Historical Events
"Late Night With David Letterman"
Feb 1 "Late Night With David Letterman" debuts on NBC-TV; Bill Murray is his first guest
- Feb 1 Senegal & Gambia form loose confederation (Senegambia)
- Feb 2 Government troops and Muslim fundamentalists battle in Hamah, Syria
- Feb 3 Columbia Shuttle moves to Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center (Florida) for mating for STS-3 mission
- Feb 3 Greatest helicopter lift, 56,888 kg, Podmoscovnoe, USSR
- Feb 3 John Sharples of England finishes 371 hours of disco dancing
- Feb 3 Porn star John Holmes ordered to stand trial for murder
- Feb 4 Indoor distance record for a paper airplane (47m) Tacoma Wash
- Feb 4 Musical "Pump Boys & Dinettes" opens at Princess Theater, NYC; runs for 573 performances
- Feb 4 Suriname premier Chin A Sen flees
- Feb 5 British airline Laker Airways collapses owing 270M pounds ($351M)
- Feb 5 DEA announces seizure of 3,192 tons of marijuana, 495 people
- Feb 5 President of Suriname Hendrick Chin A Sen resigns and flees to the Netherlands
- Feb 6 "Centerfold" by J. Geils Band hits #1 on pop chart
- Feb 7 Luis A Monge elected President of Costa Rica
- Feb 8 Los Angeles Dodgers trade 2B Davey Lopes to Oakland A's, breaking up MLB's longest-playing infield (Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey) after 8 1/2 seasons
34th NHL All-Star Game
Feb 9 34th NHL All-Star Game, Capital Centre, Landover: Wales Conference beats Campbell Conference, 4-2; MVP: Mike Bossy, NY Islanders, RW
- Feb 10 28 skiers perform backflips while holding hands, Bromont, Quebec
Sports History
Feb 11 Ozzie Smith for Garry Templeton trade finally goes through
- Feb 12 32nd Berlin International Film Festival: "Veronika Voss" wins the Golden Bear
- Feb 12 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
NHL Record
Feb 12 Wayne Gretzky scores 153rd point of season, breaking NHL record
Sports History
Feb 13 Islander's Bryan Trottier scores 5 goals against Flyers
Music History
Feb 13 Pink Floyd's album "Dark Side of the Moon" marks 402 weeks on Billboard Top 200 Album charts
- Feb 14 "Night of 100 Stars", an all-star variety special celebrating the centennial of the Actors' Fund of America, takes place at NYC's Radio City Music Hall
Daytona 500
Feb 14 24th Daytona 500: Bobby Allison wins with margin of victory over Cale Yarborough an impressive 23 seconds, more than half a lap
- Feb 15 Dan Issel (NBA-Nuggets), begins streak of 63 consecutive free throw
- Feb 15 Ocean Ranger oil-drilling platform lost off Newfoundland, 84 die
- Feb 16 Agatha Barbara elected as 1st female president of Malta
- Feb 16 Assembled STS-3 vehicle moves from Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center (Florida) to launch pad
- Feb 17 Commencement of Sri Lanka's 1st Test Cricket match, v England
- Feb 19 Hanneke Jagersma installed as the 1st Communist mayor in the Netherlands
- Feb 19 Sharie Langford, California, sets women's bowling series record of 853
- Feb 19 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- Feb 20 NY Islanders win then NHL record 15th straight game by beating Colorado Rockies, 3-2 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
- Feb 21 "Little Me" closes at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC after 36 performances
Ain't Misbehavin'
Feb 21 Musical review of Fats Waller songs "Ain't Misbehavin'" starring Nell Carter and Irene Cara, closes at Longacre Theater, NYC, after 1604 performances, winning 3 Tony and 4 Drama Desk Awards
- Feb 22 NYC Mayor Koch announces he will run for NY governor (unsuccessful)
- Feb 23 Michael Frayn's "Noises Off" premieres in London
- Feb 24 24th Grammy Awards: "Bette Davis Eyes", "Double Fantasy" win
- Feb 24 Boston Celtics begin an 18 NBA game winning streak
- Feb 24 Wayne Gretzky scores NHL-record 78th goal of season en route to 92
- Feb 25 Final episode of "The Lawrence Welk Show" airs
- Feb 25 Record speed for a snowmobile (239 kph)
Cricket Debut
Feb 26 Test Cricket debut of batsman Martin Crowe, playing for New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, run out for 9
- Feb 27 Dan Issel (NBA-Nuggets), hits on 63rd consecutive free throw
Event of Interest
Feb 27 Earl Anthony becomes 1st pro bowler to win more than $1 million
- Feb 27 France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
- Feb 27 Wayne Williams found guilty of murdering 2 of 28 blacks in Atlanta
- Feb 28 AT&T looses a record $7 BILLION for the fiscal year ending on this day
- Feb 28 FALN (PR Nationalist Group) bombs Wall Street
