On this day | February 2nd

On this day: February 2nd

Credit/Source: Wikipedia

506 Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (''Breviarium Alaricianum'' or ''Lex Romana Visigothorum''), a collection of "Roman law".

880 Battle of Luneberg Heath: King Louis III of France is defeated by the Norse Great Heathen Army at Lüneburg Heath in Saxony.

962 ''Translatio imperii'': Pope John XII crowns Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor in nearly 40 years.

1032 Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor becomes king of Kingdom of Burgundy.

1141 The Battle of Lincoln (1141), at which Stephen, King of England is defeated and captured by the allies of Empress Matilda.

1207 Terra Mariana, eventually comprising present-day Latvia and Estonia, is established.

1428 An 1428 Catalonia earthquake struck the Principality of Catalonia, with the epicenter near Camprodon. Widespread destruction and heavy casualties were reported.

1438 Nine leaders of the Transylvanian peasant revolt are executed at Turda.

1461 Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Mortimer's Cross results in the death of Owen Tudor.

1536 Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires.

1645 Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Inverlochy (1645).

1653 New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.

1709 Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island, inspiring Daniel Defoe's adventure book ''Robinson Crusoe''.

1725 Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of his Chorale cantata cycle Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, BWV 125, based on Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin of the Nunc dimittis.

1814 The last of the River Thames frost fairs comes to an end.

1848 Mexican–American War: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed.

1850 Brigham Young declares war on Timpanogos in the Battle at Fort Utah.

1868 Pro-Imperial forces Fall of Osaka Castle Osaka Castle from the Tokugawa shogunate and burn it to the ground.

1870 ''The Seven Brothers'' (''Seitsemän veljestä''), a novel by Finnish author Aleksis Kivi, is published first time in several thin booklets.

1876 The National League (baseball) of Major League Baseball is formed.

1881 The Sentence (law) of the trial of the warlock of Chiloé are imparted.

1887 In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the first Groundhog Day is observed.

1899 The Australian Premiers' Conference held in Melbourne decides to locate Australia's capital city, Canberra, between Sydney and Melbourne.

1900 Boston, Detroit, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Chicago and St. Louis, agree to form baseball's American League.

1901 Funeral of Queen Victoria.

1909 The Paris Film Congress opens, an attempt by European producers to form an equivalent to the Motion Picture Patents Company cartel in the United States.

1913 Grand Central Terminal opens in New York City.

1920 The Treaty of Tartu (Russian–Estonian) is signed between Estonia and Russia.

1922 ''Ulysses (novel)'' by James Joyce is published.

1922 The uprising called the "pork mutiny" starts in the region between Salla and Savukoski in Finland.

1925 1925 serum run to Nome: Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race race.

1934 The Export-Import Bank of the United States is incorporated.

1935 Leonarde Keeler administers polygraph machine to two murder suspects, the first time polygraph evidence was admitted in U.S. courts.

1942 The Osvald Group is responsible for the first, active event of Resistance movement in Norway, to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling.

1943 World War II: The Battle of Stalingrad comes to an end when Red Army troops accept the surrender of the last organized German troops in the city.

1954 The Detroit Red Wings played in 1954 Detroit Red Wings prison game by any NHL team in an exhibition against the Marquette Branch Prison Pirates in Marquette, Michigan.

1959 Nine experienced ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union Dyatlov Pass incident.

1966 Pakistan suggests a six-point agenda with Kashmir after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

1971 Idi Amin replaces President of Uganda Milton Obote as leader of Uganda.

1971 The international Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands is signed in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran.

1980 Reports surface that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is targeting allegedly corrupt United States Congress in the Abscam operation.

1982 1982 Hama massacre: The government of Syria attacks the town of Hama.

1987 After the 1986 People Power Revolution, the Philippines enacts a new Constitution of the Philippines.

1989 Soviet–Afghan War: The last Soviet Union armoured column Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan Kabul.

1990 Apartheid: F. W. de Klerk Speech at the Opening of the Parliament of South Africa, 1990 the unbanning of the African National Congress and promises to release Nelson Mandela.

1998 Cebu Pacific Flight 387 crashes into Mount Sumagaya in the Philippines, killing all 104 people on board.

2000 First digital cinema projection in Europe (Paris) realized by Philippe Binant with the DLP CINEMA technology developed by Texas Instruments.

2004 Swiss tennis player Roger Federer becomes the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, a position he will hold for a record ATP World Tour records # ATP rankings.

2005 The Government of Canada introduces the ''Civil Marriage Act''. This legislation would become law on July 20, 2005, legalizing same-sex marriage.

