Events
Pre-1600
*
747 BC 747 may refer to:
* 747 (number), a number
* AD 747, a year of the Julian calendar
* 747 BC, a year in the 8th century BC
* Boeing 747, a large commercial jet airliner
Music and film
* 747s (band), an indie band
* ''747'' (album), by country m ...
– According to
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...
, the
epoch
In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured.
The moment of epoch is usually decided by ...
(origin) of the
Nabonassar
Nabû-nāṣir was the king of Babylon from 747 to 734 BC. He deposed a foreign Chaldean usurper named Nabu-shuma-ishkun, bringing native rule back to Babylon after twenty-three years of Chaldean rule. His reign saw the beginning of a new era ...
Era began at noon on this date. Historians use this to establish the modern
BC chronology for dating historic events.
*
364 –
Valentinian I
Valentinian I ( la, Valentinianus; 32117 November 375), sometimes called Valentinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 364 to 375. Upon becoming emperor, he made his brother Valens his co-emperor, giving him rule of the eastern provinces. Val ...
is proclaimed
Roman emperor.
*
1266 –
Battle of Benevento
The Battle of Benevento was a major medieval battle fought on 26 February 1266, near Benevento in present-day Southern Italy, between the forces of Charles I of Anjou and those of King Manfred of Sicily. Manfred's defeat and death resulted in Ch ...
: An army led by
Charles, Count of Anjou, defeats a combined German and
Sicilian force led by
Manfred, King of Sicily
Manfred ( scn, Manfredi di Sicilia; 123226 February 1266) was the last King of Sicily from the Hohenstaufen dynasty, reigning from 1258 until his death. The natural son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, Manfred became regent over the ...
. Manfred is killed in the battle and
Pope Clement IV
Pope Clement IV ( la, Clemens IV; 23 November 1190 – 29 November 1268), born Gui Foucois ( la, Guido Falcodius; french: Guy de Foulques or ') and also known as Guy le Gros (French for "Guy the Fat"; it, Guido il Grosso), was bishop of Le Pu ...
invests Charles as king of
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
and
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
.
*
1365 – The
Ava Kingdom
The Kingdom of Ava ( my, အင်းဝခေတ်, ) was the dominant kingdom that ruled upper Burma (Myanmar) from 1364 to 1555. Founded in 1365, the kingdom was the successor state to the petty kingdoms of Myinsaing, Pinya and Sagaing t ...
and the royal city of
Ava (Inwa) founded by King
Thado Minbya
Thado Minbya ( my, သတိုးမင်းဖျား, ; also spelt as Thadominbya; 7 December 1345 – 3 September 1367) was the founder of the Kingdom of Ava. In his three plus years of reign (1364–67), the king laid the foundation for ...
.
1601–1900
*
1606 – The
Janszoon voyage of 1605–06
Willem Janszoon captained the first recorded European landing on the Australian continent in 1606, sailing from Bantam, Java, in the ''Duyfken''. As an employee of the Dutch East India Company ( nl, Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC), J ...
becomes the first European expedition to set foot on Australia, although it is mistaken as a part of New Guinea.
*
1616 –
Galileo Galilei is formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending
the view that the earth orbits the sun.
*
1775 – The
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
factory
A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. ...
on
Balambangan Island
Balambangan Island ( ms, Pulau Balambangan) is an island in Kudat Division, Sabah, Malaysia. It is located off the northern tip of Borneo and is situated just about 3 kilometres west of Banggi Island. It is now part of the Tun Mustapha Marin ...
is destroyed by
Moro pirates
The Sulu and Celebes Seas, a semi- enclosed sea area and porous region that covers an area of space around 1 million square kilometres, have been subject to illegal maritime activities since the pre-colonial era and continue to pose a maritim ...
.
*
1794 – The first
Christiansborg Palace in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
burns down.
*
1815
Events
January
* January 2 – Lord Byron marries Anna Isabella Milbanke in Seaham, county of Durham, England.
* January 3 – Austria, Britain, and Bourbon-restored France form a secret defensive alliance treaty against Prussi ...
–
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
escapes from exile on the island of
Elba
Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano Nationa ...
.
*
1870 – The
Beach Pneumatic Transit
The Beach Pneumatic Transit was the first attempt to build an underground public transit system in New York City. It was developed by Alfred Ely Beach in 1869 as a demonstration subway line running on pneumatic power. The subway line had one sto ...
in New York City, intending as a demonstration for a subway line opens.
*
1876 –
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
sign the
Treaty of Kangwha, which grants Japanese citizens
extraterritoriality
In international law, extraterritoriality is the state of being exempted from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations.
