February 22

Events

• 705 - Empress Wu Zetian abdicates the throne, restoring the Tang dynasty.
• 1316 - The Battle of Picotin, between Ferdinand of Majorca and the forces of Matilda of Hainaut, ends in victory for Ferdinand.
• 1371 - Robert II becomes King of Scotland, beginning the Stuart dynasty.
• 1495 - King Charles VIII of France enters Naples to claim the city's throne.
• 1632 - Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, the dedicatee, receives the first printed copy of Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems.
• 1651 - St. Peter's Flood: A storm surge floods the Frisian coast, drowning 15,000 people.
• 1744 - War of the Austrian Succession: The Battle of Toulon causes several Royal Navy captains to be court-martialed, and the Articles of War to be amended.
• 1797 - The last Invasion of Britain begins near Fishguard, Wales.
• 1819 - By the Adams–Onís Treaty, Spain sells Florida to the United States for five million U.S. dollars.
• 1821 - Greek War of Independence: Alexander Ypsilantis crosses the Prut river at Sculeni into the Danubian Principalities.
• 1847 - Mexican–American War: The Battle of Buena Vista: Five thousand American troops defeat 15,000 Mexican troops.
• 1848 - The French Revolution of 1848, which would lead to the establishment of the French Second Republic, begins.
• 1853 - Washington University in St. Louis is founded as Eliot Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.
• 1855 - The Pennsylvania State University is founded in State College, Pennsylvania.
• 1856 - The United States Republican Party opens its first national convention in Pittsburgh.
• 1862 - Jefferson Davis is officially inaugurated for a six-year term as the President of the Confederate States of America in Richmond, Virginia. He was previously inaugurated as a provisional president on February 18, 1861.
• 1872 - The Prohibition Party holds its first national convention in Columbus, Ohio, nominating James Black as its presidential nominee.
• 1878 - In Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many of five-and-dime Woolworth stores.
• 1889 - President Grover Cleveland signs a bill admitting North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington as U.S. states.
• 1899 - Filipino forces led by General Antonio Luna launch counterattacks for the first time against the American forces during the Philippine–American War. The Filipinos fail to regain Manila from the Americans.
• 1904 - The United Kingdom sells a meteorological station on the South Orkney Islands to Argentina; the islands are subsequently claimed by the United Kingdom in 1908.
• 1909 - The sixteen battleships of the Great White Fleet, led by, return to the United States after a voyage around the world.
• 1915 - World War I: The Imperial German Navy institutes unrestricted submarine warfare.
• 1921 - After Russian forces under Baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg drive the Chinese out, the Bogd Khan is reinstalled as the emperor of Mongolia.
• 1942 - World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders General Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines as the Japanese victory becomes inevitable.
• 1943 - World War II: Members of the White Rose resistance, Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, and Christoph Probst are executed in Nazi Germany.
• 1944 - World War II: American aircraft mistakenly bomb the Dutch towns of Nijmegen, Arnhem, Enschede and Deventer, resulting in 800 dead in Nijmegen alone.
• 1944 - World War II: The Soviet Red Army recaptures Krivoi Rog.
• 1946 - The "Long Telegram", proposing how the United States should deal with the Soviet Union, arrives from the US embassy in Moscow.
• 1957 - Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam survives a communist shooting assassination attempt in Buôn Ma Thuột.
• 1958 - Egypt and Syria join to form the United Arab Republic.
• 1959 - Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500.
• 1972 - The Official Irish Republican Army detonates a car bomb at Aldershot barracks, killing seven and injuring nineteen others.
• 1973 - Cold War: Following President Richard Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China, the two countries agree to establish :wikt:liaison|liaison offices.
• 1974 - The Organisation of the Islamic Conference summit begins in Lahore, Pakistan. Thirty-seven countries attend and twenty-two heads of state and government participate. It also recognizes Bangladesh.