2007 Police officer Filippo Raciti is killed when 2007 Catania football violence breaks out in the Sicily derby between Catania and Palermo, in the Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. This event led to major changes in stadium regulations in Italy.

2012 The ferry MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea near the Finschhafen District, with an estimated 146–165 dead.

2021 The Tatmadaw establishes the State Administration Council, the military junta, after deposing the democratically elected government in the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.

450 Justin I, Byzantine emperor (d. 527)

1208 James I of Aragon (d. 1276)

1425 (or 1426) Eleanor of Navarre, Queen regnant of Navarre (d. 1479)

1443 Elisabeth of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony (d. 1486)

1455 John, King of Denmark (d. 1513)

1457 Peter Martyr d'Anghiera, Italian-Spanish historian and author (d. 1526)

1467 Columba of Rieti, Italian Dominican sister (d. 1501)

1494 Bona Sforza, queen of Sigismund I the Old (d. 1557)

1502 Damião de Góis, Portuguese philosopher and historian (d. 1574)

1506 René de Birague, Italian-French cardinal and politician (d. 1583)

1509 John of Leiden, Dutch Anabaptist leader (d. 1536)

1517 Gotthard Kettler, the last Master of the Livonian Order and the first Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (d. 1587)

1522 Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1565)

1536 Piotr Skarga, Polish writer (d. 1612)

1551 Nicolaus Reimers, German astronomer (d. 1600)

1576 Alix Le Clerc, French Canoness Regular and foundress (d. 1622)

1585 Judith Quiney, William Shakespeare's youngest daughter (d. 1662)

1585 Hamnet Shakespeare, William Shakespeare's only son (baptised; d. 1596)

1588 Georg II of Fleckenstein-Dagstuhl, German nobleman (d. 1644)

1600 Gabriel Naudé, French librarian and scholar (d. 1653)

1611 Ulrik of Denmark (1611–1633), Danish prince-bishop (d. 1633)

1613 Noël Chabanel, French missionary and saint (d. 1649)

1621 Johannes Schefferus, Swedish author and hymn-writer (d. 1679)

1650 Pope Benedict XIII (d. 1730)

1650 Nell Gwyn, English actress, mistress of King Charles II of England (d. 1687)

1651 William Phips, Royal governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (d. 1695)

1669 Louis Marchand, French organist and composer (d. 1732)

1677 Jean-Baptiste Morin (composer), French composer (d. 1745)

1695 William Borlase, English geologist and archaeologist (d. 1772)

1695 François de Chevert, French general (d. 1769)

1700 Johann Christoph Gottsched, German author and critic (d. 1766)

1711 Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg (d. 1794)

1714 Gottfried August Homilius, German organist and composer (d. 1785)

1717 Ernst Gideon von Laudon, Austrian field marshal (d. 1790)

1754 Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1838)

1782 Henri de Rigny, French admiral and politician, Minister of Defence (France) (d. 1835)

1786 Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (d. 1856)

1802 Jean-Baptiste Boussingault, French chemist and academic (d. 1887)

1803 Albert Sidney Johnston, American general (d. 1862)

1829 Alfred Brehm, German zoologist and illustrator (d. 1884)

1829 William Stanley (inventor), English engineer and philanthropist (d. 1909)

1841 François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss limnologist and hydrologist (d. 1912)

1842 Julian Sochocki, Polish-Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1927)

1849 Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, Slovak poet and playwright (d. 1921)

1851 José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican illustrator and engraver (d. 1913)

1856 Frederick William Vanderbilt, American railway magnate (d. 1938)

1856 Makar Yekmalyan, Armenian composer (d. 1905)

1857 Jan Drozdowski, Polish pianist and music teacher (d. 1918)

1860 Curtis Guild, Jr., American journalist and politician, 43rd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1915)

1861 Solomon R. Guggenheim, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (d. 1949)

1862 Émile Coste, French fencer (d. 1927)

1862 Cornelius McKane, American physician, educator, and hospital founder (d. 1912)

1866 Enrique Simonet, Spanish painter and academic (d. 1927)

1869 Alexander Atabekian, Armenian physician and anarchist publisher (d. 1933)

1873 Leo Fall, Austrian composer (d. 1925)

1873 Konstantin von Neurath, German politician and diplomat, 13th Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany) (d. 1956)

1875 Fritz Kreisler, Austrian-American violinist and composer (d. 1962)

1877 Frank L. Packard, Canadian author (d. 1942)

1878 Joe Lydon (boxer), American boxer (d. 1937)

1880 Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (d. 1969)

1881 Orval Overall, American baseball player and manager (d. 1947)

1882 Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (d. 1944)

