February 15

February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 319 days remaining until the end of the year (320 in leap years).

Events

• 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia.
• 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberios III publicly executed in the Hippodrome of Constantinople.
• 1113 – Pope Paschal II issues a bill sanctioning the establishment of the Order of Hospitallers.
• 1214 – John, King of England, lands an invasion force at La Rochelle in France.
• 1493 – While on board the Niña, Christopher Columbus writes an open letter (widely distributed upon his return to Portugal) describing his discoveries and the unexpected items he came across in the New World.
• 1637 – Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
• 1690 – Constantin Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia, and the Holy Roman Empire sign a secret treaty in Sibiu, stipulating that Moldavia would support the actions led by the House of Habsburg against the Ottoman Empire.
• 1764 – The city of St. Louis is established in Spanish Louisiana (now in Missouri, USA).
• 1798 – The Roman Republic is proclaimed after Louis-Alexandre Berthier, a general of Napoleon, had invaded the city of Rome five days earlier.
• 1804 – The Serbian Revolution begins.
• 1835 – The first constitutional law in modern Serbia is adopted.
• 1862 – American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant attacks Fort Donelson, Tennessee.
• 1870 – Stevens Institute of Technology is founded in New Jersey, USA and offers the first Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• 1879 – Women's rights: US President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.
• 1891 – Allmänna Idrottsklubben (AIK) (Swedish Sports Club) is founded.
• 1898 – The battleship USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing 274. This event leads the United States to declare war on Spain.
• 1901 – The association football club Alianza Lima is founded in Lima, Peru, under the name Sport Alianza.
• 1909 – The Flores Theater fire in Acapulco, Mexico kills 250.
• 1921 – Kingdom of Romania establishes its legation in Helsinki.
• 1923 – Greece becomes the last European country to adopt the Gregorian calendar.
• 1925 – The 1925 serum run to Nome: The second delivery of serum arrives in Nome, Alaska.
• 1933 – In Miami, Giuseppe Zangara attempts to assassinate US President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, but instead shoots Chicago mayor Anton J. Cermak, who dies of his wounds on March 6, 1933.
• 1942 – World War II: Fall of Singapore. Following an assault by Japanese forces, the British General Arthur Percival surrenders. About 80,000 Indian, United Kingdom and Australian soldiers become prisoners of war, the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history.
• 1944 – World War II: The assault on Monte Cassino, Italy begins.
• 1944 – World War II: The Narva Offensive begins.
• 1945 – World War II: Third day of bombing in Dresden.
• 1946 – ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, is formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
• 1949 – Gerald Lankester Harding and Roland de Vaux begin excavations at Cave 1 of the Qumran Caves, where they will eventually discover the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls.
• 1952 – King George VI of the United Kingdom is buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
• 1953 – Parliamentary elections held in Liechtenstein.
• 1954 – Canada and the United States agree to construct the Distant Early Warning Line, a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic regions of Canada and Alaska.
• 1961 – Sabena Flight 548 crashes in Belgium, killing 73, including the entire United States figure skating team along with several of their coaches and family members.
• 1965 – A new red-and-white maple leaf design is adopted as the flag of Canada, replacing the old Canadian Red Ensign banner.
• 1971 – The decimalisation of British coinage is completed on Decimal Day.
• 1972 – Sound recordings are granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time.
• 1972 – José María Velasco Ibarra, serving as President of Ecuador for the fifth time, is overthrown by the military for the fourth time.
• 1976 – The 1976 Constitution of Cuba is adopted by national referendum.
• 1979 – Don Dunstan resigns as Premier of South Australia, ending a decade of sweeping social liberalisation.
• 1982 – The drilling rig Ocean Ranger sinks during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing 84 workers.
• 1989 – Soviet war in Afghanistan: The Soviet Union officially announces that all of its troops have left Afghanistan.
• 1991 – The Visegrád Agreement, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland.
• 1992 – Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced in Milwaukee to life in prison.
• 1996 – At the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, a Long March 3 rocket, carrying an Intelsat 708, crashes into a rural village after liftoff, killing many people.
• 1999 – Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), is arrested in Kenya.
• 2000 – Indian Point II nuclear power plant in New York vents a small amount of radioactive steam when a steam generator fails.
