Today February 9th in history click read more below to view detail events, deaths, births, Holidays and observances, and video clips in hisotry. Please comments, last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
474 – Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
1555 – Bishop of Gloucester John Hooper is burned at the stake.
1621 – Gregory XV becomes Pope, the last Pope elected by acclamation.
1775 – American Revolutionary War: British Parliament declares Massachusetts in rebellion.
1788 – The Habsburg Empire joins the Russo-Turkish War in the Russian camp.
1822 – Haiti invades the newly founded Dominican Republic.
1825 – After no presidential candidate received a majority of electoral votes, the United States House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams President of the United States.
1861 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is elected the Provisional President of the Confederate States of America by the Confederate convention at Montgomery, Alabama.
1870 – The U.S. Weather Bureau was established.
1885 – The first Japanese arrive in Hawaii.
1889 – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is established as a Cabinet-level agency.
1895 – William G. Morgan modifies Mintonette to volleyball.
1900 – Davis Cup competition is established.
1904 – Russo–Japanese War: Battle of Port Arthur
1920 – By the terms of the Svalbard Treaty, international diplomacy recognizes Norwegian sovereignty over Arctic archipelago Svalbard, and designates it as demilitarized.
1922 – Brazil becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.
1934 – The Balkan Entente is formed.
1942 – World War II: Top United States military leaders hold their first formal meeting to discuss American military strategy in the war.
1942 – Daylight saving time goes into effect in the United States.
1942 – Allied forces declare Guadalcanal secure, ending the Guadalcanal Campaign as a significant strategic victory for Allied forces fighting Imperial Japan in the Pacific War.
1943 – World War II: Allied authorities declare Guadalcanal secure after Imperial Japan evacuates its remaining forces from the island, ending the Battle of Guadalcanal.
1945 – The Battle of the Atlantic the HMS Venturer sinking U-Boat 864 off the coast of Norway.
1950 – Second Red Scare: Senator Joseph McCarthy accuses the United States State Department of being filled with Communists.
1960 – Joanne Woodward receives the first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1962 – Jamaica becomes independent nation within the Commonwealth of Nations.
1964 – The Beatles make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing before a record-busting audience of 73 million viewers.
1965 – Vietnam War: The first United States combat troops are sent to South Vietnam.
1969 – First test flight of the Boeing 747.
1971 – The 6.4 on the Richter Scale Sylmar earthquake hits the San Fernando Valley area of California.
1971 – Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League player to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 14 returns to Earth after the third manned moon landing.
1973 – Biju Patnaik of the Pragati Legislature Party elected leader of opposition in the state assembly in Orissa, India.
1975 – The Soyuz 17 Soviet spacecraft returns to Earth.
1986 – Comet Halley reaches perihelion, its closest approach to the sun, during its second visit to the inner solar system in the 20th century.
1991 – Voters in Lithuania vote for independence.
1994 – Vance-Owen peace plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina is announced.
1995 – Space Shuttle astronauts Bernard A. Harris, Jr. and Michael Foale become the first African American and first Briton, respectively, to perform spacewalks.
1996 – The Irish Republican Army declares the end of its 18 month ceasefire shortly followed by a large bomb in London s Canary Wharf.
2001 – The American submarine USS Greeneville accidentally strikes and sinks the Ehime-Maru, a Japanese training vessel operated by the Uwajima Fishery High School.
