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Today February 7th 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
457 – Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
1074 – Battle of Montesarchio in which the prince of Benevento, Pandulf IV, is killed battling the encroaching Normans.
1238 – The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir.
1301 – Edward of Caernarvon (later King Edward II of England) becomes the first English Prince of Wales.
1795 – The 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified.
1807 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Eylau – Napoléon s French Empire begins fighting against Russian and Prussian forces of the Fourth Coalition at Eylau, Poland.
1812 – The strongest in a series of earthquakes strikes New Madrid, Missouri.
1819 – Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles leaves Singapore after just taking it over, leaving it in the hands of William Farquhar.
1842 – Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeats warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien.
1856 – The colonial Tasmanian Parliament passes the first piece of legislation (the Electoral Act of 1856) anywhere in the world providing for elections by way of a secret ballot.
1863 – HMS Orpheus sinks off the coast of Auckland, New Zealand, killing 189.
1882 – The last heavyweight boxing championship bare-knuckle fight takes place in Mississippi City, Mississippi.
1894 – The Cripple Creek miner s strike, led by the Western Federation of Miners, begins in Cripple Creek, Colorado.
1898 – Émile Zola is brought to trial for libel for publishing J Accuse.
1904 – A fire in Baltimore, Maryland destroys over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.
1907 – The Mud March was the first large procession organized by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).
1942 – Imperial Japanese naval forces complete the evacuation of Imperial Japanese Army troops from Guadalcanal during Operation Ke, ending Japanese attempts to retake the island from Allied forces in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
1944 – World War II: In Anzio, Italy, German forces launch a counteroffensive during the Allied Operation Shingle
1948 – Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as Army chief of staff and was succeeded by Gen. Omar Bradley.
1962 – The United States bans all Cuban imports and exports.
1964 – The Beatles arrive at JFK International Airport to begin their first tour of the United States.
1967 – A fire at a restaurant in Montgomery, Alabama kills 25 people.
1967 – Serious bushfires in southern Tasmania claim 62 lives and destroy 2,642.7 square kilometres (653,025.4 acres) of land.
1969 – The original Hetch Hetchy Moccasin Powerhouse is removed from service.
1974 – Grenada gains independence from the United Kingdom.
1979 – Pluto moves inside Neptune s orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
1979 – The final session of the Iranian National Consultative Assembly is held.
1984 – Space Shuttle program: STS-41-B Mission – Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart make the first untethered space walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU).
1986 – Twenty-eight years of one-family rule end in Haiti, when President Jean-Claude Duvalier flees the Caribbean nation.
1990 – Collapse of the Soviet Union: The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agrees to give up its monopoly on power.
1991 – Haiti s first democratically-elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is sworn in.
1991 – The IRA launches a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting.
1992 – The Maastricht Treaty is signed, leading to the creation of the European Union.
1995 – Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, is arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
1997 – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers play an extra-long concert featuring blues legend John Lee Hooker at the Fillmore in San Francisco.
1999 – Crown Prince Abdullah becomes the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein.
2000 – Bahria University is established through Presidential Ordinance No. V of 2000 by the Government of Pakistan.
Births
1102 – Empress Matilda, Princess of England and wife of Henry V of the Holy Roman Empire (d. 1169)
1478 – Sir Thomas More, English statesman, humanist, and author (d. 1535)
1612 – Thomas Killigrew, English dramatist (d. 1683)
1693 – Empress Anna of Russia (d. 1740)
1804 – John Deere, American manufacturer (Deere & Company) (d. 1886)
1812 – Charles Dickens, English novelist (d. 1870)
1842 – Alexandre Ribot, French statesman (d. 1923)
