February 28

Learn more about February 28

Template:FebruaryCalendar2009

This date in recent years

2006

2005

2004

2003

February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 306 days remaining, 307 in leap years. In a common year it is the last day of February.

1 Events
2 Births
3 Deaths
4 Holidays and observances
- 4.1 Liturgical feasts
5 External links

[edit] Events

364 - Valentinian I is elevated as Roman Emperor.
1700 - Today is followed by March 1 in Sweden, thus creating the Swedish calendar.
1784 - John Wesley charters the Methodist Church.
1827 - The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad is incorporated, becoming the first railroad in America offering commercial transportation of both people and freight.
1844 - A gun on USS Princeton explodes while the boat is on a Potomac River cruise, killing two United States Cabinet members and several others.
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, 4 months 21 days after leaving New York Harbor.
1850 - The University of Utah opens in Salt Lake City, Utah.
1854 - The Republican Party of the United States is organized in Ripon, Wisconsin.
1861 - Colorado is organized as a United States territory.
1870 - The Bulgarian Exarchate is established by decree of Sultan Abd-ul-Aziz of the Ottoman Empire.
1883 - The first vaudeville theater opens in Boston, Massachusetts.
1885 - The American Telephone and Telegraph Company is incorporated in New York State as the subsidiary of American Bell Telephone. (American Bell would later merge with its subsidiary.)
1897 - Queen Ranavalona III, the last monarch in Madagascar, was deposed by a French military force.
1900 - The Second Boer War: The 118-day "Siege of Ladysmith" is lifted.
1922 - The United Kingdom accepts the independence of Egypt.
1933 - Gleichschaltung: The Reichstag Fire Decree is passed in Germany a day after the Reichstag fire.
1935 - Nylon is discovered by Wallace Carothers.
1939 - The first issue of Serbian weekly magazine Politikin zabavnik was published.
1939 - The word "Dord" is discovered in the Webster's New International Dictionary, Second Edition, prompting an investigation.
1940 - Basketball is televised for the first time (Fordham University vs. the University of Pittsburgh in Madison Square Garden).
1942 - The heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA-30) is sunk in the Battle of Sunda Strait with 693 crew members killed.
1947 - 228 Incident: In Taiwan, civil disorder is put down at a loss of 30,000 civilian lives.
1953 - James D. Watson and Francis Crick announce to friends that they have determined the chemical structure of DNA; formal announcement April 25 following publication in April Nature (pub. April 2).
1960 - The United States defeats Czechoslovakia 9-4 to win the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California.
1972 - Sino-American relations: The United States and People's Republic of China sign the Shanghai Communiqué.
1973 - Formation Of the American Hard Rock Band KISS
1974 - After seven years, the United States and Egypt re-establish diplomatic relations.
1975 - A major tube train crash at Moorgate station, London kills 43 people.
1983 - The final episode of M*A*S*H is broadcast in the USA, becoming the most watched television episode in history, with 106–125 million viewers in the U.S. (estimate varies by source).
1986 - Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden, is assassinated in Stockholm.
1993 - 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 BATF agents and five Davidians die in the initial raid, starting a 51-day standoff.
1997 - The North Hollywood shootout takes place.
1998 - Kosovo War: Serbian police begin the offensive againt the KLA in Kosovo.
2001 - An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale hits the Nisqually Valley and the Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia area of the U.S. state of Washington.
2002 - At least 55 are killed in Ahmadabad, India when Hindus burn Muslim homes.
2004 - Over 1 million Taiwanese participating in the 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally form a 500-kilometre (300-mile) long human chain to commemorate the 228 Incident in 1947

