February 1

Pre-1600

 * 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.
 * 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights (Prussia).

1601–1900

 * 1662 – The Chinese general Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege.
 * 1713 – The Kalabalik or Skirmish at Bender results from the Ottoman sultan's order that his unwelcome guest, King Charles XII of Sweden, be seized.
 * 1793 – French Revolutionary Wars: France declares war on the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
 * 1796 – The capital of Upper Canada is moved from Newark to York.
 * 1814 – Mayon in the Philippines erupts, killing around 1,200 people, the most devastating eruption of the volcano.
 * 1835 – Slavery is abolished in Mauritius.
 * 1861 – American Civil War: Texas secedes from the United States and joins the Confederacy a week later.
 * 1864 – Second Schleswig War: Prussian forces crossed the border into Schleswig, starting the war.
 * 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln signs the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
 * 1884 – The first volume (A to Ant) of the Oxford English Dictionary is published.
 * 1893 – Thomas A. Edison finishes construction of the first motion picture studio, the Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey.
 * 1895 – Fountains Valley, Pretoria, the oldest nature reserve in Africa, is proclaimed by President Paul Kruger.
 * 1896 – La bohème premieres in Turin at the Teatro Regio (Turin), conducted by the young Arturo Toscanini.
 * 1897 – Shinhan Bank, the oldest bank in South Korea, opens in Seoul.
 * 1900 – Great Britain, defeated by Boers in key battles, names Lord Roberts commander of British forces in South Africa.

1901–present

 * 1908 – Lisbon Regicide: King Carlos I of Portugal and Infante Luis Filipe are shot dead in Lisbon.
 * 1924 – Russia–United Kingdom relations are restored, over six years after the Communist revolution.
 * 1942 – World War II: Josef Terboven, Reichskommissar of German-occupied Norway, appoints Vidkun Quisling the Minister President of the National Government.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 1942  – Mao Zedong makes a speech on "Reform in Learning, the Party and Literature", which puts into motion the Yan'an Rectification Movement.
 * 1946 – Trygve Lie of Norway is picked to be the first United Nations Secretary-General.
 * 1946  – The Parliament of Hungary abolishes the monarchy after nine centuries, and proclaims the Hungarian Republic.
 * 1950 – The first prototype of the MiG-17 makes its maiden flight.
 * 1957 – Northeast Airlines Flight 823 crashes on Rikers Island in New York City, killing 20 people and injuring 78 others.
 * 1960 – Four black students stage the first of the Greensboro sit-ins at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.
 * 1964 – The Beatles have their first number one hit in the United States with "I Want to Hold Your Hand".
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 1968  – The New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad are merged to form Penn Central Transportation.
 * 1972 – Kuala Lumpur becomes a city by a royal charter granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
 * 1974 – A fire in the 25-story Joelma Building in São Paulo, Brazil kills 189 and injures 293.
 * 1979 – Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran after nearly 15 years of exile.
 * 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).
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 1996 – The Communications Decency Act is passed by the U.S. Congress.
 * 1998 – Rear Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne becomes the first female African American to be promoted to rear admiral.
 * 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.
 * 2003 – Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during the reentry of mission STS-107 into the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
 * 2004 – Hajj pilgrimage stampede: In a stampede at the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, 251 people are trampled to death and 244 injured.
 * 2004  – Double suicide attack in Erbil on the offices of Iraqi Kurdish political parties by members of Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad
 * 2005 – King Gyanendra of Nepal carries out a coup d'état to capture the democracy, becoming Chairman of the Councils of ministers.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 2013 – The Shard, the sixth-tallest building in Europe, opens its viewing gallery to the public.
 * 2021 – A coup d'état in Myanmar removes Aung San Suu Kyi from power and restores military rule.
 * 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.

Pre-1600

 * 1261 – Walter de Stapledon, English bishop and politician, Lord High Treasurer (d. 1326)
 * 1435 – Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy (d. 1472)
 * 1447 – Eberhard II, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1504)
 * 1459 – Conrad Celtes, German poet and scholar (d. 1508)
 * 1462 – Johannes Trithemius, German lexicographer, historian, and cryptographer (d. 1516)
 * 1552 – Edward Coke, English lawyer, judge, and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (d. 1634)
 * 1561 – Henry Briggs, British mathematician (d. 1630)