1882 James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet (d. 1941)

1883 Johnston McCulley, American author and screenwriter, created ''Zorro'' (d. 1958)

1883 Julia Nava de Ruisánchez, Mexican activist and writer (d. 1964)

1885 Mikhail Frunze, Soviet revolutionary, politician, army officer and military theorist (d. 1925)

1886 William Rose Benét, American poet and author (d. 1950)

1887 Ernst Hanfstaengl, German businessman (d. 1975)

1889 Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general (d. 1952)

1890 Charles Correll, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1972)

1892 Tochigiyama Moriya, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 27th Makuuchi # Yokozuna (d. 1959)

1893 Cornelius Lanczos, Hungarian mathematician and physicist (d. 1974)

1893 Raoul Riganti, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1970)

1893 Damdin Sükhbaatar, Mongolian soldier and politician (d. 1924)

1895 George Halas, American football player and coach (d. 1983)

1895 Robert Philipp, American painter (d. 1981)

1895 George Sutcliffe, Australian public servant (d. 1964)

1896 Kazimierz Kuratowski, Polish mathematician and logician (d. 1980)

1897 Howard Deering Johnson, American businessman, founded Howard Johnson's (d. 1972)

1897 Gertrude Blanch, Russian-American mathematician (d. 1996)

1900 Willie Kamm, American baseball player and manager (d. 1988)

1901 Jascha Heifetz, Lithuanian-American violinist and educator (d. 1987)

1902 Newbold Morris, American lawyer and politician (d. 1966)

1902 John Tonkin, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1995)

1904 Bozorg Alavi, Iranian author and activist (d. 1997)

1905 Ayn Rand, Russian-born American novelist and philosopher (d. 1982)

1908 Wes Ferrell, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976)

1909 Frank Albertson, American actor (d. 1964)

1911 Jack Pizzey, Australian politician, 29th Premier of Queensland (d. 1968)

1912 Millvina Dean, English civil servant and cartographer (d. 2009)

1912 Burton Lane, American songwriter and composer (d. 1997)

1913 Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor and singer (d. 1985)

1914 Eric Kierans, Canadian economist and politician, 1st Minister of Communications (Canada) (d. 2004)

1915 Abba Eban, South African-Israeli politician and diplomat, 1st Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations (d. 2002)

1915 Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (d. 2005)

1915 Khushwant Singh, Indian journalist and author (d. 2014)

1916 Xuân Diệu, Vietnamese poet and author (d. 1985)

1917 Mary Ellis (pilot), British World War II ferry pilot (d. 2018)

1917 Đỗ Mười, Vietnamese politician, 5th List of Prime Ministers of Vietnam (d. 2018)

1918 Hella Haasse, Indonesian-Dutch author (d. 2011)

1919 Lisa Della Casa, Swiss soprano and actress (d. 2012)

1919 Georg Gawliczek, German footballer and manager (d. 1999)

1920 George Hardwick, English footballer and coach (d. 2004)

1920 John Russell (equestrian), American Olympic equestrian (d. 2020)

1920 Arthur Willis, English football player-manager (d. 1987)

1922 Kunwar Digvijay Singh, Indian field hockey player (d. 1978)

1922 Robert Chef d'Hôtel, French athlete (d. 2019)

1922 Stoyanka Mutafova, Bulgarian actress (d. 2019)

1922 James L. Usry, American politician, first African-American List of mayors of Atlantic City, New Jersey of Atlantic City, New Jersey (d. 2002)

1923 Jean Babilée, French dancer and choreographer (d. 2014)

1923 James Dickey, American poet and novelist (d. 1997)

1923 Svetozar Gligorić, Serbian and Yugoslav chess grandmaster (d. 2012)

1923 Bonita Granville, American actress and producer (d. 1988)

1923 Red Schoendienst, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2018)

1923 Liz Smith (journalist), American journalist and author (d. 2017)

1923 Clem Windsor, Australian rugby player and surgeon (d. 2007)

1924 Sonny Stitt, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1982)

1924 Elfi von Dassanowsky, Austrian-American singer, pianist, producer (d. 2007)

1925 Elaine Stritch, American actress and singer (d. 2014)

1926 Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, French academic and politician, 20th President of France (d. 2020)