Births
1533 – Shimazu Yoshihisa, Japanese samurai (d. 1611)
1645 – Johann Aegidius Bach, German violistian (d. 1716)
1666 – George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, British soldier (d. 1737)
1748 – Luther Martin, American patriot (d. 1826)
1756 – Karel Blažej Kopriva, Czech composer (d. 1785)
1763 – Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Baden (d. 1830)
1769 – Susette Gontard, the beloved of the poet Friedrich Hölderlin (d. 1802)
1773 – William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States (d. 1841)
1775 – Farkas Bolyai, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1856)
1781 – Johann Baptist von Spix, German scientist (d. 1826)
1783 – Vasily Zhukovsky, Russian poet (d. 1852)
1789 – Franz Xaver Gabelsberger, German inventor of the stenography (d. 1849)
1800 – Hyrum Smith, American religious leader (d. 1844)
1814 – Samuel Jones Tilden, 28th Governor of New York (d. 1886)
1830 – Abd-ul-Aziz, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1876)
1834 – Felix Dahn, German author (d. 1912)
1839 – Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (d. 1896)
1846 – Wilhelm Maybach, German automotive designer (d. 1929)
1846 – Whitaker Wright, English mining tycoon (d. 1904)
1865 – Mrs. Patrick Campbell, British actress (d. 1940)
1865 – Erich von Drygalski, German geographer, geophysicist, and polar scientist (d. 1949)
1874 – Amy Lowell, American poet (d. 1925)
1880 – Lipót Fejér, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1959)
1885 – Alban Berg, Austrian composer (d. 1935)
1891 – Ronald Colman, English actor (d. 1958)
1892 – Peggy Wood, American actress (d. 1978)
1892 – Tommy Treichel, American professional wrestler (d. 1936)
1895 – Hermann Brill, German politician (d. 1959)
1897 – Charles Kingsford Smith, Australian pilot (d. 1935)
1901 – Brian Donlevy, Irish actor (d. 1972)
1901 – James Murray, American actor (d. 1936)
1902 – Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, German women s leader (d. 1999)
1906 – André Kostolany, stock market expert and speculator (d. 1999)
1909 – Heather Angel, British actress (d. 1986)
1909 – Carmen Miranda, Brazilian actress (d. 1955)
1909 – Dean Rusk, 54th United States Secretary of State (d. 1994)
1909 – Harald Genzmer, German composer (d. 2007)
1910 – Jacques Monod, French biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1976)
1911 – William Darby, American World War II Army officer (d. 1945)
1914 – Gypsy Rose Lee, American dancer (d. 1970)
1914 – Ernest Tubb, American singer (d. 1984)
1914 – Bill Veeck, American baseball executive (d. 1986)
1915 – Lennard Pearce, English actor (d. 1984)
1916 – Tex Hughson, American baseball player (d. 1993)
1922 – Kathryn Grayson, American actress
1922 – Jim Laker, English cricketer (d. 1986)
1923 – Brendan Behan, Irish author (d. 1964)
1925 – Burkhard Heim, German physicist (d. 2001)
1926 – Garret FitzGerald, 7th Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland
1928 – Frank Frazetta, American illustrator
1928 – Rinus Michels, Dutch football coach (d. 2005)
1928 – Roger Mudd, American journalist
1929 – Clement Meadmore, Australian-born sculptor (d. 2005)
1930 – Garner Ted Armstrong, American evangelist (d. 2003)
1931 – Thomas Bernhard, Austrian playwright and novelist (d. 1989)
1931 – Josef Masopust, Czech footballer
1932 – Tatsuro Hirooka, Japanese baseball player
1932 – Gerhard Richter, German painter
1933 – Loris Azzaro, French fashion designer (d. 2003)
1934 – John Ziegler, former NHL Commissioner
1936 – Stompin Tom Connors, Canadian country singer
1936 – Clive Swift, British actor
1937 – Clete Boyer, American baseball player (d. 2007)
