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February 28 facts for kids

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February 28 in recent years

February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 306 days remain until the end of the year (307 in leap years).

Events

Pre-1600

1601–1900

  • 1638 – The Scottish National Covenant is signed in Edinburgh.
  • 1835Elias Lönnrot signed and dated the first version of the Kalevala, the so-called foreword to the Old Kalevala.
  • 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 was also on board, was not injured from the blast.

1901–present

  • 1922 – The United Kingdom ends its protectorate over Egypt through a Unilateral Declaration of Independence.
  • 1925 – The Charlevoix-Kamouraska earthquake strikes northeastern North America.
  • 1947 – February 28 Incident: In Taiwan, civil disorder is put down with the death of an estimated 28,000 civilians.
  • 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.
  • 1959Discoverer 1, an American spy satellite that is the first object intended to achieve a polar orbit, is launched but fails to achieve orbit.
  • 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.
  • 1969 – The 1969 Portugal earthquake hits Portugal, Spain and Morocco.
  • 1974 – The British election ended in a hung parliament after the Jeremy Thorpe-led Liberal Party achieved their biggest vote share since 1929.
  • 1983 – The final episode of M*A*S*H airs, with almost 110 million viewers.
  • 1986Olof Palme, 26th Prime Minister of Sweden, is assassinated in Stockholm.
  • 1997 – An earthquake in northern Iran is responsible for about 1,100 deaths.
  • 1997 – A Turkish military memorandum resulted in the collapse of the coalition government in Turkey.
  • 2001 – The 2001 Nisqually earthquake, having a moment magnitude of 6.8, with epicenter in the southern Puget Sound, damages Seattle metropolitan area.
  • 2013Pope Benedict XVI resigns as the pope of the Catholic Church, becoming the first pope to do so since Pope Gregory XII in 1415.
  • 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.
  • 2024Prime Minister Modi of India inaugurated the 2nd Space Port of India - Kulasekarapattinam Spaceport.