1927 Stan Getz, American saxophonist (d. 1991)

1927 Doris Sams, American baseball player (d. 2012)

1928 Ciriaco De Mita, 47th Prime minister of Italy (d. 2022)

1928 Gamal Hamdan, Egyptian scholar and geographer (d. 1993)

1928 Jay Handlan, American basketball player and engineer (d. 2013)

1928 Tommy Harmer, English footballer and youth team coach (d. 2007)

1929 Sheila Matthews Allen, American actress and producer (d. 2013)

1929 George Band, English engineer and mountaineer (d. 2011)

1929 Věra Chytilová, Czech actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)

1929 John Henry Holland, American computer scientist and academic (d. 2015)

1929 Waldemar Kmentt, Austrian operatic tenor (d. 2015)

1931 Les Dawson, English comedian and author (d. 1993)

1931 Glynn Edwards, Malaysian-English actor (d. 2018)

1931 John Paul Harney, Canadian educator and politician (d. 2021)

1931 Dries van Agt, Dutch politician, diplomat and jurist, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2024)

1931 Judith Viorst, American journalist and author

1932 Arthur Lyman, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player (d. 2002)

1932 Robert Mandan, American actor (d. 2018)

1933 M'el Dowd, American actress and singer (d. 2012)

1933 Tony Jay, English-American actor (d. 2006)

1933 Orlando "Cachaíto" López, Cuban bassist and composer (d. 2009)

1933 Than Shwe, Burmese general and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Burma

1934 Khalil Ullah Khan, Bangladeshi actor (d. 2014)

1935 Pete Brown (golfer), American golfer (d. 2015)

1935 Evgeny Velikhov, Russian physicist and academic (d. 2024)

1936 Metin Oktay, Turkish footballer and manager (d. 1991)

1937 Don Buford, American baseball player and coach

1937 Eric Arturo Delvalle, Panamanian lawyer and politician, List of heads of state of Panama (d. 2015)

1937 Anthony Haden-Guest, British journalist, poet, and critic

1937 Remak Ramsay, American actor

1937 Tom Smothers, American comedian, actor, and activist (d. 2023)

1937 Alexandra Strelchenko, Ukrainian actress and singer (d. 2019)

1938 Norman Fowler, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport

1938 Bo Hopkins, American actor (d. 2022)

1938 Gene MacLellan, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 1995)

1939 Jackie Burroughs, English-born Canadian actress (d. 2010)

1939 Mary-Dell Chilton, American chemist and inventor and one of the founders of modern plant biotechnology

1939 Dale T. Mortensen, American economist and academic, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences laureate (d. 2014)

1940 Alan Caddy, English guitarist and producer (d. 2000)

1940 Thomas M. Disch, American author and poet (d. 2008)

1940 Wayne Fontes, American football player and coach

1940 David Jason, English actor, director, and producer

1941 Terry Biddlecombe, English jockey (d. 2014)

1941 Lee Redmond, American woman with the longest fingernails (d. 2023)

1942 Graham Nash, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1944 Andrew Davis (conductor), English organist and conductor (d. 2024)

1944 Geoffrey Hughes (actor), English actor (d. 2012)

1944 Ursula Oppens, American pianist and educator

1945 John Eatwell, Baron Eatwell, English economist and academic

1946 John Armitt, English engineer and businessman

1946 Blake Clark, American comedian and actor

1946 Alpha Oumar Konaré, Malian academic and politician, 3rd President of Mali

1946 Constantine Papadakis, Greek-American businessman and academic (d. 2009)

1947 Greg Antonacci, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2017)

1947 Farrah Fawcett, American actress and producer (d. 2009)

1948 Ina Garten, American chef and author

1948 Al McKay, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer

1948 Roger Williamson, English race car driver (d. 1973)

1949 Duncan Bannatyne, Scottish businessman and philanthropist

1949 Jack McGee (actor), American actor

1949 Yasuko Namba, Japanese mountaineer (d. 1996)

1949 Brent Spiner, American actor and singer

1949 Ross Valory, American bass player and songwriter

1950 Osamu Kido, Japanese wrestler (d. 2023)

1950 Libby Purves, British journalist and author

1950 Bárbara Rey, Spanish singer and actress

1950 Barbara Sukowa, German actress

1950 Genichiro Tenryu, Japanese wrestler

1951 Vangelis Alexandris, Greek basketball player and coach

1951 Ken Bruce, Scottish radio host

1952 Dave Casper, American football player

1952 John Cornyn, American lawyer and politician, 49th Attorney General of Texas

1952 Park Geun-hye, South Korean politician, 11th President of South Korea

1952 Ralph Merkle, American computer scientist and academic

1952 Carol Ann Susi, American actress (d. 2014)

1953 Duane Chapman, American bounty hunter

1953 Jerry Sisk, Jr., American gemologist, co-founded Jewelry Television (d. 2013)

1954 Christie Brinkley, American actress, model, and businesswoman

1954 Hansi Hinterseer, Austrian skier and actor

1954 Nelson Ne'e, Solomon Islander politician (d. 2013)

1954 John Tudor (baseball), American baseball player

1955 Leszek Engelking, Polish poet and author (d. 2022)

1955 Bob Schreck, American author

1955 Michael Talbott, American actor

1955 Kim Zimmer, American actress

1955 Jean-Michel Dupuis, French actor (d. 2024)

1956 Adnan Oktar, Turkish cult leader

1957 Phil Barney, Algerian-French singer-songwriter

1958 Michel Marc Bouchard, Canadian playwright

1959 Dexter Manley, American football player

1961 Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (d. 2013)

