1898 – Enzo Ferrari the Italian race car driver and founder of Ferrari was born on the 18th February 1898 (d. 1988).
1906 ~ Hans Asperger the Austrianpediatrician, medical theorist and medical professor was born on the 18th February 1906 (died 1980). Hans Asperger was best known for his early studies on mental disorders, especially in children. There was a resurgence of interest in Hans Asperger’s work in the 1980s, regarding autism spectrum disorders and Asperger syndrome (AS), which was named after him.
1913 – Pedro Lascuráin became President of Mexico for 45 minutes on the 18th February 1913, becoming the shortest term to date of any person as president of any country.
1933 – Yoko Ono the Japanese-American singer-songwriter was born on the 18th February 1933.
1947 ~ Dennis DeYoung the American singer, songwriter, musician and founding member of STYX was born on the 18th February 1947. Dennis DeYoung was the lead vocalist and keyboardist in Styx from 1961 to 1999, and wrote many Styx songs such as the 1980 hit song Babe . YouTube video: Styx ~ Babe (1979) ~ Number 1 in the US and Canada, number 3 in Australia and New Zealand, and number 6 in the UK (written by Dennis DeYoung)…
1950 – Cybill Shepherd the American actress and singer was born on the 18th February 1950.
1952 – Juice Newton the American singer-songwriter and guitarist was born on the 18th February 1952.
1954 – John Travolta the American actor, singer, and producer was born on the 18th February 1954.
1962 – Lou Diamond Phillips the American actor and director was born on the 17th February 1962.
1963 – Michael Jordan the American basketball player and actor was born on the 17th February 1963.
1965 – The Ranger 8 probe was launched on its mission to photograph the Mare Tranquillitatis region of the Moon on the 17th February 1965, in preparation for the manned Apollo missions. Mare Tranquillitatis aka Sea of Tranquility became the site chosen for the Apollo 11 lunar landing.
1971 – Denise Richards the American model and actress was born on the 17th February 1971.
1972 – Billie Joe Armstrong the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Green Day was born on the 17th February 1972.
1972 – Taylor Hawkins the American singer-songwriter and drummer from the Foo Fighters was born on the 17th February 1972.
1981 – Paris Hilton the American model, actress and singer was born on the 17th February 1981.
1991 – Ed Sheeran the English singer-songwriter and guitarist was born on the 17th February 1991.
2008 – Kosovo declared independence on the 17th February 2008.
2010 ~ Ruby Hunter the Australian singer and songwriter died on the 17th February 2010, aged 54 (born 31st October 1955). Ruby Hunter was a member of the Ngarrindjeri nation of Aboriginal tribes, and often performed with her partner Archie Roach, whom both met as homeless teenagers. Ruby was forcibly taken from her family at the age of 8 as part of the Stolen Generation. Ruby Hunter received two ARIA Award nominations, for Best Indigenous Release for Thoughts Within (1995), and Best Blues & Roots Album for Feeling Good (2000).
1948 – Art Spiegelman the American cartoonist was born on the 15th February 1948.
1951 – Jane Seymour the English actress was born on the 15th February 1951.
1954 – Matt Groening the American cartoonist, screenwriter, producer and author was born on the 15th February 1954. Matt Groening created the comic strip Life in Hell (1977–2012) as well as 2 successful television series The Simpsons and Futurama.
2003 – Protests against the Iraq war took place in over 600 cities worldwide on the 15th February 2003. It was estimated that between 8 million to 30 million people participated, making this the largest peace demonstration in history.
1950 – Roger Fisher the American guitarist from Heart was born on the 14th February 1950.
1952 ~ Simon Woodroffe (OBE) the English motivational speaker and entrepreneur was born on the 14th February 1952. He started the sushi chain YO! Sushi in 1997, and has appeared on the Dragons’ Den.
1958 – Grant Thomas the Australian footballer was born on the 14th February 1958.
1968 – Latifa the Tunisian singer and actress was born on the 14th February 1968.
1972 – Rob Thomas the American singer-songwriter from Matchbox Twenty was born on the 14th February 1972.
1975 – Scott Owen the Australian bassist from The Living End was born on the 14th February 1975.
