Historical Events
- Feb 1 General strike against French colonial rule in Tunisia
- Feb 1 SN Behrman's "Jane" premieres in NYC
Givenchy's First Collection
Feb 2 Hubert de Givenchy presents his first collection in Paris with Bettina Graziani opening the show
"Tetsuwan Atom"
Feb 4 "Tetsuwan Atom" by Osamu Tezuka first published in Weekly Shonen Magazine in Japan
First African-American TV Executive
Feb 4 Jackie Robinson becomes the 1st African American executive of a major US TV and radio station as Director of Community Activities at radio WNBC-NY and TV station WNBT
Queen Elizabeth II
Feb 6 Queen Elizabeth II succeeds King George VI to the British throne and proclaimed Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms including Canada, Australia and New Zealand
- Feb 8 "RCA Victor Show Starring Dennis Day" debuts on NBC TV
First General Election
Feb 10 India holds its first general election, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru remains in power
NBA All-Star Game
Feb 11 2nd NBA All-Star Game, Boston Garden: East beats West, 108-91; MVP: Paul Arizin, Philadelphia Warriors, F
Sports History
Feb 13 Future world champion Rocky Marciano knocks out Italian heavyweight boxer Gino Buonvino in the 2nd round at Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence for his 40th straight win
- Feb 14 Giant slalom event for women debuts at the Winter Olympics at Oslo Games; American skier Andrea Mead-Lawrence wins gold ahead of Dagmar Rom of Austria and German Annemarie Buchner
- Feb 14 VI Winter Olympic Games open at Oslo, Norway
- Feb 15 Giant slalom event for men debuts at the Winter Olympics at Oslo Games; Stein Erikson of Norway wins gold ahead of Austrians Christian Pravda and Toni Spiß
- Feb 16 Ian Craig makes NSW cricket debut aged 16 years 249 days (NSW record)
- Feb 16 United States goes 1-2 in the 500m speed skating at the Olso Winter Olympics with Ken Henry taking gold ahead of teammate Don McDermott; Norwegian Hjalmar Anderson dominates remaining 3 speed skating events
- Feb 17 Montreal Canadiens center Elmer Lach picks up his 354th career assist in a 3-2 loss at the NY Rangers to become NHL's all-time assists leader; passes Bill Cowley's mark
- Feb 17 Trude Jochum-Beiser of Austria wins the downhill gold medal at the Oslo Winter Olympics; second career gold medal after taking out the combined event at St. Moritz (1948)
- Feb 18 4th Emmy Awards: first time awards presented based on nationwide basis, "The Red Skelton Show", Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca win
- Feb 18 Norwegian speed skater Hjalmar Anderson wins his 3rd gold medal of the Oslo Winter Olympics when he claims the 10,000m in Olympic record 16:45.8; also wins gold in 1,500m and 5,000m
- Feb 19 American defending champion Dick Button becomes 1st figure-skater to land a triple jump in competition; performs triple loop in Olympic free skate in Oslo; wins gold medal ahead of Austria’s Helmut Seibt
- Feb 19 First Indochina War: French offensive at Hanoi
African Queen
Feb 20 "African Queen" film directed by John Huston, starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn is released in the US
- Feb 20 American alpine skier Andrea Mead-Lawrence is only multi-gold medallist at the Oslo Winter Olympics when she wins the slalom, after taking out the inaugural giant slalom
Altwegg wins Gold
Feb 20 Britain's Jeannette Altwegg wins the Olympic women’s figure skating gold medal at the Olso Winter Games ahead of American Tenley Albright, who goes on to win in Cortina d'Ampezzo (1956)
- Feb 20 Emmett Ashford is certified to be first black umpire in organised baseball; has to wait until 1966 for MLB debut
