Events
* 660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.
* 55 – Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman Emperorship, dies under mysterious circumstances in Rome. This clears the way for Nero to become Emperor.
* 244 – Emperor Gordian III is murdered by mutinous soldiers in Zaitha (Mesopotamia). A mound is raised at Carchemish in his memory.
* 1531 – Henry VIII of England is recognized as supreme head of the Church of England.
* 1659 – The assault on Copenhagen by Swedish forces is beaten back with heavy losses.
* 1752 – Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital in the United States, is opened by Benjamin Franklin.
* 1790 – Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, petitions U.S. Congress for abolition of slavery.
* 1794 – First session of United States Senate open to the public.
* 1808 – Jesse Fell burns anthracite on an open grate as an experiment in heating homes with coal.
* 1809 – Robert Fulton files a patent for improvements to steamboat navigation
* 1812 – Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry "gerrymanders" for the first time.
* 1826 – University College London is founded under the name University of London.
* 1826 – Swaminarayan wrote the Shikshapatri, an important test within the Swaminarayan faith.
* 1840 – Gaetano Donizetti's opera La Fille du Régiment receives its first performance in Paris.
* 1843 – Giuseppe Verdi's opera I Lombardi receives its first performance in Milan.
* 1855 – Kassa Hailu is crowned Tewodros II, Emperor of Ethiopia, by Abuna Salama III in a ceremony at the church of Derasge Maryam
* 1861 – American Civil War: United States House of Representatives unanimously passes a resolution guaranteeing noninterference with slavery in any state.
* 1873 – King Amadeus I of Spain abdicates.
* 1889 – Meiji Constitution of Japan is adopted; the first Diet of Japan convenes in 1890.
* 1903 – Anton Bruckner's 9th Symphony receives its first performance in Vienna.
* 1905 – Pope Pius X publishes the encyclical Vehementer nos.
* 1916 – Emma Goldman is arrested for lecturing on birth control.
* 1919 – Friedrich Ebert (SPD), is elected President of Germany.
* 1929 – Fascist Italy and the Vatican sign the Lateran Treaty.
* 1937 – A sit-down strike ends when General Motors recognizes the United Auto Workers Union.
* 1938 – BBC Television produces the world's first ever science fiction television program, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Capek play R.U.R., which coined the term "robot".
* 1939 – A Lockheed XP-38 flies from California to New York in 7 hours 2 minutes.
* 1941 – The first gold record is presented to Glenn Miller for "Chattanooga Choo Choo".
* 1942 – The Battle of Bukit Timah is fought in Singapore during World War II.
* 1943 – World War II: General Dwight Eisenhower is selected to command the allied armies in Europe.
* 1953 – President Dwight Eisenhower refuses clemency appeal for Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.
* 1953 – The Soviet Union breaks off diplomatic relations with Israel.
* 1959 – The Federation of Arab Emirates of the South, which will later become South Yemen, is created as a protectorate of the United Kingdom.
* 1964 – Greeks and Turks begin fighting in Limassol, Cyprus.
* 1964 – The Republic of China (Taiwan) breaks off diplomatic relations with France.
* 1968 – Israeli-Jordanian border clashes.
* 1971 – Eighty-seven countries, including the US, UK, and USSR, sign the Seabed Treaty outlawing nuclear weapons in international waters.
* 1973 – Vietnam War: First release of American prisoners of war from Vietnam takes place.
* 1978 – Censorship: the People's Republic of China lifts a ban on works by Aristotle, Shakespeare and Dickens.
* 1979 – Islamic revolution of Iran establishes an Islamic theocracy under the leadership of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
* 1981 – 100,000 US gallons (380 m3) of radioactive coolant leak into the containment building of TVA Sequoyah 1 nuclear plant in Tennessee, contaminating 8 workers.
* 1987 – Philippines constitution goes into effect.
* 1990 – Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner for 27 years, is released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa.
* 1990 – James Buster Douglas, a 42 to 1 underdog, deals Mike Tyson his first professional loss with the largest upset in boxing history and becomes the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
* 1997 – Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
* 2008 – Rebel East Timorese soldiers seriously wound President José Ramos-Horta. Rebel leader Alfredo Reinado is killed in the attack.
