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Pre–1600

* 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor
Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary suc ...
at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the
Caledonians The Caledonians (; la, Caledones or '; grc-gre, Καληδῶνες, ''Kalēdōnes'') or the Caledonian Confederacy were a Brittonic-speaking ( Celtic) tribal confederacy in what is now Scotland during the Iron Age and Roman eras. The Gre ...
, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrelling sons,
Caracalla Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname "Caracalla" () was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. He was a member of the Severan dynasty, the elder son of Emperor ...
and Geta, whom he had instructed to make peace. * 960 – The coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of Song, initiating the
Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...
period of China that would last more than three centuries. * 1169 – A strong earthquake strikes the Ionian coast of Sicily, causing tens of thousands of injuries and deaths, especially in
Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also b ...
. * 1454Thirteen Years' War: The Secret Council of the
Prussian Confederation The Prussian Confederation (german: Preußischer Bund, pl, Związek Pruski) was an organization formed on 21 February 1440 at Kwidzyn (then officially ''Marienwerder'') by a group of 53 nobles and clergy and 19 cities in Prussia, to oppose the ...
sends a formal act of disobedience to the Grand Master of the
Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...
, sparking the Thirteen Years' War. * 1555John Rogers is burned at the stake, becoming the first English
Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
under Mary I of England.


1601–1900

* 1703 – In
Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
(now Tokyo), all but one of the
Forty-seven Ronin 47 (forty-seven) is the natural number following 46 and preceding 48. It is a prime number. In mathematics Forty-seven is the fifteenth prime number, a safe prime, the thirteenth supersingular prime, the fourth isolated prime, and the sixt ...
commit seppuku (ritual suicide) as recompense for avenging their master's death. * 1758 – The city of Macapá in Brazil is founded by Sebastião Veiga Cabral. *
1789 Events January–March * January – Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès publishes the pamphlet ''What Is the Third Estate?'' ('), influential on the French Revolution. * January 7 – The 1788-89 United States presidential electio ...
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
is unanimously elected as the first
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...
by the U.S. Electoral College. * 1794 – The French legislature abolishes
slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
throughout all territories of the
French First Republic In the history of France, the First Republic (french: Première République), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (french: République française), was founded on 21 September 1792 ...
. It would be reestablished in the French West Indies in 1802. * 1797 – The Riobamba earthquake strikes
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
, causing up to 40,000 casualties. * 1801John Marshall is sworn in as Chief Justice of the United States. * 1810 – Napoleonic Wars: Britain seizes Guadeloupe. * 1820 – The Chilean Navy under the command of Lord Cochrane completes the two-day long Capture of Valdivia with just 300 men and two ships. * 1825 – The
Ohio Legislature The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate. Both houses of the General Assembly meet at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus ...
authorizes the construction of the
Ohio and Erie Canal The Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed during the 1820s and early 1830s in Ohio. It connected Akron with the Cuyahoga River near its outlet on Lake Erie in Cleveland, and a few years later, with the Ohio River near Portsmouth. It a ...
and the Miami and Erie Canal. * 1846 – The first
Mormon pioneers The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter Day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the ...
make their exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois, westward towards
Salt Lake Valley Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, and West Valley City; its total ...
. * 1859 – The
Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus ( Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), designated by siglum [Aleph] or 01 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 2 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscript ...
is discovered in
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
. * 1861
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
: In
Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County, Alabama, Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the Gulf Coastal Plain, coas ...
, delegates from six breakaway U.S. states meet and initiate the process that would form the
Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
on
February 8 Events Pre-1600 * 421 – Constantius III becomes co-Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. * 1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir. * 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Crusaders engage Ayyubid forces in the Battle of ...
* 1899 – The
Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...
begins with the Battle of Manila.


