February 14

February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 320 days remain until the end of the year (321 in leap years).

This day is observed in most countries as Valentine's Day.

Events

Pre-1600

• 748 – Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt.
• 763 – The death of Ibrahim ibn Abdallah marks the end of the Alid revolt of 762–763.
• 842 – Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German languages.
• 1014 – Pope Benedict VIII crowns Henry of Bavaria, King of Germany and of Italy, as Holy Roman Emperor.
• 1130 – The troubled 1130 papal election exposes a rift within the College of Cardinals.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 1556 – Coronation of Akbar as ruler of the Mughal Empire.

1601–1900

• 1613 – Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Frederick V of the Palatinate at Whitehall Palace, London.
• 1655 – The Mapuches launch coordinated attacks against the Spanish in Chile beginning the Mapuche uprising of 1655.
• 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.
• 1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Kettle Creek is fought in Georgia.
• 1779 – James Cook is killed by Native Hawaiians near Kealakekua on the Island of Hawaii.
• 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.
• 1804 – Karađorđe leads the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire.
• 1831 – Ras Marye of Yejju marches into Tigray and defeats and kills Dejazmach Sabagadis in the Battle of Debre Abbay.
• 1835 – The original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in the Latter Day Saint movement, is formed in Kirtland, Ohio.
• 1849 – In New York City, James Knox Polk becomes the first serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken.
• 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.
• 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.
• 1859 – Oregon is admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.
• 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone, as does Elisha Gray.
• 1879 – The War of the Pacific breaks out when the Chilean Army occupies the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta.
• 1899 – Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.
• 1900 – The British Army begins the Battle of the Tugela Heights in an effort to lift the Siege of Ladysmith.

1901–present

• 1903 – The United States Department of Commerce and Labor is established (later split into the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor).
• 1912 – Arizona is admitted as the 48th and the last contiguous U.S. state.
• 1912 – The U.S. Navy commissions its first class of diesel-powered submarines.
• 1918 – Soviet Russia adopts the Gregorian calendar.
• 1919 – The Polish–Soviet War begins.
• 1920 – The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago.
• 1924 – The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company changes its name to International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).
• 1929 – Saint Valentine's Day Massacre: Seven people, six of them gangster rivals of Al Capone's gang, are murdered in Chicago.
• 1939 – World War II: German battleship Bismarck is launched.
• 1942 – World War II: Battle of Pasir Panjang contributes to the fall of Singapore.
• 1943 – World War II: Rostov-on-Don, Russia is liberated.
• 1943 – World War II: Tunisia Campaign: General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim's Fifth Panzer Army launches a counter-attack against Allied positions in Tunisia.
• 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.
• 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.
• 1945 – 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.
• 1945 – World War II: Mostar is liberated by Yugoslav partisans
• 1945 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt meets King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia aboard the USS Quincy, officially beginning U.S.-Saudi diplomatic relations.
• 1946 – The Bank of England is nationalized.
• 1947 – The act abolishing all noble ranks and related styles comes into force in Hungary.
• 1949 – The Knesset (parliament of Israel) convenes for the first time.
• 1949 – The Asbestos Strike begins in Canada. The strike marks the beginning of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec.
• 1954 – First Indochina War - small French garrison at Đắk Đoa is overrun by the Viet Minh after a week's siege.
• 1961 – Discovery of the chemical elements: Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized at the University of California.
• 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.
• 1983 – United American Bank of Knoxville, Tennessee collapses. Its president, Jake Butcher, is later convicted of fraud.
• 1989 – Union Carbide agrees to pay $470 million to the Indian government for damages it caused in the 1984 Bhopal disaster.
• 1989 – Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini issues a fatwa encouraging Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.
• 1990 – Ninety-two people are killed when Indian Airlines Flight 605 crashes in Bangalore, India.
• 1990 – The Voyager 1 spacecraft takes the photograph of planet Earth that later becomes famous as Pale Blue Dot.
• 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.
• 2000 – The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker enters orbit around asteroid 433 Eros, the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.
• 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.
• 2004 – In a suburb of Moscow, Russia, the roof of the Transvaal water park collapses, killing more than 28 people, and wounding 193 others.
• 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.
• 2005 – 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.
• 2005 – 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.
• 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.
• 2011 – As a part of Arab Spring, the Bahraini uprising begins with a 'Day of Rage'.
• 2018 – Jacob Zuma resigns as President of South Africa.
• 2018 – A shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida is one of the deadliest school massacres with 17 fatalities and 17 injuries.
• 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.
• 2020 - At least 22 people are killed in an attack on a village in Northwest Region, Cameroon.

