Events on Feb 5
- 0816Frankish Emperor Louis grants Archbishop Salzburg immunity
- 1488Roman Catholic German Emperor Maximilian I caught in Belgium
- 1512French troops under Gaston de Foix rescues Bologna
- 1556Kings Henri I and Philip II sign Treaty of Vaucelles
- 1572Beggars assault Oisterwijk Neth, drive nuns out
- 1576Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours
- 1631Rhode Island, founder, Roger Williams arrives in Boston from England
- 16441st US livestock branding law passed, by Connecticut
- 1649Prince of Wales becomes King Charles II
- 1663Earthquake in Canada
- 1679German Emperor Leopold I signs peace with France
- 1736Methodists John and Charles Wesley arrive in Savannah, Georgia
- 1777Georgia becomes 1st US state to abolish both entail and primogeniture
- 1778Articles of Confederation ratified by 1st state, South Carolina
- 1782Spanish take Minorca (western Mediterranean) from English
- 1783Earthquakes ravage Calabria, killing 30,000
- 1783Sweden recognizes US independence
- 1795Zealand Neth surrenders to French general Michaud
- 18171st US gas co incorporated, Baltimore (coal gas for street lights)
- 1825Hannah Lord Montague of New York creates 1st detachable shirt collar
- 1831Jan van Speijk blows up his gunboat in Antwerp, killing about 30
- 1846"Oregon Spectator" is 1st newspaper to be published on the West Coast
- 1850Adding machine employing depressible keys patented, New Paltz, New York
- 1855British government of Palmerston forms
- 18611st moving picture peep show machine is patented by Samuel Goodale
- 1861Kinematoscope patented by Coleman Sellers, Philadelphia
- 1861Louisiana delegation except Mr Bouligny withdraws from Congress
- 1864Federals occupy Jackson, Mississippi
- 18701st motion picture shown to a theater audience, Philadelphia
- 1879Joseph Swan demonstrates light bulb using carbon glow
Born on Feb 5
- 1589Honorat de Brueil seigneur de Racan: French playwright / poet
- 1662Giuseppi Vignola: Composer
- 1711Joseph Umstatt: Composer
- 1723John Witherspoon: Clergyman / signed Declaration of Independence
- 1732Nathanael Gottfried Gruner: Composer
- 1744John Jeffries: Colonial Physician / meteorologist
- 1748Christian Gottlob Neefe: German composer / conductor / tutor of Beethoven
- 1753Coert L van Beyma thoe Kingma: Frisian regent / patriot
- 1770Alexandre Brongniart: Paris, France -- Mineralogist / geologist (Tertiary)
- 1775Margaretha J de Neufville: Author (Small Pligten)
- 1788Karoly Kisfaludy: Hungarian literary (A Tat rok Magyarorsz gon)
- 1799John Lindley: English Botanist (Elements of Botany)
- 1804Johan Ludvig Runeberg: Finland -- Poet
- 1810Ole Bull: Composer
- 1833John Watkinson: Founder of British Chess Magazine (oldest chess magazine)
- 1837Dwight Lyman Moody: United States -- Evangelist (Student Volunteer Movement)
- 1840Hiram Stevens Maxim: Inventor (automatic single-barrel rifle)
- 1840John Boyd Dunlop: Scotland, United Kingdom -- Developer (pneumatic rubber tire)
- 1848Belle Starr [Myra Belle Shirley]: US female outlaw (wild west)
- 1848Joris-Karl Huysmans: France -- Writer (Against the Grain)
- 1856Otto Brahm: German critic / founder (Neue Deutsche Rundschau)
- 1860Jackson Showalter: 1st US Chess Champion
- 1863Armand Parent: Composer
