What Happened in February 1971

• Feb 2 US Congressional Black Caucus organizes with Charles C. Diggs Jr. its first Chair
• Feb 3 A series of house searches by the British Army in Catholic areas of Belfast, resulting in serious rioting and gun battles
• Feb 3 KTSC TV channel 8 in Pueblo-Colorado Spgs, CO (PBS) 1st broadcast
• Feb 3 NYPD officer Frank Serpico is shot during a drug bust while his fellow officers stood outside and failed to call for assistance
• Feb 3 OPEC mandates "total embargo" against any company that rejects 55 percent tax rate
• Feb 4 Baseball announces a special hall of fame wing for black players and coaches
• Feb 4 British automobile and aerospace company Rolls Royce Ltd enters voluntary liquidation
• Feb 4 Government exhibit under construction in Brazil collapses, kills 65
• Feb 4 Lieutenant-General Vernon Erskine-Crum becomes General Officer Commanding of the British Army in Northern Ireland
• Feb 4 National Guard mobilized to quell rioting in Wilmington NC
• Feb 4 The National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) stock exchange, the second-largest in the world - behind the New York Stock Exchange - is founded in New York City

• Feb 6 American astronaut Alan Shepard is 1st to hit a golf ball on the moon [1]
• Feb 6 Bernard Watt (28), a Catholic civilian, is shot and killed by the British Army (BA) during street disturbances in Ardoyne, Belfast
• Feb 6 James Saunders (22), a member of the IRA, is shot and killed by the British Army during a gun battle near the Oldpark Road, Belfast
• Feb 6 The Irish Republican Army shoots and kills Gunner Robert Curtis, the first British soldier to die during the 'Troubles'
• Feb 7 Switzerland votes for national women's suffrage in a referendum - last European country to do so except for Liechtenstein
• Feb 8 NASDAQ Composite stock market index debuts with 50 companies and a starting value of 100
• Feb 8 Operation Lam Son 719 begins, a limited South Vietnamese incursion into Laos
• Feb 8 Pedro Morales beats Ivan Koloff in NY, to become WWF wrestling champ

• Feb 9 5 men are killed near a BBC transmitter on Brougher Mountain, County Tyrone, in a landmine attack carried out by the Irish Republican Army
• Feb 9 Apollo 14 returns to Earth
• Feb 9 Elektra Records releases eponymous debut album of American singer-songwriter Carly Simon; garners two Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist
• Feb 9 Probably 1st gay theme TV episode - All in the Family
• Feb 9 Quake in San Fernando Valley kills 64 & causes over $½B damage

• Feb 10 American Mensa Ltd incorporates in New York
• Feb 10 Bill White becomes 1st African American baseball announcer (NY Yankees)
• Feb 10 John Guares' stage comedy "House of Blue Leaves" opens at the Truck and Warehouse Theatre, NYC; runs for 337 performances
• Feb 11 Montreal Canadien John Believau scores his 500th NHL goal
• Feb 11 US, UK, USSR, others sign Seabed Treaty outlawing nuclear weapons
• Feb 13 12,000 South Vietnamese troops cross into Laos

• Feb 14 Movie "Ben Hur" 1st shown on television

• Feb 14 Tehran agreement signed; oil companies accept 55 percent tax rate, immediate increase in posted prices, and further successive increases
• Feb 15 A British soldier dies 7 days after being mortally wounded in an Irish Republican Army attack in North Ireland
• Feb 15 After 1,200 years Great Britain abandons pence & shilling system for decimal currency
• Feb 17 England regains cricket Ashes with a 2-0 series win

• Feb 20 National Emergency Center erroneously orders US radio & TV stations to go off the air. Mistake wasn't resolved for 30 minutes
• Feb 21 Series of tornadoes cuts through Mississippi & Louisiana killing 117
• Feb 21 The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna
• Feb 23 Boston Bruins begin 13 NHL game winning streak

• Feb 23 US army officer William Calley confesses & implicates Captain Medina during his trial for the My Lai Massacre
• Feb 24 Algeria nationalizes 51 percent of French oil concessions

• Feb 25 P Zindel's "And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little" premieres in NYC

• Feb 26 Two Royal Ulster Constabulary officers shot and killed by the Irish Republican Army while on mobile patrol in the Ardoyne area of Belfast, North Ireland
• Feb 27 Doctors in the first Dutch abortion clinic (the Mildredhuis in Arnhem) start to perform aborti provocati
• Feb 28 A British soldier dies in Derry after his vehicle had been attacked with petrol bombs (he died as a result of inhaling chemicals from fire extinguishers that were used to put out the fire)