Births

Pre-1600

• 1404 – Leon Battista Alberti, Italian painter, poet, and philosopher (died 1472)
• 1408 – John FitzAlan, 14th Earl of Arundel (died 1435)
• 1452 – Pandolfo Petrucci, tyrant of Siena (died 1512)
• 1468 – Johannes Werner, German priest and mathematician (died 1522)
• 1483 – Babur, Mughal emperor (died 1530)
• 1490 – Valentin Friedland, German scholar and educationist of the Reformation (died 1556)
• 1513 – Domenico Ferrabosco, Italian composer (died 1573)
• 1545 – Lucrezia de' Medici, Duchess of Ferrara (died 1561)

1601–1900

• 1602 – Francesco Cavalli, Italian composer (died 1676)
• 1614 – John Wilkins, English bishop, academic and natural philosopher (died 1672)
• 1625 – Countess Palatine Maria Euphrosyne of Zweibrücken, Swedish princess (died 1687)
• 1628 – Valentine Greatrakes, Irish faith healer (died 1683)
• 1640 – Countess Palatine Anna Magdalena of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler (died 1693)
• 1670 – Rajaram Raj Bhonsle, third Chhatrapati of the Maratha Confederacy (died 1700)
• 1679 – Georg Friedrich Kauffmann, German organist and composer (died 1735)
• 1692 – Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, French author and playwright (died 1754)
• 1701 – Enrique Flórez, Spanish historian and author (died 1773)
• 1763 – Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French general (died 1813)
• 1782 – Eleanora Atherton, English philanthropist (died 1870)
• 1784 – Heinrich Baermann, German clarinetist (died 1847)
• 1799 – Walenty Wańkowicz, Polish painter and illustrator (died 1842)
• 1800 – Emory Washburn, American historian, lawyer, and politician, 22nd Governor of Massachusetts (died 1877)
• 1808 – Michael Costa, Italian-English conductor and composer (died 1884)
• 1812 – Fernando Wood, American merchant and politician, 73rd Mayor of New York City (died 1881)
• 1813 – Lydia Hamilton Smith, African-American businesswoman (died 1884)
• 1819 – Christopher Latham Sholes, American journalist and politician, invented the typewriter (died 1890)
• 1824 – Winfield Scott Hancock, American general and politician (died 1886)
• 1828 – Edmond François Valentin About, French journalist and author (died 1885)
• 1829 – Alfred Iverson Jr., American Confederate Army officer (died 1911)
• 1835 – Piet Paaltjens, Dutch minister and poet (died 1894)
• 1838 – Margaret E. Knight, American inventor (died 1914)
• 1846 – Julian Scott, American soldier and drummer, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1901)
• 1847 – Anna Howard Shaw, American physician, minister, and activist (died 1919)
• 1848 – Benjamin Baillaud, French astronomer and academic (died 1934)
• 1855 – Frank Harris, Irish author and journalist (died 1931)
• 1859 – George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., American engineer, inventor of the Ferris wheel (died 1896)
• 1860 – Eugen Schiffer, German lawyer and politician, Vice-Chancellor of Germany (died 1954)
• 1869 – Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Scottish physicist and meteorologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1959)
• 1878 – Julius Nieuwland, Belgian priest, chemist and academic (died 1936)
• 1882 – John Barrymore, American actor (died 1942)
• 1884 – Nils Olaf Chrisander, Swedish actor and director (died 1947)
• 1884 – Kostas Varnalis, Greek poet and playwright (died 1974)
• 1888 – Chandrashekhar Agashe, Indian industrialist (died 1956)
• 1890 – Nina Hamnett, Welsh-English painter and author (died 1956)
• 1890 – Dick Richards, Welsh international footballer (died 1934)
• 1891 – Katherine Stinson, American aviator (died 1977)
• 1892 – Radola Gajda, Czech commander and politician (died 1948)
• 1894 – Jack Benny, American actor and producer (died 1974)
• 1895 – Wilhelm Burgdorf, German general (died 1945)
• 1895 – Max Horkheimer, German philosopher and sociologist (died 1973)
• 1898 – Bill Tilman, English mountaineer and explorer (died 1977)
• 1898 – Fritz Zwicky, Swiss-American physicist and astronomer (died 1974)
• 1900 – Jessica Dragonette, American singer (died 1980)

