Historical Events
- Feb 1 Severe bushfires in Tasmania destroy $11 million & take 60 lives
American Basketball Association
Feb 1 The 10-team American Basketball Association (ABA) with George Mikan as Commissioner is formed and lasts 9 years; its three-point shot remains a feature of the game
- Feb 1 WCLP TV channel 18 in Chatsworth, GA (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Feb 2 Bolivia adopts its constitution
- Feb 2 Formation of American Basketball Association is announced
"Purple Haze"
Feb 3 Jimi Hendrix adds vocals and overdubs for "Purple Haze" at Olympic Studios in London; basic track had been recorded by the band in January
- Feb 3 Ronald Ryan, the last person to be executed in Australia, is hanged in Pentridge Prison, Melbourne
- Feb 4 "Wild Thing" cover version by "Senator Bobby" hits #20 on the pop singles chart
- Feb 4 US launches Lunar Orbiter 3
- Feb 5 "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" variety show premieres on CBS TV [1]
Anastasio Somoza Debayle President
Feb 5 Anastasio Somoza Debayle elected President of Nicaragua
- Feb 5 Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Robert Penn Warren
- Feb 6 Cultural Revolution in Albania
Ali vs. Terrell
Feb 6 Muhammad Ali pummels Ernie Terrell for 15 rounds to retain his world heavyweight boxing crown at Houston Astrodome; regains Terrell’s WBA belt as well
- Feb 7 A fire at a restaurant in Montgomery, Alabama kills 25 people
- Feb 8 English Pirate Radio UKGM closes down
- Feb 8 Longest losing streak in Toronto Maple Leaf history (10 games)
- Feb 8 Peter (Asher) & Gordon (Waller) discontinue their singing partnership
- Feb 8 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Feb 10 25th Amendment (US Presidential Disability & Succession) ratified
- Feb 12 Dutch speed skater Kees Verkerk becomes All-Around World Champion
Music History
Feb 12 Keith Richards, Mick Jagger & Marianne Faithful busted for drugs in a raid at Richards' Sussex home
- Feb 12 Pirate Radio Free Harlem (NYC) begins transmitting
Music History
Feb 12 Promotional films (music videos) for the Beatles' forthcoming single "Penny Lane" & "Strawberry Fields" debut on the Ed Sullivan Show in the US
- Feb 13 Capitol Records releases the Beatles' double "A" side single "Penny Lane" & "Strawberry Fields" in the US
Respect
Feb 14 Aretha Franklin records her single "Respect" at Atlantic Studio in NYC; her rendition of Otis Redding's tune becomes Billboard Song of the Year (1967)
- Feb 14 Latin American nuclear free zone proposal drawn up
- Feb 15 1st anti-bootleg recording laws enacted
Golden Globes
Feb 15 24th Golden Globes: A Man for All Seasons, Paul Scofield, & Anouk Aimee win
- Feb 15 D66 (D'66) wins 7 seats in Dutch 2nd Chamber
- Feb 15 Longest dream (REM sleep) on record, Bill Carskadon, Chicago (2:23)
Baseball Hall of Fame
Feb 16 NY Yankees pitcher Red Ruffing elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
- Feb 17 Kosmos 140 (Soyuz Test) launches into Earth orbit
- Feb 17 Parlophone releases the Beatles' double "A" side single "Penny Lane" & "Strawberry Fields" in the UK
- Feb 18 Softball pitcher Eddie Feigner strikes out 6 straight major leaguers
- Feb 19 Stien Kaiser becomes world champion lady's skater
- Feb 22 25,000 US and South Vietnamese troops launch Operation Junction City against the Viet Cong. Largest US airborne assault since World War II.
