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Today February 28th in history click read more below to view detail events, deaths, births, Holidays and observances, and video clips in hisotry. Please comments, last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
202 BC – coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place, initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty s rule over China
870 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople closes.
1638 – The Scottish National Covenant is signed in Edinburgh.
1700 – Today is followed by March 1 in Sweden, thus creating the Swedish calendar.
1710 – In the Battle of Helsingborg, 14,000 Danish invaders under Jørgen Rantzau are decisively defeated by an equally sized Swedish force under Magnus Stenbock.
1784 – John Wesley charters the Methodist Church.
1787 – The charter establishing the institution now known as the University of Pittsburgh is granted.
1827 – The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad is incorporated, becoming the first railroad in America offering commercial transportation of both people and freight.
1838 – Robert Nelson, leader of the Patriotes, proclaims the independence of Lower Canada (today Québec)
1844 – A gun on USS Princeton explodes while the boat is on a Potomac River cruise, killing 8 United States Cabinet members and several others.
1849 – Regular steamboat service from the west to the east coast of the United States begins with the arrival of the SS California in San Francisco Bay, 4 months 21 days after leaving New York Harbor.
1850 – The University of Utah opens in Salt Lake City, Utah.
1854 – The Republican Party of the United States is organized in Ripon, Wisconsin.
1861 – Colorado is organized as a United States territory.
1870 – The Bulgarian Exarchate is established by decree of Sultan Abd-ul-Aziz of the Ottoman Empire.
1883 – The first vaudeville theater opens in Boston, Massachusetts.
1885 – The American Telephone and Telegraph Company is incorporated in New York State as the subsidiary of American Bell Telephone. (American Bell would later merge with its subsidiary.)
1897 – Queen Ranavalona III, the last monarch of Madagascar, is deposed by a French military force.
1900 – The Second Boer War: The 118-day Siege of Ladysmith is lifted.
1922 – The United Kingdom accepts the independence of Egypt.
1933 – Gleichschaltung: The Reichstag Fire Decree is passed in Germany a day after the Reichstag fire.
1935 – Nylon is invented by Wallace Carothers.
1939 – The first issue of Serbian weekly magazine Politikin zabavnik is published.
1939 – The erroneous word Dord is discovered in the Webster s New International Dictionary, Second Edition, prompting an investigation.
1940 – Basketball is televised for the first time (Fordham University vs. the University of Pittsburgh in Madison Square Garden).
1942 – The heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA-30) is sunk in the Battle of Sunda Strait with 693 crew members killed.
1947 – 228 Incident: In Taiwan, civil disorder is put down with the loss of 30,000 civilian lives.
1953 – James D. Watson and Francis Crick announce to friends that they have determined the chemical structure of DNA; the formal announcement takes place on April 25 following publication in April Nature (pub. April 2).
1958 – A school bus in Floyd County, Kentucky hits a wrecker truck and plunges down an embankment into the rain-swollen Levisa Fork River. The driver and 26 children die in what remains the worst school bus accident in U.S. history.
1972 – The Asama-Sanso incident ends in Japan.
1972 – Sino-American relations: The United States and People s Republic of China sign the Shanghai Communiqué.
1974 – After seven years, the United States and Egypt re-establish diplomatic relations.
1975 – A major tube train crash at Moorgate station, London kills 43 people.
1983 – The final episode of M*A*S*H is broadcast in the USA, becoming the most watched television episode in history, with 106–125 million viewers in the U.S. (estimate varies by source).
1985 – The Provisional Irish Republican Army carries out a mortar attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station at Newry, killing nine officers in the highest loss of life for the RUC on a single day.
1986 – Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden, is assassinated in Stockholm.
1991 – The first Gulf War ends.
1993 – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raid the Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas with a warrant to arrest the group s leader David Koresh. Four BATF agents and five Davidians die in the initial raid, starting a 51-day standoff.
1995 – Denver International Airport officially opens in Denver, Colorado to replace Stapleton International Airport
1997 – The North Hollywood shootout takes place.
1998 – First flight of RQ-4 Global Hawk, the first unmanned aerial vehicle certified to file its own flight plans and fly regularly in U.S. civilian airspace.
1998 – Kosovo War: Serbian police begin the offensive against the Kosovo Liberation Army in Kosovo.
2001 – The Nisqually Earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale hits the Nisqually Valley and the Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia area of the U.S. state of Washington.
2001 – Six passengers and four railway staff are killed and a further 82 people suffer serious injuries in the Selby rail crash.