1901–present

• 1902 – Thelma Ritter, American actress and singer (died 1969)
• 1903 – Stuart Erwin, American actor (died 1967)
• 1907 – Johnny Longden, English-American jockey and trainer (died 2003)
• 1911 – Willem Johan Kolff, Dutch physician and inventor (died 2009)
• 1912 – Tibor Sekelj, Hungarian lawyer, explorer, and author (died 1988)
• 1913 – Mel Allen, American sportscaster (died 1996)
• 1913 – Woody Hayes, American football player and coach (died 1987)
• 1913 – Jimmy Hoffa, American trade union leader (died 1975)
• 1913 – James Pike, American bishop (died 1969)
• 1915 – Sally Gray, English actress and singer (died 2006)
• 1916 – Marcel Bigeard, French general (died 2010)
• 1916 – Masaki Kobayashi, Japanese director and producer (died 1996)
• 1916 – Edward Platt, American actor (died 1974)
• 1917 – Herbert A. Hauptman, American mathematician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2011)
• 1921 – Hugh Downs, American journalist, game show host, and producer (died 2020)
• 1921 – Hazel McCallion, Canadian businesswoman and politician, 3rd Mayor of Mississauga (died 2023)
• 1923 – Jay Hebert, American golfer (died 1997)
• 1924 – Juan Ponce Enrile, Filipino politician and lawyer (died 2025)
• 1924 – Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma (died 2017)
• 1927 – Lois Maxwell, Canadian-Australian model and actress (died 2007)
• 1928 – William Allain, American lawyer and politician, 58th Governor of Mississippi (died 2013)
• 1928 – Vicente T. Blaz, American general and politician (died 2014)
• 1929 – Vic Morrow, American actor and director (died 1982)
• 1931 – Brian Kelly, American actor and director (died 2005)
• 1932 – Harriet Andersson, Swedish actress
• 1932 – Alexander Kluge, German author, film director and public intellectual (died 2026)
• 1933 – Nell Hall Williams, American quilter (died 2021)
• 1934 – Florence Henderson, American actress and singer (died 2016)
• 1935 – David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, Scottish academic and diplomat, 27th Governor of Hong Kong
• 1936 – Anna German, Polish singer (died 1982)
• 1937 – John MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market, English politician, Secretary of State for Transport
• 1937 – Magic Sam, American singer and guitarist (died 1969)
• 1938 – Eberhard Riedel, German Olympic alpine skier (died 2026)
• 1939 – Razzy Bailey, American country music singer-songwriter and musician (died 2021)
• 1939 – Blowfly, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2016)
• 1939 – Eugene Fama, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1941 – Donna Shalala, American academic and politician, 18th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
• 1941 – Paul Tsongas, American lawyer and politician (died 1997)
• 1942 – Michael Bloomberg, American businessman and politician, 108th Mayor of New York City
• 1942 – Andrew Robinson, American actor and director
• 1942 – Ricardo Rodríguez, Mexican racing driver (died 1962)
• 1943 – Maceo Parker, American saxophonist
• 1944 – Carl Bernstein, American journalist and author
• 1944 – Alan Parker, English director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2020)
• 1944 – Ronnie Peterson, Swedish racing driver (died 1978)
• 1945 – Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein
• 1945 – Rod Masterson, American lieutenant and actor (died 2013)
• 1946 – Bernard Dowiyogo, Nauru politician, President of Nauru (died 2003)
• 1946 – Gregory Hines, American actor, singer, and dancer (died 2003)
