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Events


Pre-1600

* 747 BC – According to
Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
, the epoch (origin) of the Nabonassar Era began at noon on this date. Historians use this to establish the modern BC chronology for dating historic events. * 320Chandragupta I is officially crowned as the first Gupta Emperor. * 364Valentinian I is proclaimed Roman Emperor. * 1266Battle of Benevento: An army led by Charles, Count of Anjou, defeats a combined German and Sicilian force led by Manfred, King of Sicily. Manfred is killed in the battle and Pope Clement IV invests Charles as king of
Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
and
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
. * 1365 – The Ava Kingdom and the royal city of Ava (Inwa) founded by King Thado Minbya.


1601–1900

* 1606 – The Janszoon voyage of 1605–06 becomes the first European expedition to set foot on Australia, although it is mistaken as a part of New Guinea. * 1616Galileo Galilei is formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun. * 1775 – The
British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
factory on Balambangan Island is destroyed by Moro pirates. * 1794 – The first Christiansborg Palace in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
burns down. * 1815Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from exile on the island of Elba. * 1870 – The Beach Pneumatic Transit in New York City, intended as a demonstration for a subway line, opens. * 1876
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
and
Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
sign the Treaty of Kangwha, which grants Japanese citizens extraterritoriality rights in Korea, opens three Korean ports to Japanese trade, and ends Korea's status as a tributary state of
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
China.


1901–present

* 1909Kinemacolor, the first successful color motion picture process, is first shown to the general public at the Palace Theatre in London. * 1914 – , sister to the , is launched at Harland and Wolff shipyard in
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
. * 1919 – President
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...
signs an act of Congress establishing the Grand Canyon National Park. * 1929 – President Calvin Coolidge signs legislation establishing the Grand Teton National Park in
Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
. *
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 ...
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
orders the
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
to be re-formed, violating the provisions of the
Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace ...
. * 1935 – Robert Watson-Watt carries out a demonstration near Daventry which leads directly to the development of
radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
in the United Kingdom. * 1936 – In the February 26 Incident, young nationalist Japanese military officers assassinate multiple cabinet statesmen and start a rebellion in downtown
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, which is ended 3 days later. * 1945
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
: US troops reclaim the Philippine island of Corregidor from the Japanese. * 1952Vincent Massey is sworn in as the first Canadian-born
Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...
. * 1960 – A New York-bound Alitalia airliner crashes into a cemetery in Shannon, Ireland, shortly after takeoff, killing 34 of the 52 persons on board. *1960 – A
Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
-bound Aeroflot airliner crashes on approach to Snilow Airport in
Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
, killing 32 of the 33 people on board. * 1966
Apollo program The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the United States human spaceflight program led by NASA, which Moon landing, landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Apollo followed Project Mercury that put the first Americans in sp ...
: Launch of AS-201, the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket. *
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
U.N. Secretary-General U Thant signs
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day. *
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
– The Superliner railcar enters revenue service with
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
. * 1980 – Egypt and Israel establish full diplomatic relations. * 1987Iran–Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes President
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
for not controlling his national security staff. * 1992First Nagorno-Karabakh War: Khojaly Massacre: Armenian armed forces open fire on Azeri civilians at a military post outside the town of Khojaly leaving hundreds dead. * 1993World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a truck bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center explodes, killing six and injuring over a thousand people. * 1995 – The UK's oldest investment banking institute, Barings Bank, collapses after a rogue securities broker Nick Leeson loses $1.4 billion by speculating on the Singapore International Monetary Exchange using
futures contract In finance, a futures contract (sometimes called futures) is a standardized legal contract to buy or sell something at a predetermined price for delivery at a specified time in the future, between parties not yet known to each other. The item tr ...
s. * 2008 – The New York Philharmonic performs in Pyongyang, North Korea; this is the first event of its kind to take place in North Korea. * 2012 – A train derails in Burlington, Ontario, Canada killing at least three people and injuring 45. * 2012 – Seventeen-year-old African-American student Trayvon Martin is shot to death by
neighborhood watch A neighborhood watch or neighbourhood watch (see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also called a crime watch or neighbourhood crime watch, is an organized group of civilians devoted to crime a ...
coordinator George Zimmerman in an altercation in Sanford, Florida. *
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
– A hot air balloon crashes near Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 people. * 2019Indian Air Force fighter-jets targeted Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camps in Balakot. * 2021 – A total of 279 female students aged between 10 and 17 are kidnapped by bandits in the Zamfara kidnapping in Zamfara State, Nigeria.


