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On This Day in History — February 28

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Highlights of February 28

2026 — The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior officials. Read more
2021 — Bus drivers in Greater Manchester began an eleven-week strike, one of the longest in British transportation history. Read more
2013 — Benedict XVI became the first pope in nearly 600 years to resign from the papacy. Read more
2002 — During a period of religious violence in Gujarat, India, mobs of Hindus attacked Muslims in Naroda Patiya and in Chamanpura, resulting in 166 deaths. Read more
2001 — A high-speed train crash occurred near Selby in North Yorkshire, England, killing 10 and injuring 82. Read more
1997 — GRB 970228, a highly luminous 80-second flash of gamma rays, was detected on Earth, providing early evidence that gamma-ray bursts occur well beyond the Milky Way. Read more
1997 — Two heavily armed bank robbers exchanged gunfire with officers of the Los Angeles Police Department in North Hollywood, in one of the most intense gun battles in American police history. Read more
1985 — The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army launched a mortar attack on a Royal Ulster Constabulary station in Newry, Northern Ireland, killing nine people. Read more
1975 — A London Underground train failed to stop at the terminal Moorgate station, crashing and causing the deaths of 43 people. Read more
1974 — The British election ended in a hung parliament after the Liberal Party, under Jeremy Thorpe, achieved their highest ever number of votes. Read more
1972 — Japanese police stormed a mountain lodge near Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, to end a ten-day siege by members of the paramilitary group United Red Army. Read more
1966 — American test pilots Charles Bassett and Elliot See die in a plane crash in St. Louis, Missouri. Read more
1963 — Chicago alderman Benjamin F. Lewis was murdered in his office by unknown assailants two days after having been reelected. Read more
1947 — Nationalist soldiers fired on protesters in Taipei (crowd pictured), triggering widespread uprisings and violent suppression in the White Terror. Read more
1939 — In one of the most famous errors in lexicography, the erroneous word dord was discovered in Webster's New International Dictionary by an editor. Read more
1928 — Indian physicist C. V. Raman and his colleagues discovered what is now known as Raman scattering, for which he later became the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Physics. Read more
1914 — In the aftermath of the Balkan Wars, Greeks living in southern Albania proclaimed the short-lived Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus. Read more
1904 — The most successful football club in Portugal, S.L. Benfica (first team pictured), was founded in Lisbon as Sport Lisboa. Read more
1897 — Ranavalona III (pictured), the last sovereign ruler of the Kingdom of Madagascar, was deposed by French military forces. Read more
1893 — USS Indiana, the lead ship of her class and the first battleship in the United States Navy comparable to foreign battleships of the time, was launched. Read more
1874 — In one of the longest cases ever heard in an English court, the claimant in the Tichborne case was convicted of perjury for attempting to assume the identity of the missing heir to the Tichborne baronetcy. Read more
1638 — The National Covenant was formally adopted in opposition to proposed reforms to the Church of Scotland by King Charles I. Read more
202 BC — Rebel leader Liu Bang declared himself Emperor Gaozu of Han after overthrowing the Qin dynasty, the first imperial dynasty of China. Read more