Births

Pre-1600

1601–1900

1901–present

  • 1901Linus Pauling, American chemist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
  • 1903Vincente Minnelli, American theatre and film director (d. 1986)
  • 1906 – Bugsy Siegel, American gangster (d. 1947)
  • 1907 – Milton Caniff, American cartoonist (d. 1988)
  • 1908 – Billie Bird, American actress (d. 2002)
  • 1909Stephen Spender, English author and poet (d. 1995)
  • 1915 – Ketti Frings, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1981)
  • 1915 – Peter Medawar, Brazilian-English biologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
  • 1919 – Alfred Marshall, American businessman, founded Marshalls (d. 2013)
  • 1920Jadwiga Piłsudska, Polish soldier, pilot, and architect (d. 2014)
  • 1921 – Marah Halim Harahap, Indonesian military officer, Governor of North Sumatra (d. 2015)
  • 1922 – Radu Câmpeanu, Romanian politician (d. 2016)
  • 1923Charles Durning, American actor (d. 2012)
  • 1924Robert A. Roe, American soldier and politician (d. 2014)
  • 1925 – Harry H. Corbett, Burmese-English actor (d. 1982)
  • 1926Svetlana Alliluyeva, Russian-American writer, daughter of Joseph Stalin (d. 2011)
  • 1928 – Tom Aldredge, American actor (d. 2011)
  • 1928 – Stanley Baker, Welsh actor and producer (d. 1976)
  • 1929Hayden Fry, American football player and coach (d. 2019)
  • 1929 – Frank Gehry, Canadian-American architect and designer
  • 1929 – John Montague, American-Irish poet and academic (d. 2016)
  • 1930Leon Cooper, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1931Peter Alliss, English golfer and sportscaster (d. 2020)
  • 1931 – Gavin MacLeod, American actor, Christian activist, and author (d. 2021)
  • 1931 – Len Newcombe, Welsh footballer and scout (d. 1996)
  • 1932Don Francks, Canadian actor, singer, and jazz musician (d. 2016)
  • 1933Rein Taagepera, Estonian political scientist and politician
  • 1937 – Jeff Farrell, American swimmer
  • 1939Daniel C. Tsui, Chinese-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1939 – Tommy Tune, American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and choreographer
  • 1940Mario Andretti, Italian-American racing driver
  • 1942 – Frank Bonner, American actor and television director (d. 2021)
  • 1942 – Brian Jones, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 1969)
  • 1942 – Dino Zoff, Italian footballer
  • 1943Barbara Acklin, American singer-songwriter (d. 1998)
  • 1944 – Kelly Bishop, American actress
  • 1944 – Edward Greenspan, Canadian lawyer and author (d. 2014)
  • 1944 – Sepp Maier, German footballer and manager
  • 1944 – Storm Thorgerson, English graphic designer (d. 2013)
  • 1945Bubba Smith, American football player and actor (d. 2011)
  • 1946Robin Cook, Scottish educator and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 2005)
  • 1946 – Syreeta Wright, American singer-songwriter (d. 2004)
  • 1947Stephanie Beacham, English actress
  • 1947 – Salvador Flamenco, Salvadoran footballer
  • 1948Steven Chu, American physicist and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Energy, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1948 – Mike Figgis, English film director, screenwriter, and composer
  • 1948 – Bernadette Peters, American actress, singer, and author
  • 1948 – Mercedes Ruehl, American actress
  • 1949Zoia Ceaușescu, Romanian mathematician, daughter of Communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena Ceaușescu (d. 2006)
  • 1949 – Ilene Graff, American actress and singer
  • 1953Luther Burden, American basketball player (d. 2015)
  • 1953 – Paul Krugman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1953 – Ricky Steamboat, American professional wrestler
  • 1954Brian Billick, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1955Adrian Dantley, American basketball player and coach
  • 1955 – Gilbert Gottfried, American comedian, actor, and singer (d. 2022)
  • 1956 – Francis Hughes, Irish Republican, hunger striker (d. 1981)
  • 1956 – Terry Leahy, English businessman
  • 1957Ainsley Harriott, English chef and television presenter
  • 1957 – Ian Smith, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1957 – John Turturro, American actor and director
  • 1957 – Cindy Wilson, American singer-songwriter
  • 1958 – Mark Pavelich, American ice hockey player (d. 2021)
  • 1958 – David R. Ross, Scottish historian and author (d. 2010)
  • 1961Rae Dawn Chong, Canadian-American actress
  • 1961 – Barry McGuigan, Irish-British boxer
  • 1963 – Claudio Chiappucci, Italian cyclist
  • 1965 – Mikko Mäkelä, Finnish ice hockey player and coach
  • 1966Paulo Futre, Portuguese footballer
  • 1966 – Archbishop Jovan VI of Ohrid
  • 1967 – Colin Cooper, English footballer and manager
  • 1967 – Seth Rudetsky, American musician, actor, writer, and radio host
  • 1969 – Sean Farrel, English footballer
  • 1969 – Butch Leitzinger, American race car driver
  • 1969 – Robert Sean Leonard, American actor
  • 1969 – Pat Monahan, American singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1970 – Daniel Brochu, Canadian actor
  • 1970 – Daniel Handler, American author, musician, screenwriter, and producer
  • 1970 – Noureddine Morceli, Algerian runner
  • 1971 – Junya Nakano, Japanese pianist and composer
  • 1971 – Tasha Smith, American actress, director, and producer
  • 1972Rory Cochrane, American actor
  • 1972 – Ville Haapasalo, Finnish actor and screenwriter
  • 1973Eric Lindros, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1973 – Nicolas Minassian, French race car driver
  • 1973 – Masato Tanaka, Japanese wrestler
  • 1974 – Lee Carsley, English-Irish footballer and manager
  • 1974 – Alexander Zickler, German footballer and manager
  • 1975Mike Rucker, American football player
  • 1976 – Francisco Elson, Dutch basketball player
  • 1976 – Ali Larter, American actress and model
  • 1977Jason Aldean, American singer-songwriter
  • 1977 – Lance Hoyt, American football player and wrestler
  • 1978 – Geoffrey Arend, American actor
  • 1978 – Benjamin Raich, Austrian skier
  • 1978 – Jamaal Tinsley, American basketball player
  • 1978 – Mariano Zabaleta, Argentinian tennis player
  • 1979Sébastien Bourdais, French race car driver
  • 1979 – Ivo Karlović, Croatian tennis player
  • 1980 – Pascal Bosschaart, Dutch footballer
  • 1980 – Christian Poulsen, Danish footballer
  • 1980 – Tayshaun Prince, American basketball player
  • 1981 – Brian Bannister, American baseball player and scout
  • 1982 – Natalia Vodianova, Russian-French model and actress
  • 1984Karolína Kurková, Czech model and actress
  • 1985 – Tim Bresnan, English cricketer
  • 1985 – Diego, Brazilian footballer
  • 1985 – Jelena Janković, Serbian tennis player
  • 1987 – Akito, Japanese professional wrestler
  • 1987 – Antonio Candreva, Italian footballer
  • 1987 – Michelle Horn, American actress
  • 1987 – Josh McRoberts, American basketball player
  • 1988Aroldis Chapman, Cuban baseball player
  • 1989 – Carlos Dunlap, American football player
  • 1989 – Charles Jenkins, American basketball player
  • 1990 – Takayasu Akira, Japanese sumo wrestler
  • 1990 – Ryan Allen, American football player
  • 1990 – Sebastian Rudy, German footballer
  • 1991Sarah Bolger, Irish actress
  • 1991 – Ronalds Ķēniņš, Latvian ice hockey player
  • 1993Marquis Teague, American basketball player
  • 1993 – Éder Álvarez Balanta, Colombian footballer
  • 1994 – Alex Caruso, American basketball player
  • 1994 – Arkadiusz Milik, Polish footballer
  • 1995Randy Arozarena, Cuban-Mexican baseball player
  • 1995 – Madisen Beaty, American actress
  • 1995 – Quinn Shephard, American actress
  • 1996Bobb'e J. Thompson, American actor
  • 1996 – Jakub Vrána, Czech ice hockey player
  • 1996 – Lucas Boyé, Argentinian footballer
  • 1996 – Axel Werner, Argentinian footballer
  • 1997 – Chris Lindstrom, American football player
  • 1998 – Teun Koopmeiners, Dutch footballer
  • 1999Luka Dončić, Slovenian basketball player
  • 2000Moise Kean, Italian footballer
  • 2000 – Josip Šutalo, Croatian footballer
  • 2005 – Vitor Roque, Brazilian footballer