1901–present

*
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hir ...
Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific T ...
:
Harbin Harbin (; mnc, , v=Halbin; ) is a sub-provincial city and the provincial capital and the largest city of Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China, as well as the second largest city by urban population after Shenyang and largest c ...
,
Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer M ...
, falls to
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
. * 1938 – Adolf Hitler appoints himself as head of the Armed Forces High Command. * 1941 – The
United Service Organization The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
(USO) is created to entertain American troops. * 1945
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
: Santo Tomas Internment Camp is liberated from Japanese authority. * 1945 – World War II: The
Yalta Conference The Yalta Conference (codenamed Argonaut), also known as the Crimea Conference, held 4–11 February 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union to discuss the post ...
between the "Big Three" (
Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...
, Roosevelt, and Stalin) opens at the Livadia Palace in the
Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...
. * 1945 – World War II: The
British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which cou ...
and
Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emper ...
begin a series of battles known as the
Battle of Pokoku and Irrawaddy River operations The Battle of Pakokku and Irrawaddy River operations were a series of battles fought between the British Indian Army and the Imperial Japanese Army and allied forces over the successful Allied Burma campaign on the China Burma India Theater d ...
. * 1948
Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
(later renamed
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
) becomes independent within the British Commonwealth. *
1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...
– The Angolan War of Independence and the greater
Portuguese Colonial War The Portuguese Colonial War ( pt, Guerra Colonial Portuguesa), also known in Portugal as the Overseas War () or in the former colonies as the War of Liberation (), and also known as the Angolan, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambican War of Independence, ...
begin. * 1966
All Nippon Airways Flight 60 was a Boeing 727-81 aircraft making a domestic commercial flight from Sapporo Chitose Airport to Tokyo Haneda International Airport. On February 4, 1966, all 133 people on board died when the plane mysteriously crashed into Tokyo Bay abou ...
plunges into
Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populou ...
, killing 133. * 1967Lunar Orbiter program: Lunar Orbiter 3 lifts off from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 13 on its mission to identify possible landing sites for the Surveyor and
Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
spacecraft. *
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
– The Symbionese Liberation Army kidnaps Patty Hearst in
Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...
. * 1974 –
M62 coach bombing The M62 coach bombing, sometimes referred to as the M62 Massacre, occurred on 4 February 1974 on the M62 motorway in northern England, when a 25-pound (11 kg) Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb hidden inside the luggage locker ...
: The
Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reu ...
(IRA) explodes a bomb on a bus carrying off-duty
British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...
personnel in
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
, England. Nine soldiers and three civilians are killed. *
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
Haicheng earthquake (magnitude 7.3 on the
Richter scale The Richter scale —also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale—is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 ...
) occurs in Haicheng, Liaoning, China. * 1976 – In
Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by Hon ...
and
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
an
earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
kills more than 22,000. * 1977 – A Chicago Transit Authority elevated train rear-ends another and derails, killing 11 and injuring 180, the worst accident in the agency's history. * 1992 – A
coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
is led by
Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician who was president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period in 2002. Chávez was also leader of the Fifth Republ ...
against
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
n President Carlos Andrés Pérez. *
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
– En route to
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...
, two Israeli Sikorsky CH-53 troop-transport helicopters collide in mid-air over northern Galilee, Israel, killing 73. *1997 – The Bojnurd earthquake measuring 6.5 strikes Iran. With a Mercalli intensity of VIII, it kills at least 88 and damages 173 villages. National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA
National Centers for Environmental Information The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), an agency of the United States government, manages one of the world's largest archives of atmospheric, coastal, geophysical, and oceanic data, containing information that ranges from ...
. do
10.7289/V5TD9V7K
/ref> * 1998 – The 5.9 Afghanistan earthquake shakes the Takhar Province with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (''Very strong''). With 2,323 killed, and 818 injured, damage is considered extreme. *
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
– Unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo is shot 41 times by four plainclothes New York City police officers on an unrelated stake-out, inflaming race relations in the city. * 2000 – The World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium, Charter of Paris is signed by the President of France, Jacques Chirac and the Director General of
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
,
Koichiro Matsuura Kōichirō, Koichiro, Kouichirou or Kohichiroh is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible Writings *晃一郎, "clear, one, son" *光一郎, "light, one, son" *弘一郎, "vast, one, son" *鴻一郎, "prosperous, one, son" *紘一郎, "large, on ...
, initiating World Cancer Day which is held on February 4 every year. * 2003 – The
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of ...
adopts a new constitution, becoming a loose confederacy between Montenegro and Serbia. * 2004
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...
, a mainstream online
social networking site A social networking service or SNS (sometimes called a social networking site) is an online platform which people use to build social networks or social relationships with other people who share similar personal or career content, interests, act ...
, is founded by
Mark Zuckerberg Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (; born ) is an American business magnate, internet entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is known for co-founding the social media website Facebook and its parent company Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook, Inc.), of ...
and Eduardo Saverin. * 2015TransAsia Airways Flight 235, with 58 people on board, en route from the Taiwanese capital
Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
to Kinmen, crashes into the Keelung River just after takeoff, killing 43 people. * 2020 – The
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
causes all casinos in
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
to be closed down for 15 days.


Births


Pre–1600

* 1447Lodovico Lazzarelli, Italian poet (d. 1500) *
1495 Year 1495 ( MCDXCV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February – King's College, Aberdeen, predecessor of the University of Aberdeen i ...
Francesco II Sforza, Duke of Milan (d. 1535) * 1495 – Jean Parisot de Valette, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller (d. 1568) * 1505Mikołaj Rej, Polish poet and author (d. 1580) *
1575 __NOTOC__ Year 1575 ( MDLXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 21 – Queen Elizabeth I of England grants a monopoly on producin ...
Pierre de Bérulle, French cardinal and theologian, founded the French school of spirituality (d. 1629)


