Historical Events
- Feb 1 4 students stage 1st civil rights sit-in, at Woolworth's in Greensboro, North Carolina
Laver Beats Fraser
Feb 1 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: In a classic all-Australian final Rod Laver beats Neale Fraser 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 8-6, 8-6; Laver's first Grand Slam title
- Feb 1 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Margaret Smith wins first of 11 Australian singles titles; beats fellow Australian Jan Lehane 7-5, 6-2
- Feb 1 Extreme right-wing rebels in Algiers surrender
- Feb 2 Michale Eufemia sinks 625 balls in pool match without a miss
"La Dolce Vita"
Feb 3 "La Dolce Vita" directed by Federico Fellini and starring Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg has its film premiere in Italy
Macmillan's "Winds of Change" Speech
Feb 3 British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan makes his famous "wind of change" speech in Africa, against the apartheid regime, angering South African politicians
- Feb 4 Giants move their offices to Candlestick Park
- Feb 4 Lionel Bart's musical comedy "Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'be" opens at Garrick Theatre, London; runs for 886 pefromances
- Feb 4 Voters fail to elect a new Baseball Hall of Fame member
- Feb 7 Old handwriting found in at Qumran, near the Dead Sea
Hoagy Carmichael Hollywood Star
Feb 8 American "Stardust" composer and character actor Hoagy Carmichael receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Russell's 50 Rebounds
Feb 8 Boston Celtic Bill Russell becomes 1st NBAer with 50 rebounds (51)
House of Windsor
Feb 8 Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issues an Order-in-Council, stating that she and her family would be known as the House of Windsor, and that her descendants will take the name "Mountbatten-Windsor"
Lincoln, the Great Commoner
Feb 10 Charles Ives' composition "Lincoln, the Great Commoner" premieres
- Feb 12 Chinese army kills 12 Indian soldiers
- Feb 13 "Beg, Borrow or Steal" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 5 performances
- Feb 13 "Saratoga" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 80 performances
- Feb 13 France becomes the 4th nuclear nation by exploding their 1st device, a 70 kilo-ton "Gerboise Bleue" atomic bomb in the French Algerian Sahara desert [1]
Music Recording
Feb 13 Frank Sinatra launches Reprise label, after a failed attempt to buy the Verve label;
Sports History
Feb 18 Continental League President Branch Rickey and Toronto team owner Jack Kent Cooke announce the opening date of their new baseball league as April 18, 1961
- Feb 18 VIII Winter Olympic Games open in Squaw Valley, California
- Feb 18 Walter O'Malley, LA Dodger owner, purchases Chavez Ravine for $494,000
- Feb 19 Bil Keane's "Family Circus" cartoon strip debuts
- Feb 19 Protest strike in Poznan, Poland
- Feb 19 Swedish cross country skier Sixten Jernberg follows his 50k gold medal in Cortina d'Ampezzo (1956) with victory in 30k event at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics
- Feb 19 Three time Canadian world champions Barbara Wagner and Robert Paul win the pairs figure skating Olympic gold medal at Squaw Valley, California
- Feb 20 Soviet females sweep the 10k cross country event at Squaw Valley; first medal sweep for the Soviets at a Winter Olympics; Maria Gusakova wins from Lyubov Kozyreva and Radya Yeroshina
- Feb 21 Biathlon debuts at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; Klas Lestander from Sweden becomes the first Olympic champion ahead of Finland's Antti Tyrväinen and Soviet Aleksandr Privalov
- Feb 22 German skier Georg Thoma becomes the first non-Nordic athlete to win the Nordic combined event at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics
- Feb 23 Carol Heiss wins the women's figure skating gold medal at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; US takes the singles double after David Jenkins wins men's event
- Feb 23 Demolition begins on Brooklyn's Ebbets Field (opened in 1913)
- Feb 24 Austria goes 1-2 in the men's slalom at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; Ernst Hintersteer wins gold ahead of teammate Hias Leitner
Event of Interest
Feb 24 Italian government of Antonio Segni falls
- Feb 25 John Cage's "Music for Amplified Toy Pianos" premieres
Event of Interest
Feb 25 Lillian Hellman's "Toys in the Attic" premieres in NYC
- Feb 26 David Jenkins wins the men's figure skating gold medal at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics; US takes the singles double after Carol Heiss wins women's event
Event of Interest
Feb 26 Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev voices support for Indonesia
- Feb 26 USA's David Jenkins wins Olympic Gold for men's figure skating
Film & TV History
Feb 26 Vera Miles stars in"Mirror Image" episode of CBS anthology series "The Twilight Zone"
- Feb 26 Verne Gagne beats Doctor X in Omaha, to become NWA wrestling champ
- Feb 27 Five Nations Rugby Championship is won jointly by England and France with the pivotal game a 3-3 draw between the teams at Stade Colombes, Paris
- Feb 27 Oil pipe line from Rotterdam to Ruhrgebied opens
Olympic Games
Feb 27 US Olympic Ice Hockey Team beats USSR 3-2 en route to gold medal
- Feb 27 Veikko Hakulinen of Finland wins his 3rd career Olympic cross country gold medal as part of Finland's 4 x 10k relay team at Squaw Valley, CA; winner: 50k (Oslo, 1952) and 30k (Cortina d’Ampezzo, 1956)
- Feb 28 Home team United States wins its first Olympic ice hockey gold medal at Squaw Valley; with 9-4 win over Czechoslovakia
- Feb 28 VIII Winter Olympic Games close in Squaw Valley, California
Playboy Club
Feb 29 1st Playboy Club, featuring bunnies, opens in Chicago
- Feb 29 Agadir earthquake in Morocco kills a third of the population (12,000-15,000)
- Feb 29 KRET TV channel 23 in Richardson, TX (PBS) begins broadcasting
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 3 B J Jefferson, American actress (Ronnie Laurance-Another World), born in Dallas Texas
- Feb 3 Kerry Von Erich, American wrestler (d. 1993)
- Feb 3 Marty Jannetty, American pro wrestler (WWF World Tag Team C'ship 1992 [1-2-3 Kid]; half of The Rockers with Shawn Michaels), born in Columbus, Georgia
- Feb 4 Jenette Goldstein, American actress
- Feb 4 Jonathan Larson, American theater composer (Rent), born in White Plains, New York (d. 1996)
- Feb 4 Pamelyn Ferdin, actress (Happy Birthday Wanda June, Tool Box Murders)
- Feb 4 Siobhan Dowd, British/Irish author (d. 2007)
- Feb 4 Tim Booth, British rock singer (James - "Sit Down"), born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
- Feb 5 Aris Christofellis, Greek countertenor, born in Athens, Greece
Jane Geddes (64 years old)
Feb 5 American golfer (US Open 1986, LPGA 1987), born in Huntington, New York
- Feb 6 Akinwumi Adesina, Nigerian politician (African Development Bank President 2015-), born in Ogun State, Nigeria
- Feb 6 Megan Gallagher, American actress (Slap Maxwell; Millennium), born in Reading, Pennsylvania
- Feb 7 James Spader, American actor (Endless Love, Wall St, Mannequin), born in New York City
- Feb 7 Steve Bronski Scottish rock keyboard player (Bronski Beat - "Smalltown Boy"), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2021)
- Feb 8 Benigno Aquino III, 15th President of the Philippines (Liberal Party: 2010-16), born in Manila, Philippines (d. 2021)
Dino Ciccarelli (64 years old)
