Saturday, 14th February 2026 in Lisbon
Welcome to your daily snapshot of Lissabon! It's Valentine's Day and World Congenital Heart Disease Day. Explore 68 historical events, birthdays, deaths, and milestones that shaped this day in Lissabon. From remarkable moments in local and world history to the people who left their mark — find out what makes today special. Today's weather in Lissabon brings drizzly with temperatures between 10°C and 14°C. Tonight's moon is in its waxing gibbous phase, and the zodiac sign of the day is Aquarius. If you're curious about the history of a day — this page brings together everything worth knowing about this Saturday, 14th February in Lissabon, PT.

Lisbon, Portugal's capital and largest city, sits on the northern shore of the Tagus estuary on the Atlantic coast. On Saturday, 14 February 2026, conditions are drizzly with typical winter moisture affecting the city. The zodiac sign for this date is Aquarius, and the moon is in its waxing gibbous phase, approaching fullness.
On this day
The NASA space probe Voyager 1 captured the iconic Pale Blue Dot photograph on this date in 1990, imaging Earth from a record distance of 40.5 astronomical units. The image, taken 6.06 billion kilometres away, became one of the most significant photographs in human history, offering a profound perspective on humanity's place in the cosmos.
In European history, the Hospital for Sick Children was founded in London on 14 February 1852, establishing the first dedicated in-patient facility for children in England. This pioneering institution transformed paediatric care and laid the groundwork for modern children's hospitals. Earlier that century, on 14 February 1895, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest premiered in London, a theatrical milestone that would see the play become the second-most quoted English-language drama after Hamlet.
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is observed on 14 February and centres on the expression of love and affection between romantic partners. The day's origins are debated among historians, with several Saint Valentines recorded in early Christian martyrdom, though the association with romantic love became prominent in medieval European literature. The modern celebration of Valentine's Day has existed in its current commercial form since the 19th century, when mass-produced greeting cards became widespread. Today, the occasion is marked in numerous countries through the exchange of cards, flowers, and gifts.
World Congenital Heart Disease Day
World Congenital Heart Disease Day is marked on 14 February to raise awareness of congenital heart defects, which affect approximately 1 in 100 births worldwide. The date was chosen to coincide with Valentine's Day, symbolising the heart and the need for greater public understanding of these conditions. The observance has grown significantly since its establishment in the early 2000s, with organisations across the globe using the day to advocate for improved diagnosis, treatment, and support for affected individuals and families. Events typically include educational campaigns, fundraising initiatives, and community gatherings organised by medical institutions and patient advocacy groups.
DayAtlas provides detailed information for any date and location, including weather conditions, significant historical events, and notable births and deaths. The platform combines geographical data with historical records to offer comprehensive daily insights.
Find out what's happening today in Lissabon.
What the Weather Had in Store for Lissabon on 14th February 2026
A symphony heard backward sounds like noise; timing transforms meaning into form.
Fortune of the Day
14th February in the Stars – Star Sign Aquarius
Personality Profile
Personality Those born on February 14th embody the innovative Aquarius with added intellectual sharpness through Mercury's influence. They think unconventionally, question norms, and pursue visionary ideas with genuine passion. Their originality makes them forward-thinking voices in any group.
Strengths & Weaknesses Strengths: analytical, idealistic, communicative, independent, and inventive. Weaknesses: can seem emotionally detached, prone to know-it-all tendencies, struggle with adaptation. Their independence may also create distance from others.
Love In relationships, these Aquarians prioritize intellectual connection over emotional intensity. They need partners who respect their autonomy and enjoy meaningful discourse. Commitment grows through mutual admiration and shared aspirations.
Caree & Finance Professionally, they excel in innovation, technology, science, and social causes. Financial success comes through valuable ideas and strong networks. They thrive best working independently rather than within rigid hierarchies.
Health These individuals need mental stimulation for wellness as much as physical activity. Nervous tension can develop when intellectually understimulated. Regular breaks and meaningful social connection support their wellbeing.
That night, the moon was in its waxing gibbous phase.
Chinese year of the Snake (Wood).
Fun Facts About 14th February
Name Days in Your Language: Lovell, Lowell, Valentin, Valentina, Valentine, Valiant
Someone born on this day would be just 114 days old today — roughly 2,751 hours, 165,067 minutes, or 9,904,026 seconds spent on Earth so far.
It's the 45. day of the year. In 2026, 14th February falls on a Saturday.
There are 320 days still to come.
We’re currently in Week 7 — the year marches on.
Famous Birthdays on 13th February
On this day, 231 notable people were born on 13th February — spanning from 1404 to 2002. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.
14/02/2002
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, American football player
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, also known by his initials JSN, is an American professional football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, setting school records for receptions in a single game and receiving yards in a season. Smith-Njigba was selected 20th overall by the Seahawks in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. He became a starter in his second season, amassing 1,130 receiving yards and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. In the 2025 season, Smith-Njigba set a Seahawks franchise record with a league-leading 1,793 receiving yards on 119 receptions, earning him Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY) honors. That same season, he helped the Seahawks win Super Bowl LX.
14/02/2000
Gabriel Moreno, Venezuelan baseball player
Gabriel José Moreno is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022 before being traded to the Diamondbacks during the offseason. In his first season with Arizona, Moreno won a Gold Glove Award and aided in the team's first National League pennant since 2001.
14/02/1999
Tyler Adams, American soccer player
Tyler Shaan Adams is an American professional soccer player who plays for Premier League club Bournemouth and the United States national team. Primarily a midfielder, he is capable of playing as a full-back on either side of the defense or midfield.
14/02/1997
Jaehyun, South Korean singer and actor
Jeong Yun-o, known professionally as Jaehyun, is a South Korean singer. He is a member of the South Korean boy band NCT and its sub-units NCT 127 and NCT DoJaeJung. He made his solo debut on August 26, 2024, with the studio album J.
Breel Embolo, Swiss footballer
Breel Donald Embolo is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Rennes and the Switzerland national team.
14/02/1996
Nikolaj Ehlers, Danish ice hockey player
Nikolaj Ehlers is a Danish professional ice hockey player who is a winger for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Ehlers previously played ice hockey in Switzerland, where his father Heinz was a coach, and then moved to North America in 2013 to play with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). After one year with Halifax he was selected ninth overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2014 NHL entry draft, and spent one more season in juniors before making the NHL in 2015.
Poasa Faamausili, New Zealand rugby league player
Poasa Faamausili is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a prop for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
Lucas Hernandez, French footballer
Lucas François Bernard Hernandez is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or left-back for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team. He is the older brother of fellow professional footballer Théo Hernandez and the son of retired footballer Jean-François Hernandez.
14/02/1993
Jadeveon Clowney, American football player
Jadeveon Davarus Clowney is an American professional football defensive end. He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks, winning the Ted Hendricks Award in 2012. Clowney was selected first overall in the 2014 NFL draft by the Houston Texans, where he spent five seasons. During his final three seasons with the Texans, Clowney received three consecutive Pro Bowl selections and one second-team All-Pro selection. Following his departure from Houston, he played with the Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, and Carolina Panthers before joining the Cowboys in 2025.
Alberto Rosende, American actor and singer
Alberto Carlos Rosende III is an American actor and singer, known for his role as Simon Lewis in the Freeform supernatural drama Shadowhunters from 2016 to 2019. From 2019 to 2024, he starred as Firefighter Blake Gallo in the NBC drama Chicago Fire.
14/02/1992
Christian Eriksen, Danish footballer
Christian Dannemann Eriksen is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for 2. Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg and the Denmark national team.
Freddie Highmore, English actor
Alfred Thomas Highmore is an English actor. He is known for his starring roles beginning as a child, in the films Finding Neverland (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Arthur and the Invisibles (2006), August Rush (2007), The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008), and the voice of the titular robot boy in Astro Boy (2009). Highmore won two consecutive Critics' Choice Movie Awards for Best Young Performer and received two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.
Petr Mrázek, Czech ice hockey player
Petr Mrázek is a Czech professional ice hockey player who is a goaltender for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL).
14/02/1991
Karol G, Colombian singer and songwriter
Carolina Giraldo Navarro, known professionally as Karol G, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Considered as one of the most influential reggaeton and urban pop artists, she has received awards including a Grammy, eight Latin Grammy Awards and five Billboard Music Awards. She was recognised as Woman of the Year and with a Rulebreaker Award at Billboard Women in Music, with the Spirit of Hope Award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards, and has eleven Guinness World Records.
Daniela Mona Lambin, Estonian footballer
This is a complete list of Estonia women's international footballers – women's association football players who have played for the Estonia women's national football team.
14/02/1990
Chris Babb, American basketball player
Chris Babb is an American professional basketball player for BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque of the French LNB Pro A. He played college basketball for Pennsylvania State University and Iowa State University.
Brett Dier, Canadian actor
Brett Jordan Dier is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Michael Cordero Jr. on Jane the Virgin. He is also known for his recurring roles on the Canadian TV shows Bomb Girls and The L.A. Complex, and for his main role as "C.B." on the ABC sitcom Schooled.
Bogdan Kiselevich, Russian ice hockey player
Bogdan Alexandrovich Kiselevich is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently a free agent. He last played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has formerly played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Florida Panthers.
Sefa Yılmaz, German-Turkish footballer
Sefa Yılmaz is a Turkish footballer who plays as a winger.
14/02/1989
Néstor Calderón, Mexican footballer
Néstor Calderón Enríquez, also known as el Avión, is a Mexican former professional footballer who last played as a winger.
Adam Matuszczyk, Polish footballer
Adam Matuszczyk is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for German club Türkischer SV Düren. A former member of the Poland national team, he can also be deployed as a left midfielder.
Emma Miskew, Canadian curler
Emma Kathryn Miskew is a Canadian curler. She is a three-time World and five-time Canadian champion curler as a member of the Rachel Homan rink. She was Homan's longtime third until 2022 when she moved to second, when Tracy Fleury was added to the team. In addition to their World and Canadian championships, the Homan team represented Canada at the 2018 and 2026 Winter Olympics. The team won the bronze medal in 2026 edition of the event.
Byron Mullens, American basketball player
Byron James "B. J." Mullens is a British-American professional basketball player for the Manawatu Jets of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). Born in the United States, he holds British citizenship due to his English mother. He was drafted 24th overall by the Dallas Mavericks and immediately traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2009 NBA draft.
Derek Norris, American baseball player
Derek Russell Norris is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and Tampa Bay Rays. Prior to playing professionally, Norris attended Goddard High School. After signing and spending a few seasons in the Washington Nationals' minor-league system, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics at the end of the 2011 season.
Brandon Sutter, Canadian ice hockey player
Brandon Sutter is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Vancouver Canucks.
Jurij Tepeš, Slovenian ski jumper
Jurij Tepeš is a Slovenian former ski jumper.
Kristian Thomas, English gymnast
Kristian James Thomas is a British former artistic gymnast. A long-standing member of both the England and Great Britain men's teams, he was a member of the British team that won gold in the 2012 European Championships team event, and a historic bronze in the same event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He won his first global individual medal in the 2013 World Championships, a bronze in vault; it was also the first global medal ever won in vault by a British male gymnast. In 2015 he won his first major international title, gold in the floor exercise at the 2015 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
14/02/1988
Katie Boland, Canadian actress, producer, and screenwriter
Katie Boland is a Canadian actress, writer, director, and producer. She began her career as a child actress in film and television and has since branched out into adult roles, in addition to writing, directing, and producing her own projects.
Ángel Di María, Argentinian footballer
Ángel Fabián Di María is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a right winger or attacking midfielder for and captains Argentine Primera División club Rosario Central. Known for his dribbling and playmaking, Di María is the all-time Argentine top assist provider in the UEFA Champions League (41) and ranks second overall.
Siim Liivik, Estonian ice hockey player
Siim Liivik is an Estonian-Finnish former professional ice hockey winger.
14/02/1987
Edinson Cavani, Uruguayan footballer
Edinson Roberto Cavani Gómez is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Boca Juniors. Nicknamed "El Matador", he is considered as one of the best strikers of his generation.
Tom Pyatt, Canadian ice hockey player
Thomas Cullum Pyatt is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He spent most of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators. Pyatt also played in the National League (NL) with Genève-Servette HC and the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers and in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) with Skellefteå AIK.
David Wheater, English footballer
David James Wheater is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. Primarily a centre back, he announced his retirement on 1 September 2023. In 2023, he began coaching young players in his own academy W2 Football Academy.
Candice Wiggins, American basketball player
Candice Dana Wiggins is an American former professional basketball player. She played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal, becoming the all-time leading scorer in Stanford and Pac-10 women's basketball history. Throughout her playing career, Wiggins played for the Minnesota Lynx, Tulsa Shock, Los Angeles Sparks and New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and has played overseas in Spain and Greece. Wiggins has won a WNBA championship (2011) and a WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year (2008).
14/02/1986
Michael Ammermüller, German racing driver
Michael Ammermüller is a German racing driver. After competing in various junior formulae, he became a test and reserve driver for the Red Bull Racing Formula One team in the 2007 season. Following this, he represented Germany in the final two seasons of the A1 Grand Prix series in 2007–08 and 2008–09, before competing for two seasons in ADAC GT Masters. In 2012, he began competing in the Porsche Supercup series for Walter Lechner Racing. He won three consecutive seasons, having won in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Oliver Lee, English actor, director, and screenwriter
Oliver Lee is an English actor. He played the role of Josh Jones in the Channel 4 television drama series Hollyoaks: In the City, during 2006; and Aiden Scotcher in the BBC One school-based drama series Waterloo Road, during 2011. He was born in Greater Manchester, England.
Gao Lin, Chinese footballer
Gao Lin is a Chinese former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Tiffany Thornton, American actress and singer
Tiffany Dawn Thornton is an American former actress, radio personality and singer best known for her co-starring role as Tawni Hart on the Disney Channel Original Series, Sonny with a Chance and in its third season, So Random!.
14/02/1985
Karima Adebibe, English model and actress
Karima Adebibe is an English actress and model.
Tyler Clippard, American baseball player
Tyler Lee Clippard is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, and Minnesota Twins.
Heart Evangelista, Filipino singer and actress
Love Marie Payawal Ongpauco-Escudero, known professionally as Heart Evangelista, is a Filipina actress, host and model. She is the second wife of politician Francis Escudero.
Philippe Senderos, Swiss footballer
Philippe Sylvain Senderos is a Swiss retired professional footballer who played as a defender.
Miki Yeung, Hong Kong singer and actress
Miki Yeung is a Hong Kong cantopop singer and actress. In 2002, she joined the cantopop music idol group Cookies. In 2005, her film b420 was awarded the Grand Prix Award: The 19th Fukuoka Asian Film Festival. Currently she is the TV hostess of the programme Love Academy for the J2 channel. In 2012, she signed an artiste contract with TVB.
14/02/1984
Matt Barr, American actor
Matthew Jerome Barr is an American actor, best-known as Johnson "Johnse" Hatfield in Hatfields & McCoys (2012), Danny McNamara in the CBS/Paramount+ action–adventure television series Blood & Treasure (2019–2022), and Hoyt Rawlins in Walker (2021–2024) and its prequel Walker: Independence (2022–2023).
14/02/1983
Callix Crabbe, Virgin Islander baseball player
Callix Sadeaq Crabbe is a Virgin Islands American former professional baseball second baseman and current coach in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres. He was the assistant hitting coach for the Texas Rangers from 2019 through 2021.
Rocky Elsom, Australian rugby player
Rocky Elsom is an Australian former rugby union player. He played the positions of flanker and number eight. He was selected for 75 caps for Australia and scored 75 points. He is the most capped Australian blindside flanker. Elsom was the 76th Australian test captain, having replaced Stirling Mortlock in 2009 for two years. He played for the Wallabies from 2005 until 2011. Elsom played professionally for New South Wales, Brumbies and Leinster.
Bacary Sagna, French footballer
Bacary Sagna is a French former professional footballer who played as a right-back.
14/02/1982
Marián Gáborík, Slovak ice hockey player
Marián Gáborík is a Slovak former professional ice hockey right winger. He began his playing career in the Slovak Extraliga with Dukla Trenčín for two seasons before being drafted third overall in the 2000 NHL entry draft by the Minnesota Wild, becoming the highest-drafted Slovak player in National Hockey League (NHL) history until Juraj Slafkovský, who was drafted 1st overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2022. Gáborík was the Wild's first-ever draft pick and would score the team's first-ever regular season goal.
John Halls, English footballer and model
John Halls is a model and former English footballer.
Lenka Tvarošková, Slovak tennis player
Lenka Tvarošková is a Slovak former tennis player.
14/02/1981
Matteo Brighi, Italian footballer
Matteo Brighi is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. Regarded as one of Italy's most talented prospects in his early career, Brighi was named Serie A Young Footballer of the Year in 2002.
Randy de Puniet, French motorcycle racer
Randy de Puniet, sometimes known by his initials RdP, is a French motorcycle road racer who competed in Grands Prix racing between 1998 and 2014, achieving five wins in the 250cc class. He also competed in the Superbike World Championship during the 2015 season with little success. He currently competes in the MotoE World Cup, aboard an Energica Ego Corsa.
Brad Halsey, American baseball player (died 2014)
Bradford Alexander Halsey was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees in 2004, for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005, and for the Oakland Athletics in 2006.