Births* 1377 – King Ladislas of Naples (d. 1414)
* 1380 – Gian Francesco Poggio Bracciolini, Italian humanist (d. 1459)
* 1466 – Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry VII of England (d. 1503)
* 1535 – Pope Gregory XIV (d. 1591)
* 1568 – Honoré d'Urfé, French writer (d. 1625)
* 1649 – William Carstares, Scottish minister (d. 1715)
* 1657 – Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, French scientist and man of letters (d. 1757)
* 1755 – Albert Christoph Dies, German composer (d. 1822)
* 1764 – Marie-Joseph de Chenier, French poet (d. 1811)
* 1774 – Hans Järta, Swedish political activist (d. 1847)
* 1776 – Ioannis Kapodistrias, Greek diplomat of the Russian Empire and first head of state of independent Greece (d. 1831)
* 1799 – Basil Moreau, French Founder priest (d. 1873)
* 1800 – William Henry Fox Talbot, English photographer and inventor (d. 1877)
* 1802 – Lydia Maria Child, American abolitionist (d. 1880)
* 1812 – Alexander Hamilton Stephens, American politician (d. 1883)
* 1813 – Otto Ludwig, German writer and critic (d. 1865)
* 1819 – Samuel Parkman Tuckerman, American composer (d. 1890)
* 1821 – Auguste-Édouard Mariette, French Egyptologist (d. 1881)
* 1829 – The Rev. Samuel Lodge, English clergyman, author and headmaster (d. 1897)
* 1830 – Hans Bronsart von Schellendorff, Prussian musician (d. 1913)
* 1833 – Melville Weston Fuller, 8th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1910)
* 1839 – Josiah Willard Gibbs, American physicist (d. 1903)
* 1847 – Thomas Alva Edison, American inventor (d. 1931)
* 1860 – Rachilde, French author (d. 1953)
* 1869 – Helene Kroller-Muller, Dutch museum founder (d. 1939)
* 1869 – Else Lasker-Schüler, German writer (d. 1945)
* 1872 – Hannah Mitchell, English socialist and suffragette (d. 1956)
* 1874 – Elsa Beskow, Swedish author (d. 1953)
* 1874 – Fritz Hart, English-born composer (d. 1949)
* 1887 – John van Melle, South African writer (d. 1953)
* 1890 – David Drummond, Australian politician (d. 1965)
* 1891 – J.W. Hearne English cricketer (d. 1965)
* 1894 – Alfonso Leng, Chilean composer (d. 1974)
* 1898 – Leó Szilárd, Hungarian-born physicist (d. 1964)
* 1900 – Hans-Georg Gadamer, German philosopher (d. 2002)
* 1900 – Josei Toda, Japanese educator (d. 1958)
* 1901 – Roddy Connolly, Irish politician, son of James Connolly (d. 1980)
* 1902 – Arne Jacobsen, Danish architect (d. 1971)
* 1903 – Hans Redlich, Austrian composer (d. 1968)
* 1904 – Sir Keith Holyoake, Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1983)
* 1908 – Philip Dunne, American screenwriter, director and producer (d. 1992)
* 1908 – Vivian Ernest Fuchs, English geologist (d. 1999)
* 1909 – Max Baer, American boxer and actor (d. 1959)
* 1909 – Joseph L. Mankiewicz, American director (d. 1993)
* 1912 – Roy Fuller, English writer (d. 1991)
* 1914 – Matt Dennis, American singer (d. 2002)
* 1915 – Patrick Leigh Fermor, English author
* 1917 – T. Nagi Reddy, Indian revolutionary (d. 1976)
* 1917 – Sidney Sheldon, American author (d. 2007)
* 1919 – Eva Gabor, Hungarian-born actress (d. 1995)
* 1920 – King Farouk I of Egypt (d. 1965)
* 1920 – Daniel F. Galouye, science fiction author (d.1976)
* 1920 – Billy Halop, American actor (d. 1976)
* 1920 – Daniel "Chappie" James Jr., American general (d. 1978)
* 1921 – Lloyd Bentsen, American politician (d. 2006)
* 1921 – Edward Seidensticker, American scholar (d. 2007)
* 1923 – Antony Flew, British philosopher (d. 2010)
* 1925 – Kim Stanley, American actress (d. 2001)
* 1925 – Virginia E. Johnson, of Masters and Johnson renown. American psychologist.
