Events

Up to 1900 
 41 - The Roman Senate confirms Claudius as Emperor, after the murder of Caligula the previous day.
 1348 – A strong earthquake strikes northern Italy.
 1494 – Alfonso II becomes King of Naples.
 1515 - King Francis I of France is crowned.
 1533 – Henry VIII of England marries Anne Boleyn.
 1554 – São Paulo, now Brazil's largest city, is founded.
 1575 – Luanda, the present-day capital city of Angola, is founded by Portuguese settlers.
 1704 - The Battle of Ayubale results in the destruction of most of the Spanish missions in Florida.
 1755 - Moscow University is founded.
 1759 – Robert Burns is born. He is widely considered to be Scotland's national poet.
 1765 - Port Egmont, the first British settlement in the Falkland Islands, is founded.
 1791 – The British Parliament passes the Constitution Act of 1791, splitting the old province of Quebec into Upper and Lower Canada.
 1858 - The Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn is played at the marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal to Frederick of Prussia. It later becomes a popular wedding theme tune.
 1879 - The Bulgarian National Bank is founded.
 1881 - Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company.
 1890 – Nellie Bly completes her round-the-world journey in 72 days.

1901  2000 
 1915 - A coup led by Conservative officers removes the government of Victor Hugo de Azevedo Coutinho from power in Portugal. The rule of Joaquim Pimenta de Castro will last until May 14.
 1918 – Ukraine declares independence from Bolshevist Russia.
 1919 – The League of Nations is founded.
 1921 - Burgenland becomes a state of Austria.
 1924 – The first Winter Olympics begin in Chamonix, in the French Alps.
 1932 - Second Sino-Japanese War: The Chinese National Revolutionary Army begins its defence of Harbin.
 1939 - An earthquake measuring magnitude 8.3 strikes Chillan, Chile, killing 28,000.
 1942 – Thailand declares war on the United States and United Kingdom.
 1944 - Florence Lee Tim-Oi is ordained in China, becoming the first female Anglican priest.
 1945 - World War II: The Battle of the Bulge ends.
 1949 – The first Emmy Awards are presented.
 1955 – The Soviet Union ends its state of war with Germany.
 1961 - John F. Kennedy delivers his first press conference as President of the United States.
 1971 – Himachal Pradesh becomes a State of India.
 1971 – In a coup in Uganda, Idi Amin takes power, removing President Milton Obote.
 1980 - Mother Teresa is honored with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.
 1981 – Jiang Qing, widow of Mao Zedong, is sentenced to death, the this is later changed to life imprisonment.
 1986 - The National Resistance Movement gets rid of the government of Tito Okello in Uganda, leading to Yoweri Museveni coming to power.
 1990 – The Burns Day Storm hits northwestern Europe.
 1990 - Avianca Flight 52, a Colombian airliner, crashes due to engine failure at Cove Neck, near New York City.
 1993 - Five people are shot outside CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. 2 are killed and 3 are injured.
 1994 - The Clementine space probe launches.
 1995 - Russia almost launches a nuclear attack after it mistakes Black Brant II, a Norwegian research rocket, for a US Trident missile.
 1996 - Billy Bailey becomes the last person to-date to be executed by hanging in the United States.
 1998 - During a historic visit to Cuba, Pope John Paul II demands political reforms and the release of political prisoners, while condemning US attempts to isolate the country.
 1998 - A suicide attack by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on Sri Lanka's Temple of the Tooth, kills 8 people and injures 25.
 1999 – A magnitude 6 earthquake in western Colombia kills at least 1,000 people.

From 2001 
 2004 – Mikheil Saakashvili is inaugurated as President of Georgia.
 2004 - The Opportunity space rover lands on the planet Mars. 
 2004 - Hungarian footballer Miklos Feher collapses at a Primeira Liga game, and dies a few hours later.
 2005 – A stampede at the Mandher Devi temple in Mandhradevi in India kills 258 people.
 2006 - Three independent observing campaigns announce the discovery of OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, the first rocky and icy planet to be found outside the Solar System.
 2006 - Mexican professional wrestler Juana Barraza is arrested in connection with the serial killing of at least 10 elderly women.
 2009 – Royal Rumble
 2010 – Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 crashes into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after take-off from Rafik Hariri Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, killing all 90 people on board.
 2011 – 2011 Egyptian protests: Protests begin in Egypt against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak.
 2013 - Exactly two years after the start of the 2011 Egyptian protests, widespread protests occur in Egypt against the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsi. Five people are reported killed and at least 200 injured. At least 29 people are also killed in violence on this day in 2014.
 2015 - A parliamentary election is held in Greece, and is won by the left-wing SYRIZA party, whose leader Alexis Tsipras is sworn in as Prime Minister of Greece the next day. The result is seen as a rejection of so-called austerity measures imposed after Greece got into economic trouble.