• 2001 – The first draft of the complete human genome is published in Nature.
• 2003 – Protests against the Iraq war take place in over 600 cities worldwide. It is estimated that between eight million to 30 million people participate, making this the largest peace demonstration in history.
• 2012 – 360 people die in a fire at a Honduran prison in the city of Comayagua.
• 2013 – A meteor explodes over Russia, injuring 1,500 people as a shock wave blows out windows and rocks buildings. This happens unexpectedly only hours before the expected closest ever approach of the larger and unrelated asteroid 2012 DA14.
• 2014 – Renaud Lavillenie of France breaks Sergey Bubka's world record in pole vault with a mark of 6.16 m.

Births

• 1377 – Ladislaus of Naples (d. 1414)
• 1458 – Ivan the Young, son of Ivan III of Russia (d. 1490)
• 1471 – Piero the Unfortunate, Italian ruler (d. 1503)
• 1564 – Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (d. 1642)
• 1571 – Michael Praetorius, German organist and composer (d. 1621)
• 1612 – Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve, French soldier, founded Montreal (d. 1676)
• 1705 – Charles-André van Loo, French painter (d. 1765)
• 1710 – Louis XV of France (d. 1774)
• 1725 – Abraham Clark, American surveyor, lawyer, and politician (d. 1794)
• 1734 – William Stacy, American colonel (d. 1802)
• 1739 – Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, French architect, designed the Paris Bourse (d. 1813)
• 1748 – Jeremy Bentham, English jurist and philosopher (d. 1832)
• 1759 – Friedrich August Wolf, German philologist and critic (d. 1824)
• 1760 – Jean-François Le Sueur, French composer and educator (d. 1837)
• 1792 – Floride Calhoun, American wife of John C. Calhoun, 4th Second Lady of the United States (d. 1866)
• 1797 – Henry E. Steinway, German-American businessman, founded Steinway & Sons (d. 1871)
• 1809 – André Dumont, Belgian geologist and academic (d. 1857)
• 1809 – Cyrus McCormick, American journalist and businessman, co-founded International Harvester (d. 1884)
• 1811 – Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Argentinian journalist and politician, 7th President of Argentina (d. 1888)
• 1812 – Charles Lewis Tiffany, American businessman, founded Tiffany & Co. (d. 1902)
• 1820 – Susan B. Anthony, American activist (d. 1906)
• 1825 – Carter Harrison, Sr., American lawyer and politician, 29th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1893)
• 1834 – V. A. Urechia, Moldavian-Romanian historian, author, and playwright (d. 1901)
• 1835 – Demetrius Vikelas, Greek businessman and philanthropist (d. 1908)
• 1840 – Titu Maiorescu, Romanian philosopher, academic, and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1917)
• 1841 – Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Brazil (d. 1913)
• 1845 – Elihu Root, American lawyer and politician, 38th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937)
• 1847 – Robert Fuchs, Austrian composer and educator (d. 1927)
• 1849 – Rickman Godlee, English surgeon and academic (d. 1925)
• 1851 – Spiru Haret, Romanian mathematician, astronomer, and politician, 55th Romanian Minister of Internal Affairs (d. 1912)
• 1856 – Emil Kraepelin, German psychiatrist and academic (d. 1926)
• 1861 – Martin Burns, American wrestler and coach (d. 1937)
• 1861 – Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1938)
• 1861 – Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician and philosopher (d. 1947)
• 1873 – Hans von Euler-Chelpin, German-Swiss biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1964)
• 1874 – Ernest Shackleton, Irish captain and explorer (d. 1922)
• 1883 – Sax Rohmer, English-American author (d. 1959)
• 1890 – Robert Ley, German politician (d. 1945)
• 1892 – James Forrestal, American lieutenant and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Defense (d. 1949)
• 1895 – Earl Thomson, Canadian hurdler and coach (d. 1971)
• 1896 – Arthur Shields, Irish-American actor (d. 1970)
• 1897 – Gerrit Kleerekoper, Dutch gymnast and coach (d. 1943)
• 1898 – Totò, Italian actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1967)
• 1899 – Georges Auric, French composer (d. 1983)
