From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 320 days remaining, 321 in leap years.
[edit] Events
- 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in French and German language.
- 1014 - Pope Boniface I recognizes Henry of Bavaria as King of Germany.
- 1076 - Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1556 - Thomas Cranmer is declared a heretic.
- 1575 - Henry III of France marries Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont.
- 1743 - Henry Pelham becomes British Prime Minister.
- 1779 - James Cook is killed by the natives of the Sandwich Islands.
- 1797 - French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Cape St. Vincent - John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent & Horatio Nelson (later 1st Viscount Nelson) led the British Royal Navy to victory over a Spanish fleet in action near Gibraltar.
- 1803 - Chief Justice John Marshall declares that any act of U.S. Congress which conflicts with the Constitution is void.
- 1804 - Karadjordje leads the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire.
- 1831 - Ras Marye of Yejju marches into Tigray and defeats and kills dejjazmatch Sabagadis in the Battle of Debre Abbay.
- 1835 - The original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is formed in Kirtland, Ohio.
- 1843 - The event that inspired the song Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! is held.
- 1849 - In New York City, James Knox Polk becomes the first President of the United States to have his photograph taken.
- 1854 - Texas linked by telegraph with the rest of the United States, with the completion of a connection between New Orleans and Marshall, Texas.
- 1859 - Oregon admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.
- 1876 - Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone,as does Elisha Gray.
- 1879 - The War of the Pacific breaks out when Chilean armed forces occupy the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta.
- 1886 - First trainload of oranges left Los Angeles via the transcontinental railroad.
- 1895 - First performance of Oscar Wilde's last play The Importance of Being Earnest at the St James's Theatre in London).
- 1899 - Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.
- 1900 - Russia responds to international pressure to free Finland by tightening imperial control over the country.
- 1900 - Second Boer War: In South Africa, 20,000 British troops invade the Orange Free State.
- 1903 - The United States Department of Commerce and Labor is established (later split into Dept. of Commerce and Dept. of Labor).
- 1912 - Arizona admitted as the 48th U.S. state.
- 1912 - In Groton, Connecticut, the first diesel-powered submarine is commissioned.
- 1918 - Tarzan of the Apes, the first movie featuring Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan character, is released.
- 1918 - The Soviet Union adopts the Gregorian calendar (1 February according to the Julian calendar).
- 1919 - The Polish-Soviet War begins.
- 1920 - The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago, Illinois.
- 1924 - The International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is founded.
- 1929 - St. Valentine's Day Massacre: Seven gangster rivals of Al Capone are murdered in Chicago, Illinois.
- 1943 - World War II: Rostov, Russia is liberated.
- 1943 - World War II: Battle of the Kasserine Pass - German General Erwin Rommel and the Afrika Korps launch an offensive against Allied defenses in Tunisia.
- 1944 - World War II: Anti-Japanese revolt on Java.
- 1945 - On the second day of the Bombing of Dresden in World War II the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces begin fire-bombing Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony.
- 1945 - Bombing of Prague - probably due to a mistake in the orientation of the pilots bombing Dresden.
- 1945 - Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru join the United Nations.
- 1945 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt meets with King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia aboard the USS Quincy, officially starting the U.S.-Saudi diplomatic relationship.
- 1945 - Fascism destroyed in City of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina(then:Yugoslavia) thanks to partisans(Dalmatinaska birgada, Hercegovacka divizija).
- 1946 - The Bank of England is nationalized.
- 1946 - ENIAC (for "Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer"), the first general-purpose electronic computer, unveiled at the University of Pennsylvania.
- 1949 - The Knesset (Israeli parliament) first convenes.
- 1949 - The Asbestos Strike begins in Canada. The strike marks the beginning of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec.
- 1952 - Olympic Games: Winter Olympic Games - VI Olympic Winter Games open in Oslo, Norway.
- 1956 - The XX Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union starts in Moscow. In the last night of the meeting, in a secret session, Premier Nikita Khruschev condemns Josef Stalin's crimes.