1601–1900

* 1646
Hans Erasmus Aßmann Hans Erasmus Aßmann, Freiherr von Abschatz (4 February 1646 – 22 April 1699) was a German statesman and poet from the second Silesian school. Life Abschatz was born at Würbitz ( Wierzbnica) in Lower Silesia. Even though his parents di ...
, German poet and politician (d. 1699) * 1676Giacomo Facco, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1753) * 1677Johann Ludwig Bach, German violinist and composer (d. 1731) * 1688Pierre de Marivaux, French author and playwright (d. 1763) * 1725Dru Drury, English entomologist and author (d. 1804) *
1740 Events January–March * January 8 – All 237 crewmen on the Dutch East India Company ship ''Rooswijk'' are drowned, when the vessel strikes the shoals of Goodwin Sands, off of the coast of England, as it is beginning its second ...
Carl Michael Bellman, Swedish poet and composer (d. 1795) * 1778Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, Swiss botanist, mycologist, and academic (d. 1841) * 1799Almeida Garrett, Portuguese journalist and author (d. 1854) * 1818Emperor Norton, San Francisco eccentric and visionary (d. 1880) * 1831Oliver Ames, American financier and politician, 35th
Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachuset ...
(d. 1895) * 1848Jean Aicard, French poet, author, and playwright (d. 1921) * 1849Jean Richepin, French poet, author, and playwright (d. 1926) *
1862 Events January–March * January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria. * January 6 – French intervention in Mexico: French, Spanish and British forces arrive in Veracruz, Mexico. * January ...
Édouard Estaunié, French novelist (d. 1942) *
1865 Events January–March * January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City. * January 13 – American Civil War : Second Battle of Fort Fisher ...
Abe Isoo was a Japanese Christian socialist, parliamentarian and pacifist. He largely contributed to development of baseball in Japan, and was called "Father of Japanese baseball." He created a baseball club of Waseda University. Early life and educa ...
, Japanese minister and politician (d. 1949) * 1868
Constance Markievicz Constance Georgine Markievicz ( pl, Markiewicz ; ' Gore-Booth; 4 February 1868 – 15 July 1927), also known as Countess Markievicz and Madame Markievicz, was an Irish politician, revolutionary, nationalist, suffragist, socialist, and the fir ...
, Irish revolutionary and first woman elected to the UK House of Commons (d. 1927) * 1869Bill Haywood, American labor organizer (d. 1928) *
1871 Events January–March * January 3 – Franco-Prussian War – Battle of Bapaume: Prussians win a strategic victory. * January 18 – Proclamation of the German Empire: The member states of the North German Confederation and the sout ...
Friedrich Ebert, German lawyer and politician, first
President of Germany The president of Germany, officially the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: link=no, Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland),The official title within Germany is ', with ' being added in international corres ...
(d. 1925) * 1872Gotse Delchev, Bulgarian and Macedonian revolutionary activist (d. 1903) * 1873Étienne Desmarteau, Canadian shot putter and discus thrower (d. 1905) *
1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of th ...
Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist and engineer (d. 1953) *
1877 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed ''Empress of India'' by the ''Royal Titles Act 1876'', introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great ...
Eddie Cochems, American football player and coach (d. 1953) * 1881Eulalio Gutiérrez, Mexican general and politician,
President of Mexico The president of Mexico ( es, link=no, Presidente de México), officially the president of the United Mexican States ( es, link=no, Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the ...
(d. 1939) * 1881 – Fernand Léger, French painter and sculptor (d. 1955) *
1883 Events January–March * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * Janua ...
Reinhold Rudenberg, German-American inventor and a pioneer of electron microscopy (d. 1961) * 1891
M. A. Ayyangar Madabhushi Ananthasayanam Ayyangar (4 February 1891 – 19 March 1978) was the first Deputy Speaker and then Speaker of the Lok Sabha in the Indian Parliament. He also served as the 5th Governor of Bihar. He was born in Thiruchanoor, Tirupa ...
, Indian lawyer and politician, second
Speaker of the Lok Sabha The speaker of the Lok Sabha (IAST: ) is the presiding officer and the highest official of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. The speaker is elected generally in the first meeting of the Lok Sabha following general ...
(d. 1978) * 1892
E. J. Pratt Edwin John Dove Pratt (February 4, 1882 – April 26, 1964), who published as E. J. Pratt, was "the leading Canadian poet of his time."
, Canadian poet and academic (d. 1964) * 1895Nigel Bruce, English actor (d. 1953) * 1896Friedrich Glauser, Austrian-Swiss author (d. 1938) * 1896 – Friedrich Hund, German physicist and academic (d. 1997) * 1897Ludwig Erhard, German soldier and politician, second
Chancellor of West Germany The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ger ...
(d. 1977) * 1899Virginia M. Alexander, American physician and founder of the Aspiranto Health Home (d. 1949) * 1900
Jacques Prévert Jacques Prévert (; 4 February 1900 – 11 April 1977) was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. His best-regarded films formed part of the poetic realist moveme ...
, French poet and screenwriter (d. 1977)


