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On This Day in History — February 1
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Highlights of February 1
- 2021 — The Burmese military staged a coup d'état that deposed the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking nationwide protests and a civil war. Read more
- 2012 — Following an Egyptian Premier League match in Port Said, Al Masry fans rioted and violently attacked Al Ahly supporters, resulting in 74 deaths. Read more
- 2009 — Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (pictured) became the first female prime minister of Iceland. Read more
- 2004 — During the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, Janet Jackson's breast was exposed by Justin Timberlake in what was later referred to as a "wardrobe malfunction", resulting in an immediate crackdown and widespread debate on perceived indecency in U.S. broadcasting. Read more
- 2003 — All seven crew members aboard Space Shuttle Columbia were killed when the orbiter disintegrated over Texas during reentry. Read more
- 2001 — The Timor-Leste Defence Force was established from the erstwhile anti-Indonesian independence movement Falintil. Read more
- 1979 — Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile and soon led the Iranian Revolution to overthrow the Pahlavi dynasty. Read more
- 1972 — Kuala Lumpur (pictured), the capital of Malaysia, was granted city status. Read more
- 1960 — Civil rights movement: Four African-American students staged the first of more than five months of sit-ins at an F. W. Woolworth lunch counter (pictured) in Greensboro, North Carolina, to protest the company's policy of racial segregation. Read more
- 1957 — Invented by German engineer Felix Wankel, the first working prototype of the Wankel rotary engine ran for the first time at the research and development department of NSU Motorenwerke AG. Read more
- 1942 — Voice of America, the official external radio and television service of the United States federal government, began broadcasting to Germany during World War II. Read more
- 1896 — Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème premiered at the Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy, eventually becoming one of the most frequently performed operas internationally. Read more
- 1884 — The first fascicle of the Oxford English Dictionary, a 352-page volume that covered words from A to ant, was published. Read more
- 1814 — More than 1,200 people died in the most destructive recorded eruption of Mayon in the Philippines. Read more
- 1662 — Sino-Dutch conflicts: After besieging Fort Zeelandia for nine months, Ming loyalist Zheng Chenggong secured the Dutch East India Company's surrender and the end of their rule in Taiwan. Read more
- 1411 — The First Peace of Thorn was signed, ending the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. Read more
- 1329 — The Teutonic Knights successfully besieged the hillfort of Medvėgalis (pictured) in Samogitia, Lithuania, and baptised the defenders in the Catholic rite. Read more
- 1327 — Fourteen-year-old Edward III was crowned King of England, but with the country ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. Read more
Events
- 2022 — Five-year-old Moroccan boy Rayan Aourram falls into a 32-meter (105 feet) deep well in Ighran village in Tamorot commune, Chefchaouen Province, Morocco, but dies four days later, before rescue workers reached him. Read more
- 2021 — A coup d'état in Myanmar removes Aung San Suu Kyi from power and restores military rule. Read more
- 2013 — The Shard, the sixth-tallest building in Europe, opens its viewing gallery to the public. Read more
- 2012 — Seventy-four people are killed and over 500 injured as a result of clashes between fans of Egyptian football teams Al Masry and Al Ahly in the city of Port Said. Read more
- 2009 — The first cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was formed in Iceland, making her the country's first female prime minister and the world's first openly gay head of government. Read more
- 2007 — The National Weather Service in the United States switches from the Fujita scale to the new Enhanced Fujita scale to measure the intensity and strength of tornadoes. Read more
- 2005 — King Gyanendra of Nepal carries out a coup d'état to capture the democracy, becoming Chairman of the Councils of ministers. Read more
- 2004 — Hajj pilgrimage stampede: In a stampede at the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, 251 people are trampled to death and 244 injured. Read more
- 2004 — Double suicide attack in Erbil on the offices of Iraqi Kurdish political parties by members of Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad Read more
- 2003 — Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during the reentry of mission STS-107 into the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard. Read more
- 2002 — Daniel Pearl, American journalist and South Asia Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal, kidnapped on January 23, is beheaded and mutilated by his captors. Read more
- 1998 — Rear Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne becomes the first female African American to be promoted to rear admiral. Read more
- 1996 — The Communications Decency Act is passed by the U.S. Congress. Read more
- 1992 — The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal court declares Warren Anderson, ex-CEO of Union Carbide, a fugitive under Indian law for failing to appear in the Bhopal disaster case. Read more
- 1991 — A runway collision between USAir Flight 1493 and SkyWest Flight 5569 at Los Angeles International Airport results in the deaths of 34 people, and injuries to 30 others. Read more
