February 14
It is observed in most countries as Valentine's Day.
Events
Pre-1600
- 748 - Abbasid Revolution: The Hashimi rebels under Abu Muslim Khorasani take Merv, capital of the Umayyad province Khorasan, marking the consolidation of the Abbasid revolt.
- 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German languages.
- 1014 - Pope Benedict VIII crowns Henry of Bavaria, King of Germany and of Italy, as Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1130 - The troubled 1130 papal election exposes a rift within the College of Cardinals.
- 1349 - Strasbourg massacre: Several thousand Jews in Europe|Jews] are burned to death by mobs while the remaining Jews are forcibly removed from Strasbourg after being accused of causing the Black Death.
- 1530 - Spanish conquistadores, led by Nuño de Guzmán, overthrow and execute Tangaxuan II, the last independent monarch of the Tarascan state in present-day central Mexico.
- 1556 - Having been declared a heretic and laicized by Pope Paul IV on 4 December 1555, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is publicly defrocked at Christ Church Cathedral.
- 1556 - Coronation of Akbar as ruler of the Mughal Empire.
1601–1900
- 1613 - Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Frederick V of the Palatinate at Whitehall Palace, London.
- 1655 - The Mapuches launch coordinated attacks against the Spanish in Chile beginning the Mapuche uprising of 1655.
- 1778 - The United States flag is formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time, when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte renders a nine gun salute to, commanded by John Paul Jones.
- 1779 - American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Kettle Creek is fought in Georgia.
- 1779 - James Cook is killed by Native Hawaiians near Kealakekua on the Island of Hawaii.
- 1797 - French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Cape St. Vincent: John Jervis, (later 1st Earl of St Vincent) and Horatio Nelson (later 1st Viscount Nelson) lead the British Royal Navy to victory over a Spanish fleet in action near Gibraltar.
- 1804 - Karađorđe leads the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire.
- 1831 - Ras Marye of Yejju marches into Tigray and defeats and kills Dejazmach Sabagadis in the Battle of Debre Abbay.
- 1835 - The original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in the Latter Day Saint movement, is formed in Kirtland, Ohio.
- 1849 - In New York City, James Knox Polk becomes the first serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken.
- 1852 - Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, the first hospital in England to provide in-patient beds specifically for children, is founded in London.
- 1855 - Texas is linked by telegraph to the rest of the United States, with the completion of a connection between New Orleans and Marshall, Texas.
- 1859 - Oregon is admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.
- 1876 - Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone, as does Elisha Gray.
- 1879 - The War of the Pacific breaks out when the Chilean Army occupies the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta.
- 1899 - Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.
- 1900 - The British Army begins the Battle of the Tugela Heights in an effort to lift the Siege of Ladysmith.
1901–present
- 1903 - The United States Department of Commerce and Labor is established.
- 1912 - Arizona is admitted as the 48th and the last contiguous U.S. state.
- 1912 - The U.S. Navy commissions its first class of diesel-powered submarines.
- 1918 - Soviet Russia adopts the Gregorian calendar.
- 1919 - The Polish–Soviet War begins.
- 1920 - The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago.
- 1924 - The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company changes its name to International Business Machines Corporation.
- 1929 - Saint Valentine's Day Massacre: Seven people, six of them gangster rivals of Al Capone's gang, are murdered in Chicago.
- 1939 - World War II: German battleship Bismarck is launched.
- 1942 - World War II: Battle of Pasir Panjang contributes to the fall of Singapore.
- 1943 - World War II: Rostov-on-Don, Russia is liberated.
- 1943 - World War II: Tunisia Campaign: General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim's Fifth Panzer Army launches a counter-attack against Allied positions in Tunisia.
- 1944 - World War II: In the action of 14 February 1944, a Royal Navy submarine sinks a German-controlled Italian Regia Marina submarine in the Strait of Malacca.
- 1945 - World War II: On the first day of the bombing of Dresden, the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces begin fire-bombing Dresden.