Kara Lawson, American basketball player and coach
Kara Marie Lawson is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Duke Blue Devils women's basketball team and the U.S. women's national team. She played professionally in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and has also been a basketball television analyst for ESPN and the Washington Wizards. Lawson primarily played as a shooting guard. She won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, a championship with the Sacramento Monarchs in the 2005 WNBA Finals, and coached the United States women's national 3x3 team to gold in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Lawson retired from the WNBA in 2015 to focus on her broadcasting career. She began her coaching career as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the NBA in 2019.
Jared Lorenzen, American football player (died 2019)
Jared Raymond Lorenzen was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons with the New York Giants. He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats, setting the school records for passing yards and passing touchdowns, and was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2004. At 285 lb (129 kg), Lorenzen was the heaviest quarterback to play in the NFL. He was nicknamed "Hefty Lefty" because of his weight and being left-handed.
14/02/1980
Josh Senter, American screenwriter and producer
Joshua Ray Senter is an American screenwriter and novelist known for his work on the television series Desperate Housewives and his critically-acclaimed novel, Still the Night Call.
Michelle Ye, Hong Kong actress and producer
Michelle Ye or Ye Xuan is a Chinese actress and producer. She is best known for her roles in Eternal Happiness, Triumph in the Skies, and Lost in the Chamber of Love. Her most notable role was in the 2009 film Accident, in which she won the 2010 Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.
14/02/1978
Danai Gurira, American-Zimbabwean actress
Danai Jekesai Gurira is a Zimbabwean-American actress, playwright, screenwriter, producer, and activist. She is best known for her starring roles as Michonne in the AMC horror drama franchise The Walking Dead and Okoye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her films have grossed $6.98 billion, making her the seventh highest-grossing actress of all time.
Richard Hamilton, American basketball player
Richard Clay "Rip" Hamilton is an American former professional basketball player and current basketball analyst for CBS Sports HQ. Hamilton played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is best known for his nine-year stint with the Detroit Pistons, where he was a three-time All-Star. He helped lead the Pistons to six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances, back to back NBA Finals appearances, their best record in franchise history and the 2004 NBA championship.
Darius Songaila, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
Darius Songaila is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for BC Šiauliai of Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL). He has represented the Lithuania national team. He played at the power forward and center positions.
14/02/1977
Anna Erschler, Russian mathematician
Anna Gennadievna Erschler, née Dyubina,, is a Russian mathematician working in France. She specializes in geometric group theory and probability theory, in particular, random walks on groups.
Cadel Evans, Australian cyclist
Cadel Lee Evans is an Australian former professional racing cyclist who competed professionally in both mountain biking and road bicycle racing. A four-time Olympian, Evans is one of three non-Europeans – along with Greg LeMond and Egan Bernal – to have won the Tour de France, winning the race in 2011.
Jim Jefferies, Australian comedian and actor
Geoffrey James Nugent, known professionally as Jim Jefferies, is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. He created and starred in the FX sitcom Legit (2013–2014) and the Comedy Central late-night show The Jim Jefferies Show (2017–2019). In 2023, Jefferies began hosting The 1% Club.
Darren Purse, English footballer
Darren John Purse is an English former professional footballer who now coaches the Cardiff City U23s.
Elmer Symons, South African motorcycle racer (died 2007)
Elmer Symons was a motorcycle enduro racer.
14/02/1976
Milan Hejduk, Czech-American ice hockey player
Milan Hejduk is a Czech American former professional ice hockey forward. Nicknamed "the Duke", he spent his entire 14-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Colorado Avalanche and retired holding the record for most career games as an Avalanche player with 1,020. In 2003, he won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer. He is a member of Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
Liv Kristine, Norwegian singer-songwriter
Liv Kristine Espenæs is a Norwegian singer who has performed and composed songs mostly for various subgenres of heavy metal music. She started her career as a vocalist of gothic metal band Theatre of Tragedy, and is the former lead vocalist of symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes. She is known for her work in close association with her then-husband and leader of German band Atrocity, Alexander Krull. She is vocalist in German band Midnattsol alongside her younger sister Carmen Elise Espenæs. She has also released a number of solo albums in various genres.
Rie Rasmussen, Danish model, film director, writer, photographer, and actress
Rie Rasmussen is a Danish actress, director, writer, photographer and former model. She is best known for her acting roles in the films Femme Fatale (2002) and Angel-A (2005).
14/02/1975
Viktor Kozlov, Russian ice hockey player and coach
Viktor Nikolayevich Kozlov is a Russian former professional ice hockey center and coach. He is the current head coach of the Kontinental Hockey League's Salavat Yulaev Ufa.
Dámaso Marte, Dominican baseball player
Dámaso Marte Saviñón is a Dominican former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played for the Seattle Mariners (1999), Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox (2002–2005), and New York Yankees (2008–2011).
14/02/1974
Valentina Vezzali, Italian fencer and politician
Maria Valentina Vezzali is an Italian politician and retired Olympic and World Champion foil fencer. As a fencer, Vezzali won six Olympic gold medals and was a 16-time World Champion in foil. She is one of only five athletes in the history of the Summer Olympic Games to have won five medals in the same individual event. She is widely considered to be the greatest women’s foilist in fencing history.
14/02/1973
H. D. Ackerman, South African cricketer
Hylton Deon Ackerman, also known as HD Ackerman, is a South African cricket commentator, coach, and former cricketer. He commentates for Supersport. He is currently also the head coach of the First XI and director at Guildford Grammar School in Perth, Western Australia.
Annalisa Buffa, Italian mathematician
Annalisa Buffa is an Italian mathematician, specializing in numerical analysis and partial differential equations (PDE). She is a professor of mathematics at EPFL and holds the Chair of Numerical Modeling and Simulation.
Tyus Edney, American basketball player and coach
Tyus Dwayne Edney Sr. is an American basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Pepperdine Waves men's team of the West Coast Conference (WCC). Listed at 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m), he played point guard. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins from 1991 to 1995, leading them to the 1995 NCAA national championship. His game-winning shot for UCLA in the second round of the 1995 NCAA Tournament is considered one of the most famous plays in NCAA Tournament history. A two-time All-EuroLeague First Team selection, he led Žalgiris Kaunas to the 1999 EuroLeague title and was named the EuroLeague Final Four MVP. He became an assistant coach for UCLA.
Steve McNair, American football player (died 2009)
Stephen LaTreal McNair, nicknamed "Air McNair", was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He started his first two seasons with the Houston Oilers before the team relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, becoming the first franchise quarterback of the Tennessee Titans. McNair also played for two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.
14/02/1972
Drew Bledsoe, American football player and coach
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Washington State Cougars, earning second-team All-American honors and Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year in 1992. Selected first overall in the 1993 NFL draft by the Patriots, Bledsoe ended a seven-year postseason drought and led the team to four playoff appearances, two division titles, and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI. Bledsoe also earned three Pro Bowl selections and became the youngest quarterback to receive the honor in 1995.
Musōyama Masashi, Japanese sumo wrestler
Musōyama Masashi is a former sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in January 1993, and he won promotion to the top makuuchi division in just four tournaments. He won thirteen special prizes and spent a total of 31 tournaments at komusubi and sekiwake before finally reaching the second highest rank of ōzeki in 2000, shortly after winning his only top division tournament championship or yūshō. He retired in 2004. He is now the head coach of Fujishima stable.
Najwa Nimri, Spanish actress and singer
Najwa Nimri Urrutikoetxea is a Spanish actress and singer. Her accolades include nominations for three Goya Awards, a CEC Award, a Forqué Award, and three Feroz Awards.
Jaan Tallinn, Estonian computer programmer, co-developed Skype
Jaan Tallinn is an Estonian computer programmer and investor known for his participation in the development of Skype and file-sharing application FastTrack/Kazaa.
Rob Thomas, American singer-songwriter
Robert Kelly Thomas is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is the lead vocalist for the Florida-based rock band Matchbox Twenty, which he formed in 1995 and with whom he has released five studio albums. As a solo act, he is best known for his guest performance on Santana's 1999 single "Smooth", which won three Grammy Awards, peaked the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 consecutive weeks, and in 2018 was named the second-most successful song in the chart's history. His 2005 single, "Lonely No More," was his first to be released as a lead solo artist. It peaked at number six on the chart and led his debut solo album, ...Something to Be (2005), which peaked atop the Billboard 200.
14/02/1971
Kris Aquino, Filipino talk show host, actress, and producer
Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino is a Filipino television presenter, actress, talent manager and film producer. She is a recipient of 42 PMPC Star Awards for Television, 10 Golden Screen Awards and a FAMAS Award.
Gheorghe Mureșan, Romanian basketball player
Gheorghe Dumitru "Ghiță" Mureșan, also known as "the Giant", is a Romanian-American former professional basketball player. At 7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m), he is one of the two tallest players to have played in the NBA.
14/02/1970
Giuseppe Guerini, Italian cyclist
Giuseppe Guerini is a retired Italian professional road bicycle racer. He was known throughout his career as a climbing specialist and had pronounced success in cycling's Grand Tour events. He completed six editions of the Tour de France, five Vuelta a Españas and four Giros, managing two third-place finishes in the 1997 and 1998 Giro d'Italia.
Sean Hill, American ice hockey player
Sean Ronald Hill is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for eight different teams. He won the Stanley Cup in 1993 with the Montreal Canadiens.
Simon Pegg, English actor, director, and producer
Simon John Pegg is an English actor, comedian and screenwriter. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom Spaced (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. He and Wright co-wrote the films Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World's End (2013), known collectively as the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, all of which saw Wright directing and Pegg starring alongside Nick Frost. Pegg and Frost also wrote and starred in the sci-fi comedy film Paul (2011).
Takashi Saito, Japanese baseball player
Takashi Saito is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher who is currently the chief pitching coach for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
14/02/1969
Meg Hillier, English journalist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
Dame Margaret Olivia Hillier, known as Meg Hillier, is a British Labour and Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hackney South and Shoreditch since 2005. Hillier was a junior government minister from 2007 until 2010 and was succeeded by Caroline Flint as Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in the Labour Party October 2011 reshuffle. She has been the chair of the Treasury Select Committee since 2024, having previously chaired the Public Accounts Committee from 2015 to 2024.
14/02/1968
Jules Asner, American model and television host
Jules Asner is an American screenwriter, author, former entertainment journalist, television personality, and model.
Chris Lewis, Guyanese-English cricketer
Clairmonte Christopher Lewis is an English former cricketer, who played for Nottinghamshire, Surrey and Leicestershire in the 1990s. He played in 32 Test matches and 53 One Day Internationals (ODIs) for England between 1990 and 1998. He was a part of the English squad which finished as runners-up at the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
Scott McClellan, American civil servant and author, 25th White House Press Secretary
Scott McClellan is the former White House Press Secretary (2003–06) for President George W. Bush, he was the 24th person to hold this post. He was also the author of a controversial No. 1 New York Times bestseller about the Bush administration titled What Happened. He replaced Ari Fleischer as press secretary in July 2003 and served until May 10, 2006. McClellan was the longest serving press secretary under George W. Bush.
14/02/1967
Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Greek-English businessman, founded easyJet
Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou is a British-Cypriot entrepreneur. Born into a wealthy ship-owning family, he is best known for founding the low-cost airline easyJet and the Stelmar shipping line with start-up funds provided by his father, Loucas. EasyJet's foundation in 1995 marked the beginning of a series of ventures marketed under the "Easy" brand, managed by easyGroup and chaired by Haji-Ioannou.
Calle Johansson, Swedish ice hockey player and coach
Carl Christian "Calle" Johansson is a Swedish former assistant coach with the Washington Capitals and former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1987 and 2004, most of it with the Capitals. He has worked as hockey colour commentator for Swedish Canal+ and worked as an assistant for six seasons for Frölunda HC in the Swedish Elitserien before returning to the Capitals organization.
Manuela Maleeva, Bulgarian-Swiss tennis player
Manuela Georgieva Maleeva is a Bulgarian former professional tennis player. She played on the WTA Tour between 1982 and 1994. Through her marriage, Maleeva began representing Switzerland officially from January 1990 until her retirement in February 1994.
Bernie Moreno, American politician and businessman
Bernardo Francisco Moreno Mejía is an American politician and businessman serving since 2025 as the senior United States senator from Ohio. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Mark Rutte, Dutch businessman and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Mark Rutte is a Dutch politician who has served as the 14th Secretary General of NATO since October 2024. He previously served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 2010 to 2024 and leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) from 2006 to 2023. Serving a total of almost 14 years, Rutte is the longest-serving prime minister in Dutch history.
14/02/1966
Petr Svoboda, Czech ice hockey player and agent
Petr Svoboda is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning. He was the first Czech to play over 1,000 games in the NHL.
14/02/1964
Gianni Bugno, Italian cyclist and sportscaster
Gianni Bugno is a retired Italian professional road racing cyclist.
Zach Galligan, American actor
Zachary Wolfe Galligan is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Billy Peltzer in the comedy-horror films Gremlins (1984) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).
14/02/1963
Enrico Colantoni, Canadian actor, director, and producer
Enrico Colantoni is a Canadian actor and director, known for portraying Mathesar in Galaxy Quest, Elliot DiMauro in the sitcom Just Shoot Me!, Keith Mars on the television series Veronica Mars, Louis Utz on the short-lived sitcom Hope & Gloria, crime lord Carl Elias on Person of Interest, and Sergeant Greg Parker on the television series Flashpoint. He has also had supporting roles in such films as The Wrong Guy, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Contagion, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and guest appearances on Monk, Numb3rs, Party Down, Stargate SG-1, and Bones. He also starred as Allen Conner in Remedy, played Laura Hollis's father in season three of the online web series Carmilla, and played Vincent Brambilla on TV program Allegiance. On the stage, he also acted in the off-Broadway play Fear at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.
14/02/1962
Sakina Jaffrey, American actress
Sakina Jaffrey is an American actress. Jaffrey is best known for portraying as Linda Vasquez in the Netflix original series House of Cards, and Denise Christopher in the NBC series Timeless.
14/02/1961
D'Wayne Wiggins, American musical artist (died 2025)
D'Wayne Patrice Wiggins was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer best known as a founding member of the R&B/soul band Tony! Toni! Toné!. He formed Tony! Toni! Toné! in 1986 with his younger half brother, Charles Ray Wiggins, and their cousin Timothy Christian Riley. The band achieved three platinum albums and a slew of hits in the 1980s and '90s.
14/02/1960
Philip Jones, English admiral
Admiral Sir Philip Andrew Jones, is a retired senior Royal Navy officer. After service in the South Atlantic in 1982 during the Falklands War, he commanded the frigates HMS Beaver and HMS Coventry. He went on to be Flag Officer, Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland, Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces and Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff before being appointed Fleet Commander and Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff. Jones served as First Sea Lord from April 2016 to June 2019.
Jim Kelly, American football player and businessman
James Edward Kelly is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League (USFL). Kelly played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning offensive MVP honors in the 1981 Peach Bowl.
Meg Tilly, American actress and author
Meg Tilly is an American actress and writer.
14/02/1959
Renée Fleming, American soprano and actress
Renée Lynn Fleming is an American soprano and actress, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nominated for 18 Grammy Awards and has won five times. In December 2023, she was one of five recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors. Other notable honors have included the Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur from the French government, Germany's Cross of the Order of Merit, Sweden's Polar Music Prize and honorary membership in England's Royal Academy of Music. Unusual among artists whose careers began in opera, Fleming has achieved name recognition beyond the classical music world.
14/02/1958
Grant Thomas, Australian footballer and coach
Grant Thomas is a former Australian rules football player and coach. He most recently held the position of coach of the St Kilda Football Club from 2001–2006. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone.
14/02/1957
Soile Isokoski, Finnish soprano and actress
Soile Marja Isokoski is a Finnish lyric soprano, active in opera, concert works and lieder.
Alan Smith, English bishop
Alan Gregory Clayton Smith is a British retired Anglican bishop. From 2009 until 2025, he was the Bishop of St Albans; from 2001 to 2009, he served as the area Bishop of Shrewsbury.
Ken Wahl, American actor
Ken Wahl is an American retired actor. Rising to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, he starred in the CBS television crime drama Wiseguy.
14/02/1956
Howard Davis Jr., American boxer and trainer (died 2015)
Howard Edward Davis Jr. was an American professional boxer. Growing up on Long Island as the eldest of 10 children, Davis first learned boxing from his father. After being inspired by a movie about Muhammad Ali, Davis embarked on his amateur career. He won the 1976 Olympic gold medal one week after his mother died. He was also awarded the Val Barker Trophy at the Olympics, beating out such boxers as Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael Spinks and Leon Spinks.
Dave Dravecky, American baseball player
David Francis Dravecky is an American former professional baseball player, motivational speaker, and author. A left-handed pitcher, Dravecky played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres (1982–87) and the San Francisco Giants (1987–89). He was named an All-Star in 1983 and played with the Padres in the 1984 World Series.
Katharina Fritsch, German sculptor and academic
Katharina Fritsch is a German sculptor. She lives and works in Düsseldorf, Germany.
14/02/1955
Carol Kalish, American publisher (died 1991)
Carol Kalish was an American writer, editor, comic book retailer, and sales manager. She worked as Direct Sales Manager and Vice President of New Product Development at Marvel Comics from 1981 to 1991. She is credited with pioneering the American comics direct market when it was in its adolescence, in part through a program wherein Marvel helped pay for comic book stores to acquire cash registers.