• 1947 – Tim Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1975)
• 1947 – Judd Gregg, American lawyer and politician, 76th Governor of New Hampshire
• 1947 – John Quayle, Australian rugby league player and administrator
• 1947 – Phạm Tuân, Vietnamese aviator and cosmonaut
• 1947 – Stephen A. Schwarzman, American businessman
• 1948 – Mayra Gómez Kemp, Cuban-Spanish television host and actress (died 2024)
• 1948 – Kitten Natividad, Mexican-American actress and dancer (died 2022)
• 1948 – Pat O'Brien, American journalist and author
• 1948 – Wally Tax, Dutch singer-songwriter (died 2005)
• 1948 – Teller, American magician and actor
• 1950 – Roger Fisher, American guitarist and songwriter
• 1951 – Terry Gross, American radio host and producer
• 1951 – Kevin Keegan, English footballer and manager
• 1952 – Sushma Swaraj, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs (died 2019)
• 1954 – Jam Mohammad Yousaf, Pakistani politician, Chief Minister of Balochistan (died 2013)
• 1955 – Carol Kalish, American publisher (died 1991)
• 1956 – Howard Davis Jr., American boxer and trainer (died 2015)
• 1956 – Dave Dravecky, American baseball player
• 1956 – Katharina Fritsch, German sculptor and academic
• 1957 – Soile Isokoski, Finnish soprano and actress
• 1957 – Alan Smith, English bishop
• 1957 – Ken Wahl, American actor
• 1958 – Grant Thomas, Australian footballer and coach
• 1959 – Renée Fleming, American soprano and actress
• 1960 – Philip Jones, English admiral
• 1960 – Jim Kelly, American football player and businessman
• 1960 – Meg Tilly, American actress and author
• 1961 – D'Wayne Wiggins, American musical artist (died 2025)
• 1962 – Sakina Jaffrey, American actress
• 1963 – Enrico Colantoni, Canadian actor, director, and producer
• 1964 – Gianni Bugno, Italian cyclist and sportscaster
• 1964 – Zach Galligan, American actor
• 1966 – Petr Svoboda, Czech ice hockey player and agent
• 1967 – Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Greek-English businessman, founded easyJet
• 1967 – Calle Johansson, Swedish ice hockey player and coach
• 1967 – Manuela Maleeva, Bulgarian-Swiss tennis player
• 1967 – Bernie Moreno, American politician and businessman
• 1967 – Mark Rutte, Dutch businessman and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
• 1968 – Jules Asner, American model and television host
• 1968 – Chris Lewis, Guyanese-English cricketer
• 1968 – Scott McClellan, American civil servant and author, 25th White House Press Secretary
• 1969 – Meg Hillier, English journalist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
• 1970 – Giuseppe Guerini, Italian cyclist
• 1970 – Sean Hill, American ice hockey player
• 1970 – Simon Pegg, English actor, director, and producer
• 1970 – Takashi Saito, Japanese baseball player
• 1971 – Kris Aquino, Filipino talk show host, actress, and producer
• 1971 – Gheorghe Mureșan, Romanian basketball player
• 1972 – Drew Bledsoe, American football player and coach
• 1972 – Musōyama Masashi, Japanese sumo wrestler
• 1972 – Najwa Nimri, Spanish actress and singer
• 1972 – Jaan Tallinn, Estonian computer programmer, co-developed Skype
• 1972 – Rob Thomas, American singer-songwriter
• 1973 – H. D. Ackerman, South African cricketer
• 1973 – Annalisa Buffa, Italian mathematician
• 1973 – Tyus Edney, American basketball player and coach
• 1973 – Steve McNair, American football player (died 2009)
• 1974 – Valentina Vezzali, Italian fencer and politician
• 1975 – Viktor Kozlov, Russian ice hockey player and coach