- 1945 - World War II: Navigational error leads to the mistaken bombing of Prague, Czechoslovakia by a United States Army Air Forces squadron of B-17s assisting in the Soviet Red Army's Vistula–Oder Offensive.
- 1945 - World War II: Mostar is liberated by Yugoslav partisans
- 1945 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt meets King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia aboard the, officially beginning U.S.-Saudi diplomatic relations.
- 1946 - The Bank of England is nationalized.
- 1947 - The Statute IV of [1947 regarding the abolition of certain titles and ranks|act abolishing] all noble ranks and related styles comes into force in Hungary.
- 1949 - The Knesset convenes for the first time.
- 1949 - The Asbestos Strike begins in Canada. The strike marks the beginning of the Quiet Revolution in Quebec.
- 1954 - First Indochina War - small French garrison at Đắk Đoa is overrun by the Viet Minh after a week's siege.
- 1961 - Discovery of the chemical elements: Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized at the University of California.
- 1979 - In Kabul, Setami Milli militants kidnap the American ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs who is later killed during a gunfight between his kidnappers and police.
- 1983 - United American Bank of Knoxville, Tennessee collapses. Its president, Jake Butcher, is later convicted of fraud.
- 1989 - Union Carbide agrees to pay $470 million to the Indian government for damages it caused in the 1984 Bhopal disaster.
- 1989 - Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini issues a fatwa encouraging Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.
- 1990 - Ninety-two people are killed when Indian Airlines Flight 605 crashes in Bangalore, India.
- 1990 - The Voyager 1 spacecraft takes the photograph of planet Earth that later becomes famous as Pale Blue Dot.
- 1998 - An oil tanker train collides with a freight train in Yaoundé, Cameroon, spilling fuel oil. One person scavenging the oil created a massive explosion which killed 120.
- 2000 - The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker enters orbit around asteroid 433 Eros, the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.
- 2003 - Iraq disarmament crisis: UNMOVIC Executive Chairman Hans Blix reports to the United Nations Security Council that disarmament inspectors have found no weapons of mass destruction in Ba'athist Iraq.
- 2004 - In a suburb of Moscow, Russia, the roof of the Transvaal water park collapses, killing more than 28 people, and wounding 193 others.
- 2005 - In Beirut, 23 people, including former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, are killed when the equivalent of around 1,000 kg of TNT is detonated while Hariri's motorcade drives through the city.
- 2005 - Seven people are killed and 151 wounded in a series of bombings by suspected al-Qaeda-linked militants that hit Makati, Davao City, and General Santos, all in the Philippines.
- 2005 - YouTube is launched by a group of college students, eventually becoming the largest video sharing website in the world and a main source for viral videos.
- 2008 - Northern Illinois University shooting: A gunman opens fire in a lecture hall of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb County, Illinois, resulting in six fatalities and 21 injuries.
- 2011 - As a part of Arab Spring, the Bahraini uprising begins with a 'Day of Rage'.
- 2018 - Jacob Zuma resigns as President of South Africa.
- 2018 - A shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida is one of the deadliest school massacres with 17 fatalities and 17 injuries.
- 2019 - Pulwama attack takes place in Lethpora in Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir, India in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel and a suicide bomber were killed and 35 were injured.
- 2020 - At least 22 people are killed in an attack on a village in Northwest Region, Cameroon.
