Historical Events
- Feb 1 Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss dissolves all political parties but his own right-wing Fatherland Front (Vaterländische Front)
- Feb 2 Dutch Roman Catholic Bishops warn against fascism and Nazism
- Feb 6 Far right leagues rally in front of the Palais Bourbon in an attempted coup against the French Third Republic, creating a political crisis in France
- Feb 6 MLB Cincinnati Reds purchase contract of 43-year-old pitcher Dazzy Vance from St. Louis Cardinals for $7,500
- Feb 7 1st contract for TVA power, Tupelo, Mississippi
- Feb 8 Export-Import Bank organizes in Washington, D.C.
- Feb 8 Gaston Doumergue forms new French government
- Feb 9 -14.3°F (-25.7°C), coldest day in New York City
- Feb 9 -51°F (-46°C), Vanderbilt, Michigan (state record)
- Feb 9 Balkan Entente alliance forms (Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey & Romania)
- Feb 10 1st Jewish immigrant ship to break the English blockade in Palestine
- Feb 10 Byrd souvenir sheet issued, NYC; 1st unperforated ungummed US stamp
Merry Mount
Feb 10 Howard Hanson's opera "Merry Mount" premieres in NYC
- Feb 12 Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss government bans Social Democrat party
- Feb 12 Export-Import Bank of the United States forms
- Feb 12 France hit by a general strike against fascists & royalists
- Feb 12 The four-day February Uprising, sometimes called the Austrian Civil War, begins
- Feb 13 The Soviet steamship Cheliuskin sinks in the Arctic Ocean.
- Feb 14 NHL Ace Bailey Benefit Game: Toronto beats All-Stars 7-3 in Toronto
- Feb 16 Austrian Civil War ends with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republican Schutzbund
- Feb 16 Commission of Government is sworn in as form of direct rule for the Dominion of Newfoundland
- Feb 17 1st high school auto driving course offered (State College, Pennsylvania)
- Feb 19 US contract air mail service canceled, replaced by US army for 6 months
- Feb 20 Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein's opera "Four Saints in Three Acts" opens on Broadway at the 44th Street Theatre, NYC
- Feb 21 Nicaraguan patriot Augusto César Sandino and three others kidnapped and assassinated by the National Guard in Larreynaga
It Happened One Night
Feb 22 "It Happened One Night" directed by Frank Capra and starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert opens at NY's Radio City Music Hall (Academy Awards Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay 1935)
In Search of Sheba
Feb 22 André Malraux and Édouard Corniglion-Molinier set out to find the lost capital of the Queen of Sheba, as mentioned in the Old Testament
Baseball History
Feb 23 Casey Stengel becomes manager of Brooklyn Dodgers
- Feb 23 Coronation of King Leopold III of Belgium
Famous Birthdays
Don Cherry (90 years old)
Feb 5 Canadian hockey commentator (Hockey Night in Canada), born in Kingston, Ontario
Hank Aaron (1934-2021)
Feb 5 American Baseball Hall of Fame right fielder (MLB record 755 HRs; NL MVP 1957; 25 × MLB All-Star; Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers), born in Mobile, Alabama [1]
- Feb 6 Vernon "Vern" Ehlers, American politician (US Representative from Michigan, 1993-2011), born in Pipestone, Minnesota (d. 2017)
- Feb 7 "King" Curtis [Ousley], American Grammy Award-winning R&B, rock, jazz, and session saxophonist bandleader ("Memphis Soul Stew"; Aretha Franklin; John Lennon), born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 1971)
- Feb 7 Earl King [Solomon Johnson], American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist ("Come On (Let The Good Times Roll)"), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 2003)
- Feb 7 Eddie Fenech Adami, President of Malta
- Feb 7 Piet Bukman, Dutch politician, cabinet minister (CDA) and Speaker of the House (1996-98), born in Delft, Netherlands (d. 2022)
- Feb 8 Galina Bystrova, Soviet pentathlete (1957, 58)
- Feb 9 John A Ziegler Jr, American lawyer, and sports league executive (4th NHL president, 1977-92), born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan (d. 2018)
- Feb 10 Fleur Adcock, New Zealand poet, born in Papakura, New Zealand