• 1974 - Samuel Byck attempts to hijack an aircraft at Baltimore/Washington International Airport with the intention of crashing it into the White House to assassinate Richard Nixon, but is killed by police.
• 1980 - Miracle on Ice: In Lake Placid, New York, the United States hockey team defeats the Soviet Union hockey team 4–3.
• 1983 - The notorious Broadway flop Moose Murders opens and closes on the same night at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.
• 1984 - President of Bangladesh, H M Ershad upgraded South Sylhet's sub-division status to a district and renamed it back to Moulvibazar.
• 1986 - Start of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines.
• 1994 - Aldrich Ames and his wife are charged by the United States Department of Justice with spying for the Soviet Union.
• 1995 - The Corona reconnaissance satellite program, in existence from 1959 to 1972, is declassified.
• 1997 - In Roslin, Midlothian, British scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly has been successfully cloned.
• 2002 - Angolan political and rebel leader Jonas Savimbi is killed in a military ambush.
• 2005 - The 6.4 Zarand earthquake shakes the Kerman Province of Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII, leaving 612 people dead and 1,411 injured.
• 2006 - At least six men stage Britain's biggest robbery, stealing £53m from a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent.
• 2011 - New Zealand's second deadliest earthquake strikes Christchurch, killing 185 people.
• 2011 - Bahraini uprising: Tens of thousands of people march in protest against the deaths of seven victims killed by police and army forces during previous protests.
• 2012 - A train crash in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 51 people and injures 700 others.
• 2014 - President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine is impeached by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine by a vote of 328–0, fulfilling a major goal of the Euromaidan rebellion.
• 2015 - A ferry carrying 100 passengers capsizes in the Padma River, killing 70 people.
• 2018 - A man throws a grenade at the U.S embassy in Podgorica, Montenegro. He dies at the scene from a second explosion, with no one else hurt.

  Births

• 1028 - Al-Juwayni, Persian jurist and theologian
• 1040 - Rashi, French rabbi and author
• 1302 - Gegeen Khan, Emperor Yingzong of Yuan
• 1403 - Charles VII of France
• 1440 - Ladislaus the Posthumous, Hungarian king
• 1500 - Rodolfo Pio da Carpi, Italian cardinal
• 1514 - Tahmasp I, Iranian shah
• 1520 - Moses Isserles, Polish rabbi
• 1550 - Charles de Ligne, 2nd Prince of Arenberg
• 1592 - Nicholas Ferrar, English scholar
• 1631 - Peder Syv, Danish historian
• 1649 - Bon Boullogne, French painter
• 1715 - Charles-Nicolas Cochin, French artist
• 1732 - George Washington, American general and politician, 1st President of the United States
• 1749 - Johann Nikolaus Forkel, German musicologist and theorist
• 1778 - Rembrandt Peale, American painter and curator
• 1788 - Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher and author
• 1796 - Alexis Bachelot, French priest and missionary
• 1796 - Adolphe Quetelet, Belgian mathematician, astronomer, and sociologist
• 1805 - Sarah Fuller Flower Adams, English poet and hymnwriter
• 1806 - Józef Kremer, Polish historian and philosopher
• 1817 - Carl Wilhelm Borchardt, German mathematician and academic
• 1819 - James Russell Lowell, American poet and critic
• 1824 - Pierre Janssen, French astronomer and mathematician
• 1825 - Jean-Baptiste Salpointe, French-American archbishop
• 1836 - Mahesh Chandra Nyayratna Bhattacharyya, Indian scholar and academic
• 1840 - August Bebel, German theorist and politician
• 1849 - Nikolay Yakovlevich Sonin, Russian mathematician and academic
