Historical Events
Bernardin Made Cardinal
Feb 2 Chicago Archbishop Joseph Bernardin is among 18 new cardinals named by Pope John Paul II
Hamilton US Champion
Feb 4 US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Hamilton
Barbie Trial Begins
Feb 5 Former Nazi Gestapo official Klaus Barbie extradited to France from Bolivia to stand trial
- Feb 6 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 20-19; MVPs: Dan Fouts, San Diego Chargers, QB; John Jefferson, Green Bay Packers, WR
- Feb 7 "José Cuervo" single released by Shelly West (Billboard Song of the Year 1983)
- Feb 7 Elizabeth Dole is sworn in as the 1st US female secretary of transportation
35th NHL All-Star Game
Feb 8 35th NHL All-Star Game, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale: Campbell Conference beats Wales Conference, 9-3; MVP: Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers, C
Ariel Sharon Resigns
Feb 8 Ariel Sharon resigns from Israeli government after an inquiry shows he was indirectly responsible for the killings of hundreds of people in 1982
Mantel to Sever Casino Ties
Feb 8 Baseball orders Mickey Mantle to sever ties with Claridge Casino
- Feb 8 Eric Peters sets transatlantic sailboat record (E-W)-46 days
- Feb 8 Prize stallion and Derby winner Shergar kidnapped in Ireland, never to be found causing Lloyd's of London to payout $10.6 million insurance
- Feb 8 Tina Howe's play "Painting Churches" premieres in NYC
- Feb 8 Wayne Gretzky sets NHL all star record of 4 goals in one period
- Feb 9 Belgium buys 44 F-16s
- Feb 10 Anglican synod vote 338-100 against unilateral UK nuclear disarmament
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Feb 11 "Weird Al" Yankovic records "Ricky" & "Buckingham Blues" to complete his debut LP, at Scotti Brothers Studio in Santa Monica, California
- Feb 11 4th largest snowfall in NYC history (18"(46 cm))
Total Eclipse of the Heart
Feb 11 Single "Total Eclipse of the Heart" sung by Bonnie Tyler and composed by Jim Steinman is released
NBA All-Star Game
Feb 13 33rd NBA All-Star Game, The Forum, Inglewood, CA: East beats West, 132-123; MVP: Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers, F
- Feb 13 Opener Steve Smith with 117 and Geoff Lawson 3-11 guide Australia to 149 run win over New Zealand in cricket's World Series Cup 2nd Final in Melbourne; win series, 2-0
- Feb 13 Richard Levinson, William Link, Elmer Bernstein. and Don Black's musical "Merlin", starring magician Doug Henning and Chita Rivera, opens at Mark Hellinger Theater, NYC; runs for 199 performances
- Feb 16 The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia claim the lives of 75 people in one of Australia's worst ever fires
- Feb 17 Bob Bourne fails on 8th Islander penalty shot
- Feb 17 Netherlands adopts constitution
- Feb 17 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Feb 18 33rd Berlin International Film Festival: "Ascendancy" and "The Beehive" win the Golden Bear (tie)
- Feb 18 Indiana Pacers lose, 121-94 in Milwaukee; begin a 28 NBA game losing streak on the road
- Feb 18 Right wing Lanny McDonald becomes the first player in NHL franchise Calgary Flames' history to score 50 goals in a season in a 5-1 loss to Buffalo Sabres
Sports History
Feb 19 Fernando Valenzuela wins his salary arbitration of $1 million
- Feb 19 Vladimir Salnikov (USSR) sets 400 m free style swimming record
Daytona 500
Feb 20 25th Daytona 500: 3rd win in the event for Cale Yarborough; first time an in-car camera goes into victory lane before a national CBS Sports audience
- Feb 20 Japan launches Tenma satellite to study x-rays (450/570 km)
- Feb 20 Roland Liboton becomes world champ cross-country cycling
- Feb 21 Donald Davis runs 1 mile backwards in 6 m 7.1 s
- Feb 21 NBA San Diego Clippers begin a 29 game road losing streak
Election of Interest
Feb 22 Harold Washington wins Chicago's Democratic mayoral primary
- Feb 22 Hindus kill 3000 Muslims in Assam, India
- Feb 22 Vladimir Salnikov (USSR) sets 1500m free style swimming record
- Feb 23 25th Grammy Awards: "Roxanna"and "Toto IV"; Men at Work win
- Feb 23 The Spanish Socialist government of Felipe González and Miguel Boyer nationalizes Rumasa, a holding of José María Ruiz Mateos
- Feb 23 The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces its intent to buy out and evacuate the dioxin-contaminated community of Times Beach, Missouri
- Feb 23 USFL New Jersey Generals sign Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker to a then massive 3 year, $5 million deal
- Feb 24 A special commission of the U.S. Congress releases a report that condemns the practice of Japanese internment during World War II.