1977 – Cadel Evans the Australian cyclist was born on the 14th February 1977.
1977 – Jim Jefferies the Australian comedian and actor was born on the 14th February 1977.
1981 ~ Luke Jacobz the Australian actor and television presenter was born Luke Jacob Ashwood on the 14th February 1981. Twitter: www.Twitter.com/LukeJacobz
2000 – The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker entered orbit around asteroid 433 Eros on the 14th February 2000, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.
1931 – New Delhi became the capital of India on the 13th February 1931.
1947 – Kevin Bloody Wilson the Australian comedian was born on the 13th February 1947.
1949 ~ Tim Storrier (AM) the Australian artist was born on the 13th February 1949. Tim Storrier won the 2012 Archibald Prize with a self portrait entitled The Histrionic Wayfarer (after Bosch).
1978 – Hilton bombing: a bomb exploded in a refuse truck outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia on the 13th February 1978, killing 2 rubbish collectors and a policeman.
1502 – Vasco da Gama set sail from Lisbon, Portugal on the 12th February 1502, on his second voyage to India.
1541 ~ Santiago, Chile was founded on the 12th February 1541, by Pedro de Valdivia. Santiago is the largest city and capital of Chile, with a population of 7 million.
1951 ~ Cory Lerios the American pianist, voclist and founding members of the platinum-record selling band Pablo Cruise was born on the 12th February 1951. For the past 30 years Cory Lerios has scored music for film and television. Pablo Cruise performing their No.6 hit single Love Will Find A Way from their most successful album Worlds Away in 1978. This YouTube video is from the ‘It’s Good To Be Live’ CD/DVD greatest hits, which are the first new recordings from Pablo Cruise in over 25 years, recorded at a concert in Northern California by the 3 original founding members of the band: David Jenkins (guitar/vocals), Cory Lerios (piano/keyboards/vocals) and Steve Price (drums), along with Larry Antonino (Jeff Beck, Air Supply, Kenny Loggins) on bass/vocals.
1953 ~ Joanna Kerns the American actress and director best known as Maggie Seaver on Growing Pains was born in San Francisco, California on the 12th February 1953.
1959 – Sigrid Thornton the Australian actress was born on the 12th February 1959.
1959 – Deborah Meaden the English businesswoman was born on the 11th February 1959.
1962 – Sheryl Crow the American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress was born on the 11th February 1962.
1969 ~ Alex Papps the Greek-born Australian actor and television host was born on the 11th February 1969.
1971 – 87 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union, signed the Seabed Arms Control Treaty on the 11th February 1971, outlawing nuclear weapons on the ocean floor in international waters.
1974 – Alex Jones the American radio host and author was born on the 11th February 1974.
1996 ~ Ballykissangel the BBC television drama set in Ireland, was first broadcast on the 11th February 1996, until the 15th April 2001. The show was filmed in Avoca and Enniskerry in County Wicklow. YouTube video: Ballykissangel – Opening Theme…
1900 – The Davis Cup competition was established on the 9th February 1900.
1934 – The Balkan Entente was formed on the 9th February 1934.
1944 – Derryn Hinch, Australian radio and television host was born on the 9th February 1944.
1945 – Mia Farrow the American actress and singer was born on the 9th February 1945.
1954 ~ Chris Gardner the American entrepreneur, investor, stockbroker, motivational speaker, author and philanthropist was born Christopher Paul Gardner on the 9th February 1954. Chris Gardner struggled with homelessness while raising his toddler son, Christopher Jr. in the early 1980s. Chris Gardner’s book of memoirs, The Pursuit of Happyness was published in 2006, along with the 2006 movie The Pursuit of Happynessstarring Will Smith as Chris. In 2012 Chris Gardner became CEO of his own stockbrokerage firm, Gardner Rich & Co in Chicago, Illinois, where he lives when he’s not living in Toronto. YouTube video: The Pursuit of Happyness Trailer…
1964 – The Beatles made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on the 9th February 1964, performing before a record-busting audience of 73 million viewers.
1969 – First test flight of the Boeing 747 was on the 9th February 1969.