14/02/1954
Jam Mohammad Yousaf, Pakistani politician, Chief Minister of Balochistan (died 2013)
Jam Mir Mohammad Yousaf Aliani was the 12th Jam of Lasbela, and a former Chief Minister of the Balochistan province of Pakistan.
14/02/1952
Sushma Swaraj, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs (died 2019)
Sushma Swaraj was an Indian lawyer, politician and diplomat who served as the 5th Chief Minister of Delhi, and also the Minister of External Affairs of India in the First Modi ministry from 2014 to 2019. She was the second person to complete a 5-year term as the Minister of External Affairs, after Jawaharlal Nehru. A senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Swaraj was the second woman to hold the office of Minister of External Affairs, after Indira Gandhi. She was elected seven times as a Member of Parliament and three times as a Member of the Legislative Assembly. At the age of 25 in 1977, she became the youngest cabinet minister of the Indian state of Haryana. She also served as Chief Minister of Delhi for a short duration in 1998 and became the first female Chief Minister of Delhi.
14/02/1951
Terry Gross, American radio host and producer
Terry Gross is an American journalist who is the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, an interview-based radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed nationally by NPR. Since joining NPR in 1975, Gross has interviewed thousands of guests.
Kevin Keegan, English footballer and manager
Joseph Kevin Keegan is an English former footballer and manager. Nicknamed "King Kev" or "Mighty Mouse", Keegan was recognised for his dribbling ability, as well as his finishing and presence in the air, and is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
14/02/1950
Roger Fisher, American guitarist and songwriter
Roger Fisher is an American guitarist primarily known as one of the founding members of the band Heart. His tenure lasted from 1967 until 1980. In 2013 Fisher was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Heart.
14/02/1948
Mayra Gómez Kemp, Cuban-Spanish television host and actress (died 2024)
Mayra Cristina Gómez Martínez, better known as Mayra Gómez Kemp, was a Cuban-Spanish television host, actress and singer. She was the host of Un, dos, tres... responda otra vez from 1982 to 1988.
Kitten Natividad, Mexican-American actress and dancer (died 2022)
Francesca Isabel Natividad, known professionally as Kitten Natividad, was a Mexican-American film actress and exotic dancer. She was noted for her 44-inch bust, and appearances in cult films made by her ex-partner, director Russ Meyer.
Pat O'Brien, American journalist and author
Patrick John O'Brien is an American author and radio host, best known for his work as a sportscaster with CBS Sports from 1981 to 1997, as well as his work as the anchor and host of Access Hollywood from 1997 to 2004, and The Insider from 2004 to 2008.
Wally Tax, Dutch singer-songwriter (died 2005)
Wladimir "Wally" Tax was a Dutch singer and songwriter. He was founder and frontman of the Nederbeat group The Outsiders (1959–1969) and the rock group Tax Free (1969–1971).
Teller, American magician and actor
Teller is an American magician. He is half of the comedy magic duo Penn & Teller, along with Penn Jillette, and usually does not speak during performances. Teller is an H.L. Mencken Fellow at the Cato Institute.
14/02/1947
Tim Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1975)
Timothy Charles Buckley III was an American musician. He began his career based in folk rock, but subsequently experimented with genres such as psychedelia, jazz, the avant-garde, and funk.
Judd Gregg, American lawyer and politician, 76th Governor of New Hampshire
Judd Alan Gregg is an American politician and attorney who served as the 76th governor of New Hampshire from 1989 to 1993 and a United States senator from New Hampshire from 1993 to 2011 where he was Chairman of the Health Committee and the Budget Committee. A member of the Republican Party, he was a businessman and attorney in Nashua before entering politics. Gregg currently serves as the Chair of the Public Advisory Board at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.
John Quayle, Australian rugby league player and administrator
John Quayle is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s, and administrator in the 1980s and 1990s. An Australia national and New South Wales state representative lock or second-row forward, he played in the NSWRFL Premiership for the Eastern Suburbs and Parramatta clubs. Following his retirement Quayle became the NSWRL's first General Manager and later the ARL's chief executive officer.
Phạm Tuân, Vietnamese aviator and cosmonaut
Phạm Tuân is a retired Vietnamese Air Force fighter pilot and cosmonaut. He became the first Vietnamese cosmonaut, and the first person of Asian origin to be in space when he was launched aboard the Soyuz 37 mission as an Interkosmos research cosmonaut. He was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
Stephen A. Schwarzman, American businessman
Stephen Allen Schwarzman is an American businessman. He is the chairman and CEO of the private equity firm Blackstone Inc., which he established in 1985 with Peter G. Peterson. Schwarzman was chairman of President Donald Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum.
14/02/1946
Bernard Dowiyogo, Nauru politician, President of Nauru (died 2003)
Bernard Annen Auwen Dowiyogo was a Nauruan politician who served as President of Nauru on seven separate occasions. During this time, he also served as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Ubenide.
Gregory Hines, American actor, singer, and dancer (died 2003)
Gregory Oliver Hines was an American dancer, actor, choreographer, and singer. He is one of the most celebrated tap dancers of all time. As an actor, he is best known for History of the World, Part I (1981), Wolfen (1981), The Cotton Club (1984), White Nights (1985), Running Scared (1986), A Rage in Harlem (1991), The Gregory Hines Show (1997–98), playing Ben on Will & Grace (1999–2000), and for voicing Big Bill on the Nick Jr. animated children's television program Little Bill (1999–2004).
14/02/1945
Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein
Hans-Adam II is the Prince of Liechtenstein, reigning since 1989. As a member of the Liechtenstein princely family, he also holds the title of Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf and Count of Rietberg.
Rod Masterson, American lieutenant and actor (died 2013)
Rodney Gregory Masterson, Jr., known as Rod Masterson, was an American film and television actor from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
14/02/1944
Carl Bernstein, American journalist and author
Carl Milton Bernstein is an American investigative journalist and author. While a young reporter for The Washington Post in 1972, Bernstein was teamed up with Bob Woodward, and the two did much of the original news reporting on the Watergate scandal. These scandals led to numerous government investigations and the eventual resignation of President Richard Nixon. The work of Woodward and Bernstein was called "maybe the single greatest reporting effort of all time" by long-time journalism figure Gene Roberts.
Alan Parker, English director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2020)
Sir Alan William Parker was an English film director, screenwriter and producer. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After about ten years of filming adverts, many of which won awards for creativity, he began screenwriting and directing films.
Ronnie Peterson, Swedish racing driver (died 1978)
Bengt Ronnie Peterson was a Swedish racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1970 to 1978. Nicknamed "Superswede", Peterson twice finished runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1971 and 1978, and won 10 Grands Prix across nine seasons.
14/02/1943
Maceo Parker, American saxophonist
Maceo Parker is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s and Prince in the 2000s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of Brown's hit recordings, and a key part of his band, playing alto, tenor and baritone saxophones. Since the early 1990s, he has toured under his own name.
14/02/1942
Michael Bloomberg, American businessman and politician, 108th Mayor of New York City
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001, and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 109th mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013. He was a lifelong Democrat until 2001, when he switched to the Republican Party to run for mayor, and later becoming an Independent in 2007. Bloomberg is the most recent mayor of New York City to serve as a Republican or Independent. In 2018, he rejoined the Democratic Party, after which he ran an unsuccessful campaign for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president of the United States. Bloomberg is a centibillionaire, worth $109.4 billion as of March 2026, making him the 18th richest person in the world.
Andrew Robinson, American actor and director
Andrew Jordt Robinson is an American actor and the former director of the Master of Fine Arts acting program at the University of Southern California. Originally a stage actor, he works predominantly in supporting roles on television and in low-budget films. He is known for his portrayals of the psychopathic serial killer Scorpio in Dirty Harry (1971), Larry Cotton in the horror film Hellraiser (1987), and Elim Garak in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999). He and his wife Irene have a daughter, actress Rachel Robinson, who appeared in Deep Space Nine episode "The Visitor".
Ricardo Rodríguez, Mexican racing driver (died 1962)
Ricardo Valentín Rodríguez de la Vega was the first Mexican driver ever to take part in a Formula One Grand Prix, competing in the 1961 and 1962 Formula One seasons.
14/02/1941
Donna Shalala, American academic and politician, 18th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
Donna Edna Shalala is an American retired politician and academic. She served in the Carter and Clinton administrations. From 2019 to 2021, she served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Florida's 27th congressional district for a single term before losing re-election. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Paul Tsongas, American lawyer and politician (died 1997)
Paul Efthemios Tsongas was an American politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1979 until 1985 and in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 until 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, he ran for president in 1992. He won eight contests during the presidential primaries but ultimately lost the nomination to Bill Clinton, who later won the general election.
14/02/1939
Razzy Bailey, American country music singer-songwriter and musician (died 2021)
Rasie Michael Bailey, better known as Razzy Bailey, was an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. In the early 1980s, he scored 5 No. 1s on the Billboard country music charts.
Blowfly, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2016)
Clarence Henry Reid was an American musician, songwriter and producer also known by the stage name and alternate persona Blowfly. He released over 25 parody albums as Blowfly and another three albums as Clarence Reid.
Eugene Fama, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
Eugene Francis "Gene" Fama is an American economist and Nobel Laureate. He is best known for his empirical work on portfolio theory, asset pricing, and the efficient-market hypothesis.
14/02/1938
Eberhard Riedel, German Olympic alpine skier (died 2026)
Eberhard Riedel was a German alpine skier who competed in the 1960, 1964 and the 1968 Winter Olympics.
14/02/1937
John MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market, English politician, Secretary of State for Transport
John Roddick Russell MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market,, is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Norfolk from 1974 to 2001. He served in the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury (1985–87), Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1987–89), Secretary of State for Education and Science (1989–90), Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council (1990–92), and Secretary of State for Transport (1992–94). He was made a life peer in 2001.
Magic Sam, American singer and guitarist (died 1969)
Samuel Gene Maghett, known as Magic Sam, was an American Chicago blues musician. He was born in Grenada County, Mississippi, and learned to play the blues from listening to records by Muddy Waters and Little Walter. After moving to Chicago at the age of 19, he was signed by Cobra Records and became well known as a bluesman after the release of his first record, "All Your Love", in 1957. He was known for his distinctive tremolo guitar playing.
14/02/1936
Anna German, Polish singer (died 1982)
Anna Wiktoria German-Tucholska was a Polish singer (lirico-spinto), immensely popular in Poland and in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and the 1970s. She released over a dozen music albums with songs in Polish, as well as several albums with Russian repertoire. Throughout her music career, she also recorded songs in the German, Italian, Spanish, English, and Latin languages.
14/02/1935
David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, Scottish academic and diplomat, 27th Governor of Hong Kong
David Clive Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn is a retired British administrator, diplomat and Sinologist. He was the penultimate Commander-in-Chief and 27th Governor of Hong Kong. He served as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the British Monarch's representative to the Assembly, in 2010 and 2011. He is also one of two living former governors of Hong Kong, alongside Chris Patten. He retired from the House of Lords on 12 February 2021 after sitting as a crossbencher for more than 28 years.
14/02/1934
Florence Henderson, American actress and singer (died 2016)
Florence Agnes Henderson was an American singer and actress. With a career spanning six decades, she is best known for her starring role as Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch. Henderson also appeared in film, as well as on stage, and hosted several long-running cooking and variety shows over the years. She appeared as a guest on many scripted and unscripted television programs and as a panelist on numerous game shows. Henderson was also a contestant on Dancing with the Stars in 2010.
14/02/1933
Nell Hall Williams, American quilter (died 2021)
Nell Hall Williams was an American artist associated with the Gee's Bend group of quilters. Her work is included in the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Baltimore Museum of Art.
14/02/1932
Harriet Andersson, Swedish actress
Harriet Andersson is a Swedish actress, best known outside Sweden for being part of director Ingmar Bergman's stock company. She often plays impulsive, working class characters.
Alexander Kluge, German author, film director and public intellectual (died 2026)
Alexander Ernst Kluge was a German author, film director, academic and founder of a television production company.
14/02/1931
Brian Kelly, American actor and director (died 2005)
Brian Kelly was an American actor and producer widely known for his role as Porter Ricks, the widowed father of two sons on the NBC television series Flipper.
14/02/1929
Vic Morrow, American actor and director (died 1982)
Victor Harry Morrow was an American actor. He first gained attention for the role of juvenile delinquent Artie West in his debut film Blackboard Jungle (1955). He later came to prominence as one of the leads of the ABC drama series Combat! (1962–1967), which earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Series. Active on screen for over three decades, his other film roles include King Creole (1958), God's Little Acre (1958), Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974), and The Bad News Bears (1976). Morrow continued acting up to his death during filming of Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) when he and two child actors were killed in a helicopter crash on set.
14/02/1928
William Allain, American lawyer and politician, 58th Governor of Mississippi (died 2013)
William A. Allain was an American politician and lawyer who held office as the 59th governor of Mississippi as a Democrat from 1984 to 1988. Born in Adams County, Mississippi, he attended the University of Notre Dame and received a law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1948.
Vicente T. Blaz, American general and politician (died 2014)
Vincente Tomás Garrido Blaz, also known as Ben Blaz, was a Chamorro United States Marine Corps Brigadier General from the United States territory of Guam. Blaz served in the Marine Corps from 1951 until July 1, 1980. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Reserve Affairs, Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, D.C.
14/02/1927
Lois Maxwell, Canadian-Australian model and actress (died 2007)
Lois Ruth Maxwell was a Canadian actress. She was best known for portraying Miss Moneypenny in the first 14 Eon-produced James Bond films (1962–1985), from Dr. No in 1962 to A View to a Kill in 1985.
14/02/1924
Juan Ponce Enrile, Filipino politician and lawyer (died 2025)
Juan Furagganan Ponce Enrile Sr.,, also referred to by his initials JPE, was a Filipino politician and lawyer, who served as 26th President of the Senate of the Philippines from 2008 until his resignation in 2013. Enrile was one of the longest-serving Filipino politicians in history, and one of the few to reach the age of 100. He was known for his role in the administration of Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos; his role in the failed coup that helped hasten the 1986 People Power Revolution and the ouster of Marcos; and his tenure in the Philippine legislature in the years after the revolution. Enrile also participated in rallies supporting ousted president Joseph Estrada in April 2001 that preceded the May 1 riots near Malacañang Palace. Enrile served four terms in the Senate, in a total of twenty-two years and three-hundred twenty days, one of the longest-tenures in the history of the upper chamber. In 2022, at the age of 98, he returned to government office as the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel in the administration of President Bongbong Marcos, serving until his death in 2025.
Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma (died 2017)
Patricia Edwina Victoria Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma, Baroness Brabourne, was a British peeress and third cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. She was the elder daughter of Admiral of the Fleet the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and of heiress Edwina Ashley. She was the elder sister of Lady Pamela Hicks, the first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the last surviving baptismal sponsor to her first cousin once removed King Charles III. She was the great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
14/02/1923
Jay Hebert, American golfer (died 1997)
Junius Joseph "Jay" Hebert was an American professional golfer. He won seven times on the PGA Tour including the 1960 PGA Championship. His younger brother, Lionel Hebert, also won the PGA Championship, in 1957, the last edition at match play. Jay played on the 1959 and 1961 Ryder Cup teams and was captain for the 1971 team.
14/02/1921
Hugh Downs, American journalist, game show host, and producer (died 2020)
Hugh Malcolm Downs was an American television presenter, radio personality, author, and music composer. A regular television presence from the mid-1940s until the late 1990s, he had several successful roles on morning, prime-time, and late-night television. For several years, he held the certified Guinness World Record for the most hours on commercial network television before being surpassed by Regis Philbin, who died 24 days after he did.
Hazel McCallion, Canadian businesswoman and politician, 3rd Mayor of Mississauga (died 2023)
Hazel Mary Muriel McCallion was a Canadian politician who served as the fifth mayor of Mississauga. First elected in November 1978, McCallion was mayor for 36 years until her retirement in 2014, making her the longest-serving mayor in the city's history. She was a successful candidate in twelve municipal elections, having been acclaimed twice and re-elected ten times. She was nicknamed "Hurricane Hazel" for her outspoken political style with reference to the hurricane of 1954, which had a considerable impact. When the 1979 Mississauga train derailment occurred early in her tenure, she helped oversee evacuation of 200,000 residents from the resulting explosion, fire, and spill of hazardous chemicals.
14/02/1917
Herbert A. Hauptman, American mathematician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2011)
Herbert Aaron Hauptman was an American mathematician and Nobel laureate. He pioneered and developed a mathematical method that has changed the whole field of chemistry and opened a new era in research in determination of molecular structures of crystallized materials. Today, Hauptman's direct methods, which he continued to improve and refine, are routinely used to solve complicated structures. It was the application of this mathematical method to a wide variety of chemical structures that led the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to name Hauptman and Jerome Karle recipients of the 1985 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
14/02/1916
Marcel Bigeard, French general (died 2010)
Marcel Bigeard, personal radio call-sign "Bruno", was a French military officer and politician who fought in World War II, the First Indochina War and the Algerian War. He was one of the commanders in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and is thought by many to have been a dominating influence on French "unconventional" warfare thinking from that time onwards. He was one of the most decorated officers in France, and is particularly noteworthy because of his rise from being a regular soldier in 1936 to ultimately concluding his career in 1976 as a Lieutenant General and serving in the government of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
Masaki Kobayashi, Japanese director and producer (died 1996)
Masaki Kobayashi was a Japanese filmmaker. He is best remembered for directing the epic war trilogy The Human Condition (1959–1961), the samurai films Harakiri (1962) and Samurai Rebellion (1967), and the horror anthology epic Kwaidan (1964). Senses of Cinema described him as "one of the finest depicters of Japanese society in the 1950s and 1960s." Although overshadowed by other Japanese filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa and Yasujirō Ozu in his lifetime, his work has gained wider traction in the 21st century with several of his films being ranked as some of the greatest films ever made.