Births
Pre-1600
- 1404 - Leon Battista Alberti, Italian painter, poet, and philosopher
- 1408 - John FitzAlan, 14th Earl of Arundel
- 1452 - Pandolfo Petrucci, tyrant of Siena
- 1468 - Johannes Werner, German priest and mathematician
- 1483 - Babur, Moghul emperor
- 1490 - Valentin Friedland, German scholar and educationist of the Reformation
- 1513 - Domenico Ferrabosco, Italian composer
- 1545 - Lucrezia de' Medici, Duchess of Ferrara
1601–1900
- 1602 - Francesco Cavalli, Italian composer
- 1614 - John Wilkins, English bishop, academic and natural philosopher
- 1625 - Countess Palatine Maria Euphrosyne of Zweibrücken, Swedish princess
- 1628 - Valentine Greatrakes, Irish faith healer
- 1640 - Countess Palatine Anna Magdalena of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler
- 1670 - Rajaram Raj Bhonsle, third Chhatrapati of the Maratha Confederacy
- 1679 - Georg Friedrich Kauffmann, German organist and composer
- 1692 - Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, French author and playwright
- 1701 - Enrique Flórez, Spanish historian and author
- 1763 - Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French general
- 1782 - Eleanora Atherton, English philanthropist
- 1784 - Heinrich Baermann, German clarinetist
- 1799 - Walenty Wańkowicz, Polish painter and illustrator
- 1800 - Emory Washburn, American historian, lawyer, and politician, 22nd Governor of Massachusetts
- 1808 - Michael Costa, Italian-English conductor and composer
- 1812 - Fernando Wood, American merchant and politician, 73rd Mayor of New York City
- 1813 - Lydia Hamilton Smith, African-American businesswoman
- 1819 - Christopher Latham Sholes, American journalist and politician, invented the typewriter
- 1824 - Winfield Scott Hancock, American general and politician
- 1828 - Edmond François Valentin About, French journalist and author
- 1829 - Alfred Iverson Jr., American Confederate Army officer
- 1835 - Piet Paaltjens, Dutch minister and poet
- 1838 - Margaret E. Knight, American inventor
- 1846 - Julian Scott, American soldier and drummer, Medal of Honor recipient
- 1847 - Anna Howard Shaw, American physician, minister, and activist
- 1848 - Benjamin Baillaud, French astronomer and academic
- 1855 - Frank Harris, Irish author and journalist
- 1859 - George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., American engineer, inventor of the Ferris wheel
- 1860 - Eugen Schiffer, German lawyer and politician, Vice-Chancellor of Germany
- 1869 - Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Scottish physicist and meteorologist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1878 - Julius Nieuwland, Belgian priest, chemist and academic
- 1882 - John Barrymore, American actor
- 1884 - Nils Olaf Chrisander, Swedish actor and director
- 1884 - Kostas Varnalis, Greek poet and playwright
- 1888 - Chandrashekhar Agashe, Indian industrialist
- 1890 - Nina Hamnett, Welsh-English painter and author
- 1890 - Dick Richards, Welsh international footballer
- 1891 - Katherine Stinson, American aviator
- 1892 - Radola Gajda, Czech commander and politician
- 1894 - Jack Benny, American actor and producer
- 1895 - Wilhelm Burgdorf, German general
- 1895 - Max Horkheimer, German philosopher and sociologist
- 1898 - Bill Tilman, English mountaineer and explorer
- 1898 - Fritz Zwicky, Swiss-American physicist and astronomer
- 1900 - Jessica Dragonette, American singer
1901–present
- 1902 - Thelma Ritter, American actress and singer
- 1903 - Stuart Erwin, American actor
- 1907 - Johnny Longden, English-American jockey and trainer
- 1911 - Willem Johan Kolff, Dutch physician and inventor
- 1912 - Tibor Sekelj, Hungarian lawyer, explorer, and author
- 1913 - Mel Allen, American sportscaster
- 1913 - Woody Hayes, American football player and coach
- 1913 - Jimmy Hoffa, American trade union leader
- 1913 - James Pike, American bishop
- 1915 - Sally Gray, English actress and singer
- 1916 - Marcel Bigeard, French general
- 1916 - Masaki Kobayashi, Japanese director and producer
- 1916 - Edward Platt, American actor
