Birthdays:
1991 ~ Ed Sheeran (né Edward Christopher Sheeran), English singer-songwriter.
1989 ~ Chord Overstreet (né Chord Paul Overstreet), American actor and singer, best known for his role as Sam in Glee. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee.
1981 ~ Joseph Gordon-Levitt (né Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt), American actor. He was born in Los Angeles, California.
1981 ~ Paris Hilton (née Paris Whitney Hilton), American socialite. She was born in New York, New York.
1974 ~ Jerry O’Connell (né Jeremiah O’Connell), American actor and director. He was born in Manhattan, New York.
1963 ~ Michael Jordan (né Michael Jeffrey Jordon), American professional basketball player. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1962 ~ Lou Diamond Phillips (né Louis Diamond Upchurch), American actor. He was born on the United States Naval base in Subic Bay, Philippines.
1959 ~ Aryeh Deri, Israeli rabbi and politician. He was born in Meknes, Morocco.
1955 ~ Mo Yan (né Guan Moye), Chinese author and recipient of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born in Gaomi, Weifang, China.
1954 ~ Rene Russo (née Rene Marie Russo), American actress and model. She was born in Burbank, California.
1945 ~ Les Brown (né Leslie Calvin Brown), African-American motivational speaker. He was married to singer Gladys Knight from 1995 until 1997. He was born in Miami, Florida.
1942 ~ Huey P. Newton (né Huey Percy Newton, d. Aug. 22, 1989), American activist in the Civil Rights Movement. He co-founded the Black Panther Party. He was born in Monroe, Louisiana. He was shot and killed at age 47 in a drug deal gone bad in Oakland, California.
1936 ~ Jim Brown (né James Nathaniel Brown; d. May 18, 2023), American National League Football legend and actor with a complex legacy. He played professional football for the Cleveland Browns from 1957 until 1965. He abruptly retired from football at age 30 to pursue an acting career. He was born in St. Simons Island, Georgia. He died at age 87 in Los Angeles, California.
1934 ~ Barry Humphries (né John Barry Humphries; d. Apr. 22, 2023), Australian comic who created his alter ego, Dame Edna Everage. He was born in Kew, Australia. He died of complications following hip surgery at age 89 in Sydney, Australia.
1930 ~ Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh (née Barbara Ruth Grasemann; d. May 2, 2015), English writer of thrillers and psychological murder mysteries. She died at age 85 in London, England.
1929 ~ Chaim Potok (né Herman Harold Potok; d. July 23, 2002), American-Jewish novelist and rabbi. He was born in the Bronx, New York. He died at age 73 in Merion, Pennsylvania.
1925 ~ Hal Holbrook (né Harold Rowe Holbrook, Jr.; d. Jan. 23, 2021), American actor, best known for his portrayals of Mark Twain. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He died in Beverly Hills, California just 25 days before his 96th birthday.
1924 ~ Margaret Truman (née Mary Margaret Truman; d. Jan. 29, 2008), American writer and daughter of President Harry S Truman. She was born in Independence, Missouri. She died 19 days before her 84th birthday in Chicago, Illinois.
1920 ~ Annie Glenn (née Anna Margaret Castor; d. May 19, 2020), American wife of astronaut and United States Senator, John Glenn. She overcame a chronic stutter in the 1970s and became an outspoken campaigner for others suffering from speech disorders. She was born in Columbus, Ohio. She died at age 100 in Saint Paul, Minnesota of complications from Covid-19.
1918 ~ Jacqueline Ferrand (d. Apr. 26, 2014), French mathematician. She died at age 95.
1917 ~ Albert Lehninger (né Albert Lester Lehninger; d. Mar. 4, 1986), American biochemist and author of numerous college textbooks. He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He died at about 3 weeks after his 69th birthday.
1916 ~ Geoffrey Fisken (né Geoffrey Bryson Fisken; d. June 12, 2011), New Zealander sheep farmer who became a flying ace during World War II. He died at age 95.
1905 ~ Rózsa Péter (née Rózsa Politzer; d. Feb. 16, 1977), Hungarian mathematician. She is known as the Mother of Recursion Theory. She died 1 day before her 72nd birthday.
1891 ~ Abraham Fraenkel (d. Oct. 15, 1965), German-born Israeli mathematician. He was the first Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He was born in Munich, Bavaria. He died at age 74 in Jerusalem, Israel.
1888 ~ Otto Stern (d. Aug. 17, 1969), German-Jewish physicist and recipient of the 1943 Nobel Prize in Physics. He died at age 81 in Berkeley, California.
1881 ~ Mary Carson Breckinridge (d. May 16, 1965), American nurse-midwife and founder of the Frontier Nursing Service, which provided medical care to rural and under-populated areas. She was the granddaughter of Vice President John C. Breckinridge. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee. She died at age 84 in Hyden, Kentucky.
1879 ~ Dorothy Canfield Fisher (née Dorothy Frances Canfield; d. Nov. 9, 1958), American educator and social activist. Eleanor Roosevelt named her one of the 10 most influential women in the United States. She was born in Lawrence, Kansas. She died at age 79 in Arlington, Vermont.