Edward Platt, American actor (died 1974)
Edward Cuthbert Platt was an American actor widely known for his portrayal of the Chief in the 1965–1970 NBC/CBS television series Get Smart. With his deep voice and mature appearance, he played an eclectic mix of characters over the span of his career.
14/02/1915
Sally Gray, English actress and singer (died 2006)
Constance Vera Browne, Baroness Oranmore and Browne, commonly known as Sally Gray, was an English film actress of the 1930s and 1940s. Her obituary in The Irish Times described her as "once seen as a British rival to Ginger Rogers."
14/02/1913
Mel Allen, American sportscaster (died 1996)
Mel Allen was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. During the peak of his career in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, Allen was arguably the most prominent member of his profession, his voice familiar to millions. Years after his death, he is still promoted as having been "The Voice of the Yankees."
Woody Hayes, American football player and coach (died 1987)
Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes was an American college football coach and player. He served as the head football coach at Denison University from 1946 to 1948, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, from 1949 to 1950, and Ohio State University from 1951 to 1978, compiling a career college football coaching record of 238–72–10. Hayes is widely considered the greatest Ohio State coach of all time. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1983.
Jimmy Hoffa, American trade union leader (died 1975)
James Riddle Hoffa was an American labor union leader who served as the General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) from 1957 to 1971. He was alleged to have ties to organized crime, and disappeared under mysterious circumstances in 1975.
James Pike, American bishop (died 1969)
James Albert Pike was an American Episcopal bishop, accused heretic, writer, and one of the first mainline religious figures to appear regularly on television.
14/02/1912
Tibor Sekelj, Hungarian lawyer, explorer, and author (died 1988)
Tibor Sekelj, also known as Székely Tibor according to Hungarian orthography, was a Hungarian born polyglot, explorer, author, and 'citizen of the world.' In 1986 he was elected a member of the Academy of Esperanto and an honorary member of the World Esperanto Association. Among his novels, travel books and essays, his novella Kumeŭaŭa, la filo de la ĝangalo, a children's book about the life of Brazilian Indians, was translated into seventeen languages, and in 1987 it was voted best Children's book in Japan. In 2011 the European Esperanto Union declared 2012 "The Year of Tibor Sekelj" to honor the 100th anniversary of his birth.
14/02/1911
Willem Johan Kolff, Dutch physician and inventor (died 2009)
Willem Johan "Pim" Kolff was a pioneer of hemodialysis, artificial heart, as well as in the entire field of artificial organs. Willem was a member of the Kolff family, an old Dutch patrician family. He made his major discoveries in the field of dialysis for kidney failure during the Second World War. He emigrated in 1950 to the United States, where he obtained US citizenship in 1955, and received a number of awards and widespread recognition for his work.
14/02/1907
Johnny Longden, English-American jockey and trainer (died 2003)
John Eric "Johnny" Longden was an American Hall of Fame and National Champion jockey and a trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses who was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England. His father emigrated to Canada in 1909, settling in Taber, Alberta.
14/02/1903
Stuart Erwin, American actor (died 1967)
Stuart Erwin was an American actor of stage, film, and television.
14/02/1902
Thelma Ritter, American actress and singer (died 1969)
Thelma Ritter was an American character actress who, known for her strong New York City accent, diminutive size, and plain look, favored working-class roles. She earned a Tony Award and six Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress, more than any other actress in the category.
14/02/1900
Jessica Dragonette, American singer (died 1980)
Jessica Dragonette was a singer who became popular on American radio and was active in the World War II effort.
14/02/1898
Bill Tilman, English mountaineer and explorer (died 1977)
Major Harold William Tilman, CBE, DSO, MC and Bar, was an English mountaineer and explorer, renowned for his Himalayan climbs and sailing voyages.
Fritz Zwicky, Swiss-American physicist and astronomer (died 1974)
Fritz Zwicky was a Swiss astronomer. He worked most of his life at the California Institute of Technology in the United States of America, where he made many important contributions in theoretical and observational astronomy. He was the first to propose supernovas as giant explosions at the end of a star's life, and neutron stars as the remnants left over after supernovas. In 1933, Zwicky proposed that unseen dark matter would explain the much higher mass required to explain velocity dispersion in the Coma Cluster, compared to mass calculated from luminosity data.
14/02/1895
Wilhelm Burgdorf, German general (died 1945)
Wilhelm Emanuel Burgdorf was a German army general who rose to prominence during the final years of World War II. Burgdorf served as a commander of 529th Infantry Regiment from May 1940 to April 1942. In October 1944, Burgdorf assumed the role of the chief of the Army Personnel Office and chief adjutant to Adolf Hitler. In this capacity, he played a key role in the forced suicide of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. Burgdorf committed suicide inside the Führerbunker on 2 May 1945 at the conclusion of the Battle of Berlin.
Max Horkheimer, German philosopher and sociologist (died 1973)
Max Horkheimer was a German philosopher and sociologist best known for his role in developing critical theory as director of the Institute for Social Research, commonly associated with the Frankfurt School.
14/02/1894
Jack Benny, American actor and producer (died 1974)
Jack Benny was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success as a violinist on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with a highly popular comedic career in radio, television, and film.
14/02/1892
Radola Gajda, Czech commander and politician (died 1948)
Radola Gajda, born as Rudolf Geidl was a Czech military commander and politician.
14/02/1891
Katherine Stinson, American aviator (died 1977)
Katherine Stinson was an American aviation pioneer who, in 1912, became the fourth woman in the United States to earn the FAI pilot certificate. She set flying records for aerobatic maneuvers, distance, and endurance. She was the first female pilot employed by the U.S. Postal Service and the first civilian pilot to fly the mail in Canada. She was also one of the first pilots to ever fly at night and the first female pilot to fly in Canada, Japan, and China. She also was the first woman to fly over London, England.
14/02/1890
Nina Hamnett, Welsh-English painter and author (died 1956)
Nina Hamnett was a Welsh artist and writer, and an expert on sailors' shanties, who became known as the Queen of Bohemia.
Dick Richards, Welsh international footballer (died 1934)
Richard William Richards was a Welsh footballer who played in various forward positions in the Football League for Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Ham United and Fulham, and internationally for Wales.
14/02/1888
Chandrashekhar Agashe, Indian industrialist (died 1956)
Chandrashekhar Govind Agashe was an Indian industrialist, lawyer, educator, and philanthropist, best remembered as the founder of the Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate Ltd. He served as the managing agent of the company from its inception in 1934 till his death in 1956.
14/02/1884
Nils Olaf Chrisander, Swedish actor and director (died 1947)
Nils Olaf Chrisander was a Swedish actor and film director in the early part of the twentieth century.
Kostas Varnalis, Greek poet and playwright (died 1974)
Kostas Varnalis was a Greek poet and writer.
14/02/1882
John Barrymore, American actor (died 1942)
John Barrymore was an American actor on stage, screen, and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage and briefly attempted a career as a visual artist, but appeared on stage together with his father, Maurice, in 1900, and then his sister Ethel the following year. He began his career in 1903 and first gained attention as a stage actor in light comedy, then high drama, culminating in productions of Justice (1916), Richard III (1920), and Hamlet (1922); his portrayal of Hamlet led to him being called the "greatest living American tragedian".
14/02/1878
Julius Nieuwland, Belgian priest, chemist and academic (died 1936)
Julius Aloysius Arthur Nieuwland, CSC, was a Belgian-born Holy Cross priest and professor of chemistry and botany at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. He is known for his contributions to acetylene research and its use as the basis for one type of synthetic rubber, which eventually led to the invention of neoprene by DuPont.
14/02/1869
Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Scottish physicist and meteorologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1959)
Charles Thomson Rees Wilson was a British meteorologist and physicist who shared the 1927 Nobel Prize in Physics with Arthur Compton for his invention of the cloud chamber.
14/02/1864
Hadley Williams, Canadian surgeon and educator (died 1932)
Henry Thomas Hadley Williams was a British-born Canadian surgeon and medical teacher in London, Ontario. He was head of surgery at the University of Western Ontario, surgeon to Victoria Hospital, and a member of the staff of St Joseph's Hospital.
14/02/1860
Eugen Schiffer, German lawyer and politician, Vice-Chancellor of Germany (died 1954)
Eugen Schiffer was a German lawyer and liberal politician. He served as Minister of Finance and deputy head of government in the Weimar Republic from February to April 1919. From October 1919 to March 1920, he was again deputy head of government and Minister of Justice. In 1921, he once more became Minister of Justice. Schiffer was a founder-member of the liberal German Democratic Party (DDP) in 1918 and 1919 and co-founder in 1946 of its East German successor party, the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDPD).
14/02/1859
George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., American engineer, inventor of the Ferris wheel (died 1896)
George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. was an American civil engineer. He is mostly known for creating the original Ferris Wheel for the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition.
14/02/1855
Frank Harris, Irish author and journalist (died 1931)
Frank Harris was an Irish-American editor, novelist, short story writer, journalist and publisher, who was friendly with many well-known figures of his day.
14/02/1848
Benjamin Baillaud, French astronomer and academic (died 1934)
Édouard Benjamin Baillaud was a French astronomer.
14/02/1847
Anna Howard Shaw, American physician, minister, and activist (died 1919)
Anna Howard Shaw was a leader of the women's suffrage movement in the United States. She was also a physician and one of the first women to be ordained as a Methodist minister in the United States.
14/02/1846
Julian Scott, American soldier and drummer, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1901)
Julian A. Scott, was born in Johnson, Vermont, and served as a Union Army drummer during the American Civil War, where he received America's highest military decoration the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Lee's Mills. He was also an American painter and Civil War artist.
14/02/1838
Margaret E. Knight, American inventor (died 1914)
Margaret Eloise Knight was an American inventor, notably of a machine to produce flat-bottomed paper bags. She has been called "the most famous 19th-century woman inventor". She founded the Eastern Paper Bag Company in 1870, creating paper bags for groceries similar in form to the ones that would be used in later generations. Knight received dozens of patents in different fields and became a symbol for women's empowerment.
14/02/1835
Piet Paaltjens, Dutch minister and poet (died 1894)
François Haverschmidt, also written as HaverSchmidt, was a Dutch minister and writer, who wrote prose under his own name but remains best known for the poetry published under the pen name of Piet Paaltjens. Following his wife's death, he suffered from depression. He committed suicide in 1894.
14/02/1829
Alfred Iverson Jr., American Confederate Army officer (died 1911)
Alfred Iverson Jr. was a lawyer, an officer in the Mexican–American War, a U.S. Army cavalry officer, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He served in the 1862–63 campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia as a regimental and later brigade commander. His career was fatally damaged by a disastrous infantry assault at the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. General Robert E. Lee removed Iverson from his army and sent him to cavalry duty in Georgia. During the Atlanta campaign, he achieved a notable success in a cavalry action near Macon, Georgia, capturing Union Army Maj. Gen. George Stoneman and hundreds of his men.
14/02/1828
Edmond François Valentin About, French journalist and author (died 1885)
Edmond François Valentin About was a French novelist, publicist and journalist.
14/02/1824
Winfield Scott Hancock, American general and politician (died 1886)
Winfield Scott Hancock was a major general in the United States Army and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service in the Mexican–American War and as a Union general in the American Civil War. Known to his Army as "Hancock the Superb", he was noted in particular for his personal leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. His military service continued after the Civil War, as Hancock participated in the military Reconstruction of the South and the United States's western expansion and war with the Native Americans at the Western frontier. This concluded with the Medicine Lodge Treaty. From 1881 to 1885 he was president of the Aztec Club of 1847 for veteran officers of the Mexican-American War.
14/02/1819
Christopher Latham Sholes, American journalist and politician, invented the typewriter (died 1890)
Christopher Latham Sholes was an American inventor who invented the QWERTY keyboard, and, along with Samuel W. Soule, Carlos Glidden and John Pratt, has been contended to be one of the inventors of the first typewriter in the United States. He was also a newspaper publisher and Wisconsin politician. In his time, Sholes went by the names C. Latham Sholes, Latham Sholes, or C. L. Sholes, but never "Christopher Sholes" or "Christopher L. Sholes".
14/02/1813
Lydia Hamilton Smith, African-American businesswoman (died 1884)
Lydia Hamilton Smith was an American businesswoman and the long-time housekeeper and confidante of Thaddeus Stevens, later becoming a prominent entrepreneur after his death.
14/02/1812
Fernando Wood, American merchant and politician, 73rd Mayor of New York City (died 1881)
Fernando Wood was an American Democratic Party politician, merchant, and real estate investor who served as the 74th and 76th mayor of New York City. He also represented the city for several terms in the United States House of Representatives.
14/02/1808
Michael Costa, Italian-English conductor and composer (died 1884)
Sir Michael Andrew Angus Costa was an Italian-born conductor and composer who achieved success in England.
14/02/1800
Emory Washburn, American historian, lawyer, and politician, 22nd Governor of Massachusetts (died 1877)
Emory Washburn was an American lawyer, politician, and historian. He was Governor of Massachusetts for one term, and served for many years on the faculty of Harvard Law School. His history of the early years of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is considered a foundational work on the subject.
14/02/1799
Walenty Wańkowicz, Polish painter and illustrator (died 1842)
Walenty Wilhelm Wańkowicz was a Polish painter. He studied at the Jesuit College in Polotsk, the University of Wilno and the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. He produced, among other things, a well-known portrait of Adam Mickiewicz (1827–28).
14/02/1784
Heinrich Baermann, German clarinetist (died 1847)
Heinrich Joseph Baermann was a German clarinet virtuoso of the Classical and Romantic eras who is generally considered as being not only an outstanding performer of his time, but highly influential in the creation of several important composers' works for his instrument. He was the father of clarinetist and composer Carl Baermann, Sr. and the grandfather of pianist and composer Carl Baermann, Jr.
14/02/1782
Eleanora Atherton, English philanthropist (died 1870)
Eleanora Atherton was an English philanthropist and heiress associated with Manchester during the late Georgian and Victorian periods. She funded churches, schools, hospitals, and charitable institutions across Manchester and Salford and became one of the wealthiest women in nineteenth-century Britain.
14/02/1763
Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French general (died 1813)
Jean Victor Marie Moreau was a French general who helped Napoleon Bonaparte rise to power, but later became his chief military and political rival and was banished to the United States. A product of the French Revolution, he is among the foremost French generals in military history. He led the French Revolutionary Army to a series of victories, including the major Battle of Hohenlinden; however, he also suffered defeats against such capable military commanders as Archduke Charles and Alexander Suvorov.
14/02/1701
Enrique Flórez, Spanish historian and author (died 1773)
Enrique or Henrique Flórez de Setién y Huidobro was a Spanish historian.
14/02/1692
Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, French author and playwright (died 1754)
Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée was a French dramatist who blurred the lines between comedy and tragedy with his comédie larmoyante.
14/02/1679
Georg Friedrich Kauffmann, German organist and composer (died 1735)
Georg Friedrich Kauffmann was a Baroque composer and organist from northern-central Germany who composed primarily sacred works for the organ and voice.
14/02/1670
Rajaram Raj Bhonsle, third Chhatrapati of the Maratha Confederacy (died 1700)
Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj I, also known as Ram Raaje, was the third king (Chhatrapati) of the Maratha Kingdom, who ruled from 1689 to his death in 1700. He was the second son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the kingdom, and younger paternal half-brother of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, whom he succeeded. His eleven-year reign was marked with a constant struggle against the Mughals. He was succeeded by his infant son Shivaji II under the regentship of his Rajmata Maharani Tarabai.
14/02/1640
Countess Palatine Anna Magdalena of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler (died 1693)
Countess Palatine Anna Magdalena of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler was a daughter of Christian I, Count Palatine of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler (1598–1654) and his first wife, Countess Palatine Magdalene Catherine of Zweibrücken (1606–1648).
14/02/1628
Valentine Greatrakes, Irish faith healer (died 1683)
Valentine Greatrakes, also known as "Greatorex" or "The Stroker", was an Irish faith healer who toured England in 1666, claiming to cure people by the laying on of hands.
14/02/1625
Countess Palatine Maria Euphrosyne of Zweibrücken, Swedish princess (died 1687)
Maria Euphrosyne of Zweibrücken was a countess Palatine, the cousin and foster sister of Queen Christina of Sweden, and the sister of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden. She was also, after the accession of her brother Charles X Gustav on the throne (1654), a titular Royal Princess of Sweden.
14/02/1614
John Wilkins, English bishop, academic and natural philosopher (died 1672)
John Wilkins was an English Anglican clergyman, natural philosopher, and author, and was one of the founders of the Royal Society. He was Bishop of Chester from 1668 until his death.