- Feb 11 Francesco Pennisi, Italian contemporary classical composer, born in Acireale, Sicily (d. 2000)
- Feb 11 John Surtees, British auto racer (World F1 C'ship 1964) and motorcycle racer (World C'ships: 350 cc – 1958, 59, 60; 500 cc – 1956, 58, 59, 60), born in Tatsfield, England (d. 2017)
Manuel Noriega (1934-2017)
Feb 11 Panamanian general and dictator (1983-89), born in a Panama City slum, Panama
Mary Quant (1934-2023)
Feb 11 English fashion designer (Chelsea Look, Mod Look), born in Kent, England [1]
- Feb 11 Mel Carnahan, American politician (d. 2000)
- Feb 11 Patrick Holmes Sellors, British ophthalmologist (d. 2010)
- Feb 11 Tina Louise, American actress (Ginger-Gilligan's Island, Julie-Dallas), born in New York City
- Feb 12 Anne Krueger, American economist (World Bank Chief Economist 1982-86), born in Endicott, New York
- Feb 12 Annette Crosbie, Scottish actress (One Foot in the Grave), born in Gorebridge, Scotland
Bill Russell (1934-2022)
Feb 12 American Basketball HOF center (11 × NBA C'ship; 5 x NBA MVP; 12 x NBA All-Star; Boston Celtics; Olympic gold 1956) and coach (NBA C'ship 1968, 69 Boston Celtics), born in West Monroe, Louisiana [1]
- Feb 13 George Segal, American actor (Carbon Copy; Fun With Dick & Jane; Just Shoot Me!), and banjo player, born in Great Neck, New York (d. 2021)
- Feb 14 Bruce Headley, American thoroughbred horse trainer and owner (Breeders' Cup Sprint 2000 Kona Gold), born in Baldwin Park, California (d. 2021)
- Feb 14 Florence Henderson, American actress (The Brady Bunch - "Carol"), and singer, born in Dale, Indiana (d. 2016)
- Feb 14 Merl Saunders, American Hammond B-3 organ player and pianist (Jerry Garcia Band; Saunders/Garcia), and composer, born in San Mateo, California (d. 2008)
- Feb 14 Michel Corboz, Swiss conductor (founded L’Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne, 1961), born in Marsens, Switzerland (d. 2021)
- Feb 15 Graham Kennedy, Australian actor "the King of Australian television", born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2005)
- Feb 15 Niklaus Wirth, Swiss computer scientist who invented nine programming languages (Pascal, Oberon) and won the Turing Award in 1984, born in Winterthur, Switzerland (d. 2024) [1]
- Feb 15 Paul Ekman, American psychologist, born in Washington, D.C.
- Feb 16 Harold "Hal" Kalin, American singer (Kalin Twins), born in Port Jervis, New York (d. 2005)
- Feb 16 Marlene Bauer Hagge, American golfer, co-founder LPGA (Woman's PGA C'ship 1956), born in Eureka, South Dakota (d. 2023)
- Feb 16 Ted Taylor, American gospel and R&B-singer ("Be Ever Wonderful"), born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, (d. 1987)
- Feb 17 Alan Bates, British actor (Zorba the Greek; An Unmarried Woman; The Rose), born in Allestree, Derby, England (d. 2003)
- Feb 17 Barry Humphries, Australian Tony Award-winning comedian, actor and author known for his stage alter egos (Dame Edna Everage, Sir Les Patterson), born in Melbourne, Victoria (d. 2023) [1]
- Feb 18 Aldo Ceccato, Italian conductor (Detroit Symphony, 1973-77), born in Milan, Italy
- Feb 18 Audre Lorde, American writer, feminist and activist (Black Unicorn), born in New York City (d. 1992)
- Feb 18 Bobby Taylor, American singer and producer who discovered "The Jackson 5" (Motown Records), born in Washington, D.C. (birth year contested-1939) (d. 2017)
- Feb 18 Paco Rabanne [Francisco Cuervo], Spanish fashion designer and perfumer, born in Pasajes, Spain (d. 2023)
- Feb 18 Skip Battin, American singer-songwriter (The Byrds), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2003)
- Feb 19 Carole Eastman, American screenwriter (d. 2004)
- Feb 19 David Jones, English director (Betrayal), born in Poole, England (d. 2008)
- Feb 19 Julian Rochfort Belfrage, English theatre agent, born in London, England (d. 1994)
Bobby Unser (1934-2021)
Feb 20 American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1968, 1975, 1981; USAC C'ship 1968, 1974), born in Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Feb 20 Ziki Robertson, 11th Baroness Wharton (née Myrtle Arbuthnot), British model and photographer (as Ziki Arnot), and politician (House of Lords, 1990-200), born in South Africa (d. 2000)