1901–present

* 1902
Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...
, American pilot and explorer (d. 1974) * 1902 –
Hartley Shawcross, Baron Shawcross Hartley William Shawcross, Baron Shawcross, (4 February 1902 – 10 July 2003), known from 1945 to 1959 as Sir Hartley Shawcross, was an English barrister and Labour politician who served as the lead British prosecutor at the Nuremberg War C ...
, German-English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (d. 2003) * 1903
Alexander Imich Alexander Herbert Imich (February 4, 1903 – June 8, 2014) was a Polish-American chemist, parapsychologist, zoologist and writer who was the president of the Anomalous Phenomena Research Center in New York City. He was born in 1903 in Często ...
, Polish-American chemist, parapsychologist, and academic (d. 2014) * 1904
MacKinlay Kantor MacKinlay Kantor (February 4, 1904 – October 11, 1977), born Benjamin McKinlay Kantor, was an American journalist, novelist and screenwriter. He wrote more than 30 novels, several set during the American Civil War, and was awarded t ...
, American author and screenwriter (d. 1977) * 1905Hylda Baker, English comedian, actress and music hall performer (d. 1986) * 1906Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German pastor and theologian (d. 1945) * 1906 –
Letitia Dunbar-Harrison Letitia Dunbar-Harrison (4 February 1906 – 1994) was an Irish librarian who became the subject of a controversy over her appointment.Clyde Tombaugh, American astronomer and academic, discovered
Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the S ...
(d. 1997) * 1908
Julian Bell Julian Heward Bell (4 February 1908 – 18 July 1937) was an English poet, and the son of Clive and Vanessa Bell (who was the elder sister of Virginia Woolf). The writer Quentin Bell was his younger brother and the writer and painter Angelica ...
, English poet and academic (d. 1937) *
1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ** German geophysicist Alfred ...
Ola Skjåk Bræk, Norwegian banker and politician, Norwegian Minister of Industry (d. 1999) * 1912 – Erich Leinsdorf, Austrian-American conductor (d. 1993) * 1912 – Byron Nelson, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 2006) * 1913Rosa Parks, American civil rights activist (d. 2005) * 1914
Alfred Andersch Alfred Hellmuth Andersch (; 4 February 1914 – 21 February 1980) was a German writer, publisher, and radio editor. The son of a conservative East Prussian army officer, he was born in Munich, Germany and died in Berzona, Ticino, Switzerland. M ...
, German-Swiss author and publisher (d. 1980) * 1915William Talman, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1968) * 1915 –
Norman Wisdom Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010) was an English actor, comedian, musician and singer best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring a hapless onscreen character often called Norman ...
, English comedian, actor and singer-songwriter (d. 2010) * 1917Yahya Khan, Pakistan general and politician, third President of Pakistan (d. 1980) *
1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...
Ida Lupino, English-American actress and director (d. 1995) * 1918 –
Luigi Pareyson Luigi Pareysón (4 February 1918 – 8 September 1991) was an Italian philosopher, best known for challenging the positivist and idealist aesthetics of Benedetto Croce in his 1954 monograph, ''Estetica. Teoria della formatività'' (Aesthetic ...
, Italian philosopher and author (d. 1991) *
1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
Janet Waldo Janet Waldo (born Jeanette Marie Waldo; February 4, 1919 – June 12, 2016) was an American radio and voice actress. In animation, she voiced Judy Jetson in various Hanna-Barbera media, Nancy in ''Shazzan'', Penelope Pitstop, Princess from '' ...
, American actress and voice artist (d. 2016) *
1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in Brazil. ** The Spanish liner ''Santa Isabel'' bre ...
Betty Friedan Betty Friedan ( February 4, 1921 – February 4, 2006) was an American feminist writer and activist. A leading figure in the women's movement in the United States, her 1963 book '' The Feminine Mystique'' is often credited with sparking the se ...
, American author and feminist (d. 2006) * 1921 – Lotfi Zadeh, Iranian-American mathematician and computer scientist and founder of fuzzy logic (d. 2017) *
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
Bhimsen Joshi Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi BR (; ; 4 February 1922 – 24 January 2011), also known by the honorific prefix Pandit, was one of the greatest Indian vocalists from Karnataka, in the Hindustani classical tradition. He is known for the '' kha ...
, Indian vocalist of the Hindustani classical music tradition (d. 2011) * 1923Conrad Bain, Canadian-American actor (d. 2013) * 1925Russell Hoban, American author and illustrator (d. 2011) * 1925 – Stanley Karnow, American journalist and historian (d. 2013) * 1925 –
Christopher Zeeman Sir Erik Christopher Zeeman FRS (4 February 1925 – 13 February 2016), was a British mathematician, known for his work in geometric topology and singularity theory. Overview Zeeman's main contributions to mathematics were in topology, parti ...
, English mathematician and academic (d. 2016) * 1926Gyula Grosics, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 2014) * 1927
Rolf Landauer Rolf William Landauer (February 4, 1927 – April 27, 1999) was a German-American physicist who made important contributions in diverse areas of the thermodynamics of information processing, condensed matter physics, and the conductivity of dis ...
, German-American physicist and academic (d. 1999) *
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...
Oscar Cabalén, Argentinian racing driver (d. 1967) * 1928 – Osmo Antero Wiio, Finnish journalist, academic, and politician (d. 2013) * 1929Paul Burlison, American rockabilly guitarist (d. 2003) * 1929 – Neil Johnston, American basketball player (d. 1978) * 1930Tibor Antalpéter, Hungarian volleyball player and diplomat, Hungarian Ambassador to the United Kingdom (d. 2012) * 1930 – Arthur E. Chase, American businessman and politician (d. 2015) * 1930 –
Jim Loscutoff James Loscutoff Jr. (February 4, 1930 – December 1, 2015) was a professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A forward, Loscutoff played on seven Celtics championship teams between 1956 an ...
, American basketball player (d. 2015) * 1931Isabel Perón, Argentinian dancer and politician, 41st President of Argentina *
1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...
Wallis Mathias Wallis Mathias (4 February 1935 – 1 September 1994) was a Pakistani cricketer who played in 21 Tests from 1955 to 1962. A Catholic, he was the first non-Muslim cricketer to play for Pakistan. He belonged to Karachi's Goan community. The son o ...
, Pakistani cricketer (d. 1994) * 1935 –
Martti Talvela Martti Olavi Talvela (4 February 1935 – 22 July 1989) was a Finnish operatic bass. Born in Hiitola, Finland (now in the Republic of Karelia), the eighth of ten children
, Finnish opera singer (d. 1989) * 1935 – Collin Wilcox, American actress (d. 2009) * 1936David Brenner, American comedian, actor, and author (d. 2014) * 1936 – Claude Nobs, Swiss businessman, founded the
Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...
(d. 2013) * 1937David Newman, American director and screenwriter (d. 2003) * 1937 – Birju Maharaj, Indian dancer, composer, singer and exponent of the Lucknow "Kalka-Bindadin" Gharana of Kathak dance (d. 2022) * 1938Frank J. Dodd, American businessman and politician, president of the New Jersey Senate (d. 2010) * 1939
Stan Lundine Stanley Nelson Lundine (born February 4, 1939) is an American politician from Jamestown, New York who served as Mayor of Jamestown, a United States representative, and Lieutenant Governor of New York. Life and career Lundine graduated from ...
, American lawyer and politician, Lieutenant Governor of New York * 1940
George A. Romero George Andrew Romero (; February 4, 1940 – July 16, 2017) was an American-Canadian filmmaker, writer, editor and actor. His ''Night of the Living Dead'' series of films about an imagined zombie apocalypse began with the 1968 film of the ...
, American director and producer (d. 2017) * 1941
Russell Cooper Theo Russell Cooper (born 4 February 1941) is a former Australian National Party politician. He was Premier of Queensland for a period of 73 days, from 25 September 1989 to 7 December 1989. His loss at the state election of 1989 ended 32 yea ...
, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of Queensland * 1941 –
Ron Rangi Ronald Edward Rangi (4 February 1941 – 13 September 1988) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A centre three-quarter, Rangi represented at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 1964 to ...
, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1988) * 1941 –
Jiří Raška Jiří Raška (; 4 February 1941 – 20 January 2012) was a Czechoslovakian ski jumper. He is regarded as the most famous Czech ski jumper of the 20th century. Early life He was born in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm in 1941. His father died of ...
, Czech skier and coach (d. 2012) * 1943Alberto João Jardim, Portuguese journalist and politician, second President of the Regional Government of Madeira * 1943 – Wanda Rutkiewicz, Lithuanian-Polish mountaineer (d. 1992) * 1943 – Ken Thompson, American computer scientist and programmer, co-developed the B programming language *
1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in ...
Florence LaRue, American singer and actress *
1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in ...
Alan Shields, American artist and ship captain (d. 2005) * 1947Dennis C. Blair, American admiral and politician, third Director of National Intelligence * 1947 – Dan Quayle, American sergeant, lawyer, and politician, 44th
Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice p ...
* 1948
Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guilloti ...
, American singer-songwriter * 1948 – Mienoumi Tsuyoshi, Japanese sumo wrestler * 1949Rasim Delić, Bosnian general (d. 2010) * 1951Patrick Bergin, Irish actor * 1952Jenny Shipley, New Zealand politician,
Prime Minister of New Zealand The prime minister of New Zealand ( mi, Te pirimia o Aotearoa) is the head of government of New Zealand. The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, took office on 26 October 2017. The prime minister (inf ...
* 1952 –
Thomas Silverstein Thomas Edward Silverstein (February 4, 1952 – May 11, 2019) was an American criminal who spent the last 42 years of his life in prison after being convicted of four separate murders while imprisoned for armed robbery, one of which was overturne ...
, American criminal and prisoner (d. 2019) *
1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijiangs ...
Mikuláš Dzurinda, Slovak politician, Prime Minister of Slovakia * 1957
Matthew Cobb Matthew Cobb (born 4 February 1957) is a British zoologist and professor of zoology at the University of Manchester. He is known for his popular science books ''The Egg & Sperm Race: The Seventeenth-Century Scientists Who Unravelled the Secrets o ...
, British zoologist and author *
1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
Tomasz Pacyński, Polish journalist and author (d. 2005) * 1959
Christian Schreier Christian Schreier (born 4 February 1959) is a German former professional footballer who is the general manager of SC Paderborn. He played as an midfielder, most notably with VfL Bochum and Bayer Leverkusen, and won one cap for West Germany, in ...
, German footballer and manager *
1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...
Siobhan Dowd Siobhan Dowd (4 February 1960 – 21 August 2007) was a British writer and activist. The last book she completed, '' Bog Child'', posthumously won the 2009 Carnegie Medal from the professional librarians, recognising the year's best book fo ...
, English author and activist (d. 2007) * 1960 – Jonathan Larson, American composer and playwright (d. 1996) *
1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...
– * 1961 – Denis Savard, Canadian ice hockey player and coach * 1962
Clint Black Clint Patrick Black (born February 4, 1962) is an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Signed to RCA Nashville in 1989, Black's debut album '' Killin' Time'' produced four straight number one singles on th ...
, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer * 1963Pirmin Zurbriggen, Swiss skier * 1964
Elke Philipp Elke Philipp (born 4 February, 1964) is a German Paralympic equestrian. Philipp has had cerebellar ataxia since 1984 when she suffered from a swelling of the brain due to Viral meningitis.  This resulted in her staying in hospital for 18 mon ...
, German Paralympic equestrian *
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in for a full term ...
Jerome Brown Willie Jerome Brown III (February 4, 1965 – June 25, 1992) was an American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire five-year NFL career with the Eagles from 1987 to 1 ...
, American football player (d. 1992) * 1966
Viatcheslav Ekimov Viatcheslav Vladimirovich Ekimov ( Russian Вячеслав Владимирович Екимов; born 4 February 1966), nicknamed ''Eki'', is a Russian former professional racing cyclist. A triple Olympic gold medalist, he was awarded the tit ...
, Russian cyclist * 1967Sergei Grinkov, Russian figure skater (d. 1995) *
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses ( February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events J ...
Rob Corddry, American actor, producer, and screenwriter * 1972Dara Ó Briain, Irish comedian and television host * 1972 –
Giovanni Silva de Oliveira Giovanni Silva de Oliveira (born 4 February 1972), better known as Giovanni, is a Brazilian football manager and former player. He played as either an attacking midfielder or a forward. At club level, Giovanni most notably played for Spanish s ...
, Brazilian footballer and manager * 1973Oscar De La Hoya, American boxer * 1973 – James Hird, Australian footballer and coach * 1973 – Manny Legace, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster *
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
Natalie Imbruglia, Australian singer-songwriter and actress * 1977Gavin DeGraw, American singer-songwriter * 1979
Giorgio Pantano Giorgio Pantano (born 4 February 1979) is an Italian professional racing driver who drove for the Jordan Formula One team for much of the 2004 season before being replaced by Timo Glock. He also raced in Formula 3000. He retired from racing at t ...
, Italian racing driver *
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...
Raimonds Vaikulis, Latvian basketball player * 1981Jason Kapono, American basketball player * 1981 – Johan Vansummeren, Belgian cyclist *
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...
Ivars Timermanis Ivars Timermanis (born February 4, 1982) is a retired Latvian professional basketball player who played the Small forward position. Pro career He was a member of the Latvian national basketball team. He has played in various teams in Latvia and ...
, Latvian basketball player * 1982 –
Tomas Vaitkus Tomas Vaitkus (born 4 February 1982) is a Lithuanian professional road racing cyclist riding for UCI Continental team . Vaitkus, nicknamed Tomas the Tank Engine, made his Tour de France debut in the 2007 edition but had to abandon after a serious ...
, Lithuanian cyclist * 1983Lee Stempniak, American ice hockey player * 1983 – Rebecca White, Australian politician * 1984
Sandeep Acharya Sandeep Acharya (4 February 1984 – 15 December 2013) was an Indian singer. He won the second season of the popular reality television show ''Indian Idol'' in 2006. Acharya was from to Bikaner, Rajasthan. He died on 15 December 2013 in Gurgao ...
, Indian singer (d. 2013) * 1984 –
Mauricio Pinilla Mauricio Ricardo Pinilla Ferrera (born 4 February 1984) is a Chilean former professional footballer who played as a striker. After beginning his career at Universidad de Chile, he signed for Inter Milan at the age of 19, but never appeared for ...
, Chilean footballer *
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...
Maximilian Götz, German racing driver * 1986 –
Mahmudullah Riyad Mohammad Mahmudullah ( bn, মোহাম্মদ মাহমুদুল্লাহ; born 4 February 1986), also known as Riyad, is a Bangladeshi cricketer and former captain of the Bangladesh national cricket team in T20I. He has played ...
, Bangladeshi cricketer * 1987Darren O'Dea, Irish footballer * 1987 –
Lucie Šafářová Lucie Šafářová (; born 4 February 1987) is a Czech former professional tennis player who was ranked world No. 1 in doubles, and No. 5 in singles. She is a five-time Grand Slam champion in doubles, having won the 2015 Australian Open, 2015 ...
, Czech tennis player * 1988Carly Patterson, American gymnast and singer * 1998Maximilian Wöber, Austrian footballer