Historically, this primarily applied to individuals, as jurisdiction was usually cla ...
rights in Korea, opens three Korean ports to Japanese trade, and ends Korea's status as a
tributary state
A tributary state is a term for a pre-modern state in a particular type of subordinate relationship to a more powerful state which involved the sending of a regular token of submission, or tribute, to the superior power (the suzerain). This to ...
of
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
China.
1901–present
*
1909 –
Kinemacolor
Kinemacolor was the first successful colour motion picture process, used commercially from 1908 to 1914. It was invented by George Albert Smith in 1906. He was influenced by the work of William Norman Lascelles Davidson and, more directly, E ...
, the first successful color
motion picture
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
process, is first shown to the general public at the
Palace Theatre in London.
*
1914 – , sister to the , is launched at
Harland and Wolff
Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the W ...
shipyard in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
.
*
1919 – President
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
signs an act of Congress establishing the
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park, located in northwestern Arizona, is the 15th site in the United States to have been named as a national park. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, which is often consider ...
.
*
1929 – President
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...
signs legislation establishing the
Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park is an American national park in northwestern Wyoming. At approximately , the park includes the major peaks of the Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Grand Teton ...
in
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
.
*
1935 –
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
orders the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
to be re-formed, violating the provisions of the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
.
* 1935 –
Robert Watson-Watt
Sir Robert Alexander Watson Watt (13 April 1892 – 5 December 1973) was a Scottish pioneer of radio direction finding and radar technology.
Watt began his career in radio physics with a job at the Met Office, where he began looking for accura ...
carries out a demonstration near
Daventry
Daventry ( , historically ) is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority in Northamptonshire, England, close to the border with Warwickshire. At the 2021 Census Daventry had a population of 28,123, making ...
which leads directly to the development of
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
in the United Kingdom.
*
1936 – In the
February 26 Incident, young Japanese military officers attempt to stage a
coup against the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
.
*
1945 –
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
: US troops
reclaim the Philippine island of Corregidor from the Japanese.
*
1952 –
Vincent Massey
Charles Vincent Massey (February 20, 1887December 30, 1967) was a Canadian lawyer and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 18th since Confederation. Massey was the first governor general of Canada who was born in Canada after ...
is sworn in as the first Canadian-born
Governor General of Canada
The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...
.
*
1960 – A New York-bound
Alitalia
Alitalia - Società Aerea Italiana Società per azioni, S.p.A., operating as Alitalia (), was an Italian airline which was once the flag carrier and largest airline of Italy. The company had its head office in Fiumicino, Metropolitan City of ...
airliner
crashes into a cemetery in
Shannon,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, shortly after takeoff, killing 34 of the 52 persons on board.
*
1966 –
Apollo program: Launch of
AS-201
AS-201 (or SA-201), flown February 26, 1966, was the first uncrewed test flight of an entire production Block I Apollo command and service module and the Saturn IB launch vehicle. The spacecraft consisted of the second Block I command module ...
, the first flight of the
Saturn IB rocket.
*
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
–
U.N. Secretary-General U Thant
Thant (; ; January 22, 1909 – November 25, 1974), known honorifically as U Thant (), was a Burmese diplomat and the third secretary-general of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971, the first non-Scandinavian to hold the position. He held t ...
signs
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
proclamation of the vernal equinox as
Earth Day.
*
1979 – The
Superliner railcar enters revenue service with
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
.
*
1980 – Egypt and Israel establish full
diplomatic relations
Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...
.
*
1987 –
Iran–Contra affair
The Iran–Contra affair ( fa, ماجرای ایران-کنترا, es, Caso Irán–Contra), often referred to as the Iran–Contra scandal, the McFarlane affair (in Iran), or simply Iran–Contra, was a political scandal in the United States ...
: The
Tower Commission
The Tower Commission was a United States presidential commission established on December 1, 1986, by President Ronald Reagan in response to the Iran–Contra affair (in which senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arm ...
rebukes President
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
for not controlling his national security staff.
*
1992 –
First Nagorno-Karabakh War:
Khojaly Massacre: Armenian armed forces
open fire on Azeri civilians at a military post outside the town of Khojaly leaving hundreds dead.
*
1993 –
World Trade Center bombing
The 1993 World Trade Center bombing was a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, U.S., carried out on February 26, 1993, when a van bomb detonated below the North Tower of the complex. The urea nitrate–hydrogen gas en ...
: In New York City, a truck bomb parked below the
North Tower of the
World Trade Center
World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association.
World Trade Center may refer to:
Buildings
* List of World Trade Centers
* World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...
explodes, killing six and injuring over a thousand people.
