Events on Feb 26
- 1266Battle of Benevento
- 1531Earthquake in Lisbon Spain, kills 20,000-30,000
- 1534Pope Paul II affirms George van Egmond as Bishop of Utrecht
- 1590Mauritius of Nassaus sails to Breda
- 1616Spanish Inquisition delivers injunction to Galileo
- 17321st mass celebrated in 1st American Catholic church, Philadelphia
- 1773Construction authorized for Walnut St. jail (Philadelphia) (1st solitary)
- 1804Vice-admiral William Bligh ends siege of Fort Amsterdam, Willemstad
- 1815Napoleon and 1,200 leave Elba to start 100-day re-conquest of France
- 1832Polish constitution abolished / replaced by Czar Nicholas I
- 18341st US interstate crime compact (NY-NJ) ratified
- 1839Jem Mason on Lottery wins 1st Grand National Steeplechase (Britain)
- 18482nd French Republic forms
- 18482nd French Republic proclaimed
- 1848Marx and Engels publish "Communist Manifesto"
- 1852British frigate Birkenhead sinks off South Africa-458 die
- 1862Battle of Woodburn, Kentucky
- 1863Lincoln signs National Currency Act
- 1866New York Legislature forms NYC Metropolitan Board of Health
- 186915th Amendment guaranteeing right to vote sent to states
- 18701st NYC subway line opens (pneumatic powered)
- 1881SS Ceylon begins 1st round-the-world cruise from Liverpool
- 1884British and Portuguese treaty signed in Congo by Leopold II
- 1885Congress of Berlin, gives Congo to Belgium and Nigeria to England
- 18911st buffalo purchased for Golden Gate Park
- 1891Henrik Ibsens "Hedda Gabler, " premieres in Oslo
- 18932 Clydesdale horses set record by pulling 48 tons on a sledge, Michigan
- 1893Einar Halvorsen skates world record 500m (48 seconds)
- 1895Michael Owens of Toledo, Ohio patents a glass-blowing machine
- 1907Royal Oil and Shell merge to form British Petroleum (BP)
Born on Feb 26
- 1361Wenceslas of Bohemia: Holy Roman Catholic German Emperor (1378-1400)
- 1588Nicolaus Erich: Composer
- 1675Johann Philipp Treiber: Composer
- 1677Nicola Fago: Composer
- 1717John Randall: Composer
- 1770Antoine Reicha: Composer
- 1772Caspar Furstenau: Composer
- 1802Victor Hugo: France -- Author (Hunchback of Notre Dame, Les Miserables)
- 1824Carlos Calvo: Arg diplomat / people rights Scholar (Calvo Clause)
- 1825Hans Balatka: Composer
- 1831Filippo Marchetti: Composer
- 1834Aleksander Zarzycki: Composer
- 1837Charles Woeste: Belgian count / Minister of Justice
- 1838Wendelin Weissheimer: Composer
- 1841Evelyn Baring Earl Cromer: English consul-General (Egypt)
- 1842Camille Flammarion: Mars researcher and popularizer of astronomy
- 1845Aleksander Rozycki: Composer
- 1845Alexander III: St. Petersburg, Russia -- Russian tsar (1881-94) (3 / 10 NS)
- 1852John Harvey Kellogg: Surgeon, inspired flaked cereal industry
- 1861Ferdinand I: Vienna, Austria -- 1st tsar of modern Bulgaria (1908-18)
- 1866Herbert Henry Dow: Pioneer in US chemical industry (Dow Chemical)
- 1867Siegfried Passarge: German geographer (Cameroon / So Afr / America)
- 1868Leonard Borwick: Pianist
- 1869Nadezjda K Krupskaja: Russian revolutionary / Wife of Lenin
- 1873Ewoud van Everdingen: Dutch meteorologist
- 1874Carl Vogler: Composer
- 1875Richard Wetz: Composer
- 1876Agustin P Justo y Rolon: President Argentina (1931-38)
- 1877Carel S Adama van Scheltema: Dutch poet / writer (socialism)
- 1877Russell Alexander: Composer
Died on Feb 26
- 1076Godfried III: With the Hump, Duke of Neth-Lutherian, murdered
- 1154Rogier II Guiscard: King of Sicily (1101-54), dies at 60
- 1266Manfred: Bastard Son of Emperor Frederik II / King of Sicily
- 1324Dino Compagni: Italian silk seller / Poet / chronicler
- 1538Worp van Thabor: Frisian abbott of Thabor (Chronicon Frisiae)
- 1577Erik XIV Wasa: King of Sweden (1560-69), dies at 43
- 1630William Brade: Composer
- 1726Maximilian II M Emanuel: Elect of Bavaria / Governor of the Netherlands