Deaths


Pre–1600

* 211
Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary suc ...
, Roman emperor (b. 145) * 708
Pope Sisinnius Pope Sisinnius (c. 6504 February 708) was the bishop of Rome from 15 January 708 to his death. Sisinnius was born in Tyre (modern-day Lebanon), and his father's name was John. The paucity of donations to the papacy during his reign (42 pounds ...
(b. 650) *
856 __NOTOC__ Year 856 ( DCCCLVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March 15 – Emperor Michael III overthrows the regency of his mot ...
Rabanus Maurus, Frankish archbishop and theologian (b. 780) * 870Ceolnoth, archbishop of
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...
* 1169
John of Ajello John of AjelloAlso spelled "Agello", in Italian ''Giovanni d'Aiello'' or ''Giovanni da Salerno''. His family was from Salerno, but the name "Ajello", which comes from Aiello del Sabato, is applied retrospectively. John's nephew Richard became the f ...
, Bishop of Catania *
1498 Year 1498 ( MCDXCVIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1498th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 498th year of the 2nd millennium, the 98t ...
Antonio del Pollaiuolo Antonio del Pollaiuolo ( , , ; 17 January 1429/14334 February 1498), also known as Antonio di Jacopo Pollaiuolo or Antonio Pollaiuolo (also spelled Pollaiolo), was an Italian painter, sculptor, engraver, and goldsmith during the Italian Re ...
, Italian artist (b. 1429/1433) * 1505Jeanne de Valois, daughter of Louis XI of France (b. 1464) *
1508 __NOTOC__ Year 1508 ( MDVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * February – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, attacks the Republic of Veni ...
Conrad Celtes Conrad Celtes (german: Konrad Celtes; la, Conradus Celtis (Protucius); 1 February 1459 – 4 February 1508) was a German Renaissance humanist scholar and poet of the German Renaissance born in Franconia (nowadays part of Bavaria). He led the ...
, German poet and scholar (b. 1459) * 1555John Rogers, English clergyman and translator (b. 1505) *
1590 Events January–June * January 4 – The Cortes of Castile approves a new subsidy, the '' millones''. * March 4 – Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange, takes Breda, by concealing 68 of his best men in a peat-boat, to ...
Gioseffo Zarlino Gioseffo Zarlino (31 January or 22 March 1517 – 4 February 1590) was an Italian music theorist and composer of the Renaissance. He made a large contribution to the theory of counterpoint as well as to musical tuning. Life and career Zarlin ...
, Italian composer and theorist (b. 1517)


1601–1900

* 1615Giambattista della Porta, Italian playwright and scholar (b. 1535) * 1617Lodewijk Elzevir, Dutch publisher, co-founded the House of Elzevir (b. 1546) * 1713Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, English philosopher and politician (b. 1671) *
1774 Events January–March * January 21 – Mustafa III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, dies and is succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I. * January 27 ** An angry crowd in Boston, Massachusetts seizes, tars, and feathers British customs c ...
Charles Marie de La Condamine Charles Marie de La Condamine (28 January 1701 – 4 February 1774) was a French explorer, geographer, and mathematician. He spent ten years in territory which is now Ecuador, measuring the length of a degree of latitude at the equator and p ...
, French mathematician and geographer (b. 1701) *
1781 Events January–March * January – William Pitt the Younger, later Prime Minister of Great Britain, enters Parliament, aged 21. * January 1 – Industrial Revolution: The Iron Bridge opens across the River Severn ...
Josef Mysliveček Josef Mysliveček (9 March 1737 – 4 February 1781) was a Czech composer who contributed to the formation of late eighteenth-century classicism in music. Mysliveček provided his younger friend Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with significant com ...
, Czech composer (b. 1737) * 1799
Étienne-Louis Boullée Étienne-Louis Boullée (12 February 17284 February 1799) was a visionary French neoclassical architect whose work greatly influenced contemporary architects. Life Born in Paris, he studied under Jacques-François Blondel, Germain Bof ...
, French architect and educator (b. 1728) *
1843 Events January–March * January ** Serial publication of Charles Dickens's novel ''Martin Chuzzlewit'' begins in London; in the July chapters, he lands his hero in the United States. ** Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Tell-Tale Heart ...
Theodoros Kolokotronis, Greek general (b. 1770) * 1891
Pelagio Antonio de Labastida y Dávalos Pelagio Antonio de Labastida y Dávalos (March 21, 1816, Zamora, Michoacán — February 4, 1891, Oacalco, Morelos) was a Mexican Roman Catholic prelate, lawyer and doctor of canon law, and politician. He was a member of the imperial regen ...
, Roman Catholic
archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...
and Mexican politician who served as
regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
during the Second Mexican Empire (b. 1816)