- 1864Carl Tieke: Composer
- 1865Harvey Worthington Loomis: Composer
- 1866Arthur Keith: Scottish anthropologist
- 1866Henri [Hendrik J] Hall: Dutch MP / comic (Put a Lid on it)
- 1866Rossetter Gleason Cole: Composer
- 1867Casper A Lingbeek: Vicar / Dutch MP (HSP, 1925..37)
- 1868Lodewijk Mortelmans: Composer
Died on Feb 5
- 1578Giovanni B Moroni: Italian portrait painter
- 1591Gerard de Jode: Flemish publisher
- 1658Maria Margaretha van Angels: Dutch prioress at Oirschot, dies at 52
- 1679Joost van den Vondel: Dutch Poet (Gysbreght van Aemstel), dies at 91
- 1705Jean Gilles: Composer, dies at 37
- 1721James Stanhope 1st Earl of Stanhope: English General, dies at 47
- 1738Georg Reidel: Composer, dies at 61
- 1745Coelestin Praelisauer: Composer, dies at 49
- 1754Nicolaas S Cruquius: Hydraulic engineer, (Haarlemmermeer), dies at 75
- 1758Bernhard Christian Weber: Composer, dies at 45
- 1807Pasquale Paoli: Corsican freedom fighter, dies at 80
- 1812Franz Schneider: Composer, dies at 74
- 1822Ali Pasha of Janina: (Napoleon, Lord Byron), dies at about 77
- 1825Pierre Gaveaux: Composer, dies at 64
- 1831John CJ van Speijk: Commits suicide at 29
- 1838Philippe Libon: Composer, dies at 62
- 1867Salomon Munk: Published Arabic edition of Maimounides
- 1881Thomas Carlyle: Historian / essayist, dies in London at 85
- 1897Hoss Radbourn: Pitcher won 60 games in 1884, dies at 42
- 1907Ludwig Thuille: Composer, dies at 45
- 1917Paul Rubens: Composer, dies at 41
- 1919Vasili V Rozanov: Russian philosopher / writer, dies at 62
- 1922James William Tate: Composer, dies at 46
- 1924Alexis Hollander: Composer, dies at 83
- 1926Andre Gedalge: Composer, dies at 69
- 1929Siegfried Ochs: Composer, dies at 70
- 1943Wim Gertenbach: Dutch resistance fighter (Slogan), shot by Nazis
- 1944Robert E Park: Sociologist (human ecology, marginal man), dies at 79
- 1946George Arliss: Actor / writer (Dr Syn, Voltaire), dies at 77
- 1947Ganzefles: Dutch Nazi spy / Jews hunter, executed
Historical events on February 6
- 0337St. Julius I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
- 1189Riots of Lynn in Norfolk spread to Norwich England
- 1508Maximilian I crowned Holy Roman Emperor
- 1577King Henri de Bourbon of Navarra becomes leader of Huguenots
- 1626Huguenot rebels and French sign Peace of La Rochelle
- 1693Royal charter granted College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia
- 1716England and Netherlands renew alliance
- 1778England declares war on France
- 1778France recognizes US, signs treaty of aid in Paris; 1st US treaty
- 1788Mass becomes 6th state to ratify constitution
- 1815New Jersey issues 1st US railroad charter (John Stevens)
- 1819Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founds freeport harbor Singapore
- 18201st organized emigration of blacks back to Africa (NY to Sierra Leone)
- 1820US population announced at 9,638,453 (1,771,656 blacks (18.4%))
- 18321st appearance of cholera at Edinburgh, Scotland
- 1832US ship destroys Sumatran village in retaliation for piracy
- 1840Waitangi Day; treaty signed between Britain and Maoris of New Zealand
- 1854Composer R Schumann is saved from suicide attempt into the Rhine
- 18611st meeting of Provisional Congress of Confederate States of America