Births


Pre-1600

* 1361
Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; ; , nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he was deposed in 1400. As he ...
(died 1419) * 1416Christopher of Bavaria (died 1448) * 1564Christopher Marlowe, English playwright, poet and translator (died 1593) * 1584Albert VI, Duke of Bavaria (died 1666) * 1587Stefano Landi, Italian composer and educator (died 1639)


1601–1900

* 1629Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, Scottish peer (died 1685) * 1651Quirinus Kuhlmann, German Baroque poet and mystic (died 1689) * 1671Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, English philosopher and politician (died 1713) * 1672Antoine Augustin Calmet, French monk and theologian (died 1757) * 1677Nicola Fago, Italian composer and teacher (died 1745) * 1718Johan Ernst Gunnerus, Norwegian bishop, botanist and zoologist (died 1773) * 1720Gian Francesco Albani, Italian cardinal (died 1803) * 1729Anders Chydenius, Finnish economist, philosopher and Lutheran priest (died 1803) * 1746Maria Amalia, Duchess of Parma (died 1804) * 1770Anton Reicha, Bohemian composer and flautist (died 1836) * 1777Matija Nenadović, Serbian priest, historian, and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Serbia (died 1854) * 1786François Arago, French mathematician and politician, 25th
Prime Minister of France The prime minister of France (), officially the prime minister of the French Republic (''Premier ministre de la République française''), is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of its Council of Ministers. The prime ...
(died 1853) * 1802Victor Hugo, French author, poet, and playwright (died 1885) * 1808Honoré Daumier, French painter, illustrator, and sculptor (died 1879) * 1808 – Nathan Kelley, American architect, designed the Ohio Statehouse (died 1871) * 1829Levi Strauss, German-American fashion designer, founded Levi Strauss & Co. (died 1902) * 1842Camille Flammarion, French astronomer and author (died 1925) * 1846Buffalo Bill, American soldier and hunter (died 1917) * 1852John Harvey Kellogg, American surgeon, co-created Corn flakes (died 1943) * 1857Émile Coué, French psychologist and pharmacist (died 1926) * 1861Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (died 1948) * 1861 – Nadezhda Krupskaya, Russian soldier and politician (died 1939) * 1866Herbert Henry Dow, Canadian-American businessman, founded the Dow Chemical Company (died 1930) * 1871Matti Turkia, Finnish politician (died 1946) * 1877Henry Barwell, Australian politician, 28th Premier of South Australia (died 1959) * 1877 – Rudolph Dirks, German-American illustrator (died 1968) * 1879Frank Bridge, English viola player and composer (died 1941) * 1880Kenneth Edgeworth, Irish astronomer (died 1972) * 1881Janus Djurhuus, Faroese poet (died 1948) * 1882Husband E. Kimmel, American admiral (died 1968) * 1885Aleksandras Stulginskis, Lithuanian farmer and politician, 2nd President of Lithuania (died 1969) * 1887Grover Cleveland Alexander, American baseball player and coach (died 1950) * 1887 – William Frawley, American actor and vaudevillian (died 1966) * 1887 – Stefan Grabiński, Polish author and educator (died 1936) * 1893Wallace Fard Muhammad, American religious leader, founded the Nation of Islam (disappeared 1934) * 1893 – Dorothy Whipple, English novelist (died 1966) * 1896Andrei Zhdanov, Ukrainian-Russian civil servant and politician (died 1948) * 1899Max Petitpierre, Swiss jurist and politician, 54th President of the Swiss Confederation (died 1994) * 1900Halina Konopacka, Polish discus thrower and poet (died 1989) * 1900 – Fritz Wiessner, German-American mountaineer (died 1988)


