Historical Events
"Carnaval Romain"
Feb 3 Hector Berlioz's overture "Carnaval Romain" premieres in Paris
Discovery of Lake Tahoe
Feb 14 John C. Frémont and his party become the first Europeans to discover Lake Tahoe during his second expedition through the American West
- Feb 27 Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti (National Day)
- Feb 28 12-inch gun aboard USS Princeton explodes, killing Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gilmer, and other high-ranking U.S. federal officials
- Feb 28 6th Grand National: John Crickmere wins aboard 5/1 co-favourite Discount
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 1 Eduard Adolf Strasburger, German botanist who discovered that the nucleus of plant cells divides during cell division, born in Warsaw, Russian Empire (d. 1912)
- Feb 1 Granville Stanley Hall, American pioneering psychologist, born in Ashfield, Massachusetts (d. 1924)
- Feb 2 Leander Schlegel, Dutch composer and pianist, born in Oegstgeest, Netherlands (d. 1913)
- Feb 17 Aaron Montgomery Ward, American retailer, founded mail-order business (Montgomery Ward), born in Chatham, New Jersey (d. 1913)
- Feb 18 Willem Maris, Dutch painter (Hague School), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1910)
- Feb 20 Joshua Slocum, Canadian-American seaman and adventurer (first man to sail around the world alone), born in Mount Hanley, Nova Scotia (d. 1909)
- Feb 20 Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicist (thermodynamics), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1906)
- Feb 21 Charles-Marie Widor, French organist (Saint-Sulpice, 1870-1933), composer (10 organ symphonies), and professor (American Conservatory at Fontainebleau, 1921-34), born in Lyon, France (d. 1937)
- Feb 22 Kazamierz Julian Kratzer, Polish composer, born in Kraków, Poland (d. 1890)
Famous Deaths
Henry Addington (1757-1844)
Feb 15 1st Viscount Sidmouth, British Prime Minister (Tory: 1801-04), dies at 86
- Feb 16 Heinrich David Stölzel, German horn player who developed the first valve for brass instruments, dies at 66
- Feb 16 Joseph Crosfield, English soap and alkali manufacturer, dies at 51
- Feb 27 Nicholas Biddle, US lawyer/diplomat/statesman/financier, dies at 85
- Feb 28 Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of State, dies in explosion on USS Princeton
- Feb 28 Thommas W. Gilmer, Navy Secretary, dies in explosion on USS Princeton
- Feb 29 Thaddäus Weigl, German-Austrian composer, publisher, and conductor, dies at 67