- 1961 - Discovery of the chemical elements: Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized at the University of California.
- 1962 - First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy takes television viewers on a tour of the White House.
- 1966 - Australian currency is decimalised.
- 1979 - In Kabul, Muslim extremists kidnap the American ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs who is later killed during a gunfight between his kidnappers and police.
- 1980 - Olympic Games: Winter Olympic Games - XIII Olympic Winter Games open in Lake Placid, New York.
- 1980 - Walter Cronkite announces his retirement from the CBS Evening News.
- 1981 - Stardust Disaster. A fire in a Dublin nightclub kills 48 people
- 1983 - United American Bank of Knoxville, Tennessee collapses. Its president, Jake Butcher is later convicted of fraud.
- 1985 - CNN reporter Jeremy Levin is freed from captivity in Lebanon.
- 1989 - Union Carbide agrees to pay $470 million to the Indian government for damages it caused in the 1984 Bhopal Disaster.
- 1989 - Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini issues a fatwa encouraging Muslims to kill the author of The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie.
- 1989 - The first of 24 satellites of the Global Positioning System is placed into orbit.
- 1998 - Authorities in the United States announce that Eric Robert Rudolph is a suspect in an Alabama abortion clinic bombing.
- 2000 - The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker enters orbit around asteroid 433 Eros, the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.
- 2002 - The Tullaghmurray Lass sinks off the coast of Kilkeel, County Down, Northern Ireland killing three members of the same family on board.
- 2004 - In a suburb of Moscow, Russia, the roof of the Transvaal water park collapses, killing more than 25 people, and wounding more than 100 others.
- 2005 - Lebanon's former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, is assassinated, prompting the Cedar Revolution (Intifada of Independence).
- 2005 - Seven people were 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.
- 2006 chip and PIN - UK cardholders had to use their PIN to be sure they could pay with their chip and PIN card. This change was made to better protect cardholders against fraudsters.
[edit] Births
- 1404 - Leone Battista Alberti, Italian painter, poet, and philosopher (d. 1472)
- 1468 - Johann Werner, German mathematician (d. 1522)
- 1483 - Zahir al-Din Mohammed Babur Shah, Moghul emperor of India (d. 1530)
- 1602 - Francesco Cavalli, Italian composer (d. 1676)
- 1680 - John Sidney, 6th Earl of Leicester, English privy councillor (d. 1737)
- 1692 - Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, French writer (d. 1754)
- 1701 - Enrique Florez, Spanish historian (d. 1773)
- 1763 - Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French general (d. 1813)
- 1766 - Thomas Malthus, English economist (d. 1834)
- 1812 - Alfred Thomas Agate, American artist (d. 1846)
- 1817 - Frederick Douglas adopted as his birthday (d. 1895)
- 1819 - Joshua A. Norton, Emperor Norton I of the United States of America and Protector of Mexico (d. 1880)
- 1828 - Edmond François Valentin About, French writer (d. 1885)
- 1846 - Julian Scott, American Civil War artist and Civil War Medal of Honor recipient. (d. 1901)
- 1847 - Anna Howard Shaw, American women's suffrage leader (d. 1919)
- 1848 - Benjamin Baillaud, French astronomer (d. 1934)
- 1856 - Frank Harris, Irish author and editor (d. 1931)
- 1869 - Charles Wilson, Scottish physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1959)