Births

Up to 1900 
 750 – Leo IV the Khazar, Byzantine Emperor (d. 780)
 1477 – Anne of Brittany (d. 1541)
 1493 - Massimiliano Sforza, Duke of Milan (d. 1530)
 1509 - Giovanni Morone, Italian cardinal (d. 1580)
 1615 - Govert Finck, Dutch painter (d. 1660)
 1627 – Robert Boyle, Irish physicist (d. 1691)
 1634 - Gaspar Fagel, Dutch statesman (d. 1688)
 1640 - William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire, English politician (d. 1707)
 1661 - Antonio I, Prince of Monaco (d. 1731)
 1736 – Joseph-Louis Lagrange, Italian-born mathematician (d. 1813)
 1739 - Charles François Dumouriez, French general (d. 1823)
 1743 - Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi, German philosopher (d. 1819)
 1755 - Paolo Mascagni, Italian physician (d. 1815)
 1759 – Robert Burns, Scottish poet (d. 1796)
 1783 - William Colgate, English-American businessman (d. 1857)
 1796 – William MacGillivray, Scottish naturalist and ornithologist (d. 1852)
 1813 - James Marion Sims, American physician (d. 1883)
 1825 - George Pickett, American Confederate general (d. 1875)
 1841 - John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher, British admiral (d. 1920)
 1860 – Charles Curtis, 31st Vice President of the United States (d. 1936)
 1864 - Julie Kempf, Croatian historian and writer (d. 1934)
 1866 - Emile Vandervelde, Belgian social democrat, university professor and politician (d. 1938)
 1868 - Juventino Rosas, Mexican composer (d. 1894)
 1874 – W. Somerset Maugham, English writer (d. 1965)
 1882 – Virginia Woolf, English writer and feminist (d. 1941)
 1885 - Kitahara Hakushu, Japanese poet and children's writer (d. 1942)
 1886 - Wilhelm Furtwaengler, German conductor (d. 1954)
 1891 - William Christian Bullitt, Jr., American diplomat (d. 1967)
 1892 - Takeo Takagi, Japanese admiral (d. 1944)
 1894 – Aino Aalto, Finnish designer (d. 1949)
 1896 – Florence Mills, American cabaret singer, dancer and composer (d. 1927)
 1899 – Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian politician (d. 1972)
 1899 - Sleepy John Estes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1977)
 1900 – Yojiro Ishizaka, Japanese writer (d. 1986)
 1900 - Istvan Fekete, Hungarian writer (d. 1970)

1901  1950 
 1904 - Sleepy John Estes, American blues musician and singer (d. 1977)
 1905 - Maurice Roy, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Quebec (d. 1985)
 1910 - Harold Watkinson, British politician (d. 1995)
 1913 – Huang Hua, Chinese politician (d. 2010)
 1913 - Witold Lutoslawski, Polish composer (d. 1994)
 1915 - Ewan MacColl, British folk singer-songwriter and playwright (d. 1989)
 1916 - Hans Coppi, German Resistance activist (d. 1942)
 1917 – Ilya Prigogine, Russian-born Belgian scientist (d. 2003)
 1917 – Janio Quadros, President of Brazil (d. 1992)
 1922 - Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, Italian population geneticist
 1923 – Arvid Carlsson, Swedish scientist
 1923 - Rusty Driver, American singer (d. 2003)
 1925 - Giorgos Zampetas, Greek musician and songwriter (d. 1992)
 1927 - Antonio Carlos Jobim, Brazilian composer (d. 1994)
 1927 - Gregg Palmer, American actor (d. 2015)
 1928 – Eduard Shevardnadze, former President of Georgia (d. 2014)
 1929 - Benny Golson, American jazz musician
 1929 - Robert Faurisson, French academic and Holocaust denier
 1929 - Michael Michai Kitbunchu, Thai cardinal
 1931 - Dean Jones, American actor and singer (d. 2015)
 1933 – Corazon Aquino, President of the Philippines (d. 2009)
 1934 - Mimi Kok, Dutch actress (d. 2014)
 1935 - Conrad Burns, American politician (d. 2016)
 1935 - Antonio Ramalho Eanes, former President of Portugal
 1936 - Diana Hyland, American actress (d. 1977)
 1937 - Judith Ann Mayotte, American humanitarian and writer
 1937 – Ange-Félix Patassé, former President of the Central African Republic (d. 2011)
 1938 - Shotaro Ishinomori, Japanese writer (d. 1998)
 1938 – Leiji Matsumoto, Japanese manga artist
 1938 – Vladimir Vysotsky, Russian actor, poet and singer (d. 1980)
 1938 – Etta James, American singer (d. 2012)
 1941 - Buddy Baker, American racing driver
 1942 – Eusébio, Portuguese footballer (d. 2014)
 1943 – Dagmar Berghoff, German television journalist
 1943 - Roy Black, German Schlager singer (d. 1991)
 1943 - Tobe Hooper, American director, screenwriter and producer (d. 2017)
 1945 - Dave Walker, English singer and guitarist
 1945 - Leigh Taylor-Young, American actress
 1947 - Angel Nieto, Spanish motorcycle racer
 1947 - Tostao, Brazilian footballer
 1949 - John Cooper Clarke, English poet
 1949 – Paul Nurse, English biochemist and Nobel Prize winner
 1950 - Jean-Marc Ayrault, Prime Minister of France
 1950 - Gloria Naylor, American novelist

