On This Day — February 28

🕰️ Notable Events on February 28

• 2013 — Pope Benedict XVI resigns as the pope of the Catholic Church, becoming the first pope to do so since 1415. Wikipedia ↗
• 2005 — A suicide bombing at a police recruiting centre in Al Hillah, Iraq kills 127. Wikipedia ↗
• 2004 — Over one million Taiwanese participating in the 228 Hand-in-Hand rally form a 500-kilometre (310 mi) long human chain to commemorate the February 28 Incident in 1947 Wikipedia ↗
• 2002 — During the religious violence in Gujarat, the 97 people killed in the Naroda Patiya massacre and 69 in Gulbarg Society massacre. Wikipedia ↗
• 1998 — First flight of RQ-4 Global Hawk, the first unmanned aerial vehicle certified to file its own flight plans and fly regularly in U.S. civilian airspace. Wikipedia ↗
• 1998 — Kosovo War: Serbian police begin the offensive against the Kosovo Liberation Army in Kosovo. Wikipedia ↗
• 1997 — An earthquake in northern Iran is responsible for about 3,000 deaths. Wikipedia ↗
• 1997 — GRB 970228, a highly luminous flash of gamma rays, strikes the Earth for 80 seconds, providing early evidence that gamma-ray bursts occur well beyond the Milky Way. Wikipedia ↗
• 1995 — Former Australian Liberal party leader John Hewson resigns from the Australian parliament almost two years after losing the Australian federal election, 1993. Wikipedia ↗
• 1993 — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raid the Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas with a warrant to arrest the group's leader David Koresh. Four ATF agents and six Davidians die in the initial raid, starting a 51-day standoff. Wikipedia ↗
• 1991 — The first Gulf War ends. Wikipedia ↗
• 1986 — Olof Palme, 26th Prime Minister of Sweden, is assassinated in Stockholm. Wikipedia ↗
• 1985 — The Provisional Irish Republican Army carries out a mortar attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station at Newry, killing nine officers in the highest loss of life for the RUC on a single day. Wikipedia ↗
• 1983 — The final episode of M*A*S*H airs, with almost 106 million viewers. It still holds the record for the highest viewership of a season finale. Wikipedia ↗
• 1980 — Andalusia approves its statute of autonomy through a referendum. Wikipedia ↗
• 1975 — In London, an underground train fails to stop at Moorgate terminus station and crashes into the end of the tunnel, killing 43 people. Wikipedia ↗
• 1972 — Sino-American relations: The United States and People's Republic of China sign the Shanghai Communiqué. Wikipedia ↗
• 1959 — Discoverer 1, an American spy satellite that is the first object intended to achieve a polar orbit, is launched but fails to achieve orbit. Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — A school bus in Floyd County, Kentucky hits a wrecker truck and plunges down an embankment into the rain-swollen Levisa Fork river. The driver and 26 children die in what remains one of the worst school bus accidents in U.S. history. Wikipedia ↗
• 1954 — The first color television sets using the NTSC standard are offered for sale to the general public. Wikipedia ↗
• 1953 — James Watson and Francis Crick announce to friends that they have determined the chemical structure of DNA; the formal announcement takes place on April 25 following publication in April's Nature (pub. April 2). Wikipedia ↗
• 1948 — Christiansborg Cross-Roads shooting in the Gold Coast, when a British police officer opens fire on a march of ex-servicemen, killing three of them and sparking major riots and looting in Accra. Wikipedia ↗
• 1947 — February 28 Incident: In Taiwan, civil disorder is put down with the loss of an estimated 30,000 civilians. Wikipedia ↗