2004 – Over 1 million Taiwanese participating in the 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally form a 500-kilometre (300-mile) long human chain to commemorate the 228 Incident in 1947
2005 – Lebanon s pro-Syrian prime minister, Omar Karami, resigns amid large anti-Syria street demonstrations in Beirut.
2005 – A suicide bombing at a police recruiting centre in Al Hillah, Iraq kills 127.
2007 – Jupiter flyby of the New Horizons Pluto-observer spacecraft.
2008 – Former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra is arrested on corruption charges upon returning to Thailand after months of exile.
Births
1155 – Henry the Young King, son of Henry II of England (d. 1183)
1261 – Margaret of Scotland, queen of Norway (d. 1283)
1409 – Elisabeth II of Bohemia (d. 1442)
1533 – Michel de Montaigne, French writer (d. 1592)
1552 – Joost Bürgi, Swiss clockmaker (d. 1632)
1573 – Elias Holl, German Architect (d. 1646)
1612 – John Pearson, English theologian (d. 1686)
1670 – Benjamin Wadsworth, American President of Harvard University (d. 1737)
1675 – Guillaume Delisle, French cartographer (d. 1726)
1683 – René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, French scientist (d. 1757)
1704 – Louis Godin, French astronomer (d. 1760)
1712 – Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, French military commander (d. 1759)
1724 – George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, British field marshal (d. 1807)
1812 – Berthold Auerbach, German poet and author (d. 1882)
1820 – John Tenniel, English illustrator (d. 1914)
1823 – Ernest Renan, French philosopher (d. 1892)
1824 – Blondin, French tightrope walker (d. 1897)
1833 – Alfred von Schlieffen, German field marshal (d. 1913)
1838 – Maurice Lévy, French engineer (d. 1910)
1840 – Henri Duveyrier, French explorer (d. 1892)
1841 – Adrien Albert Marie de Mun, French politician (d. 1914)
1851 – Samuel W. McCall, 47th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1923)
1865 – Wilfred Grenfell, medical missionary (d. 1940)
1878 – Pierre Fatou, French mathematician (d. 1929)
1878 – Artur Kapp, Estonian composer (d. 1952)
1882 – Geraldine Farrar, American soprano (d. 1967)
1882 – José Vasconcelos, Mexican writer (d. 1959)
1882 – Pádraic Ó Conaire, Irish writer (d. 1928)
1894 – Ben Hecht, American playwright (d. 1964)
1895 – Marcel Pagnol, French novelist, playwright and film director (d. 1974)
1896 – Philip Showalter Hench, American physician, Nobel laureate (d. 1965)
1900 – Wolfram Hirth, German pilot (d. 1959)
1901 – Linus Pauling, American chemist and activist, Nobel laureate (d. 1994)
1903 – Vincente Minnelli, American film director (d. 1986)
1906 – Bugsy Siegel, American gangster (d. 1947)
1907 – Milton Caniff, American cartoonist (Terry and the Pirates, Steve Canyon) (d. 1988)
1908 – Billie Bird, American actress (d. 2002)
1908 – Alexander Golitzen, American art director (d. 2005)
1909 – Stephen Spender, English poet (d. 1995)
1912 – Clara Petacci, Italian mistress of Benito Mussolini (d. 1945)
1915 – Ketti Frings, American Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and screenwriter, (d. 1981)
1915 – Peter Medawar, Brazilian-born scientist, Nobel laureate (d. 1987)
1915 – Zero Mostel, American actor (d. 1977)
1916 – Cesar Climaco, Filipino politician (d. 1984)
1921 – Pierre Clostermann, French World War II pilot (d. 2006)
1923 – Charles Durning, American actor
1926 – Svetlana Alliluyeva, Soviet defector, daughter of Joseph Stalin
1925 – Harry H Corbett, English actor (d. 1982)
1929 – Hayden Fry, American football coach
1929 – Frank Gehry, Canadian-American architect
1929 – John Montague, Irish poet
1929 – Joseph Rouleau, French Canadian bass opera singer
1930 – Leon Neil Cooper, American physicist, Nobel laureate
1930 – Bruce Dawe, Australian poet
1930 – Gavin MacLeod, American actor
1931 – Dean Smith, American basketball coach
1932 – Don Francks, Canadian actor
1933 – Robert Grondelaers, Belgian cyclist (d. 1989)
1933 – Miro Steržaj, Slovenian 9-pin bowler
1933 – Rein Taagepera, Estonian politician
1939 – Daniel C. Tsui, Chinese-born physicist, Nobel laureate