*
1995 – The UK's oldest investment banking institute,
Barings Bank
Barings Bank was a British merchant bank based in London, and one of England's oldest merchant banks after Berenberg Bank, Barings' close collaborator and German representative. It was founded in 1762 by Francis Baring, a British-born member ...
, collapses after a rogue securities broker
Nick Leeson
Nicholas William Leeson (born 25 February 1967) is an English former derivatives trader whose fraudulent, unauthorized and speculative trades resulted in the 1995 collapse of Barings Bank, the United Kingdom's oldest merchant bank. Leeson w ...
loses $1.4 billion by speculating on the
Singapore International Monetary Exchange
The Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX) is a Singaporean investment holding company that provides different services related to securities and derivatives trading and others. SGX is also a member of the World Federation of Exchanges and the Asia ...
using
futures contract
In finance, a futures contract (sometimes called a futures) is a standardized legal contract to buy or sell something at a predetermined price for delivery at a specified time in the future, between parties not yet known to each other. The asset ...
s.
*
2008 – The
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
performs in Pyongyang, North Korea; this is the first event of its kind to take place in North Korea.
*
2012 – A
train derails in
Burlington, Ontario
Burlington is a city in the Regional Municipality of Halton at the northwestern end of Lake Ontario in Ontario, Canada. Along with Milton to the north, it forms the western end of the Greater Toronto Area and is also part of the Hamilton met ...
, Canada killing at least three people and injuring 45.
* 2012 – Seventeen-year-old African-American student
Trayvon Martin
Trayvon Benjamin Martin (February 5, 1995 – February 26, 2012) was a 17-year-old African-American from Miami Gardens, Florida, who was fatally shot in Sanford, Florida, by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old Hispanic American. Martin had accompa ...
is
shot to death by
neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman in an altercation in
Sanford,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
.
*
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
– A
hot air balloon
A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries ...
crashes near Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 people.
*
2019 –
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
fighter-jets
targeted Jaish-e-Mohammed
Jaish-e-Mohammed ( ur, , literally "The Army of Muhammad", abbreviated as JeM) is a Pakistan-based: "The JEM is a Pakistan-based, militant Islamic group founded by Maulana Masood Azhar in March 2000."
Deobandi: "Deobandis like Masood Azha ...
terrorist training camp
A terrorist training camp is a facility established to train individuals in the ways of terrorism. By teaching them the methods and tactics of terrorism, those conducting such facilities aim to create an "army" of individuals who will do their b ...
s in
Balakot
Balakot (; ur, ; ) is a town in Mansehra District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The town was destroyed during the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, but was later rebuilt with the assistance of the Government of Pakistan and Saudi P ...
.
*
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
– A total of 279 female students aged between 10 and 17 are kidnapped by bandits in the
Zamfara kidnapping
The Zamfara kidnapping (or Jangebe kidnapping) was the abduction of 279 female students aged between 10 and 17 during a raid by armed bandits on 26 February 2021. The kidnapping occurred at the Government Girls Science Secondary School, a board ...
in
Zamfara State
Zamfara (Hausa: Jihar Zamfara Fula: Leydi Zamfara 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤶𞤢𞤥𞤬𞤢𞤪𞤢) is a state in northwestern Nigeria. The capital of Zamfara state is Gusau and its current Governor is Bello Matawalle. Until 1996, the area was ...
, Nigeria.
Births
Pre-1600
*
1361 –
Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia
Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; cs, Václav; german: Wenzel, nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he w ...
(d. 1419)
*
1416 –
Christopher of Bavaria
Christopher of Bavaria (26 February 1416 – 5/6 January 1448) was King of Denmark (1440–48, as Christopher III), Sweden (1441–48) and Norway (1442–48) during the era of the Kalmar Union.
Biography
Coming to power
He was the son of John, ...
(d. 1448)
*
1564 –
Christopher Marlowe, English playwright, poet and translator (d. 1593)
*
1584 –
Albert VI, Duke of Bavaria
Albert VI of Bavaria (german: Albrecht VI., der Leuchtenberger, Landgraf von Bayern-Leuchtenberg; 26 February 1584 – 5 July 1666) son of William V, Duke of Bavaria and Renata of Lorraine, born and died in Munich.
Biography
Albert was 1651– ...
(d. 1666)
*
1587
Events
January–June
* February 1 – Queen Elizabeth I of England signs the death warrant of her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, after Mary has been implicated in a plot to murder Elizabeth. Seven days later, on the orders of E ...
–
Stefano Landi
Stefano Landi (baptized 26 February 1587 – 28 October 1639) was an Italian composer and teacher of the early Baroque Roman School. He was an influential early composer of opera, and wrote the earliest opera on a historical subject: '' Il ...