1601–1900

 * 1635 – Marquard Gude, German archaeologist and scholar (d. 1689)
 * 1648 – Elkanah Settle, English poet and playwright (d. 1724)
 * 1659 – Jacob Roggeveen, Dutch explorer (d. 1729)
 * 1663 – Ignacia del Espíritu Santo, Filipino nun, founded the Religious of the Virgin Mary (d. 1748)
 * 1666 – Marie Thérèse de Bourbon, Princess of Conti and titular queen of Poland (d. 1732)
 * 1687 – Johann Adam Birkenstock, German violinist and composer (d. 1733)
 * 1690 – Francesco Maria Veracini, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1768)
 * 1701 – Johan Agrell, Swedish-German pianist and composer (d. 1765)
 * 1761 – Christiaan Hendrik Persoon, South African-French mycologist and academic (d. 1836)
 * 1763 – Thomas Campbell, Irish minister and theologian (d. 1854)
 * 1796 – Abraham Emanuel Fröhlich, Swiss minister, poet, and educator (d. 1865)
 * 1801 – Émile Littré, French lexicographer and philosopher (d. 1881)
 * 1820 – George Hendric Houghton, American clergyman and theologian (d. 1897)
 * 1836 – Emil Hartmann, Danish organist and composer (d. 1898)
 * 1844 – G. Stanley Hall, American psychologist and academic (d. 1924)
 * 1851 – Durham Stevens, American lawyer and diplomat (d. 1908)
 * 1858 – Ignacio Bonillas, Mexican diplomat (d. 1942)
 * 1859 – Victor Herbert, Irish-American cellist, composer, and conductor (d. 1924)
 * 1866 – Agda Meyerson, Swedish nurse and healthcare activist (d. 1924)
 * 1868 – Ștefan Luchian, Romanian painter and illustrator (d. 1917)
 * 1870 – Erik Adolf von Willebrand, Finnish physician (d. 1949)
 * 1872 – Clara Butt, English opera singer (d. 1936)
 * 1872  – Jerome F. Donovan, American lawyer and politician (d. 1949)
 * 1873 – John Barry, Irish soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1901)
 * 1874 – Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1929)
 * 1878 – Alfréd Hajós, Hungarian swimmer and architect, designed the Grand Hotel Aranybika (d. 1955)
 * 1878  – Milan Hodža, Slovak journalist and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (d. 1944)
 * 1881 – Tip Snooke, South African cricketer (d. 1966)
 * 1882 – Vladimir Dimitrov, Bulgarian artist (d. 1960)
 * 1882  – Louis St. Laurent, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1973)
 * 1884 – Bradbury Robinson, American football player and physician (d. 1949)
 * 1884  – Yevgeny Zamyatin, Russian journalist and author (d. 1937)
 * 1887 – Charles Nordhoff, English-American lieutenant, pilot, and author (d. 1947)
 * 1890 – Nikolai Reek, Estonian general and politician, 11th Estonian Minister of War (d. 1942)
 * 1894 – John Ford, American director and producer (d. 1973)
 * 1894  – James P. Johnson, American pianist and composer (d. 1955)
 * 1895 – Conn Smythe, Canadian businessman (d. 1980)
 * 1897 – Denise Robins, English journalist and author (d. 1985)
 * 1898 – Leila Denmark, American pediatrician and author (d. 2012)