• Feb 28 WDRB TV channel 41 in Louisville, Kentucky (IND) begins broadcasting

Birthdays 1 - 100 of 103

• Feb 1 Ajay Jadeja, Indian cricket batsman (15 Tests; 196 ODIs, 6 x 100), born in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India
• Feb 1 Harald Brattbakk, Norwegian soccer striker (17 caps; Rosenburg, Celtic), born in Trondheim, Norway
• Feb 1 Michael C. Hall, American actor (Dexter, Six Feet Under), born in Raleigh, North Carolina
• Feb 1 Ron Welty, American drummer (The Offspring - "Pretty Fly, For A White Guy"), born in Long Beach, California
• Feb 1 Tommy Salo, Swedish ice hockey goalie (Olympic gold 1994; World C'ship gold 1998; NHL All Star 2000, 02; Edmonton Oilers), born in Surahammar, Sweden
• Feb 1 Zlatko Zahovič, Slovenian soccer midfielder (80 caps; Partizan, Porto, Benfica), born in Maribor, Slovenia
• Feb 2 Ken Dilger, American NFL tight end (Indianapolis Colts), born in Mariah Hill, Indiana
• Feb 2 Tony Miller, American 400m runner, born in Mount Pleasant, Texas
• Feb 3 Elisa Donovan, American actress
• Feb 3 Hong Seok-cheon, South Korean actor
• Feb 3 Sarah Kane, English playwright (d. 1999)
• Feb 4 Maarten Atmodikoro, soccer player (Dordrecht '90, NAC)
• Feb 4 Michael Goorjian, American actor (Party Of Five, SLC Punk!), born in San Francisco, California
• Feb 4 Rob Corddry, American actor and comedian
• Feb 4 Sterling Palmer, NFL defensive end (Washington Redskins)
• Feb 5 Marcus Redman, American actor (Raymond-Doogie Howser)

• Feb 5 Sara Evans, American country music singer ("Suds in the Bucket"; "A Real Fine Place to Start"), born in Boonville, Missouri
• Feb 6 Brad Hogg, Australian cricketer (WA chinaman all-rounder, Australia v India 1996), born in Narrogin, Australia
• Feb 6 Brian Stepanek, American actor (The Suite Life of Zack & Cody; Brian O'Brian), born in Cleveland, Ohio
• Feb 6 Carlos Rogers, American NBA forward/center (Toronto Raptors), born in Detroit, Michigan
• Feb 6 Lance Bade, American target shooter (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Vancouver, Washington
• Feb 6 Peter Tchernyshev, Russian-American ice dancer (with Naomi Lang), born in St Petersburg, Russia
• Feb 7 Marvin Graves, CFL quarterback (Montreal Alouettes)
• Feb 8 Maura Healey, American politician (1st woman governor of Massachusetts 2023-), born in Bethesda, Maryland
• Feb 8 William "Will" Turpin, American musician (Collective Soul) and producer (Gooey Music), born in Fairbanks, Alaska
• Feb 9 Gonzalo Floyd, CFL defensive end (Hamilton Tiger Cats)
• Feb 9 Jason Mathews, NFL tackle (Indianapolis Colts)
• Feb 9 Jim Miller, NFL quarterback (Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars)
• Feb 9 Johan Mjällby, Swedish footballer
• Feb 9 Ken Felder, American baseball outfielder (Milwaukee Brewers)
• Feb 9 Pat O'Neill, NFL punter/place kicker (NE Patriots)