• 1942 — The heavy cruiser USS Houston is sunk in the Battle of Sunda Strait with 693 crew members killed, along with HMAS Perth which lost 375 men. Wikipedia ↗
• 1940 — Basketball is televised for the first time (Fordham University vs. the University of Pittsburgh in Madison Square Garden). Wikipedia ↗
• 1939 — The erroneous word "dord" is discovered in the Webster's New International Dictionary, Second Edition, prompting an investigation. Wikipedia ↗
• 1935 — DuPont scientist Wallace Carothers invents nylon. Wikipedia ↗
• 1933 — Gleichschaltung: The Reichstag Fire Decree is passed in Germany a day after the Reichstag fire. Wikipedia ↗
• 1925 — The Charlevoix-Kamouraska earthquake strikes northeastern North America. Wikipedia ↗
• 1922 — The United Kingdom ends its protectorate over Egypt through a Unilateral Declaration of Independence. Wikipedia ↗
• 1904 — S.L. Benfica is founded in Portugal Wikipedia ↗
• 1900 — The Second Boer War: The 118-day "Siege of Ladysmith" is lifted. Wikipedia ↗
• 1897 — Queen Ranavalona III, the last monarch of Madagascar, is deposed by a French military force. Wikipedia ↗
• 1893 — The USS Indiana, the lead ship of her class and the first battleship in the United States Navy comparable to foreign battleships of the time, is launched. Wikipedia ↗
• 1885 — The American Telephone and Telegraph Company is incorporated in New York as the subsidiary of American Bell Telephone. (American Bell would later merge with its subsidiary.) Wikipedia ↗
• 1874 — One of the longest cases ever heard in an English court ends when the defendant is convicted of perjury for attempting to assume the identity of the heir to the Tichborne baronetcy. Wikipedia ↗
• 1870 — The Bulgarian Exarchate is established by decree of Sultan Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire. Wikipedia ↗
• 1867 — Seventy years of Holy See-United States relations are ended by a Congressional ban on federal funding of diplomatic envoys to the Vatican and are not restored until January 10, 1984. Wikipedia ↗
• 1849 — Regular steamboat service from the west to the east coast of the United States begins with the arrival of the SS California in San Francisco Bay, four months 22 days after leaving New York Harbor. Wikipedia ↗
• 1847 — The Battle of the Sacramento River during the Mexican-American War is a decisive victory for the United States leading to the capture of Chihuahua. Wikipedia ↗
• 1844 — A gun on USS Princeton explodes while the boat is on a Potomac River cruise, killing six people, including two United States Cabinet members. Wikipedia ↗
• 1838 — Robert Nelson, leader of the Patriotes, proclaims the independence of Lower Canada (today Quebec). Wikipedia ↗
• 1827 — The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is incorporated, becoming the first railroad in America offering commercial transportation of both people and freight. Wikipedia ↗
• 1784 — John Wesley charters the Methodist Church. Wikipedia ↗
• 1710 — Battle of Helsingborg: 14,000 Danish invaders under Jørgen Rantzau are decisively defeated by an equally sized Swedish force under Magnus Stenbock. This is the last time Swedish and Danish troops meet on Swedish soil. Wikipedia ↗
• 1700 — Today is followed by March 1 in Sweden, thus creating the Swedish calendar. Wikipedia ↗
• 1638 — The Scottish National Covenant is signed in Edinburgh. Wikipedia ↗
• 1525 — Aztec king Cuauhtémoc is executed on the order of conquistador Hernán Cortés. Wikipedia ↗
• 1246 — The siege of Jaén ends in the context of the Spanish Reconquista resulting in the Castilian takeover of the city from the Taifa of Jaen. Wikipedia ↗
• 870 — The Fourth Council of Constantinople closes. Wikipedia ↗
• 628 — Khosrow II is executed by Mihr Hormozd under the orders of Kavadh II. Wikipedia ↗
• Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty. Wikipedia ↗