- 1884 - Hezekiah M. Washburn, missionary (d. 1972)
- 1890 - Nina Hamnett, Welsh artist (d. 1956)
- 1892 - Radola Gajda, Czech military commander (d. 1948)
- 1894 - Jack Benny, American actor and comedian (d. 1974)
- 1895 - Max Horkheimer, German philosopher and sociologist (d. 1973)
- 1898 - Fritz Zwicky, Swiss-American physicist and astronomer (d. 1974)
- 1903 - Stu Erwin, American actor (d. 1967)
- 1905 - Thelma Ritter, American actress (d. 1969)
- 1912 - Tibor Sekelj, Croatian explorer (d. 1988)
- 1913 - Mel Allen, American sports reporter (d. 1996)
- 1913 - Woody Hayes, American college football coach (d. 1987)
- 1913 - Jimmy Hoffa, American labor union leader (disappeared 1975)
- 1916 - Masaki Kobayashi, Japanese director (d. 1996)
- 1916 - Edward Platt, American actor (d. 1974)
- 1917 - Herbert A. Hauptman, American mathematician, Nobel Prize Laureate
- 1921 - Hugh Downs, American television host
- 1927 - Lois Maxwell, Canadian actress
- 1929 - Vic Morrow, actor (d. 1982)
- 1931 - Bernie Geoffrion, Canadian hockey player (d. 2006)
- 1931 - Brian Kelly, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1932 - Alexander Kluge, German actor and film director
- 1933 - Madhubala, Indian actress (d. 1969)
- 1934 - Michel Corboz, Swiss conductor
- 1934 - Florence Henderson, American actress
- 1936 - Fanne Foxe, Argentine dancer
- 1936 - Andrew Prine, American actor
- 1940 - Mary Rand, British athlete
- 1941 - Donna Shalala, American educator, politician & 6th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
- 1941 - Paul Tsongas, American politician, United States Senator from Massachusetts (d. 1997)
- 1942 - Michael Bloomberg, American businessman, politician, & Mayor of New York City
- 1942 - Andrew Robinson, actor
- 1942 - Ricardo Rodríguez, Mexican racing driver (d. 1962)
- 1943 - Maceo Parker, American musician (P-Funk)
- 1944 - Carl Bernstein, American journalist
- 1944 - Alan Parker, British film director and writer
- 1945 - Frank Welker, American actor
- 1946 - Bernard Dowiyogo, President of Nauru (d. 2003)
- 1946 - Gregory Hines, American dancer and actor (d. 2003)
- 1948 - Pat O'Brien, American sportscaster and television host
- 1948 - Teller, American magician (Penn and Teller)
- 1951 - Kevin Keegan, Liverpool Footballer
- 1951 - JoJo Starbuck, American ice skater
- 1952 - Nancy Keenan, current NARAL president
- 1955 - Rip Rogers, American professional wrestler
- 1959 - Renee Fleming, Canadian soprano
- 1960 - Jim Kelly, American football player
- 1960 - Meg Tilly, Canadian actress
- 1961 - Phillip Hamilton, American Author
- 1962 - Kevyn Aucoin, American cosmetologist (d. 2002)
- 1962 - Philippe Sella, French rugby player
- 1963 - Enrico Colantoni, Canadian actor
- 1963 - Zach Galligan, American actor
- 1964 - Gianni Bugno, Italian cyclist
- 1967 - Manuela Maleeva, Bulgarian tennis player
- 1967 - Stelios Haji-Ioannou, British entrepreneur
- 1968 - Jules Asner, American model and television personality
- 1968 - Nelson Frazier, Jr., American professional wrestler
- 1970 - Simon Pegg, British comedian, writer, and actor
- 1971 - Noriko Sakai, Japanese singer
- 1971 - Tommy Dreamer, American professional wrestler
- 1972 - Drew Bledsoe, American football player
- 1972 - Hiroshi, Japanese comedian
- 1972 - Rob Thomas, American musician (matchbox twenty)
- 1973 - Steve McNair, American football player
- 1974 - Filippa Giordano, Italian singer
- 1975 - Scott Owen, Australian musician (The Living End)
- 1976 - Liv Kristine, Norwegian singer (Leaves' Eyes, ex-Theatre of Tragedy)
- 1977 - Cadel Evans, Australian cyclist
- 1978 - Richard Hamilton, American basketball player