- 1766August Bernhard Valentin Herbing: Composer, dies at 30
- 1770Francois Hanot: Composer, dies at 72
- 1770Giuseppe Tartini: Italian Composer / violinist, dies at 77
- 1810Johann Ernst Rembt: Composer, dies at 60
- 1813Robert R Livingston: US diplomat (Declaration of Independence), dies at 66
- 1823John P Kemble: English actor / director (Covent Garden), dies at 66
- 1827David Moritz Michael: Composer, dies at 75
- 1857Ole Andreas Lindeman: Composer, dies at 88
- 1859Ferdinand Lukas Schubert: Composer, dies at 64
- 1870Wyatt Outlaw: Black leader of Union League in NC, lynched
- 1871Charles Niellon: Belgian brigade General, dies at 76
- 1901Chi-hsui: During Boxer Rebellion in China, beheaded
- 1901Hsu Cheng-yu: During Boxer Rebellion in China, beheaded
- 1903Richard J Gatling: US inventor (Gatling Gun), dies at 84
- 1906Manuel Fernandez Caballero: Composer, dies at 70
- 1913Felix Draeseke: Composer, dies at 77
- 1920Ludwig Rubiner: Writer, dies at 38
- 1921Carl Menger: Austrian economist, dies at 81
- 1926Frederik Pijper: Dut vicar / church Historian (Monasteries), dies at 67
- 1926Peter Erasmus Lange-Muller: Composer, dies at 75
- 1930Raffaele Merry del Val: Spanish Cardinal, dies at 64
- 1931Otto Wallach: German chemist (Nobel 1910), dies at 83
Historical events on February 27
- 1526Saxony and Hesse form League of Gotha (league of Protestant princes)
- 1531Evangelical German monarchy / towns form Schmalkaldische Union
- 15571st Russian Embassy opens in London, Russia and US sign trade agreement
- 1563William Byrd is appointed Organist at Lincoln Cathedral
- 1594Henri IV crowned King of France
- 1665Battle at Elmina, Gold Coast: Vice-adm De Ruyter beats English
- 1670Jews expelled from Austria by order of Leopold I
- 1678Earl of Shaftesbury freed out of London Tower
- 1696English / Welsh nobles lay down Oath of Assn
- 1700Pacific Island of New Britain discovered
- 1713French troops bomb Willemstad Curacao
- 1801Washington DC placed under Congressional jurisdiction
- 1803Great fire in Bombay, India
- 18131st federal vaccination legislation enacted
- 1813Congress authorizes use of steamboats to transport mail
- 1814Ludwig von Beethovens 8th Symphony in F, premieres
- 1816Dutch regain Suriname
- 18271st Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans
- 1844Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti (National Day)
- 1854Composer Robert Schumann saved from suicide attempt in Rhine
- 1861Russians shoot at Poles protesting Russian rule of Poland
- 1861US Congress authorizes 1st stamped newspaper wrappers for mailing
- 1861Warsaw Massacre: Russians fire on crowd demonstrating against Russia
- 18646th and last day of battle at Dalton, Georgia (about 600 casualties)
- 1864Near Andersonville GA, rebels open a new POW camp "Camp Sumpter"
- 1865Civil War skirmish near Sturgeon, Missouri
- 1869John Menard is 1st black to make a speech in Congress
- 1871Meeting of Alabama claims commission
- 1872Charlotte Ray, 1st Black woman lawyer, graduated Harvard University
- 1873Dutch socialist Samuel van Wooden demands law against child labor
Born on February 27
- 0274Constantine I: Great Roman Emperor (306-337), adopted Christianity
- 1539Franciscus Raphelengius: Dutch book publisher
- 1622Rembrandt Carel Fabritius: Dutch painter
- 1649Johann Philipp Krieger: Composer
- 1702Johann Valentin Gorner: Composer
- 1745Silverius Muller: Composer
- 1746Gian Francesco Fortunati: Composer
- 1759Johann Carl Friedrich Rellstab: Composer
- 1784Elias Annes Borger: Dutch theologist / poet (To the Rhine)
- 1784Job Plimpton: Composer
- 1792Don Joaquin B F Espartero: Spanish adventurer / Field Marshal
- 1802William George Frederick Cavendish Bentinck: Lord George Bentinck
- 1811[Catherine] Mildred Lee: Daughter of US General Robert E Lee