1901–present

* 1902Jean Bruller, French author and illustrator, co-founded Les Éditions de Minuit (died 1991) * 1903Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and academic,
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (died 1979) * 1903 – Orde Wingate, English general (died 1944) * 1906Madeleine Carroll, English actress (died 1987) * 1908Tex Avery, American animator, producer, and voice actor (died 1980) * 1908 – Nestor Mesta Chayres, Mexican operatic tenor and bolero vocalist (died 1971) * 1908 – Jean-Pierre Wimille, French racing driver (died 1949) * 1909Fanny Cradock, English chef, author, and critic (died 1994) * 1909 – Talal of Jordan (died 1972) * 1910Vic Woodley, English footballer (died 1978) * 1911Tarō Okamoto, Japanese painter and sculptor (died 1996) * 1914Robert Alda, American actor, singer, and director (died 1986) * 1916Jackie Gleason, American actor and singer (died 1987) *
1918 The ceasefire that effectively ended the World War I, First World War took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year. Also in this year, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50–100 million people wor ...
Otis Bowen, American physician and politician, 44th Governor of Indiana (died 2013) * 1918 – Pyotr Masherov, Leader of Soviet Belarus (died 1980) * 1918 –
Theodore Sturgeon Theodore Sturgeon (; born Edward Hamilton Waldo, February 26, 1918 – May 8, 1985) was an American author of primarily fantasy fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and Horror fiction, horror, as well as a critic. He wrote approximately 400 ...
, American author and critic (died 1985) * 1919Mason Adams, American actor (died 2005) * 1920Danny Gardella, American baseball player and trainer (died 2005) * 1920 – Tony Randall, American actor, director, and producer (died 2004) * 1920 – Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist and author (died 2006) * 1921Betty Hutton, American actress and singer (died 2007) * 1922Bill Johnston, Australian cricketer and businessman (died 2007) * 1922 – Margaret Leighton, English actress (died 1976) * 1924Marc Bucci, American composer, lyricist, and dramatist (died 2002) * 1924 –
Noboru Takeshita was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1987 to 1989. Born in Shimane Prefecture, Takeshita attended Waseda University and was drafted into the army during the Pacific War. He was first elected to the National Diet ...
, Japanese soldier and politician, 74th Prime Minister of Japan (died 2000) * 1925
Everton Weekes Sir Everton DeCourcy Weekes, Order of St Michael and St George, KCMG, Gold Crown of Merit, GCM, Order of the British Empire, OBE (26 February 19251 July 2020) was a cricketer from Barbados. A right-handed batsman, he was known as one of the har ...
, Barbadian cricketer and referee (died 2020) * 1926Doris Belack, American actress (died 2011) * 1926 – Verne Gagne, American football player, wrestler, and trainer (died 2015) * 1926 – Henry Molaison, American medical patient (died 2008) * 1927Tom Kennedy, American game show host and actor (died 2020) * 1928Fats Domino, American singer-songwriter and pianist (died 2017) * 1928 – Ariel Sharon, Israeli general and politician, 11th
Prime Minister of Israel The prime minister of Israel (, Hebrew abbreviations, Hebrew abbreviation: ; , ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief executive of the Israel, State of Israel. Israel is a parliamentary republic with a President of Isra ...
(died 2014) * 1931Ally MacLeod, Scottish footballer and manager (died 2004) * 1931 – Robert Novak, American journalist and author (died 2009) * 1931 – Josephine Tewson, English actress (died 2022) * 1932
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (died 2003) * 1933James Goldsmith, French-British businessman and politician (died 1997) * 1934Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, Algerian director, producer, and screenwriter * 1936José Policarpo, Portuguese cardinal (died 2014) * 1937Paul Dickson, American football player and coach (died 2011) * 1939Chuck Wepner, American boxer * 1940Oldřich Kulhánek, Czech painter, illustrator, and stage designer (died 2013) * 1942Jozef Adamec, Slovak footballer and manager (died 2018) * 1943Paul Cotton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2021) * 1943 –
Bill Duke William Henry Duke Jr. (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor, director, and producer. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke works primarily in the action and crime drama genres often as a character related to law enforcement. As a ...
, American actor and director * 1943 – Dante Ferretti, Italian art director and costume designer * 1943 – Bob Hite, American singer-songwriter and musician (died 1981) * 1944Christopher Hope, South African author and poet * 1944 – Ronald Lauder, American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Austria * 1945Peter Brock, Australian racing driver (died 2006) * 1945 – Marta Kristen, Norwegian-American actress * 1945 – Mitch Ryder, American singer-songwriter *
1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...
Colin Bell, English footballer (died 2021) * 1946 – Bingo Smith, American basketball player (died 2023) * 1946 – Ahmed Zewail, Egyptian-American chemist and academic,
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (died 2016) * 1947Sandie Shaw, English singer and psychotherapist *
1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
Sharyn McCrumb, American author *
1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...
Simon Crean, Australian trade union leader and politician, 14th Australian Minister for the Arts (died 2023) * 1949 – Elizabeth George, American author and educator * 1949 – Emma Kirkby, English soprano * 1950Jonathan Cain, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer * 1950 – Helen Clark, New Zealand academic and politician, 37th
Prime Minister of New Zealand The prime minister of New Zealand () is the head of government of New Zealand. The prime minister, Christopher Luxon, leader of the New Zealand National Party, took office on 27 November 2023. The prime minister (informally abbreviated to P ...
* 1951Wayne Goss, Australian lawyer and politician, 34th Premier of Queensland (died 2014) *