🎂 Notable Births on February 28

• 1994 — Jake Bugg, English singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
• 1990 — Takayasu Akira, Japanese sumo wrestler Wikipedia ↗
• 1989 — Carlos Dunlap, American football player Wikipedia ↗
• 1989 — Charles Jenkins, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1989 — Kevin Proctor, New Zealand rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
• 1988 — Aroldis Chapman, Cuban baseball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1988 — Jorge Gastélum, Mexican footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1988 — Markéta Irglová, Czech singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1987 — Antonio Candreva, Italian footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1986 — Tendai Mzungu, Australian footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1986 — Travis Stevens, American judoka Wikipedia ↗
• 1985 — Tim Bresnan, English cricketer Wikipedia ↗
• 1985 — Jelena Janković, Serbian tennis player Wikipedia ↗
• 1985 — Diego Ribas da Cunha, Brazilian footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1984 — Noureen DeWulf, American actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1984 — Karolína Kurková, Czech model and actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1983 — Terry Bywater, English basketball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1982 — Natalia Vodianova, Russian-French model and actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1981 — Brian Bannister, American baseball player and scout Wikipedia ↗
• 1981 — Florent Serra, French tennis player Wikipedia ↗
• 1980 — Pascal Bosschaart, Dutch footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1980 — Lucian Bute, Romanian-Canadian boxer Wikipedia ↗
• 1980 — Christian Poulsen, Danish footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1980 — Tayshaun Prince, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1979 — Sébastien Bourdais, French race car driver Wikipedia ↗
• 1979 — Ivo Karlović, Croatian tennis player Wikipedia ↗
• 1979 — Primož Peterka, Slovenian ski jumper Wikipedia ↗
• 1978 — Jeanne Cherhal, French singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
• 1978 — Benjamin Raich, Austrian skier Wikipedia ↗
• 1978 — Jamaal Tinsley, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1978 — Mariano Zabaleta, Argentinian tennis player Wikipedia ↗
• 1977 — Jason Aldean, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
• 1977 — Lance Hoyt, American football player and wrestler Wikipedia ↗
• 1976 — Ali Larter, American actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1975 — Mike Rucker, American football player Wikipedia ↗
• 1974 — Lee Carsley, English-Irish footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
• 1974 — Alexander Zickler, German footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
• 1973 — Eric Lindros, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
• 1973 — Scott McLeod, New Zealand rugby player Wikipedia ↗
• 1973 — Nicolas Minassian, French race car driver Wikipedia ↗
• 1973 — Masato Tanaka, Japanese wrestler Wikipedia ↗
• 1972 — Ville Haapasalo, Finnish actor and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1971 — Junya Nakano, Japanese pianist and composer Wikipedia ↗
• 1971 — Peter Stebbings, Canadian actor and director Wikipedia ↗
• 1970 — Daniel Handler, American journalist, author, and accordion player Wikipedia ↗
• 1970 — Noureddine Morceli, Algerian runner Wikipedia ↗
• 1969 — Butch Leitzinger, American race car driver Wikipedia ↗
• 1969 — Robert Sean Leonard, American actor Wikipedia ↗
• 1969 — Patrick Monahan, American singer-songwriter and actor Wikipedia ↗
• 1967 — Colin Cooper, English footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
• 1967 — Martin Tielli, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
• 1966 — Vincent Askew, American basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1966 — Paulo Futre, Portuguese footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1966 — Archbishop Jovan VI of Ohrid Wikipedia ↗
• 1965 — Colum McCann, Irish-American author and academic Wikipedia ↗
• 1965 — Norman Smiley, English-American wrestler and trainer Wikipedia ↗
• 1964 — Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, Uzbekistan sprinter and cyclist Wikipedia ↗
• 1963 — Claudio Chiappucci, Italian cyclist Wikipedia ↗
• 1962 — Gary Belcher, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1961 — Rae Dawn Chong, Canadian-American actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1961 — Mark Latham, Australian politician Wikipedia ↗
• 1961 — Barry McGuigan, Irish-British boxer Wikipedia ↗
• 1959 — Megan McDonald, American librarian and author Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — Jack Abramoff, American businessman and lobbyist Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — Manuel Torres Félix, Mexican criminal and narcotics trafficker (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — Natalya Estemirova, Russian journalist and activist (d. 2009) Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — Jeanne Mas, Spanish-French singer-songwriter and actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — David R. Ross, Scottish historian and author (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
• 1957 — Paul Delph, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 1996) Wikipedia ↗
• 1957 — Ainsley Harriott, English chef and author Wikipedia ↗
• 1957 — Ian Smith, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1957 — John Turturro, American actor, director, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1957 — Cindy Wilson, American singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1956 — Terry Leahy, English businessman Wikipedia ↗
• 1956 — Guy Maddin, Canadian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer Wikipedia ↗
• 1955 — Adrian Dantley, American basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1955 — Gilbert Gottfried, American comedian, actor, and singer Wikipedia ↗
• 1954 — Brian Billick, American football player, coach, and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1953 — Ingo Hoffmann, Brazilian race car driver Wikipedia ↗
• 1953 — Paul Krugman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate Wikipedia ↗