1961 Lauren Lane, American actress and academic

1962 Philippe Claudel, French author, director, and screenwriter

1962 Andy Fordham, English darts player (d. 2021)

1962 Luke Johnson (businessman), English businessman

1962 Paul Kilgus, American baseball player

1962 Kate Raison, Australian actress

1962 Michael T. Weiss, American actor

1963 Ilya Byakin, Russian ice hockey player

1963 Eva Cassidy, American singer and guitarist (d. 1996)

1963 Kjell Dahlin, Swedish ice hockey player

1963 Andrej Kiska, Slovak entrepreneur and philanthropist, President of Slovakia

1963 Philip Laats, Belgian martial artist

1963 Stephen McGann, English actor

1963 Vigleik Storaas, Norwegian pianist

1965 Carl Airey, English footballer

1965 Naoki Sano, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist

1966 Andrei Chesnokov, Russian tennis player and coach

1966 Robert DeLeo, American bass player, songwriter, and producer

1966 Adam Ferrara, American actor and comedian

1966 Michael Misick, Caicos Islander politician, Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands

1967 Artūrs Irbe, Latvian ice hockey player and coach

1967 Laurent Nkunda, Congolese general

1968 Kenny Albert, American sportscaster

1968 Sean Elliott, American basketball player and sportscaster

1968 Scott Erickson, American baseball player and coach

1969 Dana International, Israeli singer-songwriter

1969 Valeri Karpin, Estonian-Russian footballer and manager

1970 Roar Strand, Norwegian footballer

1970 Erik ten Hag, Dutch footballer and manager

1970 Jennifer Westfeldt, American actress and singer

1971 Michelle Gayle, English singer-songwriter and actress

1971 Arly Jover, Spanish actress

1971 Isaac Kungwane, South African footballer and sportscaster (d. 2014)

1971 Rockwilder, American rapper and producer

1971 Hwang Seok-jeong, South Korean actress

1971 Jason Taylor (rugby league), Australian rugby league player and coach

1972 Hisashi (musician), Japanese musician

1972 Melvin Mora, Venezuelan baseball player

1972 Aleksey Naumov (footballer), Russian footballer

1973 Andrei Luzgin, Estonian tennis player and coach

1973 Aleksander Tammert, Estonian discus thrower

1973 Marissa Jaret Winokur, American actress and singer

1975 Todd Bertuzzi, Canadian ice hockey player

1975 Donald Driver, American football player

1975 Ieroklis Stoltidis, Greek footballer

1976 Ryan Farquhar, Northern Irish motorcycle racer

1976 James Hickman, English swimmer

1976 Ana Roces, Filipino actress

1977 Shakira, Colombian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress

1977 Libor Sionko, Czech footballer

1978 Adam Christopher, New Zealand writer

1978 Barry Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager

1978 Dan Gadzuric, Dutch basketball player

1978 Lee Ji-ah, South Korean actress

1978 Rich Sommer, American actor

1978 Faye White, English footballer

1979 Urmo Aava, Estonian race car driver

1979 Fani Chalkia, Greek hurdler and sprinter

1979 Christine Lampard, Irish television host

1979 Shamita Shetty, Indian actress

1979 Irini Terzoglou, Greek shot putter

1980 Teddy Hart, Canadian wrestler

1980 Zhang Jingchu, Chinese actress

1980 Oleguer Presas, Spanish footballer

1981 Lance Allred, American basketball player and activist

1981 Emre Aydın, Turkish singer-songwriter

1981 Michelle Bass, English model and singer

1981 Salem al-Hazmi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 77 (d. 2001)

1982 Sergio Castaño Ortega, Spanish footballer

1982 Kelly Mazzante, American basketball player

1982 Kan Mi-youn, South Korean singer, model, and host

1983 Ronny Cedeño, Venezuelan baseball player

1983 Carolina Klüft, Swedish heptathlete and jumper

1983 Jordin Tootoo, Canadian ice hockey player

1983 Jason Vargas, American baseball player

1983 Vladimir Voskoboinikov, Estonian footballer

1983 Alex Westaway, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

1984 Brian Cage, American wrestler