- 1991 — A magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes the Hindu Kush region, killing at least 848 people in Afghanistan, Pakistan and present-day Tajikistan. Read more
- 1982 — The Intel 80286 is released, which introduced protected mode memory. The IBM PC/AT and its clones used this CPU. Read more
- 1981 — The Underarm bowling incident of 1981 occurred when Trevor Chappell bowls underarm on the final delivery of a game between Australia and New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Read more
- 1979 — Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran after nearly 15 years of exile. Read more
- 1974 — A fire in the 25-story Joelma Building in São Paulo, Brazil kills 189 and injures 293. Read more
- 1972 — Kuala Lumpur becomes a city by a royal charter granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. Read more
- 1968 — Vietnam War: The execution of Viet Cong officer Nguyễn Văn Lém by South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan is recorded on motion picture film, as well as in an iconic still photograph taken by Eddie Adams. Read more
- 1968 — Canada's three military services, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, are unified into the Canadian Forces. Read more
- 1968 — The New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad are merged to form Penn Central Transportation. Read more
- 1964 — The Beatles have their first number one hit in the United States with "I Want to Hold Your Hand". Read more
- 1960 — Four black students stage the first of the Greensboro sit-ins at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. Read more
- 1957 — Northeast Airlines Flight 823 crashes on Rikers Island in New York City, killing 20 people and injuring 78 others. Read more
- 1950 — The first prototype of the MiG-17 makes its maiden flight. Read more
- 1946 — Trygve Lie of Norway is picked to be the first United Nations Secretary-General. Read more
- 1946 — The Parliament of Hungary abolishes the monarchy after nine centuries, and proclaims the Hungarian Republic. Read more
- 1942 — World War II: Josef Terboven, Reichskommissar of German-occupied Norway, appoints Vidkun Quisling the Minister President of the National Government. Read more
- 1942 — World War II: U.S. Navy conducts Marshalls–Gilberts raids, the first offensive action by the United States against Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater. Read more
- 1942 — Voice of America, the official external radio and television service of the United States government, begins broadcasting with programs aimed at areas controlled by the Axis powers. Read more
- 1942 — Mao Zedong makes a speech on "Reform in Learning, the Party and Literature", which puts into motion the Yan'an Rectification Movement. Read more
- 1924 — Russia–United Kingdom relations are restored, over six years after the Communist revolution. Read more
- 1908 — Lisbon Regicide: King Carlos I of Portugal and Infante Luis Filipe are shot dead in Lisbon. Read more
- 1900 — Great Britain, defeated by Boers in key battles, names Lord Roberts commander of British forces in South Africa. Read more
- 1897 — Shinhan Bank, the oldest bank in South Korea, opens in Seoul. Read more
- 1896 — La bohème premieres in Turin at the Teatro Regio (Turin), conducted by the young Arturo Toscanini. Read more
- 1895 — Fountains Valley, Pretoria, the oldest nature reserve in Africa, is proclaimed by President Paul Kruger. Read more
- 1893 — Thomas A. Edison finishes construction of the first motion picture studio, the Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey. Read more
- 1884 — The first volume (A to Ant) of the Oxford English Dictionary is published. Read more
- 1865 — President Abraham Lincoln signs the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Read more
- 1864 — Second Schleswig War: Prussian forces crossed the border into Schleswig, starting the war. Read more
- 1861 — American Civil War: Texas secedes from the United States and joins the Confederacy a week later. Read more
- 1835 — Slavery is abolished in Mauritius. Read more
- 1814 — Mayon in the Philippines erupts, killing around 1,200 people, which was the most devastating eruption of the volcano. Read more
- 1796 — The capital of Upper Canada is moved from Newark to York. Read more
- 1793 — French Revolutionary Wars: France declares war on the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Read more
- 1713 — The Kalabalik or Skirmish at Bender results from the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed III's order that his unwelcome guest, King Charles XII of Sweden, be seized. Read more
- 1662 — The Chinese general Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege. Read more
- 1411 — The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights (Prussia). Read more
- 1327 — The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. Read more
Born on February 1
- 2002 — Brian Brobbey, Dutch footballer Read more
- 2002 — Seth Jarvis, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 2001 — Egor Chinakhov, Russian ice hockey player Read more
- 2000 — Talanoa Hufanga, American football player Read more
- 1999 — Mohamed Abdelmonem, Egyptian footballer Read more
- 1998 — Jazz Chisholm Jr., Bahamian baseball player Read more
- 1997 — Drew Eubanks, American basketball player Read more
- 1997 — Jihyo, South Korean singer Read more
- 1996 — Ahmad Abughaush, Jordanian taekwondo athlete Read more
- 1996 — Doyoung, South Korean singer Read more
- 1996 — Azurá Stevens, American basketball player Read more
- 1994 — Anna-Lena Friedsam, German tennis player Read more
- 1994 — Julia Garner, American actress Read more
- 1994 — Harry Styles, English singer-songwriter and actor Read more
- 1993 — Diego Mella, Italian footballer Read more