1951  1975 
 1951 – Steve Prefontaine, American athlete (d. 1975)
 1952 – Peter Tatchell, British activist
 1952 – Sara Mandiano, French singer-songwriter
 1953 – The Honky Tonk Man, American professional wrestler
 1954 – Ricardo Bochini, Argentine footballer
 1954 – Kay Cottee, Australian sailor
 1955 – Terry Chimes, British musician (The Clash)
 1955 – Iwatami Toru, Japanese video game developer
 1957 – Andrew P. Harris, American politician
 1957 – Luis Garavito, Colombian serial killer
 1958 – Franco Pancheri, Italian footballer
 1958 – Kavita Krishnamurthy, Indian singer
 1958 – Jürgen Hingsen, German athlete
 1962 – Bruno Martini, French footballer
 1963 – Fernando Haddad, 61st Mayor of São Paulo, Brazil
 1966 – Chet Culver, American politician, former Governor of Iowa
 1967 – David Ginola, French footballer
 1967 – Mark Bamford, American writer and director
 1967 – Randy McKay, Canadian ice hockey player
 1971 – Ana Ortiz, American actress
 1973 – Chris Guy, American wrestler
 1974 – Robert Budreau, Canadian director, screenwriter and producer
 1975 – Mia Kirshner, Canadian actress
 1975 – Tim Montgomery, American athlete
 1975 – Dat Phan, Vietnamese comedian

From 1976 
 1977 - Lidia Chojecka, Polish athlete
 1978 – Jason Roberts, English footballer
 1978 - Charlene, Princess of Monaco
 1979 - Christine Lakin, American actress
 1980 – Xavi, Spanish footballer
 1981 – Alicia Keys, American singer
 1981 – Toše Proeski, Macedonian-Balkan singer (d. 2007)
 1981 - Clara Morgane, French pornographic actress, singer and television host
 1982 - Noemi, Italian singer
 1983 - Josh Powell, American basketball player
 1984 – Stefan Kießling, German footballer
 1984 – Robinho, Brazilian footballer
 1984 - Fara Williams, English footballer
 1985 - Michael Trevino, American actor
 1986 - Shahriar Nafees, Bangladeshi cricketer
 1987 – Maria Kirilenko, Russian tennis player
 1988 - Tatiana Golovin, French tennis player
 1992 – Jordan Stephens, English hip hop musician (Rizzle Kicks)
 1996 - Calum Hood, Australian singer, 5 Seconds of Summer.

Deaths

Up to 1900 
 389 - Gregory Nazianzus, Patriarch of Constantinople (b. 329)
 477 – Geiseric, King of the Vandals and Alans
 844 – Pope Gregory IV
 1067 – Emperor Yingzong of China (b. 1032)
 1366 – Henry Suso, German mystic
 1431 – Charles I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1364)
 1494 – King Ferdinand I of Naples (b. 1423)
 1559 - King Christian II of Denmark (b. 1481)
 1573 - Hirohate Hirohide, Japanese samurai (b. 1553)
 1578 - Mihrimah Sultan, Ottoman princess (b. 1522)
 1586 - Lucas Cranach the Younger, German painter (b. 1515)
 1640 – Robert Burton, English scholar (b. 1577)
 1670 – Nicholas II, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1612)
 1726 – Guillaume Delisle, French cartographer (b. 1726)
 1733 – Gilbert Heathcote, Mayor of London
 1742 - Edmond Halley, English scientist (b. 1656)
 1744 - Domenico Sarro, Italian composer (b. 1679)
 1751 – Paul Dudley, Attorney-General of Massachusetts (b. 1675)
 1852 - Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, Russian cartographer and explorer (b. 1778)
 1857 - Andrew Stevenson, American politician (b. 1784)
 1870 - Victor de Broglie, French statesman and diplomat (b. 1785)
 1881 – Konstantin Thon, Russian architect (b. 1794)

