Historical Events
- Feb 1 KHJ-AM in Los Angeles CA changes call letters to KRTH
"Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood"
Feb 2 "Jerome Kern Goes to Hollywood" closes at Ritz NYC after 13 performances
Dalai Lama Meets the Pope
Feb 2 Dalai Lama meets Pope John Paul II in India
- Feb 2 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 28-24; MVP: Phil Simms, NY Giants, QB
- Feb 2 Oscar Arias Sanchez elected president of Costa Rica
- Feb 3 OPEC fails to agree upon a petroleum production agreement after a 2 day meeting in Vienna
Pixar Animation
Feb 3 Pixar Animation Studios (Toy Story; The Incredibles) headed by Edwin Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith, is spun off from Lucasfilm, Ltd as an independent film production company, with backing of Steve Jobs
Pope Meets With Mother Teresa
Feb 3 The Pope and Mother Teresa meet in Calcutta
Challenger Inquiry
Feb 3 US President Ronald Reagan announces formation of commission of enquiry on Challenger Accident
38th NHL All-Star Game
Feb 4 38th NHL All-Star Game, Hartford Civic Centre: Wales Conference beats Campbell Conference, 4-3 (OT); MVP: Grant Fuhr, Edmonton Oilers, G
- Feb 4 Israeli fighters intercept Libyan passenger airliner
Aquino and Marcos on "Nighline"
Feb 5 Corazon Aquino & Ferdinand Marcos appear on "Nightline"
Marcos's Fraudulent Election
Feb 7 Corazon Aquino defeats incumbent Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos but fraudulent returns gave the election to Marcos
Duvalier Flees
Feb 7 Haiti's President-for-Life Jean-Claude Duvalier flees to France: Henri Namphy becomes leader of Haiti
- Feb 7 US female Figure Skating championship won by Debi Thomas
Hannah and Her Sisters
Feb 7 Woody Allen film "Hannah and Her Sisters" starring Mia Farrow, Michael Caine, Dianne Wiest and an ensemble cast is released in the US
- Feb 8 1984 Summer Olympics LAPD bomb squad chief Arleigh McCree, and his partner Officer Ronald Ball of the Firearms and explosives unit are killed while trying to dismantle two pipe bombs
- Feb 8 5' 7" Spud Webb of Atlanta Hawks wins NBA Slam Dunk Competition
A Better Tomorrow
Feb 8 Jon Woo's action film "A Better Tomorrow", starring Chow Yun-fat, premieres in Hong Kong
Boitano US Champion
Feb 8 US male Figure Skating championship won by Brian Boitano
36th NBA All-Star Game
Feb 9 36th NBA All-Star Game, Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX: East beats West, 139-132; MVP: Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons, G
- Feb 9 Halley's Comet reaches 30th perihelion (closest approach to Sun)
- Feb 9 Haydar Bakr al-Attas appointed president of South Yemen
- Feb 9 Marvin Johnson stops Leslie Stewart in 7 rounds in Indianapolis to win WBA light heavyweight boxing title; record 3rd time he regains a version of light heavyweight crown
- Feb 9 Tomb of Tutanchamon's treasurer Maya found in Egypt
- Feb 9 West German team swims world record 4x200 m freestyle (7:05.17)
John Lennon: Live in NYC
Feb 10 "John Lennon: Live in NYC" album is released posthumously
- Feb 11 Activist Anatoly Scharansky released by USSR, leaves country
Cricket History
Feb 11 Australia beat India 2-0 to win cricket's World Series Cup, David Boon scores the most runs in the series (418)
- Feb 11 Iran begins Fajr-8 offensive against Iraq
Cricket Debut
Feb 12 1st-class cricket debut of Curtly Ambrose, Leeward Is vs Guyana
- Feb 14 36th Berlin International Film Festival: "Stammheim" wins the Golden Bear
- Feb 15 44,180 largest NBA crowd to date-Philadelphia at Detroit
- Feb 15 National Assembly of the Philippines proclaims Ferdinand Marcos President for six more years after rigged elections against Corazon Aquino, supercharging the EDSA people power revolution [1]
