February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 327 days remaining until the end of the year (328 in leap years).
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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 1926 - Konstantin Feoktistov, cosmonaut
- 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)
- 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
- 1973 - Juwan Howard, American basketball player
- 1974 - Steve Nash, Canadian basketball player
- 1974 - J Dilla, American hip-hop producer (d. 2006)
- 1974 - Emma McLaughlin, American novelist
- 1975 - Wes Borland, American guitarist (Limp Bizkit)
- 1975 - Alexandre Daigle, National Hockey League player
- 1976 - Sreto Ristić, 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 international 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
- 1988 - Ai Kago, Japanese singer
- 1988 - Matthew Stafford, American college football player
- 1989 - Louisa Lytton - British Actress
- 1990 - Steven Stamkos, Canadian ice hockey player
- 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, legendary Israeli soldier (b. 1920)
- 1991 - Jean-Paul Mousseau, Quebec painter, member of Les Automatistes (b. 1927)
- 1992 - Buzz Sawyer, wrestler (b. 1959)
- 1994 - Witold Lutosławski, 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
External links
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