1984 Chin-Lung Hu, Taiwanese baseball player

1984 Mao Miyaji, Japanese actress

1984 Rudi Wulf, New Zealand rugby player

1985 Morris Almond, American basketball player

1985 Masoud Azizi, Afghan sprinter

1985 Renn Kiriyama, Japanese actor

1985 Kristo Saage, Estonian basketball player

1985 Silvestre Varela, Portuguese footballer

1986 Gemma Arterton, English actress and singer

1986 Miwa Asao, Japanese volleyball player

1987 Anthony Fainga'a, Australian rugby player

1987 Saia Fainga'a, Australian rugby player

1987 Faydee, Australian singer

1987 Athena Imperial, Filipino journalist, Miss Earth 2011

1987 Mimi Page, American singer-songwriter and composer

1987 Gerard Piqué, Spanish footballer

1987 Javon Ringer, American football player

1987 Jill Scott (footballer), English footballer

1987 Martin Spanjers, American actor and producer

1988 JuJu Chan, Hong Kong-American actress, martial artist, singer, and writer

1988 Zosia Mamet, American actress

1988 Brad Peacock, American baseball player

1989 Harrison Smith, American football player

1989 Southside (record producer), American record producer

1991 Nathan Delfouneso, English footballer

1991 Gregory Mertens, Belgian footballer (d. 2015)

1991 Shohei Nanba, Japanese actor

1992 Lammtarra, American race horse (d. 2014)

1992 Joonas Tamm, Estonian footballer

1993 Bobby Decordova-Reid, English footballer

1993 Ravel Morrison, English footballer

1994 Caterina Bosetti, Italian volleyball player

1995 Paul Digby, English footballer

1995 Aleksander Jagiełło, Polish footballer

1995 Arfa Karim, Pakistani student and computer prodigy (d. 2012)

1995 Curtis Lazar, Canadian ice hockey player

1996 Christian Dvorak, American ice hockey player

1996 Paul Mescal, Irish actor

1996 Harry Winks, English footballer

1997 Ellie Bamber, English actress

1998 Shiho Katō, Japanese singer and model

1999 Jeff Okudah, American football player

2000 Munetaka Murakami, Japanese baseball player

2004 Eleonore Caburet, French rhythmic gymnast

619 Laurence of Canterbury, English archbishop and saint

880 Bruno, Duke of Saxony, duke of Saxony

1124 Bořivoj II, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1064)

1218 Konstantin of Rostov (b. 1186)

1237 Joan, Lady of Wales

1250 Eric XI of Sweden (b. 1216)

1294 Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1229)

1347 Thomas Bek, Bishop of Lincoln, was the bishop of Lincoln (b. 1282)

1348 Narymunt, Prince of Pinsk

1416 Racek Kobyla of Dvorce

1435 Joan II of Naples, Queen of Naples (b. 1371)

1446 Vittorino da Feltre, Italian humanist (b. 1378)

1448 Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Egyptian jurist and scholar (b. 1372)

1461 Owen Tudor, Welsh founder of the Tudor dynasty (b. )

1512 Hatuey, Caribbean tribal chief

1529 Baldassare Castiglione, Italian soldier and diplomat (b. 1478)

1580 Bessho Nagaharu, Japanese daimyō (b. 1558)

1594 Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Italian composer and educator (b. 1525)

1648 George Abbot (author), English author and politician (b. 1603)

1660 Gaston, Duke of Orléans (b. 1608)

1660 Govert Flinck, Dutch painter (b. 1615)

1661 Lucas Holstenius, German geographer and historian (b. 1596)

1675 Ivan Belostenec, Croatian linguist and lexicographer (b. 1594)

1688 Abraham Duquesne, French admiral (b. 1610)

1704 Guillaume de l'Hôpital, French mathematician and academic (b. 1661)

1712 Martin Lister, English physician and geologist (b. 1639)

1714 John Sharp (bishop), English archbishop (b. 1643)

1723 Antonio Maria Valsalva, Italian anatomist and physician (b. 1666)

1768 Robert Smith (mathematician), English mathematician and theorist (b. 1689)

1769 Pope Clement XIII (b. 1693)

1798 Ferdinand Ashmall, English centenarian, Catholic priest, died in 73rd year of his ministry (b. 1695)

1802 Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip, English politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (b. 1713)

