16 February encyclopedia topics

Events

1249 - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khan of the Mongols.
1646 - Battle of Great Torrington, Devon - the last major battle of the first English Civil War.
1742 - Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, becomes British Prime Minister.
1804 - First Barbary War: Stephen Decatur leads a raid to burn the pirate-held frigate USS Philadelphia.
1838 - Weenen Massacre: Hundreds of Voortrekkers along the Blaukraans River, Natal are killed by Zulus.
1852 - Studebaker Brothers wagon company, precursor of the automobile manufacturer, is established.
1859 - The French Government passes a law to set the A-note above middle C to a frequency of 435 Hz, in an attempt to standardize the pitch.
1862 - American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Donelson, Tennessee.
1866 - Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington becomes the British Secretary of State for War.
1868 - In New York City the Jolly Corks organization is renamed the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE).
1899 - President Félix Faure of France dies in office.
1899 - Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur Iceland's first football club is founded.
1918 - The Council of Lithuania unanimously adopts the Act of Independence, declaring Lithuania an independent state.
1923 - Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
1934 - Austrian Civil War ends with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republican Schutzbund.
1934 - Commission of Government is sworn in as form of direct rule for the Dominion of Newfoundland.
1936 - Elections bring the Popular Front to power in Spain.
1937 - Wallace H. Carothers receives a patent for nylon.
1940 - World War II: Altmark Incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack. 299 British prisoners are freed.
1943 - World War II: The USSR reconquers Kharkov.
1945 - World War II: American forces land on Corregidor island in the Philippines.
1947 - Canadians granted Canadian citizenship after 80 years of being British subjects. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King becomes the first Canadian citizen.
1957 - The "Toddlers' Truce", a controversial television closedown between 6.00pm and 7.00pm was abolished in the United Kingdom.
1959 - Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.
1961 - Explorer program: Explorer 9 (S-56a) is launched.
1968 - In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service.
1978 - The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago, Illinois).
1983 - The Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria and South Australia claim the lives of 75 people in Australia's worst ever fires.
1985 - The founding of Hezbollah.
1986 - The Soviet liner Mikhail Lermontov runs aground in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand.
1987 - The trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of being a Nazi guard dubbed "Ivan the Terrible" in Treblinka extermination camp, starts in Jerusalem.
1993 - Western Australia's and Australia's first woman Premier, Carmen Lawrence, is voted out of office.
1999 - In Uzbekistan, a bomb explodes and gunfire is heard at the government headquarters in an apparent assassination attempt against President Islom Karimov.
1999 - Across Europe, Kurdish rebels take over embassies and hold hostages after Turkey arrested one of their rebel leaders, Abdullah Öcalan.
2005 - The Kyoto Protocol comes into force, following its ratification by Russia.
2005 - The National Hockey League cancels the entire 2004-2005 regular season and playoffs, becoming the first major sports league in North America to do so over a labor dispute.
2006 - The last Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army.