1837 – Sir James Murray, Scottish lexicographer and philologist (d. 1915)
1867 – Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author (d. 1957)
1870 – Alfred Adler, Austrian psychologist (d. 1937)
1877 – Godfrey Harold Hardy, English mathematician (d. 1947)
1885 – Sinclair Lewis, American writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1951)
1885 – Hugo Sperrle, German field marshal (d. 1953)
1887 – Eubie Blake, American musician and composer (d. 1983)
1889 – Harry Nyquist, important contributor to information theory (d. 1976)
1891 – Ann Little, American actress (d. 1984)
1895 – Anita Stewart, American film actress (d. 1961)
1898 – Dock Boggs, American musician (d. 1971)
1901 – Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand politician (d. 1989)
1905 – Ulf von Euler, Swedish physiologist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1983)
1905 – Paul Nizan, French author (d. 1940)
1906 – Oleg Antonov, Soviet aircraft designer (d. 1984)
1906 – Puyi, Emperor of China (d. 1967)
1907 – Yevgeniy Abalakov, Soviet mountaineer (d. 1948)
1908 – Buster Crabbe, American swimmer and actor (d. 1983)
1909 – Hélder Câmara, Roman catholic archbishop (d. 1999)
1909 – Wilhelm Freddie, Danish painter (d. 1995)
1912 – Russell Drysdale, Australian Artist (d. 1981)
1914 – Ramón Mercader, Spanish assassin of Leon Trotsky (d. 1978)
1915 – Eddie Bracken, American actor (d. 2002)
1915 – Teoctist, Ex-Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church (d. 2007)
1918 – Markey Robinson, Northern Irish painter (d. 1999)
1920 – An Wang, Chinese-born computer pioneer (d. 1990)
1922 – Hattie Jacques, English actress (d. 1980)
1923 – Martha Holmes, American photographer (d. 2006)
1926 – Konstantin Feoktistov, cosmonaut
1926 – John Frank Davidson, British chemical engineer and Royal Medal holder
1927 – Juliette Greco, French singer and actor
1927 – Vladimir Kuts, Russian runner (d. 1975)
1932 – Gay Talese, American author
1932 – Al Worden, American astronaut
1933 – John Anderton, English footballer
1934 – Earl King, American musician (d. 2003)
1934 – Eddie Fenech Adami, President of Malta
1934 – King Curtis, American saxophonist (d. 1971)
1937 – Juan Pizarro, Major League Baseball pitcher
1938 – S. Ramachandran Pillai, Indian communist leader
1941 – Peter Foxhall, Australian evangelist
1943 – Gareth Hunt, English actor (d. 2007)
1945 – Gerald Davies, Welsh rugby player
1945 – Pete Postlethwaite, English actor
1945 – Ian Jack, Scottish journalist
1946 – Hector Babenco, Brazilian film director
1947 – Joe Shea, American journalist
1949 – Joe English (musician), American drummer
1949 – Paulo César Carpegiani, Brazilian footballer and coach
1951 – Benny Ayala, baseball player
1952 – Vasco Rossi, Italian singer
1953 – Dan Quisenberry, baseball player (d. 1998)
1954 – Dieter Bohlen German composer
1954 – Brian Morton, Scottish writer
1955 – Rolf Benirschke, American football player
1955 – Mario Coutinho, Brazilian physician
1955 – Miguel Ferrer, American actor
1956 – Emo Philips, American comedian
1956 – Mark St. John, American musician (Kiss) (d. 2007)
1957 – Carney Lansford, American baseball player
1957 – Richard Cook, British jazz writer (d. 2007)
1958 – Matt Ridley, British science writer
1960 – James Spader, American actor
1962 – Garth Brooks, American singer
1962 – Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian
1962 – David Bryan, American musician (Bon Jovi)
1965 – Jason Gedrick, American actor
1965 – Chris Rock, American comedian and actor
1967 – Richie Burnett, Welsh darts player
1967 – Cheung Man, Hong Kong actress
1968 – Peter Bondra, Ukrainian-born hockey player
1968 – Sully Erna, American singer (Godsmack)
1969 – Yves Racine, Canadian ice hockey player
1972 – Essence Atkins, American actress
1972 – Alex Bassi, American race car driver
1972 – Robyn Lively, American actress
1972 – Amon Tobin, Canadian/Brazilian musician
1973 – Juwan Howard, American basketball player
1974 – Steve Nash, Canadian basketball player
1974 – J Dilla, American record producer (d. 2006)
1974 – Emma McLaughlin, American novelist
1975 – Wes Borland, American guitarist (Limp Bizkit)
1975 – Alexandre Daigle, National Hockey League player
1976 – Sreto Ristic, German footballer
1977 – Paul Comrie, Canadian ice hockey player
1977 – Mariusz Pudzianowski, Polish strongman competitor
1978 – Ashton Kutcher, American actor
1978 – Daniel Van Buyten, Belgian footballer
1978 – Endy Chávez, baseball player
1978 – David Aebischer, National Hockey League goaltender
1979 – Cerina Vincent, American actress
1979 – Jon Leicester, American baseball player
1983 – Christian Klien, Austrian racing driver
1983 – Teshome Getu, Ethiopian footballer
1983 – Georgios Gougoulias, Greek footballer