* 1926 – Paul Bocuse, French chef
* 1926 – Alexander Gibson, British conductor (d. 1995)
* 1926 – Leslie Nielsen, Canadian actor (d. 2010)
* 1930 – Roy De Forest, American Painter (d. 2007)
* 1931 – Larry Merchant, American sportswriter
* 1932 – Jerome Lowenthal, American pianist
* 1932 – Dennis Skinner, British politician
* 1934 – Mel Carnahan, American politician (d. 2000)
* 1934 – Tina Louise, American actress
* 1934 – Manuel Noriega, Panamanian general and dictator
* 1934 – Mary Quant, English fashion designer
* 1934 – John Surtees, MBE, English motorcycle and race car driver
* 1935 – Bent Lorentzen, Danish composer
* 1935 – Gene Vincent, American musician (d. 1971)
* 1936 – Burt Reynolds, American actor
* 1937 – Bill Lawry, Australian cricketer
* 1937 – Eddie Shack, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1938 – Bevan Congdon, New Zealand cricketer
* 1938 – Simone de Oliveira, Portuguese actress
* 1938 – Bobby "Boris" Pickett, American singer and songwriter (d. 2007)
* 1939 – Gerry Goffin, American lyricist
* 1939 – Jane Yolen, American author
* 1941 – Sergio Mendes, Brazilian musician
* 1943 – Serge Lama, French singer
* 1946 – Ian Porterfield, English footballer (d. 2007)
* 1947 – Joselito, Spanish singer
* 1947 – Roy Carrier, American Zydeco musician (d. 2010)
* 1947 – Kikko Matsuoka, Japanese actress
* 1947 – Derek Shulman, English musician
* 1947 – Yukio Hatoyama, Japanese politician
* 1948 – Chris Rush, American stand-up comedian
* 1949 – Guy Cloutier, French-Canadian music executive; father of Véronique Cloutier
* 1953 – Philip Anglim, American actor
* 1953 – Jeb Bush, 43rd Governor of Florida
* 1954 – Noriyuki Asakura, Japanese composer
* 1954 – Wesley Strick, American screenwriter
* 1956 – Catherine Hickland, American actress
* 1956 – Didier Lockwood, French violinist
* 1956 – H.R., American singer
* 1957 – Mitchell Symons, British writer
* 1959 – Bradley Cole, American actor
* 1959 – Deborah Meaden, British entrepreneur
* 1959 – Roberto Moreno, Brazilian racing driver
* 1960 – Nick Currie, Scottish musician
* 1961 – Mary Docter, American speed skater
* 1961 – Carey Lowell, American actress
* 1962 – Tammy Baldwin, American politician
* 1962 – Sheryl Crow, American musician
* 1962 – Eric Vanderaerden, Belgian cyclist
* 1963 – José Mari Bakero, Spanish footballer
* 1963 – Diane Franklin, American actress
* 1964 – Sarah Palin, 11th Governor of Alaska
* 1964 – Ken Shamrock, American martial artist
* 1965 – Vicki Wilson, Australian netballer
* 1967 – Uwe Daßler, German swimmer
* 1967 – Hank Gathers, American basketball player (d. 1990)
* 1969 – Jennifer Aniston, American actress
* 1969 – Andreas Hilfiker, Swiss footballer
* 1969 – P.J. Sparxx, American pornographic actress
* 1970 – Fredrik Thordendal, Swedish musician
* 1971 – Evan Tanner, American mixed-martial artist (d. 2008)
* 1971 – Damian Lewis, British actor
* 1972 – Brian Daubach, American baseball player
* 1972 – Craig Jones, American musician (Slipknot)
* 1972 – Steve McManaman, English footballer
* 1972 – Kelly Slater, American surfer
* 1973 – Ethan Iverson, jazz pianist
* 1973 – Jeon Do-yeon, Korean actress
* 1973 – Varg Vikernes, Norwegian musician (Burzum, Mayhem)
* 1974 – D'Angelo, American singer
* 1974 – Alex Jones, American radio host
* 1974 – Zain Verjee, American newsreporter
* 1974 – Isaiah Mustafa, American actor, spokesman
* 1975 – Andy Lally, American racing driver
* 1975 – Jacque Vaughn, American basketball player