• Feb 9 Sharon Case, Det Mich, actress (Sharon Collins-Young & Restless)
• Feb 10 Kevin Sefcik, American infielder (Philadelphia Phillies), born in Oaklawn, Illinois
• Feb 10 Louie Spicolli [Louis Mucciolo Jr.], American wrestler, born in San Pedro, California (d. 1998)
• Feb 10 Marty Nothstein, US sprint cyclist (Olympic silver 1996), born in Allentown, Pennsylvania
• Feb 10 Wayne Gandy, American football offensive tackle (St Louis Rams), born in Haines City, Florida
• Feb 11 Damian Lewis, British actor, born in St John's Wood, London
• Feb 11 Linda Wild, American tennis star (1993 Melbourne Open), born in Arlington Heights, Illinois
• Feb 12 Lincoln Kennedy, American NFL tackle (Oakland Raiders), born in York, Pennsylvania
• Feb 13 Jim Reid, NFL tackle (Houston Oilers), born in Glasgow, United Kingdom
• Feb 13 Mats Sundin, Swedish NHL center (Olympics gold 2006; Toronto Maple Leafs), born in Bromma, Sweden
• Feb 13 Sonia [Evans], British pop singer ("You'll Never Stop Me Loving You"), born in Liverpool, England
• Feb 14 Gheorghe Muresan, American NBA center (Washington Bullets/Wizards), born in Tritenii de Jos, Romania
• Feb 14 Kenny Shedd, American football receiver (New York Jets, Oakland Raiders), born in Davenport, Iowa
• Feb 14 Kris Aquino, Filipino actress and TV host, born in Quezon City, Philippines
• Feb 14 Lonnie Johnson, American NFL tight end (Buffalo Bills), born in Mobile, Alabama

• Feb 14 Noriko Sakai, Japanese singer, born in Fukuoka, Japan
• Feb 14 Tommy Dreamer, American professional wrestler, born in Yonkers, New York
• Feb 15 Ray Sefo, New Zealand kick boxer, born in Auckland, New Zealand
• Feb 15 Renee O'Connor, American actress (Xena Warrior Princess), born in Katy, Texas
• Feb 16 Anthony Abrams, NFL defensive tackle (KC Chiefs)
• Feb 16 Larry Jones, NFL running back (Washington Redskins)
• Feb 16 Mike Hubbard, MBA catcher (Chicago Cubs), born in Lynchburg, Virginia
• Feb 17 Denise Richards, American actress (The World is not Enough), born in Downers Grove, Illinois
• Feb 17 Jeremy Edwards, British actor (Holby City), born in London, England
• Feb 17 Martyn Bennett [-Knight], Canadian-Scottish celtic-fusion piper, pianist, and composer, born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador (d. 2005)
• Feb 18 Constantin Popa, Romanian-Israeli basketball player, born in Bucharest, Romania
• Feb 19 Becky Dyroen-Lancer, American synchronized swimmer (Olympic gold 1996), born in San Jose, California
• Feb 19 Gil Shaham, Israeli-American concert violinist, born in Urbana, Illinois
• Feb 19 Glyn Milburn, American football running back/kick returner (First-team All-Pro 1999; Pro Bowl 1995, 99; Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears), born in Los Angeles, California
• Feb 19 Jeff Kinney, American author (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), born in Fort Washington, Maryland
• Feb 19 William Henderson, American football running back (Super Bowl XXXI; Pro Bowl & First Team All Pro 2004; Green Bay Packers), born in Richmond, Virginia
• Feb 20 Jari Litmanen, soccer player (Ajax)
• Feb 20 Joost van der Westhuizen, South African rugby union halfback (89 Tests; Bulls), born in Pretoria, South Africa (d. 2017)
• Feb 20 Shawn McKenzie, American programmer

• Feb 21 Arco Jochemsen, Dutch soccer player (SVDB, Vitesse), born in Barneveld, the Netherlands
• Feb 21 Jose Solano, American actor (Baywatch), born in Inglewood, California
• Feb 21 Randy Blythe, American heavy metal singer (Lamb of God), born in Richmond, Virginia
• Feb 22 Jason Marshall, Canadian NHL defenseman (Anaheim Mighty Ducks), born in Cranbrook, Canada
• Feb 22 Lea Salonga, Filipina singer and actress (Miss Siagon), born in Manila, Philippines
• Feb 22 Lisa Fernandez, American softball pitcher (Olympic gold 1996), born in Lakewood, California
• Feb 22 Max Lane, American NFL tackle (NE Patriots), born in Norborne, Missouri
• Feb 22 Mohammed Sylla, Guinean football player (Willem II, FC Martigues), born in Conakry, Guinea (d. 2010)
• Feb 22 Rico Mack, American WLAF linebacker (Amsterdam Admirals), born in Statham, Georgia
• Feb 23 Carin Koch, Swedish golfer (2 LPGA Tour titles), born in Kungälv, Sweden
• Feb 23 Jason Keller, American actor (Jason-Out of the Blue), born in Scarsdale, New York
• Feb 23 Jeong Chan, South Korean actor, born in Boryeong, South Korea
• Feb 23 Melinda Messenger, English television presenter, born in Swindon, Wiltshire
• Feb 23 Shane Keller, American actor (Shane-Out of the Blue), born in Scarsdale, New York
• Feb 23 Torsten Kienass, German hockey defenseman (Team Germany), born in Berlin, East Germany
• Feb 24 Aki Rahunen, Finland, tennis star
• Feb 24 Brian Savage, Sudbury, NHL left wing (Montreal Canadiens)
• Feb 24 Pedro de la Rosa, Spanish Formula One driver
• Feb 25 Byron Dafoe, NHL goalie (Los Angeles Kings), born in Sussex, England