1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...
Michael Bolton, American singer-songwriter and actor * 1953 – Barbara Niven, American actress and writer * 1954Prince Ernst August of Hanover * 1954 –
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...
, Turkish politician, 12th
President of Turkey The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye (), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the national government and is the commander-in-chief of the ...
* 1955Andreas Maislinger, Austrian historian and academic, founded the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service *
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...
Michel Houellebecq, French author, poet, screenwriter, and director * 1957David Beasley, American lawyer and politician, 113th Governor of South Carolina * 1957 – Joe Mullen, American ice hockey player and coach * 1957 – John Jude Palencar, American artist and illustrator * 1957 – Keena Rothhammer, American swimmer * 1958Greg Germann, American actor and director * 1958Liza 'N' Eliaz, Belgian, transgender, hardcore DJ (died 2001) * 1958 – Susan Helms, American general, engineer, and astronaut * 1958 – Tim Kaine, American lawyer and politician, 70th Governor of Virginia * 1959Rolando Blackman, Panamanian-American basketball player * 1959 –
Ahmet Davutoğlu Ahmet Davutoğlu (; born 26 February 1959) is a Turkish academic, politician and former diplomat who served as the List of Prime Ministers of Turkey, 26th Prime Minister of Turkey and Leader of the Justice and Development Party (Turkey), Justice ...
, Turkish political scientist, academic, and politician, 37th Prime Minister of Turkey * 1960Jaz Coleman, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer * 1962Ahn Cheol-soo, South Korean physician, academic, and politician * 1963Chase Masterson, American actress, singer, and activist * 1964
Mark Dacascos Mark Alan Dacascos (born February 26, 1964) is an American actor, martial artist and television personality. A 4th-degree black belt in Kajukenbo#Wun Hop Kuen Do, Wun Hop Kuen Do, he is known for his roles in Action film, action films, including ...
, American actor, martial artist, and television personality *
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First 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 Second inauguration of Lynd ...
James Mitchell, American wrestler and manager * 1966Garry Conille, Haitian physician and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Haiti * 1966 – Marc Fortier, French-Canadian ice hockey player * 1966 – Jennifer Grant, American actress * 1966 – Najwa Karam, Lebanese singer * 1967Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese footballer * 1967 – Gene Principe, Canadian sports reporter and broadcaster * 1968Tim Commerford, American bass player * 1968 – Leif Rohlin, Swedish ice hockey player * 1969Hitoshi Sakimoto, Japanese composer and producer * 1970Predrag Danilović, Serbian basketball player and executive * 1970Mark Harper, English accountant and politician, former Secretary of State for Transport and former Minister of State for Immigration *
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
Erykah Badu, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress * 1971 – Max Martin, Swedish-American record producer and songwriter * 1971 – Hélène Segara, French singer-songwriter and actress *
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
Maz Jobrani, American comedian and actor *
1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
Marshall Faulk, American football player * 1973 – Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Norwegian footballer and manager * 1973 – Jenny Thompson, American swimmer * 1974Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, Filipina television actress, host and equestrienne * 1974 – Sébastien Loeb, French racing driver * 1974 – Bonnie Somerville, American actress * 1975
P. J. Axelsson Anders Per-Johan Axelsson (born 26 February 1975), commonly abbreviated to P. J. Axelsson, is a Swedish people, Swedish former professional ice hockey forward, who most recently played with Frölunda HC of the Swedish Swedish Hockey L ...
, Swedish ice hockey player *
1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
Nalini Anantharaman, French mathematician * 1976 – Chad Urmston, American singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1977Marty Reasoner, American ice hockey player and coach * 1977 – Greg Rikaart, American actor * 1977 – Tim Thomas, American basketball player * 1977 – James Wan, Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer * 1977 – Shane Williams, Welsh rugby union player *
1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...
Abdoulaye Faye, Senegalese footballer *
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
Corinne Bailey Rae, English singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1979 – Steve Evans, Welsh footballer * 1979 – Pedro Mendes, Portuguese footballer * 1980Steve Blake, American basketball player * 1981Kevin Dallman, Canadian-Kazakhstani ice hockey player * 1981 – Kertus Davis, American race car driver * 1981 – Simon Maljevac, Slovenian politician * 1981 – Robert Mathis, American football player * 1981 – Oh Seung-bum, South Korean footballer * 1982Li Na, Chinese tennis player * 1982 – Matt Prior, South African-English cricketer * 1982 – Nate Ruess, American singer-songwriter * 1983Jerome Harrison, American football player * 1983 – Pepe, Brazilian-Portuguese footballer * 1984Emmanuel Adebayor, Togolese footballer * 1984 – Natalia Lafourcade, Mexican singer-songwriter * 1984 – Beren Saat, Turkish actress * 1985Fernando Llorente, Spanish footballer * 1986Mārtiņš Karsums, Latvian ice hockey player * 1986 – Hannah Kearney, American skier * 1986 – Teresa Palmer, Australian actress * 1989Gabriel Obertan, French footballer * 1990Takanoiwa Yoshimori, Mongolian sumo wrestler * 1991Lee Chae-rin, South Korean singer * 1991 – Kevin Plawecki, American baseball player * 1992Mikael Granlund, Finnish hockey player * 1993Morgan Gautrat, American soccer player * 1994Jacob Trouba, American ice hockey player * 1994 – Mahra Al Maktoum, Emirati princess. * 1997Jessie Bates, American football player * 2000Yeat, American rapper * 2003Jamal Musiala, German footballer


