Events
457 – Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
1074 – Pandulf IV of Benevento is killed battling the invading Normans at the Battle of Montesarchio.
1301 – Edward of Caernarvon (later King Edward II of England) becomes the first English Prince of Wales.
1497 – The bonfire of the vanities occurs in which supporters of Girolamo Savonarola burn thousands of objects like cosmetics, art,
and books in Florence, Italy.
1783 – American Revolutionary War: French and Spanish forces lift the Great Siege of Gibraltar.
1795 – The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified.
1807 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Eylau – Napoléon's French Empire begins fighting against Russian and Prussian forces of the Fourth Coalition at Eylau, Poland.
1812 – The strongest in a series of earthquakes strikes New Madrid, Missouri.
1819 – Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles leaves Singapore after just taking it over, leaving it in the hands of William Farquhar.
1842 – Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeats warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.
1856 – The Kingdom of Awadh is annexed by the British East India Company and Wajid Ali Shah, the king of Awadh, is imprisoned and later exiled to Calcutta.
1856 – The colonial Tasmanian Parliament passes the second piece of legislation (the Electoral Act of 1856) anywhere in the world providing for elections by way of a secret ballot.
1863 – HMS Orpheus sinks off the coast of Auckland, New Zealand, killing 189.
1894 – The Cripple Creek miner's strike, led by the Western Federation of Miners, begins in Cripple Creek, Colorado.
1897 – Greco-Turkish War: The first full-scale battle takes place when the Greek expeditionary force in Crete defeats a 4,000-strong Ottoman force at Livadeia.
1898 – Émile Zola is brought to trial for libel for publishing J'Accuse.
1900 – Second Boer War: British troops fail in their third attempt to lift the Siege of Ladysmith.
1904 – A fire in Baltimore, Maryland destroys over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
1907 – The Mud March is the first large procession organized by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).
1935 – The classic board game Monopoly is invented.
1940 – The second full length animated Walt Disney film, Pinocchio, premieres.
1943 – Imperial Japanese naval forces complete the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
1944 – World War II: In Anzio, Italy, German forces launch a counteroffensive during the Allied Operation Shingle.
1948 – Neil Harvey becomes the youngest Australian to score a century in Test cricket.
1948 – Sancheong-Hamyang massacre:Korean War
1962 – The United States bans all Cuban imports and exports.
1974 – Grenada gains independence from the United Kingdom.
1979 – Pluto moves inside Neptune's orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
1984 – Space Shuttle program: STS-41-B Mission – Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart make the first untethered space walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).
1986 – Twenty-eight years of one-family rule end in Haiti, when President Jean-Claude Duvalier flees the Caribbean nation.
1990 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agrees to give up its monopoly on power.
1991 – Haiti's first democratically-elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is sworn in.
1992 – The Maastricht Treaty is signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.
1995 – Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, is arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
1999 – Crown Prince Abdullah becomes the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.
2009 – Bushfires in Victoria left 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia's history. Births
1102 – Empress Matilda, Princess of England and wife of Henry V of the Holy Roman Empire (d. 1169)
1478 – Sir Thomas More, English statesman, humanist and author (d. 1535)
1612 – Thomas Killigrew, English dramatist (d. 1683)