, Italian composer and educator (d. 1639)
1601–1900
*
1629 –
Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll (26 February 1629 – 30 June 1685) was a Scottish peer and soldier.
The hereditary chief of Clan Campbell, and a prominent figure in Scottish politics, he was a Royalist supporter during the latter stage ...
, Scottish peer (d. 1685)
*
1651 –
Quirinus Kuhlmann
Quirinus Kuhlmann (also: Culmannus, Kühlmann, Kuhlman; February 26, 1651 – October 4, 1689) was a German Baroque poet and mystic. Kuhlmann insisted upon the importance of the events of his life as confirmation of his divine mission.
Known fo ...
, German Baroque poet and mystic (d. 1689)
*
1671 –
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury (26 February 1671 – 16 February 1713) was an English politician, philosopher, and writer.
Early life
He was born at Exeter House in London, the son of the future Anthony Ashley Cooper, 2nd E ...
, English philosopher and politician (d. 1713)
*
1672 –
Antoine Augustin Calmet
Antoine Augustin Calmet, O.S.B. (26 February 167225 October 1757), a French Benedictine monk, was born at Ménil-la-Horgne, then in the Duchy of Bar, part of the Holy Roman Empire (now the French department of Meuse, located in the region of L ...
, French monk and theologian (d. 1757)
*
1677 –
Nicola Fago, Italian composer and teacher (d. 1745)
*
1718 –
Johan Ernst Gunnerus
Johan Ernst Gunnerus (26 February 1718 – 25 September 1773) was a Norwegian bishop and botanist. Gunnerus was born at Christiania. He was bishop of the Diocese of Nidaros from 1758 until his death and also a professor of theology at the Univer ...
, Norwegian bishop, botanist and zoologist (d. 1773)
*
1720 –
Gian Francesco Albani
Gian Francesco Albani (26 February 1720 – 15 September 1803) was a Roman Catholic Cardinal. He was a member of the Albani family.
Albani was born in Rome, the son of Carlo Albani, Duke of Soriano; his grand-uncle was Pope Clement XI (Gia ...
, Italian cardinal (d. 1803)
*
1729 –
Anders Chydenius
Anders Chydenius (; 26 February 1729 – 1 February 1803) was a Swedish-Finnish Lutheran priest and a member of the Swedish Riksdag, and is known as the leading classical liberal of Nordic history.
Born in Sotkamo, Finland (then part of Swed ...
, Finnish economist, philosopher and Lutheran priest (d. 1803)
*
1746 –
Maria Amalia, Duchess of Parma (d. 1804)
*
1770 –
Anton Reicha
Anton (Antonín, Antoine) Joseph Reicha (Rejcha) (26 February 1770 – 28 May 1836) was a Czech-born, Bavarian-educated, later naturalized French composer and music theorist. A contemporary and lifelong friend of Beethoven, he is now best rem ...
, Bohemian composer and flautist (d. 1836)
*
1777 –
Matija Nenadović
Matija Nenadović ( sr-cyrl, Матија Ненадовић, or Mateja Nenadović sr-cyr, Матеја Ненадовић; 26 February 1777 – 11 December 1854), also known as Prota Mateja, was a Serbian archpriest, writer, and politician who ...
, Serbian priest, historian, and politician, 1st
Prime Minister of Serbia
The prime minister of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, премијерка Србије, premijerka Srbije; masculine: премијер/premijer), officially the president of the Government of the Republic of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, председница Влад ...
(d. 1854)
*
1786 –
François Arago, French mathematician and politician, 25th
Prime Minister of France (d. 1853)
*
1802 –
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1885)
*
1808 –
Honoré Daumier
Honoré-Victorin Daumier (; February 26, 1808February 10, 1879) was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the Revolution of 1830 to the fall of the second N ...
, French painter, illustrator, and sculptor (d. 1879)
* 1808 –
Nathan Kelley, American architect, designed the
Ohio Statehouse
The Ohio Statehouse is the state capitol building and seat of government for the U.S. state of Ohio. The Greek Revival building is located on Capitol Square in Downtown Columbus. The capitol houses the Ohio General Assembly, consisting of the H ...
(d. 1871)
*
1829 –
Levi Strauss
Levi Strauss (; born Löb Strauß ; February 26, 1829 – September 26, 1902) was a German-born American businessman who founded the first company to manufacture blue jeans. His firm of Levi Strauss & Co. (Levi's) began in 1853 in San Francisc ...