Deaths


Pre-1600

* 420Porphyry of Gaza, Greek bishop and saint (born 347) * 943Muirchertach mac Néill, King of Ailech (
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
) * 1154Roger II of Sicily (born 1095) * 1266Manfred, King of Sicily (born 1232) * 1275Margaret of England, Queen consort of Scots (born 1240) * 1349Fatima bint al-Ahmar, Nasrid princess in the Emirate of Granada (born c.1260) * 1360Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, English commander (born 1328) * 1462John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford, English politician (born 1408) * 1548Lorenzino de' Medici, Italian writer and assassin (born 1514) * 1577Eric XIV of Sweden (born 1533)


1601–1900

* 1603Maria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, spouse of Maximilian II (born 1528) * 1608John Still, English bishop (born 1543) * 1611Antonio Possevino, Italian priest and diplomat (born 1533) * 1625Anna Vasa of Sweden, Polish and Swedish princess (born 1568) * 1630William Brade, English violinist and composer (born 1560) * 1638Claude Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac, French mathematician and linguist (born 1581) * 1723Thomas d'Urfey, English poet and playwright (born 1653) * 1726Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (born 1662) * 1770Giuseppe Tartini, Italian violinist and composer (born 1692) * 1790Joshua Rowley, English admiral (born 1730) * 1802Esek Hopkins, American admiral (born 1718) * 1806Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, Haitian-French general (born 1762) * 1813Robert R. Livingston, American lawyer and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs (born 1746) * 1815Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (born 1737) * 1821Joseph de Maistre, French lawyer and diplomat (born 1753) * 1839Sybil Ludington, American figure of the American Revolutionary War (born 1761) * 1864Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, Canadian jurist and politician, 3rd Premier of Canada East (born 1807) * 1869Afzal-ud-Daulah, Asaf Jah V, 5th Nizam of Hyderabad State (born 1827) * 1883Alexandros Koumoundouros, Greek lawyer and politician, 56th Prime Minister of Greece (born 1817) * 1887Anandi Gopal Joshi, First Indian women physician (born 1865) * 1889Karl Davydov, Russian cellist and composer (born 1838) * 1895Kathinka Kraft, Norwegian memoirist (born 1826)