1939 – Tommy Tune, American dancer
1940 – Mario Andretti, Italian-American race car driver and one-time F1 world champion
1940 – Joe South, American singer
1942 – Frank Bonner, American actor
1942 – Brian Jones, English musician (The Rolling Stones) (d. 1969)
1942 – Dino Zoff, Italian footballer
1943 – Barbara Acklin, American soul singer (d. 1998)
1943 – Charles Bernstein, American composer
1944 – Win Aung, Burmese politician
1944 – Kelly Bishop, American actress
1944 – Sepp Maier, German footballer
1945 – Bubba Smith, American football player and actor
1946 – Robin Cook, British politician (d. 2005)
1947 – Stephanie Beacham, English actress
1948 – Steven Chu, American physicist, Nobel laureate, U.S. Secretary of Energy-Designate
1948 – Mike Figgis, English director
1948 – Bernadette Peters, American actress and singer
1948 – Mercedes Ruehl, American actress
1951 – Bill Cratty, American modern dancer and choreographer (d. 1998)
1952 – William Finn, American composer
1953 – Ingo Hoffmann, Brazilian racing driver
1953 – Paul Krugman, American economist, Nobel laureate
1953 – Ricky Steamboat, American professional wrestler
1954 – Brian Billick, American football coach
1955 – Gilbert Gottfried, American comedian
1956 – Adrian Dantley, American basketball player
1956 – Jimmy Nicholl, Canadian-born Northern Irish footballer
1956 – Mike Tenay, American wrestling commentator
1957 – Paul Delph, American musician and producer (d. 1996)
1957 – Ainsley Harriott, British celebrity chef
1957 – John Turturro, American actor
1957 – Cindy Wilson, American singer (The B-52 s)
1958 – Jeanne Mas, French singer and actress
1960 – Dorothy Stratten, Canadian actress (d. 1980)
1961 – Rae Dawn Chong, Canadian actress
1961 – Mark Latham, Australian politician
1961 – René Simard, French Canadian singer and TV host
1961 – Eric Bachelart, Belgian racing driver
1963 – Claudio Chiappucci, Italian cyclist
1964 – Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, Uzbekistan cyclist
1966 – Paulo Futre, Portuguese footballer
1967 – Colin Cooper, English footballer
1968 – Stéphan Lebeau, Canadian ice hockey player
1969 – Butch Leitzinger, American race car driver
1969 – Robert Sean Leonard, American actor
1969 – Tor Øivind Ødegaard, Norwegian track runner
1969 – Patrick Monahan, American singer (Train)
1970 – Daniel Handler, American writer, better known as Lemony Snicket
1970 – Noureddine Morceli, Algerian athlete
1971 – Tristan Louis, American writer
1971 – Junya Nakano, Japanese composer
1971 – Peter Stebbings, Canadian actor
1972 – Rory Cochrane, American actor
1973 – Eric Lindros, Canadian ice hockey player
1973 – Nicolas Minassian, French racing driver
1973 – Masato Tanaka, Japanese professional wrestler
1974 – Lee Carsley, Irish footballer
1974 – Moana Mackey, New Zealand politician
1975 – Mike Rucker, American football player
1976 – Ali Larter, American actress and model
1976 – Adam Pine, Australian swimmer
1976 – Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge, Canadian actor
1977 – Jason Aldean, American country singer
1978 – Jeanne Cherhal, French Singer-songwriter
1978 – Benjamin Raich, Austrian Olympic skier
1978 – Jamaal Tinsley, American basketball player
1978 – Mariano Zabaleta, Argentine tennis player
1979 – Michael Bisping, English mixed martial artist
1979 – Sébastien Bourdais, French racing driver
1979 – Ivo Karlovic, Croatian tennis player
1979 – Primož Peterka, Slovenian ski jumper
1980 – Pascal Bosschaart, Dutch footballer
1980 – Lucian Bute, Romanian-born Quebec boxer
1980 – Piotr Giza, Polish footballer
1980 – Tayshaun Prince, American basketball player
1981 – Brian Bannister, American baseball player
1981 – Florent Serra, French tennis player
1982 – Natalia Vodianova, Russian supermodel
1984 – Ben Fagan, American musician and reality show contestant
1984 – Karolína Kurková, Czech supermodel
1985 – Fefe Dobson, Canadian singer
1985 – Jelena Jankovic, Serbian tennis player
1987 – Kerrea Gilbert, English footballer
1988 – Markéta Irglová, Czech songwriter and actress
1989 – Zhang Liyin, Chinese R&B singer