* 1976 – Tony Battie, American basketball player
* 1976 – Brice Beckham, American actor
* 1976 – Jorge Luís, Brazilian footballer
* 1976 – André Wickström, Finland-Swedish comedian and actor
* 1977 – Mike Shinoda, American musician (Linkin Park and Fort Minor)
* 1979 – Brandy, American singer and actress
* 1980 – Marco Bresciano, Australian footballer
* 1980 – Titi Buengo, Angolan footballer
* 1980 – Matthew Lawrence, American actor
* 1980 – Cormac McAnallen, Northern Irish Gaelic footballer (d. 2004)
* 1981 – Kelly Rowland, American singer
* 1981 – Scot Thompson, American footballer
* 1982 – Natalie Dormer, English actress
* 1982 – Neil Robertson, Australian snooker player
* 1982 – Jürgen Schmid, German footballer
* 1983 – Nicki Clyne, Canadian actress
* 1983 – Huang Shengyi, Chinese actress
* 1983 – Rafael Van der Vaart, Dutch footballer
* 1983 – Tihhon Šišov, Estonian footballer
* 1983 – Tony Curtis (American football), American football player
* 1984 – Aubrey O'Day, American singer
* 1984 – Maxime Talbot, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1985 – Harris Allan, Canadian actor
* 1985 – William Beckett, American singer
* 1985 – Mike Richards, Canadian ice hockey player
* 1987 – Brian Matusz, American baseball player
* 1990 – Princess Ayah bint Al Faisal, Jordanian royalty
* 1991 – Christofer Ingle, American musician (Never Shout Never)
* 1991 – Georgia May Foote, British actress
* 1992 – Taylor Lautner, American actor
* 1994 – Dominic Janes, American actor
* 244 – Gordian III, Emperor of Rome
* 641 – Heraclius, Emperor of Byzantium
* 731 – Pope Gregory II
* 821 – Saint Benedict of Aniane
* 824 – Pope Paschal I
* 1141 – Hugo of St. Victor, German philosopher and theologian (b. 1096)
* 1160 – Minamoto no Yoshitomo, Japanese general (b. 1123)
* 1503 – Elizabeth of York, queen consort of Henry VII of England (b. 1466)
* 1511 – Henry, Duke of Cornwall, son of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon
* 1626 – Pietro Cataldi, Italian mathematician (b. 1552)
* 1650 – René Descartes, French philosopher (b. 1596)
* 1685 – David Teniers III, Flemish painter (b. 1638)
* 1713 – Jahandar Shah, Mughal emperor of India (b. 1664)
* 1755 – Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei, Italian archaeologist (b. 1675)
* 1762 – Johann Tobias Krebs, German composer (b. 1690)
* 1763 – William Shenstone, English poet (b. 1714)
* 1795 – Carl Michael Bellman, Swedish poet and composer (b. 1740)
* 1797 – Antoine Dauvergne, French composer (b. 1713)
* 1829 – Alexandr Griboyedov, Russian playwright (b. 1795)
* 1862 – Elizabeth Siddal, British poet and artist (b. 1829)
* 1868 – Léon Foucault, French astronomer (b. 1819)
* 1879 – Honoré Daumier, French caricaturist and painter (b. 1808)
* 1917 – Oswaldo Cruz, Brazilian physician (b. 1872)
* 1923 – Wilhelm Killing, German mathematician (b. 1847)
* 1931 – Charles Algernon Parsons, British inventor (b. 1854)
* 1939 – Franz Schmidt, Austrian composer (b. 1874)
* 1940 – John Buchan, Governor-General of Canada (b. 1875)
* 1945 – Al Dubin, Swiss songwriter (b. 1891)
* 1948 – Sergei Eisenstein, Soviet film director (b. 1898)
* 1954 – Adolph M. Christianson, justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court (b. 1877)
* 1958 – Ernest Jones, British psychonanalyst (b. 1879)
* 1959 – Marshall Teague, American race car driver (b. 1922)
* 1963 – John Olof Dahlgren, American recipient of the Medal of Honor (b. 1872)