Births

1032 - Emperor Yingzong of China (d. 1067)
1222 - Nichiren Daishonin, Japanese founder of Nichiren Buddhism (d. 1282)
1497 - Philipp Melanchthon, German humanist and reformer (d. 1560)
1519 - Gaspard de Coligny, French Huguenot leader (d. 1572)
1543 - Kano Eitoku, Japanese painter (d. 1590)
1620 - Friedrich Wilhelm I of Brandenburg, Duke of Prussia (d. 1688)
1643 - John Sharp, English Archbishop of York (d. 1714)
1698 - Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician (d. 1758)
1727 - Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin, Austrian scientist (d. 1817)
1740 - Giambattista Bodoni, Italian publisher and engraver (d. 1813)
1761 - Charles Pichegru, French general (d. 1804)
1786 - Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (d. 1859)
1802 - Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, American philosopher (d. 1866)
1804 - Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist (d. 1885)
1812 - Henry Wilson, 18th Vice President of US (d. 1875)
1821 - Heinrich Barth, German explorer (d. 1865)
1822 - Sir Francis Galton, English explorer and biologist (d. 1911)
1824 - Peter Kozler, Slovenian cartographer and geographer (d. 1879)
1826 - Julia Grant, First Lady of the United States (d. 1902)
1826 - Joseph Victor von Scheffel, German poet (d. 1886)
1831 - Nikolai Leskov, Russian writer (d. 1895)
1834 - Ernst Haeckel, German zoologist and philosopher (d. 1919)
1838 - Henry Adams, American historian and novelist (d. 1918)
1847 - Philipp Scharwenka, Polish-German composer (d. 1917)
1848 - Hugo de Vries, Dutch botanist (d. 1935)
1856 - Rudolph Karstadt, German entrepreneur (d. 1944)
1856 - Willem Kes, Dutch conductor (d. 1934)
1866 - Billy Hamilton (baseball player), MLB Hall of Fame Outfielder (d. 1940)
1866 - Vyacheslav Ivanov, Russian poet (d. 1949)
1874 - Marie Gutheil-Schoder, German soprano (d. 1935)
1876 - George Macaulay Trevelyan, English historian (d. 1962)
1878 - Pamela Colman Smith, artist, writer, designer of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck of tarot cards (d. 1951)
1880 - Frank Burke, American baseball player (d. 1946)
1883 - Elizabeth Craig, British writer (d. 1980)
1884 - Robert J. Flaherty, American filmmaker (d. 1951)
1886 - Van Wyck Brooks, American historian and critic (d. 1963)
1887 - Kathleen Clifford, American actress (d. 1962)
1898 - Katharine Cornell, American actress (d. 1974)
1891 - Hans F. K. Günther, German eugenicist (d. 1967)
1901 - Vincent Coleman, American actor (d. 1971)
1901 - Wayne King, American musician and orchestra leader (d. 1985)
1901 - Chester Morris, American film actor (d. 1970)
1903 - Edgar Bergen, American ventriloquist (d. 1978)
1903 - George-Henri Lévesque, Quebec priest and sociologist (d. 2000)
1904 - George F. Kennan, American historian, diplomat and political policy-maker (d. 2005)
1906 - Vera Menchik, British-Czech chess player, the first Women's World Champion in chess (d. 1944)
1909 - Hugh Beaumont, American actor (d. 1982)
1909 - Jeffrey Lynn, American actor (d. 1995)
1909 - Richard McDonald, American fast food pioneer (d. 1998)
1915 - Jim O'Hora, American college football coach (d. 2005)
1915 - Elisabeth Eybers, South African poet (d. 2007)
1915 - Michael Relph, British film producer and director (d. 2004)
1916 - Bill Doggett, American jazz and rhythm and blues pianist and organist (d. 1996)
1918 - Patty Andrews, American singer
1920 - Anna Mae Hays, American army general
1921 - Jean Behra, French Formula One driver (d. 1959)
1921 - Araucaria, British crossword compiler
1921 - Vera-Ellen, American actress (d. 1981)
1922 - Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, German night fighter pilot (d. 1950)
1925 - Carlos Paredes, Portuguese guitar master (d. 2004)
1926 - John Schlesinger, English film director (d. 2003)
1927 - June Brown, British actress
1929 - Gerhard Hanappi, Austrian footballer (d. 1980)
1931 - George E. Sangmeister, American politician (d. 2007)
1931 - Ken Takakura, Japanese actor
1932 - Gretchen Wyler, American actress and dancer (d. 2007)
1932 - Otis Blackwell, American songwriter and singer (d. 2002)