- Feb 16 "Uptown... It's Hot!" closes at Lunt-Fontanne NYC after 24 performances
Daytona 500
Feb 16 28th Daytona 500: Geoff Bodine wins on fuel mileage after Dale Earnhardt forced to pit for gas with 3 laps to go, then blows engine leaving the pits
- Feb 16 Dutch speed skater Hein Vergeer becomes World Allround champion for the second time
- Feb 16 French air force bombs Ouadi Doum airport in Chad
- Feb 16 Karlstad skates world record 10 km (14:12.14)
Election of Interest
Feb 16 Mário Soares from the Socialist Party is elected the 1st civilian President of Portugal
Senior PGA Championship
Feb 16 Senior PGA Championship, PGA National GC: South African Gary Player wins first of 6 Senior Tour major titles with a 2 stroke victory over runner-up Lee Elder
- Feb 17 1st Francophone Summit convenes at Versailles
- Feb 17 Howard Stern radio show returns to NYC morning radio (WXRK 92.3 FM)
- Feb 17 Johnson & Johnson announces it will no longer sell capsule drugs
- Feb 17 Libyan bombers attack N'djamena Airport in Chad
Film & TV History
Feb 18 Anti-smoking ad airs for 1st time on TV, featuring Yul Brynner: he died of smoking-induced lung cancer on 10th October 1985
- Feb 18 San Antonio guard Alvin Robertson scores NBA's 2nd quadruple double-20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists & 10 steals in 120-114 win over Phoenix Suns
- Feb 19 King Hussein of Jordan severs ties with PLO
- Feb 19 US Senate ratifies UN's anti-genocide convention 37 years later
- Feb 19 USSR launches Mir space station into Earth orbit
Sports History
Feb 20 LA Dodger Orel Hershiser is 1st to win a $1M salary by arbitration
Sports History
Feb 20 Mike Tyson sexually harasses a woman in Albany, New York
Sports History
Feb 23 Despite losing, Boston Red Sox Wade Boggs gets largest arbitration in MLB history, $1.35M
- Feb 23 Nelli Fiere-Cooman runs world record 60 m indoor (7.00 sec)
- Feb 24 Texas Air buys Eastern Airlines for $676 million
Grammy Awards
Feb 25 28th Grammy Awards: "We Are the World", Sade, Phil Collins win
- Feb 25 Corazon Aquino becomes President of the Philippines; dictator Ferdinand Marcos flees the country
- Feb 25 Iran conquers Iraqi Fao peninsula
- Feb 25 Thousands of Egyptian military police riot, destroy 2 luxury hotels
- Feb 26 Evert van Benthem wins 14th Frisian 11-Cities skating race (6:55:16)
- Feb 26 People Power Revolution in the Philippines.
- Feb 27 The United States Senate allows its debates to be televised on a trial basis
- Feb 28 European Economic Community signs "Special Act" for Europe free trade
- Feb 28 Peter Uberroth suspended 7 baseball players for 1 year, after they admitted in Curtis Strong's trial in September, they used drugs
Famous Birthdays
- Feb 1 Jorrit Bergsma, Dutch speed skater (Olympic gold 10,000m 2014; World Single Distance C'ship 2013, 15, 17, 19), born in Oldeboorn, Netherlands
- Feb 1 Lauren Conrad, American TV star, born in Laguna Beach, California
- Feb 2 Gemma Atherton, English actress and producer (Quantum of Solace), born in Gravesend, England
- Feb 3 David Edwards, Welsh soccer midfielder (43 caps; Wolverhampton Wanderers 284 games), born in Pontesbury, England
- Feb 4 Mohammad Mahmudullah Riyad, Bangladeshi cricketer (2007-), born in Mymensingh, Bangladesh
- Feb 5 Billy Sharp, English footballer, born in Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Feb 5 Manuel Fernandes, Portuguese soccer midfielder (15 caps; Benfica, Valencia, Beşiktaş, Lokomotiv Moscow), born in Lisbon, Portugal
- Feb 5 Reed Sorenson, American stock car racing driver, born in Peachtree City, Georgia