Deaths

Pre-1600

1601–1900

1901–present

  • 1929 – Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian physician and immunologist (b. 1874)
  • 1932 – Guillaume Bigourdan, French astronomer and academic (b. 1851)
  • 1936Charles Nicolle, French biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1866)
  • 1955 – Isak Penttala, Finnish politician (b. 1883)
  • 1966 – Charles Bassett, American captain, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1931)
  • 1966 – Elliot See, American commander, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1927)
  • 1975 – Neville Cardus, English cricket and music writer (b. 1888)
  • 1977Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, American actor and comedian (b. 1905)
  • 1978Zara Cully, American actress (b. 1892)
  • 1993 – Ruby Keeler, Canadian-American actress and dancer (b. 1909)
  • 1998 – Arkady Shevchenko, Ukrainian diplomat (b. 1930)
  • 2002 – Mary Stuart, American actress and singer (b. 1926)
  • 2002 – Helmut Zacharias, German violinist and composer (b. 1920)
  • 2003 – Chris Brasher, Guyanese-English runner and journalist, co-founded the London Marathon (b. 1928)
  • 2004Daniel J. Boorstin, American historian and librarian (b. 1914)
  • 2005 – Chris Curtis, English singer and drummer (b. 1941)
  • 2006Owen Chamberlain, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1920)
  • 2007 – Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. American historian and critic (b. 1917)
  • 2009Paul Harvey, American radio host (b. 1918)
  • 2011Annie Girardot, French actress (b. 1931)
  • 2013Donald A. Glaser, American physicist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1926)
  • 2014Hugo Brandt Corstius, Dutch linguist and author (b. 1935)
  • 2015Yaşar Kemal, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1923)
  • 2016George Kennedy, American actor (b. 1925)
  • 2019André Previn, German-American pianist, conductor, and composer. (b. 1929)
  • 2020Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe's (b. 1930)
  • 2020 – Freeman Dyson, British-born American physicist and mathematician (b. 1923)
  • 2020 – Sir Lenox Hewitt, Australian public servant (b. 1917)
  • 2024 – Ahmed Salim, Bangladeshi convicted murderer (b. 1989)
  • 2024 – Cat Janice, American singer-songwriter (b. 1993)

Holidays and 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)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: 28 de febrero para niños

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February 28 Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.