (b. 1925)
- Feb 24 Dennis Weaver, American actor (Chester-Gunsmoke, Duel, Battered), dies at 81
- Feb 24 Don Knotts, American actor (Andy Griffth Show, 3's Company), died of lung cancer at 81
- Feb 24 Irakli Charkviani, Georgian alt-rock and electronic musician, poet and prose writer, dies of heart failure at 44
- Feb 24 John Martin, Canadian broadcaster (b. 1947)
- Feb 24 Octavia E. Butler, American sci-fi author (Hugo, Wild Seed), dies at 58
- Feb 24 Thomas Koppel, Danish pianist and classical and avant-garde composer (Savage Rose), dies at 61
- Feb 25 Charlie Wayman, English footballer (b. 1922)
- Feb 25 Darren McGavin [Richardson], American actor (Murphy Brown, The Night Stalker, A Christmas Story), dies of cardiovascular disease at 83
- Feb 26 Florian ZaBach, American violinist ("The Hot Canary") and TV personality, dies at 87
- Feb 27 Linda Smith, British comedian (b. 1958)
- Feb 27 Milton Katims, American violist and conductor (Seattle Symphony, 1954–76), dies at 96
- Feb 27 Otis Chandler, American newspaper publisher (b. 1927)
- Feb 27 Robert Lee Scott, Jr., American General and Air Force pilot, dies at 97
- Feb 28 Irv Kluger, American big band jazz and session drummer (Artie Shaw; Gramercy Five), dies at 84
Owen Chamberlain (1920-2006)
Feb 28 American physicist (antiproton, Nobel-1959), dies at 85