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 1 Gavin Henson, Welsh rugby union utility back (33 caps Wales, 1 British & Irish Lions; Swansea, Ospreys), born in Pencoed, Mid Glamorgan, Wales
- Feb 1 Shoaib Malik, Pakistani cricket batsman and captain (35 Tests, top score 245; 285 ODIs; 110 T20I; Central Punjab, Gloucestershire CCC, Warwickshire CCC), born in Sialkot, Pakistan
- Feb 2 Han Ga In, South Korean model and actress
- Feb 2 Katie Britt, American politician (1st female senator (R) for Alabama 2023-), born in Enterprise, Alabama
- Feb 3 Jessica Harp, American country music singer-songwriter (The Wreckers), born in Kansas City, Missouri
- Feb 4 Chris Sabin, American professional wrestler, born in Pinckney, Michigan
- Feb 4 Hedvig Mollestad (Thomassen), Norwegian jazz and psychedelic rock guitarist, composer and vocalist, born in Ålesund, Norway
- Feb 4 Kimberly Wyatt, American singer and dancer (Pussycat Dolls), born in Warrensburg, Missouri
- Feb 4 Tomas Vaitkus, Lithuanian professional road racing cyclist, born in Klaipėda, Lithuania
- Feb 5 Aidin Nikkhah Bahrami, Iranian basketball player, born in Tehran, Iran (d. 2007)
- Feb 5 Kevin Everett, American football player, born in Port Arthur, Texas
- Feb 5 Mikuru Suzuki, Japanese darts player (BDO Women's World C'ship 2019), born in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan
- Feb 5 Rodrigo Palacio, Argentine footballer, born in Bahía Blanca, Argentina
- Feb 5 Tomas Kopecky, Slovak ice hockey player, born in Ilava, Slovakia
Alice Eve (42 years old)
Feb 6 English actress (She's Out of My League; Star Trek Into Darkness), born in London
- Feb 6 Tank [Lü Jianzhong], Taiwanese singer, born in Taitung City, Taiwan
- Feb 8 Danny Tamberelli, American actor, comedian, and musician, born in Wyckoff, New Jersey
- Feb 8 Eric Alexander, American NFL football linebacker, 2004-10 (New England Patriots, and 2 other teams), born in Tyler, Texas
- Feb 8 Sousuke Takaoka, Japanese actor (Battle Royale), born in Tokyo, Japan
- Feb 9 Ami Suzuki, Japanese pop singer-songwriter, born in Zama, Kanagawa, Japan
- Feb 9 Behn Gillece, American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator, born in New Jersey
- Feb 10 Iafeta Paleaaesina, New Zealand rugby league footballer, born in Auckland, New Zealand
Justin Gatlin (42 years old)
Feb 10 American sprinter (Olympic gold 100m 2004), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Feb 11 Kate Mulleavy, American fashion designer (Rodarte), born in Pasadena, California
- Feb 11 Natalie Dormer, British actress (Game of Thrones; The Hunger Games: Mockingjay), born in Reading, Berkshire, England
- Feb 11 Neil Robertson, Australian snooker player (2010 world champion), born in Melbourne, Australia
Bobi Wine (42 years old)
Feb 12 Ugandan politician and pop star, born in Mpigi District, Uganda
- Feb 12 Onil Joseph, Dominican baseball player, born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
- Feb 13 Lanisha Cole, US model, born in Pasadena, California
- Feb 13 Michael Turner, Running Back for the San Diego Chargers, born in Waukegan, Illinois
- Feb 14 Marián Gáborík, Slovak hockey player, born in Trenčín, Slovakia
- Feb 16 Lupe Fiasco [Wasalu Jaco] American rapper, (Lupe Fiasco's The Cool), born in Chicago Illinois
- Feb 16 Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, American rock singer (Japanese Cartoon), born in Chicago Illinois
- Feb 17 Adriano, Brazilian footballer, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Feb 17 Brian Bruney, American baseball player, born in Astoria, Oregon
- Feb 17 Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor and filmmaker (3rd Rock From the Sun, Inception), born in Los Angeles, California
- Feb 17 Rebekah Vardy, English media personality (Wagatha Christie libel trial), born in Norwich, England
- Feb 18 Courtney Act [Shane Jenek], Australian drag queen, pop singer, entertainer and reality television personality, born in Brisbane, Queensland
- Feb 18 Isabel Leonard, American Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano opera singer, born in New York City
- Feb 20 Jason Hirsh, American baseball player
- Feb 21 Bernhard Auinger, Austrian racing driver, born in Salzburg, Austria
- Feb 21 Chantal Claret [Euringer], American power-pop singer-songwriter (Morningwood), born in Berkeley, California
- Feb 22 Robert Weiner, Jr., American water polo player, born in Newport Beach, California
- Feb 23 Adam Hann-Byrd, American actor and screenwriter, born in New York City
- Feb 23 Karan Singh Grover, Indian model and actor (Qubool Hai), born in New Delhi, India
- Feb 24 Emanuel Villa, Argentine footballer
