[bobfishgerald]

Events

1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a dowry payment.
1547 - Edward VI of England crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey.
1724 - The premiere of Giulio Cesare, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel, takes place in London.
1725 - The second reported case of white men scalping Native Americans takes place in New Hampshire colony.
1792 - The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Post Office Department, is signed by President George Washington.
1798 - Louis Alexandre Berthier removes Pope Pius VI from power.
1810 - Andreas Hofer, Tyrolean patriot and leader of rebellion against Napoleon's forces, was executed.
1816 - Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville debuts at Teatro Argentina, with a fiasco.
1835 - Concepción, Chile is destroyed by an earthquake
1864 - Battle of Olustee
1872 - In New York City the Metropolitan Museum of Art opens.
1873 - The University of California opens its first medical school in San Francisco, California.
1901 - The legislature of Hawaii Territory convenes for the first time.
1909 - Publication of the Futurist Manifesto in the French journal Le Figaro
1913 - King O'Malley drives in the first survey peg to mark commencement of work on the construction of Canberra.
1921 - The film The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, starring Rudolph Valentino, premieres.
1931 - California gets the go-ahead by the U.S. Congress to build the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
1942 - Lieutenant Edward O'Hare becomes America's first World War II flying ace.
1943 - American movie studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor movies.
1943 - The Parícutin volcano begins to form in Paricutín, México.
1944 - World War II: "Big Week" ended with American bomber raids on Nazi aircraft manufacturing centers.
1944 - World War II: The United States takes Eniwetok Island.
1947 - State of Prussia ceases to exist
1952 - Emmett L. Ashford becomes the first African-American umpire in organized baseball by being authorized to be a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League.
1952 - The film The African Queen opens at the Capitol Theatre in New York City.
1959 - The Avro Arrow programme to design and manufacture supersonic jet fighters in Canada is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate.
1962 - Mercury program: While aboard Friendship 7, John Glenn orbits the earth three times in 4 hours, 55 minutes, becoming the first American to orbit the earth.
1965 - Ranger 8 crashes into the moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program astronauts.
1969 - The date that Michel Collin had predicted as the coming of a world wide catastrophe.
1976 - The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization disbands.
1987 - Unabomber: In Salt Lake City, in the USA, a bomb explodes in a computer store.
1991 - A gigantic statue of Albania's long-time dictator, Enver Hoxha, is brought down in the Albanian capital, Tirana, by mobs of angry protesters.
1992 - Ross Perot announces his intention to run in the 1992 U.S. presidential election on CNN's Larry King Live.
1992 - The FA Premier League is formed and takes over as the professional league in England from season 1992–93.
1998 - American figure skater Tara Lipinski becomes the youngest gold-medalist at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
1998 - The Nashville Banner daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee, USA publishes its last edition.
1999 - First hockey game occurs at the Air Canada Centre. The Toronto Maple Leafs win 3-2 in overtime vs the Montreal Canadiens.
2002 - In Reqa Al-Gharbiya, Egypt, a fire on a train injures over 65 and kills at least 370.
2003 - In Rhode Island, in the USA, The Station nightclub fire kills about 100 and injures over 200.
2005 - Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout.