- Feb 21 Gordon Forbes, South African tennis player and author (French Open mixed doubles [Darlene Hard] 1955), born in Burgersdorp, South Africa (d. 2020)
- Feb 21 Rue McClanahan, American actress (Maude, Golden Girls), born in Healdton, Oklahoma (d. 2010)
- Feb 22 Paavo Pohjola, Finnish concert violinist and conductor, born in Seinäjoki, Finland
Sparky Anderson (1934-2010)
Feb 22 American Baseball HOF manager (World Series 1975, 76 Cincinnati Reds; WS 1984 & 2 x AL Manager of the Year, Detroit Tigers), born in Bridgewater, South Dakota
- Feb 22 Thomas Paul, American bass (NYC Opera 1963-70), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Feb 23 Linda Cristal, Argentinian actress (High Chapparal), born in Buenos Aires, Brazil (d. 2020)
- Feb 24 Bettino Craxi, Italian socialist politician (Prime Minister, 1983-87), born in Milan, Kingdom of Italy (d. 2000)
- Feb 24 Bingu wa Mutharika, Thyolo, Nyasaland (Malawi), Malawi President (2004-2012), (d. 2012)
- Feb 24 Flemming Nielsen, Danish soccer midfielder (26 caps, Olympic silver 1960; Atalanta, Morton FC), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2018)
- Feb 24 Frank Chapot, American equestrian (Olympic silver 1960, 1972), born in Camden, New Jersey (d. 2016)
- Feb 24 Renata Scotto, Italian soprano (Metropolitan Opera, 1965-87; La Traviata - "Violetta") and opera director, born in Savona, Kingdom of Italy (d. 2023) [1]
- Feb 24 Shuko Mizuno, Japanese composer (Symphonic Metamorphoses), born in Tokushima, Japan
- Feb 25 Bernard Bresslaw, English comedian (Carry On team), born in London, England (d. 1993)
- Feb 25 Bobby Neame, British brewer (Shepherd Neame), born in London, England (d. 2019)
- Feb 25 Michael Wheeler-Booth, British public servant (Clerk of the Parliaments. 1990-97), born in UK (d. 2018)
- Feb 25 Nicholas Edwards, Baron Crickhowell, British Conservative Party politician (Member of Parliament (1970-87), born in London, England (d. 2018)
- Feb 25 Tony Lema, American golfer (British Open 1964), born in Oakland, California (d. 1966)
- Feb 26 Ron Gaunt, Australian cricket fast bowler (3 Tests, 7 wickets, BB 3/53; WA, Victoria), born in York, Australia (d. 2012)
- Feb 27 N. Scott Momaday, Native American author (House Made of Dawn, Pulitzer Prize - 1969), born in Lawton, Oklahoma (d. 2024) [1]
Ralph Nader (90 years old)
Feb 27 American consumer advocate (Unsafe at Any Speed), born in Winsted, Connecticut
- Feb 27 Van Williams, American actor (Green Hornet, Tycoon), born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 2016)
- Feb 27 Vincent Fourcade, French interior designer, born in Paris, France (d. 1992)
- Feb 28 Willie Bobo [Correa], American jazz percussionist (Evil Ways), born in New York City (d. 1983)
Famous Weddings
Cary Grant
Feb 10 British-born actor "North by Northwest" Cary Grant (30) weds "City Lights" actress Virginia Cherrill (26)
Kim Philby
Feb 24 High-ranking member of British intelligence Kim Philby (22) weds communist Litzi Friedmann in Vienna, Austria
Edward Teller
Feb 26 Hungarian-American theoretical physicist Edward Teller (25) weds Hungarian-American computer scientist Augusta Maria "Mici" Schütz-Harkányi (24) in Hungary, until her death in 2000
Famous Deaths
- Feb 2 Ernesto Nazareth, Brazilian pianist dance and classical music composer, dies at 70
- Feb 16 Eduard Bagritsky, Russian-Soviet poet and journalist (South-West), dies at 38
- Feb 17 Albert I, King of Belgium (1909-34), dies at 58
- Feb 17 Siegbert Tarrasch, German chess player, chess writer, and chess teacher, dies at 71
- Feb 22 Willem Kes, Dutch violinist, composer and conductor (Concertgebouw Orchestra), dies at 78
- Feb 23 Augusto Sandino, Nicaraguan patriot, assassinated by the National Guard at 38
Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Feb 23 English composer (Coronation Ode, Pomp and Circumstance), dies of colorectal cancer at 76
- Feb 25 Daniel Protheroe, Welsh conductor and composer, dies at 67
- Feb 25 John McGraw, American Baseball Hall of Fame infielder/manager (manager NY Giants World Series champions 1905, 21-22), dies of uremic poisoning at 60