1901–present

 * 1901 – Frank Buckles, American soldier (d. 2011)
 * 1901  – Clark Gable, American actor (d. 1960)
 * 1902 – Therese Brandl, German concentration camp guard (d. 1947)
 * 1902  – Langston Hughes, American poet, social activist, novelist, and playwright (d. 1967)
 * 1904 – S.J. Perelman, American humorist and screenwriter (d. 1979)
 * 1905 – Emilio G. Segrè, Italian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
 * 1906 – Adetokunbo Ademola, Nigerian lawyer and jurist, 2nd Chief Justice of Nigeria (d. 1993)
 * 1907 – Günter Eich, German author and songwriter (d. 1972)
 * 1907  – Camargo Guarnieri, Brazilian pianist and composer (d. 1993)
 * 1908 – George Pal, Hungarian-American animator and producer (d. 1980)
 * 1908  – Louis Rasminsky, Canadian economist and banker (d. 1998)
 * 1909 – George Beverly Shea, Canadian-American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
 * 1910 – Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Chinese general and politician (d. 2009)
 * 1915 – Stanley Matthews, English footballer and manager (d. 2000)
 * 1917 – José Luis Sampedro, Spanish economist and author (d. 2013)
 * 1917  – Eiji Sawamura, Japanese baseball player and soldier (d. 1944)
 * 1918 – Muriel Spark, Scottish novelist (d. 2006)
 * 1918  – Ignacy Tokarczuk, Polish archbishop (d. 2012)
 * 1920 – Mike Scarry, American football player and coach (d. 2012)
 * 1920  – Zao Wou-Ki, Chinese-French painter (d. 2013)
 * 1921 – Teresa Mattei, Italian feminist partisan and politician (d. 2013)
 * 1921  – Patricia Robins, English writer and WAAF officer (d. 2016)
 * 1921  – Peter Sallis, English actor (d. 2017)
 * 1922 – Renata Tebaldi, Italian soprano and actress (d. 2004)
 * 1923 – Ben Weider, Canadian businessman, co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (d. 2008)
 * 1924 – Richard Hooker, American novelist (d. 1997)
 * 1924  – Emmanuel Scheffer, German-Israeli footballer, coach, and manager (d. 2012)
 * 1926 – Vivian Maier, American street photographer (d. 2009)
 * 1927 – Galway Kinnell, American poet and academic (d. 2014)
 * 1928 – Sam Edwards, Welsh physicist and academic (d. 2015)
 * 1928  – Tom Lantos, Hungarian-American academic and politician (d. 2008)
 * 1928  – Stuart Whitman, American actor (d. 2020)
 * 1930 – Shahabuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi judge and politician, 12th President of Bangladesh (d. 2022)
 * 1930  – Hussain Muhammad Ershad,Bangladeshi general and politician, 10th President of Bangladesh (d. 2019)
 * 1931 – Boris Yeltsin, Russian politician, 1st President of Russia (d. 2007)
 * 1932 – Hassan Al-Turabi, Sudanese activist and politician (d. 2016)
 * 1934 – Nicolae Breban, Romanian author, poet, and playwright
 * 1936 – Tuncel Kurtiz, Turkish actor, playwright, and director (d. 2013)
 * 1936  – Azie Taylor Morton, American educator and politician, 36th Treasurer of the United States (d. 2003)
 * 1937 – Don Everly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2021)
 * 1937  – Garrett Morris, American actor and comedian
 * 1938 – Jimmy Carl Black, American drummer and singer (d. 2008)
 * 1938  – Jacky Cupit, American golfer
 * 1938  – Sherman Hemsley, American actor and singer (d. 2012)
 * 1939 – Fritjof Capra, Austrian physicist, author, and academic
 * 1939  – Claude François, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter and dancer (d. 1978)
 * 1939  – Paul Gillmor, American lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
 * 1939  – Ekaterina Maximova, Russian ballerina (d. 2009)
 * 1939  – Joe Sample, American pianist and composer (d. 2014)
 * 1941 – Jerry Spinelli, American author
 * 1942 – Bibi Besch, Austrian-American actress (d. 1996)
 * 1942  – Terry Jones, Welsh actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2020)
 * 1942  – David Sincock, Australian cricketer
 * 1944 – Petru Popescu, Romanian-American director, producer, and author
 * 1944  – Burkhard Ziese, German footballer and manager (d. 2010)
 * 1945 – Serge Joyal, Canadian lawyer and politician, 50th Secretary of State for Canada
 * 1945  – Ferruccio Mazzola, Italian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
 * 1945  – Mary Jane Reoch, American cyclist (d. 1993)
 * 1946 – Karen Krantzcke, Australian tennis player (d. 1977)
 * 1946  – Elisabeth Sladen, English actress (d. 2011)
 * 1947 – Adam Ingram, Scottish computer programmer and politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
 * 1947  – Normie Rowe, Australian singer-songwriter and actor
 * 1947  – Jessica Savitch, American journalist (d. 1983)
 * 1948 – Rick James, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2004)
 * 1950 – Mike Campbell, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
 * 1950  – Ali Haydar Konca, Turkish politician, 4th Turkish Minister of European Union Affairs
 * 1950  – Rich Williams, American guitarist and songwriter
 * 1951 – Sonny Landreth, American guitarist and songwriter
 * 1952 – Owoye Andrew Azazi, Nigerian general (d. 2012)