, German-American fashion designer, founded
Levi Strauss & Co. (d. 1902)
*
1842 –
Camille Flammarion
Nicolas Camille Flammarion FRAS (; 26 February 1842 – 3 June 1925) was a French astronomer and author. He was a prolific author of more than fifty titles, including popular science works about astronomy, several notable early science fic ...
, French astronomer and author (d. 1925)
*
1846 –
Buffalo Bill, American soldier and hunter (d. 1917)
*
1852 – John Harvey Kellogg, American surgeon, co-created Corn flakes (d. 1943)
*1857 – Émile Coué, French psychologist and pharmacist (d. 1926)
*1861 – Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (d. 1948)
* 1861 – Nadezhda Krupskaya, Russian soldier and politician (d. 1939)
*1866 – Herbert Henry Dow, Canadian-American businessman, founded the Dow Chemical Company (d. 1930)
*1877 – Henry Barwell, Australian politician, 28th Premier of South Australia (d. 1959)
* 1877 – Rudolph Dirks, German-American illustrator (d. 1968)
*1879 – Frank Bridge, English viola player and composer (d. 1941)
*1880 – Kenneth Edgeworth, Irish astronomer (d. 1972)
*1881 – Janus Djurhuus, Faroese poet (d. 1948)
*1882 – Husband E. Kimmel, American admiral (d. 1968)
*1885 – Aleksandras Stulginskis, Lithuanian farmer and politician, 2nd President of Lithuania (d. 1969)
*1887 – Grover Cleveland Alexander, American baseball player and coach (d. 1950)
* 1887 – William Frawley, American actor and vaudevillian (d. 1966)
* 1887 – Stefan Grabiński, Polish author and educator (d. 1936)
*1893 – Wallace Fard Muhammad, American religious leader, founded the Nation of Islam (disappeared 1934)
* 1893 – Dorothy Whipple, English novelist (d. 1966)
*1896 – Andrei Zhdanov, Ukrainian-Russian civil servant and politician (d. 1948)
*1899 – Max Petitpierre, Swiss jurist and politician, 54th List of Presidents of the Swiss Confederation, President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1994)
*1900 – Halina Konopacka, Polish discus thrower and poet (d. 1989)
* 1900 – Fritz Wiessner, German-American mountaineer (d. 1988)
1901–present
*1902 – Jean Bruller, French author and illustrator, co-founded Les Éditions de Minuit (d. 1991)
*1903 – Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
* 1903 – Orde Wingate, English general (d. 1944)
*1906 – Madeleine Carroll, English actress (d. 1987)
*1908 – Tex Avery, American animator, producer, and voice actor (d. 1980)
* 1908 – Nestor Mesta Chayres, Mexican operatic tenor and bolero vocalist (d. 1971)
* 1908 – Jean-Pierre Wimille, French racing driver (d. 1949)
*
1909 – Fanny Cradock, English chef, author, and critic (d. 1994)
* 1909 – Talal of Jordan (d. 1972)
*1910 – Vic Woodley, English footballer (d. 1978)
*1911 – Tarō Okamoto, Japanese painter and sculptor (d. 1996)
*
1914 – Robert Alda, American actor, singer, and director (d. 1986)
*1916 – Jackie Gleason, American actor and singer (d. 1987)
*1918 – Otis Bowen, American physician and politician, 44th Governor of Indiana (d. 2013)
* 1918 – Pyotr Masherov, Leader of Soviet Belarus (d. 1980)
* 1918 – Theodore Sturgeon, American author and critic (d. 1985)
*
1919 – Mason Adams, American actor (d. 2005)
*1920 – Danny Gardella, American baseball player and trainer (d. 2005)
* 1920 – Tony Randall, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2004)
* 1920 – Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist and author (d. 2006)
*1921 – Betty Hutton, American actress and singer (d. 2007)
*1922 – Bill Johnston (cricketer), Bill Johnston, Australian cricketer and businessman (d. 2007)
* 1922 – Margaret Leighton, English actress (d. 1976)
*1924 – Noboru Takeshita, Japanese soldier and politician, 74th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2000)
* 1924 – Marc Bucci, American composer, lyricist, and dramatist (d. 2002)
*1925 – Everton Weekes, Barbadian cricketer and referee (d. 2020)
*1926 – Doris Belack, American actress (d. 2011)
* 1926 – Verne Gagne, American football player, wrestler, and trainer (d. 2015)
*1927 – Tom Kennedy (television presenter), Tom Kennedy, American game show host and actor (d. 2020)
*1928 – Fats Domino, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2017)
* 1928 – Ariel Sharon, Israeli general and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Israel (d. 2014)