Feb 8 Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame right wing (most goals for NHL undrafted player, 608), born in Sarnia, Ontario
- Feb 8 Linda Fratianne, American figure skater (Olympic silver 1980), born in Los Angeles, California
- Feb 9 Holly Johnson, British rock vocalist (Frankie Goes To Hollywood - "Relax"), born in Liverpool, England
- Feb 9 Peggy Whitson, American astronaut, 1st woman to command International Space Station, US record for most days in space, born in Mt Ayr, Iowa
- Feb 10 Lionel Cartwright, American country music artist (I Watched it on the Radio, Leap of Faith), born in Gallipolis, Ohio
- Feb 10 Robert Addie, British actor, born in London (d. 2003)
- Feb 11 Richard Mastracchio, American astronaut, born in Waterbury, Connecticut
- Feb 13 Artur Yusupov, Russian chess player, born in Moscow, Russia
- Feb 13 Gary Patterson, American football coach and player, born in Rozel, Kansas
- Feb 13 Kelly McCormick, US diver (Olympic silver 1984), born in Anaheim, California
- Feb 13 Matt Salinger, American actor (Captain America, Deadly Deception), born in Windsor, Vermont
- Feb 13 Michael Craig, English musician and DJ (Culture Club-Do You Want to Hurt Me), born in Hammersmith, London, England
- Feb 13 Pierluigi Collina, Italian football referee, born in Bologna, Italy
- Feb 14 Eric Shea, American actor (Yours, Mine and Ours; The Poseidon Adventure), born in Los Angeles, California
- Feb 14 Jim Kelly, American Pro Football HOF quarterback (First-team All-Pro 1991; 5 × Pro Bowl; NFL passing TD leader 1991; NFL passer rating leader 1990; Buffalo Bills), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Feb 14 Meg Tilly, Canadian–American actress (Big Chill, Impulse), born in Los Angeles, California
- Feb 15 Darrell Green, NFL cornerback (Washington Redskins), born in Houston, Texas
- Feb 15 Jock Hobbs, New Zealand rugby union flanker and captain (21 Tests; Canterbury RU; Chairman NZRFU 2002-10), born in Christchurch, New Zealand (d. 2012)
- Feb 15 Mikey Craig, English musician and DJ (Culture Club - "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"), born in Hammersmith, London, England
- Feb 16 Cherie Chung, Hong Kong actress (An Autumn's Tale), born in Hong Kong
- Feb 16 Chris Schultz, Canadian football offensive tackle (NFL Dallas Cowboys; CFL All Star 1987, 88; Toronto Argonauts) and sportscaster (The Sports Network), born in Burlington, Ontario (d. 2021)
- Feb 16 Lucy Kaplansky, American folk singer-songwriter, guitarist, mandolin player, and clinical psychologist, born in Chicago, Illinois
- Feb 16 Pete Willis, British rock guitarist and songwriter (Def Leppard, 1977-82 - "Let It Go"; "Photograph"), born in Sheffield, England
- Feb 18 Andy Moog, Canadian NHL goalie (Oilers, Bruins, Olympics-Canada-1988), born in Penticton, Canada
- Feb 18 Carol McGiffin, British TV and radio presenter, born in London
- Feb 18 Greta Scacchi, Italian actress (Coca-Cola Kid, White Mischief), born in Milan, Italy
- Feb 18 Roger Wijesuriya, Sri Lankan cricketer (bowling avg 294 in 4 Tests for Sri Lanka), born in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
- Feb 19 Andrew, Duke of York, British prince and 2nd son of Queen Elizabeth II, born at Buckingham Palace, London
- Feb 19 John Paul Jr., American auto racer (IMSA GT C'ship 1982; 24 Hours of Daytona 1982, 92; 12 Hours of Sebring 1982), born in Muncie, Indiana (d. 2020)
- Feb 19 Keith Musa[kawukhathi] Zondi, South African head of Inkatha Youth Brigade
- Feb 20 Cecilia Chailly, Italian harpist, contemporary classical and new age composer, singer, and novelist, born in Milan, Italy
- Feb 20 Joel Hodgson, American comedian (Mystery Science Theater 3000), born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin
- Feb 20 Kee Marcello [Kjell Hilding Löfbom], Swedish rock guitarist (Europe - Final Countdown; Easy Action), born in Ludvika, Sweden
