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Today February 15th 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
590 – Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia
1637 – Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
1764 – The city of St. Louis, Missouri is established.
1805 – Harmony Society is officially formed.
1852 – Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, London, admits its first patient.
1862 – American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant attacks Fort Donelson, Tennessee.
1879 – Women s rights: American President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.
1891 – AIK is founded at Biblioteksgatan 8 in Stockholm by Isidor Behrens.
1898 – Spanish-American War: The USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing more than 260. This event leads the United States to declare war on Spain.
1906 – The British Labour Party is organised.
1933 – In Miami, Florida, Giuseppe Zangara attempts to assassinate President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, but instead shoots Chicago, Illinois Mayor Anton J. Cermak, who dies of his wounds on March 6, 1933.
1942 – World War II: The Fall of Singapore. Following an assault by Japanese forces, the British General Arthur Percival surrenders. About 80,000 Indian, United Kingdom and Australian soldiers become prisoners of war, the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history. The Sook Ching massacre begins.
1944 – World War II: The assault on Monte Cassino, Italy, begins.
1946 – ENIAC (for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), the first general-purpose electronic computer, is unveiled at the University of Pennsylvania.
1950 – The Soviet Union and the People s Republic of China sign a mutual defense treaty.
1952 – King George VI is buried in St. George s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
1961 – Sabena Flight 548 crashes in Belgium, killing 73, with the entire United States Figure Skating team, several coaches and family.
1965 – A new red-and-white maple leaf design is adopted as the flag of Canada, replacing the old Canadian Red Ensign banner.
1970 – A Dominican DC-9 crashes into the sea during takeoff from Santo Domingo, killing 102.
1971 – Decimalisation of British coinage is completed on Decimal Day.
1972 – Sound recordings are granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time.
1976 – The 1976 Constitution of Cuba is adopted by the national referendum.
1980 – Television One and Television Two (formerly South Pacific Television) under the newly formed Television New Zealand goes to air for the first time.
1982 – The drilling rig Ocean Ranger sinks during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing 84 rig workers.
1989 – Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan: The Soviet Union officially announces that all of its troops have left Afghanistan.
1991 – The Visegrád Agreement, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland.
1995 – Hacking: Kevin Mitnick is arrested by the FBI and charged with breaking into some of the United States most secure computer systems.
1996 – At the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, a Long March 3 rocket, carrying an Intelsat 708, crashes into a rural village after liftoff, killing many people.
1999 – Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party, widely recognized as terrorist organization), was arrested in Kenya.
2000 – Indian Point II nuclear power plant in New York State vents a small amount of radioactive steam when a steam generator fails.
2001 – First draft of the complete Human Genome is published in Nature
2002 – At the Tri-State Crematory in La Fayette, Georgia, investigators find uncremated bodies disposed of in the woods and buildings on the crematorium s property. The discovery reveals one of the worst incidents of abuse in the funeral service industry.
2003 – Protests against the Iraq war occur in over 600 cities worldwide. It is estimated that between 8 million to 30 million people took part, making this the largest peace demonstration in the history of the world.
2005 – YouTube, the popular Internet site on which videos may be shared and viewed by others, is launched in the United States.
Births
1458 – Ivan the Young, Ruler of Tver (d. 1490)
1471 – Piero di Lorenzo de Medici, ruler of Florence (d. 1503)
1564 – Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer and physicist (d. 1642)
1571 – Michael Praetorius, German composer (d. 1621)
1620 – François Charpentier, French archaeologist (d. 1702)
1705 – Charles-André van Loo, French painter (d. 1765)
1710 – King Louis XV of France (d. 1774)
1725 – Abraham Clark, American founding father (d. 1794)
1734 – William Stacy, Continental Army officer, and pioneer to the Ohio Country (d. 1802)
1739 – Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, French architect (d. 1813)
1748 – Jeremy Bentham, English philosopher (d. 1832)
1759 – Friedrich August Wolf, German archaeologist (d. 1824)
1809 – Cyrus McCormick, American inventor (d. 1884)
1809 – André Dumont, Belgian geologist (d. 1857)
