Historical Events
- Feb 1 -61°F (-52°C), Maybell, Colorado (state record)
- Feb 1 -69°F (-56°C), Peter's Sink, Utah (state record)
- Feb 1 Patient innings from Dilip Vengsarkar (137) and Mohammad Azharuddin (122) set India up for 5th cricket Test draw vs England in Kanpur; Azharuddin, 3 centuries in 1st 3 Tests
Boitano US Champion
Feb 2 US male Figure Skating championship won by Brian Boitano
"Harrigan 'n Hart"
Feb 3 Max Showalter and Peter Walker's musical "Harrigan 'n Hart", starring Harry Groening and Mark Hamill, closes at Longacre Theater, NYC, after 4 performances
- Feb 4 20 countries (but not US) sign UN treaty outlawing torture
- Feb 4 Naval exercises canceled when US refuses to tell NZ if nuclear weapons aboard USS Buchanan
- Feb 7 "New York, New York" becomes the official anthem of New York City
- Feb 7 Marshall U's Bruce Morris scores a basket from 92'5"
- Feb 7 NY Devil Don Lever becomes 57th NHLer to score 300 goals
- Feb 8 1st-class cricket debut of Jimmy Adams (age 17), Jamaica v Barbados
- Feb 8 Bruce Morris, Marshall Univ, makes a 92' 5½" basketball shot
- Feb 8 Michael Gross swims world record 800m freestyle (7:38.75)
Opposition Leader Returns
Feb 8 Opposition leader Kim Dae-jung returns to South Korea
- Feb 10 35th NBA All-Star Game, Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis: West beats East, 140-129; MVP: Ralph Sampson, Houston Rockets, C
- Feb 10 Andrea Schöne skates ladies world record 5 km (7:32.82)
- Feb 10 Challenger moves to Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center (Florida) for mating of STS 51-E mission
- Feb 10 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- Feb 11 Kent Hrbek signs 5-year $6 million contract with Minnesota Twins
- Feb 11 King Hussein of Jordan & PLO leader Arafat sign accord
Cricket History
Feb 11 Wasim Akram takes 10 wickets in his 2nd Test Cricket, NZ still wins
NHL All-Star Game
Feb 12 37th NHL All-Star Game, Olympic Saddledome, Calgary: Wales Conference beats Campbell Conference, 6-4; MVP: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins, C
- Feb 12 West Indies beat Australia 2-1 to win cricket's World Series Cup (Australian Tri-Series)
- Feb 13 Dow Jones closes at 1297.92 (record high) after topping 1300 earlier
- Feb 13 Polish police arrests 7 Solidarity leaders
Whitney Houston
Feb 14 "Whitney Houston" debut album by Whitney Houston is released (Grammy Award Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female 1986, Billboard Album of Year 1986)
- Feb 14 Hostage CNN reporter Jeremy Levin is released in Beirut
- Feb 15 35th Berlin International Film Festival: "The Woman and the Stranger" and "Wetherby" win the Golden Bear (tie)
- Feb 15 STS 51-E vehicle moves to launch pad
- Feb 15 Teen film "The Breakfast Club" is released, written and directed by John Hughes, starring Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall and Ally Sheedy
Chess Controversy
Feb 15 World chess championship match abandoned with Anatoly Karpov 25 leading Garry Kasparov 23
- Feb 16 Largest NBA crowd to date, 43,816, sees Philadelphia at Detroit
- Feb 16 Lebanese political and military organization Hezbollah founded
Sports History
Feb 16 Livingston Bramble defeats Ray Mancini to win WBA lightweight championship, in Buffalo, New York
- Feb 16 NJ Devils score their fastest hat trick in 42 seconds
- Feb 17 1st class postage rises from 20 cents to 22 cents
- Feb 17 1st day/night game at the MCG, Australia v England
Daytona 500