[edit] Births

1155 - Henry the Young King, son of Henry II of England (d. 1183)
1533 - Michel de Montaigne, French writer and philosopher (d. 1592)
1552 - Joost Bürgi, Swiss clockmaker and mathematician (d. 1632)
1612 - John Pearson, English theologian (d. 1686)
1670 - Benjamin Wadsworth, American President of Harvard University (d. 1737)
1675 - Guillaume Delisle, French cartographer (d. 1726)
1683 - René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, French scientist (d. 1757)
1704 - Louis Godin, French astronomer (d. 1760)
1712 - Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, French military commander (d. 1759)
1724 - George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, British field marshal (d. 1807)
1820 - John Tenniel, English illustrator (d. 1914)
1823 - Ernest Renan, French philosopher (d. 1892)
1827 - Blondin, French tightrope walker (d. 1897)
1833 - Alfred von Schlieffen, German field marshal (d. 1913)
1838 - Maurice Lévy, French engineer (d. 1910)
1865 - Wilfred Grenfell, medical missionary to Newfoundland and Labrador (d. 1940).
1878 - Pierre Fatou, French mathematician (d. 1929)
1878 - Artur Kapp, Estonian composer (d. 1952)
1882 - Geraldine Farrar, American soprano (d. 1967)
1882 - José Vasconcelos, Mexican writer and politician (d. 1959)
1894 - Ben Hecht, American playwright and screenwriter (d. 1964)
1896 - Philip Showalter Hench, American physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1965)
1900 - Wolfram Hirth, German pilot and aircraft designer (d. 1959)
1901 - Linus Pauling, American chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Peace (d. 1994)
1903 - Vincente Minnelli, American director (d. 1986)
1906 - Bugsy Siegel, American gangster (d. 1947)
1907 - Milton Caniff, American cartoonist (Terry and the Pirates, Steve Canyon) (d. 1988)
1908 - Billie Bird, American actress (d. 2002)
1909 - Stephen Spender, English poet (d. 1995)
1915 - Peter Medawar, Brazilian-born scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1987)
1915 - Zero Mostel, American actor (d. 1977)
1921 - Pierre Clostermann, French World War II pilot (d. 2006)
1923 - Charles Durning, American actor
1926 - Svetlana Alliluyeva, Soviet defector, daughter of Joseph Stalin
1929 - Hayden Fry, American football coach
1929 - Frank Gehry, Canadian-American architect
1930 - Leon Neil Cooper, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
1930 - Gavin MacLeod, American actor
1931 - Dean Smith, American basketball coach
1932 - Don Francks, Canadian actor
1933 - Rein Taagepera, Estonian politician
1939 - Daniel C. Tsui, Chinese-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
1939 - Tommy Tune, American dancer, choreographer, and actor
1940 - Mario Andretti, American race car driver
1940 - Joe South, American singer and songwriter
1942 - Frank Bonner, American actor and director
1942 - Brian Jones, English musician (The Rolling Stones) (d. 1969)
1942 - Dino Zoff, Italian footballer
1944 - Kelly Bishop, American actress
1944 - Sepp Maier, German footballer
1944 - Win Aung, Burmese politician
1945 - Bubba Smith, American football player and actor
1946 - Robin Cook, British politician (d. 2005)
1946 - Syreeta Wright, American singer (d. 2004)
1947 - Stephanie Beacham, British actress
1948 - Steven Chu, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
1948 - Mike Figgis, English director, writer, and composer
1948 - Bernadette Peters, American actress and singer
1948 - Mercedes Ruehl, American actress
1952 - William Finn, American composer and lyricist
1954 - Brian Billick, American football coach
1955 - Gilbert Gottfried, American comedian and actor
1955 - Silky Sullivan, American racehorse (d. 1977)
1956 - Jimmy Nicholl, Canadian-born Northern Irish footballer
1956 - Mike Tenay, American wrestling commentator
1957 - John Turturro, American actor
1960 - Dorothy Stratten, Canadian actress and model (d. 1980)
1961 - Rae Dawn Chong, Canadian actress
1961 - Mark Latham, Australian politician
1963 - Claudio Chiappucci, Italian cyclist
1964 - Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, Uzbekistan cyclist
1967 - Colin Cooper, English footballer
1969 - Robert Sean Leonard, American actor
1969 - Patrick Monahan, American rock singer (Train)
1970 - Noureddine Morceli, Algerian athlete
1970 - Daniel Handler, American writer, better known as Lemony Snicket
1971 - Tristan Louis, American writer
1972 - Rory Cochrane, American actor
1973 - Eric Lindros, Canadian hockey player
1973 - Nicolas Minassian, French racing driver
1974 - Lee Carsley, Irish footballer
1976 - Ali Larter, American Actress
1977 - Jason Aldean, American Country singer
1978 - Benjamin Raich, Austrian Olympic skier
1979 - Primož Peterka, Slovenian ski jumper
1979 - Sébastien Bourdais, French racing driver
1980 - Pascal Bosschaart, Dutch footballer
1980 - Piotr Giza, Polish footballer
1982 - Natalia Vodianova, Russian supermodel
1984 - Karolína Kurková, Czech supermodel
1985 - Jelena Janković, Serbian tennis player
1985 - Fefe Dobson, Canadian singer