- Feb 21 Steve Wynn, American singer-songwriter (The Dream Syndicate), born in Los Angeles, California
- Feb 23 Alan Griffin, Australian politician, born in Melbourne, Australia
- Feb 23 Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis, born in Stuttgart, Germany
- Feb 25 Glen Bishop, cricketer (S Aussie batsman, 2 ODI's for Australia 1987)
- Feb 26 (Jeremy) "Jaz" Coleman, English rock singer, keyboardist and record producer (Killing Joke), born in Cheltenham, England
- Feb 27 Andres Gomez, Ecuadorian tennis player (Madrid Grand Prix-1990), born in Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Feb 27 Johnny Van Zant, American rock vocalist (Lynyrd Skynyrd), born in Jacksonville, Florida
- Feb 27 Paul Humphreys, British rock singer and musician (OMD - "Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)"; "(Forever) Live and Die"), born in London, England
- Feb 27 Stoney Jackson, American actor (White Shadow, Insiders), born in Richmond, Virginia
- Feb 28 Dorothy Stratten [Hoogstraten], Canadian playmate (August, 1979), model and actress (Galixina), born in Vancouver, British Columbia (d. 1980)
- Feb 29 Khaled [Ibrahim], Algerian world music and raï singer-songwriter and musician ("Didi"; "Aicha"), born in Oran, Algeria
- Feb 29 Lucian Grainge, American executive (CEO Universal Music Group, most important person in music industry - Billboard), born in London, England
- Feb 29 Richard Ramirez, American serial killer (Night Stalker), born in El Paso, Texas (d. 2013)
- Feb 29 Tony Robbins, American motivational speaker
Famous Deaths
- Feb 2 Jeno Huszka, Hungarian composer, dies at 84
- Feb 3 Ferdinando "Fred" Buscaglione, Italian singer and actor, dies in an automobile accident at 38
- Feb 3 Johannes Geelkerken, Dutch theologian and vicar, dies at 80
- Feb 5 Louis Stricker, South African cricketer (South African open bat in 13 Tests 1909-12), dies at 75
- Feb 5 Rudolf Nelson, German composer, dies at 81
- Feb 6 Jesse Belvin, American pop singer, piano player (Mr. Easy), and songwriter (Earth Angel), dies in a car crash after a concert in Little Rock, Arkansas at 27
- Feb 7 Igor Kurchatov, Soviet-Russian nuclear physicist who directed the Soviet atomic bomb project, dies of a cardiac embolism at 57 likely caused by radiation poisoning during the catastrophe at Chelyabinsk-40
- Feb 8 Giles Gilbert Scott, British architect (b. 1880)
- Feb 8 John Langshaw Austin, British philosopher, (b. 1911)
- Feb 9 Alexandre Benois, Russian artist, dies at 89
- Feb 9 Ernst von Dohnányi [Dohnányi Ernő], Hungarian composer and conductor, dies at 82
- Feb 10 Aloysius Stepinac, Croatian cardinal (b. 1898)
- Feb 12 Bobby Clark, American vaudevillian, clown and actor (in comedy act with Paul McCullough), dies at 71
- Feb 13 Delmar 'Barney' Roos, American automotive engineer, designer of the Jeep, dies at 71
- Feb 20 Leonard Woolley, British pioneering archaeologist, excavated Royal Cemetery at Ur, dies at 79
- Feb 22 Hubert Cuypers, Dutch organist, composer and choir conductor (Missa Populi), dies at 86
- Feb 22 Paul-Émile Borduas, Canadian abstract painter, dies at 54
- Feb 24 Jean Binet, composer, dies at 66
- Feb 25 Everhardus Jacobus van Romondt, Dutch Antillean minister, dies at 51
- Feb 26 Aleksandar Belic, Serbian linguist, dies at 83
- Feb 27 Adriano Olivetti, Italian engineer and manufacturer (typewriter), dies at 58
- Feb 28 F. S. Flint, English translator and imagist movement poet (In the Net of the Stars), dies at 74
Melvin Purvis (1903-1960)
Feb 29 American FBI agent that lead the manhunt for outlaws Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd and John Dillinger, dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 56