1693 – Empress Anna of Russia (d. 1740)
1804 – John Deere, American manufacturer (Deere & Company) (d. 1886)
1812 – Charles Dickens, English novelist (d. 1870)
1837 – Sir James Murray, Scottish lexicographer and philologist (d. 1915)
1842 – Alexandre Ribot, French statesman (d. 1923)
1867 – Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author (d. 1957)
1870 – Alfred Adler, Austrian psychologist (d. 1937)
1877 – G. Hardy, English mathematician (d. 1947)
1878 – Ossip Gabrilowitsch, Russian-American pianist and conductor (d. 1936)
1885 – Sinclair Lewis, American writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1951)
1885 – Hugo Sperrle, German field marshal (d. 1953)
1886 – Yehezkel Abramsky, Russian-born rabbi, head of the London Beth Din for 17 years (d. 1976)
1887 – Eubie Blake, American musician and composer (d. 1983)
1889 – Harry Nyquist, important contributor to information theory (d. 1976)
1891 – Ann Little, American actress (d. 1984)
1895 – Anita Stewart, American film actress (d. 1961)
1898 – Dock Boggs, American musician (d. 1971)
1901 – Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand politician (d. 1989)
1905 – Ulf von Euler, Swedish physiologist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1983)
1905 – Paul Nizan, French author (d. 1940)
1906 – Oleg Antonov, Soviet aircraft designer (d. 1984)
1906 – Puyi, Emperor of China (d. 1967)
1907 – Yevgeniy Abalakov, Soviet mountaineer (d. 1948)
1908 – Buster Crabbe, American swimmer and actor (d. 1983)
1908 – Fred Gipson, American author (d. 1973)
1909 – Hélder Câmara, Roman Catholic archbishop (d. 1999)
1909 – Wilhelm Freddie, Danish painter (d. 1995)
1909 – Amedeo Guillet, former officer of the Italian Army (d. 2010)
1909 – Silvio Zavala, Mexican historian
1912 – Russell Drysdale, Australian Artist (d. 1981)
1912 – Roberta McCain, mother of John McCain
1914 – Ramón Mercader, Spanish assassin of Leon Trotsky (d. 1978)
1915 – Eddie Bracken, American actor (d. 2002)
1915 – Teoctist, Ex-Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church (d. 2007)
1918 – Markey Robinson, Northern Irish painter (d. 1999)
1920 – An Wang, Chinese-born computer pioneer (d. 1990)
1920 – Oscar Brand, Canadian folk musicologist
1922 – Hattie Jacques, English actress (d. 1980)
1923 – Martha Holmes, American photographer (d. 2006)
1926 – Konstantin Feoktistov, cosmonaut (d. 2009)
1926 – John Frank Davidson, British chemical engineer and Royal Medal holder
1927 – Juliette Gréco, French singer and actor
1927 – Vladimir Kuts, Russian runner (d. 1975)
1929 – Alejandro Jodorowsky, Chilean filmmaker
1932 – Gay Talese, American author
1932 – Al Worden, American astronaut
1933 – John Anderton, English footballer
1934 – Earl King, American musician (d. 2003)
1934 – Eddie Fenech Adami, Maltese politician, Prime Minister (1987-1996, 1998-2004); President (2004-2009)
1934 – King Curtis, American saxophonist (d. 1971)
1935 – Herbert Kohl, American politician
1937 – Juan Pizarro, Puerto Rican baseball player
1938 – S. Ramachandran Pillai, Indian communist leader
1939 – Ray Taliaferro, American radio talkshow host
1941 – Peter Foxhall, Australian evangelist
1943 – Gareth Hunt, English actor (d. 2007)
1945 – Gerald Davies, Welsh rugby player
1945 – Ian Jack, Scottish journalist
1946 – Hector Babenco, Brazilian film director
1946 – Pete Postlethwaite, English actor (d. 2011)
1947 – Wayne Allwine, American voice artist (d. 2009)
1949 – Joe English, American drummer
1949 – Paulo César Carpegiani, Brazilian footballer and coach
1951 – Benny Ayala, baseball player
1952 – Vasco Rossi, Italian singer
1953 – Dan Quisenberry, baseball player (d. 1998)
1954 – Dieter Bohlen German composer
1954 – Brian Morton, Scottish writer
1955 – Rolf Benirschke, American football player
1955 – Miguel Ferrer, American actor
1956 – Emo Philips, American comedian
1956 – Mark St. John, American musician (Kiss) (d. 2007)
1957 – Carney Lansford, American baseball player
1957 – Richard Cook, British jazz writer (d. 2007)
1958 – Matt Ridley, British science writer