1877 ~ Isabelle Eberhardt (née Isabelle Wilhelmine Marie Eberhardt; d. Oct. 21, 1904), Swiss explorer and author. She was interested in North Africa. After moving to Algeria, she dressed as a man and converted to Islam. She was killed in a flash flood at age 27.
1877 ~ André Maginot (d. Jan. 7, 1832), French politician and sergeant. He is best known for advocating the string of forts known as the Maginot line in France. He did not live to see the Maginot Line completed. The line of fortification proved to be very ineffective during World War II. He was born and died in Paris, France. He died of typhoid fever at age 54.
1844 ~ Aaron Montgomery Ward (d. Dec. 7, 1913), American businessman and founder of the Montgomery Ward department store. His birthday is sometimes listed as being on February 17, 1943. He was born in Chatham, New Jersey. He died at age 69 or 70 in Highland Park, Illinois.
1796 ~ Giovanni Pacini (d. Dec. 6, 1867), Italian composer best known for his operas. He died at age 71.
1781 ~ René Laennec (né Réne Théophile-Hyacinthe Laennec; d. Aug. 13, 1826), French physician and inventor of the stethoscope. He died of tuberculosis at age 45.
1723 ~ Tobias Mayer (d. Feb. 20, 1762), German astronomer. He is best known for his study of the Moon. The lunar crater T. Mayer is named in his honor. He died just 3 days after his 39th birthday.
Events that Changed the World:
2020 ~ Presidents’ Day observed in the United States.
2015 ~ Mardi Gras.
2008 ~ Kosovo was declared independent from Serbia.
1996 ~ World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov (b. 1963) beat the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match.
1995 ~ The Cenepa War between Peru and Ecuador ended on a cease-fire. The war was fought over control of the disputed Cenepa area on the border between the two countries.
1968 ~ The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opened in Springfield, Massachusetts.
1964 ~ The United States Supreme Court ruled in the case of Westberry v. Sanders, that congressional districts must be approximately equal in population. Associate Justice Hugo Black (1886 ~ 1971) authored the decision.
1949 ~ Chaim Weizmann (1874 ~ 1952) began his term as the 1st President of Israel.
1947 ~ Voice of America began broadcasting in Russia.
1933 ~ Newsweek magazine began publication.
1933 ~ The Blaine Act, which ended Prohibition in the United States, was passed by the United States Congress. The Act would become effective with the adoption of the 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution in December 1933.
1904 ~ Giacomo Puccini’s opera, Madama Butterfly, premiered at La Scala in Milan, Italy.
1867 ~ The first ships began passage through the Suez Canal.
1864 ~ The Confederate H.L. Hunley became the first submarine to engage and sink a warship, the USS Houstatonic, during the American Civil War.
1863 ~ A group of citizens of Geneva, Switzerland founded an International Committee for Relief to the Wounded. In October 1863, the name was changed to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
1801 ~ An electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson (1743 ~ 1826) and Aaron Burr (1756 ~ 1836) was resolved when Jefferson was elected President of the United States and Burr was elected Vice President by the House of Representatives.
1753 ~ Sweden adopts the Gregorian calendar. February 17 was followed by March 1.
1621 ~ Myles Standish (1584 ~ 1656) was appointed as the first commander of Plymouth colony.
Good-Byes:
2021 ~ Rush Limbaugh (né Rush Hudson Limbaugh, III; b. Jan. 12, 1951), ultra-conservative right-wing American radio talk show host. He reshaped the Republican Party with his inflammatory brand of conservatism. He was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He died of cancer about a month after his 70th birthday in Palm Beach, Florida.
2020 ~ Charles Portis (né Charles McColl Portis; b. Dec. 28, 1933), American elusive author who found unwanted fame with True Grit. He was born in El Dorado, Arkansas. He died at age 86 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
2017 ~ Father Magnus Wenninger (né Magnus Joseph Wenninger; b. Oct. 31, 1919), American mathematician and Catholic priest. He is best known for his work in constructing polyhedron models and wrote the first book on their construction. He was born in Park Falls, Wisconsin. He died at age 97 in Minnesota.
2015 ~ Marcelene Cox (b. Aug. 17, 1925), American writer and columnist. She wrote about everyday life. In the early 1960s, Reader’s Digest began publishing her columns. She was born and died in Cleveland, Ohio. She died at age 89.
2013 ~ Mindy McCready (née Malinda Gayle McCready; b. Nov. 30, 1975), American tortured country singer who fell from grace. She was born in Fort Myers, Florida. She died by suicide at age 37 in Heber Springs, Arkansas.
2012 ~ Nicolaas Govert de Bruijn (b. July 9, 1918), Dutch mathematician. He was born in The Hague, Netherlands. He died at age 93 in Nuenen, Netherlands.