- Feb 6 Alice Greczyn, American actress, born in Walnut Creek, California
- Feb 6 Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwean cricketer, born in Harare, Zimbabwe
- Feb 6 Tony Johnson Jr., American mixed martial artist (KOTC heavyweight champion 2010), born in Killeen, Texas
- Feb 7 Michael Orozco, American footballer
- Feb 8 Anderson Paak [Brandon Paak Anderson], American singer-songwriter and rapper ("Leave the Door Open"), born in Oxnard, California
- Feb 9 Princess Raiyah bint Al Hussein, of Jordan
- Feb 10 Radamel Falcao García Zárate, Colombian football player (AS Monaco, Colombia national team), born in Santa Marta, Colombia
- Feb 10 Viktor Troicki, Serbian tennis player, born in Belgrade, Serbia
- Feb 10 Yui Ichikawa, Japanese actress and model, born in Tokyo, Japan
- Feb 11 Bruno Vlahek, Croatian concert pianist and contemporary classical composer, born in Zagreb, Croatia
- Feb 11 Gabriel Boric, Chilean activist and politician (Chile's youngest President 2022-), born in Punta Arenas, Chile
- Feb 13 Jamie Murray, Scottish tennis player (Australian Open, US Open doubles 2016; 5 x Grand Slam mixed doubles; Davis Cup 2015), born in Glasgow, Scotland
- Feb 13 Luke Moore, English footballer, born in Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Feb 14 Aschwin Wildeboer, Spanish swimmer, born in Sabadell, Spain
- Feb 14 Michael Ammermüller, German racing driver, born in Pocking, Germany
- Feb 14 Roxanne Guinoo, Filipina actress, born in Cavite, Philippines
- Feb 15 Gabriel Paletta, Argentine-born Italian footballer, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Feb 17 Joey O'Brien, Irish footballer, born in Dublin, Ireland
- Feb 18 Marc Torrejón, Spanish footballer, born in Barcelona, Spain
- Feb 19 Henri Karjalainen, Finnish racing driver
- Feb 19 Kyle Chipchura, Canadian ice hockey player
- Feb 19 Maria Mena, Norwegian pop-folk singer-songwriter ("Hold Me"; "You're The Only One"), born in Oslo, Norway
- Feb 19 Marta [Vieira da Silva], Brazilian footballer, born in Dois Riachos, Brazil
- Feb 19 Reon Kadena, Japanese model and actress
- Feb 21 Charlotte Church, Welsh singer-songwriter ("Just Wave Hello"), born in Llandaff, Wales
- Feb 21 Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este, born in Brussels, Belgium
- Feb 22 Miko Hughes, American actor, born in Apple Valley, California
- Feb 22 Rajon Rondo, American basketball player, born in Louisville, Kentucky
- Feb 23 Jerod Mayo, American football linebacker, born in Hampton, Virginia
- Feb 23 Kazuya Kamenashi, Japanese pop star (KAT-TUN), born in Tokyo, Japan
- Feb 23 Prudence Mabhena, Zimbabwean singer (life depicted in documentary "Music by Prudence"), born in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
- Feb 23 Skylar Grey [Holly Brook], American songwriter, and singer, born in Mazomanie, Wisconsin
- Feb 24 Wojtek Wolski, Polish Ice hockey player
- Feb 25 Danny Saucedo [Grzechowski], Swedish pop singer-songwriter ("Play It for the Girls"; E.M.D. - "Jennie Let Me Love You"), born in Stockholm, Sweden
- Feb 25 Jameela Jamil, British TV presenter and actress (The Good Place - "Tahani"), born in London, England
- Feb 25 James and Oliver Phelps, British identical twin actors (Harry Potter films), born in the Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England
- Feb 25 Justin Berfield, American child actor (Malcolm in the Middle -"Reese"; Unhappily Ever After -"Ross"), and film producer, born in Agoura Hills, California
- Feb 26 Crystal Kay, Japanese pop, R&B, and dance music singer, born in Yokohama, Japan