Feb 17 27th Daytona 500: After taking pole at then-record speed of 205.114 mph Bill Elliott dominates race leading 136 of 200 laps
- Feb 17 3rd person to receive an artificial heart (Murray Haydon)
Event of Interest
Feb 17 Colombian drug lord the 'Godmother of Cocaine' Griselda Blanco arrested in Irvine, California - later convicted and serves 15 years for manufacturing and distributing cocaine [1]
- Feb 17 Dutch speed skater Hein Vergeer becomes World Allround champion
Sports History
Feb 17 Panamanian jockey Laffit Pincay Jr is third to ride 6,000 winners; wins aboard Doria's Delight in the 5th race at Santa Anita Park
- Feb 19 150 killed when a Spanish jetliner crashes approaching Bilbao, Spain
- Feb 19 ADM of Amsterdam declares bankruptcy
- Feb 19 British soap opera "Eastenders" premieres on the BBC
- Feb 19 Canned & bottled Cherry Coke introduced by Coca-Cola
- Feb 19 Mickey Mouse welcomed in China
- Feb 19 William Schroeder is 1st artificial heart patient to leave hospital He spends 15 minutes outside Humana Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky
- Feb 20 After defending his WBC flyweight championship, Sot Chitalada's check for $104,000 is stolen by a ringside pickpocket
- Feb 21 Evert van Benthem wins his 13th Elfstedentocht, a long distance 11 city skating race
- Feb 21 Largest NBA crowd to date 44,970 (Atlanta at Detroit)
Sports History
Feb 21 National League baseball player Tim Raines is awarded a $1.2 million salary for 1985 by arbitrator
Sports History
Feb 23 Goaltender Patrick Roy makes his NHL debut for the Montreal Canadiens
- Feb 23 Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight throws a chair onto the court during a game
Event of Interest
Feb 23 US Senate confirms Edwin Meese as the 75th Attorney General
- Feb 24 Birendra, Bir Bikram Shah Dev crowned King of Nepal
- Feb 24 Jim Kelly (Houston USFL) passes for pro football record 574 yds
Grammy Awards
Feb 26 27th Grammy Awards: "What's Love Got to Do With It?", and Cyndi Lauper win
- Feb 27 Farmers converge in Washington to demand economic relief
- Feb 27 Mauritania's new constitutional charter published
- Feb 27 US dollar is worth Ÿ3.9355 (Netherlands)
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 1 Dean Shiels, Irish soccer midfielder (14 caps, Northern Ireland; Hibernian, Rangers), born in Magherafelt, Northern Ireland
- Feb 1 Jodi Gordon, Australian actress and model, born in Mackay, Australia
- Feb 1 Rachael Scdoris, American dog musher, born in Bend, Oregon
- Feb 1 Shellback [Karl Schuster], Swedish Grammy Award-winning pop record producer and songwriter, with Max Martin (Pink; Maroon 5; Taylor Swift; Avril Lavigne), born in Karlshamn, Sweden
- Feb 2 Melody Gardot, American jazz singer (My One and Only Thrill), born in New Jersey
- Feb 4 Bug Hall, American actor, born in Fort Worth, Texas
Cristiano Ronaldo (39 years old)
Feb 5 Portuguese soccer striker (5 x Ballon d'Or; Sporting Lisbon; Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus), born in Funchal, Portugal
- Feb 5 Crystal Hunt, American actress, born in Clearwater, Florida
- Feb 5 Laurence Maroney, American football player, born in St. Louis, Missouri
- Feb 5 Lindsey Cardinale, American country music singer (American Idol, 2012), born in Hammond, Louisiana
- Feb 6 Crystal Reed, American actress (Teen Wolf; Swamp Thing), born in Detroit, Michigan
- Feb 6 Joji Kato, Japanese speed skater, born in Yamagata, Japan
- Feb 6 Kris Humphries, American basketball player, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Feb 6 Yang Yu, Chinese swimmer, born in Hangzhou, China