• 1899 – Gale Sondergaard, American actress (d. 1985)
• 1904 – Antonin Magne, French cyclist and manager (d. 1983)
• 1905 – Harold Arlen, American composer (d. 1986)
• 1907 – Jean Langlais, French organist and composer (d. 1991)
• 1907 – Cesar Romero, American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1994)
• 1908 – Sarto Fournier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 38th Mayor of Montreal (d. 1980)
• 1909 – Miep Gies, Austrian-Dutch humanitarian, helped hide Anne Frank and her family (d. 2010)
• 1910 – Irena Sendler, Polish nurse and social worker (d. 2008)
• 1912 – George Mikes, Hungarian-English journalist and author (d. 1987)
• 1913 – Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (d. 1997)
• 1914 – Hale Boggs, American lawyer and politician (d. 1972)
• 1914 – Kevin McCarthy, American actor (d. 2010)
• 1916 – Mary Jane Croft, American actress (d. 1999)
• 1918 – Allan Arbus, American actor and photographer (d. 2013)
• 1918 – Hank Locklin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009)
• 1919 – Ducky Detweiler, American baseball player and manager (d. 2013)
• 1920 – Endicott Peabody, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 62nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1997)
• 1920 – Eio Sakata, Japanese Go player (d. 2010)
• 1922 – John B. Anderson, American lawyer and politician
• 1923 – Yelena Bonner, Russian activist (d. 2011)
• 1924 – Robert Drew, American director and producer (d. 2014)
• 1927 – Frank Dunlop, English actor and director
• 1927 – Harvey Korman, American actor, singer, and director (d. 2008)
• 1927 – Yehoshua Neuwirth, Israeli rabbi and scholar (d. 2013)
• 1928 – Norman Bridwell, American author and illustrator, created Clifford the Big Red Dog (d. 2014)
• 1928 – Joseph Willcox Jenkins, American composer, conductor, and educator (d. 2014)
• 1929 – Graham Hill, English race car driver and businessman (d. 1975)
• 1929 – James R. Schlesinger, American economist and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Defense (d. 2014)
• 1930 – Bruce Dawe, Australian poet and academic
• 1930 – Nico Minardos, Greek-American actor (d. 2011)
• 1931 – Claire Bloom, English actress
• 1931 – Geoff Edwards, American actor and game show host (d. 2014)
• 1931 – Jonathan Steele, English journalist and author
• 1934 – Jimmy Bloomfield, English footballer and manager (d. 1983)
• 1934 – Graham Kennedy, Australian actor (d. 2005)
• 1934 – Niklaus Wirth, Swiss computer scientist, created the Pascal programming language
• 1934 – Abe Woodson, American football player and minister (d. 2014)
• 1935 – Susan Brownmiller, American journalist and author
• 1935 – Roger B. Chaffee, American lieutenant, engineer, and astronaut (d. 1967)
• 1935 – Gene Hickerson, American football player (d. 2008)
• 1937 – Gregory Mcdonald, American author (d. 2008)
• 1939 – Robert Hansen, American serial killer (d. 2014)
• 1940 – İsmail Cem İpekçi, Turkish journalist and politician, 45th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2007)
• 1940 – John Hadl, American football player and coach
• 1940 – Hamzah Haz, Indonesian journalist and politician, 9th Vice President of Indonesia
• 1940 – Vaino Vahing, Estonian psychiatrist, author, and playwright (d. 2008)
• 1941 – Florinda Bolkan, Brazilian actress
• 1942 – Sherry Jackson, American actress
• 1942 – Masaomi Kondō, Japanese actor
• 1943 – Griselda Blanco, Colombian drug lord (d. 2012)
• 1944 – Mick Avory, English drummer (The Kinks and The Kast Off Kinks)
• 1945 – Jack Dann, American-Australian author and poet
• 1945 – John Helliwell, English saxophonist and keyboard player (Supertramp and The Alan Bown Set)
• 1945 – Douglas Hofstadter, American author and academic
• 1946 – Clare Short, English civil servant and politician, Secretary of State for International Development
• 1947 – John Adams, American composer
• 1947 – Marisa Berenson, American model and actress
• 1947 – Rusty Hamer, American actor and singer (d. 1990)
• 1948 – Ron Cey, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1948 – Art Spiegelman, Swedish-American cartoonist and critic
• 1949 – Ken Anderson, American football player and coach