• 1857 - Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, English general, co-founded The Scout Association
• 1857 - Heinrich Hertz, German physicist, philosopher, and academic
• 1860 - Mary W. Bacheler, American physician and Baptist medical missionary
• 1863 - Charles McLean Andrews, American historian, author, and academic
• 1864 - Jules Renard, French author and playwright
• 1876 - Zitkala-Sa, American author and activist
• 1874 - Bill Klem, American baseball player and umpire
• 1879 - Johannes Nicolaus Brønsted, Danish chemist and academic
• 1880 - Eric Lemming, Swedish athlete
• 1881 - Joseph B. Ely, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of Massachusetts
• 1881 - Albin Prepeluh, Slovenian journalist and politician
• 1882 - Eric Gill, English sculptor and illustrator
• 1883 - Marguerite Clark, American actress
• 1886 - Hugo Ball, German author and poet
• 1887 - Savielly Tartakower, Polish journalist, author, and chess player
• 1887 - Pat Sullivan, Australian-American animator and producer
• 1888 - Owen Brewster, American captain and politician, 54th Governor of Maine
• 1889 - Olave Baden-Powell, English scout leader, founded the Girl Guides
• 1889 - R. G. Collingwood, English historian and philosopher
• 1891 - Vlas Chubar, Russian economist and politician
• 1892 - Edna St. Vincent Millay, American poet and playwright
• 1895 - Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, Peruvian politician
• 1897 - Karol Świerczewski, Polish general
• 1899 - George O'Hara, American actor and screenwriter
• 1900 - Luis Buñuel, Spanish-Mexican director and producer
• 1903 - Morley Callaghan, Canadian author and playwright
• 1903 - Frank P. Ramsey, English economist, mathematician, and philosopher
• 1906 - Constance Stokes, Australian painter
• 1907 - Sheldon Leonard, American actor, director, and producer
• 1907 - Robert Young, American actor
• 1908 - Rómulo Betancourt, Venezuelan politician, 56th President of Venezuela
• 1908 - John Mills, English soldier and actor
• 1910 - George Hunt, English international footballer, forward
• 1914 - Renato Dulbecco, Italian-American virologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1915 - Gus Lesnevich, American boxer
• 1917 - Reed Crandall, American illustrator
• 1918 - Sid Abel, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager
• 1918 - Don Pardo, American radio and television announcer
• 1918 - Robert Wadlow, American man, the tallest person in recorded history
• 1921 - Jean-Bédel Bokassa, Central African general and politician, 2nd President of the Central African Republic
• 1921 - Giulietta Masina, Italian actress
• 1922 - Marshall Teague, American race car driver
• 1922 - Joe Wilder, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader
• 1923 - Bleddyn Williams, Welsh rugby player and sportscaster
• 1923 - François Cavanna, French author and editor
• 1925 - Edward Gorey, American illustrator and poet
• 1925 - Gerald Stern, American poet and academic
• 1926 - Kenneth Williams, English actor and screenwriter
• 1927 - Florencio Campomanes, Filipino political scientist and chess player
• 1927 - Guy Mitchell, American singer
• 1928 - Clarence 13X, American religious leader, founded the Nation of Gods and Earths
• 1928 - Texas Johnny Brown, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1928 - Paul Dooley, American actor
• 1928 - Bruce Forsyth, English singer and television host
• 1929 - James Hong, American actor and director
• 1929 - Rebecca Schull, American stage, film, and television actress
• 1930 - Marni Nixon, American soprano and actress
• 1932 - Ted Kennedy, American soldier, lawyer, and politician
• 1932 - Zenaida Manfugás, Cuban-born American-naturalized pianist
• 1933 - Katharine, Duchess of Kent
• 1933 - Sheila Hancock, English actress and author
• 1933 - Ernie K-Doe, American R&B singer