Golden Globes
Feb 21 9th Golden Globes: "A Place in the Sun", Fredric March, & Jane Wyman win
- Feb 21 Bangladesh Martyrs Day (martyrs of Bengali Language Movement)
- Feb 22 German husband and wife team Ria and Paul Falk win the mixed pairs gold medal at the Oslo Winter Olympics; defeat American siblings, Karol and Peter Kennedy
- Feb 22 Germany takes the Olympic bobsleigh double with gold in the 4-man event at the Oslo Winter Games; Adreas Ostler and Lorenz Niebert score their 2nd gold medals after winning the 2-man a week earlier
- Feb 23 Following his Nordic combined gold medal in St. Moritz (1948), Heikki Hasu takes his 2nd Olympic gold as part of Finland’s 4 x 10k cross country relay team at the Olso Winter Games
- Feb 23 Lydia Wideman of Finland becomes first female Olympic cross-country skiing champion; wins inaugural 10k event in Olso; Finnish medal sweep with minors to Mirja Hietamies and Siiri Rantanen
- Feb 24 Canada wins 6th Olympic ice hockey title courtesy of a final round 3-3 tie with the US at the Oslo Winter Games; Canadian center Billy Gibson top scores with 19 points
- Feb 24 Norway goes 1-2 in the men’s ski jumping event at the Oslo Winter Olympics with Arnfinn Bergmann winning gold ahead of teammate Torbjørn Falkanger
- Feb 25 VI Winter Olympic Games close at Oslo, Norway
- Feb 26 Netherlands-Indonesian Unity conference
Event of Interest
Feb 26 PM Winston Churchill announces Britain has its own atomic bomb
Canadian History
Feb 28 Vincent Massey is sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada
- Feb 29 Dick Button leads an unprecedented American sweep when he wins World Men's Figure Skating Championship in Paris; beats compatriots James Grogan and Hayes Alan Jenkins for his 5th straight world title
- Feb 29 Ice Dance Championship at Paris France won by Westwood & Demmy of Great Britain
- Feb 29 Ice Pairs Championship at Paris won by Ria Falk & Paul Falk of West Germany
- Feb 29 Ladies Figure Skating Champ in Paris won by Jacqueline du Bief of France
- Feb 29 The island of Heligoland is restored to German authority.
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 1 António Lima Pereira, Portuguese soccer central defender (20 caps; FC Porto), born in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal (d. 2022)
- Feb 1 Roger Tsien, American chemist (Nobel Prize 2008, green fluorescent protein variants), born in New York City (d. 2016) [1]
- Feb 2 John Cornyn, American politician (Senator-R-Texas 2002-), born in Houston, Texas
Park Geun-hye (72 years old)
Feb 2 1st female President of South Korea (2013-17), born in Jung-gu, Taegu
Fred Lynn (72 years old)
Feb 3 American baseball outfielder (Boston, California, Baltimore), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Feb 3 Jack Fields, American politician (Rep-R-TX, 1981-97), born in Humble, Texas
- Feb 4 Jerry Shirley, British rock drummer (Humble Pie - "Black Coffee"), born in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, England
- Feb 4 Li Yinhe, Chinese sociologist and sexologist, born in Beijing, China
- Feb 4 Lisa Eichhorn, American actress (Cutter's Way, Yanks), born in Reading, Pennsylvania
- Feb 5 Daniel Balavoine, French singer-songwriter, born in Alençon, France (d. 1986)
- Feb 6 Ric Charlsworth, Australian field hockey coach (Olympic gold women 1996, 2000; Champion's Trophy gold 1993, 95, 97, 99; World Cup gold 1994, 98) and midfielder (World Cup gold 1986, Olympic silver 1976), born in Perth, Australia
- Feb 6 Ricardo Lavolpe, Argentine football coach, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Feb 7 John Hickenlooper, American politician (Senator-D-Colorado 2021-, Governor of Colorado 2011-19), born in Narberth, Pennsylvania
