Historical Events
Everything Happens to Me
Feb 7 Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey orchestra record "Everything Happens to Me"
- Feb 8 Radio presenter and National Socialist Max Blokzijl begins Nazi propaganda on Dutch national radio (executed for it in 1946)
- Feb 9 British troops conquer El Agheila
- Feb 9 Nazi collaborators destroy pro-Jewish café Alcazar Amsterdam (Alcazar refused to hang "No Entry for Jews" signs in front of cafe)
- Feb 10 1st highway post office makes 1st trip, Washington, D.C. to Harrisonburg, Virginia
- Feb 10 Anti-Nazi "Het Parool" begins publishing in Netherlands
Rommel Arrives in Tripoli
Feb 11 Lt-Gen Erwin Rommel arrives in Tripoli
- Feb 11 Sicherheitsdienst complains about Dutch anti German sentiments
- Feb 12 First injection of penicillin into a patient by British physician Charles Fletcher at Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, England
- Feb 12 Jewish Council for Amsterdam forms under Ascher and Cohen
- Feb 12 Occupation Police arrest "Jewish Foursome"
- Feb 13 Nazi leaders attack Dutch Jewish Council
- Feb 14 Carson McCuller's "Reflections in a Golden Eye" published
- Feb 14 Cebrie Park in the Bronx renamed Halsey Street
- Feb 14 German Afrika Korps lands in Tripoli, Libya
- Feb 14 One millionth vehicle traverses the NY Midtown Tunnel
Take the A Train
Feb 15 Duke Ellington first records "Take the A Train"
Music History
Feb 15 Greek-American singer Maria Callas makes her professional opera debut as Beatrice, in Franz von Suppé's "Boccaccio" at the Olympia Theatre in Athens, Greece
General Bradley
Feb 21 US officer Omar Bradley is promoted to the rank of brigadier general
- Feb 22 Arthur "Bomber" Harris becomes British Air Marshal
- Feb 22 German assault on El Agheila Libya
- Feb 22 IG Farben company decides to build its Buna-Werke (rubber factory) adjacent to Auschwitz Concentration Camp to have easy access to slave labor and safe cover from Allied bombing
- Feb 22 Nazi police raid Amsterdam and round up 429 young Jews for deportation to be sent to Buchenwald and Mauthausen concentration camps
- Feb 22 Paul Creston's 1st Symphony premieres
- Feb 22 Roy Harris' "Ballad of a Railroad Man" premieres
- Feb 23 Plutonium first produced and isolated by American chemist Glenn T. Seaborg at Berkeley
- Feb 24 43 Geuzen resistance fighter trial opens in the Hague
- Feb 24 Anti-Nazi meeting at Noordermarkt Amsterdam
- Feb 25 Boston Bruins set NHL record of 23-game unbeaten streak (15-0-8)
- Feb 25 February strike against persecution of Jews, in Amsterdam
- Feb 26 2 fighters unable to continued slugfest, referee declares double KO
- Feb 26 Cowboys' Amateur Association of America organized (California)
- Feb 26 Utrecht & Zaandam strike against raid on Jews
- Feb 26 Vichy-France makes religious education in school mandatory
Academy Awards
Feb 27 13th Academy Awards: "Rebecca", James Stewart & Ginger Rogers win
- Feb 28 British-Italian dogfight above Albania
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 1 Anatoli Firsov, Russian ice hockey left wing (Olympic gold 1964, 68, 72; 8 x World C'ship gold), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 2000)
- Feb 1 Franco Nones, Italian cross country skier (Olympic gold 30k 1968; first non-Scandinavian and Soviet/Russian male to win Olympic cross-country gold), born in Castello-Molina di Fiemme, Italy
- Feb 1 Jerry Spinelli, children's author
- Feb 1 Karl Dall, German television host
- Feb 1 Robert Walmsley, British Vice-Admiral
- Feb 2 Serge Tcherepnin, French American composer (Serge Modular synthesizer.), born in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
- Feb 3 Angelo D'Aleo, American pop tenor (Dion & Belmonts - "Teenager In Love"), born in The Bronx, New York
- Feb 3 Bridget Hanley, American actress (Here Come the Brides - "Candy Pruitt"), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 2021)
Carol Mann (1941-2018)
Feb 3 American golfer (1964 Western Open, 1965 US Open), born in Buffalo, New York
- Feb 3 Chuck Tharp, American rock vocalist (The Fireballs - "Sugar Shack"), born in Ysleta, Texas (d. 2006)
- Feb 3 Francisco Jara, Mexican soccer forward (9 caps; CD Guadalajara 1960-71), born in Guadalajara, Mexico (d. 2024)
- Feb 3 Gary Bartlett, cricket pace bowler (NZ in 10 Tests in the 1960's)