1939 – Barry Mann, American singer
1939 – Janet Suzman, South African actress
1940 – Brian Bennett, British musician (The Shadows)
1940 – J. M. Coetzee, South African author, Nobel laureate
1941 – Sheila Kuehl, American actress
1942 – Carole King, American singer
1943 – Barbara Lewis, American singer and songwriter
1943 – Jonny Nilsson, Swedish speedskater
1943 – Joe Pesci, American actor
1943 – Joseph E. Stiglitz, American economist, Nobel laureate
1944 – Derryn Hinch, Australian media personality
1944 – Alice Walker, American writer
1945 – Mia Farrow, American actress
1945 – Gérard Lenorman, French singer
1946 – Séan Neeson, Northern Irish politician
1946 – Vince Papale, American football player
1946 – Jim Webb, United States Senator from Virginia
1947 – Carla Del Ponte, Swiss UN prosecutor
1947 – Joe Ely, American musician
1947 – Major Harris, American singer
1949 – Judith Light, American actress
1950 – Richard F. Colburn, American politician
1952 – Danny White, American football player
1952 – Mookie Wilson, American baseball player
1953 – Ciarán Hinds, Northern Irish actor
1953 – Gabriel Rotello, American television documentary producer
1954 – Mary Jo Duffy, American comic book writer and editor
1954 – Christopher Gardner, American entrepreneur
1954 – Kevin Warwick, Cyborg Scientist
1955 – Jim J. Bullock, American actor
1955 – Charles Shaughnessy, British actor
1957 – Gordon Strachan, Scottish football player and manager
1958 – Chris Nilan, National Hockey League player
1958 – Cyrille Regis, English former footballer
1960 – Holly Johnson, British singer (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
1961 – John Kruk, American baseball player
1961 – Jussi Lampi, Finnish musician and actor
1962 – Anik Bissonnette, Quebec ballet dancer (Les Grands Ballets Canadiens)
1963 – Brian Greene, American physicist
1963 – Travis Tritt, American singer
1965 – Igor Malkov, Russian speedskater
1965 – Julie Warner, American actress
1966 – Ellen van Langen, Dutch athlete
1966 – Harald Eia, Norwegian TV – comedian
1967 – Todd Pratt, American baseball player
1968 – Alejandra Guzmán, Mexican singer
1968 – Rahul Roy, Indian actor
1969 – Jimmy Smith, American football player
1970 – Glenn McGrath, Australian cricketer
1971 – Sharon Case, American actress
1971 – Johan Mjällby, Swedish footballer
1972 – Crispin Freeman, American voice actor
1972 – Darren Ferguson, Scottish footballer
1972 – Jason Winston George, American actor
1973 – Svetlana Boginskaya, Soviet gymnast
1974 – Brad Maynard, National Football League punter
1973 – Colin Egglesfield, American actor
1974 – Amber Valletta, American model
1975 – Viktor Chistiakov, Russian-born Australian athlete
1975 – Clinton Grybas, Australian Football commentator (d. 2008)
1976 – Charlie Day, American actor
1976 – Vladimir Guerrero, Dominican baseball player
1976 – Georgios Korakakis, Greek footballer
1978 – Airton Daré, Brazilian racing driver
1978 – Daniel Mann, British television commentator
1979 – David Gray, English snooker player
1979 – Akinori Iwamura, Japanese baseball pitcher
1979 – Irina Slutskaya, Russian figure skater
1979 – Zhang Ziyi, Chinese actress
1980 – Angelos Charisteas, Greek footballer
1980 – Shelly Martinez, American wrestler
1981 – Joël Camathias, Swiss racing driver
1981 – John Walker Lindh, American Taliban fighter
1982 – Ami Suzuki, Japanese singer
1983 – Mikel Arruabarrena, Spanish footballer
1984 – Han Kyung, Korean singer Super Junior
1984 – Dioner Navarro, Venezuelan baseball player
1985 – David Gallagher, American actor
1986 – Princess Raiyah bint Al Hussein, of Jordan
1987 – Magdalena Neuner, German biathlete
1987 – Joe O Cearuill, Irish footballer