- Feb 22 Barbara Garson's "MacBird" premieres in NYC
- Feb 22 Sling-shot goal post & 6' wide border around field are standard in NFL
- Feb 23 25th amendment (US Presidential succession) adopted
- Feb 23 John Herbert's "Fortune & Men's Eyes" premieres in NYC
The Responsibility of Intellectuals
Feb 23 Noam Chomsky's anti-Vietnam war essay "The Responsibility of Intellectuals" is published by the New York Review of Books
- Feb 23 Ted Workman replaces Senator Keith Davey as CFL commissioner
Daytona 500
Feb 26 9th Daytona 500: Mario Andretti wins his first and only NASCAR Grand National event; only time driver born outside the US has ever won the Great American Race
- Feb 26 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- Feb 26 Verne Gagne beats Mad Dog Vachon in St Paul, to become NWA champion
- Feb 27 Antigua & St Christopher-Nevis become associated states of UK
- Feb 27 Dominica gains independence from England
- Feb 27 Rio de la Plata Treaty
- Feb 28 A West German court rules that impostor Anna Anderson failed to prove that she was missing Russian duchess Anastasia Romanov, ending a legal case that lasted almost 30 years
NBA Record
Feb 28 Wilt Chamberlain sinks NBA record 35th consecutive field goal
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 1 Meg Cabot, American author, born in Bloomington, Indiana
- Feb 1 Patle Shishupal Natthu, Indian politician, born in Bhandara, India
- Feb 1 Tim Naehring, American baseball infielder (Boston Red Sox) and executive (Vice President of Baseball Operations NY Yankees), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Feb 2 Arturs Irbe, Latvian hockey player
- Feb 2 Laurent Nkunda, Congolese general and warlord, born in Mutanda, Republic of the Congo
- Feb 3 Aurelio Vidmar, Australian soccer midfielder (44 caps; Adelaide City, Standard Luik, Feyenoord), born in Adelaide, Australia
- Feb 3 Dave Benson-Phillips, Children's TV Presenter
- Feb 4 Sergei Grinkov, Russian figure skater (with Ekaterina Gordeeva - Pairs World Championship, 1986-87, 1989-90; Olympic gold, 1988 & 94), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1995)
- Feb 5 Chris Parnell, American actor, born in Memphis, Tennessee
- Feb 5 Olafur Eliasson, Icelandic-Danish artist (The Weather Project), born in Copenhagen, Denmark
- Feb 6 Anita Cochran, American country music singer, born in South Lyon, Michigan
- Feb 6 Izumi Sakai, Japanese singer (Zard), born in Kurume, Japan (d. 2007)
- Feb 7 Richie Burnett, Welsh darts player (BDO World Darts Champion 1995), born in Cwmparc, Rhondda, Wales
- Feb 7 Sharla Cheung Man, Hong Kong actress (All For the Winner), born in Shanghai, China
- Feb 8 Yuki Ishikawa, Japanese wrestler (NJPW), born in Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan
- Feb 9 Gaston Browne, Antiguan politician (Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda 2014-), born in Villa, British Antigua and Barbuda
- Feb 9 Stevon Moore, NFL safety (Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens)
- Feb 10 Armand Serrano, Filipino animator, born in Manila, Philippines
- Feb 10 Dwayne "Road Grader" White, NFLer (NY Jets, St Louis), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Feb 10 Jacky Durand, French cyclist, born in Laval, France
Laura Dern (57 years old)
Feb 10 American actress (Jurassic Park, Mask, Smooth Talk), born in Los Angeles, California
- Feb 11 John Patterson, American baseball infielder (SF Giants), born in Orange, Texas
- Feb 11 Scott Shay, American linguist, born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania
- Feb 11 Uwe Daßler, German swimmer, born in Ebersbach, Görlitz
- Feb 12 (Narasimhan) N. Ravikiran, Indian classical and Carnatic music composer, vocalist, chitravina (20-string fretless lute) player and musicologist, born in Mysore, India
- Feb 12 Chris McKinstry, Canadian computer scientist, born in Winnipeg, Canada (d. 2006)
- Feb 13 Bas Roorda, Dutch soccer player (FC Groningen, NEC), born in Assen, Netherlands
- Feb 13 Eddie Pye, American baseball infielder (LA Dodgers), born in Columbia, Tennessee
- Feb 13 Stanimir Stoilov, Bulgarian footballer and coach, born in Haskovo, Bulgaria
- Feb 14 Calle Johansson, Swedish NHL defenseman (Washington Capitals), born in Gothenburg, Sweden