• 1975 – Dámaso Marte, Dominican baseball player
• 1976 – Milan Hejduk, Czech-American ice hockey player
• 1976 – Liv Kristine, Norwegian singer-songwriter
• 1976 – Rie Rasmussen, Danish model, film director, writer, photographer, and actress
• 1977 – Anna Erschler, Russian mathematician
• 1977 – Cadel Evans, Australian cyclist
• 1977 – Jim Jefferies, Australian comedian and actor
• 1977 – Darren Purse, English footballer
• 1977 – Elmer Symons, South African motorcycle racer (died 2007)
• 1978 – Danai Gurira, American-Zimbabwean actress
• 1978 – Richard Hamilton, American basketball player
• 1978 – Darius Songaila, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
• 1980 – Josh Senter, American screenwriter and producer
• 1980 – Michelle Ye, Hong Kong actress and producer
• 1981 – Matteo Brighi, Italian footballer
• 1981 – Randy de Puniet, French motorcycle racer
• 1981 – Brad Halsey, American baseball player (died 2014)
• 1981 – Kara Lawson, American basketball player and coach
• 1981 – Jared Lorenzen, American football player (died 2019)
• 1982 – Marián Gáborík, Slovak ice hockey player
• 1982 – John Halls, English footballer and model
• 1982 – Lenka Tvarošková, Slovak tennis player
• 1983 – Callix Crabbe, Virgin Islander baseball player
• 1983 – Rocky Elsom, Australian rugby player
• 1983 – Bacary Sagna, French footballer
• 1984 – Matt Barr, American actor
• 1985 – Karima Adebibe, English model and actress
• 1985 – Tyler Clippard, American baseball player
• 1985 – Heart Evangelista, Filipino singer and actress
• 1985 – Philippe Senderos, Swiss footballer
• 1985 – Miki Yeung, Hong Kong singer and actress
• 1986 – Michael Ammermüller, German racing driver
• 1986 – Oliver Lee, English actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1986 – Gao Lin, Chinese footballer
• 1986 – Tiffany Thornton, American actress and singer
• 1987 – Edinson Cavani, Uruguayan footballer
• 1987 – Tom Pyatt, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1987 – David Wheater, English footballer
• 1987 – Candice Wiggins, American basketball player
• 1988 – Katie Boland, Canadian actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1988 – Ángel Di María, Argentinian footballer
• 1988 – Siim Liivik, Estonian ice hockey player
• 1989 – Néstor Calderón, Mexican footballer
• 1989 – Adam Matuszczyk, Polish footballer
• 1989 – Emma Miskew, Canadian curler
• 1989 – Byron Mullens, American basketball player
• 1989 – Derek Norris, American baseball player
• 1989 – Brandon Sutter, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1989 – Jurij Tepeš, Slovenian ski jumper
• 1989 – Kristian Thomas, English gymnast
• 1990 – Chris Babb, American basketball player
• 1990 – Brett Dier, Canadian actor
• 1990 – Bogdan Kiselevich, Russian ice hockey player
• 1990 – Sefa Yılmaz, German-Turkish footballer
• 1991 – Karol G, Colombian singer and songwriter
• 1991 – Daniela Mona Lambin, Estonian footballer
• 1992 – Christian Eriksen, Danish footballer
• 1992 – Freddie Highmore, English actor
• 1992 – Petr Mrázek, Czech ice hockey player
• 1993 – Jadeveon Clowney, American football player
• 1993 – Alberto Rosende, American actor and singer
• 1996 – Nikolaj Ehlers, Danish ice hockey player
• 1996 – Poasa Faamausili, New Zealand rugby league player
• 1996 – Lucas Hernandez, French footballer
• 1997 – Jaehyun, South Korean singer and actor
• 1997 – Breel Embolo, Swiss footballer
• 1999 – Tyler Adams, American soccer player
• 2000 – Gabriel Moreno, Venezuelan baseball player
• 2002 – Jaxon Smith-Njigba, American football player

