February 29: On This Day

Events, births, deaths, holidays and observances for February 29.

Events 43

888 – Odo, count of Paris, is crowned king of West Francia (France) by Archbishop Walter of Sens at Compiègne.
1504 – Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Jamaican natives to provide him with supplies.
1644 – Abel Tasman's second Pacific voyage begins as he leaves Batavia in command of three ships.
1704 – In Queen Anne's War, French forces and Native Americans stage a raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, killing 56 villagers and taking more than 100 captive.
1712 – February 29 is followed by February 30 in Sweden, in a move to abolish the Swedish calendar for a return to the Julian calendar.
1720 – Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden abdicates in favour of her husband, who becomes King Frederick I on March 24.
1768 – Polish nobles form the Bar Confederation.
1796 – The Jay Treaty between the United States and Great Britain comes into force, facilitating ten years of peaceful trade between the two nations.
1892 – St. Petersburg, Florida is incorporated.
1908 – James Madison University is founded at Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States as The State Normal and Industrial School for Women by the Virginia General Assembly.
1912 – The Piedra Movediza (Moving Stone) of Tandil falls and breaks.
1916 – Tokelau is annexed by the United Kingdom.
1916 – In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill and mine workers is raised from 12 to 14 years old.
1920 – The Czechoslovak National Assembly adopts the Constitution.
1924 – The Victorian Football League created the Brownlow Medal to honour deceased administrator Charles Brownlow, now awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League.
1936 – The February 26 Incident in Tokyo ends.
1940 – For her performance as Mammy in Gone with the Wind, Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award.
1940 – Finland initiates Winter War peace negotiations.
1940 – In a ceremony held in Berkeley, California, physicist Ernest Lawrence receives the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics from Sweden's consul general in San Francisco.
1944 – The Admiralty Islands are invaded in Operation Brewer, led by American general Douglas MacArthur, in World War II.
1960 – The 5.7 Mw Agadir earthquake shakes coastal Morocco with a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme), destroying Agadir and leaving 12,000 dead and another 12,000 injured.
1964 – British Eagle International Airlines Flight 802/6 crashes into the Glungezer mountain in the Tux Alps of Austria, killing all 75 people aboard.
1968 – Aeroflot Flight 15 crashes Irkutsk Oblast, Soviet Union, due to a loss of control. Eighty-three of the 84 occupants onboard die. The exact cause of the accident is unknown.
1972 – South Korea withdraws 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from South Vietnam as part of Nixon's Vietnamization policy in the Vietnam War.
1980 – Gordie Howe of the Hartford Whalers makes NHL history as he scores his 800th goal.
1984 – Pierre Trudeau announces his retirement as Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister of Canada.
1988 – South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is arrested along with 100 other clergymen during a five-day anti-apartheid demonstration in Cape Town.
1988 – Svend Robinson becomes the first member of the House of Commons of Canada to come out as gay.
1992 – A referendum is begun in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the determination of Bosnian independence.
1996 – Faucett Perú Flight 251 crashes in the Andes; all 123 passengers and crew are killed.
1996 – The Siege of Sarajevo officially ends.
2000 – Chechens attack a guard post near Ulus Kert, eventually killing 84 Russian paratroopers during the Second Chechen War.
2004 – Jean-Bertrand Aristide is removed as president of Haiti following a coup.
2004 – Angelina Jolie wears a White Marc Bouwer dress to the 76th Academy Awards, which has since been placed on numerous lists for best Oscars fashion.
2008 – The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence withdraws Prince Harry from a tour of Afghanistan after news of his deployment is leaked to foreign media.
2008 – Misha Defonseca admits to fabricating her memoir, Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years, in which she claims to have lived with a pack of wolves in the woods during the Holocaust.
2012 – North Korea agrees to suspend uranium enrichment and nuclear and long-range missile tests in return for US food aid.
2016 – In the Miqdadiyah bombing: at least 40 people are killed and 58 others wounded following a suicide bombing by ISIL at a Shi'ite funeral in the city of Miqdadiyah, Diyala, Iraq.
2020 – During a demonstration, pro-government colectivos shoot at disputed President and Speaker of the National Assembly Juan Guaidó and his supporters in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, leaving five injured.
2020 – The United States and the Taliban sign the Doha Agreement for bringing peace to Afghanistan.
2020 – Muhyiddin Yassin is appointed as the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia, amid the 2020 Malaysian political crisis.
2020 – Luxembourg becomes the first country in the world to render public transport free nationwide.
2024 – The Flour Massacre took place in the Gaza Strip: Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians waiting for aid amidst the Gaza war, killing over 100 and wounding 750.