Events

2026 — The United States and Israel launch attacks across Iran, assassinating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Retaliatory strikes are launched by Iran against US military bases in the Gulf, with explosions reported in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. Read more
2024 — Prime Minister Modi of India inaugurates the 2nd Space Port of India - Kulasekarapattinam Spaceport. Read more
2023 — Two trains collide south of the Vale of Tempe in Greece, leading to the deaths of at least 57 people and leaving 58 missing and 85 injured. Read more
2013 — Pope Benedict XVI resigns as the pope of the Catholic Church, becoming the first pope to do so voluntarily since Pope Gregory XII in 1415. Read more
2002 — During the religious violence in Gujarat, 97 people are killed in the Naroda Patiya massacre and 69 in the Gulbarg Society massacre. Read more
2001 — The 2001 Nisqually earthquake, having a moment magnitude of 6.8, with epicenter in southern Puget Sound, damages the Seattle metropolitan area. Read more
1997 — An earthquake in northern Iran is responsible for about 1,100 deaths. Read more
1997 — A Turkish military memorandum results in the collapse of the coalition government in Turkey. Read more
1993 — Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agents raid the Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas with a warrant to arrest the group's leader David Koresh, starting a 51-day standoff. Read more
1990 — Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-36. Read more
1986 — Olof Palme, 26th Prime Minister of Sweden, is assassinated in Stockholm. Read more
1985 — The Provisional Irish Republican Army carries out a mortar attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station at Newry, killing nine officers. Read more
1983 — The final episode of M*A*S*H airs, with almost 110 million viewers. Read more
1975 — In London, an underground train fails to stop at Moorgate terminus station and crashes into the end of the tunnel, killing 43 people. Read more
1974 — The British election ends in a hung parliament after the Jeremy Thorpe-led Liberal Party achieved their biggest vote share since 1929. Read more
1973 — Aeroflot Flight X-167 crashes during takeoff from Semey Airport, killing 32 people. Read more
1969 — The 1969 Portugal earthquake hits Portugal, Spain and Morocco. Read more
1966 — A NASA T-38 Talon crashes into the McDonnell Aircraft factory while attempting a poor-visibility landing at Lambert Field, St. Louis, killing astronauts Elliot See and Charles Bassett. Read more
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. Read more
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 one of the worst school bus accidents in U.S. history. Read more
1948 — The 1948 Accra riots erupt following a march by ex-servicemen of the Gold Coast Regiment towards the seat of the colonial government at Christiansborg Castle, where they were fired upon by Superintendent Colin Imray, leading to the killing of Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey and the arrest of the Big Six in the Gold Coast. Read more
1947 — February 28 incident: In Taiwan, civil disorder is put down with the death of an estimated 18,000 - 28,000 civilians. Read more
1925 — The Charlevoix-Kamouraska earthquake strikes northeastern North America. Read more
1922 — The United Kingdom ends its protectorate over Egypt through a Unilateral Declaration of Independence. Read more
1844 — A gun explodes on board the steam warship USS Princeton during a pleasure cruise down the Potomac River, killing six, including Secretary of State Abel Upshur. President John Tyler, who is also on board, is not injured from the blast. Read more
1835 — Elias Lönnrot signs and dates the foreword to the first version of the Kalevala, the so-called Old Kalevala. Read more
1638 — The Scottish National Covenant is signed in Edinburgh. Read more
1525 — Aztec king Cuauhtémoc is executed on the order of conquistador Hernán Cortés. Read more
870 — The Fourth Council of Constantinople closes. Read more
202 BC — Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty. Read more

Born on February 28

2005 — Vitor Roque, Brazilian footballer Read more
2000 — Moise Kean, Italian footballer Read more
2000 — Josip Šutalo, Croatian footballer Read more
1999 — Luka Dončić, Slovenian basketball player Read more
1998 — Teun Koopmeiners, Dutch footballer Read more
1997 — Chris Lindstrom, American football player Read more
1996 — Jakub Vrána, Czech ice hockey player Read more
1996 — Lucas Boyé, Argentinian footballer Read more
1996 — Axel Werner, Argentinian footballer Read more
1995 — Randy Arozarena, Cuban-Mexican baseball player Read more
1994 — Alex Caruso, American basketball player Read more
1994 — Arkadiusz Milik, Polish footballer Read more
1993 — Marquis Teague, American basketball player Read more
1993 — Éder Álvarez Balanta, Colombian footballer Read more
1992 — Annie Bovaird, Canadian actress Read more
1991 — Ronalds Ķēniņš, Latvian ice hockey player Read more
1990 — Takayasu Akira, Japanese sumo wrestler Read more
1990 — Ryan Allen, American football player Read more
1990 — Sebastian Rudy, German footballer Read more
1989 — Carlos Dunlap, American football player Read more
1989 — Charles Jenkins, American basketball player Read more
1988 — Aroldis Chapman, Cuban baseball player Read more
1987 — Akito, Japanese professional wrestler Read more
1987 — Antonio Candreva, Italian footballer Read more
1987 — Josh McRoberts, American basketball player Read more
1985 — Tim Bresnan, English cricketer Read more
1985 — Diego, Brazilian footballer Read more
1985 — Jelena Janković, Serbian tennis player Read more
1984 — Karolína Kurková, Czech model and actress Read more
1984 — Ali Marhyar, French actor, film director and screenwriter Read more
1982 — Isabel Mendes Lopes, Portuguese politician Read more
1982 — Natalia Vodianova, Russian-French model and actress Read more
1981 — Brian Bannister, American baseball player and scout Read more
1980 — Pascal Bosschaart, Dutch footballer Read more
1980 — Christian Poulsen, Danish footballer Read more
1980 — Tayshaun Prince, American basketball player Read more
1979 — Sébastien Bourdais, French race car driver Read more
1979 — Ivo Karlović, Croatian tennis player Read more
1978 — Benjamin Raich, Austrian skier Read more
1978 — Jamaal Tinsley, American basketball player Read more