• 1933 - Bobby Smith, English international footballer, centre forward
• 1934 - Sparky Anderson, American baseball player and manager
• 1936 - J. Michael Bishop, American microbiologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1937 - Tommy Aaron, American golfer
• 1937 - Joanna Russ, American author and activist
• 1938 - Steve Barber, American baseball player
• 1938 - Tony Macedo, Gibraltarian born English footballer, goalkeeper
• 1938 - Ishmael Reed, American poet, novelist, essayist
• 1940 - Judy Cornwell, English actress
• 1940 - Chet Walker, American basketball player
• 1941 - Hipólito Mejía, Dominican politician, 52nd President of the Dominican Republic
• 1942 - Christine Keeler, English model and dancer
• 1943 - Terry Eagleton, English philosopher and critic
• 1943 - Horst Köhler, Polish-German economist and politician, 9th President of Germany
• 1943 - Dick Van Arsdale, American basketball player
• 1943 - Tom Van Arsdale, American basketball player
• 1943 - Otoya Yamaguchi, Japanese assassin of Inejiro Asanuma
• 1944 - Jonathan Demme, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1944 - Mick Green, English rock & roll guitarist
• 1944 - Robert Kardashian, American lawyer and businessman
• 1944 - Christopher Meyer, English diplomat, British Ambassador to the United States
• 1944 - Tom Okker, Dutch tennis player and painter
• 1945 - Oliver, American pop singer
• 1946 - Kresten Bjerre, Danish footballer and manager
• 1947 - Pirjo Honkasalo, Finnish director, cinematographer, and screenwriter
• 1947 - Harvey Mason, American drummer
• 1947 - John Radford, English footballer and manager
• 1947 - Frank Van Dun, Belgian philosopher and theorist
• 1949 - John Duncan, Scottish footballer, forward and manager
• 1949 - Niki Lauda, Austrian racing driver
• 1949 - Olga Morozova, Russian tennis player and coach
• 1950 - Julius Erving, American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1950 - Lenny Kuhr, Dutch singer-songwriter
• 1950 - Miou-Miou, French actress
• 1950 - Genesis P-Orridge, English singer-songwriter
• 1950 - Julie Walters, English actress and author
• 1951 - Ellen Greene, American singer and actress
• 1952 - Bill Frist, American physician and politician
• 1952 - Joaquim Pina Moura, Portuguese Minister of Economy and Treasury and MP
• 1953 - Nigel Planer, English actor and screenwriter
• 1955 - David Axelrod, American journalist and political adviser
• 1955 - Tim Young, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1957 - Willie Smits, Dutch microbiologist and engineer
• 1958 - Dave Spitz, American bass player and songwriter
• 1959 - Jiří Čunek, Czech politician
• 1959 - Kyle MacLachlan, American actor
• 1959 - Bronwyn Oliver, Australian sculptor
• 1960 - Thomas Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde, Scottish politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
• 1961 - Akira Takasaki, Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1962 - Steve Irwin, Australian zoologist and television host
• 1963 - Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
• 1963 - Devon Malcolm, Jamaican-English cricketer
• 1963 - Vijay Singh, Fijian-American golfer
• 1964 - Ed Boon, American video game designer, co-created Mortal Kombat
• 1964 - Diane Charlemagne, English singer-songwriter
• 1964 - Andy Gray, English footballer, midfielder and manager
• 1965 - Chris Dudley, American basketball player and politician
• 1965 - Kieren Fallon, Irish jockey
• 1965 - Pat LaFontaine, American ice hockey player
• 1966 - Rachel Dratch, American actress and comedian
• 1966 - Thorsten Kaye, German-English actor
• 1967 - Psicosis II, Mexican wrestler
• 1968 - Shawn Graham, Canadian politician, 31st Premier of New Brunswick
• 1968 - Bradley Nowell, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1968 - Jeri Ryan, American model and actress