- Feb 24 Dow Jones closes above 1100 mark for 1st time
- Feb 24 USSR performs underground nuclear test
Thriller
Feb 26 Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album goes #1 and stays #1 for 37 weeks
- Feb 26 Shortwave pirate Radio USA (Wellsville, NY) begins transmission
- Feb 27 Eamonn Coghlan of Ireland set indoor mile record of 3:49.78
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 1 Andrew VanWyngarden, American musician and singer (MGMT), born in Columbia, Missouri
- Feb 1 Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Belgian road cyclist (Tour de France 3rd 2010; 4th 2012), born in Herentals, Belgium
- Feb 2 Alex Westaway, British rock singer (Gunship; Fightstar), born in Northamptonshire, England
- Feb 2 Carolina Klüft, Swedish athlete (Olympic gold heptathlon 2004; World C'ship gold 2003, 05, 07), born in Sandhult, Sweden
- Feb 2 Will South, British indie rock singer-songwriter, piano player, and guitarist (Thirteen Senses - "Do No Wrong"), born in England
- Feb 3 Silambarasan Rajendar, famous south Indian actor
- Feb 6 Brodie Croyle, American football player, born in Rainbow City, Alabama
- Feb 6 Jamie Whincup, Australian racing driver, born in Melbourne, Australia
- Feb 6 Melrose Bickerstaff, American fashion model, born in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan
- Feb 6 Myron Wolf Child, Canadian politician, born in Cardston, Alberta (d. 2007)
- Feb 6 S. Sreesanth, Indian cricketer, born in Kothamangalam, India
- Feb 7 Christian Klien, Austrian racing driver
- Feb 7 Georgios Gougoulias, Greek footballer
- Feb 7 Teshome Getu, Ethiopian footballer
- Feb 8 Jim Verraros, American pop singer (American Idol, 2002), born in Mount Prospect, Illinois
- Feb 9 Mikel Arruabarrena, Spanish footballer
- Feb 9 Vladimira Krckova, Czech jazz-pop singer, composer ("Your Aura On My Lips"), actress, and poet, born in Valašské Meziříčí, Czech Republic
- Feb 11 Huang Shengyi, Chinese actress, born in Shanghai, China
- Feb 11 Nicki Clyne, Canadian actress, born in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Feb 11 Rafael Van der Vaart, Dutch footballer, born in Keemskerk, Netherlands
- Feb 11 Reena Esmail, Indian-American composer (This Love Between Us: Prayers for Unity), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Feb 12 Carlton Brewster, American NFL player, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Feb 12 Iko Uwais, Indonesian actor, stuntman and martial artist (The Raid), born in Jakarta, Indonesia
- Feb 12 Lavinia Meijer, Dutch harpist (Metamorphosis / The Hours), born in South Korea
- Feb 14 Bacary Sagna, French footballer, born in Sens, France
- Feb 14 Rhydian Roberts, Welsh Singer (X Factor runner up), born in Sennybridge, United Kingdom
- Feb 15 Ashley Cafagna Tesoro, American actress (Saved By The Bell:The New Class; The Bold and the Beautiful), and country and Christian singer, born in Iowa City, Iowa
- Feb 15 Russell Martin, Canadian baseball player, born in East York, Canada
- Feb 16 John Magaro, American actor (Past Lives), born in Akron, Ohio
- Feb 17 Gérald Cid, French footballer, born in Talence, France
- Feb 18 Jason Maxiell, American basketball player, born in Chicago, Illinois
- Feb 18 Jermaine Jenas, English soccer midfielder (21 caps; Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur), born in Nottingham, England
- Feb 18 Juelz Santana, American rapper, born in Harlem, New York City
- Feb 18 Roberta Vinci, Italian tennis player (5 Grand Slam doubles titles), born in Taranto, Italy
- Feb 19 Assunta De Rossi, Filipino actress
- Feb 19 Mika Nakashima, Japanese pop singer ("Glamorous Sky"; "Yuki No Hama"), and actress (Nana films), born in Hioki, Kagoshima, Japan
- Feb 20 Justin Verlander, American baseball player (Houston Astros), born in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia
- Feb 21 Braylon Edwards, American football wide receiver (Pro Bowl & Second Team All Pro 2007; Cleveland Browns), born in Detroit, Michigan
- Feb 21 Daniel Ek, Swedish CEO and co-founder of Spotify, born in Stockholm, Sweden
- Feb 21 Mélanie Laurent, French actress (Inglourious Basterds), born in Paris, France
Aziz Ansari (41 years old)
Feb 23 Indian-American comedian and actor (Parks and Recreation, Master of None), born in Columbia, South Carolina
Emily Blunt (41 years old)
Feb 23 English-American actress (The Girl on the Train, The Quiet Place), born in London
- Feb 23 Mido, Egyptian footballer, born in Cairo, Egypt
- Feb 23 Mirco Bergamasco, Italian rugby player, born in Padua, Italiy
- Feb 25 Eduardo da Silva, Brazilian-born Croatian footballer
- Feb 26 Kara Monaco, American model, born in Lakeland, Florida
- Feb 27 Devin Harris, American basketball point guard (NBA All-Star 2009 NJ Nets; Dallas Mavericks), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Feb 27 Hayley Angel Wardle, English actress, born in London
Kate Mara (41 years old)
Feb 27 American actress (House of Cards, 24), born in Bedford, New York
Famous Weddings
Jerry Lewis
Feb 13 Film genius Jerry Lewis (56) marries 2nd wife dancer SanDee Pitnick
Famous Deaths
- Feb 2 Bryan Valentine, British cricket batsman (7 Tests, 2 x 100; Kent CCC, Cambridge University CC), dies at 75
- Feb 2 Roy Horb, Suriname sergeant and putschist, commits suicide
- Feb 2 Sam Chatmon, American Delta blues guitarist, banjo player, and singer (The Mississippi Sheiks), dies at 86
- Feb 3 Tullio Campagnolo, Italian racing cyclist and inventor (quick release skewer patent; founder bicycle component company Campagnolo), dies at 81
- Feb 4 Jim Ameche [James Amici], American voice actor (Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy), dies at 67
- Feb 4 Karen Carpenter, American pop vocalist and drummer ("We've Only Just Begun"; "Rainy Days And Mondays"; "Top Of The World"), dies of anorexia nervosa at 32
- Feb 4 Reginald Denham, English writer and director (Obsession, The Bad Seed), dies at 89
- Feb 5 Derk Roemers, Dutch union leader/politician (soc dem), dies at 67
- Feb 8 Alfred Wallenstein, American cellist and conductor (Chicago Symphony 1922-29), dies at 84
- Feb 10 Eduard Franz, American actor (Zorro), dies at 80
- Feb 10 Vittorio Sereni, Italian poet (Diario d'Algeria), dies at 69
- Feb 12 (James Hubert) "Eubie" Blake, American ragtime composer and pianist ("Memories of You"; "I'm Just Wild About Harry"), dies at 96
- Feb 13 Marian Nixon [Marja Nissinen], American silent and sound film actress (Hands Up!; Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms; Winner Takes All), dies after open-heart surgery at 78
- Feb 14 Lina Radke, German 800m runner (Olympic gold 1928), dies at 79
- Feb 19 Alice White, actress (Employees' Entrance), dies at 78 of a stroke
- Feb 20 Fritz Köberle, Austrian-Brazilian physician, pathologistic, and scientific researcher, dies at 72
- Feb 20 James G Richardson, (Tim Cassidy-Sierra), dies at 37 in ski accident
- Feb 20 Ray Vitte, American actor (Car Wash; Doc - "Woody"; Quest - "Cody"), dies in scuffle with police at 33
- Feb 22 Adrian Boult, British conductor (BBC Symphony Orchestra, 1930-50; London Philharmonic, 1950-59), dies at 93
- Feb 22 Christina E "Christine" Auwen, singer and wife of John Kelly, dies at 75
- Feb 22 Romain Maes, Belgian road cyclist (Tour de France 1935), dies at 69
- Feb 24 Herbert Howells, British organist, teacher, and composer of Anglican Church music, dies at 90
- Feb 25 John Cowles Sr, American newspaper and magazine publisher (Minneapolis Star, Harper's Magazine), dies at 84
Tennessee Williams (1911-1983)
Feb 25 American playwright (A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), dies at 71