- Feb 7 Tina Majorino, American actress (Waterworld, When a Man Loves a Woman), born in Westlake Village, California
- Feb 8 Jeremy Davis, American rock bassist and songwriter (Paramore, 2004-15 - "Misery Business"; "Still Into You"), born in Little Rock, Arkansas
- Feb 9 David Gallagher, American actor
- Feb 10 Anette Sagen, Norwegian ski jumper, born in Mosjøen, Norway
- Feb 11 Mike Richards, Canadian ice hockey center (Stanley Cup 2011, 14 LA Kings; Olympic gold 2010), born in Kenora, Canada
- Feb 11 William Beckett, American singer-songwriter (The Academy Is...), born in Hoffman Estates, Illinois
- Feb 12 Saskia Burmeister Croft, Australian actress, born in Sydney, Australia
- Feb 13 Alexandros Tziolis, Greek footballer, born in Katerini, Greece
- Feb 13 David Padgett, US basketball player, born in Reno, Nevada
- Feb 13 Kwak Ji-min, South Korean actress, born in South Korea
- Feb 14 Heart Evangelista, Filipina singer and actress, born in Manila, Philippines
- Feb 14 Jacob Parker, American actor (Evening Shade), born in Bixby, Oklahoma
- Feb 14 Karima Adebibe, Moroccan-English actress and model, born in Bethnal Green, London
- Feb 14 Miki Yeung, Hong Kong singer and actress, born in British Hong Kong
- Feb 14 Natsume Sano, Japanese gravure idol, born in Tokyo, Japan
- Feb 14 Philippe Senderos, Swiss footballer, born in Geneva, Switzerland
- Feb 14 Tyler Clippard, American baseball player, born in Lexington, Kentucky
Stacy Lewis (39 years old)
Feb 16 American golfer (ANA Inspiration 2011, Women's British Open 2013), born in Toledo, Ohio
- Feb 16 Zoi Dimoschaki, Greek swimmer
- Feb 17 Anne Curtis, Filipino actress and commercial model
- Feb 18 Anton Ferdinand, English footballer, born in Peckham, London
- Feb 18 Lee Boyd Malvo, American serial killer, born in Kingston, Jamaica
- Feb 19 Arielle Kebbel, American actress, born in Winter Park, Florida
- Feb 19 Haylie Duff, American actress (7th Heaven; Napoleon Dynamite), and singer-songwriter, born in Houston, Texas
- Feb 20 Julia Volkova, Russian pop singer (t.A.T.u. -single, "All the Things She Said"), born in Moscow
- Feb 21 Bob Burton, American speedcuber, born in Newark, New Jersey
- Feb 21 Georgios Samaras, Greek footballer, born in Heraklion, Greece
- Feb 22 Hameur Bouazza, Algerian footballer, born in Essonne, France
- Feb 22 Sean Garballey, American politician, born in Arlington, Massachusetts
- Feb 23 Azotti ([uri Denisenko], Ukrainian electronic dance music DJ and producer, born in Kyiv, Ukraine
- Feb 25 Benji Marshall, New Zealand rugby league halfback-five eighth (31 Tests; Wests Tigers, St. George, South Sydney) and coach (Wests Tigers), born in Whakatane, New Zealand
- Feb 25 Joakim Noah, American basketball player
- Feb 26 Ally Hilfiger, American actress and daughter of Tommy Hilfiger, born in New York City
- Feb 27 Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Russian footballer, born in Moscow, Russia
- Feb 27 Juliana Imai, Brazilian model, born in Paraná, Brazil
- Feb 28 Fefe Dobson, Canadian pop-rock singer-songwriter ("Bye Bye Boyfriend"), born in Scarborough, Ontario
- Feb 28 Jelena Janković, Serbian tennis player, born in Belgrade, Serbia
- Feb 28 Michael Fennelly [Micheál Ó Fionnalaigh], Irish hurler, born in Ballyhale, County Kilkenny
Famous Weddings
O.J. Simpson
Feb 2 NFL running back, broadcaster, actor and felon O.J. Simpson marries second wife Nicole Brown (murdered 1994)
Martin Scorsese
Feb 8 Director Martin Scorsese (42) weds producer Barbara De Fina (35)
Joe Montana