• Feb 25 Daniel Powter, Canadian rock singer-songwriter ("Bad Day"), born in Vernon, British Columbia
• Feb 25 David Fox, American 50m freestyle (Olympic 6th 1996)
• Feb 25 Helen Dobson, British golfer (ANA Inspiration 1998 runner-up), born in Skegness, England
• Feb 25 Konstantin Matoussevich, Israeli high jumper (Olympic 7th-1996), born in Kyiv, Ukraine
• Feb 25 Nova Peris, Australian field hockey halfback (Olympic gold 1996; World Cup gold 1994; Champions Trophy gold 1993, 95) and Senator for the NT (2013–16), born in Darwin, Australia

• Feb 26 Erykah Badu [Erica Abi Wright], American R&B and progressive soul singer-songwriter ("On and On"; "Bag Lady"), born in Dallas, Texas
• Feb 26 Hélène Ségara, French pop singer, born in Six-Fours-les-Plages, France
• Feb 26 Max Martin [Karl Martin Sandberg], Swedish Grammy Award-winning pop record producer and songwriter, with Shellback (Pink; Maroon 5; Taylor Swift; Avril Lavigne), born in Stenhamra, Sweden
• Feb 26 Rick Lyle, American football defensive end (NY Jets), born in Monroe, Louisiana
• Feb 27 Derren Brown, British psychological illusionist, born in Purley, London
• Feb 27 Ivan Robinson, American boxer (Olympic-92), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Feb 27 Jaroslav Modry, Czech NHL defenseman (Ottawa Senators), born in České Budějovice, Czechia
• Feb 27 Rich Tylski, American football player (Jacksonville Jaguars), born in San Diego, California
• Feb 27 Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, American pop and R&B singer (TLC - "Waterfall", "Creep"), born in Atlanta, Georgia
• Feb 28 Junya Nakano, Japanese video game composer (Threads Of Fate; Final Fantasy X), born in Kyoto, Japan

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• Feb 1 Jim Christy, South African cricket batsman (10 Tests; top score 103 1932; Transvaal, Queensland), dies at 66
• Feb 3 Jay C. Flippen, American actor (Jet Pilot, The Killing, Thunder Bay), dies at 71
• Feb 5 Mátyás Rákosi, Hungarian party leader and Prime Minister (1952-53), dies at 78
• Feb 7 Morgan Lee "Dock" Boggs, American folk and blues singer and banjo player, dies on his 73rd birthday
• Feb 11 Whitney Young Jr, National Urban League director, drowns in Nigeria
• Feb 12 George Shelton, American actor (It Pays to be Ignorant), dies at 86

• Feb 15 Marian Koval, Soviet Russian composer, dies at 63
• Feb 17 Teddy Hart, American actor (After the Thin Man, 3 Men on a Horse), dies at 73
• Feb 20 Alexander Tsfasman, Soviet Russian jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, dies at 64
• Feb 21 Adolph Weiss, American bassoonist and composer, dies at 79
• Feb 21 Robert Manry, American copy editor of the Cleveland newspaper editor who sailed the Atlantic (Tinkerbelle), dies of a heart attack at 52
• Feb 22 Barry Macollum, actor (On the Waterfront), dies at 81
• Feb 22 Matt McHugh, American actor (Taxi, Freaks, Barbary Coast, Innocent Affair), dies at 77
• Feb 22 Rudolf Mauersberger, German choral conductor and composer (Dresdner Requiem), dies at 82
• Feb 23 King Lockwood, dies of stroke at 73
• Feb 25 Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist, worked with colloids (Nobel 1926), dies at 86
• Feb 26 Edward van der Merwe, South African cricket wicket-keeper (2 Tests in 30's), dies at 67
• Feb 26 Fernandel [Fernand Contandin], French actor (The Little World of Don Camillo), dies of lung cancer at 67
• Feb 26 Josef Berg, Czech composer, and librettist dies at 43
• Feb 26 Tullio Carminati, Austrian actor (War and Peace; Roman Holiday), dies at 76