Historical Events
- Feb 2 Harry Tierney and Joseph McCarthy's musical "Rio Rita" premieres in NYC
- Feb 2 Ziegfeld Theater (Loew's Ziegfeld) opens at 6th Ave & 54th St NYC
- Feb 3 Uprising against regime of general Carmona in Portugal
- Feb 4 KGA-AM in Spokane WA begins radio transmissions
"The General"
Feb 5 "The General", American silent film starring Buster Keaton and Marion Mack, co-directed by Keaton and Clyde Bruckman, premieres in New York City
- Feb 8 Belgian-Swiss treaty signed
Coolidge Requests Disarmament Conference
Feb 10 US President Calvin Coolidge asks for 2nd disarmament conference
- Feb 11 US Female Figure Skating championship won by Beatrix Loughran
Figure Skating History
Feb 11 US Men's Figure Skating championship won by Nathaniel Niles
Music History
Feb 16 Noël Coward's stage comedy "The Marquise", starring Marie Tempest, opens at the Criterion Theatre, London; runs for 129 performances
- Feb 16 US restores diplomatic relations with Turkey
- Feb 17 Deems Taylor's opera "The King's Henchman", with libretto by Edna St. Vincent Millay, premieres at the Metropolitan Opera, NYC
- Feb 17 Toronto Maple Leafs, in the team's first game since changing name from "St. Patricks", beat the visiting New York Americans, 4-1 at the Mutual Street Arena
- Feb 18 1st US radio broadcast of "Cities Service Concerts"
- Feb 18 US & Canada open diplomatic relations
- Feb 19 General strike against British occupiers in Shanghai
Der Zarewitsch
Feb 21 Franz Lehár's opera "Der Zarewitsch" premieres
- Feb 22 ARC soccer team forms in Alphen on the Rhine
- Feb 22 Baruch Spinosa's house of mourning opened as a museum
- Feb 23 US President Calvin Coolidge creates Federal Radio Commission (FRC)
- Feb 24 John Golden Theater (Theatre Masque) opens at 252 W 45th St NYC
- Feb 25 Gdańsk and Polish accord concerning traffic through Polish corridor
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 1 Galway Kinnell, American author (Body Rags, Book of Nightmares), born in Providence, Rhode Island (d. 2014)
- Feb 2 Richard Belmont Ray, American politician (Rep-D-GA, 1983-93), born in Fort Valley, Georgia (d. 1999)
- Feb 2 Richard Maxfield, American instrumental, electro-acoustic, and electronic music composer, born in Seattle, Washington (d. 1969)
- Feb 2 Stan Getz [Stanley Gayetski], American big band, bebop, cool jazz, and bossa nova tenor saxophonist (Woody Herman; Getz/Gilberto), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1991)
- Feb 3 Blas Ople, Filipino politician (d. 2003)
- Feb 3 Friedrich K Flick, German industrialist, born in Berlin, Germany (d. 2006)
- Feb 3 Ilias Rosidis, Greek soccer defender (29 caps; Olympiacos FC), born in Neo Faliro, Piraeus, Greece (d. 2019)
- Feb 3 Joan Lowery Nixon, American writer (d. 2003)
- Feb 3 Kenneth Anger [Anglemeyer], American Underground Filmmaker (Magick Lantern Cycle), born in Santa Monica, California (d. 2023)
- Feb 3 Val Doonican [Michael Valentine], Irish singer and entertainer, born in Waterford, Ireland (d. 2015)
- Feb 5 Ruth Fertel, American entrepreneur (Ruth's Chris Steak Houses), born in Nw Orleans, Louisiana. (d. 2002)
- Feb 5 Val Dufour, American actor (Search for Tomorrow, 1972-79 - "John Wyatt"; Another World, 1967-72), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 2000)
- Feb 6 Smokey Burgess, American baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Caroleen, North Carolina (d. 1991)
- Feb 7 John Buller, British contemporary classical composer (Proença,; Illusions), born in London, England (d. 2004)
- Feb 7 Juliette Gréco, French singer (Sous le ciel de Paris) and actress, born in Montpellier, France (d. 2020) [1]
- Feb 7 Laurence "Laurie" Johnson, British film and television score composer (Dr. Strangelove; The Avengers), born in Hampstead, England (d. 2024) [1]
- Feb 7 Vladimir Kuts, Russian runner (d. 1975)