- 1861English Admiral Robert Ritzroy issues 1st storm warnings for ships
- 1862Gen Ulysses S Grant captures Fort Henry in Tennessee
- 1862Naval Engagement at Tenn River-USS Conestago vs. CSS Appleton Belle
- 1862Ulysses S Grant begins military campaign in Mississippi
- 1865Robert E Lee appointed Confederate General in Chief
- 1867Peabody Fund forms to promote Black education in South
- 18911st great train robbery by Dalton Gang (Southern Pacific #17)
- 1899Spanish-American War ends, peace treaty ratified by Senate
- 1900Battle at Vaalkrans, South-Africa (Boers vs. British army)
- 1904Russian-Japanese war began
- 19111st old-age home opened in Prescott, Arizona
Born on February 6
- 1461Dzore Drzic: Croatian poet
- 1564Christopher Marlowe: English poet / dramatist (Dr Faustus)
- 1608Antonio Vieira: Portuguese Jesuit preacher
- 1612Antoine Arnauld [Grand Arnauld]: French lawyer / theologist
- 1637Toyotomi Hideyoshi: Unified Japan
- 1665Anne Stuart: Queen of England (1702-14)
- 1673Maximilian Dietrich Freisslich: Composer
- 1695Andre Cheron: Composer
- 1705Johann Matthias Leffloth: Composer
- 1756Aaron Burr: Newark, New Jersey -- 3rd US VP (1801-05), dueler
- 1793Pietro Rovelli: Composer
- 1797Joseph Maria von Radowitz: Prussian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1804Ragnerus L van Andringa de Kempenaer: Dutch officer / swindler
- 1807Hans Matthison-Hansen: Composer
- 1818William Maxwell Evarts: (Union), died in 1901
- 1830Marcellus Monroe Crocker: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1865)
- 1832John Brown Gordon: Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1904
- 1833James Ewell Brown "JEB" Stuart: Major General (Confederate Army)
- 1834William Dorsey Pender: Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1863
- 1838Henry Irving [John H Brodribb]: England, United Kingdom -- Knighted 1895 / actor (Hamlet)
- 1848Luigi Mancinelli: Composer
- 1860Johan [Eliza J] de Meester: Dutch journalist / writer (Geertje)
- 1864John Henry Mackay: Scottish / German author / poet (Anarchists)
- 1866Karl T Sapper: German geography / geologist (Vulkankunde)
- 1874Milton Bennett Medary: United States -- Architect (Washington Chapel)
- 1876Wilhelm Schmidtbonn[-Schmidt]: German playwright (Der Sprechende Eros)
- 1878Waclaw Gieburowski: Composer
- 1879Carl Ramsauer
- 1881Karl Weigl: Composer
- 1888Ljudmil Stojanow: Bulgarian poet (Metsh i Slowo, Cholera)
Died on February 6
- 0891Photius: Byzantine Theologist / patriarch of Constantinople / saint
- 1140Thurstan: Archbishop of York
- 1497John Ockeghem: Flemish singer / composer, dies at 79
- 1612Christopher Clavius: Calendar reformer
- 1617Prosper Alpinus: Italian Physician / botanist, dies at 63
- 1695Ahmed II: 21st Sultan of Turkey (1691-95)
- 1699Jozef Ferdinand of Bavaria: Heir of Spanish King Carlos II
- 1725Johann Philipp Krieger: Composer, dies at 75
- 1783Lancelot "Capability" Brown: English Architect (Kew), dies at about 67
- 1785Iman Willem Falck: Dutch Governor of Ceylon (1765-83), dies at 48
- 1798Niels Schiorring: Composer, dies at 54
- 1804Joseph Priestley: Engl / US Theologist / philosopher / chemist, dies at 70
- 1807John Reid: Composer, dies at 85
- 1859Johannes Josephus Viotta: Composer, dies at 45