- 1978 - Darius Songaila, basketball player
- 1978 - Dean Gaffney, British actor
- 1979 - Antonio Chatman, American football player
- 1980 - Fatima Leyva, Mexican footballer
- 1983 - Will South, Thirteen Senses frontman
- 1985 - Hamed Namouchi, Tunisian footballer
- 1985 - Miki Yeung, Hong Kong singer and actress
- 1985 - Philippe Senderos, Swiss footballer
- 1985 - Natsume Sano, Japanese gravure idol
- 1987 - Joseph Pichler, American actor
- 1992 - Freddie Highmore, British actor
- 1994 - Paul Butcher Jr., American actor
[edit] Deaths
- 1317 - Marguerite of France, queen of Edward I of England (b. 1282)
- 1400 - King Richard II of England (murdered) (b. 1367)
- 1405 - Timur, Mongol conqueror (b. 1336)
- 1523 - Pope Adrian VI
- 1571 - Odet de Coligny, French cardinal and Protestant (b. 1517)
- 1676 - Abraham Bosse, French engraver and artist
- 1737 - Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot of Hensol, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1685)
- 1744 - John Hadley, inventor (b. 1682)
- 1779 - James Cook, British naval captain and explorer (b. 1728)
- 1780 - William Blackstone, English jurist (b. 1723)
- 1808 - John Dickinson, American lawyer and Governor of Delaware and Pennsylvania (b. 1732)
- 1831 - Vicente Guerrero, Mexican revolutionary hero (b. 1782)
- 1831 - Henry Maudslay, English inventor (b. 1771)
- 1885 - Jules Vallès, French writer (b. 1832)
- 1891 - William Tecumseh Sherman, Civil War General (b. 1820)
- 1894 - Eugène Charles Catalan, Belgian mathematician (b. 1814)
- 1929 - Tom Burke, American runner (b. 1875)
- 1942 - Adnan Bin Saidi, Malayan soldiers (killed) (b. 1915)
- 1943 - Dora Gerson, German actress, cabaret singer, and Holocaust victim (b. 1899)
- 1943 - David Hilbert, German mathematician (b. 1862)
- 1949 - Yusuf Salman Yusuf, Iraqi-Assyrian communist leader
- 1952 - Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (b. 1896)
- 1958 - Abdul Rab Nishtar, veteran leader of Pakistan Movement, (b. 1899)
- 1959 - Baby Dodds, American jazz drummer (b. 1898)
- 1967 - Sig Ruman, German-American actor (b. 1884)
- 1969 - Vito Genovese, American gangster (b. 1897)
- 1970 - Herbert Strudwick, English cricketer (b. 1880).
- 1974 - Stewie Dempster, New Zealand cricketer (b. 1903)
- 1975 - Julian Huxley, British biologist (b. 1887)
- 1975 - P. G. Wodehouse, English writer (b. 1881)
- 1979 - Adolph Dubs, American diplomat (b. 1920)
- 1983 - Lina Radke, German athlete (b. 1903)
- 1987 - Dmitri Borisovich Kabalevsky, Russian composer (b. 1904)
- 1988 - Frederick Loewe, Austrian-American composer (b. 1901)
- 1989 - James Bond, American ornithologist (b. 1900)
- 1994 - Andrei Chikatilo, Russian serial killer (executed) (b. 1936)
- 1994 - Michael V. Gazzo, American actor (b. 1923)
- 1995 - U Nu, Burmese politician (b. 1907)
- 1999 - John Ehrlichman, American presidential advisor (b. 1925)
- 2002 - Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer (b. 1922)
- 2003 - Dolly the sheep, first cloned mammal (b. 1996)
- 2003 - Johnny Longden, English jockey (b. 1907)
- 2004 - Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist (b. 1970)
- 2005 - Najai Turpin, American boxer
- 2005 - Rafik Hariri, Lebanese politician and billionaire businessman (b. 1944)
- 2006 - Shoshana Damari, the "Queen of Israeli song" (b. 1923)
- 2006 - Lynden David Hall, British singer (b.1974)
- 2006 - Jackie Pallo, Famous British wrestler
- 2006 - Darry Cowl, French musician and actor (b. 1925)
[edit] Holidays and observances
[edit] Liturgical feasts
[edit] In film
[edit] Premieres
[edit] Releases
[edit] External links
February 13 - February 15 - January 14 - March 14 -- historical anniversaries