 * 1954 – Chuck Dukowski, American singer-songwriter and bass player
 * 1954  – Bill Mumy, American actor, writer, and musician
 * 1955 – T. R. Dunn, American basketball player and coach
 * 1956 – Exene Cervenka, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1957 – Gilbert Hernandez, American author and illustrator
 * 1957  – Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Saudi Arabian businessman (d. 2007)
 * 1958 – Luther Blissett, Jamaican-English footballer and manager
 * 1958  – Eleanor Laing, Scottish lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
 * 1959 – Wade Wilson, American football player and coach (d. 2019)
 * 1961 – Volker Fried, German field hockey player and coach
 * 1961  – Kaduvetti Guru, Indian politician (d. 2018)
 * 1961  – Daniel M. Tani, American engineer and astronaut
 * 1962 – José Luis Cuciuffo, Argentinian footballer (d. 2004)
 * 1962  – Tomoyasu Hotei, Japanese singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1962  – Takashi Murakami, Japanese painter and sculptor
 * 1964 – Jani Lane, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
 * 1964  – Eli Ohana, Israeli football player, and club chairman
 * 1964  – Mario Pelchat, Canadian singer-songwriter
 * 1964  – Linus Roache, English actor
 * 1965 – Sherilyn Fenn, American actress
 * 1965  – Brandon Lee, American actor and martial artist (d. 1993)
 * 1965  – Stéphanie of Monaco
 * 1966 – Michelle Akers, American soccer player
 * 1967 – Meg Cabot, American author and screenwriter
 * 1968 – Lisa Marie Presley, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2023)
 * 1968  – Mark Recchi, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
 * 1968  – Pauly Shore, American actor and comedian
 * 1969 – Gabriel Batistuta, Argentinian footballer
 * 1969  – Andrew Breitbart, American journalist, author, and publisher (d. 2012)
 * 1969  – Brian Krause, American actor
 * 1969  – Joshua Redman, American musician and composer
 * 1969  – Franklyn Rose, Jamaican cricketer
 * 1969  – Patrick Wilson, American musician and songwriter
 * 1970 – Yasuyuki Kazama, Japanese racing driver
 * 1970  – Malik Sealy, American basketball player and actor (d. 2000)
 * 1971 – Michael C. Hall, American actor and producer
 * 1971  – Tommy Salo, Swedish ice hockey player
 * 1972 – Leymah Gbowee, Liberian peace activist
 * 1972  – Christian Ziege, German footballer
 * 1973 – Andrew DeClercq, American basketball player and coach
 * 1973  – Óscar Pérez Rojas, Mexican footballer
 * 1974 – Walter McCarty, American basketball player and coach
 * 1975 – Big Boi, American rapper
 * 1975  – Martijn Reuser, Dutch footballer
 * 1975  – Tomáš Vlasák, Czech ice hockey player
 * 1976 – Phil Ivey, American poker player
 * 1976  – Mat Rogers, Australian rugby player
 * 1977 – Robert Traylor, American basketball player (d. 2011)
 * 1978 – Tim Harding, Australian singer and actor
 * 1979 – Valentín Elizalde, Mexican singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
 * 1979  – Jason Isbell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * 1979  – Juan, Brazilian footballer
 * 1980 – Héctor Luna, Dominican baseball player
 * 1981 – Hins Cheung, Hong Kong singer-songwriter
 * 1981  – Christian Giménez, Argentinian footballer
 * 1981  – Graeme Smith, South African cricketer
 * 1982 – Gavin Henson, Welsh rugby player
 * 1982  – Shoaib Malik, Pakistani cricketer
 * 1983 – Heather DeLoach, American actress
 * 1983  – Kevin Martin, American basketball player
 * 1983  – Jurgen Van den Broeck, Belgian cyclist
 * 1983  – Andrew VanWyngarden, American singer-songwriter and musician
 * 1984 – Darren Fletcher, Scottish footballer
 * 1985 – Dean Shiels, Irish footballer
 * 1986 – Jorrit Bergsma, Dutch speed skater
 * 1986  – Lauren Conrad, American fashion designer and author
 * 1986  – Ladislav Šmíd, Czech ice hockey player
 * 1987 – Sebastian Boenisch, Polish footballer
 * 1987  – Moises Henriques, Portuguese-Australian cricketer
 * 1987  – Austin Jackson, American baseball player
 * 1987  – Heather Morris, American actress, singer, and dancer
 * 1987  – Giuseppe Rossi, Italian footballer
 * 1987  – Ronda Rousey, American mixed martial artist, wrestler and actress
 * 1988 – Brett Anderson, American baseball player
 * 1989 – Ricky Pinheiro, Portuguese footballer
 * 1990 – Tyler Myers, American-Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1991 – Blake Austin, Australian rugby league player
 * 1991  – Kyle Palmieri, American hockey player
 * 1992 – Sean Manaea, American baseball player
 * 1993 – Diego Mella, Italian footballer
 * 1994 – Anna-Lena Friedsam, German tennis player
 * 1994  – Julia Garner, American actress
 * 1994  – Harry Styles, English singer-songwriter and actor
 * 1996 – Ahmad Abughaush, Jordanian taekwondo athlete
 * 1997 – Drew Eubanks, American basketball player
 * 1997  – Jihyo, South Korean singer
 * 1999 – Mohamed Abdelmonem, Egyptian footballer
 * 2000 – Talanoa Hufanga, American football player