1804 George Walton, American lawyer and politician, List of Governors of Georgia (b. 1749)

1831 Vincenzo Dimech, Maltese sculptor (b. 1768)

1836 Letizia Ramolino, Italian noblewoman (b. 1750)

1861 Théophane Vénard, French Catholic missionary (b. 1829)

1881 Henry Parker (Australian politician), English-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of New South Wales (b. 1808)

1904 Ernest Cashel, American-Canadian criminal (b. 1882)

1904 William Collins Whitney, American financier and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1841)

1905 Henri Germain, French banker and politician, founded Le Crédit Lyonnais (b. 1824)

1907 Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist and academic (b. 1834)

1909 Carlo Acton, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1829)

1913 Gustaf de Laval, Swedish engineer (b. 1845)

1918 John L. Sullivan, American boxer (b. 1858)

1919 Julius Kuperjanov, Estonian lieutenant (b. 1894)

1925 Antti Aarne, Finnish historian and academic (b. 1867)

1925 Jaap Eden, Dutch speed skater and cyclist (b. 1873)

1926 Vladimir Sukhomlinov, Russian general and politician (b. 1848)

1932 Agha Petros, Assyrian general and politician (b. 1880)

1939 Amanda McKittrick Ros, Irish author and poet (b. 1860)

1939 Bernhard Gregory, Estonian-German chess player (b. 1879)

1942 Ado Birk, Estonian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1883)

1942 Daniil Kharms, Russian poet and playwright (b. 1905)

1942 Hugh D. McIntosh, Australian businessman (b. 1876)

1945 Alfred Delp, German priest and philosopher (b. 1907)

1945 Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, German economist and politician (b. 1884)

1945 Johannes Popitz, German lawyer and politician (b. 1884)

1948 Thomas W. Lamont, American banker and philanthropist (b. 1870)

1948 Bevil Rudd, South African runner and journalist (b. 1894)

1950 Constantin Carathéodory, Greek mathematician and academic (b. 1873)

1952 Callistratus of Georgia, Georgian patriarch (b. 1866)

1954 Hella Wuolijoki, Estonian-Finnish author and politician (b. 1886)

1956 Charley Grapewin, American actor (b. 1869)

1956 Truxtun Hare, American football player and hammer thrower (b. 1878)

1956 Pyotr Konchalovsky, Russian painter (b. 1876)

1957 Grigory Landsberg, Russian physicist and academic (b. 1890)

1962 Shlomo Hestrin, Canadian-Israeli biochemist and academic (b. 1914)

1966 Hacı Ömer Sabancı, Turkish businessman (b. 1906)

1968 Tullio Serafin, Italian conductor and director (b. 1878)

1969 Boris Karloff, English actor (b. 1887)

1970 Lawrence Gray, American actor (b. 1898)

1970 Bertrand Russell, English mathematician and philosopher, Nobel Prize in Literature laureate (b. 1872)

1970 Hannah Ryggen, Norwegian textile artist (b. 1894)

1972 Natalie Clifford Barney, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1876)

1973 Hendrik Elias, Belgian academic and politician, 9th List of mayors of Ghent (b. 1902)

1974 Imre Lakatos, Hungarian-English mathematician and philosopher (b. 1922)

1975 Gustave Lanctot, Canadian historian and academic (b. 1883)

1979 Jim Burke (cricketer), Australian cricketer (b. 1930)

1979 Sid Vicious, English singer and bass player (b. 1957)

1980 William Howard Stein, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate (b. 1911)

1982 Paul Desruisseaux, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1905)

1983 Sam Chatmon, American singer and guitarist (b. 1897)

1986 Murder of Anita Cobby, Australian murder victim (b. 1959)

1986 Gino Hernandez, American wrestler (b. 1957)

1987 Carlos José Castilho, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1927)

1987 Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (b. 1922)

1988 Marcel Bozzuffi, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1929)

1989 Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater and coach (b. 1951)

1989 Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand minister and politician, 30th Minister of Finance (New Zealand) (b. 1901)

1990 Paul Ariste, Estonian linguist and academic (b. 1905)

1990 Joe Erskine (Welsh boxer), Welsh boxer (b. 1934)

1992 Bert Parks, American actor, singer, television personality; Miss America telecast presenter (b. 1914)

1993 François Reichenbach, French director and screenwriter (b. 1921)

1994 Marija Gimbutas, Lithuanian-American archeologist (b. 1921)

1995 Thomas Hayward (tenor), American tenor and actor (b. 1917)

1995 Fred Perry, English tennis player (b. 1909)

1995 Donald Pleasence, English-French actor (b. 1919)

1996 Gene Kelly, American actor, singer, dancer, and director (b. 1912)

1997 Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (b. 1913)