Births

1563 - John Dowland, English composer, singer, and lutenist (d. 1626)
1631 - Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, English statesman (d. 1712)
1745 - Henry James Pye, English poet (d. 1813)
1751 - Johann Heinrich Voß, German poet (d. 1826)
1753 - Louis Alexandre Berthier, French marshal (d. 1815)
1757 - John 'Mad Jack' Fuller, English philanthropist (d. 1834)
1794 - William Carleton, Irish novelist (d. 1869)
1802 - Charles de Bériot, Belgian violinist (d. 1870)
1819 - Alfred Escher, Swiss politician, railroad entrepreneur (d. 1882)
1839 - Benjamin Waugh, American minister; founder of the NSPCC (d. 1908)
1844 - Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicist (d. 1906)
1844 - Joshua Slocum, Canadian seaman and adventurer (d. 1909)
1848 - Edward Henry Harriman, American railroad executive (d. 1909)
1850 - Nérée Beauchemin, Quebec physician and poet (d. 1931)
1866 - Carl Westman, Swedish architect and designer (d. 1936)
1887 - Vincent Massey, Governor-General of Canada (d. 1967)
1888 - Georges Bernanos, French writer (d. 1948)
1893 - Russel Crouse, American playwright (d. 1966)
1899 - Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, American businessman (d. 1992)
1901 - Cecil Harmsworth King, newspaper owner (d. 1987)
1901 - Muhammad Naguib, President of Egypt (d. 1984)
1902 - Ansel Adams, American photographer (d. 1984)
1904 - Alexei Kosygin, Premier of the Soviet Union (d. 1980)
1912 - Pierre Boulle, French author (d. 1994)
1914 - John Daly, South African-born broadcaster (d. 2001)
1923 - Forbes Burnham, President of Guyana (d. 1985)
1924 - Gloria Vanderbilt, American socialite and clothing designer
1925 - Robert Altman, American film director (d. 2006)
1925 - Heinz Kluncker, German labor union leader
1926 - Richard Matheson, American author
1927 - Roy Cohn, American lawyer (d. 1986)
1927 - Ibrahim Ferrer, Cuban musician (Buena Vista Social Club) (d. 2005)
1927 - Sidney Poitier, American actor
1929 - Amanda Blake, American actress (d. 1989)
1934 - Bobby Unser, American race car driver
1936 - Marj Dusay, American actress
1936 - Larry Hovis, American actor (d. 2003)
1937 - Robert Huber, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
1937 - Roger Penske, American race car driver
1937 - Nancy Wilson, American singer
1938 - Richard Beymer, American actor
1939 - Frank Arundel, English footballer
1941 - Buffy Sainte-Marie, American singer
1942 - Phil Esposito, Canadian hockey player
1942 - Charlie Gillett, British radio DJ
1943 - Mike Leigh, British film director
1943 - Antonio Inoki, Japanese professional wrestler
1944 - Martina Newberry, American poet, writer
1944 - Willem van Hanegem, Dutch footballer and coach
1944 - Robert de Cotret, French Canadian politician (d. 1999)
1945 - Brion James, American actor (d. 1999)
1946 - Brenda Blethyn, English actress
1946 - Sandy Duncan, American singer and actress
1946 - Jerome Geils, American guitarist (J. Geils Band)
1946 - Richard Cocciante, French-Italian singer and songwriter
1947 - Peter Osgood, English footballer (d. 2006)
1947 - Peter Strauss, American actor
1947 - Eggert Magnusson, English football executive
1948 - Jennifer O'Neill, Brazilian-born actress
1948 - Pierre Bouchard, Canadian hockey player
1949 - Ivana Trump, Czech-born American socialite
1950 - Ken Shimura, Japanese performer and actor
1950 - Walter Becker, American jazz-rock guitarist (Steely Dan)
1951 - Edward Albert, American actor
1951 - Gordon Brown, British politician
1951 - Randy California, guitarist (Spirit) (d. 1997)
1953 - Riccardo Chailly, Italian conductor
1954 - Anthony Stewart Head, English actor
1954 - Patty Hearst, American socialite and kidnapping victim
1954 - Jon Brant, American musician (Cheap Trick)
1956 - Rick Green, Canadian hockey player
1959 - Bill Gullickson, American baseball player
1960 - Joel Hodgson, American comedian (Mystery Science Theater 3000)
1963 - Charles Barkley, American basketball player
1963 - Ian Brown, British singer (Stone Roses)
1963 - Jon Lynn Christensen, former Nebraska Congressman
1966 - Cindy Crawford, American model
1967 - Kurt Cobain, American musician (Nirvana) (d. 1994)
1967 - Lili Taylor, American actress
1967 - Andrew Shue, American television actor
1969 - Gedo, Japanese professional wrestler
1971 - Jari Litmanen, Finnish footballer
1972 - Brent Gretzky, Canadian hockey player
1972 - K-OS, Canadian musician/rapper
1974 - Ophelie Winter, French actress
1975 - Gail Kim, wrestler
1975 - Brian Littrell, American musician (Backstreet Boys)
1975 - Liván Hernández, baseball player
1976 - Ed Graham, British drummer (The Darkness)
1977 - Stephon Marbury, American basketball player
1977 - T.J. Slaughter, American football player
1978 - Julia Jentsch, German actress
1978 - Lauren Ambrose, American actress
1978 - Jay Hernandez, American actor
1978 - Jakki Degg, English Glamour Model/Actress
1980 - Imanol Harinordoquy, French rugby player
1980 - Artur Boruc, Polish football (soccer) goalkeeper
1981 - Tony Hibbert, English footballer
1981 - Chris Thile, American musician
1985 - Yulia Volkova, Russian musician (t.A.T.u.)
1988 - Rihanna, Barbadian musician