• 1949 – Francisco Maturana, Colombian footballer and manager
• 1950 – David Brown, American bass player and songwriter (Santana) (d. 2000)
• 1950 – Tsui Hark, Vietnamese-Hong Kong director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1951 – Markku Alén, Finnish race car driver
• 1951 – Melissa Manchester, American singer-songwriter and actress (Harlettes)
• 1951 – Jane Seymour, English-American actress, producer, and jewelry designer
• 1952 – Tomislav Nikolić, Serbian politician, 4th President of Serbia
• 1952 – Nikolai Sorokin, Russian actor and director (d. 2013)
• 1953 – Tony Adams, Irish-American screenwriter and producer (d. 2005)
• 1953 – John Goodsall, American guitarist (Brand X and Atomic Rooster)
• 1954 – Matt Groening, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
• 1955 – Janice Dickinson, American model, agent, and author
• 1955 – Christopher McDonald, American actor
• 1956 – Desmond Haynes, Barbadian cricketer and coach
• 1957 – Jake E. Lee, American guitarist and songwriter (Badlands and Rough Cutt)
• 1957 – Jimmy Spencer, American race car driver and sportscaster
• 1958 – Chrystine Brouillet, Canadian author
• 1958 – Tony McKegney, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1958 – Matthew Ward, American singer-songwriter (2nd Chapter of Acts)
• 1958 – Adam Boulton, English journalist
• 1959 – Ali Campbell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (UB40)
• 1959 – Brian Propp, Canadian-American ice hockey player and sportscaster
• 1959 – Martin Rowson, English author and illustrator
• 1959 – Hugo Savinovich, Ecuadorian wrestler and sportscaster
• 1960 – Mikey Craig, English bass player (Culture Club)
• 1960 – Darrell Green, American football player
• 1960 – Roman Kostrzewski, Polish singer-songwriter (Kat and Kat & Roman Kostrzewski)
• 1962 – Milo Đukanović, Montenegrin politician, 29th Prime Minister of Montenegro
• 1963 – Steven Michael Quezada, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1964 – Chris Farley, American comedian and actor (d. 1997)
• 1964 – Leland D. Melvin, American engineer and astronaut
• 1964 – Mark Price, American basketball player and coach
• 1967 – Jane Child, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
• 1967 – Chiemi Hori, Japanese singer, actress, and entertainer
• 1967 – Syed Kamall, English academic and politician
• 1967 – Craig Simpson, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
• 1968 – Axelle Red, Belgian singer-songwriter
• 1968 – Yōka Wao, Japanese actress
• 1969 – Birdman, American rapper and producer (Big Tymers)
• 1969 – Josh Marshall, American journalist, founded the Talking Points Memo
• 1970 – Mariko Yoshida, Japanese wrestler
• 1971 – Renee O'Connor, American actress, director, and producer
• 1971 – Ray Sefo, New Zealand boxer and mixed martial artist
• 1972 – Anna-Jane Casey, English actress, singer, and dancer
• 1972 – Jaromír Jágr, Czech ice hockey player
• 1973 – Alex Borstein, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1973 – Kateřina Neumannová, Czech skier
• 1973 – Amy Van Dyken, American swimmer and sportscaster
• 1974 – Miranda July, American actress, director, and screenwriter
• 1974 – Mr Lordi, Finnish singer-songwriter (Lordi)
• 1974 – Gina Lynn, Puerto Rican-American porn actress and director
• 1974 – Ugueth Urbina, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1974 – Alexander Wurz, Austrian race car driver and businessman
• 1975 – Serge Aubin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1975 – Annemarie Kramer, Dutch sprinter
• 1975 – Brendon Small, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and actor
• 1976 – Brandon Boyd, American singer-songwriter (Incubus)
• 1976 – Óscar Freire, Spanish cyclist
• 1976 – Ronnie Vannucci, Jr., American drummer and songwriter (The Killers and Big Talk)
• 1977 – Gran Naniwa, Japanese wrestler (d. 2010)
• 1977 – Brooks Wackerman, American drummer (Bad Religion, Infectious Grooves, Fear and the Nervous System, and Bad4Good)
• 1978 – Yiruma, South Korean pianist and composer
• 1978 – Kimberly Goss, American singer and keyboard player (Sinergy and Ancient)
• 1979 – Chantal Janzen, Dutch actress and singer