- Feb 26 Makelele, Brazilian footballer, born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Feb 26 Teresa Palmer, Australian model and actress, born in Adelaide, Australia
- Feb 28 Alex Tanas, Canadian pop-reggae drummer (Magic! -"Rude"), born in Toronto, Ontario
- Feb 28 Kingsley Ben-Adir, English actor (Bob Marley: One Love), born in London, England
Famous Weddings
Diana Ross
Feb 1 American pop snger Diana Ross weds Norwegian businessman Arne Naess in Switzerland
Famous Deaths
- Feb 1 Alva Myrdal, Swedish sociologist, diplomat and leader of the disarmament movement (Nobel Peace Prize 1982), dies at 84
- Feb 1 Dick James [Leon Vapnick], British dance band vocalist and Beatles' music publisher (Northern Songs), dies of a heart attack at 65
- Feb 6 Dandy Nichols [Daisy Sander], British actress (Till Death Us Do Part, Confessions of a Window Cleaner), dies at 78
- Feb 6 Frederick Coutts, Scottish 8th Salvation Army General, dies at 86
- Feb 6 Minoru Yamasaki, American architect (World Trade Center, NYC), dies of stomach cancer at 73
- Feb 7 Armand Preud'homme, Belgium organist and composer (Kempenland), dies at 81
- Feb 7 Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegalese historian (b. 1923)
- Feb 10 "Uncle" Art Satherley, British-American record producer (1968 Academy of Country Music Award), dies at 96
- Feb 10 Brian Aherne, British actor (I Confess, Titanic, Juarez), dies at 83
- Feb 11 Evelio Javier, Filipino politician, lawyer, and civil servant (b. 1942)
Frank Herbert (1920-1986)
Feb 11 American sci-fi author (Dune series), dies of a massive pulmonary embolism after surgery for pancreatic cancer at 65
- Feb 12 Guy Warrack, Scottish composer, dies at 86
- Feb 12 Sid Stone, American comedian (Milton Berle Show), dies at 82
- Feb 14 Edmund Rubbra, English composer (Morning Watch), dies after a stroke at 86
- Feb 16 Howard Da Silva [Silverblatt], American actor (1776, The Lost Weekend, The Blue Dahlia), dies from lymphoma at 76
- Feb 17 Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian philosopher (Kingdom Happiness), dies at 90
Red Ruffing (1904-1986)
Feb 17 American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (6 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1932, 36–39, 41; NY Yankees), dies from stroke related problems at 80
- Feb 19 Adolfo Celi, Italian film actor and director (Next Man, Murders in Rue Morgue), dies at 63
- Feb 19 James Eastland, American politician (Sen-D-Miss 1943-78), dies at 81
- Feb 19 Paul Stewart, American actor (Citizen Kane, Kiss Me Deadly), dies from a heart attack at 77
- Feb 20 Francisco Mignone, Brazilian composer, dies at 88
- Feb 20 Koss Rietkerk, Dutch foreign minister (VVD), dies at 58
- Feb 21 Helen Hooven Santmyer, American writer ("...And Ladies of the Club"), dies at 90
- Feb 21 Shigechiyo Izumi, Japanese sugarcane farmer, once thought to be the world's oldest man ever but now disputed (b. 1865)
- Feb 24 Rukmini Devi Arundale (née Sastri), Indian dancer, educator (co-founder of Kalakshetra Academy), politician (Member or Parliament, 1952-62), and animal rights activist, dies at 81
Tommy Douglas (1904-1986)
Feb 24 Canadian politician and "Father of Medicare", dies of cancer at 81
Jacques Plante (1929-1986)
Feb 27 Canadian Ice Hockey goalie who was the first to wear a goaltender mask, dies of stomach cancer at 57
- Feb 28 Laura Z. Hobson, American TV writer and panelist (I've Got a Secret), dies at 85
Olof Palme (1927-1986)
Feb 28 Prime Minister of Sweden (1969-76, 1982-86), assassinated at 59 while walking home from the cinema with his wife
- Feb 28 William Dollar, American ballet dancer and choreographer, dies at 79