- Feb 3 Neil Bogart, American record executive (d. 1982)
- Feb 4 John Steel, British rock drummer (The Animals - "House of the Rising Sun"), born in Gateshead, County Durham, England
- Feb 4 Mike Deasy, American rock and jazz session guitarist (Beach Boys; Monkees; Randy Newman), born in Los Angeles, California
- Feb 5 Barrett Strong, American R&B vocalist ("Money (That's What I Want)"), piano player, and songwriter ("I Heard It Through the Grapevine"; "Just My Imagination"; "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone"; "War"), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2023) [1]
- Feb 5 David Selby, Morganstown WV, actor (Falcon Crest, Flamingo Road)
- Feb 5 Kaspar Villiger, Swiss Federal Councilor
- Feb 5 Rick Laird, Irish jazz-fusion bassist (Mahavishnu Orchestra, 1971-73; Gerry Niewood & Timepiece), and photographer, born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 2021)
- Feb 5 Stephen J. Cannell, American TV producer (The Rockford Files, The A-Team, 21 Jump Street) and writer, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2010)
- Feb 6 Gigi Perreau, American actress (Journey to Center of Time), born in Los Angeles, California
- Feb 6 Spencer Silver, American scientist and inventor of Post-it® Notes, born in San Antonio, Texas (d. 2021) [1]
- Feb 6 Stephen Albert, American composer, born in New York City (d. 1992)
- Feb 7 Peter Foxhall, Australian evangelist
- Feb 8 Nick Nolte, American actor (The Thin Red Line, 48 Hrs), born in Omaha, Nebraska
- Feb 8 Tom Rush, American folk and blues singer-songwriter, and guitarist ("Circle Game"; "No Regrets"), born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Feb 9 Sheila James Kuehl, politician/actress (Zelda-Dobie Gillis)
- Feb 10 John Hampshire, cricketer (of Yorkshire Century on debut for Eng 1969)
- Feb 10 Michael Apted, English director and producer (7 Up, The World is Not Enough), born in Aylesbury, England (d. 2021) [1]
- Feb 11 Glenn Randall Jr, stuntman (Species, Mrs Soffel, Return of the Jedi)
- Feb 11 Jeremy Mackenzie, general
- Feb 11 Sérgio Mendes, Brazilian jazz, bossa nova, and pop pianist, composer, and bandleader (Brazil '66/'77/'88), born in Niterói, Brazil
- Feb 12 Dennis Sullivan, American mathematician (2022 Abel prize for work on topography), born in Port Huron, Michigan
- Feb 12 Naomi Uemura, Japanese mountain climber (1st Japanese to scale Everest)
- Feb 12 Ross Morgan, New Zealand cricketer (batsman in 20 Tests 1965-72)
- Feb 13 Andrea Conte, First Lady of Tennessee, born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts
- Feb 13 Bo Svenson, Swedish actor (North Dallas 40, Walking Tall), born in Goteborg, Sweden
- Feb 13 Sigmar Polke, German painter, born in Oleśnica, Poland (d. 2010)
- Feb 14 Big Jim Sullivan [Tomkins], British session and touring rock guitarist, sitar, and banjo player, born in Uxbridge, Middlesex, England (d. 2012)
- Feb 14 Donna Shalala, American educator
- Feb 14 Paul Tsongas, American politician (Sen-D-Mass), born in Lowell, Massachusetts (d. 1997)
- Feb 15 Austin Savage, Welsh hockey player, born in St Asaph, Wales
- Feb 15 Brian Holland, American pianist, songwriter and producer (Holland–Dozier–Holland - "Heat Wave"; "Where Did Our Love Go"; "You Keep Me Hanging On"), born in Detroit, Michigan
- Feb 15 Florinda Bolkan [Bulcão], Brazilian model and actress (Damned, Last Valley, Word), born in Uruburetama, Brazil
- Feb 16 Bill Tobin, American football executive (GM Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts), born in Burlington Junction, Missouri (d. 2024)
- Feb 16 Vitali Kuznetsov, Russian judoka (Olympic silver 1972) (d. 2011)
- Feb 17 Heidi Biebl, German alpine skier (Olympic gold women's downhill 1960), born in Oberstaufen, Germany (d. 2022)
- Feb 18 David Blue [Cohen], American folk musician (Cupid's Arrow), born in Providence, Rhode Island (d. 1982)
- Feb 18 Herb Santiago, Puerto Rican-American pop vocalist (Frankie Lymon & Teenagers - "Why Do Fools Fall In Love"), born in San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Feb 18 Homer Jones, American football wide receiver (Pro Bowl 1967, 68; NFL record: career yards per reception: 22.3; NY Giants, Cleveland Browns), born in Pittsburg, Texas (d. 2023)
- Feb 18 Irma Thomas [Lee], American R&B and soul singer ("It's Raining"), born in Ponchatoula, Louisiana