*1931 – Ally MacLeod, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 2004)
* 1931 – Robert Novak, American journalist and author (d. 2009)
* 1931 – Josephine Tewson, English actress (d. 2022)
*1932 – Johnny Cash, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2003)
*1933 – James Goldsmith, French-British businessman and politician (d. 1997)
*1934 – Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, Algerian director, producer, and screenwriter
*
1936 – José Policarpo, Portuguese cardinal (d. 2014)
*1937 – Paul Dickson (American football), Paul Dickson, American football player and coach (d. 2011)
*1939 – Chuck Wepner, American professional boxer
*1940 – Oldřich Kulhánek, Czech painter, illustrator, and stage designer (d. 2013)
*1942 – Jozef Adamec, Slovak footballer and manager (d. 2018)
*1943 – Paul Cotton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2021)
* 1943 – Bill Duke, American actor and director
* 1943 – Dante Ferretti, Italian art director and costume designer
* 1943 – Bob Hite, Bob "The Bear" Hite, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 1981)
*1944 – Christopher Hope (novelist), Christopher Hope, South African author and poet
* 1944 – Ronald Lauder, American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Austria
*
1945 – Peter Brock, Australian racing driver (d. 2006)
* 1945 – Marta Kristen, Norwegian-American actress
*1946 – Colin Bell (footballer, born 1946), Colin Bell, English footballer (d. 2021)
* 1946 – Ahmed Zewail, Egyptian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
*1947 – Sandie Shaw, English singer and psychotherapist
*1948 – Sharyn McCrumb, American author
*1949 – Simon Crean, Australian trade union leader and politician, 14th Minister for the Arts (Australia), Australian Minister for the Arts
* 1949 – Elizabeth George, American author and educator
* 1949 – Emma Kirkby, English soprano
*1950 – Jonathan Cain, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
* 1950 – Helen Clark, New Zealand academic and politician, 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand
*1951 – Wayne Goss, Australian lawyer and politician, 34th Premier of Queensland (d. 2014)
*1953 – Michael Bolton, American singer-songwriter and actor
* 1953 – Barbara Niven, American actress and writer
*1954 – Prince Ernest Augustus of Hanover (born 1954), Prince Ernst August of Hanover
* 1954 – Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkish politician, 12th President of Turkey
*1955 – Andreas Maislinger, Austrian historian and academic, founded the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service
*1956 – Michel Houellebecq, French author, poet, screenwriter, and director
*1957 – David Beasley, American lawyer and politician, 113th Governor of South Carolina
* 1957 – Keena Rothhammer, American swimmer
*1958 – Greg Germann, American actor and director
* 1958 – Susan Helms, American general, engineer, and astronaut
* 1958 – Tim Kaine, American lawyer and politician, 70th Governor of Virginia
*1959 – Ahmet Davutoğlu, Turkish political scientist, academic, and politician, 37th Prime Minister of Turkey
*
1960 – Jaz Coleman, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
*1962 – Ahn Cheol-soo, South Korean physician, academic, and politician
*1963 – Chase Masterson, American actress, singer, and activist
*1965 – James Mitchell (manager), James Mitchell, American wrestler and manager
*
1966 – Garry Conille, Haitian physician and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Haiti
* 1966 – Marc Fortier, French-Canadian ice hockey player
* 1966 – Najwa Karam, Lebanese singer
*1967 – Mark Carroll (rugby league), Mark Carroll, Australian rugby league player
* 1967 – Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese footballer
* 1967 – Gene Principe, Canadian Sports journalism, sports reporter and broadcaster
*1968 – Tim Commerford, American bass player
*1969 – Hitoshi Sakimoto, Japanese composer and producer
*1970 – Mark Harper, English accountant and politician, Minister of State for Immigration
* 1970 – Scott Mahon, Australian rugby league player
*
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
– Erykah Badu, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
* 1971 – Max Martin, Swedish-American record producer and songwriter