- Feb 14 Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere, Bulgarian tennis player (Hopman Cup 1992, Switzerland; 19 x WTA titles; World #11 1993), born in Sofia, Bulgaria
Mark Rutte (57 years old)
Feb 14 Dutch politician (Prime Minister, 2010-), born in The Hague, Netherlands
- Feb 14 Stelios Haji-Ioannou, British-Cypriot entrepreneur, born in Athens, Greece
- Feb 15 Jane Child [Hyslop], Canadian pop and R&B singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and record producer ("Don't Wanna Fall I Love"), born in Toronto, Ontario
- Feb 15 Michael Easton, American actor (General Hospital, Ally McBeal), born in Long Beach, California
- Feb 16 Damon Reece, British drummer (Spiritualized - "Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating In Space"), born in London, England
- Feb 16 John Valentin, infielder (Boston Red Sox), born in Mineola, New York
- Feb 16 Keith Gretzky, former hockey player; brother of Wayne Gretzky
- Feb 17 Chanté Moore, American R&B singer, actress and author (Precious), born in San Francisco, California
- Feb 17 Gary Shuchuk, Canadian former NHL centre and coach (LA Kings), born in Edmonton, Alberta
- Feb 17 Robert Massey, American NFL cornerback (Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions) and coach, born in Rock Hill, South Carolina
- Feb 18 Colin Jackson, Welsh 100m hurdler (Olympic silver 1988), born in Cardiff, Wales
- Feb 18 Harry Van Barneveld, Belgian judoka, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Feb 18 Roberto Baggio, Italian footballer, (FIFA World Player of the Year 1993), born in Caldogno, Italy
- Feb 18 Tracey Edmonds, American film and television producer, born in Los Angeles, California
- Feb 19 Benicio Del Toro, Puerto Rican actor (Licence to Kill, Usual Suspects), born in San Germán, Puerto Rico
- Feb 19 Kate Radley, British keyboardist (Spiritualized - "Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating In Space"), born in England
- Feb 19 Roel Liefden, Dutch soccer player (Dordrecht '90, FC Groningen)
- Feb 20 Andrew Shue, American actor (Melrose Place)
- Feb 20 Broderick Thomas, NFL linebacker (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minn, Cowboys)
- Feb 20 Kath Soucie, American voice actress (Rugrats, The Real Ghostbusters, Sonic the Hedgehog), born in Cleveland, Ohio
Kurt Cobain (1967-1994)
Feb 20 American grunge rocker (Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"), born in Aberdeen, Washington
- Feb 20 Kurt Knudsen, American baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers)
- Feb 20 Lili Taylor, actress (Ransom, Short Cuts)
- Feb 20 Tom Waddle, NFL player (Chicago Bears/Cincinnati Bengals)
- Feb 21 Leroy Burrell, American athlete (Olympic gold 4×100m relay 1992 [WR 37.40]; World C'ship gold 1991 [WR 37.50], 93); WR 100m 9.85 1994), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Feb 21 Michael Ward, American rock guitarist (John Hiatt, 1993-94; The Wallflowers, 1996-2001 - "One Headlight"; Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, 2007-16), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 2024)
- Feb 21 Patrick Lodewijks, Dutch soccer player (PSV, FC Groningen), born in Eindhoven, Netherlands
- Feb 22 Alf Poier, Austrian comedian, born in Judenburg, Austria
- Feb 22 Marianne Ihalainen, Finnish ice hockey right wing (Finland, Olympics 1998), born in Tampere, Finland
- Feb 22 Steve Broussard, American NFL running back (Seattle Seahawks), born in Los Angeles, California
- Feb 23 Chris Vrenna, American musician, producer, and sound engineer (Nine Inch Nails; Tweaker), born in Erie, Pennsylvania
- Feb 23 Gord Murphy, NHL defenseman (Florida Panthers), born in Toronto, Ontario
- Feb 23 Pam Blundell, British fashion designer
- Feb 23 Steve Stricker, American golfer (12 PGA Tour titles; US Senior Open, The Tradition 2019), born in Edgerton, Wisconsin
- Feb 23 Tamsin Greig, English actress, born in Maidstone, United Kingdom
- Feb 25 Jenny Byrne, Australian tennis player (Wimbledon mixed doubles 1989 runner-up), born in Perth, Australia
- Feb 25 Kang-ho Song, South Korean actor (Parasite), born in Gimhae, South Korea
- Feb 25 Nick Leeson, British banker (Baring bank)