- Feb 19 Carlos Roqué Alsina, French-Argentinian concert pianist, composer (Überwindung; Schichten), and pedagogue, born in Buenos Aries, Argentina
- Feb 19 Francisco Feliciano, Filipino conductor and composer (Pokpok Alimpako), born in Morong, Rizal, Philippines (d. 2014)
- Feb 19 Imre Szöllősi, Hungarian sprint canoeist (World C'ship gold K-2 10,00m 1966; 2 x Olympic silver 1960, bronze 1968), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2022)
- Feb 19 Stephen Dobyns, American author and poet (Cold Dog Soup), born in Orange, New Jersey
- Feb 19 Warren Powers, American football running back (Oakland Raiders) and coach (Washington State University 1977, University of Missouri 1978-84), born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 2021)
- Feb 20 Buffy Sainte-Marie, American folk singer (Now That the Buffalo Are Gone), and songwriter ("Up Where We Belong"), born in Stoneham, Massachusetts
- Feb 20 Clyde Wright, American MLB pitcher (no-hitter v Oakland 1970), born in Jefferson City, Tennessee
- Feb 20 Gayle Caldwell, American songwriter ("Cycles"), and folk singer (New Christy Minstrels; Jackie & Gayle), born in Eugene, Oregon (d. 2009)
- Feb 22 Hipólito Mejía, Dominican politician, born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
- Feb 22 Jürgen Nöldner, German soccer midfielder (30 caps East Germany; ASK Vorwärts Berlin 285 games), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 2022)
- Feb 23 Frank Gerstenberg, Edinburgh, principal (George Watson's College)
- Feb 23 Robin Bynoe, cricketer (WI opening batsman in 4 Tests 1959-67)
- Feb 23 Ron Hunt, baseball player
- Feb 24 Joanie Sommers [Drost], American pop and jazz singer ("Johnny Get Angry"). and actress, born in Buffalo, New York
- Feb 25 David Puttnam, film producer/CEO (Columbia Pictures), born in London, England
- Feb 25 Ramon Pagayon Santos, Filipino contemporary classical composer, etno-musicologist, and pedagogue, born in Pasig, Philippines
- Feb 25 Stewart Sutherland, Principal/Vice-Chancellor (Edinburgh University)
- Feb 25 Susan Browning, American actress (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman -"Pat"), born in Baldwin, New York (d. 2006)
- Feb 26 Keith Thomson, New Zealand cricket batsman (2 Tests, 1 x 50; Canterbury) and field hockey centre-half (28 Tests; Canterbury), born in Methven, New Zealand (d. 2023)
- Feb 27 Andrew "Sandy" Wilson, Royal Air Force officer (1962–1995)
- Feb 27 Charlie Faulkner, Welsh rugby union prop (19 Tests Wales; British & Irish Lions 1977; Pontypool RFC, Barbarian FC) and coach (Newport RFC), born in Newport, Wales (d. 2023)
- Feb 27 Ian McGarry, British trade union leader (British Actors' Equity Association)
- Feb 27 Paddy Ashdown, British MP, leader of Liberal Democrats (1988-1999), born in New Delhi, British Raj (d. 2018)
- Feb 28 (Ramón) "Palito" Ortega, Argentine 'la nueva ola' singer, actor, and politician (National Senator, 1995-99; Governor of Tucumán, 1991-95), born in Lules, Argentina
- Feb 28 Alice May Brock, American author
- Feb 28 Marty Sanders [Kupersmith], American rock guitarist (Jay and the Americans - "This Magic Moment"), born in Brooklyn, New York
Famous Weddings
Vera-Ellen
Feb 4 American dancer and actress Vera-Ellen (19) weds fellow American dancer Robert Hightower; divorce in 1946
William J. Casey
Feb 22 Future CIA Director William J. Casey (27) weds Sophia Kurz
Famous Deaths
- Feb 2 Johannes Schlaf, German writer and translator, dies at 78
- Feb 4 Johann Peter Kirsch, Luxembourg church historian and archaeologist, dies at 79
- Feb 5 Banjo Paterson, Australian poet, author of "Walzing Matilda" (b. 1864)
- Feb 6 Maximilien Luce, French painter, dies at 82
- Feb 11 Rudolf Hilferding, Austrian-German Marxist economist( SPD Minister of Finance), dies in Gestapo custody at 63
- Feb 19 Alexander Josiah Webbe, English cricket wicket-keeper (v Aus 1879), dies at 86
- Feb 19 Hamilton Harty, Irish composer and conductor called "the prince of accompanists", dies at 61
- Feb 20 (Mary) La Bolduc (née Travers), French Canadian singer and songwriter, dies of cancer at 46
Frederick Banting (1891-1941)
Feb 21 Canadian physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, dies in a plane crash at 49
Alfonso XIII (1886-1941)
Feb 28 King of Spain (1886-1931), dies of a heart attack at 54