- 1917 - Herbert A. Hauptman, American mathematician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1921 - Hugh Downs, American journalist, game show host, and producer
- 1921 - Hazel McCallion, Canadian businesswoman and politician, 3rd Mayor of Mississauga
- 1923 - Jay Hebert, American golfer
- 1924 - Juan Ponce Enrile, Filipino politician and lawyer
- 1924 - Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma
- 1927 - Lois Maxwell, Canadian-Australian model and actress
- 1928 - William Allain, American lawyer and politician, 58th Governor of Mississippi
- 1928 - Vicente T. Blaz, American general and politician
- 1929 - Vic Morrow, American actor and director
- 1931 - Brian Kelly, American actor and director
- 1932 - Harriet Andersson, Swedish actress
- 1933 – Nell Hall Williams, American quilter
- 1934 - Florence Henderson, American actress and singer
- 1935 - David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, Scottish academic and diplomat, 27th Governor of Hong Kong
- 1936 - Anna German, Polish singer
- 1937 - John MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market, English politician, Secretary of State for Transport
- 1937 - Magic Sam, American singer and guitarist
- 1939 - Razzy Bailey, American country music singer-songwriter and musician
- 1939 - Blowfly, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1939 - Eugene Fama, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1941 - Donna Shalala, American academic and politician, 18th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
- 1941 - Paul Tsongas, American lawyer and politician
- 1942 - Michael Bloomberg, American businessman and politician, 108th Mayor of New York City
- 1942 - Andrew Robinson, American actor and director
- 1942 - Ricardo Rodríguez, Mexican racing driver
- 1943 - Maceo Parker, American saxophonist
- 1944 - Carl Bernstein, American journalist and author
- 1944 - Alan Parker, English director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1944 - Ronnie Peterson, Swedish racing driver
- 1945 - Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein
- 1945 - Rod Masterson, American lieutenant and actor
- 1946 - Bernard Dowiyogo, Nauru politician, President of Nauru
- 1946 - Gregory Hines, American actor, singer, and dancer
- 1947 - Tim Buckley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1947 - Judd Gregg, American lawyer and politician, 76th Governor of New Hampshire
- 1947 - John Quayle, Australian rugby league player and administrator
- 1947 - Phạm Tuân, Vietnamese aviator and cosmonaut
- 1947 - Stephen A. Schwarzman, American businessman
- 1948 - Mayra Gómez Kemp, Cuban-Spanish television host and actress
- 1948 - Kitten Natividad, Mexican-American actress and dancer
- 1948 - Pat O'Brien, American journalist and author
- 1948 - Wally Tax, Dutch singer-songwriter
- 1948 - Teller, American magician and actor
- 1950 - Roger Fisher, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1951 - Terry Gross, American radio host and producer
- 1951 - Kevin Keegan, English footballer and manager
- 1952 - Sushma Swaraj, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs
- 1954 - Jam Mohammad Yousaf, Pakistani politician, Chief Minister of Balochistan
- 1955 - Carol Kalish, American publisher
- 1956 - Howard Davis Jr., American boxer and trainer
- 1956 - Dave Dravecky, American baseball player
- 1956 - Katharina Fritsch, German sculptor and academic
- 1957 - Soile Isokoski, Finnish soprano and actress
- 1957 - Alan Smith, English bishop
- 1957 - Ken Wahl, American actor
- 1958 - Grant Thomas, Australian footballer and coach
- 1959 - Renée Fleming, American soprano and actress
- 1960 - Philip Jones, English admiral
- 1960 - Jim Kelly, American football player and businessman
- 1960 - Meg Tilly, American actress and author
- 1961 - D'Wayne Wiggins, American musical artist
- 1962 - Sakina Jaffrey, American actress
- 1963 - Enrico Colantoni, Canadian actor, director, and producer
- 1964 - Gianni Bugno, Italian cyclist and sportscaster