1960 – James Spader, American actor
1962 – Garth Brooks, American singer
1962 – Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian
1962 – David Bryan, American musician (Bon Jovi)
1964 – Ray Mears, British survival expert and TV presenter
1964 – Cynthia Woodhead, American swimmer
1964 – Ashok Banker, Indian novelist
1965 – Jason Gedrick, American actor
1965 – Chris Rock, American actor and comedian
1966 – Kristin Otto, German swimmer
1967 – Richie Burnett, Welsh darts player
1967 – Cheung Man, Hong Kong actress
1968 – Peter Bondra, Slovak ice hockey player
1968 – Sully Erna, American singer (Godsmack)
1968 – Mark Tewksbury, Canadian swimmer
1969 – Adriano, Brazilian footballer
1969 – Yves Racine, Canadian ice hockey player
1970 – Stanley Roberts, American basketball player
1971 – Anita Tsoy, Russian singer of Korean descent
1972 – Essence Atkins, American actress
1972 – Robyn Lively, American actress
1972 – Amon Tobin, Canadian/Brazilian musician
1973 – Irina Björklund, Finnish actress
1973 – Juwan Howard, American basketball player
1974 – Steve Nash, Canadian basketball player
1974 – J Dilla, American record producer (d. 2006)
1974 – Danny Goffey, British musician (Supergrass)
1975 – Wes Borland, American guitarist (Limp Bizkit)
1975 – Alexandre Daigle, Canadian ice hockey player
1976 – Sreto Ristić, German soccer player
1976 – Kelly Choi, Korean-American TV hostess of Top Chef Masters
1977 – Georgios Alexopoulos, Greek soccer player
1977 – Paul Comrie, Canadian ice hockey player
1977 – Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, Japanese footballer
1977 – Dimitris Papanikolaou, Greek basketball player
1977 – Mariusz Pudzianowski, Polish strongman competitor
1978 – Ashton Kutcher, American actor
1978 – Daniel Van Buyten, Belgian soccer player
1978 – Endy Chávez, baseball player
1978 – David Aebischer, Swiss ice hockey player
1979 – Cerina Vincent, American actress
1979 – Nicola Campedelli, Italian footballer
1979 – Daniel Bierofka, German footballer
1979 – Jon Leicester, American baseball player
1980 – Maximiliano Cejas, Argentine footballer
1980 – Kevin J. Boyle, American politician
1981 – Lee Ok-Sung, South Korean amateur boxer
1982 – Osamu Mukai, Japanese actor
1982 – Mickael Pietrus, French-born basketball player
1983 – Scott Feldman, American baseball player
1983 – Christian Klien, Austrian racing driver
1983 – Teshome Getu, Ethiopian soccer player
1983 – Georgios Gougoulias, Greek footballer
1983 – Sho Kamogawa, Japanese football player
1984 – Lenny Pidgeley, British footballer
1985 – Tina Majorino, American actress
1985 – Devis Nossa, Italian footballer
1985 – Deborah Ann Woll, American actress
1986 – Michael Orozco Fiscal, American soccer player
1986 – Pippa Wilson, British professional sailor
1987 – Kerli, Estonian singer
1987 – Joe Cardle, British footballer
1988 – Albin Hodza, French footballer
1988 – Lee Joon, Korean singer (MBLAQ)
1988 – Lee Don-Ku, South Korean ice hockey defenceman player
1988 – Ai Kago, Japanese singer
1988 – Matthew Stafford, American NFL football player
1989 – Nick Calathes, Greek basketball player
1989 – Louisa Lytton, British actress
1990 – Steven Stamkos, Canadian ice hockey player
1990 – Anna Abreu, Finnish singer
1990 – Neil Etheridge, English–Filipino footballer
1991 – Zhou Yimiao' Chinese tennis player
1992 – Maimi Yajima, Japanese singer
1993 – David Dorfman, American actor
1996 – David Castro, American actor
1996 – Mai Hagiwara, Japanese singer
[edit]Deaths
999 – Boleslaus II of Bohemia
1045 – Emperor Go-Suzaku of Japan (b. 1009)
1317 – Robert, Count of Clermont, French founder of the House of Bourbon (b. 1256)
1560 – Bartolomeo Bandinelli, Italian sculptor (b. 1493)
1603 – Hermann Wilken, German humanist and mathematician (b. 1522)
1626 – William V, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1548)
1642 – William Bedell, English clergyman (b. 1571)
1652 – Gregorio Allegri, Italian composer (b. 1582)
1690 – William Morice, English royalist statesman
1693 – Paul Pellisson, French writer (b. 1624)
1736 – Stephen Gray, English astronomer and scientist (b. 1666)