- Feb 7 Vasco Rossi, Italian rock singer-songwriter (Buoni o cattivi (Good Or Bad)), born in Zocca, Italy
- Feb 8 Hans Van de Lubbe, Dutch rock bassist and singer (De Dijk, - 'Als Ze Er Niet Is"), born in the Netherlands
- Feb 8 Nancy Lord, American physician and Libertarian VP candidate (1992), born in New York City
- Feb 9 Danny White, quarterback (Dallas Cowboys)
- Feb 9 Mookie Wilson, American baseball player
Lee Hsien Loong (72 years old)
Feb 10 Prime Minister of Singapore (People's Action Party: 2004-present), born in Singapore
- Feb 10 Mike Varty, American NFL player, born in Detroit, Michigan
- Feb 12 Michael McDonald, American rock singer and keyboardist (Doobie Brothers - "What A Fool Believes"), born in St. Louis, Missouri
- Feb 12 Salvador Pineda, Mexican actor, born in Huetamo, Mexico
- Feb 12 Simon MacCorkindale, English actor (Falcon Crest, Manimal), born in Ely, Cambridgeshire (d. 2010)
- Feb 13 Alex de Grassi, American new-age fingerstyle guitarist (Clockwork), born in Yokosuka, Japan
- Feb 13 Ed Gagliardi, American rock bassist (Foreigner - "Cold As Ice"), born in New York City, (d. 2014)
- Feb 13 Freddy Maertens, Belgian cyclist, born in Nieuwpoort, Belgium
- Feb 14 Nancy Keenan, current NARAL president
- Feb 15 Michel Talagrand, French mathematician, 2024 Abel Prize for probability theory and describing randomness, born in Béziers, France [1]
- Feb 16 James Ingram, American R&B singer-songwriter and musician ("Somewhere Out There"; "Just Once"), born in Akron, Ohio (d. 2019)
- Feb 17 Karin Büttner-Janz, German artistic gymnast (Olympic gold GDR vault, uneven bars 1968; World C'ships gold uneven bars 1970), born in Lübben, Germany
- Feb 18 (Judy) "Juice" Newton, American country and pop singer-songwriter ("Angel of the Morning"; "Queen of Hearts"), born in Lakehurst, New Jersey
- Feb 18 Veronica "Randy" Crawford, American vocalist (One Day I'll Fly Away), born in Macon, Georgia
- Feb 19 Amy Tan, American novelist (The Joy Luck Club), born in Oakland, California
- Feb 19 Gaëtan Dugas, French Canadian flight attendant and HIV patient erroneously vilifed as "Patient Zero", born in Quebec City, Quebec (d. 1984) [1]
- Feb 19 Rudolfo Neri-Vida, Mexican electrical engineer, PHD, and astronaut (STS 23), born in Chilpancingo, Mexico
- Feb 20 Catherine Cummins, 1st of 5 siblings born on 2/20, born in Clintwood, Virginia
- Feb 21 Jean-Jacques Brunel, French-British rock bassist (Stranglers - "Dreamtime"), born in Notting Hill, London, England
- Feb 22 Bill Frist, American politician, born in Nashville, Tennessee
- Feb 22 James Philip Bagian, American physician and NASA astronaut (STS 29, STS 40), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Feb 22 Wayne Levi, American golfer (12 PGA Tour titles), born in Little Falls, New York
- Feb 23 Brad Whitford, American rock guitarist (Aerosmith - "Love In An Elevator", "Last Child"), born in Winchester, Massachusetts
- Feb 24 Fred Dean, American Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end (Pro Bowl 1979–81, 83; First-team All-Pro 1980, 81; Super Bowl 1981, 84; SD Chargers, SF 49ers), born in Arcadia, Louisiana (d. 2020)
- Feb 24 Simon Weinstock, businessman/racehorse owner
- Feb 24 Tom Burleson, USA, basketball (Olympic silver 1972) tallest Olympian-7'4"
- Feb 25 Elizabeth "Libby" Callahan, American sport shooter and four-time Olympian, born in Columbia, South Carolina
- Feb 25 Inger Segelström, Swedish politician
- Feb 25 James A. Barcia, American politician (Rep-D-Michigan 1993-2003), born in Bay City, Michigan