- 1865John Pegram: US Confederate Brigadier General, dies in battle at 33
- 1881Pieter Mijer: Governor-General of the Netherlands Indies (1866-72), dies at 68
- 1896Abraham Czn van Stolk: Dutch art collector, dies at 82
- 1897Ebenezer C Brewer: British writer (Dictionary of Phrase & Fable)
- 1899Georg Leo Earl von Caprivi: German chancellor, dies at 67
- 1914J Albert Neuhuys: Dutch Painter (Hague School), dies at 69
- 1916Anne C A I van Diest: Belgian Physician / feminist, dies at 73
- 1917Edouard A Drumont: French anti-semite journalist, dies at 72
- 1918Gustav Klimt: Austrian Painter / cartoonist, dies at 55
- 1919Friedrich W Mengelberg: German Sculptor / painter, dies at 81
- 1923Edward E Barnard: US astronomer (5th moon Jupiter), dies at 65
- 1930Eva Strittmatter: Writer, dies at 17
- 1938Marianne V von Werefkin: Russ / German / Swiss house painter, dies at 77
- 1941Maximilien Luce: French painter, dies at 82
- 1942Wobbe de Vries: Dutch linguist, dies at 78
- 1943HA Seyffardt: Dutch Lieutenant General / NSB "minister", dies at 71
Events on Feb 7
- 1301Edward of Caernarion (later Edward II) becomes 1st Prince of Wales
- 1522Treaty of Brussels: Habsburgers split into Spanish / Austrian Branches
- 1550Giovanni Maria del Monte elected Pope Julius III
- 1569King Philip II forms inquistion in South America
- 1613Michail Romanov (16) becomes Czar of Russia
- 1653Nicolas Fouquet appointed superintendant of Finance of France
- 1668Dutch Prince William III dances in premiere of "Ballet of Peace"
- 1792Austria and Prussia sign anti-French covenant
- 179511th Amendment to US Constitution ratified, affirms power of states
- 1795Dutch Prince William V accepts British occupation of Dutch Indies
- 18128.2 earthquake shakes New Madrid, Missouri
- 1812Lord Byron makes his maiden speech in House of Lords
- 18181st successful US educational magazine "Academician, " begins (NYC)
- 1827Ballet (Deserter) introduced to US at Bowery Theater (NYC)
- 1836"Sketches by Boz" (essays) published by Charles Dickens
- 1839Henry Clay declares in Senate "I had rather be right than President"
- 1862Federal fleet attack on Roanoke Island, North Carolina
- 1864Federal troops occupy Jacksonville, Florida
- 1872Alcorn A&M College opens
- 18771st Guernsey Cattle Club organizes (NYC)
- 1881Battle at Ingogo, Transvaal: Boers beat superior British forces
- 1882Last bare knuckle champion John L Sullivan KOs Paddy Ryan in Mississippi
- 1883Lieutenant Colonel Borgnis-Desbordes founds Fort Bamako Niger
- 1884Canadian Rugby Football Union forms
- 1889Astronomical Society of Pacific holds 1st meeting in San Francisco
- 1891Great Blizzard of 1891 begins
- 1900British troops vacate Vaal Krantz, Natal
- 1900Labour Party forms in England
- 1901Queen Wilhelmina marries Prince Heinrich von Mecklenburg-Schwerin
- 1904Baltimore catches fire (1500 buildings destroyed in 80 blocks)
Born on Feb 7
- 1478Thomas More: Lawyer / lord chancellor of England / Saint (Utopia)
- 1556Maria van Nassau: Dutch Countess of Buren
- 1589Jacob de Witt: Dutch Mayor (Dordrecht) / mathematician
- 1655Jean-Francois Regnard: French comedy writer (Slave in Algeria)
- 1688Maria Louise van Hessen-Kassel [Marijke Meu]: Princess of Orange
- 1700Philippe Buache: French geographer / cartographer (Contourlijnen)