Pre-1600

 * 583 – Kan B'alam I, ruler of Palenque (b. 524)
 * 772 – Pope Stephen III (b. 720)
 * 850 – Ramiro I, king of Asturias
 * 1222 – Alexios Megas Komnenos, first Emperor of Trebizond
 * 1248 – Henry II, Duke of Brabant (b. 1207)
 * 1328 – Charles IV of France (b. 1294)
 * 1501 – Sigismund of Bavaria (b. 1439)
 * 1542 – Girolamo Aleandro, Italian cardinal (b. 1480)
 * 1563 – Menas of Ethiopia
 * 1590 – Lawrence Humphrey, English theologian and academic (b. 1527)

1601–1900

 * 1691 – Pope Alexander VIII (b. 1610)
 * 1718 – Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1660)
 * 1733 – Augustus II the Strong, Polish king (b. 1670)
 * 1734 – John Floyer, English physician and author (b. 1649)
 * 1743 – Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni, Italian organist and composer (b. 1657)
 * 1750 – Bakar of Georgia (b. 1699)
 * 1761 – Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, French priest and historian (b. 1682)
 * 1768 – Sir Robert Rich, 4th Baronet, English field marshal and politician (b. 1685)
 * 1793 – William Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1717)
 * 1803 – Anders Chydenius, Finnish economist, philosopher and Lutheran priest (b. 1729)
 * 1832 – Archibald Murphey, American judge and politician (b. 1777)
 * 1851 – Mary Shelley, English novelist and playwright (b. 1797)
 * 1871 – Alexander Serov, Russian composer and critic (b. 1820)
 * 1893 – George Henry Sanderson, American lawyer and politician, 22nd Mayor of San Francisco (b. 1824)
 * 1897 – Constantin von Ettingshausen, Austrian geologist and botanist (b. 1826)