1932 - Harry Goz, American actor (d. 2003)
1932 - Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, President of Sierra Leone
1934 - Herbie & Harold Kalin, American singers (d. 2005-Harold / 2006-Herbie)
1934 - Marlene Hagge, American professional golfer
1935 - Sonny Bono, American entertainer & U.S. Congressman (d. 1998)
1936 - Jill Kinmont, American skier
1937 - Yuri Manin, Russian mathematician
1938 - John Corigliano, American composer
1938 - Barry Primus, American actor
1939 - Czesław Niemen, Polish singer-songwriter and composer (d. 2004)
1939 - Adolfo Azcuna, Filipino Supreme Court jurist
1942 - Kim Jong-il, North Korean leader
1943 - Brig Owens, American football player
1944 - Richard Ford, American novelist
1944 - António Mascarenhas Monteiro, 2^nd President of Cape Verde
1945 - Jeremy Bulloch, English actor
1945 - Frank Welker, American voice actor
1946 - Ian Lavender, English actor
1948 - Eckhart Tolle, Author and spiritual teacher
1950 - Peter Hain, British politician
1950 - Kazuki Tomokawa, Japanese acid-folk singer
1950 - Roman Tam, Hong Kong famous singer (d. 2002)
1951 - William Katt, American actor
1952 - Barry Foote, Major League Baseball player
1953 - George Martin, American footballer
1953 - Lanny McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player
1953 - Roberta Williams, computer game designer
1954 - Michael Holding, West Indian fast bowler cricket
1954 - Iain Banks, Scottish author
1954 - Margaux Hemingway, American actress and model (d. 1996)
1955 - Hunt Block, American actor
1956 - James Ingram, American singer
1957 - LeVar Burton, American actor
1958 - Ice-T, American rapper, songwriter, and actor
1958 - Natalie Angier, American journalist and author
1958 - Lisa Loring, American actress
1958 - Oscar Schmidt, Brazilian basketball player
1958 - Michael W. Burns, American politician
1959 - John McEnroe, American tennis player
1959 - Kelly Tripucka, American basketball player
1960 - Pete Willis, English guitarist (Def Leppard)
1960 - Cherie Chung, Hong Kong actress
1961 - Andy Taylor, English rock guitarist (Duran Duran)
1962 - John Balance, English musician (Coil, Psychic TV) (d. 2004)
1963 - Dave Lombardo, Cuban drummer (Slayer)
1963 - Dano Halsall, Swiss swimmer
1964 - Bebeto, Brazilian footballer
1964 - Christopher Eccleston, English actor
1967 - John Valentin, baseball player
1967 - Keith Gretzky, former hockey player; brother of Wayne Gretzky
1968 - Warren Ellis, British comic book writer
1969 - David Heath, American professional wrestler better known as Gangrel
1970 - D.J. Wallis, American fitness competitor
1970 - Serdar Ortac, Turkish popstar
1970 - Angelo Peruzzi, Italian footballer
1971 - Amanda Holden, British actress
1972 - Jerome Bettis, American football player.
1972 - Sarah Clarke, American actress
1973 - Christian Bassedas, Argentine former footballer
1973 - Cathy Freeman, Australian athlete
1973 - Nikos Kostakis, Greek footballer
1974 - Fanis Katergiannakis, Greek footballer
1974 - Johnny Tri Nguyen, Vietnamese American stuntman and martial arts actor
1975 - Nanase Aikawa, Japanese singer
1975 - Vanina Ickx, Belgian racing driver
1975 - Don Jeffcoat, American actor
1976 - Eric Byrnes, American baseball player
1976 - Kyo, Japanese singer (Dir en grey)
1976 - Joe Odagiri, Japanese actor
1977 - Ian Clarke, Irish computer programmer
1977 - Ahman Green, American football player
1978 - Tia Hellebaut, Belgian athlete
1978 - John Tartaglia, Broadway actor and Muppeteer
1978 - Wasim Jaffer, Indian Cricketer
1979 - Valentino Rossi, Italian motorcycle racer
1979 - Eric Mun, Korean rapper (Shinhwa)
1980 - Agim Kaba, American actor and film producer
1980 - Ashley Lelie, American football player
1981 - Jay Howard, British racing driver
1981 - Jerry Owens, American baseball player
1981 - Qyntel Woods, American basketball player
1982 - Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, American rapper
1985 - Zoi Dimoschaki, Greek swimmer
1987 - Theresa Goh, Singaporean Paralympic swimmer
1988 - Denílson Pereira Neves, Brazilian footballer
1991 - Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, Princess of Luxembourg