1997 Sanford Meisner, American actor and coach (b. 1904)

1998 Haroun Tazieff, German-French geologist and cinematographer (b. 1914)

1999 David McComb, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)

2002 Paul Baloff, American singer-songwriter (b. 1960)

2002 Claude Brown, American author (b. 1937)

2003 Lou Harrison, American composer and educator (b. 1917)

2004 Bernard McEveety, American director and producer (b. 1924)

2005 Birgitte Federspiel, Danish actress (b. 1925)

2005 Max Schmeling, German boxer (b. 1905)

2007 Vijay Arora, Indian actor (b. 1944)

2007 Billy Henderson (American singer), American singer (b. 1939)

2007 Joe Hunter (musician), American pianist (b. 1927)

2007 Filippo Raciti, Italian police officer (b. 1967)

2007 Eric Von Schmidt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1931)

2007 Masao Takemoto, Japanese gymnast (b. 1919)

2008 Barry Morse, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1918)

2008 Katoucha Niane, Guinean model and author (b. 1960)

2011 Edward Amy, Canadian general (b. 1918)

2011 Defne Joy Foster, Turkish actress (b. 1975)

2011 Margaret John, Welsh actress (b. 1926)

2012 Joyce Barkhouse, Canadian author (b. 1913)

2012 Frederick William Danker, American lexicographer and scholar (b. 1920)

2012 George Esper, American journalist and academic (b. 1932)

2012 Dorothy Gilman, American author (b. 1923)

2012 James F. Lloyd, American pilot and politician (b. 1922)

2013 Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (b. 1961)

2013 John Kerr (actor), American actor and lawyer (b. 1931)

2013 Chris Kyle, American soldier and sniper (b. 1974)

2013 Lino Oviedo, Paraguayan general and politician (b. 1943)

2013 Pepper Paire, American baseball player (b. 1924)

2013 P. Shanmugam, Indian politician, 13th List of Chief Ministers of Puducherry (b. 1927)

2013 Walt Sweeney, American football player (b. 1941)

2013 Guy F. Tozzoli, American architect (b. 1922)

2014 Gerd Albrecht, German conductor (b. 1935)

2014 Tommy Aquino, American motorcycle racer (b. 1992)

2014 Nicholas Brooks (historian), English historian (b. 1941)

2014 Eduardo Coutinho, Brazilian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1933)

2014 Philip Seymour Hoffman, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1967)

2014 Luis Raúl, Puerto Rican comedian and actor (b. 1962)

2014 Bunny Rugs, Jamaican singer (b. 1948)

2014 Nigel Walker (footballer), English footballer (b. 1959)

2015 Joseph Alfidi, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1949)

2015 Dave Bergman, American baseball player (b. 1953)

2015 Andriy Kuzmenko, Ukrainian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1968)

2015 Molade Okoya-Thomas, Nigerian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1935)

2015 Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (b. 1922)

2015 The Jacka, American rapper and producer (b. 1977)

2016 Bob Elliott (comedian), American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1923)

2020 Bernard Ebbers, Canadian businessman, the co-founder and CEO of WorldCom (b. 1941)

2021 Captain Tom Moore, British Army officer and charity campaigner (b. 1920)

2023 K. Viswanath, Indian actor, director and screenwriter (b. 1930)

2023 Butch Miles, American jazz drummer (b. 1944)

2024 – Don Murray (actor), American actor (b. 1929)

2024 Carl Weathers, American football player and actor (b. 1948)

Groundhog Day

Public holidays in Estonia (Estonia)

Christian Feast Day:

- Adalbard

- Cornelius the Centurion

- Martyrs of Ebsdorf

- February 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Public holidays in the Philippines # Other Holidays declared in the Philippines (Philippines)

Public holidays in Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan)

Earliest day on which Shrove Monday can fall, while March 8 is the latest; celebrated on Monday before Ash Wednesday (Christianity), and its related observances:

- Public holidays in Iceland (Iceland)

- Fastelavn (Denmark/Norway)

- Nickanan Night (Cornwall)

- Rosenmontag (Germany)

Candlemas (Western Christianity), and its related observances:

- A quarter day in the Christian liturgical calendar (due to Candlemas). (Scotland)

- Celebration of Yemanja # Brazil or Our Lady of Navigators (Candomblé)

- Candlemas # France and Belgium (France)

- Candlemas # Luxembourg (Luxembourg)

- Our Lady of the Candles (Catholic Church in the Philippines)

- Virgin of Candelaria (Tenerife, Spain)

Days of Military Honour (Russia)

World Wetlands Day

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/2 BBC: On This Day]

[https://www.onthisday.com/events/february/2 Historical Events on February 2]