[edit] Deaths

1261 - Henry III, Duke of Brabant (c. 1230)
1326 - Duke Leopold I of Austria (b. 1290)
1453 - Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine (b. 1400)
1485 - Niclas, Graf von Abensberg, German soldier (b. 1441)
1510 - Juan de la Cosa, Spanish cartographer and explorer
1525 - Cuauhtémoc, Aztec Ruler
1572 - Aegidius Tschudi, Swiss historian (b. 1505)
1621 - Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1590)
1648 - King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway, (b. 1577)
1746 - Hermann von der Hardt, German historian (b. 1660)
1786 - John Gwynn, English architect and engineer (b. 1713)
1788 - Thomas Cushing, American Continental Congressman (b. 1725)
1857 - André Dumont, Belgian geologist (b. 1809)
1916 - Henry James, American writer (b. 1843)
1925 - Friedrich Ebert, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1871)
1929 - Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian physician (b. 1874)
1936 - Charles Nicolle, French bacteriologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1866)
1941 - King Alfonso XIII of Spain (b. 1886)
1942 - Karel Doorman, Dutch admiral (b. 1889)
1959 - Maxwell Anderson, American playwright and film writer (b. 1888)
1967 - Henry Luce, American publisher (b. 1898)
1974 - Bobby Bloom, American singer/songwriter (b. 1946)
1977 - Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, American actor (b. 1905)
1978 - Eric Frank Russell, English author (b. 1905)
1978 - Philip Ahn, American actor (b. 1905)
1978 - Zara Cully, American actress (b. 1892)
1985 - David Byron, British singer (Uriah Heep) (b. 1947)
1985 - Ray Ellington, British singer (b. 1916)
1986 - Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden (b. 1927)
1991 - Reinhard Bendix, German sociologist (b. 1916)
1993 - Ruby Keeler, Canadian actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1910)
1998 - Dermot Morgan, Irish actor and comedian (b. 1952)
1998 - Arkady Shevchenko, Soviet diplomat (b. 1930)
2002 - Mary Stuart, American actress (b. 1926)
2002 - Helmut Zacharias, German violinist (b. 1920)
2003 - Chris Brasher, British athlete (b. 1928)
2003 - Fidel Sánchez Hernández, President of El Salvador (heart attack) (b. 1917)
2003 - Roger Michael Needham, British cryptographer (b. 1935)
2004 - Daniel J. Boorstin, American historian, writer, and Librarian of Congress (b. 1914)
2004 - Andres Nuiamäe, first Estonian soldier to be killed in the Iraq War (b. 1982)
2006 - Owen Chamberlain, American physicist, Nobel Prize recipient (b. 1920)

[edit] Holidays and observances

Bahá'í Faith - Day 3 of Ayyám-i-Há (Intercalary Days) - days in the Bahá'í calendar devoted to service and gift giving.

[edit] Liturgical feasts

[edit] External links

February 27 - February 29 - (February 30) - March 1 - January 28 - March 28 -- listing of all days


Months and Days of the Year
January	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
February	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 (29) (30)
March	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
April	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
May	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
June	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
July	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
August	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
September	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
October	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
November	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
December	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31