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 269 – Saint Valentine, Roman saint
• 869 – Cyril, Greek missionary bishop and saint (born 827)
• 945 – Lian Chongyu, Chinese general
• 945 – Zhu Wenjin, Chinese emperor
• 1009 – Bruno of Querfurt, German missionary bishop
• 1010 – Fujiwara no Korechika, Japanese nobleman (born 974)
• 1140 – Leo I, Armenian prince
• 1140 – Sobĕslav I, duke of Bohemia
• 1164 – Sviatoslav Olgovich, Kievan prince
• 1229 – Rǫgnvaldr Guðrøðarson, king of the Isles
• 1317 – Margaret of France, queen of England
• 1400 – Richard II, king of England (born 1367)
• 1440 – Dietrich of Oldenburg, German nobleman
• 1489 – Nicolaus von Tüngen, prince-bishop of Warmia
• 1528 – Edzard I, German nobleman (born 1462)
• 1549 – Il Sodoma, Italian painter (born 1477)

1601–1900

• 1676 – Abraham Bosse, French engraver and illustrator (born 1602)
• 1714 – Maria Luisa of Savoy, queen of Spain (born 1688)
• 1737 – Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot, English lawyer and politician Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (born 1685)
• 1744 – John Hadley, English mathematician, invented the octant (born 1682)
• 1755 – Isidro de Espinosa, Franciscan missionary from Spanish Texas (born 1679)
• 1779 – James Cook, English captain, cartographer, and explorer (born 1728)
• 1780 – William Blackstone, English jurist and politician (born 1723)
• 1782 – Singu Min, Burmese king (born 1756)
• 1808 – John Dickinson, American lawyer and politician 5th Governor of Delaware (born 1732)
• 1831 – Vicente Guerrero, Mexican general and politician, 2nd President of Mexico (born 1782)
• 1831 – Henry Maudslay, English engineer (born 1771)
• 1870 – St. John Richardson Liddell, American general (born 1815)
• 1881 – Fernando Wood, American merchant and politician, 73rd Mayor of New York City (born 1812)
• 1884 – Lydia Hamilton Smith, African-American businesswoman (born 1813)
• 1885 – Jules Vallès, French journalist and author (born 1832)
• 1891 – William Tecumseh Sherman, American general (born 1820)
• 1894 – Eugène Charles Catalan, Belgian-French mathematician and academic (born 1814)