* 1971 – Hélène Segara, French singer-songwriter and actress
*1973 – Marshall Faulk, American football player
* 1973 – Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Norwegian footballer and manager
* 1973 – Jenny Thompson, American swimmer
*1974 – Sébastien Loeb, French racing driver
* 1974 – Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, Filipina television actress, host and equestrienne
*1976 – Nalini Anantharaman, French mathematician
* 1976 – Chad Urmston, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
*1977 – Marty Reasoner, American ice hockey player and coach
* 1977 – Tim Thomas (basketball), Tim Thomas, American basketball player
* 1977 – Shane Williams, Welsh rugby union player
*1978 – Abdoulaye Faye, Senegalese footballer
*
1979 – Corinne Bailey Rae, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1979 – Steve Evans (footballer, born 1979), Steve Evans, Welsh footballer
* 1979 – Pedro Mendes (footballer, born 1979), Pedro Mendes, Portuguese international footballer
*
1980 – Steve Blake, American basketball player
*1981 – Kertus Davis, American race car driver
* 1981 – Oh Seung-bum, South Korean footballer
*1982 – Li Na, Chinese tennis player
* 1982 – Matt Prior, South African-English cricketer
* 1982 – Nate Ruess, American singer-songwriter
*1983 – Jerome Harrison, American football player
* 1983 – Pepe (footballer, born 1983), Pepe, Brazilian-Portuguese footballer
*1984 – Emmanuel Adebayor, Togolese international footballer
* 1984 – Natalia Lafourcade, Mexican singer-songwriter
* 1984 – Beren Saat, Turkish actress
*1985 – Fernando Llorente, Spanish international footballer
*1986 – Hannah Kearney, American skier
*1989 – Gabriel Obertan, French footballer
*1990 – Takanoiwa Yoshimori, Mongolian sumo wrestler
*1991 – Lee Chae-rin, South Korean singer
*
1992 – Mikael Granlund, Finnish professional hockey player
* 1992 – Michael Chee Kam, New Zealand rugby league player
*
1993 – Morgan Gautrat, American soccer player
*1997 – Reghan Tumilty, Scottish footballer
Deaths
Pre-1600
*AD 420, 420 – Porphyry of Gaza, Greek bishop and saint (b. 347)
* 943 – Muirchertach mac Néill, king of Northern Uí Néill, Ailech (
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
)
*1154 – Roger II of Sicily (b. 1095)
*
1266 –
Manfred, King of Sicily
Manfred ( scn, Manfredi di Sicilia; 123226 February 1266) was the last King of Sicily from the Hohenstaufen dynasty, reigning from 1258 until his death. The natural son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, Manfred became regent over the ...
(b. 1232)
*1275 – Margaret of England, Queen consort of Scots (b. 1240)
*1349 – Fatima bint al-Ahmar, Nasrid princess in the Emirate of Granada (b. c.1260)
*1360 – Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, English commander (b. 1328)
*1462 – John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford, English politician (b. 1408)
*1548 – Lorenzino de' Medici, Italian writer and assassin (b. 1514)
*1577 – Eric XIV of Sweden (b. 1533)
1601–1900
*1603 – Maria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, spouse of Maximilian II (b. 1528)
*1608 – John Still, English bishop (b. 1543)
*1611 – Antonio Possevino, Italian priest and diplomat (b. 1533)
*1625 – Anna Vasa of Sweden, Polish and Swedish princess (b. 1568)
*1630 – William Brade, English violinist and composer (b. 1560)
*1638 – Claude Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac, French mathematician and linguist (b. 1581)
*1723 – Thomas d'Urfey, English poet and playwright (b. 1653)
*1726 – Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (b. 1662)
*
1770 – Giuseppe Tartini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1692)
*1790 – Joshua Rowley, English admiral (b. 1730)
*
1802 – Esek Hopkins, American admiral (b. 1718)
*1806 – Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, Haitian-French general (b. 1762)
*1813 – Robert R. Livingston (chancellor), Robert R. Livingston, American lawyer and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs (b. 1746)
*
1815
Events
January
* January 2 – Lord Byron marries Anna Isabella Milbanke in Seaham, county of Durham, England.
* January 3 – Austria, Britain, and Bourbon-restored France form a secret defensive alliance treaty against Prussi ...
– Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (b. 1737)
*1821 – Joseph de Maistre, French lawyer and diplomat (b. 1753)
*1839 – Sybil Ludington, American figure of the American Revolutionary War (b. 1761)
*1864 – Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, Canadian jurist and politician, 3rd List of Joint Premiers of the Province of Canada, Premier of Canada East (b. 1807)
*1869 – Afzal-ud-Daulah, Afzal-ud-Daulah, Asaf Jah V, 5th Nizam of Hyderabad State
*1883 – Alexandros Koumoundouros, Greek lawyer and politician, 56th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1817)
*1887 – Anandi Gopal Joshi, First Indian women physician (b. 1865)
*1889 – Karl Davydov, Russian cellist and composer (b. 1838)
1901–present
*1903 – Richard Jordan Gatling, American engineer, invented the Gatling gun (b. 1818)
*1906 – Jean Lanfray, Swiss convicted murderer (b. 1874)
*1913 – Felix Draeseke, German composer and academic (b. 1835)
*1921 – Carl Menger, Polish-Austrian economist and academic (b. 1840)
*1930 – Mary Whiton Calkins, American philosopher and psychologist (b. 1863)
*1931 – Otto Wallach, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1847)
*
1936 –
February 26 Incident:
**Takahashi Korekiyo, Japanese accountant and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1854)
**Saitō Makoto, Japanese admiral and politician, 30th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1858)
**Jōtarō Watanabe, Japanese general (b. 1874)
*1943 – Theodor Eicke, German general (b. 1892)
*
1945 – Sándor Szurmay, Minister of Defence of the Hungarian portion of Austria-Hungary (b. 1860)
*1947 – Heinrich Häberlin, Swiss judge and politician, List of Presidents of the National Council of Switzerland, President of the Swiss National Council (b. 1868)
*1950 – Harry Lauder, Scottish comedian and singer (b. 1870)
*1951 – Sabiha Kasimati, Albanian ichthyologist (b. 1912) executed with 1951 executions in Albania, 20 others
*
1952 – Theodoros Pangalos (general), Theodoros Pangalos, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (b. 1878)
*1961 – Karl Albiker, German sculptor, lithographer, and educator (b. 1878)
* 1961 – Mohammed V of Morocco (b. 1909)
*
1966 – Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian poet and politician (b. 1883)
*1969 – Levi Eshkol, Israeli soldier and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1895)
* 1969 – Karl Jaspers, German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher (b. 1883)
*1981 – Robert Aickman, English author and activist (b. 1914)
* 1981 – Howard Hanson, American composer, conductor, and educator (b. 1896)
*1985 – Tjalling Koopmans, Dutch-American economist and mathematician, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
*1989 – Roy Eldridge, American trumpet player (b. 1911)
*
1993 – Constance Ford, American model and actress (b. 1923)
*1994 – Bill Hicks, American comedian (b. 1961)
*
1995 – Jack Clayton, English director and producer (b. 1921)
*1997 – David Doyle (actor), David Doyle, American actor (b. 1929)
*1998 – Theodore Schultz, American economist and academic, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
*2000 – George L. Street III, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1913)
* 2000 – Raosaheb Gogte, Indian industrialist (b. 1916)
*2002 – Lawrence Tierney, American actor (b. 1919)
* 2004 – Adolf Ehrnrooth, Finnish general (b. 1905)
* 2004 – Boris Trajkovski, Macedonian politician, 2nd President of the Republic of Macedonia (b. 1956)
*2005 – Jef Raskin, American computer scientist, created Macintosh (b. 1943)
*2006 – Georgina Battiscombe, British biographer (b. 1905)
*
2008 – Bodil Udsen, Danish actress (b. 1925)
*2009 – Johnny Kerr, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1932)
* 2009 – Wendy Richard, English actress (b. 1943)
* 2009 – Norm Van Lier, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1947)
*2010 – Nujabes, Jun Seba, also known as "Nujabes", Japanese record producer, DJ, composer and arranger (b. 1974)
*2011 – Arnošt Lustig, Czech author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
*
2012 – Richard Carpenter (screenwriter), Richard Carpenter, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1929)
*
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
– Marie-Claire Alain, French organist and educator (b. 1926)
* 2013 – Stéphane Hessel, German-French diplomat and author (b. 1917)
* 2013 – Simon Li, Hong Kong judge and politician (b. 1922)
*2014 – Sorel Etrog, Romanian-Canadian sculptor, painter, and illustrator (b. 1933)
* 2014 – Phyllis Krasilovsky, American author and academic (b. 1927)
*2015 – Sheppard Frere, English historian and archaeologist (b. 1916)
* 2015 – Theodore Hesburgh, American priest, theologian, educator, and academic (b. 1917)
* 2015 – Earl Lloyd, American basketball player and coach (b. 1928)
* 2015 – Tom Schweich, American lawyer and politician, 36th State Auditor of Missouri (b. 1960)
*2016 – Andy Bathgate, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1932)
* 2016 – Don Getty, Canadian football player and politician, 11th Premier of Alberta (b. 1933)
*2017 – Joseph Wapner, American judge and TV personality (b. 1919)
Holidays and observances
*Christian feast day:
**Pope Alexander I of Alexandria, Alexander of Alexandria
**Emily Malbone Morgan (Episcopal Church (USA))
**Isabelle of France (saint), Isabelle of France
**Li Tim-Oi (Calendar of saints (Anglican Church of Canada), Anglican Church of Canada)
**Porphyry of Gaza
**February 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
*Khojaly Massacre, Day of Remembrance for Victims of Khojaly Massacre (Azerbaijan)
*Liberation Day (Kuwait)
*Saviours' Day (Nation of Islam)
References
External links
BBC: On This Day*
Historical Events on February 26
{{months
Days of the year
February