1812 – Charles Lewis Tiffany, American jeweler (d. 1902)
1820 – Susan B. Anthony, American suffragist (d. 1906)
1825 – Carter Harrison, Sr., American politician (d. 1893)
1835 – Demetrius Vikelas, Greek author (d. 1908)
1841 – Manoel Ferraz de Campos Salles, Brazilian politician (d. 1913)
1845 – Elihu Root, American statesman, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1937)
1847 – Robert Fuchs, Austrian composer (d. 1927)
1856 – Emil Kraepelin, German psychiatrist (d. 1926)
1861 – Charles Edouard Guillaume, French physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1938)
1861 – Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician and philosopher (d. 1947)
1873 – Hans von Euler-Chelpin, German chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1964)
1874 – Sir Ernest Shackleton, British explorer (d. 1922)
1877 – Louis Renault, French automobile executive (d. 1944)
1882 – John Barrymore, American actor (d. 1942)
1883 – Sax Rohmer, English author (d. 1959)
1890 – Robert Ley, Nazi official (d. 1945)
1892 – James Forrestal, United States Secretary of Defense (d. 1949)
1893 – Walter Donaldson, American songwriter (d. 1947)
1895 – Earl Thomson, Canadian athlete (d. 1971)
1896 – Arthur Shields, Irish actor (d. 1970)
1898 – Totò, Italian actor and composer (d. 1967)
1898 – Allen Woodring, American runner (d. 1982)
1899 – Georges Auric, French composer (d. 1983)
1899 – Gale Sondergaard, American actress (d. 1985)
1904 – Antonin Magne, French cyclist (d. 1983)
1905 – Harold Arlen, American composer (d. 1986)
1907 – Jean Langlais, French composer and organist (d. 1991)
1907 – Cesar Romero, American actor (d. 1994)
1908 – Sarto Fournier, Quebec politician (d. 1980)
1909 – Miep Gies, Dutch biographer of Anne Frank
1909 – Guillermo Gorostiza Paredes, Spanish footballer (d. 1966)
1910 – Irena Sendler, Polish social worker (d. 2008)
1911 – Leonard Woodcock, American labor union official and diplomat (d. 2001)
1913 – Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (d. 1997)
1914 – Hale Boggs, American politician (d. 1972)
1914 – Kevin McCarthy, American actor
1916 – Mary Jane Croft, American actress (d. 1999)
1918 – Allan Arbus, American actor
1918 – Hank Locklin, American country music singer and songwriter
1920 – Endicott Peabody, 62nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1997)
1921 – Radha Krishna Choudhary, Indian historian and writer (d. 1985)
1922 – John Bayard Anderson, American politician
1923 – Yelena Bonner, Russian human rights activist, widow of Andrei Sakharov
1927 – Harvey Korman, American actor and comedian (d. 2008)
1929 – Graham Hill, English race car driver (d. 1975)
1929 – James Schlesinger, American politician
1930 – Nico Minardos, American actor
1931 – Claire Bloom, British actress
1931 – Geoff Edwards, American television game show host
1934 – Graham Kennedy, Australian actor (d. 2005)
1934 – Niklaus Wirth, Swiss computer scientist
1935 – Susan Brownmiller, American feminist and writer
1935 – Roger Chaffee, astronaut (d. 1967)
1935 – Gene Hickerson, American football player
1937 – Gregory Mcdonald, American author
1939 – Ole Ellefsæter, Norwegian cross-country skier
1939 – Robert Hansen, American serial killer
1940 – John Hadl, American football player
1940 – Hamzah Haz, Indonesian politician
1941 – Florinda Bolkan, Brazilian actress
1941 – Brian Holland, American songwriter and producer
1944 – Mick Avory, British drummer (The Kinks)
1945 – John Helliwell, British musician (Supertramp)
1945 – Douglas Hofstadter, American academic and writer
1946 – Esko Seppänen, Finnish politician
1947 – John Coolidge Adams, American composer
1947 – Marisa Berenson, American actress
1947 – David Brown, American musician (Santana) (d. 2000)
1947 – Rusty Hamer, American actor (d. 1990)
1948 – Ron Cey, American baseball player
1948 – Art Spiegelman, American cartoonist
1949 – Ken Anderson, American football player
1949 – Hans Graf, Austrian conductor
1950 – Hark Tsui, Hong Kong film director
1951 – Melissa Manchester, American singer
1951 – Jane Seymour, British actress
1953 – Tony Adams, Irish film producer (d. 2005)
1954 – Matt Groening, American cartoonist
1954 – Armand Parmentier, Belgian athlete
1955 – Christopher McDonald, American actor
1955 – Janice Dickinson, American Ex-Supermodel
1956 – Hitoshi Ogawa, Japanese racing driver (d. 1992)
1957 – Jimmy Spencer, American race car driver
1957 – Steve Farhood, American boxing historian and analyst
1958 – Chrystine Brouillet, Quebec novelist
1959 – Ali Campbell, British singer and songwriter (UB40)
1959 – Brian Propp, Canadian hockey player
1959 – Hugo Savinovich, Ecuadorian wrestler
1960 – Mikey Craig, British musician (Culture Club)
1960 – Roman Kostrzewski, Polish heavy metal musician
1960 – Darrell Green, American football player
1964 – Chris Farley, American actor and comedian (d. 1997)
1967 – Jane Child, Canadian musician
1967 – Kelley Menighan Hensley, American actress
1968 – Axelle Red, Belgian singer and songwriter
1968 – Mieke Suys, Belgian triathlete
1969 – Josh Marshall, American journalist
1969 – Bryan Williams, American record executive and rapper