1901–present

 * 1903 – Sir George Stokes, Anglo-Irish physicist, mathematician, and politician (b. 1819)
 * 1907 – Léon Serpollet, French businessman (b. 1858)
 * 1908 – Carlos I of Portugal (b. 1863)
 * 1916 – James Boucaut, English-Australian politician, 11th Premier of South Australia (b. 1831)
 * 1917 – Georg Andreas Bull, Norwegian architect (b. 1829)
 * 1922 – William Desmond Taylor, American actor and director (b. 1872)
 * 1924 – Maurice Prendergast, American painter (b. 1858)
 * 1928 – Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (b. 1869)
 * 1936 – Georgios Kondylis, Greek general and politician, 128th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1878)
 * 1940 – Philip Francis Nowlan, American author, created Buck Rogers (b. 1888)
 * 1940  – Zacharias Papantoniou, Greek journalist and critic (b. 1877)
 * 1944 – Piet Mondrian, Dutch-American painter (b. 1872)
 * 1949 – Nicolae Dumitru Cocea, Romanian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1880)
 * 1949  – Herbert Stothart, American conductor and composer (b. 1885)
 * 1957 – Friedrich Paulus, German general (b. 1890)
 * 1958 – Clinton Davisson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
 * 1959 – Madame Sul-Te-Wan, American actress (b. 1873)
 * 1965 – Johan Scharffenberg, Norwegian psychiatrist (b. 1869)
 * 1966 – Hedda Hopper, American actress and journalist (b. 1885)
 * 1966  – Buster Keaton, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1895)
 * 1968 – Echol Cole and Robert Walker - sparking the Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike
 * 1970 – Alfréd Rényi, Hungarian mathematician and academic (b. 1921)
 * 1976 – Werner Heisenberg, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1901)
 * 1976  – George Whipple, American physician and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1878)
 * 1979 – Abdi İpekçi, Turkish journalist and activist (b. 1929)
 * 1980 – Yolanda González (activist), Basque activist (b.1961)
 * 1981 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American engineer and businessman, founded the Douglas Aircraft Company (b. 1892)
 * 1981  – Geirr Tveitt, Norwegian pianist and composer (b. 1908)
 * 1986 – Alva Myrdal, Swedish sociologist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
 * 1987 – Alessandro Blasetti, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1900)
 * 1988 – Heather O'Rourke, American child actress (b. 1975)
 * 1989 – Elaine de Kooning, American painter and academic (b. 1918)
 * 1989 – Eduardo Franco, Uruguayan lead singer of the band "Los Iracundos" (b. 1945)
 * 1991 – Ahmad Abd al-Ghafur Attar, Saudi Arabian writer and journalist (b. 1916)
 * 1992 – Jean Hamburger, French physician and surgeon (b. 1909)
 * 1993 – Sven Thofelt, Swedish modern pentathlete and épée fencer (b. 1904)
 * 1996 – Ray Crawford, American race car driver, pilot, and businessman (b. 1915)
 * 1997 – Herb Caen, American journalist and author (b. 1916)
 * 1999 – Paul Mellon, American art collector and philanthropist (b. 1907)
 * 2001 – André D'Allemagne, Canadian political scientist and academic (b. 1929)
 * 2002 – Aykut Barka, Turkish geologist and academic (b. 1951)
 * 2002  – Hildegard Knef, German actress and singer (b. 1925)
 * 2003 – Space Shuttle Columbia crew
 * Michael P. Anderson, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1959)
 * David M. Brown, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1956)
 * Kalpana Chawla, Indian-American engineer and astronaut (b. 1961)
 * Laurel Clark, American captain, surgeon, and astronaut (b. 1961)
 * Rick Husband, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1957)
 * William C. McCool, American commander, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1961)
 * Ilan Ramon, Israeli colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1954)
 * 2003  – Mongo Santamaría, Cuban-American drummer and bandleader (b. 1922)
 * 2004 – Suha Arın, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
 * 2005 – John Vernon, Canadian-American actor (b. 1932)
 * 2007 – Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian-American playwright and composer (b. 1911)
 * 2008 – Beto Carrero, Brazilian actor and businessman (b. 1937)
 * 2012 – Don Cornelius, American television host and producer (b. 1936)
 * 2012  – Wisława Szymborska, Polish poet and translator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923)
 * 2013 – Helene Hale, American politician (b. 1918)
 * 2013  – Ed Koch, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 105th Mayor of New York City (b. 1924)
 * 2013  – Shanu Lahiri, Indian painter and educator (b. 1928)
 * 2013  – Cecil Womack, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
 * 2014 – Luis Aragonés, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1938)
 * 2014  – Vasily Petrov, Russian marshal (b. 1917)
 * 2014  – Rene Ricard, American poet, painter, and critic (b. 1946)
 * 2014  – Maximilian Schell, Austrian-Swiss actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
 * 2015 – Aldo Ciccolini, Italian-French pianist (b. 1925)
 * 2015  – Udo Lattek, German footballer, manager, and sportscaster (b. 1935)
 * 2015  – Monty Oum, American animator, director, and screenwriter (b. 1981)
 * 2016 – Óscar Humberto Mejía Victores, Guatemalan general and politician, 27th President of Guatemala (b. 1930)
 * 2017 – Desmond Carrington, British actor and broadcaster (b. 1926)
 * 2018 – Barys Kit, Belarusian rocket scientist (b. 1910)
 * 2018  – Mowzey Radio, Ugandan singer and songwriter (b. 1985)
 * 2019 – Jeremy Hardy, English comedian, radio host and panelist (b. 1961)
 * 2019  – Clive Swift, English actor (b. 1936)
 * 2019  – Wade Wilson, American football player and coach (b. 1959)
 * 2021 – Dustin Diamond, American actor, director, stand-up comedian, and musician (b. 1977)
 * 2021  – Temur Tsiklauri, Georgian pop singer and actor (b. 1946)
 * 2022 – Remi De Roo, Canadian bishop of the Catholic Church (b. 1924)

Holidays and observances

 * Abolition of Slavery Day (Mauritius)
 * Air Force Day (Nicaragua)
 * Christian feast day:
 * Blessed Candelaria of San José
 * Brigid of Ireland (Saint Brigid's Day)
 * Verdiana
 * 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)
 * 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