- 1822Eugene Gautier: Composer
- 1823Ferdinand Van Derveer: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1892
- 1823William Buel Franklin: Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1903
- 1827Richard W Johnson: Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1897
- 1832Alfred Pollard Edward: Civil War journalist, died in 1872
- 1835Charles Cartuyvels: Belgian pulprit orator
- 1835Richard Garnett: English author (Ananda the Miracle Worker)
- 1841[Eleanor] Agnes Lee: Daughter of US General Robert E Lee
- 1846Joaquin Valverde: Composer
- 1847Ellen Alice Terry: Coventry, England -- Actress / director (Imperial Theatre)
- 1848Charles Hubert H Parry: England, United Kingdom -- Musicologist / composer (Jerusalem)
- 1850Henry Edwards Huntington: United States -- Railroad exec
- 1861Rudolph Steiner: Kraljevic, Austria -- Founder (doctrine of anthroposophy
- 1867Irving Fisher: US economist (compensating dollar)
- 1867Wilhelm Peterson-Berger: Composer
- 1870Louis Coerne: Composer
- 1874Max Ettinger: Composer
Died on February 27
- 1167Robert of Melun: English philosopher / Bishop of Hereford
- 1656Johan van Heemskerk: Dutch lawyer / writer / interpreter
- 1706John Evelyn: Diarist
- 1731Angelo Predieri: Composer, dies at 76
- 1733Johann Adam Birkenstock: Composer, dies at 46
- 1735John Arbuthnot: Physician / mathematician
- 1779Jan Nepveu: Dutch Governor-General of Suriname (1769-79), dies at 59
- 1797Benvenuto Robbio San Rafaele: Composer, dies at 61
- 1805Stefan Paluselli: Composer, dies at 57
- 1844Nicholas Biddle: US lawyer / diplomat / Statesman / financier, dies at 85
- 1852Joseph Drechsler: Composer, dies at 69
- 1881George Colley: British Governor of Natal / General, dies in battle at 46
- 1913Adam Sedgwick: English zoologist (Peripatus), dies at 58
- 1920Alexandru D Xenopol: Romanian historian, dies at 72
- 1923Charles Francis Abdy Williams: Composer, dies at 67
- 1929Manuel Manrique de Lara y Berry: Composer, dies at 65
- 1936Ivan P Pavlov: Russian physiologist (reflexes, Nobel 1904), dies at 86
- 1939Nadezjda K Krupskaya: Russian revolutionary / Wife of Lenin, dies at 70
- 1940Peter Behrens: German architect
- 1942Karel WFM Doorman: Dutch rear-admiral (Java Sea), KIA at 52
- 1945HJ Lochtman: Dutch chaplain / resistance fighter, dies in Bergen-Belsen
- 1950Ivan Goll: Writer, dies at 58
- 1952Theodorus Pangalos: Greek General / Dictator 1926, dies at 74
- 1955Tom Howard: Comedian (It Pays to be Ignorant), dies at 66
- 1956Frank Dailey: Orchestra leader (Music at Meadowbrook), dies at 54
- 1958Harry Cohn: CEO (Columbia Pictures), dies of a heart attack
- 1960Adriano Olivetti: Italian engineer / manufacturer, dies at 58
- 1961Platt Adams: High jumper (1912 Olympics - Gold Medalist)
- 1962Willie Best: Actor (Charlie-My Little Margie), dies at 45
- 1968Johannes Tralow: Writer, dies at 85
Events on Feb 28
- 08708th Ecumenical council ends in Constantinople
- 1066Westminster Abbey opens
- 1570Anti-Portugese uprising on Ternate, Moluccas
- 1610Thomas West, Baron de La Mar, is appointed Governor of Virginia
- 1638Scottish Presbyterians sign National Convent, Greyfriars, Edinburgh
- 1646Roger Scott was tried in Mass for sleeping in church
- 1667English colony Suriname in Dutch hands
- 1692Salem witch hunt begins
- 1704Elias Neau, a Frenchman, opens a school for blacks in New York City
- 1704Indians attack Deerfield, Mass, kill 40, kidnap 100
- 1708Slave revolt, Newton, Long Island NY, 11 die
- 1730Tsarina Anna Ivanovna leads autocracy
- 1759Pope Clement XIII allows Bible to be translated into various languages
- 1778Rhode Island General Assembly authorizes enlistment of slaves
- 1784John Wesley charters Methodist Church
- 18101st US fire insurance joint-stock company organized, Philadelphia