- Feb 8 John T. Myers, American politician (Rep-R-IN, 1967-97), born in Covington, Indiana (d. 2015)
- Feb 8 Zdeněk Zouhar, Czech composer, and teacher, born in Kotvrdovice, Czechoslovakia (d. 2011)
- Feb 9 Donald Miller, CEO (Scottish Power)
- Feb 9 Joe Maneri, American jazz composer, saxophone and clarinet player (Boston Microtonal Society), born in Brooklyn, New York City (d. 2009)
- Feb 9 Norman Adams, British painter, costume designer and ceramics artist, born in London (d. 2015) [1]
- Feb 10 Brian Priestman, British conductor and teacher, born in Birmingham, England (d. 2014)
- Feb 10 Jakov Lind, Austrian-British author (Counting My Footsteps), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2007)
Leontyne Price (97 years old)
Feb 10 American opera soprano (Porgy & Bess, Aida; Metropolitan Opera. 1961-85), born in Laurel, Mississippi
- Feb 10 Nigel Bagnall, British field marshal (Chief of the General Staff (CGS), 1985-88), born in British India (d. 2002)
- Feb 10 Viscount Cowdray, British financier/multi-millionaire
- Feb 11 Michel Sénéchal, French operatic tenor, and educator, born in Paris (d. 2018)
- Feb 12 Anne Gillis [Alma Conner], American actress (Faline-Bambi, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Men), born in Little Rock, Arkansas (d. 2018)
- Feb 13 Harry Wich, Dutch painter and set designer, born in Eindhoven, Netherlands (d. 2002)
- Feb 14 Lois Maxwell [Hooker], Canadian actress (Goldfinger, Dr. No, Miss Moneypenny), born in Kitchener, Ontario (d. 2007)
- Feb 15 Frank Dunlop, director (Edinburgh International Festival)
- Feb 15 Gottfrid Gräsbeck, Finnish choral director, and composer, born in Turku, Finland (d. 2010)
- Feb 15 Harvey Korman, American actor (The Carol Burnett Show; Blazing Saddles; High Anxiety), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2008)
- Feb 16 Des White, New Zealand rugby league fullback (21 Tests, 132 points; Ponsonby RLFC), born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2023)
- Feb 16 June Brown, British actress (EastEnders, 1985–93 & 1997–2020 - "Dot"; Sitting Target), born in Needham Market, Suffolk, England (d. 2022)
- Feb 16 Roy Purdon, New Zealand harness-racing trainer (21 x NZ trainers premierships; 4 x NZ cup winners; 54 x Group One wins), born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2022)
- Feb 18 (Dorothy) "Dottie" Schwartz (née Hummitzsch), American barbershop quartet vocalist (The Chordettes, 1946-52), born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin (d. 2016)
Fazal Mahmood (1927-2005)
Feb 18 Pakistan cricket fast bowler (34 Tests, 139 wickets), born in Lahore, Pakistan
- Feb 18 John Warner, American politician (Sen-R-VA, 1979-2009) and 7th husband of Elizabeth Taylor (1976-84), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2021)
- Feb 18 Luis Arroyo, Puerto Rican MLB baseball pitcher, 1955-63 (2 x All-Star; 2 x World Series Champion; St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, and 2 other teams), born in Peñuelas, Puerto Rico (d. 2016)
- Feb 19 Rene Firino-Martell, French cognac manufacturer (Martell), born in Cognac, France (d. 1995)
- Feb 20 Roy Cohn, American lawyer ("grand inquisitor" for US Senator Joseph McCarthy; George Steinbrenner; Aristotle Onassis; Donald Trump; Mafia figures: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York), born in the Bronx, New York City (d. 1986)
Sidney Poitier (1927-2022)
Feb 20 Bahamian-American actor, first black actor to win Oscar for Best Actor ("Lillies in the Field"; "To Sir With Love"; "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"), director (Stir Crazy), civil rights advocate, and diplomat, born in Miami, Florida [1]
- Feb 21 Erma Bombeck, American humorist (The Grass is Always Greener over the Septic Tank), born in Dayton, Ohio (d. 1996)
Hubert de Givenchy (1927-2018)
Feb 21 French fashion designer (Audrey Hepburn's LBD) and founder of Givenchy (1952), born in Beauvais, France