- 1964 - Zach Galligan, American actor
- 1966 - Petr Svoboda, Czech ice hockey player and agent
- 1967 - Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Greek-English businessman, founded easyJet
- 1967 - Calle Johansson, Swedish ice hockey player and coach
- 1967 - Manuela Maleeva, Bulgarian-Swiss tennis player
- 1967 - Bernie Moreno, American politician and businessman
- 1967 - Mark Rutte, Dutch businessman and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- 1968 - Jules Asner, American model and television host
- 1968 - Chris Lewis, Guyanese-English cricketer
- 1968 - Scott McClellan, American civil servant and author, 25th White House Press Secretary
- 1969 - Meg Hillier, English journalist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
- 1970 - Giuseppe Guerini, Italian cyclist
- 1970 - Sean Hill, American ice hockey player
- 1970 - Simon Pegg, English actor, director, and producer
- 1970 - Takashi Saito, Japanese baseball player
- 1971 - Kris Aquino, Filipino talk show host, actress, and producer
- 1971 - Gheorghe Mureșan, Romanian basketball player
- 1972 - Drew Bledsoe, American football player and coach
- 1972 - Musōyama Masashi, Japanese sumo wrestler
- 1972 - Najwa Nimri, Spanish actress and singer
- 1972 - Jaan Tallinn, Estonian computer programmer, co-developed Skype
- 1972 - Rob Thomas, American singer-songwriter
- 1973 - H. D. Ackerman, South African cricketer
- 1973 - Annalisa Buffa, Italian mathematician
- 1973 - Tyus Edney, American basketball player and coach
- 1973 - Steve McNair, American football player
- 1974 - Valentina Vezzali, Italian fencer and politician
- 1975 - Viktor Kozlov, Russian ice hockey player and coach
- 1975 - Dámaso Marte, Dominican baseball player
- 1976 - Milan Hejduk, Czech-American ice hockey player
- 1976 - Liv Kristine, Norwegian singer-songwriter
- 1976 - Rie Rasmussen, Danish model, film director, writer, photographer, and actress
- 1977 - Anna Erschler, Russian mathematician
- 1977 - Cadel Evans, Australian cyclist
- 1977 - Jim Jefferies, Australian comedian and actor
- 1977 - Darren Purse, English footballer
- 1977 - Elmer Symons, South African motorcycle racer
- 1978 - Danai Gurira, American-Zimbabwean actress
- 1978 - Richard Hamilton, American basketball player
- 1978 - Darius Songaila, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
- 1980 - Josh Senter, American screenwriter and producer
- 1980 - Michelle Ye, Hong Kong actress and producer
- 1981 - Matteo Brighi, Italian footballer
- 1981 - Randy de Puniet, French motorcycle racer
- 1981 - Brad Halsey, American baseball player
- 1981 - Kara Lawson, American basketball player and coach
- 1981 - Jared Lorenzen, American football player
- 1982 - Marián Gáborík, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1982 - John Halls, English footballer and model
- 1982 - Lenka Tvarošková, Slovak tennis player
- 1983 - Callix Crabbe, Virgin Islander baseball player
- 1983 - Rocky Elsom, Australian rugby player
- 1983 - Bacary Sagna, French footballer
- 1984 - Matt Barr, American actor
- 1985 - Karima Adebibe, English model and actress
- 1985 - Tyler Clippard, American baseball player
- 1985 - Heart Evangelista, Filipino singer and actress
- 1985 - Philippe Senderos, Swiss footballer
- 1985 - Miki Yeung, Hong Kong singer and actress
- 1986 - Michael Ammermüller, German racing driver
- 1986 - Oliver Lee, English actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1986 - Gao Lin, Chinese footballer
- 1986 - Tiffany Thornton, American actress and singer
- 1987 - Edinson Cavani, Uruguayan footballer
- 1987 - Tom Pyatt, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 - David Wheater, English footballer
- 1987 - Candice Wiggins, American basketball player
- 1988 - Katie Boland, Canadian actress, producer, and screenwriter
- 1988 - Ángel Di María, Argentinian footballer
- 1988 - Siim Liivik, Estonian ice hockey player
- 1989 - Néstor Calderón, Mexican footballer
- 1989 - Adam Matuszczyk, Polish footballer
- 1989 - Emma Miskew, Canadian curler
- 1989 - Byron Mullens, American basketball player