14/02/1602
Francesco Cavalli, Italian composer (died 1676)
Francesco Cavalli was a Venetian composer, organist and singer of the early Baroque period. He succeeded his teacher Claudio Monteverdi as the dominant and leading opera composer of the mid 17th-century. A central figure of Venetian musical life, Cavalli wrote more than thirty operas, almost all of which premiered in the city's theaters. His best known works include Ormindo (1644), Giasone (1649) and La Calisto (1651).
14/02/1545
Lucrezia de' Medici, Duchess of Ferrara (died 1561)
Lucrezia de' Medici was a member of the House of Medici and by marriage Duchess consort of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio from 1558 to 1561.
14/02/1513
Domenico Ferrabosco, Italian composer (died 1573)
Domenico Maria Ferrabosco was an Italian composer and singer of the Renaissance, and the eldest musician in a large prominent family from Bologna. He spent his career both in Bologna and Rome. His surviving music is all vocal, consisting of madrigals and motets, although he is principally known for his madrigals, which musicologist Alfred Einstein compared favorably to those of his renowned contemporary Cipriano de Rore.
14/02/1490
Valentin Friedland, German scholar and educationist of the Reformation (died 1556)
Valentin Friedland, also called Valentin Troitschendorf after his birthplace, was a German scholar and educationist of the Reformation. Friedland was a friend of Martin Luther and Melanchthon. His fame as a teacher was an attraction of Goldberg in Silesia, where he taught pupils from far and near. The secret of his success lay in his inculcating on his pupils respect for their own honour. He had a great faith in the intelligence that evinced itself in clear expression.
14/02/1483
Babur, Mughal emperor (died 1530)
Babur was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his father and mother respectively. He was also given the posthumous name of Firdaws Makani.
14/02/1468
Johannes Werner, German priest and mathematician (died 1522)
Johann(es) Werner was a German mathematician. He was born in Nuremberg, Germany, where he became a parish priest. His primary work was in astronomy, mathematics, and geography, although he was also considered a skilled instrument maker.
14/02/1452
Pandolfo Petrucci, tyrant of Siena (died 1512)
Pandolfo Petrucci was the lord of Siena during the Renaissance.
14/02/1408
John FitzAlan, 14th Earl of Arundel (died 1435)
John Fitzalan, 7th Earl of Arundel, 4th Baron Maltravers KG was an English nobleman and military commander during the later phases of the Hundred Years' War. His father, John Fitzalan, 3rd Baron Maltravers, fought a long battle to lay claim to the Arundel earldom, a battle that was not finally resolved until after the father's death, when John Fitzalan the son was finally confirmed in the title in 1433.
14/02/1404
Leon Battista Alberti, Italian painter, poet, and philosopher (died 1472)
Leon Battista Alberti was an Italian Renaissance humanist author, artist, architect, poet, priest, linguist, philosopher, and cryptographer; he epitomised the nature of those identified now as polymaths. He is considered the founder of European cryptography, a claim he shares with Johannes Trithemius.
Lives Remembered on 13th February
On 13th February, 110 remarkable people passed away — from 269 to 2026. Remember the lives and legacies of those we lost on this day.
14/02/2026
Tom Noonan, American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1951)
Thomas Patrick Noonan was an American actor, director and screenwriter, best known for his roles as Francis Dollarhyde in Manhunter (1986), Frankenstein's Monster in The Monster Squad (1987), Cain in RoboCop 2 (1990), The Ripper in Last Action Hero (1993), Kelso in Heat (1995), Sammy Barnathan in Synecdoche, New York (2008), Mr. Ulman in The House of the Devil (2009), Reverend Nathaniel in Hell on Wheels (2011–2014), the Pallid Man in 12 Monkeys (2015–2018), and as the voice of everyone but Michael and Lisa in Anomalisa (2015).
14/02/2021
Carlos Menem, Argentine former president, lawyer, and statesman (born 1930)
Carlos Saúl Menem was an Argentine politician who served as the president of Argentina for ten years, from 1989 to 1999. He identified as Peronist, serving as President of the Justicialist Party for 13 years, and his political approach became known as Menemism.
William Meninger, American Trappist monk and a principal developer of Centering Prayer (born 1932)
William Austin Meninger, O.C.S.O. was an American Trappist priest who was a spiritual teacher and a principal developer of centering prayer, a method of contemplative prayer.
14/02/2019
Andrea Levy, English author (born 1956)
Andrea Levy was an English author best known for the novels Small Island (2004) and The Long Song (2010). She was born in London to Jamaican parents, and her work explores topics related to British Jamaicans and how they negotiate racial, cultural and national identities.
14/02/2018
Ruud Lubbers, Dutch politician and diplomat, Prime Minister and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (born 1939)
Rudolphus Franciscus Marie "Ruud" Lubbers was a Dutch politician, diplomat and businessman who served as prime minister of the Netherlands from 1982 to 1994, and as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 2001 to 2005. He was a member of the Catholic People's Party (KVP), which later merged to become the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party.
Morgan Tsvangirai, 2nd Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (born 1952)
Morgan Richard Tsvangirai was a Zimbabwean politician who was Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 2009 to 2013. He was president of the Movement for Democratic Change, and later the Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC–T), and a key figure in the opposition to then-president Robert Mugabe.
14/02/2016
Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, English lieutenant, engineer, and politician (born 1928)
Eric Reginald Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, was an English politician and human rights campaigner. He served as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Orpington from 1962 to 1970. He then served in the House of Lords, having inherited the title of Baron Avebury in 1971, until his death. In 1999, when most hereditary peers were removed from the House of Lords, he was elected by his fellow Liberal Democrats to remain. When he died, he was the longest serving Liberal Democrat peer.
Steven Stucky, American composer and academic (born 1949)
Steven Edward Stucky was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer.
14/02/2015
Louis Jourdan, French-American actor and singer (born 1921)
Louis Jourdan was a French film and television actor. He was known for his suave roles in several Hollywood films, including Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case (1947), Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), Gigi (1958), The Best of Everything (1959), The V.I.P.s (1963) and Octopussy (1983). He played Dracula in the 1977 BBC television production Count Dracula.
Philip Levine, American poet and academic (born 1928)
Philip Levine was an American poet best known for his poems about working-class Detroit. He taught for more than thirty years in the English department of California State University, Fresno and held teaching positions at other universities as well. He served on the Board of Chancellors of the Academy of American Poets from 2000 to 2006, and was appointed Poet Laureate of the United States for 2011–2012.
Franjo Mihalić, Croatian-Serbian runner and coach (born 1920)
Franjo Mihalić was a Yugoslav and Croatian long-distance runner best known for his 1958 win at the Boston Marathon and his marathon silver medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics. Mihalić competed mostly in marathons, road races and cross country races, distinguishing himself by winning many top-level international competitions in the 1950s and setting a combined 25 Croatian and later Yugoslavian national records in long-distance track events between 5000 m and 25 km. In 1957, he became the inaugural winner of the Golden Badge, the award for the best sportsperson of Yugoslavia awarded by the daily Sport. He is regarded as the most accomplished male athlete in the history of Croatian, Serbian and Yugoslav track and field.
14/02/2014
Tom Finney, English footballer (born 1922)
Sir Thomas Finney was an English international footballer who played from 1946 to 1960 as an outside left for Preston North End and England. He is widely acknowledged to have been one of England's greatest ever players. He was noted for his loyalty to Preston, for whom he made 433 Football League and 39 FA Cup appearances, scoring a total of 210 goals. He played for England 76 times, scoring 30 goals.
Chris Pearson, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of Yukon (born 1931)
Christopher William Pearson was the second leader of the Yukon Progressive Conservative Party and the first premier of Yukon.
Mike Stepovich, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Alaska Territory (born 1919)
Michael Anthony Stepovich was an American lawyer and politician who served as the last non-interim governor of the Territory of Alaska. Stepovich served as Territorial Governor from 1957 to 1958, and Alaska was given U.S. statehood in 1959.
14/02/2013
Glenn Boyer, American historian and author (born 1924)
Glenn G. Boyer was a controversial author who published three books and a number of articles about Wyatt Earp and related figures in the American Old West. He was the first person to reveal the existence of Wyatt Earp's second wife, Mattie Blaylock. His publications were for many years regarded as the authoritative source on Wyatt Earp's life. However, when other experts began to seek evidence supporting Boyer's work, he would or could not prove the existence of documents that he said he owned and had cited as essential sources. In one case, an individual he cited as a key source was exposed as a complete fabrication. His reputation and the authenticity of his work was seriously damaged. Although he retained many supporters, his work became surrounded by controversy. At least one critic wrote that all of Boyer's later work was "riddled with bogus material".
Ronald Dworkin, American philosopher and scholar (born 1931)
Ronald Myles Dworkin was an American legal philosopher, jurist, and scholar of United States constitutional law. At the time of his death, he was Frank Henry Sommer Professor of Law and Philosophy at New York University and Professor of Jurisprudence at University College London. Dworkin had taught previously at Yale Law School and the University of Oxford, where he was the Professor of Jurisprudence, successor to philosopher H. L. A. Hart.
14/02/2012
Mike Bernardo, South African boxer and martial artist (born 1969)
Michael Shawn Bernardo was a South African kickboxer and boxer from Cape Town. Bernardo was known as Beru-chan in Japan, where he has taken part in K-1 World GPs since 1994. He holds notable wins over Mirko Cro Cop, Andy Hug (2×), Francisco Filho, Branko Cikatic, Stan Longinidis, Gary Goodridge and three consecutive wins over K-1 legend Peter Aerts.
Tonmi Lillman, Finnish drummer and producer (born 1973)
Tonmi Lillman was a Finnish musician, best known as Otus, the former drummer of the Finnish rock band Lordi.
Dory Previn, American singer-songwriter (born 1925)
Dorothy Veronica "Dory" Previn was an American lyricist, singer-songwriter and poet.
Péter Rusorán, Hungarian swimmer, water polo player, and coach (born 1940)
Péter Rusorán was a Hungarian swimmer, water polo player and later water polo coach. As a player, he won the Olympic Games gold medal in 1964 and the bronze in 1960 and also obtained the Universiade title in 1965. As a coach, Rusorán won a number of national league titles both in Hungary and abroad and also triumphed on two occasions in the most prestigious continental competition, the European Champions Cup.
14/02/2011
George Shearing, English-American pianist and composer (born 1919)
Sir George Albert Shearing was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 songs, including the jazz standards "Lullaby of Birdland" and "Conception", and had multiple albums on the Billboard charts during the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s.
14/02/2010
Doug Fieger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1952)
Douglas Lars Fieger was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the rock band the Knack. He co-wrote "My Sharona," the biggest hit song of 1979 in the U.S., with lead guitarist Berton Averre.
Dick Francis, Welsh jockey and author (born 1920)
Richard Stanley Francis was a British steeplechase jockey and crime writer whose novels centre on horse racing in England.
Linnart Mäll, Estonian historian, orientalist, and translator (born 1938)
Linnart Mäll was an Estonian historian, orientalist, translator and politician.
14/02/2009
Bernard Ashley, English engineer and businessman, co-founded Laura Ashley plc (born 1926)
Sir Bernard Albert Ashley was an English businessman and engineer. He was the husband of Laura Ashley, and was her business partner from the founding of their fashion-textiles-centred business.
Louie Bellson, American drummer and composer (born 1924)
Louie Bellson, was an American jazz drummer, composer, arranger, bandleader, and jazz educator. He is credited with pioneering the use of two bass drums. His name was often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie.
14/02/2008
Perry Lopez, American actor (born 1929)
Perry Lopez was an American film and television actor. His acting career spanned 40 years.
14/02/2007
Ryan Larkin, Canadian animator and director (born 1943)
Ryan Larkin was a Canadian animator, artist, and sculptor who rose to fame with the psychedelic Oscar-nominated short Walking (1968) and the acclaimed Street Musique (1972). He was the subject of the Oscar-winning film Ryan.
Gareth Morris, English flute player and educator (born 1920)
Gareth Charles Walter Morris was a British flautist. He was the principal flautist of a number of London orchestras, including the Boyd Neel Orchestra, before joining the Philharmonia Orchestra. He was the principal flautist of this orchestra for 24 years and Professor of the Flute at the Royal Academy of Music from 1945 to 1985. Morris was known for using a wooden flute, at a time when most other players had switched to using metal flutes.
14/02/2006
Lynden David Hall, English singer-songwriter and producer (born 1974)
Lynden David Hall was an English singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer who emerged during the late 1990s as part of the neo soul movement. In 1999, he was the first UK performer ever voted "Best Male Artist" by the readers of Britain's Blues & Soul magazine. His debut album, Medicine 4 My Pain, spawned the UK hit singles "Do I Qualify" and "Sexy Cinderella". In October 2003, Hall was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma; he died on 14 February 2006, aged 31.
14/02/2005
Rafic Hariri, Lebanese businessman and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Lebanon (born 1944; assassinated)
Rafic Bahaa El Deen al-Hariri was a Lebanese businessman and politician who served as prime minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2004.
14/02/2004
Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist (born 1970)
Marco Pantani was an Italian road racing cyclist, widely regarded as one of the greatest climbing specialists in the history of the sport by measures of his legacy, credits from other riders, and records. He recorded the fastest ever climbs up the Tour's iconic venues of Mont Ventoux (46:00) and Alpe d'Huez (36:50), and other cyclists including Lance Armstrong and Charly Gaul have hailed Pantani's climbing skills. He is the second to last rider and one of only eight to ever win the Tour de France – Giro d'Italia double, doing so in 1998. He is the sixth of seven Italians, after Ottavio Bottecchia, Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Gastone Nencini and Felice Gimondi, and before Vincenzo Nibali to win the Tour de France.
14/02/2003
Johnny Longden, English jockey and trainer (born 1907)
John Eric "Johnny" Longden was an American Hall of Fame and National Champion jockey and a trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses who was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England. His father emigrated to Canada in 1909, settling in Taber, Alberta.
14/02/2002
Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer and manager (born 1922)
Nándor Hidegkuti was a Hungarian football player and manager. He played as a forward or attacking midfielder and spent the majority of his playing career at MTK Hungária FC. During the 1950s he was also a key member of the Hungary national team known as the Golden Team. Other members of the team included Ferenc Puskás, Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis and József Bozsik. In 1953, playing as a deep-lying centre-forward, a position which has retroactively been compared to the modern false 9 role, he scored a hat-trick for Hungary when they beat England 6–3 at Wembley Stadium. Playing from deep, Hidegkuti was able to distribute the ball to the other attackers and cause considerable confusion to defences. This was an innovation at the time and revolutionised the way the game was played.
Mick Tucker, English drummer (born 1947)
Michael Thomas Tucker was an English musician, best known as the drummer of the glam rock and hard rock band Sweet.
14/02/1999
John Ehrlichman, American lawyer and politician, 12th White House Counsel (born 1925)
John Daniel Ehrlichman was an American lawyer who served as White House Counsel and Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs under President Richard Nixon. Ehrlichman was an important influence on Nixon's domestic policy, coaching him on issues and enlisting his support for environmental initiatives.
Buddy Knox, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1933)
Buddy Wayne Knox was an American singer-songwriter, best known for his 1957 rock and roll hit song, "Party Doll".
14/02/1998
Peter Koch (wood scientist), American industrial engineer and wood scientist (born 1920)
Peter Koch was an American engineer and wood scientist who was considered an expert in the field of wood technology by his peers. From 1963 to 1982, Koch led a team of US Forest Service scientists in forest products utilization research specific to forests of the southeastern US. Accomplishments by Koch and his research team included eight US patents plus hundreds of research publications.
14/02/1996
Bob Paisley, English footballer and manager (born 1919)
Robert Paisley was an English professional football manager and player who played as a wing-half. He spent almost 50 years with Liverpool and is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time. Reluctantly taking the job in 1974, he built on the foundations laid by his predecessor Bill Shankly and went on to become the most successful English manager in history. Paisley is the first of five managers to have won the European Cup three times. He is also one of five managers to have won the English top-flight championship as both a player and manager at the same club.
14/02/1995
Michael V. Gazzo, American actor and playwright (born 1923)
Michael Vincenzo Gazzo was an American playwright who later in life became a movie and television actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in The Godfather Part II (1974).
U Nu, Burmese politician, 1st Prime Minister of Burma (born 1907)
Nu, commonly known as U Nu and also by the honorific name Thakin Nu, was a prominent Burmese statesman and the first Prime Minister of Union of Burma. He was educated at Rangoon University, where he developed his political ideas and became actively involved in the student movement. Nu's involvement in the nationalist movement deepened during his university years, and he quickly emerged as a leading figure advocating for Burma's independence from British colonial rule.
14/02/1994
Andrei Chikatilo, Soviet serial killer (born 1936)
Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo was a Ukrainian-born Soviet serial killer nicknamed "the Butcher of Rostov", "the Rostov Ripper", and "the Red Ripper" who sexually assaulted, murdered, and mutilated at least fifty-two women and children between 1978 and 1990 in the Russian SFSR, the Ukrainian SSR, and the Uzbek SSR.
Christopher Lasch, American historian and critic (born 1932)
Robert Christopher Lasch was an American historian and social critic who was a history professor at the University of Rochester. Lasch's books, including The New Radicalism in America (1965), Haven in a Heartless World (1977), The Culture of Narcissism (1979), The True and Only Heaven (1991), and The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy were widely discussed and reviewed. The Culture of Narcissism became a surprise best-seller and won the National Book Award in the category Current Interest (paperback).