1901–present

* 1903Richard Jordan Gatling, American engineer, invented the
Gatling gun The Gatling gun is a rapid-firing multiple-barrel firearm invented in 1861 by Richard Jordan Gatling of North Carolina. It is an early machine gun and a forerunner of the modern electric motor-driven rotary cannon. The Gatling gun's operatio ...
(born 1818) * 1906Jean Lanfray, Swiss convicted murderer (born 1874) * 1913Felix Draeseke, German composer and academic (born 1835) * 1921Carl Menger, Polish-Austrian economist and academic (born 1840) * 1930Mary Whiton Calkins, American philosopher and psychologist (born 1863) * 1931Otto Wallach, German chemist and academic,
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (born 1847) * 1936February 26 Incident: ** Takahashi Korekiyo, Japanese accountant and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Japan (born 1854) ** Saitō Makoto, Japanese admiral and politician, 30th Prime Minister of Japan (born 1858) ** Jōtarō Watanabe, Japanese general (born 1874) * 1943Potato Creek Johnny, American gold prospector (born 1866) * 1943 – Theodor Eicke, German general (born 1892) * 1945Sándor Szurmay, Minister of Defence of the Hungarian portion of Austria-Hungary (born 1860) * 1947Heinrich Häberlin, Swiss judge and politician, President of the Swiss National Council (born 1868) * 1950Harry Lauder, Scottish comedian and singer (born 1870) * 1951Sabiha Kasimati, Albanian ichthyologist (born 1912) executed with 21 others * 1952Theodoros Pangalos, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (born 1878) * 1961Karl Albiker, German sculptor, lithographer, and educator (born 1878) * 1961 – Mohammed V of Morocco (born 1909) * 1966Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian poet and politician (born 1883) * 1969
Levi Eshkol Levi Eshkol ( ;‎ 25 October 1895 – 26 February 1969), born Levi Yitzhak Shkolnik (), was the prime minister of Israel from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. A founder of the Israeli Labor Party, he served in numerous seni ...
, Israeli soldier and politician, 3rd
Prime Minister of Israel The prime minister of Israel (, Hebrew abbreviations, Hebrew abbreviation: ; , ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief executive of the Israel, State of Israel. Israel is a parliamentary republic with a President of Isra ...
(born 1895) * 1969 – Karl Jaspers, German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher (born 1883) * 1981Robert Aickman, English author and activist (born 1914) * 1981 – Howard Hanson, American composer, conductor, and educator (born 1896) * 1985Tjalling Koopmans, Dutch-American economist and mathematician,
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (born 1910) * 1989Roy Eldridge, American trumpet player (born 1911) * 1993Constance Ford, American model and actress (born 1923) * 1994Bill Hicks, American comedian (born 1961) * 1995Jack Clayton, English director and producer (born 1921) * 1997David Doyle, American actor (born 1929) * 1998Theodore Schultz, American economist and academic,
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
laureate (born 1902) * 2000George L. Street III, American captain,
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
recipient (born 1913) * 2000 – Raosaheb Gogte, Indian industrialist (born 1916) * 2002Lawrence Tierney, American actor (born 1919) * 2004 – Adolf Ehrnrooth, Finnish general (born 1905) * 2004 – Boris Trajkovski, Macedonian politician, 2nd President of the Republic of Macedonia (born 1956) *
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
Jef Raskin, American computer scientist, created
Macintosh Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...
(born 1943) * 2006Georgina Battiscombe, British biographer (born 1905) * 2008Bodil Udsen, Danish actress (born 1925) *
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
Johnny Kerr, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (born 1932) * 2009 – Wendy Richard, English actress (born 1943) * 2009 – Norm Van Lier, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (born 1947) * 2010Jun Seba, also known as "Nujabes", Japanese record producer, DJ, composer and arranger (born 1974) *
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
Arnošt Lustig, Czech author, playwright, and screenwriter (born 1926) * 2012Richard Carpenter, English actor and screenwriter (born 1929) *
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
Marie-Claire Alain, French organist and educator (born 1926) * 2013 – Stéphane Hessel, German-French diplomat and author (born 1917) * 2013 – Simon Li, Hong Kong judge and politician (born 1922) *
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
Sorel Etrog, Romanian-Canadian sculptor, painter, and illustrator (born 1933) * 2014 – Phyllis Krasilovsky, American author and academic (born 1927) * 2015Sheppard Frere, English historian and archaeologist (born 1916) * 2015 – Theodore Hesburgh, American priest, theologian, educator, and academic (born 1917) * 2015 – Earl Lloyd, American basketball player and coach (born 1928) * 2015 – Tom Schweich, American lawyer and politician, 36th State Auditor of Missouri (born 1960) * 2016Andy Bathgate, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (born 1932) * 2016 – Don Getty, Canadian football player and politician, 11th Premier of Alberta (born 1933) * 2017Joseph Wapner, American judge and TV personality (born 1919) *
2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...
Michelle Trachtenberg, American actress (born 1985)


Holidays and observances

*Christian feast day: ** Alexander of Alexandria ** Emily Malbone Morgan ( Episcopal Church (USA)) ** Isabelle of France ** Li Tim-Oi ( Anglican Church of Canada) ** Paula Montal Fornés ** Porphyry of Gaza ** February 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) * Day of Remembrance for Victims of Khojaly Massacre (
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
) * Liberation Day (Kuwait) * Saviours' Day ( Nation of Islam)


References


External links


BBC: On This Day
*
Historical Events on February 26
{{months Days of February