Died on February 28

2026 — Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran (born 1939) Read more
2026 — Aziz Nasirzadeh, Minister of Defense of the Islamic Republic of Iran (born 1964) Read more
2026 — Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of the Islamic Republic of Iran (born 1961) Read more
2025 — David Johansen, American singer-songwriter and actor (born 1950) Read more
2025 — Miguel Piñera, Chilean celebrity, night club owner and amateur musician (born 1954) Read more
2025 — Joseph Wambaugh, American writer (born 1937) Read more
2024 — Ahmed Salim, Bangladeshi convicted murderer (born 1989) Read more
2024 — Héctor Ortiz, Puerto Rican baseball player and coach (born 1969) Read more
2024 — Cat Janice, American singer-songwriter (born 1993) Read more
2020 — Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe's (born 1930) Read more
2020 — Freeman Dyson, British-born American physicist and mathematician (born 1923) Read more
2020 — Sir Lenox Hewitt, Australian public servant (born 1917) Read more
2019 — André Previn, German-American pianist, conductor, and composer. (born 1929) Read more
2016 — George Kennedy, American actor (born 1925) Read more
2015 — Yaşar Kemal, Turkish journalist and author (born 1923) Read more
2014 — Hugo Brandt Corstius, Dutch linguist and author (born 1935) Read more
2013 — Donald A. Glaser, American physicist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1926) Read more
2011 — Annie Girardot, French actress (born 1931) Read more
2009 — Paul Harvey, American radio host (born 1918) Read more
2007 — Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. American historian and critic (born 1917) Read more
2006 — Owen Chamberlain, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1920) Read more
2005 — Chris Curtis, English singer and drummer (born 1941) Read more
2004 — Daniel J. Boorstin, American historian and librarian (born 1914) Read more
2003 — Chris Brasher, Guyanese-English runner and journalist, co-founded the London Marathon (born 1928) Read more
2002 — Mary Stuart, American actress and singer (born 1926) Read more
2002 — Helmut Zacharias, German violinist and composer (born 1920) Read more
1998 — Arkady Shevchenko, Ukrainian diplomat (born 1930) Read more
1993 — Ruby Keeler, Canadian-American actress and dancer (born 1909) Read more
1978 — Zara Cully, American actress (born 1892) Read more
1977 — Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, American actor and comedian (born 1905) Read more
1975 — Neville Cardus, English cricket and music writer (born 1888) Read more
1966 — Charles Bassett, American captain, engineer, and astronaut (born 1931) Read more
1966 — Elliot See, American commander, engineer, and astronaut (born 1927) Read more
1955 — Isak Penttala, Finnish politician (born 1883) Read more
1936 — Charles Nicolle, French biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1866) Read more
1932 — Guillaume Bigourdan, French astronomer and academic (born 1851) Read more
1929 — Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian physician and immunologist (born 1874) Read more
1882 — Adolf Zytogorski, Polish-British chess master and translator (born c. 1811/1812) Read more
1857 — André Dumont, Belgian geologist and academic (born 1809) Read more
1740 — Pietro Ottoboni, Italian cardinal and patron of the arts (born 1667) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: February 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Kalevala Day, also known as the Finnish Culture Day (Finland); National Science Day (India); Peace Memorial Day (Taiwan); Andalusia Day (Spain)

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Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “February 28”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.