• 1979 – Josh Low, English footballer
• 1979 – Hamish Marshall, New Zealand cricketer
• 1979 – James Marshall, New Zealand cricketer
• 1979 – Scott Severin, Scottish footballer
• 1979 – Gordon Shedden, Scottish race car driver
• 1980 – Conor Oberst, American singer-songwriter (Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos, Park Ave., Monsters of Folk, The Faint, and Commander Venus)
• 1981 – Olivia, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1981 – Heurelho Gomes, Brazilian footballer
• 1981 – Matt Hoopes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Relient K)
• 1981 – Rita Jeptoo, Kenyan runner
• 1981 – Diego Martínez, Mexican footballer
• 1981 – Jenna Morasca, American wrestler, model, and actress
• 1982 – Shameka Christon, American basketball player
• 1982 – James Yap, Filipino basketball player
• 1983 – Don Cowie, Scottish footballer
• 1983 – David Degen, Swiss footballer
• 1983 – Philipp Degen, Swiss footballer
• 1983 – Russell Martin, Canadian baseball player
• 1983 – Ashley Tesoro, American actress and singer
• 1984 – Doda, Polish singer-songwriter (Virgin)
• 1984 – Gary Clark, Jr., American singer, guitarist, and actor
• 1984 – Erik Cadée, Dutch discus thrower
• 1985 – Serkan Kırıntılı, Turkish footballer
• 1986 – Johnny Cueto, Dominican baseball player
• 1986 – Ami Koshimizu, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1986 – Gabriel Paletta, Argentinian footballer
• 1986 – Amber Riley, American actress and singer
• 1987 – Jarrod Sammut, Australian rugby player
• 1988 – Jarryd Hayne, Australian rugby player and football player
• 1988 – Hironori Kusano, Japanese singer and actor (NEWS)
• 1988 – Tim Mannah, Australian rugby player
• 1990 – Charles Pic, French race car driver
• 1990 – Stephanie Vogt, Liechtensteiner tennis player
• 1991 – Ángel Sepúlveda, Mexican footballer
• 1991 – Panagiotis Tachtsidis, Greek footballer
• 1992 – Greer Grammer, American model and actress
• 1992 – Johanna Hyöty, Finnish tennis player
• 1998 – Zachary Gordon, American actor
• 1998 – George Russell, English race car driver

Deaths

• 670 – Oswiu of Northumbria (b. 612)
• 706 – Leontios, Byzantine emperor
• 706 – Tiberios III, Byzantine emperor
• 1145 – Pope Lucius II
• 1400 – Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford (b. c. 1338)
• 1417 – Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford, English noblemen and commander (b. 1385)
• 1621 – Michael Praetorius, German organist and composer (b. 1571)
• 1637 – Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1578)
• 1738 – Matthias Braun, Czech sculptor (b. 1684)
• 1781 – Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German author and philosopher (b. 1729)
• 1818 – Frederick Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (b. 1746)
• 1835 – Henry Hunt, English farmer and politician (b. 1773)
• 1839 – François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, Canadian rebel (b. 1803)
• 1842 – Archibald Menzies, Scottish surgeon and botanist (b. 1754)
• 1844 – Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1757)
• 1847 – Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician and engineer (b. 1794)
• 1848 – Hermann von Boyen, Prussian general and politician, Prussian Minister of War (b. 1771)
• 1849 – Pierre François Verhulst, Belgian mathematician and theorist (b. 1804)
• 1857 – Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer (b. 1804)
• 1869 – Ghalib, Indian poet and educator (b. 1796)
• 1885 – Gregor von Helmersen, Estonian-Russian geologist and engineer (b. 1803)
• 1897 – Dimitrie Ghica, Romanian politician, 10th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1816)
• 1905 – Lew Wallace, American general and politician, 11th Governor of New Mexico Territory (b. 1827)
• 1911 – Theodor Escherich, German-Austrian pediatrician and academic (b. 1859)
• 1924 – Lionel Monckton, English composer (b. 1861)
• 1928 – H. H. Asquith, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1852)
• 1933 – Pat Sullivan, Australian animator and producer (b. 1887)
• 1935 – Basil Hall Chamberlain, English professor (b. 1850)
• 1939 – Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Russian painter and author (b. 1878)