Feb 24 NFL quarterback Joe Montana (28) weds actress and model Jennifer Wallace
Famous Divorces
George Foreman
Feb 4 Professional boxer George Foreman (35) divorces Andrea Skeete after almost 3 years of marriage
Famous Deaths
- Feb 3 Frank Oppenheimer, American particle physicist, brother of J. Robert Oppenheimer, dies at 72
- Feb 5 Cees Bantzinger, Dutch cartoonist and illustrator, commits suicide at 70
- Feb 5 Georges-Émile Lapalme, Quebec politician (b. 1907)
- Feb 6 Charles Briggs, American actor (13 Frightened Girls, Capt Newman), dies at 53
- Feb 6 James Hadley Chase, English writer (b. 1906)
- Feb 7 Albert Dondeyne, Belgian philosopher and theologist, dies at 83
- Feb 7 Matt Monro [Terence Parsons], English pop singer ("Softly As I Leave You"), dies from liver cancer at 54
- Feb 7 Uday Merchant, Indian cricketer (brother of Vijay, prolific scorer), dies at 68
- Feb 8 Marvin Miller [Mueller], American actor (Space Patrol, Dead Reckoning, Millionaire), dies from a heart attack at 71
- Feb 8 Tom Greenway, American actor (Miami Story), dies of a heart attack at 75
William Lyons (1901-1985)
Feb 8 British industrialist and automobile manufacturer (Jaguar cars), dies at 84
- Feb 10 Johnny Mokan, American MLB player (Philadelphia Phillies), dies at 89
- Feb 11 Ben Abruzzo, American businessman and balloonist (b. 1930)
- Feb 11 Heinz Roemheld, American film composer (Yankee Doodle Dandy; Ruby Gentry), dies of pneumonia at 83
- Feb 11 Henry Hathaway, American actor and director of westerns (Nob Hill), dies of a heart attack at 86
- Feb 12 Nicholas Colasanto, American actor (Cheers - "Coach"; Family Plot; The Counterfeit Killer), dies of a heart attack at 61
- Feb 12 Van Lingle Mungo, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1934, 36, 37, 45; NL strikeout leader 1936; Brooklyn Dodgers, NY Giants), dies at 73
- Feb 16 Larry Ward, actor (Frank Ragan-Dakotas), dies at 69
- Feb 17 Wanda Perry, actress (Roberta, Death of a Salesman), dies at 67
- Feb 18 Willy Alberti [Carel Verbrugge], Dutch singer and actor (Riffin in Amsterdam), dies at 58
- Feb 19 Elizabeth Julesberg, author (Dick & Jane), dies
- Feb 19 George Holmes, actor (Man in the Trunk), dies at 66
- Feb 20 Clarence Nash, American voice actor (Donald Duck), dies of leukemia at 80
- Feb 21 Eric Herfst, Dutch cabaret performer (Lurelei) and actor (Floris), dies of a brain tumor at 47
- Feb 21 Ina Claire [Fagan], American stage and screen actress (Ninotchika), dies of a heart attack at 91
- Feb 21 Louis Hayward, British-American actor (Lone Wolf, Survivors), dies of lung cancer at 75
- Feb 22 Alexander Scourby, American actor (Victory at Sea, Ransom), dies at 71
- Feb 22 Efrem Zimbalist Sr, Russian-American violinist composer, and educator (Curtis Institute, 1928-68), dies at 95
- Feb 22 Salvador Espriu, Spanish poet (b. 1913)
- Feb 27 David Huffman, American actor (FIST, Jane Doe, Firefox, Onion Field), murdered at 39
- Feb 27 Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., American politician (Sen-R) and ambassador (West Germany, Vietnam & UN), dies at 82
- Feb 27 J Pat O'Malley, Irish-British actor (101 Dalmatians, The Jungle Book), dies at 80
- Feb 27 Ray Ellington [Henry Pitts Brown], British jazz drummer, singer and bandleader (The Goon Show), dies of cancer at 68
- Feb 28 Charita Bauer, American actress (The Guiding Light, Aldrich Family), dies following long illness at 62
- Feb 28 David Byron [Garrick], British vocalist and songwriter (Uriah Heep), dies of alcohol-related complications at 38