1901  2000 
 1907 - René Pottier, French cyclist (b. 1879)
 1908 – Mikhail Chigorin, Russian chess player (b. 1850)
 1908 – Ouida, English writer (b. 1839)
 1925 – Ivan Vucetic, Croatian anthropologist (b. 1858)
 1947 – Al Capone, American gangster (b. 1899)
 1949 - Makino Nobuaki, Japanese statesman (b. 1861)
 1952 - Sveinn Björnsson, 1st President of Iceland (b. 1881)
 1954 - Manabendra Nath Roy, Indian political activist (b. 1887)
 1957 - Thomas January, American soccer player (b. 1886)
 1958 - Cemil Topuzlu, Turkish politician (b. 1866)
 1960 - Diana Barrymore, American actress (b. 1921)
 1969 – Irene Castle, English dancer (b. 1887)
 1970 – Jane Bathori, French mezzo-soprano (b. 1877)
 1975 - Charlotte Whitton, 46th Mayor of Ottawa (b. 1896)
 1981 – Adele Astaire, American dancer (b. 1897)
 1982 – Mikhail Suslov, Soviet politician (b. 1902)
 1985 - Ilias Iliou, Greek politician (b. 1904)
 1990 – Ava Gardner, American actress (b. 1922)
 1994 – Stephen Cole Kleene, American mathematician (b. 1909)
 1995 – Cal Jammer, American actor (b. 1960)
 1996 – Jonathan Larson, American composer (b. 1960)
 1996 - Billy Bailey, American convicted murderer, last person to be hanged to-date in the US (b. 1947)
 1999 – Robert Shaw, American conductor (b. 1916)

From 2001 
 2004 – Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch athlete (b. 1918)
 2004 – Miklós Fehér, Hungarian footballer (b. 1979)
 2005 – Stanisław Albinowski, Polish economist and journalist (b. 1923)
 2005 – William Augustus Bootle, American judge (b. 1902)
 2005 – Philip Johnson, American architect (b. 1906)
 2005 – Ray Peterson, American singer (b. 1935)
 2005 – Nettie Witziers-Timmer, Dutch athlete (b. 1923)
 2009 - Mamadou Dia, 1st Prime Minister of Senegal (b. 1910)
 2009 - Kim Manners, American movie director and producer (b. 1951)
 2010 - Ali Hassan al-Majid, Iraqi politician and military commander (b. 1941)
 2012 - Veronica Carstens, former First Lady of Germany (b. 1923)
 2014 - Gyula Sax, Hungarian chess player (b. 1951)
 2014 - Dave Strack, American basketball player (b. 1923)
 2015 - Demis Roussos, Greek singer (b. 1946)
 2015 - Bill Monbouquette, American baseball player (b. 1936)
 2015 - Zulkifli Abdhir, Malaysian terrorist (b. 1966)
 2016 - Kalpana, Indian actress (b. 1965)
 2016 - Concepcion Picciotto, Spanish-American peace activist (b. 1936)
 2016 - Paul Terasaki, American scientist and philanthropist (b. 1929)
 2017 - Buchi Emecheta, Nigerian novelist (b. 1944)
 2017 - Robert Garcia, American politician (b. 1933)
 2017 - Kevin Geer, American actor (b. 1954)
 2017 - John Hurt, British actor (b. 1940)
 2017 - Katja of Sweden, Swedish fashion designer (b. 1920)
 2017 - Harry Mathews, American author (b. 1930)
 2017 - Jack Mendelsohn, American cartoonist and screenwriter (b. 1926)
 2017 - Mary Tyler Moore, American actress (b. 1936)
 2017 - Nigel Rodley, British human rights activist (b. 1941)

Observances 
 Burns Night (Scotland and Scottish community)
 Dydd Santes Dwynwen - Welsh Saint Valentine's Day
 National Police Day (Egypt)
 National Voters' Day (India)
 Tatiana Day (Russia)

Days of the year