- Feb 21 Pierre Mercure, Canadian composer (Kaléidoscope), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1966)
- Feb 22 David Ahlstrom, American composer, born in Lancaster, New York (d. 1992)
- Feb 22 Donald May, American actor (The Edge of Night, 1967-77 - "Adam Drake"; Colt .45), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2022)
- Feb 22 Guy Mitchell [Albert George Cernik], American singer and actor (Red Garters; 3 Redheads from Seattle), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1999)
- Feb 23 Ivan Hrušovský, Slovak composer and educator (Rytmus), born in Bratislava, Slovakia (d. 2001)
- Feb 24 David Mourão-Ferreira, Portuguese poet (Cancioneiro de Natal) and film maker, born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 1996)
- Feb 24 Emmanuelle Riva, French actress (Hiroshima Mon Amour), born in Alsace-Lorraine (d. 2017)
- Feb 25 Jacques-Louis Monod, French pianist, conductor, and composer (Cantus Contra Cantum), born in Asnières, France (d. 2020)
- Feb 25 Jane Nigh, American actress (Lorelei-Big Town, Blue Blood, Rawhide), born in Hollywood, California (d. 1993)
- Feb 25 Ralph Stanley, American bluegrass musician, born in Dickenson County, Virginia (d. 2016)
- Feb 25 René Thomas, Belgian jazz guitarist, born in Liège, Belgium (d. 1975)
- Feb 25 Rev. Bruce Ritter, Catholic priest and controversial founder of charity Covenant House, born in Trenton New Jersey (d. 1999)
- Feb 25 Richard "Dick" Jones, American actor ("Pinocchio "- Pinocchio, The Frontiersman), born in Snyder, Texas (d. 2014)
- Feb 26 Donald Gramm, American concert and opera bass-baritone, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 1983)
- Feb 26 Tom Kennedy [James Narz], American television game show host (You Don't Say; Name That Tune; Split Second), born in Louisville, Kentucky (d. 2020)
- Feb 27 Doralyn "Lynn" Cartwright, American character actress (A League of Their Own), born in McAlester, Oklahoma (d. 2004)
- Feb 27 Michael Butler, British diplomat, administrator (Royal College of Art, 1991-96), and collector of 17th century Chinese porcelain, born in Blandford, England (d. 2013)
- Feb 27 Robert Hamilton, Lord Belhaven and Stenton, British politician (House of Lords, 1961-99), born in the UK (d. 2020)
- Feb 28 Bernard Frank, French writer and oriental scholar, born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France (d. 2006)
- Feb 28 Don Helms, American steel guitarist (Hank Williams's Drifting Cowboys; Patsy Cline), born in New Brockton, Alabama (d. 2008)
- Feb 28 John Swire, British aircraft magnate (Cathay Pacific)
Famous Deaths
- Feb 4 Thomas Laub, Danish organist and composer, dies at 74
- Feb 5 Inayat Khan, Indian singer, musicologist, and philosopher (founder of Sufi Order - London, 1914), dies at 44
- Feb 6 Daniel François Scheurleer, Dutch musicologist and banker, dies at 71
- Feb 6 Sam Maguire, Irish Republican and Gaelic footballer (b. 1879)
- Feb 10 Laura Netzel (née Pistolekors), Finnish-Swedish pianist, composer, concert organizer, and humanitarian, dies at 87
- Feb 11 Joel Engel, Russian musicologist (Jewish Folksongs), composer ("Numi, Numi"), and music publisher, dies at 58
- Feb 13 Brooks Adams, American philosopher (New Empire), dies at 78
- Feb 16 Friedrich Reinitzer, Austrian chemist and botanist (discovered properties of liquid crystals), dies at 69
- Feb 19 Georg Brandes [Cohen], Danish literary-historian and critic (the Modern Breakthrough of Scandinavian literature), dies at 85
- Feb 19 Robert Fuchs, Austrian composer, and teacher (Vienna Conservatory, 1875-1912), dies at 80
- Feb 23 Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson, Icelandic composer (Lofsöngur - National Anthem of Iceland), dies at 79
- Feb 26 Willie Simms, American jockey (US Champion Jockey by wins 1893, 94; Kentucky Derby 1896, 98; Preakness Stakes 1898; Belmont Stakes 1893, 94), dies at 57