14/02/1989
James Bond, American ornithologist and zoologist (born 1900)
James Bond was an American ornithologist and expert on the birds of the Caribbean, having written the definitive book on the subject: Birds of the West Indies, first published in 1936. He served as a curator of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Writer Ian Fleming adopted his name for his fictional British spy; references to the ornithologist permeate the resulting media franchise.
Vincent Crane, English pianist (born 1943)
Vincent Rodney Cheesman, known professionally as Vincent Crane, was an English keyboardist, best known as the organist for the Crazy World of Arthur Brown and subsequently for Atomic Rooster.
14/02/1988
Frederick Loewe, German-American composer (born 1901)
Frederick Loewe was an American composer. He collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner on a series of Broadway musicals, including Brigadoon, Paint Your Wagon, My Fair Lady, and Camelot, all of which were made into films, as well as the original film musical Gigi (1958), which was first transferred to the stage in 1973.
14/02/1987
Dmitry Kabalevsky, Russian pianist and composer (born 1904)
Dmitry Borisovich Kabalevsky was a Soviet composer, conductor, pianist and pedagogue of Russian gentry descent.
14/02/1986
Edmund Rubbra, English composer and conductor (born 1901)
Edmund Rubbra was a British composer. He composed both instrumental and vocal works for soloists, chamber groups and full choruses and orchestras. He was greatly esteemed by fellow musicians and was at the peak of his fame in the mid-20th century. The best known of his pieces are his eleven symphonies. Although he was active at a time when many people wrote twelve-tone music, he decided not to write in this idiom; instead, he devised his own distinctive style. His later works were not as popular with the concert-going public as his previous ones had been, although he never lost the respect of his colleagues. Therefore, his output as a whole is less celebrated today than would have been expected from its early popularity. He was the brother of the engineer Arthur Rubbra.
14/02/1983
Lina Radke, German runner and coach (born 1903)
Karoline "Lina" Radke-Batschauer, née Karoline Batschauer, was a German track and field athlete. She was the first Olympic champion in the 800 m for women.
14/02/1979
Adolph Dubs, American lieutenant and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Afghanistan (born 1920)
Adolph Dubs, also known as Spike Dubs, was an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Afghanistan from May 13, 1978, until his death in 1979. He was killed during a rescue attempt after his kidnapping.
14/02/1976
Gertrud Dorka, German archaeologist, prehistorian and museum director (born 1893)
Gertrud Dorka was a German archaeologist, prehistorian, museum director and teacher. She was the museum director of the State Museum for Prehistory and Early History between 1947 and 1958.
George Washington Bacon III, American soldier, CIA agent, and mercenary (born 1946)
George Washington Bacon III was an American soldier and intelligence officer. He served as a Green Beret in the U.S. Army, Paramilitary Officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and finally as a mercenary soldier.
Charlie Christodoulou, British soldier and mercenary of the Angolan Civil War (born 1951)
Charles Christodoulou was a British soldier in the Parachute Regiment who later served as a foreign mercenary during the Angolan War of Independence of the 1970s. Known as 'Shotgun Charlie', he was involved in the murder of at least 167 people during that conflict.
14/02/1975
Julian Huxley, English biologist and eugenicist, co-founded the World Wide Fund for Nature (born 1887)
Sir Julian Sorell Huxley was an English evolutionary biologist, eugenicist and internationalist. He was a proponent of natural selection, and a leading figure in the mid-twentieth-century modern synthesis. He was secretary of the Zoological Society of London (1935–1942), the first director of UNESCO, a founding member of the World Wildlife Fund, the president of the British Eugenics Society (1959–1962), and the first president of the British Humanist Association.
P. G. Wodehouse, English novelist and playwright (born 1881)
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeves; the immaculate and loquacious Psmith; Lord Emsworth and the Blandings Castle set; the Oldest Member, with stories about golf; and Mr. Mulliner, with tall tales on subjects ranging from bibulous bishops to megalomaniac movie moguls.
14/02/1974
Stewie Dempster, New Zealand cricketer and coach (born 1903)
Charles Stewart Dempster was a New Zealand Test cricketer and coach. As well as representing New Zealand, he also played for Wellington, Scotland, Leicestershire and Warwickshire.
14/02/1970
Herbert Strudwick, English cricketer and coach (born 1880)
Herbert Strudwick was an English wicket-keeper. His record of 1,493 dismissals is the third-highest by any wicket-keeper in the history of first-class cricket.
14/02/1969
Vito Genovese, Italian-American mob boss (born 1897)
Vito Genovese was an Italian-born American mafioso and the leader of the Genovese crime family in New York City. A childhood friend and criminal associate of Lucky Luciano, Genovese took part in the Castellammarese War and helped Luciano shape the Mafia's rise as a major force in organized crime in the United States. He would later lead Luciano's crime family, which was renamed by the FBI after Genovese in 1957.
14/02/1967
Sig Ruman, German-American actor (born 1884)
Siegfried Carl Alban Rumann, billed as Sig Ruman and Sig Rumann, was a German-American character actor known for his portrayals of pompous and often stereotypically Teutonic officials or villains in more than 100 films.
14/02/1959
Baby Dodds, American drummer (born 1898)
Warren "Baby" Dodds was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is regarded as one of the best jazz drummers of the pre-big band era. He varied his drum patterns with accents and flourishes, and he generally kept the beat with the bass drum while playing buzz rolls on the snare. Early influences included Louis Cottrell, Sr., Dave Perkins, and Tubby Hall. Dodds was among the first drummers to be recorded improvising while performing.
14/02/1958
Abdur Rab Nishtar, Pakistani politician, 2nd Governor of Punjab (born 1899)
Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar was a Pakistani independence activist and politician from the North-West Frontier Province. He served as the first Minister of Communications of Pakistan from August 1947 to August 1949 and then as the second Governor of West Punjab from August 1949 to November 1951.
14/02/1956
Harold Edward Dahl, American pilot and mercenary (born 1909)
Harold Edward Dahl was a mercenary American pilot who fought in the Spanish Republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War. He was a member of the "American Patrol" of the Andres Garcia La Calle group. He was nicknamed "Whitey" due to his very blond hair.
14/02/1952
Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (born 1896)
Maurice De Waele was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer.
14/02/1950
Karl Guthe Jansky, American physicist and engineer (born 1905)
Karl Guthe Jansky was an American physicist and radio engineer who in April 1933 first announced his discovery of radio waves emanating from the Milky Way in the constellation Sagittarius. An amateur astronomer, he is considered one of the founding figures of radio astronomy.
14/02/1949
Yusuf Salman Yusuf, Iraqi politician (born 1901)
Yusuf Salman Yusuf, better known by his nom de guerre Comrade Fahd, was one of the first Iraqi communist activists. He was the first secretary of the Iraqi Communist Party, from 1941 until his execution in 1949. He is generally credited with a vital role in the party's rapid organizational growth in the 1940s. For the last two years of his life, he directed the party from prison.
14/02/1948
Mordecai Brown, American baseball player and manager (born 1876)
Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown, nicknamed "Three Finger Brown" or "Miner", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher and manager during the first two decades of the 20th century. Due to a farm-machinery accident in his youth, Brown lost parts of two fingers on his right hand, and in the process gained a colorful nickname. He turned this handicap into an advantage by learning how to grip a baseball in a way that resulted in an exceptional curveball, which broke radically before reaching the plate. With this technique he became one of the elite pitchers of his era.
14/02/1943
Dora Gerson, German actress and singer (born 1899)
Dora Gerson was a German cabaret singer and stage and motion picture actress of the silent film era. She was murdered at Auschwitz during the Holocaust.
David Hilbert, Russian-German mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (born 1862)
David Hilbert was a German mathematician and philosopher of mathematics and one of the most influential mathematicians of all time.
14/02/1942
Adnan Saidi, Malayan lieutenant (born 1915)
Adnan bin Saidi was a Malayan military officer who served under the 1st Malaya Infantry Brigade within the Malaya Command during the Second World War. Born in Selangor, Adnan pursued his education and graduated from the Sultan Idris Training College. He was initially a schoolteacher before enlisting in the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force (SSVF), where his leadership potential quickly became apparent. Rising through the ranks, he became a commissioned officer in the Malay Regiment, one of the few Malay officers at the time to attain such a position. Known for his discipline, strategic acumen and unwavering dedication, Adnan played a vital role in the defence of Singapore during the Japanese invasion.
14/02/1937
Erkki Melartin, Finnish composer (born 1875)
Erkki Gustaf Melartin was a Finnish composer, conductor, and teacher of the late-Romantic and early-modern periods. Melartin is generally considered to be one of Finland's most significant national Romantic composers, although his music—then and now—largely has been overshadowed by that of his contemporary, Jean Sibelius, the country's most famous composer. The core of Melartin's oeuvre consists of a set of six (completed) symphonies, as well as is his opera, Aino, based on a story from the Kalevala, Finland's national epic, but nevertheless in the style of Richard Wagner.
14/02/1933
Carl Correns, German botanist and geneticist (born 1864)
Carl Erich Correns was a German botanist and geneticist notable primarily for his independent discovery of the principles of heredity, which he achieved simultaneously but independently of the botanist Hugo de Vries, and for his acknowledgment of Gregor Mendel's earlier paper on that subject.
14/02/1930
Thomas Mackenzie, Scottish-New Zealand cartographer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1853)
Sir Thomas Mackenzie was a New Zealand politician and explorer who briefly served as the 18th prime minister of New Zealand in 1912, and later served as New Zealand High Commissioner in London.
14/02/1929
Thomas Burke, American sprinter, coach, and lawyer (born 1875)
Thomas Edmund Burke was an American sprinter. He was the first Olympic champion in the 100 and 400 meter sprint races.
14/02/1924
Amalie Andersen, Norwegian actress (born 1861)
Tilda Amalie Andersen was a Norwegian actress.
14/02/1923
Charles Henry Turner, American zoologist, educator, and comparative psychologist (born 1867)
Charles Henry Turner was an American zoologist, entomologist, educator, and comparative psychologist, known for his studies on the behavior of insects, particularly bees and ants. Born in Cincinnati, Turner was the first African American to receive a graduate degree at the University of Cincinnati and the first African American to earn a PhD from the University of Chicago (1907). He spent most of his career as a high school teacher at Sumner High School in St. Louis. Turner was one of the first scientists to systematically examine the question of whether animals display complex cognition, studying arthropods such as spiders and bees. He also examined differences in behavior between individuals within a species, a precursor to the study of animal personality.
14/02/1922
Heikki Ritavuori, Finnish lawyer and politician (born 1880; assassinated)
Heikki Ritavuori was a Finnish lawyer, a politician from the National Progressive Party, a member of the Parliament of Finland and Minister of the Interior. He was the closest colleague of President K. J. Ståhlberg and was Minister of the Interior in J. H. Vennola's first and second cabinets from 1919 to 1922 for a total of 526 days. Minister Ritavuori was shot dead at the door to his home in Helsinki in February 1922.
14/02/1910
Giovanni Passannante, Italian anarchist (born 1849)
Giovanni Passannante was an Italian anarchist who attempted to assassinate king Umberto I of Italy, the first attempt against Savoy monarchy since its origins. Originally condemned to death, his sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. The conditions of his imprisonment drove him insane and have been denounced as inhumane.
14/02/1894
Eugène Charles Catalan, Belgian-French mathematician and academic (born 1814)
Eugène Charles Catalan was a French and Belgian mathematician who worked on continued fractions, descriptive geometry, number theory and combinatorics. His notable contributions included discovering a periodic minimal surface in the space ; stating the famous Catalan's conjecture, which was eventually proved in 2002; and introducing the Catalan numbers to solve a combinatorial problem.
14/02/1891
William Tecumseh Sherman, American general (born 1820)
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American businessman, author, and United States Army general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865). As a general he earned recognition for his command of military strategy but criticism for the harshness of his scorched-earth policies, which he implemented in his military campaign against the Confederate States.
14/02/1885
Jules Vallès, French journalist and author (born 1832)
Jules Vallès was a French journalist, author, and left-wing political activist.
14/02/1884
Lydia Hamilton Smith, African-American businesswoman (born 1813)
Lydia Hamilton Smith was an American businesswoman and the long-time housekeeper and confidante of Thaddeus Stevens, later becoming a prominent entrepreneur after his death.
14/02/1881
Fernando Wood, American merchant and politician, 73rd Mayor of New York City (born 1812)
Fernando Wood was an American Democratic Party politician, merchant, and real estate investor who served as the 74th and 76th mayor of New York City. He also represented the city for several terms in the United States House of Representatives.
14/02/1870
St. John Richardson Liddell, American general (born 1815)
St. John Richardson Liddell was a prominent Louisiana planter who served as a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was an outspoken proponent of Southern emancipation of slaves in order to secure foreign assistance. Following the war, Liddell had a prominent feud with a former Confederate officer, Charles Jones, who eventually murdered Liddell near his home in 1870.
14/02/1831
Vicente Guerrero, Mexican general and politician, 2nd President of Mexico (born 1782)
Vicente Ramón Guerrero Saldaña was a Mexican military officer from 1810 to 1821 and a statesman who became the nation's second president in 1829. He was one of the leading generals who fought against Spain during the Mexican War of Independence. According to historian Theodore G. Vincent, Vicente Guerrero lived alongside Indigenous people in Tlaltelulco and had the ability to speak Spanish and the languages of the Indigenous.
Henry Maudslay, English engineer (born 1771)
Henry Maudslay was an English machine tool innovator, tool and die maker, and inventor. He is considered a founding father of machine tool technology. His inventions were an important foundation for the Industrial Revolution.
14/02/1808
John Dickinson, American lawyer and politician 5th Governor of Delaware (born 1732)
John Dickinson, was an American Founding Father, attorney and politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware. Dickinson was known as the "Penman of the Revolution" for his twelve Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, published individually in 1767 and 1768, and he also wrote "The Liberty Song" in 1768.
14/02/1782
Singu Min, Burmese king (born 1756)
Singu Min was the fourth king of the Konbaung dynasty of Myanmar.
14/02/1780
William Blackstone, English jurist and politician (born 1723)
Sir William Blackstone was an English jurist, justice, and Tory politician most noted for his Commentaries on the Laws of England, which became the best-known description of the doctrines of the English common law. Born into a middle-class family in London, Blackstone was educated at Charterhouse School before matriculating at Pembroke College, Oxford, in 1738. After switching to and completing a Bachelor of Civil Law degree, he was made a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, on 2 November 1743, admitted to Middle Temple, and called to the Bar there in 1746. Following a slow start to his career as a barrister, Blackstone was involved heavily in university administration, becoming accountant, treasurer, and bursar on 28 November 1746, and Senior Bursar in 1750. Blackstone is considered responsible for completing the Codrington Library and the Warton Building, and for simplifying the complex accounting system used by the college. On 3 July, 1753, he formally gave up his practice as a barrister, and embarked on a series of lectures on English law, the first of their kind. These talks were massively successful, earning him £453 ; they led to the publication of An Analysis of the Laws of England in 1756, which sold out repeatedly. It was used to preface his later works.
14/02/1779
James Cook, English captain, cartographer, and explorer (born 1728)
Captain James Cook was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer who led three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans between 1768 and 1779. He completed the first recorded circumnavigation of the main islands of New Zealand, and led the first recorded visit by Europeans to the east coast of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands.
14/02/1755
Isidro de Espinosa, Franciscan missionary from Spanish Texas (born 1679)
Isidro Félix de Espinosa (1679–1755) was a Franciscan missionary from New Spain who participated in several expeditionary missions throughout the province of Tejas. He was the president of the missionaries from the College of Santa Cruz de Querétaro.
14/02/1744
John Hadley, English mathematician, invented the octant (born 1682)
John Hadley was an English mathematician, and laid claim to the invention of the octant, two years after Thomas Godfrey claimed the same.
14/02/1737
Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot, English lawyer and politician Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (born 1685)
Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot, was a British lawyer and politician. He was Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain from 1733 to 1737.
14/02/1714
Maria Luisa of Savoy, queen of Spain (born 1688)
Princess Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy, nicknamed La Savoyana, was Queen of Spain by marriage to King Philip V. She acted as regent during her husband's absence from 1702 until 1703 and had great influence as a political adviser during the War of the Spanish Succession, during which she was often regent while Philip fought to protect his legitimacy and his place on the throne. Despite her young age, Maria Luisa proved herself to be mature, intelligent, hard-working and resolute, and her regencies were effective, winning the respect of her subjects and becoming very popular and well-loved by her people. At the end of the War of Spanish Succession, Philip V was recognised as King of Spain, establishing the Spanish branch of the House of Bourbon, which still rules over Spain to this day. Two of her four sons, Louis I and Ferdinand VI, took their turns as King of Spain. Maria Luisa died from tuberculosis at just 25.
14/02/1676
Abraham Bosse, French engraver and illustrator (born 1602)
Abraham Bosse was a French artist, mainly as a printmaker in etching, but also in watercolour.
14/02/1549
Il Sodoma, Italian painter (born 1477)
Il Sodoma was the name given to the Italian Renaissance painter Giovanni Antonio Bazzi. Il Sodoma painted in a manner that superimposed the High Renaissance style of early 16th-century Rome onto the traditions of the provincial Sienese school; he spent the bulk of his professional life in Siena, with two periods in Rome.