- Feb 25 Jerry Chamberlain, American alt-rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and producr (Daniel Amos: The Swirling Eddies), born in Inglewood, California
- Feb 25 Joey Dunlop, Irish motorcycle racer (d. 2000)
- Feb 26 John Giblin, Scottish session and touring rock and jazz electric and acoustic bass player (Peter Gabriel; Kate Bush; Jon Anderson; Peter Erskine), born in Bellshill, Scotland
- Feb 27 Henk Westbroek, Dutch singer (Good Cause), born in Utrecht, Netherlands
- Feb 27 Kevin Raleigh, American singer and keyboardist (Michael Stanley Band - "He Can't Love You"), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- Feb 28 Cristina Raines [Tina Herazo], actress (Sentinel), born in Manila, Philippines
- Feb 28 Eddie Manion, American touring and session rock saxophonist (Asbury Jukes; Disciples of Soul; Bruce Springsteen; Robert Cray), born in Lakehurst, New Jersey
- Feb 28 Jennie Lynn, actress (Love & Marriage), born in San Diego, California
- Feb 28 Melissa Babish, SC, swimmer (Olympic)
- Feb 28 William Finn, American theatrical composer, lyricist, and Tony Award Winner (Falsettos; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- Feb 29 Bart Stupak, American politician (Rep-D-Michigan 1993-2011), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Feb 29 Raisa Smetanina, Soviet cross country skier (Olympic gold 10k & 4x5k relay 1976; 10k 1980; 4x5k relay 1992), born in Mokhcha, Russia
- Feb 29 Raúl González, Mexican racewalker (Olympic gold 50k 1984; WR 1978 3:45:52 & 3:41:20), born in China, Nuevo León, Mexico
- Feb 29 Sharon Dahlonega Raiford Bush, American television personality
- Feb 29 Susan Sennett, American actress (Big Bad Mama), born in Santa Monica, California
- Feb 29 Tim[othy] Powers, American sci-fi author (Last Call, Declare), born in Buffalo, New York
Famous Weddings
Tony Bennett
Feb 12 American singer Tony Bennett (25) weds art student Patricia Beech, at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, New York; separate in 1965, divorce in 1971
- Feb 14 Comedian Joey Adams marries gossip columnist Cindy Heller
Elizabeth Taylor
Feb 21 English-American actress Elizabeth Taylor (19) marries for the 2nd time to English actor Michael Wilding (39); divorce in 1957
- Feb 26 American singer Jo Stafford (34) weds American arranger and composer Paul Weston (39) at St Gregory's Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California, until his death in 1996
Famous Divorces
Gene Tierney
Feb 28 Actress Gene Tierney (31) divorces fashion designer Oleg Cassini (39) after almost 11 years of marriage
Famous Deaths
George VI (1895-1952)
Feb 6 King of the United Kingdom (1936-52), dies of a coronary thrombosis at 56
- Feb 7 Pete Henry, American College/Pro Football HOF tackle (Washington & Jefferson; First-team All-Pro 1920–23, NFL C'ship 1922, 23; Canton Bulldogs), dies at 54
- Feb 9 Norman Douglas, British novelist and travel writer (South Wind), dies at 83
- Feb 10 Henry Drysdale Dakin, British-American biochemist, known for the Dakin-West reaction (b. 1880)
- Feb 11 Charles Scribner III, American book publisher, dies at 62
- Feb 13 Alfred Einstein, German-American musicologist (Mozart catalogue revision), dies at 71
- Feb 13 Josephine Tey, English author (The Daughter of Time), dies of cancer at 55
- Feb 14 Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (b. 1896)
- Feb 19 (Percy) Lawrence Grant, British silent and sound screen character actor (Bulldog Drummond; Shanghai Express), dies at 81
- Feb 19 Knut Hamsun, Norwegian writer (Nobel Prize for Literature, 1920), dies at 92
- Feb 27 Theodoros Pangalos, Greek general and dictator (1926), dies at 74