2011 ~ Perry Moore (né William Perry Moore, IV; d. Nov. 4, 1971), American novelist who gave gay teens a hero. He was born in Richmond, Virginia. He died of a drug overdose at age 39 in Manhattan, New York.
2009 ~ Conchita Cintrón (b. Aug. 9, 1922), Chilean female bullfighter known as the “Blond Goddess.” She was born in Antofagasta, Chile. She died at age 86 in Lisbon, Portugal.
2005 ~ Peter Foy (né Peter Stuart Foy; b. June 11, 1925), British theatrical innovator who made Peter Pan fly. He was an innovator in stage flying effects. He was born in London, England. He died at age 79 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
1986 ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti (b. May 11, 1895), Indian philosopher. He was born in India. He died at age 90 in Ojai, California.
1982 ~ Thelonious Monk (né Thelonious Sphere Monk; b. Oct. 10, 1917), American jazz pianist. He was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He died at age 64 in Englewood, New Jersey.
1982 ~ Lee Strasberg (né Israel Lee Strassberg; b. Nov. 17, 1901), Polish-born American actor and director. He died at age 80 in New York, New York.
1970 ~ Shmuel Yosef Agnon (né Shmuel Yosef Halevi Czaczkes; b. July 17, 1888), Ukrainian-born Israeli writer and recipient of the 1966 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was a central figure in modern Hebrew literature. Much of his work is published under S.Y. Agnon. He died at age 81 in Jerusalem, Israel.
1966 ~ Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. (né Alfred Prichard Sloan, Jr.; b. May 23, 1875), American businessman and longtime CEO of General Motors. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He died at age 90 in New York, New York.
1934 ~ Albert I, King of Belgium (b. Apr. 8, 1875). He was the King of the Belgians from December 1909 until his death 15 years later. In 1900, he married Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria (1876 ~ 1965). He was of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha until 1920 when the name was changed to Belgium. He was the son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. He was the grandson of Leopold I, King of Belgium. He died at age 58 in a mountaineering accident.
1909 ~ Geronimo, (b. June 16, 1829), Apache leader. The exact date of his birth is not known, but he is believed to have been born in mid-June 1829. He died at age 79 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
1890 ~ Christopher Sholes (né Christopher Latham Sholes; b. Feb. 14, 1819), American journalist and inventor of the QWERTY keyboard for the typewriter. He was born in Mooresburg, Pennsylvania. He died 3 days after his 71st birthday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
1874 ~ Adolphe Quetelet (né Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet; b. Feb. 22, 1796), Belgian mathematician and astronomer. He was born in Ghent, French Republic (now Ghent, Belgium). He died 5 days before his 78th birthday in Brussels, Belgium.
1856 ~ Heinrich Heine (né Christian Johann Heinrich Heine; b. Dec. 13, 1797), German poet. He died at age 58 in Paris, France.
1848 ~ George Washington Campbell (b. Feb. 9, 1769), 5th Secretary of the United States Treasury. He served under President James Madison for 9 months from February 1814 until October 1814. He subsequently became a United States Senator from Tennessee. He was born in Scotland. He died 8 days after his 79th birthday in Nashville, Tennessee.
1797 ~ Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony (b. Aug. 29, 1728), Electress consort of Bavaria and wife of Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria (1727 ~ 1777). They married in 1747. She was of the House of Wettin. She was the daughter of Augustus III, King of Poland and Maria Josepha of Austria. She was Roman Catholic. She died at age 68.
1673 ~ Molière (né Jean-Baptiste Poquelin; b. Jan. 15, 1622), French playwright. He was born in Paris, France. The exact date of his birth is not known, but it was sometime before January 15, 1622, the date that is sometimes used as his birth date. He died of tuberculosis about a month after his 51st birthday.
1600 ~ Giordano Bruno (né Filippo Bruno; b. Jan. 1, 1548), Italian friar, mathematician, and cosmological theorist. The exact date of his birth is not known, but it is considered to have been on January 1. He was burned at stake for heresy. He was 52 at the time of his execution.
1371 ~ Ivan Alexander, Tsar of Bulgaria. He ruled Bulgaria from 1331 until his death 40 years later. Little is known of his early life. He was married to twice. His first wife was Theodora of Wallachis (1310 ~ 1352). They had 4 children. Ivan then divorced her and sent her to a monetary to become a nun. His second wife was Sarah-Theodora. The exact dates of her birth and death are not known. He was of the Sratsimir Dynasty. He was the son of Sratsimir and Keratsa Petritsa. The date of his birth is not known; thus, it is not known how old he was at his death.
1339 ~ Otto, Duke of Austria (b. July 23, 1301), member of the German noble family. He was married twice. His first wife was Elizabeth of Lower Bavaria (1306 ~ 1330). They married in 1325. After her death in 1330, he married Anna of Bohemia (1323 ~ 1338). They married in 1335. Anne was 7 years old at the time of the marriage. There were no children of his second marriage. He was of the House of Habsburg. He was the son of Albert I, King of Germany and Elizabeth of Carinthia. He died at age 37.
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