1991 – Sarah Bolger, Irish actress
2007 – Princess Lalla Khadija of Morocco
Deaths
1261 – Henry III, Duke of Brabant (b. c.1230s|1230)
1326 – Duke Leopold I of Austria (b. 1290)
1453 – Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine (b. 1400)
1485 – Niclas, Graf von Abensberg, German soldier (b. 1441)
1510 – Juan de la Cosa, Spanish cartographer and explorer
1525 – Cuauhtémoc, Aztec ruler
1572 – Aegidius Tschudi, Swiss historian (b. 1505)
1621 – Cosimo II de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1590)
1648 – King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway (b. 1577)
1746 – Hermann von der Hardt, German historian (b. 1660)
1786 – John Gwynn, English architect and engineer (b. 1713)
1788 – Thomas Cushing, American Continental Congressman (b. 1725)
1857 – André Dumont, Belgian geologist (b. 1809)
1869 – Alphonse de Lamartine, French writer and poet (b. 1790)
1916 – Henry James, American writer (b. 1843)
1925 – Friedrich Ebert, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1871)
1929 – Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian physician (b. 1874)
1932 – Guillaume Bigourdan, French astronomer (b. 1851)
1935 – Chiquinha Gonzaga, Brazilian composer (b. 1847).
1936 – Charles Nicolle, French bacteriologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1866)
1941 – King Alfonso XIII of Spain (b. 1886)
1942 – Karel Doorman, Dutch admiral (b. 1889)
1956 – Emile Buisson, French murderer executed (b. 1902)
1959 – Maxwell Anderson, American playwright and film writer (b. 1888)
1963 – Rajendra Prasad, First President of India (b. 1884)
1966 – Jonathan Hale, Canadian-born actor (b. 1891)
1967 – Henry Luce, American publisher (b. 1898)
1974 – Bobby Bloom, American singer/songwriter (b. 1946)
1977 – Eddie Rochester Anderson, American actor (b. 1905)
1978 – Philip Ahn, American actor (b. 1905)
1978 – Zara Cully, American actress (b. 1892)
1978 – Eric Frank Russell, English author (b. 1905)
1979 – Paul Alverdes, German writer (b. 1897)
1985 – David Byron, English singer (Uriah Heep) (b. 1947)
1985 – Ray Ellington, English singer (b. 1916)
1986 – Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden (b. 1927)
1986 – Laura Z. Hobson, American novelist (b. 1900)
1991 – Reinhard Bendix, German sociologist (b. 1916)
1991 – Wassily Hoeffding, American statistician (b. 1914)
1993 – Ishiro Honda, Japanese film director (b. 1911)
1993 – Ruby Keeler, Canadian actress and dancer (b. 1910)
1998 – Dermot Morgan, Irish actor and comedian (b. 1952)
1998 – Arkady Shevchenko, Soviet diplomat (b. 1930)
1999 – Christine Glanville, British Puppeteer (b. 1924)
2002 – Mary Stuart, American actress (b. 1926)
2002 – Helmut Zacharias, German violinist (b. 1920)
2003 – Chris Brasher, English athlete (b. 1928)
2003 – Fidel Sánchez Hernández, President of El Salvador (b. 1917)
2003 – Roger Michael Needham, British cryptographer (b. 1935)
2003 – Rudolf Kingslake, Lens designer, and Engineer (b. 1903)
2004 – Daniel J. Boorstin, American historian, writer, and Librarian of Congress (b. 1914)
2004 – Carmen Laforet, famed Spanish novelist
2004 – Andres Nuiamäe, Estonian soldier (b. 1982)
2006 – Owen Chamberlain, American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1920)
2007 – Baron Charles Forte, Italian-born hotelier (b. 1908)
2007 – Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. American historian and political commentator (b. 1917)
2007 – Billy Thorpe, Australian musician (Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs) (b. 1946)
2008 – Mike Smith, English musician (The Dave Clark Five) (b. 1943)
Holidays and observances
Bahá í Faith – Day 3 of Ayyám-i-Há (Intercalary Days) – days in the Bahá í calendar devoted to service and gift giving.
Kalevala Day, The Day of Finnish Culture – Finland
Peace Memorial Day, the day of commemorating the 228 Incident – Taiwan
Mar Abba
Abercius (martyr)
Saint Hilarius (d. 468)
Saint Romanus (d. 463)
Saint Oswald (d. 992)
Saint Rufinus
February 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
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