14/02/1528
Edzard I, German nobleman (born 1462)
Edzard I, also Edzard the Great was count of East Frisia from 1491 until his death in 1528.
14/02/1489
Nicolaus von Tüngen, prince-bishop of Warmia
Nicolaus von Tüngen was bishop of Warmia from 1467 until 1489.
14/02/1440
Dietrich of Oldenburg, German nobleman
Dietrich or Theoderic of Oldenburg was a feudal lord in Northern Germany, holding the counties of Delmenhorst and Oldenburg. He was called "Fortunatus", as he was able to secure Delmenhorst for his branch of the Oldenburgs.
14/02/1400
Richard II, king of England (born 1367)
Richard II, also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince and Joan of Kent. The Black Prince died in 1376, leaving Richard as heir apparent to his grandfather, King Edward III. Upon the King's death, the 10-year-old Richard succeeded to the throne.
14/02/1317
Margaret of France, queen of England
Margaret or Marguerite of France was Queen of England as the second wife of King Edward I. She was a daughter of Philip III of France and Maria of Brabant.
14/02/1229
Rǫgnvaldr Guðrøðarson, king of the Isles
Rǫgnvaldr Guðrøðarson ruled as King of the Isles from 1187 to 1226. He was the eldest son of Guðrøðr Óláfsson, King of Dublin and the Isles. Although the latter may have intended for his younger son, Óláfr, to succeed to the kingship, the Islesmen chose Rǫgnvaldr, who was likely Óláfr's half-brother. Rǫgnvaldr went on to rule the Kingdom of the Isles for almost forty years before losing control to Óláfr.
14/02/1164
Sviatoslav Olgovich, Kievan prince
Sviatoslav Olgovich was Prince of Novgorod (1136–1138); Novgorod-Seversk (1139); Belgorod (1141–1154); and Chernigov (1154–1164).
14/02/1140
Leo I, Armenian prince
Leo I, also Levon I or Leon I, was the fifth lord of Armenian Cilicia (1129/1130–1137).
Sobĕslav I, duke of Bohemia
Soběslav I was Duke of Bohemia from 1125 until his death in 1140. He was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty, the youngest son of Vratislaus II, by his third wife Świętosława of Poland.
14/02/1010
Fujiwara no Korechika, Japanese nobleman (born 974)
Fujiwara no Korechika , the second son of Michitaka, was a kugyo of the Heian period. His mother was Takashina no Takako, also known as Kō-no-Naishi (高内侍). His sister Teishi (Sadako) was married to Emperor Ichijō, and Korechika aspired to become the regent (Sessho) for his young brother-in-law after his father's death. Korechika's ambitions pitted him against his powerful uncle, Fujiwara no Michinaga, and the resulting power struggle continued until Empress Teishi's unexpected death. This left Michinaga's daughter, Shoshi, as Ichijō's sole empress, solidifying Michinaga's power at court.
14/02/1009
Bruno of Querfurt, German missionary bishop
Bruno of Querfurt, O.S.B. Cam., also known as Brun, was a Christian missionary, bishop, Camaldolese monk and martyr. He was active in the eastern regions of the Holy Roman Empire and became one of the leading figures in the early Christian missions to the peoples of northeastern Europe. Bruno was killed in Prussia, near the frontier of Kyivan Rus' and Lithuania, while attempting to convert the Old Prussians to Christianity. He is venerated as the "Second Apostle of the Prussians".
14/02/0945
Lian Chongyu, Chinese general
Lian Chongyu was a general of the Chinese Min state. In 944, he and another general, Zhu Wenjin, assassinated the emperor Wang Yanxi. He then supported Zhu as the new emperor of the Min state, but the officer Lin Renhan (林仁翰) assassinated him and Zhu less than a year later and submitted to Wang Yanxi's brother Wang Yanzheng, who had been warring with Wang Yanxi.
Zhu Wenjin, Chinese emperor
Zhu Wenjin was a general who later usurped the throne of Min, reigning from 944 to 945, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of China. In 944, he assassinated Wang Yanxi and tried to take over control of the Min state, but his officer Lin Renhan (林仁翰) assassinated him less than a year later and submitted to Wang Yanxi's brother Wang Yanzheng, who had been warring with Wang Yanxi.
14/02/0869
Cyril, Greek missionary bishop and saint (born 827)
Cyril and Methodius were brothers, Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Early Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs".
14/02/0269
Saint Valentine, Roman saint
Saint Valentine was a 3rd-century Roman saint, commemorated in Western Christianity on February 14 and in Eastern Orthodoxy on July 6. From the High Middle Ages, his feast day has been associated with a tradition of courtly love. He is also a patron saint of Terni, epilepsy, and beekeepers. Saint Valentine was a clergyman – either a priest or a bishop – in the Roman Empire who ministered to persecuted Christians. He was martyred and his body buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14, which has been observed as the Feast of Saint Valentine since at least the eighth century.
Celebrations & Special Days Worldwide on 13th February
Christian feast day: Cyril and Methodius, patron saints of Europe (Roman Catholic Church)
Cyril and Methodius were brothers, Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Early Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs".
Christian feast day: Eleuchadius
Eleuchadius is a 2nd-century Christian saint venerated by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. He served as the third bishop of Ravenna from 100 to 112.
Christian feast day: Manchan
Manchan of Mohill,, was an early Christian saint credited with founding many early Christian churches in Ireland. His life is obscured because many people named Manchan are found among Irish Christians. Manchan probably died of famine during volcanic winters caused by the extreme weather events of 535–536.
Christian feast day: Valentine (see also Valentine's Day)
Saint Valentine was a 3rd-century Roman saint, commemorated in Western Christianity on February 14 and in Eastern Orthodoxy on July 6. From the High Middle Ages, his feast day has been associated with a tradition of courtly love. He is also a patron saint of Terni, epilepsy, and beekeepers. Saint Valentine was a clergyman – either a priest or a bishop – in the Roman Empire who ministered to persecuted Christians. He was martyred and his body buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14, which has been observed as the Feast of Saint Valentine since at least the eighth century.
Christian feast day: Vicente Vilar David
Vicente Vilar David was a Spanish engineer from Spain at the time of the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s during a period of intense anti-clerical sentiment. As a worker he strove to adhere to the social doctrine of the Christian faith and spread such values in the workplace and among his colleagues. He was killed on the basis of aiding priests and religious escape the persecution by the Republicans during the Civil War.
Christian feast day: February 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
February 13 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - February 15
Statehood Day (Arizona, United States)
A state of the United States is one of the 50 constituent entities that shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Americans are citizens of both the federal republic and of the state in which they reside, due to the shared sovereignty between each state and the federal government. Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names.
Statehood Day (Oregon, United States)
A state of the United States is one of the 50 constituent entities that shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Americans are citizens of both the federal republic and of the state in which they reside, due to the shared sovereignty between each state and the federal government. Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names.
Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (Armenian Apostolic Church)
The Presentation of Jesus is an early episode in the life of Jesus Christ, describing his presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem. It is celebrated by many churches on February 2nd, 40 days after Christmas on Candlemas, or the "Feast of the Presentation of Jesus". The episode is described in chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament. Within the account, "Luke's narration of the Presentation in the Temple combines the purification rite with the Jewish ceremony of the redemption of the firstborn ."
Parents' Worship Day (parts of India)
Parents' Worship Day, known as Matri Pitri Poojan Diwas was started by Sant Shri Asaram Bapu Ji in 2007 as an alternative to Valentine's Day.
What Happened on 13th February?
68 significant events took place on Sunday, 13th February — stretching from 748 to 2020. Explore the moments that shaped history on this day.
14/02/2020
At least 22 people are killed in an attack on a village in Northwest Region, Cameroon.
The Ngarbuh massacre took place in northwestern Cameroon on 14 February 2020 during the Anglophone Crisis, and resulted in the murder of 21 civilians, including 13 children, by Cameroonian soldiers and armed Fulani militia.
14/02/2019
Pulwama attack takes place in Lethpora in Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir, India in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel and a suicide bomber were killed and 35 were injured.
The 2019 Pulwama attack occurred on 14 February 2019, when a convoy of vehicles carrying Indian security personnel on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethapora in the Pulwama district of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The attack killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel as well as the perpetrator — Adil Ahmad Dar— who was a local Kashmiri youth from the Pulwama district. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist group, Jaish-e-Mohammed. India blamed neighbouring Pakistan for the attack, while the latter condemned the attack and denied having any connections to it. The attack dealt a severe blow to India–Pakistan relations, consequently resulting in the 2019 India–Pakistan military standoff. Subsequently, Indian investigations identified 19 accused. By August 2021, the main accused along with six others had been killed, and seven had been arrested.
14/02/2018
Jacob Zuma resigns as President of South Africa.
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is a South African politician who served as the president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a former anti-apartheid activist, member of uMkhonto weSizwe, and president of the African National Congress (ANC) from 2007 to 2017. He is also the father-in-law of Eswatini king Mswati III.
A shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida is one of the deadliest school massacres with 17 fatalities and 17 injuries.
On February 14, 2018, a mass shooting occurred when 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people and injuring 18 others. Cruz, a former student at the school, fled the scene on foot by blending in with the students and was arrested without incident approximately one hour and twenty minutes later in nearby Coral Springs. Police and prosecutors investigated "a pattern of disciplinary issues and unnerving behavior".
14/02/2011
As a part of Arab Spring, the Bahraini uprising begins with a 'Day of Rage'.
The Arab Spring was a series of pro-democracy anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in Tunisia in response to the death of Mohamed Bouazizi by self-immolation. From Tunisia, the protests initially spread to five other countries: Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain. The rulers deposed include: Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, all in 2011; and Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen in 2012. Major uprisings and social violence occurred, including riots, civil wars, or insurgencies. Sustained street demonstrations took place in Morocco, Iraq, Algeria, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Sudan. Minor protests took place in Djibouti, Mauritania, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and the Western Sahara. A major slogan of the demonstrators in the Arab world is ash-shaʻb yurīd isqāṭ an-niẓām!.
14/02/2008
Northern Illinois University shooting: A gunman opens fire in a lecture hall of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb County, Illinois, resulting in six fatalities (including the gunman) and 21 injuries.
The 2008 Northern Illinois University shooting was a school shooting that took place on Thursday, February 14, 2008, at Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb, Illinois. Steven Kazmierczak, 27 years old and a 2006 NIU graduate, opened fire with a shotgun and three pistols in a crowd of students on campus, killing 5 students and injuring 17 more people, before fatally shooting himself.
14/02/2005
In Beirut, 23 people, including former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, are killed when the equivalent of around 1,000 kg of TNT is detonated while Hariri's motorcade drives through the city.
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. As of 2025, Greater Beirut has a population of 2.4 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the twelfth-largest city in the Levant region and the sixteenth-largest in the Arab world. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast. Beirut has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world.
Seven people are killed and 151 wounded in a series of bombings by suspected al-Qaeda-linked militants that hit Makati, Davao City, and General Santos, all in the Philippines.
al-Qaeda is a pan-Islamist militant organization led by Sunni Islamist jihadists who self-identify as a vanguard spearheading a global Islamist revolution to unite the Muslim world under a supra-national Islamic caliphate. Its membership is primarily composed of Arabs, with additional representation from other ethnic groups. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets of the U.S. and its allies; such as the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings, the USS Cole bombing, and the September 11 attacks. It has been designated a terrorist organization by the United Nations and over two dozen countries around the world.
YouTube is launched by a group of college students, eventually becoming the largest video sharing website in the world and a main source for viral videos.
YouTube is an American online video-sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim, and Steve Chen who were all former employees at PayPal. Headquartered in San Bruno, California, it is the second-most-visited website in the world, after Google itself. In January 2024, YouTube had reached more than 2.7 billion monthly active users, who collectively watched more than one billion hours of video every day. As of May 2019, videos were being uploaded to the platform at a rate of more than 500 hours of video per minute, and as of mid-2024, there were approximately 14.8 billion videos in total.
14/02/2004
In a suburb of Moscow, Russia, the roof of the Transvaal water park collapses, killing more than 28 people, and wounding 193 others.
Moscow is the capital and largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents within the city limits, over 19.1 million residents in the urban area, and over 21.5 million residents in its metropolitan area. The city covers an area of 2,511 square kilometers (970 mi2), while the urban area covers 5,891 square kilometers (2,275 mi2), and the metropolitan area covers over 26,000 square kilometers (10,000 mi2). Moscow is among the world's largest cities, being the most populous city entirely in Europe, the largest urban and metropolitan area in Europe, and the largest city by land area on the European continent.
14/02/2003
Iraq disarmament crisis: UNMOVIC Executive Chairman Hans Blix reports to the United Nations Security Council that disarmament inspectors have found no weapons of mass destruction in Ba'athist Iraq.
In the Iraq disarmament crisis of the early 2000s, Iraq, led by president Saddam Hussein, was pressured by the United States and its other adversaries to destroy alleged stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)—biological, chemical, and nuclear. In the 1980s, Iraq had programs to produce all three, but in the 1990s, the programs were ended, and the WMD were destroyed. The U.S.' rationale for its 2003 invasion of Iraq was that the country still had WMD, and would use them.
14/02/2000
The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker enters orbit around asteroid 433 Eros, the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.
Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous – Shoemaker, renamed after its 1996 launch in honor of planetary scientist Eugene Shoemaker, was a robotic space probe designed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory for NASA to study the near-Earth asteroid Eros from close orbit over a period of a year. It was the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid and land on it successfully. In February 2000, the mission closed in on the asteroid and orbited it. On February 12, 2001, Shoemaker touched down on the asteroid and was terminated just over two weeks later.
14/02/1998
An oil tanker train collides with a freight train in Yaoundé, Cameroon, spilling fuel oil. One person scavenging the oil created a massive explosion which killed 120.
Rail freight transport is the use of railways and trains to transport cargo, as opposed to passengers.
14/02/1990
Ninety-two people are killed when Indian Airlines Flight 605 crashes in Bangalore, India.
Indian Airlines Flight 605 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Bombay to Bangalore. On 14 February 1990, an Airbus A320-231 registered as VT-EPN, crashed onto a golf course while attempting to land at Bangalore, killing 92 of 146 people on board.
The Voyager 1 spacecraft takes the photograph of planet Earth that later becomes famous as Pale Blue Dot.
Voyager 1 is a space probe launched by NASA on September 5, 1977, as part of the Voyager program, to study the outer Solar System and the interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere. It was launched 16 days after its twin, Voyager 2. It communicates through the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) to receive routine commands and to transmit data to Earth. Real-time distance and velocity data are provided by NASA and JPL. At a distance of 172.59 AU as of March 2026, it is the most distant human-made object from Earth. Voyager 1 is also projected to reach a distance of one light day from Earth in November 2026.
14/02/1989
Union Carbide agrees to pay $470 million to the Indian government for damages it caused in the 1984 Bhopal disaster.
Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) is an American chemical company headquartered in Seadrift, Texas. It has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical Company since 2001. Union Carbide produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume commodities and others are specialty products. Markets served include paints and coatings, packaging, wire and cable, household products, personal care, pharmaceuticals, automotive, textiles, agriculture, and oil and gas. The company is a former component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini issues a fatwa encouraging Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, historically known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the northeast, Afghanistan to the east, Pakistan to the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south. With a population of over 92 million, Iran ranks 17th globally in both geographic size and population. It is divided into five regions with 31 provinces. Tehran is the nation's capital and largest city and serves as its primary economic centre.
14/02/1983
United American Bank of Knoxville, Tennessee collapses. Its president, Jake Butcher, is later convicted of fraud.
Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Tennessee River within the Appalachian Mountains, it is the largest city in the Grand Division of East Tennessee. Knoxville had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Tennessee. The Knoxville metropolitan area has an estimated 958,000 residents.
14/02/1979
In Kabul, Setami Milli militants kidnap the American ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs who is later killed during a gunfight between his kidnappers and police.
Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is within the jurisdiction of Kabul District and has an estimated population of 5,333,284 people. Located in the eastern half of the country, forming part of the Kabul Province, the city is administratively divided into five zones and 22 municipal districts. The native population of Kabul primarily speaks Persian, locally referred to as Persian Dari, using regional Dari dialects with a distinctive Kabuli accent. Kabul has long been Afghanistan's political, cultural and economic center. Rapid urbanization has made it the country's primate city. It is located high in a narrow valley in the Hindu Kush mountain range, and is bounded by the Kabul River. At an altitude of 1,791 m (5,876 ft) above sea level, it is one of the highest capital cities in the world. The center of the city contains its oldest neighborhoods, including the areas of Bala Hisar, Deh Afghanan and Murad Khani.
14/02/1961
Discovery of the chemical elements: Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized at the University of California.
The discoveries of the 118 chemical elements known to exist as of 2026 are presented here in chronological order. The elements are listed generally in the order in which each was first defined as the pure element, as the exact date of discovery of most elements cannot be accurately determined. There are plans to synthesize more elements, and it is not known how many elements are possible.
14/02/1954
First Indochina War - small French garrison at Đắk Đoa is overrun by the Viet Minh after a week's siege.
The First Indochina War, known alternatively internationally as the French Indochina War, was fought in French Indochina between France and the Viet Minh and their respective allies, from 19 December 1946 until 11 August 1954. Most of the engagements of this conflict occurred in Vietnam.