Deaths

702 - K'inich Kan B'alam II, king of the Maya state of Palenque (b. 635)
1154 - Saint Wulfric of Haselbury Plucknett
1171 - Conan IV, Duke of Brittany (b. 1138)
1194 - King Tancred of Sicily
1258 - Al-Musta'sim, last Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad
1408 - Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, English statesman (b. 1342)
1431 - Pope Martin V (b. 1368)
1513 - King Christian II of Denmark (b. 1455)
1524 - Tecún Umán, last leader of the Quiché-Maya in the northern highlands of Guatemala.
1579 - Nicholas Bacon, English politician (b. 1509)
1618 - Philip William, Prince of Orange (b. 1554)
1626 - John Dowland, English composer and lutenist (b. 1563)
1762 - Tobias Mayer, German astronomer (b. 1723)
1771 - Jean Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan, French geophysicist (b. 1678)
1773 - King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia (b. 1701)
1778 - Laura Bassi, Italian scholar (b. 1711)
1790 - Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1741)
1803 - Marie Dumesnil, French actress (b. 1713)
1806 - Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-born American military and political leader (b. 1725)
1810 - Andreas Hofer, Tyrolean national hero (executed) (b. 1767)
1871 - Paul Kane, Irish-born painter (b. 1810)
1893 - P.G.T. Beauregard, American Confederate general (b. 1818)
1895 - Frederick Douglass, American abolitionist writer (b. 1818)
1907 - Henri Moissan, French chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
1916 - Klas Pontus Arnoldson, Swedish writer and pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1844)
1920 - Robert Peary, American explorer (b. 1856)
1961 - Percy Grainger, Australian composer (b. 1882)
1963 - Ferenc Fricsay, Hungarian conductor (b. 1914)
1966 - Chester Nimitz, American admiral (b. 1885)
1968 - Anthony Asquith, British film director and writer (b. 1902)
1969 - Ernest Ansermet, Swiss conductor (b. 1883)
1970 - Sophie Treadwell, American playwright and journalist (b. 1885)
1972 - Maria Goeppert-Mayer, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
1972 - Walter Winchell, American journalist (b. 1897)
1976 - René Cassin, French judge, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1887)
1976 - Kathryn Kuhlman, American evangelist (b. 1907)
1980 - J.B. Rhine, American parapsychologist (b. 1895)
1981 - Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg, magazine editor, socialite (b. 1904)
1983 - Fritz Köberle, Austrian-Brazilian physician (b. 1910)
1985 - Clarence Nash, American voice actor (b. 1904)
1992 - Roberto D'Aubuisson, Salvadoran politician (b. 1944)
1992 - #^&#^&#^&#^& York, American actor (b. 1928)
1993 - Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian automobile manufacturer (b. 1916)
1996 - Solomon Asch, American psychologist (b. 1907)
1996 - T?ru Takemitsu, Japanese composer (b. 1930)
1999 - Sarah Kane, English playwright (b. 1971)
1999 - Gene Siskel, American film critic (b. 1946)
2000 - Anatoly Sobchak, Russian politician (b. 1937)
2001 - Rosemary DeCamp, American actress (b. 1910)
2003 - Maurice Blanchot, French author (b. 1907)
2003 - Orville Freeman, American politician (b. 1918)
2003 - Harry Jacunski, American football player
2003 - Ty Longley, American guitarist (Great White) (b. 1971)
2003 - Mushaf Ali Mir, Pakistan Chief of the Air Staff (b. 1947)
2005 - Pam Bricker, jazz singer and Thievery Corporation vocalist (b. 1954)
2005 - Sandra Dee, American actress (b. 1944)
2005 - John Raitt, American actor (b. 1917)
2005 - Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist and author (b. 1937)
2005 - Tom Willmore, English gemoeter (b. 1919)
2006 - Curt Gowdy, American sportscaster (b. 1919)
2006 - Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist, writer and traveller (b. 1920)

Holidays and observances

February 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Shrove Tuesday also known as pancake day falls on the 20th February in 2007