* 1963 – Sylvia Plath, American writer (b. 1932)
* 1967 – A.J. Muste, American peace activist (b. 1885)
* 1968 – Howard Lindsay, American playwright (b. 1888)
* 1972 – Jan Wils, Dutch architect (b. 1891)
* 1973 – Hans D Jensen, German physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1907)
* 1975 – Richard Ratsimandrava, Malagasy soldier and statesman, assassinated (b. 1931)
* 1976 – Lee J Cobb, American actor (b. 1911)
* 1976 – Alexander Lippisch, German scientist (b. 1894)
* 1976 – Frank Arnau, German writer (b. 1894)
* 1977 – Louis Beel, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b. 1902)
* 1978 – James B Conant, American chemist and university president (b. 1893)
* 1978 – Harry Martinson, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1904)
* 1981 – Franz Sondheimer, British chemist (b. 1926)
* 1982 – Eleanor Powell, American actress and dancer (b. 1912)
* 1982 – Takashi Shimura, Japanese actor (b. 1905)
* 1985 – Ben Abruzzo, American businessman and balloonist (b. 1930)
* 1985 – Henry Hathaway, American actor and director (b. 1898)
* 1985 – Heinz Eric Roemheld, American composer (b. 1901)
* 1986 – Frank Herbert, American author (b. 1920)
* 1986 – Evelio Javier, Filipino politician, lawyer, and civil servant (b. 1942)
* 1987 – Sadequain, famous Pakistani painter and artist. (b. 1930)
* 1989 – George O'Hanlon, American actor and director (b. 1912)
* 1993 – Robert W. Holley, American biochemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1922)
* 1993 – George A. Stephen, founder of Weber-Stephen Products Co. (b. 1922)
* 1994 – Neil Bonnett, American race car driver (b. 1946)
* 1994 – Sorrell Booke, American actor (b. 1930)
* 1994 – William Conrad, American actor (b. 1920)
* 1994 – Paul Feyerabend, Austrian philosopher (b. 1924)
* 1996 – Kebby Musokotwane, Prime Minister of Zambia (b. 1946)
* 1996 – Cyril Poole, English cricketer (b. 1921)
* 1996 – Amelia Rosselli, Italian poet (b. 1930)
* 1997 – Barry Evans, English actor (b. 1943)
* 1997 – Don Porter, American actor (b. 1912)
* 2000 – Roger Vadim, French director (b. 1928)
* 2000 – Jacqueline Auriol, French aviatrix (b. 1917)
* 2002 – Frank Crosetti, baseball player (b. 1910)
* 2002 – Barry Foster, British actor (b. 1931)
* 2004 – Shirley Strickland, Australian athlete (b. 1925)
* 2005 – Jack L. Chalker, American author (b. 1944)
* 2005 – Stan Richards English television actor (b. 1930)
* 2006 – Jockey Shabalala, South African singer (b. 1943)
* 2006 – Peter Benchley, American author (b. 1940)
* 2006 – Jackie Pallo, wrestler (b. 1926)
* 2007 – Marianne Fredriksson, Swedish author (b. 1927)
* 2008 – Tom Lantos, former member of the United States House of Representatives from California (b. 1928)
* 2008 – Frank Piasecki, American aeronautical designer (b. 1919)
* 2009 – Eleanor Harz Jorden American linguistics scholar and an influential Japanese language educator and expert. (b. 1920)
* 2010 – Alexander McQueen, English fashion designer (b. 1969)
* 2010 – Vance A. Larson, American artist (b. 1951)
* Armed Forces Day (Liberia)
* Christian Feast Day
o Benedict of Aniane
o Blaise
o Cædmon
o Gregory II
o February 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
* Evelio Javier Memorial Day (Panay Island, the Philippines)
* Feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes (Roman Catholic Church)
* National Foundation Day (Japan)
* National Inventors' Day (United States)
* National Youth Day (Cameroon)