1989 – Wu Chia-ching, Taiwanese pool player
1989 – Gia Farrell, American singer
1990 – Camille Winbush, American actress
1992 – Avan Jogia, Canadian actor
1996 – Jimmy Bennett, American actor
Deaths
1011 – Bernard I, Duke of Saxony
1199 – Minamoto no Yoritomo, Japanese shogun (b. 1147)
1450 – Agnès Sorel, mistress of King Charles VII of France (b. 1421)
1555 – Rowland Taylor, English pastor (executed) (b. 1510)
1619 – Lucilio Vanini, Italian philosopher (b. 1585)
1640 – Murad IV, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1612)
1675 – Gerhard Douw, Dutch painter (b. 1613)
1709 – François Louis, Prince of Conti, French general (b. 1664)
1751 – Henri François d Aguesseau, Chancellor of France (b. 1668)
1752 – Fredric Hasselquist, Swedish naturalist (b. 1722)
1777 – Seth Pomeroy, American gunsmith and soldier (b. 1706)
1782 – Joseph Aloysius Assemani, Syrian orientalist (b. 1710)
1803 – Jean François de Saint-Lambert, French poet (b. 1716)
1857 – Dionysios Solomos, Greek poet of the Greek national anthem (b. 1798)
1874 – Jules Michelet, French historian (b. 1798)
1881 – Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Russian novelist (b. 1821)
1891 – Johan Jongkind, Dutch painter (b. 1819)
1906 – Paul Laurence Dunbar, American poet (b. 1872)
1940 – Eugene Bleuler, Swiss psychiatrist (b. 1857)
1951 – Eddy Duchin, American musician (b. 1910)
1957 – Miklós Horthy, Hungarian admiral (b. 1868)
1960 – Alexandre Benois, Russian artist (b. 1870)
1960 – Erno Dohnányi, Hungarian pianist, conductor and composer (b. 1877)
1966 – Sophie Tucker, Russian-born actress (b. 1884)
1969 – Gabby Hayes, American actor (b. 1885)
1973 – Vasiliki Maliaros, Greek actress (b. 1883)
1973 – Max Yasgur, American farmer (Woodstock Festival) (b. 1919)
1976 – Percy Faith, Canadian musician (b. 1908)
1977 – Sergey Ilyushin, Russian aircraft designer (b. 1894)
1978 – Costante Girardengo, Italian cyclist (b. 1893)
1978 – Julio Jaramillo, Ecuadorian singer (b. 1935)
1979 – Dennis Gabor, Hungarian physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1900)
1980 – Tom Macdonald, Welsh journalist and novelist (b. 1900)
1981 – Bill Haley, American musician (Bill Haley & His Comets) (b. 1925)
1984 – Yuri Andropov, Soviet politician (b. 1914)
1989 – Osamu Tezuka, Japanese manga artist (b. 1928)
1991 – James Cleveland, American gospel singer (b. 1931)
1994 – Howard Martin Temin, American geneticist, Nobel laureate (b. 1934)
1995 – J. William Fulbright, American politician (b. 1905)
1995 – David Wayne, American actor (b. 1914)
1997 – Brian Connolly, Scottish singer (Sweet) (b. 1945)
1999 – Bryan Mosley, British actor (b. 1931)
2001 – Herbert Simon, American economist, Nobel laureate (b. 1916)
2002 – Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom (b. 1930)
2002 – Vicente Sardinero, Spanish baritone (b. 1937)
2004 – Claude Ryan, Canadian newspaper director and politician (b. 1925)
2006 – Freddie Laker, British airline entrepreneur (b. 1922)
2006 – Nadira, Indian actress (b. 1932)
2007 – Hank Bauer, American baseball player (b. 1922)
2007 – Ian Richardson, Scottish actor (b. 1934)
2008 – Christopher Hyatt Occultist,Philosopher and Author.
2008 – Jazeh Tabatabai, Iranian avant-garde painter, poet and sculptor. (b. 1931)
2008 – Trichen Jurme Kunzang Wangyal, the eleventh Mindrolling Trichen, Tibetan Buddhist lama of the Nyingma school (b. 1930)
2008 – Scott Halpin, a one time drummer of The Who.
Holidays and observances
Saint Ansbert of Rouen
Saint Maron s Day – Lebanon
Saint Apollonia, patron saint of dentists and dental technicians
Saint Teilo s Day – Wales
February 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