• 1968 - Jayson Williams, American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1969 - Thomas Jane, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1969 - Brian Laudrup, Danish footballer and sportscaster
• 1969 - Marc Wilmots, Belgian footballer and manager
• 1971 - Super Caló, Mexican wrestler
• 1971 - Lea Salonga, Filipino actress and singer
• 1972 - Michael Chang, American tennis player and coach
• 1972 - Claudia Pechstein, German speed skater
• 1973 - Philippe Gaumont, French cyclist
• 1973 - Juninho Paulista, Brazilian footballer
• 1973 - Scott Phillips, American drummer and producer
• 1974 - James Blunt, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1974 - Chris Moyles, English radio and television host
• 1975 - Drew Barrymore, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1977 - Timo Rose, German actor, director, and producer
• 1977 - Hakan Yakin, Swiss footballer
• 1978 - Jenny Frost, English singer and dancer
• 1979 - Brett Emerton, Australian footballer
• 1979 - Lee Na-young, South Korean actress
• 1980 - Shamari Fears, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1980 - Kang Sung-hoon, South Korean singer
• 1980 - Jeanette Biedermann, German singer-songwriter and actress
• 1983 - Shaun Tait, Australian cricketer
• 1984 - Tommy Bowe, Irish rugby player
• 1984 - Branislav Ivanović, Serbian footballer
• 1985 - Hameur Bouazza, Algerian international footballer, winger
• 1985 - Georgios Printezis, Greek basketball player
• 1986 - Rajon Rondo, American basketball player
• 1987 - Han Hyo-joo, South Korean actress and model
• 1987 - Sergio Romero, Argentinian footballer
• 1988 - Jonathan Borlée, Belgian sprinter
• 1988 - Efraín Juárez, Mexican footballer
• 1988 - Sebastian Tyrała, Polish-German footballer
• 1989 - Franco Vázquez, Argentinian footballer
• 1990 - Luca Profeta, Italian footballer
• 1992 - Alexander Merkel, Kazakhstani-German footballer

  Deaths

• 556 - Maximianus, bishop of Ravenna
• 606 - Sabinian, pope of the Catholic Church
• 793 - Sicga, Anglo-Saxon nobleman and regicide
• 845 - Wang, Chinese empress dowager
• 954 - Guo Wei, Chinese emperor
• 965 - Otto, duke of Burgundy
• 970 - García I, king of Pamplona
• 978 - Lambert, count of Chalon
• 1071 - Arnulf III, count of Flanders
• 1072 - Peter Damian, Italian cardinal
• 1079 - John of Fécamp, Italian Benedictine abbot
• 1111 - Roger Borsa, king of Sicily
• 1297 - Margaret of Cortona, Italian penitent
• 1371 - David II, king of Scotland
• 1452 - William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas
• 1500 - Gerhard VI, German nobleman
• 1511 - Henry, duke of Cornwall
• 1512 - Amerigo Vespucci, Italian cartographer and explorer
• 1627 - Olivier van Noort, Dutch explorer
• 1674 - Jean Chapelain, French poet and critic
• 1680 - La Voisin, French occultist
• 1690 - Charles Le Brun, French painter and theorist
• 1731 - Frederik Ruysch, Dutch physician and anatomist
• 1732 - Francis Atterbury, English bishop
• 1799 - Heshen, Chinese politician
• 1816 - Adam Ferguson, Scottish historian and philosopher
• 1875 - Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, French painter and illustrator
• 1875 - Charles Lyell, Scottish-English geologist and lawyer
• 1888 - Anna Kingsford, English physician and activist
• 1890 - John Jacob Astor III, American businessman and philanthropist
• 1890 - Carl Bloch, Danish painter and academic
• 1897 - Charles Blondin, French tightrope walker and acrobat
• 1898 - Heungseon Daewongun, Korean king
• 1903 - Hugo Wolf, Austrian composer
• 1904 - Leslie Stephen, English historian, author, and critic
• 1913 - Ferdinand de Saussure, Swiss linguist and author
• 1913 - Francisco I. Madero, Mexican president and author
• 1923 - Théophile Delcassé, French politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 1939 - Antonio Machado, Spanish-French poet and author