1779 – William Boyce, English composer (b. 1711)
1799 – Qianlong Emperor of China (b. 1711)
1801 – Daniel Chodowiecki, Polish painter (b. 1726)
1823 – Ann Radcliffe, English novelist (b. 1764)
1837 – King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden (b. 1778)
1839 – Karl August Nicander, Swedish poet (b. 1799)
1862 – Francisco de Paula Martinez de la Rosa, Spanish statesman and dramatist (b. 1787)
1871 – Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, piano manufacturer (Steinway & Sons) (b. 1797)
1873 – Sheridan Le Fanu, Irish writer (b. 1814)
1878 – Blessed Pope Pius IX (b. 1792)
1897 – Galileo Ferraris, Italian physicist (b. 1847)
1898 – John Reily Knox, Lawyer and founder of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity (b. 1820)
1919 – William Halford, American naval officer and Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1841)
1920 – Aleksandr Vasilevich Kolchak, Russian military commander (b. 1874)
1937 – Elihu Root, American statesman and diplomat, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1845)
1938 – Harvey Firestone, American manufacturer (b. 1868)
1939 – Boris Grigoriev, Russian painter (b. 1886)
1942 – Ivan Bilibin, Russian illustrator (b. 1876)
1944 – Lina Cavalieri, Italian soprano (b. 1874)
1952 – Pete Henry, American professional American football player and coach (b. 1897)
1959 – Nap Lajoie, American baseball player (b. 1874)
1959 – Daniel François Malan, South African Prime Minister, father of Apartheid policy (b. 1874)
1959 – Guitar Slim, American blues guitarist (b. 1926)
1960 – Igor Kurchatov, Russian physicist (b. 1903)
1962 – Clara Nordström, German writer and translator (b. 1886)
1963 – Learco Guerra, Italian cyclist (b. 1902)
1964 – Sophoklis Venizelos, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1894)
1968 – Nick Adams, American actor (b. 1931)
1979 – Dr. Josef Mengele, German, N**i war criminal (b. 1911)
1980 – Secondo Campini, Italian jet pioneer (b. 1904)
1985 – Matt Monro, English singer (b. 1932)
1986 – Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegalese historian (b. 1923)
1990 – Alfredo M. Santos, Filipino military figure (b. 1905)
1990 – Jimmy Van Heusen, American songwriter (b. 1913)
1991 – Amos Yarkoni, Israeli soldier, Medal of Distinguished Service recipient (b. 1920)
1991 – Jean-Paul Mousseau, French-Canadian painter, member of Les Automatistes (b. 1927)
1992 – Buzz Sawyer, wrestler (b. 1959)
1994 – Witold Lutosławski, Polish composer (b. 1913)
1994 – Stephen Milligan, British journalist and politician (b. 1948)
1994 – Arnold Smith, Canadian diplomat (b. 1915)
1996 – Phillip Davidson, US Army general (b. 1915)
1998 – Lawrence Sanders, American author (b. 1920)
1999 – King Hussein of Jordan (b. 1935)
1999 – José Silva, author of Silva Method and the Silva UltraMind ESP System (b. 1914)
1999 – Bobby Troup, American musician and actor (b. 1918)
2000 – Shiho Niiyama, Japanese voice actress (b. 1970)
2000 – Big Pun, Puerto Rican-American rapper (b. 1971)
2000 – Doug Henning, Canadian magician (b. 1947)
2000 – Dave Peverett, English musician (Foghat, Savoy Brown) (b. 1943)
2001 – Dale Evans, American actress and singer (b. 1912)
2001 – Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American author and aviator (b. 1906)
2002 – Jack Fairman, British racing driver (b. 1913)
2003 – Augusto Monterroso, Guatemalan author (b. 1921)
2003 – John Reading, Mayor of Oakland, California (b. 1917)
2005 – Bob Turner, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1934)
2006 – Princess Hadice Hayriye Ayshe Dürrühsehvar (b. 1914)
2008 – Tamara Desni, German-born British actress (b. 1913)
2009 – Brian Naylor, Australian television presenter (b. 1931)
2009 – Molly Bee, American singer (b. 1939)
2010 – Franco Ballerini, Italian Cycler, Coach of the Italy team of cycling (b. 1964)
Holidays and observances
Christian Feast Day:
Blessed Eugenia Smet
Blessed Pope Pius IX
Chrysolius
February 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Grenada from the United Kingdom in 1974.