Births 132

1468 – Pope Paul III (died 1549)
1528 – Albert V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1579)
1528 – Domingo Báñez, Spanish theologian (died 1604)
1572 – Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon (died 1638)
1576 – Antonio Neri, Florentine priest and glassmaker (died 1614)
1640 – Benjamin Keach, Particular Baptist preacher and author whose name is given to Keach's Catechism (died 1704)
1692 – John Byrom, English poet and educator (died 1763)
1724 – Eva Marie Veigel, Austrian-English dancer (died 1822)
1736 – Ann Lee, English-American religious leader, founder of the Shakers (died 1784)
1792 – Gioachino Rossini, Italian composer (died 1868)
1812 – James Milne Wilson, Scottish-Australian soldier and politician, eighth Premier of Tasmania (died 1880)
1828 – Emmeline B. Wells, American journalist, poet and activist (died 1921)
1836 – Dickey Pearce, American baseball player and manager (died 1908)
1840 – Theodor Leber, German ophthalmologist (died 1917)
1852 – Frank Gavan Duffy, Irish-Australian lawyer and judge, fourth Chief Justice of Australia (died 1936)
1852 – Prince George Maximilianovich, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg (died 1912)
1860 – Herman Hollerith, American statistician and businessman, co-founder of the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (died 1929)
1884 – Richard S. Aldrich, American lawyer and politician (died 1941)
1892 – Augusta Savage, American sculptor (died 1962)
1896 – Morarji Desai, Indian civil servant and politician, fourth Prime Minister of India (died 1995)
1896 – William A. Wellman, American actor, director, producer and screenwriter (died 1975)
1904 – Jimmy Dorsey, American saxophonist, composer and bandleader (died 1957)
1904 – Pepper Martin, American baseball player and manager (died 1965)
1908 – Balthus, French-Swiss painter and illustrator (died 2001)
1908 – Dee Brown, American historian and author (died 2002)
1908 – Alf Gover, English cricketer and coach (died 2001)
1908 – Louie Myfanwy Thomas, Welsh writer (died 1968)
1912 – Kamil Tolon, Turkish industrialist (died 1978)
1916 – James B. Donovan, American lawyer (died 1970)
1916 – Leonard Shoen, founder of U-Haul Corp. (died 1999)
1920 – Fyodor Abramov, Russian author and critic (died 1983)
1920 – Arthur Franz, American actor (died 2006)
1920 – James Mitchell, American actor and dancer (died 2010)
1920 – Michèle Morgan, French-American actress and singer (died 2016)
1920 – Rolland W. Redlin, American lawyer and politician (died 2011)
1924 – David Beattie, New Zealand judge and politician, 14th Governor-General of New Zealand (died 2001)
1924 – Carlos Humberto Romero, Salvadoran politician, President of El Salvador (died 2017)
1924 – Al Rosen, American baseball player and manager (died 2015)
1928 – Joss Ackland, English actor (died 2023)
1928 – Jean Adamson, British writer and illustrator (Topsy and Tim) (died 2024)
1928 – Vance Haynes, American archaeologist, geologist and author
1928 – Michael Henshall, English Anglican suffragan bishop (died 2017)
1928 – Seymour Papert, South African mathematician and computer scientist, co-creator of the Logo programming language (died 2016)
1928 – Tempest Storm, born Annie Banks, "The Queen Of Exotic Dancers", American burlesque performer and actress (died 2021)
1932 – Gene H. Golub, American mathematician and academic (died 2007)
1932 – Masten Gregory, American race car driver (died 1985)
1932 – Reri Grist, American soprano and actress
1932 – Jaguar, Brazilian cartoonist (died 2025)
1932 – Gavin Stevens, Australian cricketer
1936 – Nh. Dini, Indonesian writer (died 2018)
1936 – Jack R. Lousma, American colonel, astronaut and politician
1936 – Henri Richard, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2020)
1936 – Alex Rocco, American actor (died 2015)
1940 – Sonja Barend, Dutch talk show host
1940 – Bartholomew I, current Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
1944 – Dennis Farina, American police officer and actor (died 2013)
1944 – Nicholas Frayling, English priest and academic