1985 – Tina Majorino, American actress
1985 – Clara Bryant, American actress
1986 – Deanna Casaluce, Canadian actress
1986 – Michael Orozco, American footballer
1988 – Ai Kago, Japanese singer
1988 – Matthew Stafford, American college football player
1989 – Louisa Lytton – British actress
1990 – Steven Stamkos, Canadian ice hockey player
1990 – Anna Abreu, Finnish singer
1991 – Rachel Sibner, American actress
1992 – Maimi Yajima, Japanese singer
1992 – Miguel Andres Matienzo Guerra, Mexican athlete
1993 – David Dorfman, American actor
1993 – Philip Wiegratz, German actor
1996 – Mai Hagiwara, Japanese singer
Deaths
999 – Boleslaus II of Bohemia
1045 – Emperor Go-Suzaku of Japan (b. 1009)
1317 – Robert, Count of Clermont, French founder of the House of Bourbon (b. 1256)
1560 – Bartolomeo Bandinelli, Italian sculptor (b. 1493)
1626 – William V, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1548)
1642 – William Bedell, English clergyman (b. 1571)
1652 – Gregorio Allegri, Italian composer (b. 1582)
1690 – William Morice, English royalist statesman
1693 – Paul Pellisson, French writer (b. 1624)
1736 – Stephen Gray, English astronomer and scientist (b. 1666)
1779 – William Boyce, English composer (b. 1711)
1799 – Qianlong, Emperor of China (b. 1711)
1801 – Daniel Chodowiecki, Polish painter (b. 1726)
1823 – Ann Radcliffe, English novelist (b. 1764)
1837 – King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden (b. 1778)
1839 – Karl August Nicander, Swedish poet (b. 1799)
1871 – Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, piano manufacturer (Steinway & Sons) (b. 1797)
1873 – Sheridan Le Fanu, Irish writer (b. 1814)
1878 – Pope Pius IX (b. 1792)
1897 – Galileo Ferraris, Italian physicist (b. 1847)
1919 – William Halford, American naval officer and Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1841)
1920 – Aleksandr Vasilevich Kolchak, Russian military commander (b. 1874)
1937 – Elihu Root, American statesman and diplomat, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1845)
1938 – Harvey Firestone, American manufacturer (b. 1868)
1939 – Boris Grigoriev, Russian painter (b. 1886)
1942 – Ivan Bilibin, Russian illustrator (b. 1876)
1944 – Lina Cavalieri, Italian soprano (b. 1874)
1959 – Nap Lajoie, American baseball player (b. 1874)
1959 – Guitar Slim, American blues guitarist (b. 1926)
1960 – Igor Kurchatov, Russian physicist (b. 1903)
1962 – Clara Nordström, German writer and translator (b. 1886)
1963 – Learco Guerra, Italian cyclist (b. 1902)
1964 – Sophoklis Venizelos, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1894)
1968 – Nick Adams, American actor (b. 1931)
1979 – Dr. Josef Mengele, German, accused Nazi war criminal (b. 1911)
1980 – Secondo Campini, Italian jet pioneer (b. 1904)
1981 – Frederika of Hanover, Queen of Greece (b. 1917)
1985 – Matt Monro, English singer (b. 1932)
1986 – Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegalese historian (b. 1923)
1990 – Alfredo M. Santos, First Four-star General of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, World War II hero (b. 1905)
1990 – Jimmy Van Heusen, American songwriter (b. 1913)
1991 – Amos Yarkoni, Israeli soldier, Medal of Distinguished Service recipient (b. 1920)
1991 – Jean-Paul Mousseau, Quebec painter, member of Les Automatistes (b. 1927)
1992 – Buzz Sawyer, wrestler (b. 1959)
1994 – Witold Lutoslawski, Polish composer (b. 1913)
1994 – Stephen Milligan, British journalist and politician (b. 1948)
1996 – Phillip Davidson, US Army general (b. 1915)
1998 – Lawrence Sanders, American author (b. 1920)
1999 – King Hussein of Jordan (b. 1935)
1999 – José Silva, author of Silva Method and the Silva UltraMind ESP System (b. 1914)
1999 – Bobby Troup, American musician and actor (b. 1918)
2000 – Big Pun, Puerto Rican-American rapper (b. 1971)
2000 – Doug Henning, Canadian magician (b. 1947)
2000 – Dave Peverett, English musician (Foghat, Savoy Brown) (b. 1943)
2001 – Dale Evans, American actress and singer (b. 1912)
2001 – Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American author and aviator (b. 1906)
2002 – Jack Fairman, British racing driver (b. 1913)
2003 – Augusto Monterroso, Guatemalan author (b. 1921)
2003 – John Reading, Mayor of Oakland, California (b. 1917)
2005 – Bob Turner, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1934)
2006 – Princess Hadice Hayriye Ayshe Dürrühsehvar (b. 1914)
2008 – Tamara Desni, German-born British actress (b. 1913)
Holidays and observances
International Men s Day in Malta.
Saint Chrysolius
Blessed Eugenia Smet (d. 1871)
Blessed Pope Pius IX (d.1878)
February 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
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