• 1942 - Stefan Zweig, Austrian journalist, author, and playwright
• 1943 - Christoph Probst, German activist
• 1943 - Hans Scholl, German activist
• 1943 - Sophie Scholl, German activist
• 1944 - Kasturba Gandhi, Indian activist
• 1945 - Osip Brik, Russian avant garde writer and literary critic
• 1958 - Abul Kalam Azad, Indian scholar and politician, Indian Minister of Education
• 1960 - Paul-Émile Borduas, Canadian-French painter and critic
• 1961 - Nick LaRocca, American trumpet player and composer
• 1965 - Felix Frankfurter, Austrian-American lawyer and jurist
• 1971 - Frédéric Mariotti, French actor
• 1973 - Jean-Jacques Bertrand, Canadian lawyer and politician, 21st Premier of Quebec
• 1973 - Elizabeth Bowen, Anglo-Irish author
• 1973 - Katina Paxinou, Greek actress
• 1973 - Winthrop Rockefeller, American colonel and politician, 37th Governor of Arkansas
• 1976 - Angela Baddeley, English actress
• 1976 - Florence Ballard, American singer
• 1980 - Oskar Kokoschka, Austrian painter, poet and playwright
• 1982 - Josh Malihabadi, Indian-Pakistani poet and author
• 1983 - Adrian Boult, English conductor
• 1983 - Romain Maes, Belgian cyclist
• 1985 - Salvador Espriu, Spanish author, poet, and playwright
• 1985 - Efrem Zimbalist, Russian violinist, composer, and conductor
• 1986 - John Donnelly, Australian rugby league player
• 1987 - David Susskind, American talk show host and producer
• 1987 - Andy Warhol, American painter and photographer
• 1992 - Markos Vafiadis, Greek general and politician
• 1994 - Papa John Creach, American violinist
• 1995 - Ed Flanders, American actor
• 1997 - Joseph Aiuppa, American gangster
• 1998 - Abraham A. Ribicoff, American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
• 1999 - William Bronk, American poet and academic
• 1999 - Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player
• 2002 - Roden Cutler, Australian lieutenant and politician, 32nd Governor of New South Wales
• 2002 - Chuck Jones, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
• 2002 - Jonas Savimbi, Angolan general, founded UNITA
• 2004 - Andy Seminick, American baseball player, coach, and manager
• 2005 - Lee Eun-ju, South Korean actress and singer
• 2005 - Simone Simon, French actress
• 2006 - S. Rajaratnam, Singaporean politician, 1st Senior Minister of Singapore
• 2007 - George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe, English politician, Leader of the House of Lords
• 2007 - Dennis Johnson, American basketball player and coach
• 2012 - Sukhbir, Indian author and poet
• 2012 - Frank Carson, Irish-English comedian and actor
• 2012 - Marie Colvin, American journalist
• 2012 - Rémi Ochlik, French photographer and journalist
• 2013 - Atje Keulen-Deelstra, Dutch speed skater
• 2013 - Jean-Louis Michon, French-Swiss scholar and translator
• 2013 - Wolfgang Sawallisch, German pianist and conductor
• 2014 - Charlotte Dawson, New Zealand–Australian television host
• 2014 - Trebor Jay Tichenor, American pianist and composer
• 2014 - Leo Vroman, Dutch-American hematologist, poet, and illustrator
• 2015 - Chris Rainbow, Scottish singer-songwriter and producer
• 2016 - Yolande Fox, American model and singer, Miss America 1951
• 2016 - Sonny James, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 2018 - Forges, Spanish cartoonist
• 2019 - Brody Stevens, American comedian and actor
• 2019 - Morgan Woodward, American actor

  Holidays and observances

• Birthday of Scouting and Guiding founder Robert Baden-Powell and Olave Baden-Powell, and its related observance:
• * Founder's Day or "B.-P. day"
• * World Thinking Day
• Christian feast day:
• * Baradates
• * Eric Liddell
• * Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter
• * Margaret of Cortona
• * February 22
• Crime Victims Day
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Saint Lucia from the United Kingdom in 1979.