1944 – Phyllis Frelich, American actress (died 2014)
1944 – Steve Mingori, American baseball player (died 2008)
1944 – Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri, Italian author and illustrator
1944 – Lennart Svedberg, Swedish ice hockey player (died 1972).
1944 – Saeed Poursamimi, Iranian actor
1948 – Hermione Lee, English author, critic and academic
1948 – Manoel Maria, Brazilian footballer
1948 – Patricia A. McKillip, American author (died 2022)
1948 – Sonny M'Pokomandji, Central African basketball player and politician, Minister of Equipment and Transport (2003–2005)
1952 – Tim Powers, American author and educator
1952 – Raisa Smetanina, Russian cross-country skier
1952 – Bart Stupak, American police officer and politician
1956 – Knut Agnred, Swedish singer, actor and comedian
1956 – Jonathan Coleman, English-Australian radio and television host (died 2021)
1956 – Bob Speller, Canadian businessman and politician, 30th Canadian Minister of Agriculture (died 2021)
1956 – Aileen Wuornos, American serial killer (died 2002)
1960 – Khaled, Algerian singer-songwriter
1960 – Richard Ramirez, American serial killer and sex offender (died 2013)
1960 – Tony Robbins, American author and motivational activist
1964 – Dave Brailsford, English cyclist and coach
1964 – Carmel Busuttil, former Maltese footballer
1964 – Lyndon Byers, Canadian ice hockey player and radio host (died 2025)
1964 – Mervyn Warren, American tenor, composer and producer
1968 – Chucky Brown, American basketball player and coach
1968 – Gareth Farr, New Zealand composer and percussionist
1968 – Pete Fenson, American curler
1968 – Bryce Paup, American football player and coach
1968 – Howard Tayler, American author and illustrator
1968 – Eugene Volokh, Ukrainian-American lawyer and educator
1968 – Frank Woodley, Australian actor, producer and screenwriter
1972 – Sylvie Lubamba, Italian showgirl
1972 – Mike Pollitt, English footballer and coach
1972 – Antonio Sabàto Jr., Italian-American model and actor
1972 – Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain
1972 – Dave Williams, American singer (died 2002)
1972 – Saul Williams, American singer-songwriter
1972 – Pedro Zamora, Cuban-American activist and educator (died 1994)
1976 – Vonteego Cummings, American basketball player
1976 – Katalin Kovács, Hungarian sprint kayaker
1976 – Terrence Long, American baseball player
1976 – Ja Rule, American rapper and actor
1980 – Çağdaş Atan, Turkish footballer and coach
1980 – Simon Gagné, Canadian ice hockey player
1980 – Rubén Plaza, Spanish cyclist
1980 – Clinton Toopi, New Zealand rugby league player
1980 – Taylor Twellman, American soccer player and sportscaster
1980 – Peter Scanavino, American actor (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
1984 – Darren Ambrose, English footballer
1984 – Rica Imai, Japanese model and actress
1984 – Cullen Jones, American swimmer
1984 – Nuria Martínez, Spanish basketball player
1984 – Lena Raine, American video game composer and producer
1984 – Rakhee Thakrar, English actress
1984 – Cam Ward, Canadian ice hockey player
1984 – Mark Foster, American singer, songwriter and musician
1988 – Lena Gercke, German model and television host
1988 – Benedikt Höwedes, German footballer
1988 – Coco Khan, British writer
1988 – Brent Macaffer, Australian Rules footballer
1988 – Hannah Mills, Welsh sports sailor
1992 – Sean Abbott, Australian cricketer
1992 – Eric Kendricks, American football player
1992 – Jessica Long, American paralympic swimmer
1992 – Jessie T. Usher, American actor
1992 – Saphir Taïder, Algerian footballer
1996 – Nelson Asofa-Solomona, New Zealand rugby league player
1996 – Norberto Briasco, Argentine-Armenian footballer
1996 – Reece Prescod, British sprinter
1996 – Claudia Williams, New Zealand tennis player
2000 – Tyrese Haliburton, American basketball player
2000 – Ferran Torres, Spanish footballer
2000 – Jesper Lindstrøm, Danish footballer
2004 – Lydia Jacoby, American swimmer
2004 – Abdukodir Khusanov, Uzbek footballer
2008 – Rémi Himbert, French footballer