1970 – Craig Gass, American impressionist and comedian
1971 – Renée O Connor, American actress and director
1971 – Ray Sefo, New Zealand kick boxer
1972 – Jaromír Jágr, Czech hockey player
1973 – Katerina Neumannová, Czech cross country skier
1973 – Amy Van Dyken, American swimmer
1973 – Sarah Wynter, Australian actress
1973 – Alex Borstein, American actress and animator
1974 – Miranda July, American performance artist
1974 – Gina Lynn, American porn actress
1974 – Tomi Putaansuu, Finnish singer (Lordi)
1974 – Seattle Slew, American racehorse (d. 2002)
1974 – Ugueth Urbina, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player
1974 – Alexander Wurz, Austrian race car driver
1975 – Serge Aubin, Canadian hockey player
1975 – Brendon Small, American comedian and animator
1976 – Brandon Boyd, American musician (Incubus)
1976 – Óscar Freire, Spanish cyclist
1976 – Ronnie Vannucci Jr., American musician (The Killers)
1977 – Brooks Wackerman, American musician
1978 – Kimberly Goss, American singer and musician (Sinergy)
1978 – Tuan Le, American poker player
1979 – Alenka Kejžar, Slovenian swimmer
1979 – Josh Low, English footballer
1979 – Gordon Shedden, Scottish race car driver
1980 – Conor Oberst, American singer and songwriter (Bright Eyes)
1981 – Matt Hoopes, American musician (Relient K)
1981 – Olivia Longott, American singer
1981 – Diego Martínez, Mexican footballer
1981 – Jenna Morasca, American model
1983 – Ashley Tesoro, American actress and singer
1983 – Russell Martin, Canadian baseball player
1984 – Meera Jasmine, Indian actress
1984 – Dorota Rabczewska, Polish singer (Virgin)
1986 – Gabriel Paletta, Argentine footballer
1987 – Jarrod Sammut, Australian-Maltese rugby league player, Penrith Panthers.
1988 – Hironori Kusano, Japanese Idol
1990 – Erwin Sak, Polish footballer
Deaths
1145 – Pope Lucius II
1621 – Michael Praetorius, German composer (b. 1571)
1637 – Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1578)
1738 – Matthias Braun, Czech sculptor (b. 1684)
1775 – Peter Dens, Flemish Catholic theologian (b. 1690)
1781 – Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German author and philosopher (b. 1729)
1818 – Friedrich Ludwig, Fürst zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen, Prussian general (b. 1746)
1835 – Henry Hunt, British politician (b. 1773)
1839 – Chevalier de Lorimier, Quebec notary (b. 1803)
1843 – Theodoros Kolokotronis, Greek military figure (b. 1770)
1844 – Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1757)
1847 – Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician (b. 1794)
1848 – Hermann von Boyen, Prussian field marshal (b. 1771)
1849 – Pierre François Verhulst, Belgian mathematician (b. 1804)
1857 – Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer (b. 1804)
1869 – Mirza Ghalib, Indian poet (b. 1796)
1911 – Theodor Escherich, German pediatrician (b. 1859)
1928 – H. H. Asquith, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1852)
1932 – Minnie Maddern Fiske, American actress (b. 1865)
1939 – Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Russian painter (b. 1878)
1956 – Vincent de Moro-Giafferi, French criminal attorney (b. 1878)
1959 – Owen Willans Richardson, British physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1879)
1964 – Robert L. Thornton, American businessman and politician (b. 1880)
1965 – Nat King Cole, American singer and musician (b. 1919)
1966 – Gerard Ciolek, Polish architect (b. 1909)
1970 – Sir Hugh Dowding, commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain (b. 1882)
1971 – Dimitrios Loundras, Greek gymnast (b. 1885)
1973 – Wally Cox, American actor (b. 1924)
1973 – Tim Holt, American actor (b. 1919)
1974 – Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer (b. 1887)
1981 – Mike Bloomfield, American musician (b. 1943)
1981 – Karl Richter, German conductor (b. 1926)
1984 – Ethel Merman, American singer and actress (b. 1908)
1988 – Richard Feynman, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1918)
1992 – María Elena Moyano, Peruvian activist (b. 1960)
1992 – William Schuman, American composer (b. 1910)
1996 – Tommy Rettig, American actor (b. 1941)
1996 – McLean Stevenson, American actor (b. 1929)
1996 – Lucio Agostini, Canadian composer and conductor (b. 1913)
1998 – Louie Spicolli, American professional wrestler
1999 – Big L, American rapper (b. 1974)
1999 – Henry Way Kendall, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1926)
2002 – Howard K. Smith, American journalist (b. 1914)
2002 – Kevin Smith, New Zealand actor (b. 1963)
2004 – Jens Evensen, Norwegian minister and jurist (b. 1917)
2004 – Jan Miner, American actress (b. 1917)
2005 – Samuel Francis, American journalist (b. 1947)
2005 – Pierre Bachelet, French singer and songwriter (b. 1944)
2007 – Walker Edmiston, actor (b. 1926)
2007 – Ray Evans, American songwriter (b. 1915)
2008 – Amnon Netzer, Iranian-Israeli historian (b. 1934)
2008 – Ashley Callie, South African actress (b. 1976)
Holidays and observances
Lupercalia
Flag Day in Canada
John Frum Day in Vanuatu
National Day in Serbia
Total Defence Day in Singapore
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