1901–present

• 1910 – Giovanni Passannante, Italian anarchist (born 1849)
• 1922 – Heikki Ritavuori, Finnish lawyer and politician (born 1880; assassinated)
• 1923 – Charles Henry Turner, American zoologist, educator, and comparative psychologist (born 1867)
• 1924 – Amalie Andersen, Norwegian actress (born 1861)
• 1929 – Thomas Burke, American sprinter, coach, and lawyer (born 1875)
• 1930 – Thomas Mackenzie, Scottish-New Zealand cartographer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1853)
• 1933 – Carl Correns, German botanist and geneticist (born 1864)
• 1937 – Erkki Melartin, Finnish composer (born 1875)
• 1942 – Adnan Saidi, Malayan lieutenant (born 1915)
• 1943 – Dora Gerson, German actress and singer (born 1899)
• 1943 – David Hilbert, Russian-German mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (born 1862)
• 1948 – Mordecai Brown, American baseball player and manager (born 1876)
• 1949 – Yusuf Salman Yusuf, Iraqi politician (born 1901)
• 1950 – Karl Guthe Jansky, American physicist and engineer (born 1905)
• 1952 – Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (born 1896)
• 1956 – Harold Edward Dahl, American pilot and mercenary (born 1909)
• 1958 – Abdur Rab Nishtar, Pakistani politician, 2nd Governor of Punjab (born 1899)
• 1959 – Baby Dodds, American drummer (born 1898)
• 1967 – Sig Ruman, German-American actor (born 1884)
• 1969 – Vito Genovese, Italian-American mob boss (born 1897)
• 1970 – Herbert Strudwick, English cricketer and coach (born 1880)
• 1974 – Stewie Dempster, New Zealand cricketer and coach (born 1903)
• 1975 – Julian Huxley, English biologist and eugenicist, co-founded the World Wide Fund for Nature (born 1887)
• 1975 – P. G. Wodehouse, English novelist and playwright (born 1881)
• 1976 – Gertrud Dorka, German archaeologist, prehistorian and museum director (born 1893)
• 1976 – George Washington Bacon III, American soldier, CIA agent, and mercenary (born 1946)
• 1976 – Charlie Christodoulou, British soldier and mercenary of the Angolan Civil War (born 1951)
• 1979 – Adolph Dubs, American lieutenant and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Afghanistan (born 1920)
• 1983 – Lina Radke, German runner and coach (born 1903)
• 1986 – Edmund Rubbra, English composer and conductor (born 1901)
• 1987 – Dmitry Kabalevsky, Russian pianist and composer (born 1904)
• 1988 – Frederick Loewe, German-American composer (born 1901)
• 1989 – James Bond, American ornithologist and zoologist (born 1900)
• 1989 – Vincent Crane, English pianist (born 1943)
• 1994 – Andrei Chikatilo, Soviet serial killer (born 1936)
• 1994 – Christopher Lasch, American historian and critic (born 1932)
• 1995 – Michael V. Gazzo, American actor and playwright (born 1923)
• 1995 – U Nu, Burmese politician, 1st Prime Minister of Burma (born 1907)
• 1996 – Bob Paisley, English footballer and manager (born 1919)
• 1998 – Peter Koch (wood scientist), American industrial engineer and wood scientist (born 1920)
• 1999 – John Ehrlichman, American lawyer and politician, 12th White House Counsel (born 1925)
• 1999 – Buddy Knox, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1933)
• 2002 – Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer and manager (born 1922)
• 2002 – Mick Tucker, English drummer (born 1947)
• 2003 – Johnny Longden, English jockey and trainer (born 1907)
• 2004 – Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist (born 1970)
• 2005 – Rafic Hariri, Lebanese businessman and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Lebanon (born 1944; assassinated)
• 2006 – Lynden David Hall, English singer-songwriter and producer (born 1974)
• 2007 – Ryan Larkin, Canadian animator and director (born 1943)
• 2007 – Gareth Morris, English flute player and educator (born 1920)
• 2008 – Perry Lopez, American actor (born 1929)
• 2009 – Bernard Ashley, English engineer and businessman, co-founded Laura Ashley plc (born 1926)
• 2009 – Louie Bellson, American drummer and composer (born 1924)
• 2010 – Doug Fieger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1952)
• 2010 – Dick Francis, Welsh jockey and author (born 1920)
• 2010 – Linnart Mäll, Estonian historian, orientalist, and translator (born 1938)
• 2011 – George Shearing, English-American pianist and composer (born 1919)
• 2012 – Mike Bernardo, South African boxer and martial artist (born 1969)
• 2012 – Tonmi Lillman, Finnish drummer and producer (born 1973)
• 2012 – Dory Previn, American singer-songwriter (born 1925)
• 2012 – Péter Rusorán, Hungarian swimmer, water polo player, and coach (born 1940)
• 2013 – Glenn Boyer, American historian and author (born 1924)
• 2013 – Ronald Dworkin, American philosopher and scholar (born 1931)
• 2014 – Tom Finney, English footballer (born 1922)
• 2014 – Chris Pearson, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of Yukon (born 1931)
• 2014 – Mike Stepovich, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Alaska Territory (born 1919)
• 2015 – Louis Jourdan, French-American actor and singer (born 1921)
• 2015 – Philip Levine, American poet and academic (born 1928)
• 2015 – Franjo Mihalić, Croatian-Serbian runner and coach (born 1920)
• 2016 – Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, English lieutenant, engineer, and politician (born 1928)
• 2016 – Steven Stucky, American composer and academic (born 1949)
• 2018 – Ruud Lubbers, Dutch politician and diplomat, Prime Minister and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (born 1939)
• 2018 – Morgan Tsvangirai, 2nd Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (born 1952)
• 2019 – Andrea Levy, English author (born 1956)
• 2021 – Carlos Menem, Argentine former president, lawyer, and statesman (born 1930)
• 2021 – William Meninger, American Trappist monk and a principal developer of Centering Prayer (born 1932)
• 2026 – Tom Noonan, American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1951)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day: Cyril and Methodius, patron saints of Europe (Roman Catholic Church) Eleuchadius Manchan Valentine (see also Valentine's Day) Vicente Vilar David February 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Statehood Day (Arizona, United States)
• Statehood Day (Oregon, United States)
• Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (Armenian Apostolic Church)
• Parents' Worship Day (parts of India)

External links