- Feb 24 Fala Chen, Chinese-American actress (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), born in Chengdu, China
- Feb 24 Klára Zakopalová, Czech tennis player
- Feb 24 Nick Blackburn, American baseball player
- Feb 25 Anton Volchenkov, Russian ice hockey player
- Feb 25 Bert McCracken, American rock singer (The Used), born in Provo, Utah
- Feb 25 Chris Baird, Irish footballer
- Feb 25 Flavia Pennetta, Italian tennis player (US open 2015), born in Brindisi, Italy
- Feb 25 Maria Kanellis, American model and professional wrestler
- Feb 25 Tara Wilson, Canadian actress
- Feb 26 Katherine Hull Kirk, Australian golfer (British Open 2010 runner-up; 3 LPGA Tour titles), born in Brisbane, Queensland
Li Na (42 years old)
Feb 26 Chinese tennis player (French Open 2011, Australian Open 2014), born in Wuhan, China
- Feb 26 Sara Gazarek, American jazz vocalist and educator, born in Seattle, Washington
- Feb 26 Song Hye Kyo, South Korean model and actress, born in Daegu, South Korea
- Feb 28 Natalia Vodianova, Russian supermodel, born in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Famous Divorces
Farrah Fawcett
Feb 16 Actors Lee Majors and Farrah Fawcett Majors divorce
Famous Deaths
- Feb 2 Paul Desruisseaux, Canadian lawyer and politician (Senator for Wellington, Quebec), dies at 76
- Feb 2 Stringfellow Barr, US educationalist (100 Great Books), dies at 85
- Feb 4 Alex Harvey, Scottish rock and blues singer (The Sensational Alex Harvey Band), dies of a heart attack at 46
- Feb 4 Georg Konrad Morgen, German judge (b. 1909)
- Feb 4 Sue Carol, American actress (She's My Weakness) and talent agent, dies at 73 of a heart attack
- Feb 5 Dolores Moran, American actress (Yankee Doodle Dandy), dies of cancer at 56
- Feb 5 Neil Aggett, South African worker's union leader, commits suicide
- Feb 5 Wies Moens, Belgian writer and historian, dies at 84
- Feb 6 Ben Nicholson, English painter and sculptor (Circle), dies at 87
- Feb 8 John Hay Whitney, American financier, diplomat and publisher of the NY Herald Tribune (1961-67), dies at 77 [1]
- Feb 8 Kurt Edelhagen, German jazz pianist and big bandleader, dies at 61
- Feb 10 Khershed Meherhomji, Indian cricketer (Indian wicket-keeper 1936), dies at 70
- Feb 11 Eleanor Powell, American stage and screen actress and tap dancer (Born to Dance, Broadway Melody films), dies of ovarian cancer at 69
- Feb 11 Takashi Shimura, Japanese actor (Rashomon, 7 Samurais), dies at 76
- Feb 11 Victor Jory, Canadian-American stage and screen actor (A Midsummer Night's Dream; Kings Row; Manhunt), dies of a heart attack at 79
- Feb 12 Hal Hooker, Australian cricketer (world record 10th wicket 307 partnership with Kippax), dies at 83
- Feb 12 Kees Rijnsdorp, Dutch writer (Culprit), dies at 87
- Feb 13 Gluyas Williams, American cartoonist (Fellows Citizen), dies at 93
- Feb 13 Zeng Jinlian, Chinese tallest woman ever recorded (2.46m, 8'1"), dies at 17
- Feb 14 Henk Schaer [Hendricus Schaareman], Dutch actor and conductor (Majoor Barbara, Lijmen), dies at 79
- Feb 15 Ralph Teetor, American automotive engineer (1st blind engineer in the US, inventor of cruise control), dies at 91
- Feb 17 Lee Strasberg, Austrian acting coach and actor (The Godfather: Part II, Somewhere in the Night), dies at 80
- Feb 17 Nestor Chylak, American Baseball HOF umpire (AL 1954-78; 3 x ALCS; 5 x World Series; 6 x MLB All Star games), dies at 59
- Feb 17 Thelonious Monk, American jazz pianist and composer ("Straight, No Chaser"; "'Round Midnight"; "Brilliant Corners"), dies of a stroke at 64
- Feb 18 Nathaniel Shilkret, American conductor and musician (Victor Salon Orchestra), dies at 92
- Feb 18 Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand detective writer and producer, dies at 82
- Feb 18 Tina Carver, actress (Inside Detroit, Uranium Boom), dies at 58
- Feb 20 René Dubos, French-American microbiologist and author (1969 Pulitzer Prize, made famous "Think globally, act locally"), dies at 81
- Feb 21 Murray the K [Kaufman], American disk jockey sometimes referred to as the 5th Beatle, dies of cancer at 60
- Feb 22 Josh Malihabadi, Urdu poet of India and Pakistan, dies at 83
- Feb 24 Virginia Bruce, actress (Born to Dance, Great Ziegfield), dies at 71
- Feb 25 J K Irani, cricket wicket-keeper (2 Tests for India 1947-48), dies
- Feb 26 Gabor Szabo, Hungarian jazz guitarist (Perfect Circle), dies at 45
- Feb 26 Teinosuke Kinugasa, Japanese actor and director (Gate of Hell; A Page of Madness; Jujiro; Jigoku-mon), dies at 86
- Feb 27 Malika Sabirova, Soviet Tajik ballet dancer, dies at 39