- 1992 — Sean Manaea, American baseball player Read more
- 1991 — Blake Austin, Australian rugby league player Read more
- 1991 — Kyle Palmieri, American ice hockey player Read more
- 1990 — Tyler Myers, American-Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1989 — Ricky Pinheiro, Portuguese footballer Read more
- 1988 — Brett Anderson, American baseball player Read more
- 1987 — Sebastian Boenisch, Polish footballer Read more
- 1987 — Moises Henriques, Portuguese-Australian cricketer Read more
- 1987 — Austin Jackson, American baseball player Read more
- 1987 — Heather Morris, American actress, singer, and dancer Read more
- 1987 — Giuseppe Rossi, Italian footballer Read more
- 1987 — Ronda Rousey, American mixed martial artist, wrestler and actress Read more
- 1986 — Jorrit Bergsma, Dutch speed skater Read more
- 1986 — Lauren Conrad, American fashion designer and author Read more
- 1986 — Ladislav Šmíd, Czech ice hockey player Read more
- 1985 — Dean Shiels, Irish footballer Read more
- 1984 — Darren Fletcher, Scottish footballer Read more
- 1983 — Kevin Martin, American basketball player Read more
- 1983 — Jurgen Van den Broeck, Belgian cyclist Read more
- 1983 — Andrew VanWyngarden, American singer-songwriter and musician Read more
- 1982 — Gavin Henson, Welsh rugby player Read more
- 1982 — Shoaib Malik, Pakistani cricketer Read more
- 1981 — Hins Cheung, Hong Kong singer-songwriter Read more
- 1981 — Christian Giménez, Argentinian footballer Read more
- 1981 — Graeme Smith, South African cricketer Read more
Died on February 1
- 2025 — Horst Köhler, Polish-German economist and politician, 9th President of Germany (born 1943) Read more
- 2025 — Fay Vincent, American lawyer and businessman, 8th Commissioner of Baseball (born 1938) Read more
- 2022 — Remi De Roo, Canadian bishop of the Catholic Church (born 1924) Read more
- 2021 — Dustin Diamond, American actor, director, stand-up comedian, and musician (born 1977) Read more
- 2021 — Temur Tsiklauri, Georgian pop singer and actor (born 1946) Read more
- 2019 — Jeremy Hardy, English comedian, radio host and panelist (born 1961) Read more
- 2019 — Clive Swift, English actor (born 1936) Read more
- 2019 — Wade Wilson, American football player and coach (born 1959) Read more
- 2018 — Barys Kit, Belarusian rocket scientist (born 1910) Read more
- 2018 — Mowzey Radio, Ugandan singer and songwriter (born 1985) Read more
- 2017 — Desmond Carrington, British actor and broadcaster (born 1926) Read more
- 2016 — Óscar Humberto Mejía Victores, Guatemalan general and politician, 27th President of Guatemala (born 1930) Read more
- 2015 — Aldo Ciccolini, Italian-French pianist (born 1925) Read more
- 2015 — Udo Lattek, German footballer, manager, and sportscaster (born 1935) Read more
- 2015 — Monty Oum, American animator, director, and screenwriter (born 1981) Read more
- 2014 — Luis Aragonés, Spanish footballer and manager (born 1938) Read more
- 2014 — Vasily Petrov, Russian marshal (born 1917) Read more
- 2014 — Rene Ricard, American poet, painter, and critic (born 1946) Read more
- 2014 — Maximilian Schell, Austrian-Swiss actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1930) Read more
- 2013 — Helene Hale, American politician (born 1918) Read more
- 2013 — Ed Koch, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 105th Mayor of New York City (born 1924) Read more
- 2013 — Shanu Lahiri, Indian painter and educator (born 1928) Read more
- 2013 — Cecil Womack, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1947) Read more
- 2012 — Don Cornelius, American television host and producer (born 1936) Read more
- 2012 — Wisława Szymborska, Polish poet and translator, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1923) Read more
- 2010 — Jack Brisco, American professional wrestler (born 1941) Read more
- 2008 — Beto Carrero, Brazilian actor and businessman (born 1937) Read more
- 2007 — Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian-American playwright and composer (born 1911) Read more
- 2005 — John Vernon, Canadian-American actor (born 1932) Read more
- 2004 — Suha Arın, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1942) Read more
- 2003 — Space Shuttle Columbia crew Read more
- 2003 — Space Shuttle Columbia crew Read more
- 2003 — Space Shuttle Columbia crew Read more
- 2003 — Space Shuttle Columbia crew Read more
- 2003 — Space Shuttle Columbia crew Read more
- 2003 — Space Shuttle Columbia crew Read more
- 2003 — Space Shuttle Columbia crew Read more
- 2003 — Mongo Santamaría, Cuban-American drummer and bandleader (born 1922) Read more
- 2002 — Aykut Barka, Turkish geologist and academic (born 1951) Read more
- 2002 — Hildegard Knef, German actress and singer (born 1925) Read more
Holidays & observances
Abolition of Slavery Day (Mauritius); Air Force Day (Nicaragua); Christian feast day:
Blessed Candelaria of San José; Christian feast day:
Brigid of Ireland (Saint Brigid's Day); Christian feast day:
Verdiana; Christian feast day:
February 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Earliest day on which Constitution Day can fall, while February 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in February. (Mexico); Federal Territory Day (Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, Malaysia); Foundation Day (of the Ryukyu Kingdom, celebrated in Okinawa Prefecture); Heroes Day (Rwanda); Saint Brigid's Day/Imbolc (Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, and some Neopagan groups in the Northern hemisphere); Memorial Day of the Republic (Hungary); National Freedom Day (United States); The start of Black History Month (United States and Canada); World Hijab Day
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “February 1”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.