- 1707Carl August Thielo: Composer
- 1710William Boyce: English Organist / composer of Cathedral music
- 1739Joseph Pouteau: Composer
- 1740Adam-Philippe Custine: French Earl / General / MP
- 1753Rhijnvis Feith: Dutch Mayor / writer (Zwolle / Thirsa)
- 1758Benedikt Emanuel Schack: Composer
- 1801John Rylands: England, United Kingdom -- Merchant / philanthropist
- 1817Leroy Pope Walker: US lawyer / Confederate Minister of War (1861)
- 1822Joaquin y Garbayo Gaztambide: Composer
- 1823Richard Genee: Composer
- 1824William Higgins: Discoverer (nature of spiral nebulae)
- 1825Crystobal Oudrid y Segura: Composer
- 1833Ricardo Palma: Peru -- Writer / poet (Tradiciones Peruanas)
- 1834Dmitri I Mendelejev: Russian chemist (Periodic Table)
- 1837James Augustus Henry Murray: Scotland, United Kingdom -- Created Oxford Dictionary
- 1839Nicolaas G Pierson: Dutch banker / Suriname Premier (1897-1901)
- 1842Alexandre Ribit: Premier (France)
- 1847Ernst Franck: German composer / conductor
- 1862Bernard Maybeck: US architect (Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco)
- 1863Mieczyslaw Soltys: Composer
- 1864Arthur Collins: Singer / comedian (Peerless Quartet)
- 1864Ricardo Castro Herrera: Composer
- 1866Raf[ael] Verhulst [Koen Ravestein]: Flemish writer (Jesus of Nazarus)
- 1867Laura Ingalls Wilder: Wisconsin, United States -- Kid book author (Little House on Prarie)
Died on Feb 7
- 0590Pelagius II: Gothic Pope (579-90), dies from plague
- 1593Jacques Amyot: French humanist / abbot of Bellozanne, dies at 79
- 1609Ferdinand I: Cardinal / ruler of Toscane
- 1743Lodovico Giustini: Composer, dies at 57
- 1749Andre Cardinal Destouches: Composer, dies at 76
- 1820Samuel Adams Holyoke: Composer, dies at 57
- 1823Ann Radcliffe (Ward): English Poet / Author of horror novels, dies at 58
- 1827Franz Anton Dimmler: Composer, dies at 73
- 1830Marcus Antonio da Fonseca Portugal: Portuguese composer, dies at 67
- 1862Frantisek Jan Skroup: Composer, dies at 61
- 1865John Henry Winder: US Confederate Brigadier General / provost marshal, dies at 64
- 1878Pius IX: "Pio Nono", [Giovanni Ferretti], Pope (1846-78), dies at 85
- 1881Fredrik Cygnaeus: Finnish Poet / literature critic, dies at 73
- 1897Galileo Ferraris: Italian physicist (Ferrari), dies at 49
- 1901Benjamin Edward Woolf: Composer, dies at 64
- 1915Wladyslaw Gorski: Composer, dies at 68
- 1918Alexander Sergeyevich Taneyev: Composer, dies at 68
- 1920Alexander Koltsjak: Admiral / leader Russian counter-revolutionary, executed
- 1921Peter Kropotkin: Russ Prince / geologist / revolut anarchist, dies at 78
- 1931Ion Vidu: Composer, dies at 67
- 1937Elihu Root: US Minister of War / Foreign affairs (Nobel 1912), dies at 91
- 1942Dorando di Desiderio Pietri: Marathoner (1908 Olympics - Gold Medalist), dies at 56
- 1948"Red" McKenzie: Blues-jazz singer (played comb-with-tissue-paper)
- 1954Jan Adam Maklakiewicz: Composer, dies at 54
- 1957Rudolph Reti: Composer, dies at 71
- 1958Walter Kingsford: Actor (My Favorite Blonde, Fly by Night), dies at 76
- 1959Daniel F Malan: Premier of South Africa (1948-54), dies at 84
- 1959Napoleon Lajorie: Baseball player, dies at 83
- 1959Slim [Eddie Jones] Guitar: Rocker, dies at 32
- 1960Igor V Kurtshatov: Russian nuclear physicist, dies at 57