• 1953 — Ricky Steamboat, American wrestler, referee, and trainer Wikipedia ↗
• 1951 — Bill Cratty, American dancer and choreographer (d. 1998) Wikipedia ↗
• 1951 — Debora Green, American physician convicted of murder Wikipedia ↗
• 1948 — Steven Chu, American physicist and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Energy, Nobel Prize laureate Wikipedia ↗
• 1948 — Mike Figgis, English director, screenwriter, and composer Wikipedia ↗
• 1948 — Geoff Nicholls, British musician (Black Sabbath (d. 2017) Wikipedia ↗
• 1948 — Bernadette Peters, American actress, singer, and author Wikipedia ↗
• 1948 — Mercedes Ruehl, American actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1948 — Alfred Sant, Maltese politician, 11th Prime Minister of Malta Wikipedia ↗
• 1947 — Stephanie Beacham, English actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1946 — Philip Bailhache, English lawyer and politician Wikipedia ↗
• 1946 — Robin Cook, Scottish educator and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
• 1945 — Mimsy Farmer, American-French actress and sculptor Wikipedia ↗
• 1945 — Bubba Smith, American football player and actor (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
• 1945 — Linda Preiss Rothschild, American mathematician and academic Wikipedia ↗
• 1944 — Kelly Bishop, American actress and dancer Wikipedia ↗
• 1944 — Edward Greenspan, Canadian lawyer and author (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
• 1944 — Sepp Maier, German footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
• 1944 — Storm Thorgerson, English graphic designer (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — Barbara Acklin, American singer-songwriter (d. 1998) Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — Hans Dijkstal, Egyptian-Dutch educator and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — Donnie Iris, American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
• 1942 — Brian Jones, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 1969) Wikipedia ↗
• 1942 — Dino Zoff, Italian footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
• 1940 — Aldo Andretti, Italian-American race car driver Wikipedia ↗
• 1940 — Mario Andretti, Italian-American race car driver Wikipedia ↗
• 1940 — Joe South, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
• 1939 — John Fahey, American guitarist (d. 2001) Wikipedia ↗
• 1939 — Chögyam Trungpa, Tibetan philosopher and scholar (d. 1987) Wikipedia ↗
• 1939 — Daniel C. Tsui, Chinese-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate Wikipedia ↗
• 1939 — Tommy Tune, American actor, singer, dancer, and director Wikipedia ↗
• 1938 — Foge Fazio, American football player and coach (d. 2009) Wikipedia ↗
• 1937 — Jeff Farrell, American swimmer Wikipedia ↗
• 1934 — Willie Bobo, American Latin Jazz/Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist (d. 1983) Wikipedia ↗
• 1933 — Rein Taagepera, Estonian political scientist and politician Wikipedia ↗
• 1932 — Don Francks, Canadian actor, singer, and jazz musician (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
• 1931 — Iajuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi academic and politician, 14th President of Bangladesh (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
• 1931 — Peter Alliss, English golfer and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1931 — Gavin MacLeod, American actor Wikipedia ↗
• 1931 — Dean Smith, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
• 1930 — Leon Cooper, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate Wikipedia ↗
• 1929 — Hayden Fry, American football player and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1929 — Frank Gehry, Canadian-American architect, designed 8 Spruce Street and Walt Disney Concert Hall Wikipedia ↗
• 1929 — John Montague, American-Irish poet and academic (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
• 1929 — Rangaswamy Srinivasan, Indian-American physical chemist and inventor Wikipedia ↗
• 1928 — Stanley Baker, Welsh actor and producer (d. 1976) Wikipedia ↗
• 1928 — Tom Aldredge, American actor (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
• 1926 — Svetlana Alliluyeva, Russian-American author and educator (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
• 1925 — Harry H. Corbett, Burmese-English actor (d. 1982) Wikipedia ↗
• 1924 — Uno Prii, Estonian-Canadian architect (d. 2000) Wikipedia ↗
• 1924 — Robert A. Roe, American soldier and politician (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
• 1923 — Charles Durning, American soldier and actor (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
• 1922 — Yuri Lotman, Russian-Estonian historian and scholar (d. 1993) Wikipedia ↗
• 1921 — Pierre Clostermann, French pilot, engineer, and author (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
• 1920 — Jadwiga Piłsudska, Polish soldier, pilot, and architect (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
• 1919 — Alfred Marshall, American businessman, founded Marshalls (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
• 1919 — Brian Urquhart, English soldier and diplomat, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Wikipedia ↗
• 1917 — Ernesto Alonso, Mexican actor, director, and producer (d. 2007) Wikipedia ↗
• 1916 — Cesar Climaco, Filipino lawyer and politician, 10th Mayor of Zamboanga City (d. 1984) Wikipedia ↗
• 1915 — Peter Medawar, Brazilian-English biologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987) Wikipedia ↗
• 1915 — Zero Mostel, American actor and comedian (d. 1977) Wikipedia ↗
• 1915 — Ketti Frings, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1981) Wikipedia ↗
• 1911 — Otakar Vávra, Czech director and screenwriter (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
• 1909 — Stephen Spender, English author and poet (d. 1995) Wikipedia ↗
• 1908 — Billie Bird, American actress (d. 2002) Wikipedia ↗
• 1907 — Milton Caniff, American cartoonist (d. 1988) Wikipedia ↗
• 1906 — Bugsy Siegel, American gangster (d. 1947) Wikipedia ↗
• 1903 — Vincente Minnelli, American director and screenwriter (d. 1986) Wikipedia ↗

📅 National Days on February 28 (Calendar.cx)

Also observed on February 28

🏛️ Public Holidays

Also in: Day of Andalucía (ES) · 和平紀念日 (TW)

✡️ Religious Observances

• Jewish: Shabbat Zachor