14/02/1949
The Knesset (parliament of Israel) convenes for the first time.
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel.
The Asbestos Strike begins in Canada. The strike marks the beginning of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec.
The Asbestos strike of 1949, based in and around the town of Asbestos, Quebec, Canada, was a four-month labour dispute by asbestos miners. It has traditionally been portrayed as a turning point in Quebec history that helped lead to the Quiet Revolution. It also helped launch the careers of Jean Marchand, Gérard Pelletier, and Pierre Trudeau.
14/02/1947
The act abolishing all noble ranks and related styles comes into force in Hungary.
The Statute IV of 1947 regarding the abolition of certain titles and ranks a law still in force in the Republic of Hungary, declares the abolition of hereditary noble ranks and related styles and titles, also putting a ban on their use.
14/02/1946
The Bank of England is nationalized.
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one of the bankers for the government of the United Kingdom, it is the world's second oldest central bank, after Sweden's (1668). It is considered to be one of the world's most important central banks.
14/02/1945
World War II: On the first day of the bombing of Dresden, the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces begin fire-bombing Dresden.
In four raids between 13 and 15 February 1945, 772 heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and 527 of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) dropped more than 3,900 tons of high-explosive bombs and incendiary devices on the German city of Dresden. The bombing and the resulting firestorm destroyed more than 1,600 acres (6.5 km2) of the city centre. Up to 25,000 people were killed. Three more USAAF air raids followed, two occurring on 2 March aimed at the city's railway marshalling yard and one smaller raid on 17 April aimed at industrial areas.
World War II: Navigational error leads to the mistaken bombing of Prague, Czechoslovakia by a United States Army Air Forces squadron of B-17s assisting in the Soviet Red Army's Vistula–Oder Offensive.
Prague, the capital and largest city of the German-occupied Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, was bombed several times by the Allies during World War II. The first Allied aircraft to fly over Prague was a single bomber of the French Air Force in April 1940, but it dropped propaganda leaflets, not bombs. The first bombing mission was flown by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in October 1941. Prague was then bombed three times by the United States Army Air Forces between the fall of 1944 and spring of 1945. During the Prague uprising of 5–9 May 1945, the Luftwaffe made use of bombers against the rebels.
World War II: Mostar is liberated by Yugoslav partisans
Mostar is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt meets King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia aboard the USS Quincy, officially beginning U.S.-Saudi diplomatic relations.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving US president and the only one to have served more than two terms. His first two terms were centered on combating the Great Depression, while his third and fourth focused on US involvement in World War II. A member of the Democratic Party, Roosevelt served in the New York State Senate from 1911 to 1913 and as the 44th governor of New York from 1929 to 1932.
14/02/1944
World War II: In the action of 14 February 1944, a Royal Navy submarine sinks a German-controlled Italian Regia Marina submarine in the Strait of Malacca.
The action of 14 February 1944 refers to the sinking of a German U-boat off the Strait of Malacca during World War II by a British submarine. It was one of the few naval engagements of the Asian and Pacific theater involving German and Italian forces.
14/02/1943
World War II: Rostov-on-Don, Russia is liberated.
Rostov-on-Don, or simply Rostov, is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, 32 kilometers (20 mi) from the Sea of Azov, directly north of the North Caucasus. The southwestern suburbs of the city lie above the Don river delta. Rostov-on-Don has a population of over one million people and is an important cultural, educational, economic and logistical centre of Southern Russia.
World War II: Tunisia Campaign: General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim's Fifth Panzer Army launches a counter-attack against Allied positions in Tunisia.
The Tunisian campaign was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. The Allies consisted of British Imperial Forces, including a Greek contingent, with American and French corps. Despite initial successes by the German and Italian forces brought from the mainland and which had withdrawn into and occupied Tunisia, after their defeat in the Western Desert and the success of Operation Torch, massive supply interdiction efforts and Allied assaults from east and west led to the decisive defeat of the Axis. Over 260,000 German and Italian troops were taken as prisoners of war, including most of the Afrika Korps.
14/02/1942
World War II: Battle of Pasir Panjang contributes to the fall of Singapore.
The Battle of Pasir Panjang, which took place between 13 and 15 February 1942, was part of the final stage of the Empire of Japan's invasion of Singapore during World War II. The battle was initiated upon the advancement of elite Imperial Japanese Army forces towards Pasir Panjang Ridge on 13 February.
14/02/1939
World War II: German battleship Bismarck is launched.
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.
14/02/1929
Saint Valentine's Day Massacre: Seven people, six of them gangster rivals of Al Capone's gang, are murdered in Chicago.
The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre was the murder of seven members and associates of Chicago's North Side Gang on Saint Valentine's Day 1929. The men were gathered at a Lincoln Park, Chicago, garage when between four and six men entered, two of whom were disguised as police officers. The seven men were lined up facing a wall and shot with Thompson submachine guns and a sawed-off shotgun; seventy rounds were fired from the Thompsons, and one cartridge was fired from the shotgun. Six of the victims died immediately; one lived for a short while but refused to identify the killers.
14/02/1924
The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company changes its name to International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).
International Business Machines Corporation, doing business as IBM, is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is a publicly traded company and one of the 30 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. IBM is the largest industrial research organization in the world, with 19 research facilities across a dozen countries; for 29 consecutive years, from 1993 to 2021, it held the record for most annual U.S. patents generated by a business.
14/02/1920
The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago.
The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a non-partisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and advocating for voting rights. In addition, the LWV works with partners for specific campaigns including support for campaign finance reform, women's rights, health care reform and gun control.
14/02/1919
The Polish–Soviet War begins.
The Polish–Soviet War was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution.
14/02/1918
Soviet Russia adopts the Gregorian calendar.
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was a communist state from 1917 to 1922, and afterwards the largest and most populous constituent republic of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1922 to 1991, until becoming a sovereign part of the Soviet Union with priority of Russian laws over Union-level legislation in 1990 and 1991, the last two years of the existence of the USSR. The Russian SFSR was composed of sixteen smaller constituent units of autonomous republics, five autonomous oblasts, ten autonomous okrugs, six krais and forty oblasts. Russians formed the largest ethnic group. The capital of the Russian SFSR and the USSR as a whole was Moscow and the other major urban centers included Leningrad, Stalingrad, Novosibirsk, Sverdlovsk, Gorky and Kuybyshev.
14/02/1912
Arizona is admitted as the 48th and the last contiguous U.S. state.
Arizona is a landlocked state in the Southwestern United States, sharing the Four Corners region with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the northwest and California to the west, and shares an international border with the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California to the south and southwest. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix, which is the most populous state capital and fifth-most populous city in the United States. Arizona is divided into 15 counties.
The U.S. Navy commissions its first class of diesel-powered submarines.
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and is designated as the navy of the United States in the Constitution. With 290 combat vessels, it is the world's second largest navy, behind the People's Liberation Army Navy, and by far the largest by displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with eleven in service, one undergoing trials, two new carriers under construction, and six other carriers planned as of 2024. The Navy is a part of the Department of Defense and is one of six armed forces and eight uniformed services of the United States.
14/02/1903
The United States Department of Commerce and Labor is established (later split into the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor).
The United States Department of Commerce and Labor was a short-lived Cabinet department of the United States government, which was concerned with fostering and supervising big business. It existed from 1903 to 1913. The United States Department of Commerce is its successor agency, and it also is the predecessor of the United States Department of Labor.
14/02/1900
The British Army begins the Battle of the Tugela Heights in an effort to lift the Siege of Ladysmith.
The British Army is the land warfare force of the United Kingdom responsible for defending the UK, the British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. The British Army, founded in 1707, has seen involvement in most of the world's major wars throughout history, including both world wars. As of 1 January 2026, the British Army comprises 73,790 regular full-time personnel, 4,190 Gurkhas, 25,770 volunteer reserve personnel and 4,870 "other personnel", for a total of 108,620.
14/02/1899
Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.
A voting machine is a machine used to record votes in an election without paper. The first voting machines were mechanical but it is increasingly more common to use electronic voting machines. Traditionally, a voting machine has been defined by its mechanism, and whether the system tallies votes at each voting location, or centrally. Voting machines should not be confused with tabulating machines, which count votes done by paper ballot.
14/02/1879
The War of the Pacific breaks out when the Chilean Army occupies the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta.
The War of the Pacific, also known by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought over Chilean claims on coastal Bolivian territory in the Atacama Desert, the war ended with victory for Chile, which gained a significant amount of resource-rich territory from Peru and Bolivia. The war demonstrated Chile's military-technological superiority over its opponents at the time.
14/02/1876
Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone, as does Elisha Gray.
Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-born Canadian-American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1885.
14/02/1859
Oregon is admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western United States, with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. The 42° north parallel delineates the southern boundary with California and Nevada. The western boundary is formed by the Pacific Ocean.
14/02/1855
Texas is linked by telegraph to the rest of the United States, with the completion of a connection between New Orleans and Marshall, Texas.
Texas is the most populous state in the Southern United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and an international border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south and southwest, that forms a natural boundary delineated by the Rio Grande. Texas has a coastline on the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast. Covering 268,596 square miles (695,660 km2) and with an estimated population of over 31.7 million residents in 2025, it is the second-largest U.S. state by area and population. Texas is nicknamed the "Lone Star State" for the single star on its flag, symbolic of its former status as an independent country, the Republic of Texas.
14/02/1852
Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, the first hospital in England to provide in-patient beds specifically for children, is founded in London.
Great Ormond Street Hospital is a children's hospital in the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital is situated between Great Ormond Street and Guilford Street, just inside Holborn's traditional boundary with Bloomsbury.
14/02/1849
In New York City, James Knox Polk becomes the first serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken.
James Knox Polk was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. A protégé of Andrew Jackson and a member of the Democratic Party, he was an advocate of American expansionism and Jacksonian democracy. Polk saw Texas join the Union in his first year in office, one of the precipitating causes that soon led the U.S. into the Mexican–American War. The settlement of that war expanded American territory to the Pacific Ocean. During his term, the dispute over the Oregon Territory with the United Kingdom was resolved as well, creating the present U.S.-Canadian boundary.
14/02/1835
The original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in the Latter Day Saint movement, is formed in Kirtland, Ohio.
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Quorum of the Twelve is one of the governing bodies of the church hierarchy organized by the movement's founder Joseph Smith and patterned after the Apostles of Jesus. Members are called Apostles, with a special calling to be evangelistic ambassadors to the world.
14/02/1831
Ras Marye of Yejju marches into Tigray and defeats and kills Dejazmach Sabagadis in the Battle of Debre Abbay.
Marye of Yejju was a Ras of Begemder and Enderase (regent) of the Emperor of Ethiopia. He was the brother of his predecessor Ras Yimam.
14/02/1804
Karađorđe leads the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire.
Đorđe Petrović, known by the sobriquet Karađorđe, was a Serbian revolutionary leader who led a struggle against the Ottoman Empire during the First Serbian Uprising. Karađorđe Petrović held the title of Grand Vožd of Serbia from 14 February 1804 to 3 October 1813.
14/02/1797
French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Cape St. Vincent: John Jervis, (later 1st Earl of St Vincent) and Horatio Nelson (later 1st Viscount Nelson) lead the British Royal Navy to victory over a Spanish fleet in action near Gibraltar.
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted France against Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and several other countries. The wars are divided into two periods: the War of the First Coalition (1792–1797) and the War of the Second Coalition (1798–1802). Initially confined to Europe, the fighting gradually assumed a global dimension. After a decade of constant warfare and aggressive diplomacy, France had conquered territories in the Italian peninsula, the Low Countries, and the Rhineland with its very large and powerful military which had been totally mobilized for war against most of Europe with mass conscription of the vast French population. French success in these conflicts ensured military occupation and the spread of revolutionary principles over much of Europe.
14/02/1779
American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Kettle Creek is fought in Georgia.
The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence or simply the American Revolution, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which American Patriot forces organized as the Continental Army and commanded by George Washington defeated the British Army. The conflict was fought in North America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean. The war's outcome seemed uncertain for most of the war, but Washington and the Continental Army's decisive victory in the Siege of Yorktown in 1781 led King George III and the Kingdom of Great Britain to negotiate an end to the war. In 1783, in the Treaty of Paris, the British monarchy acknowledged the independence of the Thirteen Colonies, leading to the establishment of the United States as an independent and sovereign nation.
James Cook is killed by Native Hawaiians near Kealakekua on the Island of Hawaii.
On 14 February 1779 British explorer Captain James Cook was killed as he attempted to kidnap Kalaniʻōpuʻu, the ruling chief of the island of Hawaii, and hold him hostage for the return of a cutter which Hawaiians had stolen. As Cook and his men attempted to take the chief to his ship, they were confronted by a crowd of Hawaiians at Kealakekua Bay seeking to prevent Kalaniʻōpuʻu leaving. In the ensuing confrontation, Cook, four British marines and 17 Hawaiians were killed.
14/02/1778
The United States flag is formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time, when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte renders a nine gun salute to USS Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones.
The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars alternate with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag form a constellation, representing the 50 U.S. states united, while the 13 stripes represent the thirteen colonies that won independence from Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War.
14/02/1655
The Mapuches launch coordinated attacks against the Spanish in Chile beginning the Mapuche uprising of 1655.
The Mapuche, also known as Araucanians, are a group of Indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who share a common social, religious, and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage as Mapudungun speakers. Their homelands once extended from Choapa Valley to the Chiloé Archipelago and later spread eastward to Puelmapu, a land comprising part of the Argentine pampa and Patagonia. Today, the Mapuche represent 77.16% of Chile’s indigenous peoples and about 8.8% of the total national population. The Mapuche are concentrated in the Araucanía region. Many have migrated from rural areas to the cities of Santiago and Buenos Aires to pursue economic opportunities. Around 92% of the Mapuches are from Chile.
14/02/1613
Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Frederick V of the Palatinate at Whitehall Palace, London.
The wedding of Frederick V of the Palatinate (1596–1632) and Princess Elizabeth (1596–1662), daughter of James VI and I, was celebrated in London in February 1613. There were fireworks, masques, tournaments, and a mock-sea battle or naumachia. Preparations involved the construction of a "Marriage room", a hall adjacent to the 1607 Banqueting House at Whitehall Palace. The events were described in various contemporary pamphlets and letters.
14/02/1556
Having been declared a heretic and laicized by Pope Paul IV on 4 December 1555, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is publicly defrocked at Christ Church Cathedral.
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy.
Coronation of Akbar as ruler of the Mughal Empire.
Akbar, also known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expand and consolidate Mughal domains in the Indian subcontinent. He is generally considered one of the greatest Mughal Emperor.
14/02/1530
Spanish conquistadores, led by Nuño de Guzmán, overthrow and execute Tangaxuan II, the last independent monarch of the Tarascan state in present-day central Mexico.
Conquistadors or conquistadores were Spanish and Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with, and conquered many parts of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania during the Age of Discovery. Sailing beyond the Iberian Peninsula, they established numerous colonies and trade routes, and brought much of the New World under the dominion of Spain and Portugal.
14/02/1349
Strasbourg massacre: Several thousand Jews are burned to death by mobs while the remaining Jews are forcibly removed from Strasbourg after being accused of causing the Black Death.
The Strasbourg massacre occurred on 14 February 1349, when the entire Jewish community of 2,000 Jews was publicly burnt to death as part of the Black Death persecutions.
14/02/1130
The troubled 1130 papal election exposes a rift within the College of Cardinals.
A papal election was held on 14 February 1130, after the death of Pope Honorius II, and resulted in a double election. Part of the cardinals, led by Cardinal-Chancellor Aymery de la Châtre, elected Gregorio Papareschi as Innocent II, but the rest of them refused to recognize him and elected Cardinal Pietro Pierleoni, who took the name of Anacletus II. Although Anacletus had the support of the majority of the cardinals, the Catholic Church today considers Innocent II to have been the legitimate pope and Anacletus II the antipope.
14/02/1014
Pope Benedict VIII crowns Henry of Bavaria, King of Germany and of Italy, as Holy Roman Emperor.
Pope Benedict VIII was bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 18 May 1012 until 1024. He was born Theophylact of Tusculum to the noble family of the counts of Tusculum. Unusually for a medieval pope, he had strong authority both in Rome and abroad.
14/02/0842
Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German languages.
Charles the Bald was king of West Francia (843–77), king of Italy (875–77) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–77). After a series of civil wars during the reign of his father, Louis the Pious, Charles succeeded, by the Treaty of Verdun (843), in acquiring the western third of the empire. He was a grandson of Charlemagne and the youngest son of Louis the Pious by his second wife, Judith.
14/02/0763
The death of Ibrahim ibn Abdallah marks the end of the Alid revolt of 762–763.
Ibrahim ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Hasan was an Arab leader, from the lineage of the Prophet's family and from the narrators. He is often mentioned in conjunction with the name of his brother, Imam Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya the Pure Soul. This association is due to their participation in the ordeal and the revolution against Abbasid rule. Therefore, it is remarkably frequent in Islamic sources that they are mentioned together when speaking about rebellion against al-Mansur. He was also a poet and a scholar of Arab history and poetry.
14/02/0748
Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt.
The Abbasid revolution, was the overthrow of the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750), the second major caliphate, by the Hashimiyya movement, resulting in the establishment of the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1517), the third major caliphate.