- 1989 - Derek Norris, American baseball player
- 1989 - Brandon Sutter, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1989 - Jurij Tepeš, Slovenian ski jumper
- 1989 - Kristian Thomas, English gymnast
- 1990 - Chris Babb, American basketball player
- 1990 - Brett Dier, Canadian actor
- 1990 - Bogdan Kiselevich, Russian ice hockey player
- 1990 - Sefa Yılmaz, German-Turkish footballer
- 1991 - Karol G, Colombian singer and songwriter
- 1991 - Daniela Mona Lambin, Estonian footballer
- 1992 - Christian Eriksen, Danish footballer
- 1992 - Freddie Highmore, English actor
- 1992 - Petr Mrázek, Czech ice hockey player
- 1993 - Jadeveon Clowney, American football player
- 1993 - Alberto Rosende, American actor and singer
- 1996 - Nikolaj Ehlers, Danish ice hockey player
- 1996 - Poasa Faamausili, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1996 - Lucas Hernandez, French footballer
- 1997 - Jaehyun, South Korean singer and actor
- 1997 - Breel Embolo, Swiss footballer
- 1999 - Tyler Adams, American soccer player
- 2000 - Gabriel Moreno, Venezuelan baseball player
Deaths
Pre-1600
- 269 - Saint Valentine, Roman saint
- 869 - Cyril, Greek missionary bishop and saint
- 945 - Lian Chongyu, Chinese general
- 945 - Zhu Wenjin, Chinese emperor
- 1009 - Bruno of Querfurt, German missionary bishop
- 1010 - Fujiwara no Korechika, Japanese nobleman
- 1140 - Leo I, Armenian prince
- 1140 - Sobĕslav I, duke of Bohemia
- 1164 - Sviatoslav Olgovich, Kievan prince
- 1229 - Rǫgnvaldr Guðrøðarson, king of the Isles
- 1317 - Margaret of France, queen of England
- 1400 - Richard II, king of England
- 1440 - Dietrich of Oldenburg, German nobleman
- 1489 - Nicolaus von Tüngen, prince-bishop of Warmia
- 1528 - Edzard I, German nobleman
- 1549 - Il Sodoma, Italian painter
1601–1900
- 1676 - Abraham Bosse, French engraver and illustrator
- 1714 - Maria Luisa of Savoy, queen of Spain
- 1737 - Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot, English lawyer and politician Lord Chancellor of Great Britain
- 1744 - John Hadley, English mathematician, invented the octant
- 1755 - Isidro de Espinosa, Franciscan missionary from Spanish Texas
- 1779 - James Cook, English captain, cartographer, and explorer
- 1780 - William Blackstone, English jurist and politician
- 1782 - Singu Min, Burmese king
- 1808 - John Dickinson, American lawyer and politician 5th Governor of Delaware
- 1831 - Vicente Guerrero, Mexican general and politician, 2nd President of Mexico
- 1831 - Henry Maudslay, English engineer
- 1870 - St. John Richardson Liddell, American general
- 1881 - Fernando Wood, American merchant and politician, 73rd Mayor of New York City
- 1884 - Lydia Hamilton Smith, African-American businesswoman
- 1885 - Jules Vallès, French journalist and author
- 1891 - William Tecumseh Sherman, American general
- 1894 - Eugène Charles Catalan, Belgian-French mathematician and academic
1901–present
- 1910 - Giovanni Passannante, Italian anarchist
- 1922 - Heikki Ritavuori, Finnish lawyer and politician
- 1923 - Charles Henry Turner, American zoologist, educator, and comparative psychologist
- 1924 - Amalie Andersen, Norwegian actress
- 1929 - Thomas Burke, American sprinter, coach, and lawyer
- 1930 - Thomas Mackenzie, Scottish-New Zealand cartographer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of New Zealand
- 1933 - Carl Correns, German botanist and geneticist
- 1937 - Erkki Melartin, Finnish composer
- 1942 - Adnan Saidi, Malayan lieutenant
- 1943 - Dora Gerson, German actress and singer
- 1943 - David Hilbert, Russian-German mathematician, physicist, and philosopher
- 1948 - Mordecai Brown, American baseball player and manager
- 1949 - Yusuf Salman Yusuf, Iraqi politician
- 1950 - Karl Guthe Jansky, American physicist and engineer
- 1952 - Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist
- 1956 - Harold Edward Dahl, American pilot and mercenary
- 1958 - Abdur Rab Nishtar, Pakistani politician, 2nd Governor of Punjab
- 1959 - Baby Dodds, American drummer