Deaths 64

468 – Pope Hilarius
992 – Oswald of Worcester, Anglo-Saxon archbishop and saint (born 925)
1460 – Albert III, Duke of Bavaria-Munich (born 1401)
1528 – Patrick Hamilton, Scottish Protestant reformer and martyr (born 1504)
1592 – Alessandro Striggio, Italian composer and diplomat (born 1536/1537)
1600 – Caspar Hennenberger, German pastor, historian and cartographer (born 1529)
1604 – John Whitgift, English archbishop and academic (born 1530)
1712 – Johann Conrad Peyer, Swiss anatomist (born 1653)
1744 – John Theophilus Desaguliers, French-English physicist and philosopher (born 1683)
1792 – Johann Andreas Stein, German piano builder (born 1728)
1820 – Johann Joachim Eschenburg, German historian and critic (born 1743)
1848 – Louis-François Lejeune, French general, painter and lithographer (born 1775)
1856 – Auguste Chapdelaine, French Christian missionary (born 1814)
1868 – Ludwig I of Bavaria (born 1786)
1880 – James Milne Wilson, Scottish-Australian soldier and politician, 8th Premier of Tasmania (born 1812)
1904 – Patrick O'Sullivan, Irish-Australian politician (born 1818)
1904 – Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin, French astronomer (born 1845)
1908 – Pat Garrett, American sheriff (born 1850)
1908 – John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow, Scottish-Australian politician, 1st Governor-General of Australia (born 1860)
1916 – John Nanson, English-Australian journalist and politician (born 1863)
1920 – Ernie Courtney, American baseball player (born 1875)
1924 – Frederic Chapple, Australian educator (born 1845)
1928 – Adolphe Appia, Swiss architect and theorist (born 1862)
1928 – Ina Coolbrith, American poet and librarian (born 1841)
1932 – Arthur Mills Lea, Australian entomologist (born 1868)
1932 – Giuseppe Vitali, Italian mathematician (born 1875)
1940 – E. F. Benson, English archaeologist and author (born 1867)
1944 – Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, Finnish lawyer, judge and politician, 3rd President of Finland (born 1861)
1948 – Robert Barrington-Ward, English lawyer and journalist (born 1891)
1952 – Sarah Ann Jenyns, Australian entrepreneur (born 1865)
1956 – Elpidio Quirino, Filipino lawyer and politician, 6th President of the Philippines (born 1890)
1960 – Melvin Purvis, American police officer and FBI agent (born 1903)
1960 – Walter Yust, American journalist and author (born 1894)
1964 – Frank Albertson, American actor and singer (born 1909)
1968 – Tore Ørjasæter, Norwegian poet and educator (born 1886)
1972 – Tom Davies, American football player and coach (born 1896)
1976 – Florence P. Dwyer, American politician (born 1902)
1980 – Yigal Allon, Israeli general and politician, Prime Minister of Israel (born 1918)
1980 – Gil Elvgren, American painter and illustrator (born 1914)
1984 – Ludwik Starski, Polish screenwriter and songwriter (born 1903)
1992 – Ruth Pitter, English poet and author (born 1897)
1996 – Frank Daniel, Czech-American director, producer and screenwriter (born 1926)
1996 – Wes Farrell, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1939)
1996 – Ralph Rowe, American baseball player, coach and manager (born 1924)
2000 – Dennis Danell, American guitarist (born 1961)
2004 – Kagamisato Kiyoji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 42nd Yokozuna (born 1923)
2004 – Jerome Lawrence, American playwright and author (born 1915)
2004 – Harold Bernard St. John, Barbadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Barbados (born 1931)
2004 – Lorrie Wilmot, South African cricketer (born 1943)
2008 – Janet Kagan, American author (born 1946)
2008 – Erik Ortvad, Danish painter and illustrator (born 1917)
2008 – Akira Yamada, Japanese scholar and philosopher (born 1922)
2012 – Davy Jones, English singer, guitarist and actor (born 1945)
2012 – Sheldon Moldoff, American illustrator (born 1920)
2012 – P. K. Narayana Panicker, Indian social leader (born 1930)
2016 – Wenn V. Deramas, Filipino director and screenwriter (born 1966)
2016 – Gil Hill, American police officer, actor and politician (born 1931)
2016 – Josefin Nilsson, Swedish singer (born 1969)
2016 – Mumtaz Qadri, Pakistani assassin, executed (born 1985)
2016 – Louise Rennison, English author (born 1951)
2020 – Dieter Laser, German actor (born 1942)
2020 – Éva Székely, Hungarian Hall of Fame swimmer and 1952 Olympic champion (born 1927)
2024 – Ali Hassan Mwinyi, 2nd President of Tanzania and 3rd President of Zanzibar (born 1925)
2024 – Brian Mulroney, 18th Prime Minister of Canada (born 1939)

Holidays and observances 5

As a Christian feast day: Saint John Cassian February 29 in the Orthodox church
Saint John Cassian
February 29 in the Orthodox church
Rare Disease Day (in leap years; usually celebrated in common years on February 28)
Bachelor's Day (Ireland and United Kingdom)