1901–present

* 1905Louis-Ernest Barrias, French sculptor and academic (b. 1841) * 1926İskilipli Âtıf Hodja, Turkish author and scholar (b. 1875) *
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...
Hendrik Lorentz, Dutch physicist and academic,
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
laureate (b. 1853) *
1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
Archibald Sayce, English linguist and educator (b. 1846) * 1940
Nikolai Yezhov Nikolai Ivanovich Yezhov ( rus, Никола́й Ива́нович Ежо́в, p=nʲɪkɐˈɫaj ɪˈvanəvʲɪt͡ɕ (j)ɪˈʐof; 1 May 1895 – 4 February 1940) was a Soviet secret police official under Joseph Stalin who was head of the N ...
, Russian police officer and politician (b. 1895) * 1943Frank Calder, English-Canadian ice hockey player and journalist (b. 1877) *
1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in ...
Arsen Kotsoyev, Russian author and translator (b. 1872) *
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...
Savielly Tartakower, Russian-French chess player, journalist, and author (b. 1887) *
1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
Henry Kuttner, American author and screenwriter (b. 1915) * 1959Una O'Connor, Irish-American actress (b. 1880) *
1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...
Neal Cassady, American novelist and poet (b. 1926) * 1970Louise Bogan, American poet and critic (b. 1897) *
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
Satyendra Nath Bose, Indian physicist, mathematician, and academic (b. 1894) *
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
Louis Jordan, American singer-songwriter and saxophonist (b. 1908) *
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...
Alex Harvey, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1935) * 1982 –
Georg Konrad Morgen Georg Konrad Morgen (8 June 1909 – 4 February 1982) was an SS judge and lawyer who investigated crimes committed in Nazi concentration camps. He rose to the rank of SS-''Sturmbannführer'' (major). After the war, Morgen served as witness at s ...
, German lawyer and judge (b. 1909) * 1983Karen Carpenter, American singer (b. 1950) * 1987
Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...
, American singer-songwriter and pianist, (b. 1919) * 1987 – Meena Keshwar Kamal, Afghan activist, founded the
Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) ( Persian:جمعیت انقلابی زنان افغانستان, ''Jamiʿat-e Enqelābi-ye Zanān-e Afghānestān'', Pashto:د افغانستان د ښڅو انقلابی جمعیت ...
(b. 1956) * 1987 – Carl Rogers, American psychologist and academic (b. 1902) *
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...
Whipper Billy Watson, Canadian-American wrestler and trainer (b. 1915) * 1992John Dehner, American actor (b. 1915) * 1995
Patricia Highsmith Patricia Highsmith (January 19, 1921 – February 4, 1995) was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley. She wrote 22 nove ...
, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1921) * 2000Carl Albert, American lawyer and politician, 54th
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the ...
(b. 1908) * 2002
Count Sigvard Bernadotte of Wisborg Sigvard Oscar Fredrik, Prince Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (7 June 1907 – 4 February 2002) born as, and until 1934 known as, Prince Sigvard of Sweden, Duke of Uppland, was a member of the Swedish Royal Family and a successful industrial desi ...
(b. 1907) * 2003Benyoucef Benkhedda, Algerian pharmacist and politician (b. 1920) * 2005Ossie Davis, American actor, director, and playwright (b. 1917) * 2006
Betty Friedan Betty Friedan ( February 4, 1921 – February 4, 2006) was an American feminist writer and activist. A leading figure in the women's movement in the United States, her 1963 book '' The Feminine Mystique'' is often credited with sparking the se ...
, American author and activist (b. 1921) * 2007
José Carlos Bauer José Carlos Bauer (21 November 1925 – 4 February 2007), commonly known as Bauer, was a Brazilian football player and manager. Early life Born in São Paulo, he was the son of a Swiss man and an African-Brazilian woman. He was normally a de ...
, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1925) * 2007 –
Ilya Kormiltsev Ilya Valeryevich Kormiltsev (russian: Илья́ Вале́рьевич Корми́льцев, b. September 26, 1959, Sverdlovsk, USSR - d. February 4, 2007, London, UK) was a Russian poet, translator, and publisher. Kormiltsev is most famous f ...
, Russian-English poet and translator (b. 1959) * 2007 – Barbara McNair, American singer and actress (b. 1934) * 2007 – Jules Olitski, Ukrainian-American painter and sculptor (b. 1922) * 2007 –
Alfred Worm Alfred Worm (14 June 1945 – 4 February 2007) was an Austrian journalist, author and university professor. Career Worm was born in Gmünd, Lower Austria, and began his professional studies at HTL Mödling, an engineering school in Austria. ...
, Austrian journalist, author, and academic (b. 1945) *
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
Augusta Dabney, American actress (b. 1918) * 2008 –
Stefan Meller Stefan Meller (4 July 1942 in Lyon, France – 4 February 2008 in Warsaw, Poland) was a Polish diplomat and academician. He served as foreign minister of Poland from 31 October 2005, to 9 May 2006, in the cabinet of Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz. He ...
, Polish academic and politician,
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (''Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych'', MSZ) is the Polish government department tasked with maintaining Poland's international relations and coordinating its participation in international and regional supra-natio ...
(b. 1942) * 2010Kostas Axelos, Greek-French philosopher and author (b. 1924) * 2010 –
Helen Tobias-Duesberg Helen Tobias-Duesberg (11 June 1919 – 4 February 2010) was an Estonian-American composer. Life Helen Tobias was born in Suure-Jaani, Estonia on 11 June 1919. Tobias was the youngest daughter of Estonian composer, Rudolf Tobias, born seven m ...
, Estonian-American composer (b. 1919) * 2011
Martial Célestin Martial Lavaud Célestin (October 4, 1913 – February 4, 2011) was named Prime Minister of Haïti by President Leslie Manigat in February 1988 under the provisions of the 1987 Constitution, and was approved by the Parliament that formed as ...
, Haitian lawyer and politician, first Prime Minister of Haiti (b. 1913) * 2012István Csurka, Hungarian journalist and politician (b. 1934) * 2012 – Florence Green, English soldier (b. 1901) * 2012 –
Robert Daniel Robert Williams Daniel, Jr. (March 17, 1936 – February 4, 2012) was an American farmer, businessman, teacher, and politician from Virginia who served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican. He was first elected in ...
, American farmer, soldier, and politician (b. 1936) * 2012 – Mike deGruy, American director, producer, and cinematographer (b. 1951) *
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few hard bop ...
, American trumpet player (b. 1932) * 2013 – Reg Presley, English singer-songwriter (b. 1941) *
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...
Keith Allen, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1923) * 2014 – Eugenio Corti, Italian soldier, author, and playwright (b. 1921) * 2014 – Dennis Lota, Zambian footballer (b. 1973) * 2015 – Fitzhugh L. Fulton, American colonel and pilot (b. 1925) * 2016
Edgar Mitchell Edgar Dean Mitchell (September 17, 1930 – February 4, 2016) was a United States Navy officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, ufologist, and NASA astronaut. As the Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo 14 in 1971 he spent nine ...
, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1930) * 2017
Steve Lang Stephen Keith Lang (March 24, 1949 – February 4, 2017) was a Canadian bassist best known for his time and work with the rock band April Wine from 1976 to 1984 during the band's most successful years. Early life Lang was born in Montreal, Qu ...
, Canadian bass player (b. 1949) * 2017 –
Bano Qudsia Bano Qudsia ( ur, ‎; 28 November 19284 February 2017), also known as Bano Aapa, was a Pakistani novelist, playwright and spiritualist. She wrote literature in Urdu, producing novels, dramas plays and short stories. Qudsia is best recognized ...
, Pakistani writer (b. 1928) *
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
John Mahoney Charles John Mahoney (June 20, 1940 – February 4, 2018) was an English-born American actor. He was known for playing Martin Crane on the NBC sitcom '' Frasier'' (1993–2004), and won a Screen Actors Guild Award for the role in 2000. Mahon ...
, English-American actor, voice artist, and comedian (b. 1940) * 2019Matti Nykänen, Finnish Olympic-winning ski jumper and singer (b. 1963) * 2020Daniel arap Moi, Former President of Kenya (b. 1924)