- 1967 - Sig Ruman, German-American actor
- 1969 - Vito Genovese, Italian-American mob boss
- 1970 - Herbert Strudwick, English cricketer and coach
- 1974 - Stewie Dempster, New Zealand cricketer and coach
- 1975 - Julian Huxley, English biologist and eugenicist, co-founded the World Wide Fund for Nature
- 1975 - P. G. Wodehouse, English novelist and playwright
- 1976 - Gertrud Dorka, German archaeologist, prehistorian and museum director
- 1976 - George Washington Bacon III, American soldier, CIA agent, and mercenary
- 1976 - Charlie Christodoulou, British soldier and mercenary of the Angolan Civil War
- 1979 - Adolph Dubs, American lieutenant and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Afghanistan
- 1983 - Lina Radke, German runner and coach
- 1986 - Edmund Rubbra, English composer and conductor
- 1987 - Dmitry Kabalevsky, Russian pianist and composer
- 1988 - Frederick Loewe, German-American composer
- 1989 - James Bond, American ornithologist and zoologist
- 1989 - Vincent Crane, English pianist
- 1994 - Andrei Chikatilo, Soviet serial killer
- 1994 - Christopher Lasch, American historian and critic
- 1995 - Michael V. Gazzo, American actor and playwright
- 1995 - U Nu, Burmese politician, 1st Prime Minister of Burma
- 1996 - Bob Paisley, English footballer and manager
- 1998 - Peter Koch (wood scientist), American industrial engineer and wood scientist
- 1999 - John Ehrlichman, American lawyer and politician, 12th White House Counsel
- 1999 - Buddy Knox, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 2002 - Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer and manager
- 2002 - Mick Tucker, English drummer
- 2003 - Johnny Longden, English jockey and trainer
- 2004 - Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist
- 2005 - Rafic Hariri, Lebanese businessman and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Lebanon
- 2006 - Lynden David Hall, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 2007 - Ryan Larkin, Canadian animator and director
- 2007 - Gareth Morris, English flute player and educator
- 2008 – Perry Lopez, American actor
- 2009 - Bernard Ashley, English engineer and businessman, co-founded Laura Ashley plc
- 2009 - Louie Bellson, American drummer and composer
- 2010 - Doug Fieger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 2010 - Dick Francis, Welsh jockey and author
- 2010 - Linnart Mäll, Estonian historian, orientalist, and translator
- 2011 - George Shearing, English-American pianist and composer
- 2012 - Mike Bernardo, South African boxer and martial artist
- 2012 - Tonmi Lillman, Finnish drummer and producer
- 2012 - Dory Previn, American singer-songwriter
- 2012 - Péter Rusorán, Hungarian swimmer, water polo player, and coach
- 2013 - Glenn Boyer, American historian and author
- 2013 - Ronald Dworkin, American philosopher and scholar
- 2014 - Tom Finney, English footballer
- 2014 - Chris Pearson, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of Yukon
- 2014 - Mike Stepovich, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Alaska Territory
- 2015 - Louis Jourdan, French-American actor and singer
- 2015 - Philip Levine, American poet and academic
- 2015 - Franjo Mihalić, Croatian-Serbian runner and coach
- 2016 - Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, English lieutenant, engineer, and politician
- 2016 - Steven Stucky, American composer and academic
- 2018 - Ruud Lubbers, Dutch politician and diplomat, Prime Minister and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- 2018 - Morgan Tsvangirai, 2nd Prime Minister of Zimbabwe
- 2019 - Andrea Levy, English author
- 2021 - Carlos Menem, Argentine former president, lawyer, and statesman
- 2021 - William Meninger, American Trappist monk and a principal developer of Centering Prayer
Holidays and observances
- Christian feast day:
- * Cyril and Methodius, patron saints of Europe
- * Manchan
- * Valentine
- * February 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Statehood Day
- Statehood Day
- Presentation of Jesus at the Temple
- Parents' Worship Day