• 1948 – Subhadra Kumari Chauhan Indian poet (b. 1904)
• 1956 – Vincent de Moro-Giafferi, French lawyer and politician (b. 1878)
• 1959 – Owen Willans Richardson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879)
• 1961 – Laurence Owen, American figure skater (b. 1944)
• 1965 – Nat King Cole, American singer and pianist (b. 1919)
• 1966 – Gerard Antoni Ciołek, Polish architect and historian (b. 1909)
• 1966 – Camilo Torres Restrepo, Colombian priest and theologian (b. 1929)
• 1967 – Antonio Moreno, Spanish-American actor and director (b. 1887)
• 1970 – Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, Scottish air marshal (b. 1882)
• 1973 – Wally Cox, American actor (b. 1924)
• 1973 – Tim Holt, American actor (b. 1919)
• 1974 – Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer and engineer (b. 1887)
• 1975 – Michał Sopoćko, Polish saint, the Apostle of Divine Mercy (b. 1888)
• 1981 – Mike Bloomfield, American musician (b. 1943)
• 1981 – Karl Richter, German organist and conductor (b. 1926)
• 1984 – Avon Long, American actor and singer (b. 1910)
• 1984 – Ethel Merman, American actress and singer (b. 1908)
• 1988 – Richard Feynman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
• 1990 – Michel Drach, French director and producer (b. 1930)
• 1991 – Birger Malmsten, Swedish actor (b. 1920)
• 1992 – María Elena Moyano, Peruvian activist (b. 1960)
• 1992 – William Schuman, American composer and academic (b. 1910)
• 1996 – Lucio Agostini, Italian-Canadian composer and conductor (b. 1913)
• 1996 – Tommy Rettig, American actor and engineer (b. 1941)
• 1996 – McLean Stevenson, American actor (b. 1929)
• 1998 – Martha Gellhorn, American journalist and author (b. 1908)
• 1999 – Henry Way Kendall, American physicist and mountaineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1926)
• 2000 – Angus MacLean, Canadian commander and politician, 25th Premier of Prince Edward Island (b. 1914)
• 2002 – Howard K. Smith, American journalist and actor (b. 1914)
• 2002 – Kevin Smith, New Zealand actor (b. 1963)
• 2003 – Faik Türün, Turkish general (b. 1913)
• 2004 – Jens Evensen, Norwegian lawyer, judge, and politician, Norwegian Minister of Trade (b. 1917)
• 2004 – Jan Miner, American actress (b. 1917)
• 2005 – Pierre Bachelet, French singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
• 2007 – Walker Edmiston, American actor and voice artist (b. 1925)
• 2007 – Ray Evans, American songwriter (b. 1915)
• 2008 – Amnon Netzer, Iranian-Israeli journalist and historian (b. 1934)
• 2009 – Joe Cuba, American singer and drummer (b. 1931)
• 2012 – Charles Anthony, American tenor (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Lina Romay, Spanish actress and director (b. 1954)
• 2013 – Sanan Kachornprasart, Thai general and politician (b. 1935)
• 2013 – Todor Kolev, Bulgarian actor (b. 1939)
• 2014 – Mary Grace Canfield, American actress (b. 1924)
• 2014 – Christopher Malcolm, Scottish-Canadian actor and singer (b. 1946)
• 2015 – Steve Montador, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1979)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Blessed Michał Sopoćko
  • Claude de la Colombière
  • Faustinus and Jovita
  • Quinidius
  • Sigfrid of Sweden
  • Thomas Bray (Episcopal Church)
  • Saint Vartan (a holiday for Armenians in Lebanon)
  • February 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Earliest day on which Family Day can fall, while February 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in February. (parts of Canada)
• Earliest day on which Washington's Birthday can fall, while February 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in February. (United States)

• Candlemas (Eastern Orthodox Church)
• International Duties Memorial Day (Russia, regional)
• John Frum Day (Vanuatu)
• Liberation Day (Afghanistan)
• National Flag of Canada Day (Canada)
• Parinirvana Day, also celebrated on February 8. (Mahayana Buddhism)
• Statehood Day (Serbia)
• Susan B. Anthony Day (Florida, United States)
• The ENIAC Day (Philadelphia)
• Total Defence Day (Singapore)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Today in Canadian History