Holidays and observances

*Christian
feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context do ...
: ** Andrew Corsini ** Gilbert of Sempringham **
John de Brito John de Britto (also spelled ''Brito''; pt, João de Brito), also known as Arul Anandar, (born in Lisbon, Portugal on 1 March 1647 – died at Orur, Tamil Nadu, India on 4 February 1693) was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary and martyr, often call ...
**
Goldrofe of Arganil Goldrofe of Arganil, C.R.S.A. ( pt, São Goldrofe or ''Goldofre'', alternatively, ''Golfredo'' or ''Guelindrofe''; ) was a Portuguese Augustinian prior in what is today central Portugal. He is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. Li ...
**Blessed Rabanus Maurus ** Rimbert ** February 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) *
Day of the Armed Struggle Angola has twelve public holidays that can be increased by bridge holidays if a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday. 2022 has fifteen national holidays. Notes References Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() ...
(
Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordinat ...
) *Earliest day on which Ash Wednesday can fall, while March 10 is the latest; celebrated on the first day of
Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Jesus, temptation by Satan, according ...
(Christianity) *
Independence Day (Sri Lanka) National Day, also known as Independence Day, is a Sri Lankan national holiday celebrated annually on 4 February to commemorate the country’s political independence from British rule in 1948. It is celebrated all over the country through a fl ...
*
Rosa Parks Day Rosa Parks Day is a holiday in honor of the civil rights leader Rosa Parks, celebrated in the U.S. states of California and Missouri on her birthday, February 4, in Michigan on the first Monday after her birthday, and in Ohio and Oregon on the da ...
(
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
and
Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
, United States) * World Cancer Day *
International Day of Human Fraternity The International Day of Human Fraternity was established by the United Nations General Assembly on December 21, 2020, with resolution 75/200 as a way to promote greater cultural and religious tolerance. With this resolution, which was co-facil ...


References


External links


BBC: On This Day
*
Historical Events on February 4
{{months Days of the year February