- Feb 25 Rich Rowland, American baseball catcher (Detroit Tigers)
- Feb 26 Currie Graham, Canadian actor, born in Hamilton, Canada
- Feb 26 David Howard, American baseball infielder (KC Royals), born in Sarasota, Florida
- Feb 26 Roman Fortin, American NFL center (Atlanta Falcons), born in Columbus, Ohio
- Feb 26 Scott Service, American baseball pitcher (Cincinnati Reds), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Feb 27 Dallas Eakins, American-Canadian NHL defenseman (Winnipeg Jets), born in Dade City, Florida
- Feb 27 Robert Kron, Czech NHL right wing (Hartford Whalers), born in Brno, Czechia
- Feb 27 [Jonathan] Jony Ive, English Designer at Apple Inc. (designed the imac, ipod, iphone), born in Chingford, London
- Feb 28 Colin Cooper, English soccer defender (2 caps; Middlesborough, Nottingham Forest), born in Durham, England
- Feb 28 Jeff[rey] Pfaendtner, rower (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Detroit, Michigan
- Feb 28 Marcus Lillington, British pop guitarist and keyboard player (Breathe - "Hands to Heaven"), born in Bideford, Devon, England
Famous Weddings
Raquel Welch
Feb 14 American actress Raquel Welch (26) weds American film producer Patrick Curtis (27) in Paris, France; divorce in 1972
Vidal Sassoon
Feb 16 Hairdresser and businessman Vidal Sassoon (39) weds actress Beverly Adams (21)
Famous Deaths
- Feb 1 Ernie Bromley, Australian cricket batsman (2 Tests; first Western Australian to play Test cricket for Australia), dies at 54
- Feb 3 Joe Meek, English record producer and influential sound engineer (Telstar), commits suicide at 37
- Feb 3 Winifred Kingston, British silent screen actress (The Squaw Man, Davy Crockett), dies at 72
- Feb 4 Albert Orsborn, English 6th General of The Salvation Army, dies at 80
- Feb 5 Herman Teirlinck, Belgian writer (Jokaste against God), dies at 87
- Feb 5 Leon Leonwood Bean, American department store founder (b. 1872)
- Feb 6 Hans Jacob Nielsen, Danish boxer (Olympic gold lightweight 1924), dies at 67
- Feb 6 Martine Carol [Maryse Mopurer], French actress (Lola Montèsm, Trente et quarante), dies of a heart attack at 46
- Feb 7 Henry Morgenthau Jr., US Secretary of Treasury (1934-45) who helped design the New Deal and Lend Lease programs, dies at 74
- Feb 11 Edmond Hall, American jazz clarinetist (Red Allen; Teddy Wilson), bandleader (Café Society Band), and composer (Profoundly Blue), dies at 65
- Feb 12 (Francis) "Muggsy" Spanier, American swing jazz and Dixieland revival cornetist and trumpeter, dies at 65
- Feb 13 Forough Farrokhzad, Iranian pre-eminent poet and film director, dies in a car crash at 32
- Feb 14 James Schneider, American silent film director (A Foolish Romance) and actor (Keystone Kops shorts), dies at 85
- Feb 14 Sig Ruman [Siegfried Albon Rumann], German-American actor (Schultz-Life With Luigi), dies at 82
- Feb 15 Antonio Moreno, Spanish actor and director (It, Careers), dies at 79
- Feb 15 J. Frank Duryea, American inventor (Duryea Motor Wagon Company, first auto built in the US), dies at 97
- Feb 15 William C Bullitt, 1st US ambassador in USSR, dies at 76
- Feb 16 (Lester) "Smiley" Burnette [Burnett], American country music performer, singer-songwriter ("Ridin' Down the Canyon (To Watch the Sun Go Down)"), and actor (Petticoat Junction - "Charlie"), dies of leukemia at 55
- Feb 18 Manuel Palau Boix, Spanish composer (Conservatory of Valencia), dies at 74
Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967)
Feb 18 American theoretical physicist known as the father of the atomic bomb (Manhattan Project), dies of throat cancer at 62
- Feb 19 Wilmer King, 1st causality on Tappan Zee Bridge NY, dies
- Feb 21 Charles Beaumont, American writer (Twilight Zone), dies at 38
- Feb 22 Fritz Erler, German politician (SDP), dies at 53
- Feb 24 Franz Waxman [Wachsmann], German-American film score composer (Rebecca; Sunset Boulevard; A Place In The Sun), dies of cancer at 60
- Feb 25 John Griggs, American actor (The Joey Bishop Show; Fearless Fosdick), dies at 58
- Feb 25 Walter "Fats" Pichon American jazz pianist, singer, and big bandleader, dies at 60
- Feb 28 Henry Luce, American magazine publisher (Time, Fortune, Life), dies at 68