- 18271st commercial railroad in US, Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) chartered
- 184412-inch gun aboard USS Princeton explodes
- 18491st boat load of gold rush prospectors arrives in SF from east coast
- 1854Republican Party formally organized at Ripon, Wisc
- 1859Arkansas legislature requires free blacks to choose exile or slavery
- 1861Territories of Nevada and Colorado created
- 1862Opera "La Reine de Saba, " premieres in Paris
- 1863Confederate raider "Nashville" sinks near Fort McAllister, Georgia
- 18712nd Enforcement Act gives federal control of congressional elections
- 1878US Congress authorizes large-size silver certificate
- 1879"Exodus of 1879" southern blacks flee political / economic exploitation
- 18821st US college cooperative store opens, at Harvard University
- 18831st US vaudeville theater opens (Boston)
- 1888Ferry in San Pablo Bay explodes
Born on Feb 28
- 1533Michel de Montaigne: France -- Essayist / philosopher
- 1573Elias Hill: German architect / city builder (Augsburg)
- 1616Kaspar Forster: Composer
- 1663Thomas Newcomen: English co-inventor (steam engine)
- 1690Aleksei P Romanov: Russia -- Son of Peter the Great
- 1747Justin Morgan: Composer
- 1750Ignacy Potocki: Polish Foreign Minister
- 1764Robert Haldane: Scottish theologist / philanthropist
- 1771French Jozef Kinsoen: Flemish portrait painter
- 1786D Francois J Arago: French astronomer / physicist / politician
- 1792Karl Earnest Ritter von Baer: Estonian / German embryologist
- 1797Mary Lyon: United States -- Educator (Mt Holyoke) (Hall of Fame)
- 1797W Frederik K: Prince of the Netherlands / General / Admiral (10 day campaign)
- 1810Reinier C Bakhuizen van de Brink: Dutch historian
- 1817James Craig: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1888
- 1820John Tenniel: England, United Kingdom -- Cartoonist / illustrator (Alice in Wonderland)
- 1822Matthew Duncan Ector: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1879
- 1823Ernest Renan: French philosopher / historian / Scholar of religion
- 1824Charles Blondin: France -- Acrobat / aerialist
- 1824John Creed Moore: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1910
- 1825Quincy Adams Gillmore: Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1888
- 1833Alfred von Schlieffen: Count / Prussian General-Field Marshal
- 1850Hermann Schell: German theologist / philosopher (Gott und Geist)
- 1854Juliusz Zarebski: Composer
- 1857Gustave Adolph Kerker: Composer
- 1858Jacob P Vis: Dutch industrialist (founder NV Royal Salt Industries)
- 1865Arthur Symons: Welsh poet / critic / co-founder (Savoy)
- 1865Wilfred Grenfell: England, United Kingdom -- Medical Missionary
- 1874Soledad Jiminez: Santander, Spain -- Actor (Phantom ofthe Range)
- 1875Viliam Figus: Composer
Died on Feb 28
- 1261Hendrik: Duke of Brabant (1248-61)
- 1573Jan "Hans" Liefrinck: Flemish engraver / publisher, dies at about 54
- 1609Paul Sartorius: Composer, dies at 39
- 1618Filips Willem: Prince of Orange, dies at 63
- 1626Cyril Tourneur: English Poet / dramatist, dies at about 51
- 1638Claude G Bachet de Meziriac: French Mathematician / poet, dies at 56
- 1638Henri duc de Rohan: French soldier / Huguenot leader
- 1665Lodewijk van Nassau: Dutch Governor (Bois-le-Duc)
- 1737Hercule Brehy: Composer, dies at 63
- 1781Richard Stockton: US attorney (signed Declaration of Independence), dies at 50
- 1784Phillis Wheatly: Poetess
- 1796Friedrich Wilhelm Rust: Composer, dies at 56
- 1818Adriaan Loosjes Pzn: Dut publisher / writer (Moral Stories), dies at 56
- 1844Abel P Upshur: Secretary of State, dies in explosion on USS Princeton
- 1844Thommas W Gilmer: Navy Secretary, dies in explosion on USS Princeton
- 1876Charles Edward Horsley: Composer, dies at 53
- 1903Girolamo / Jeromin de Rada: Albanian poet, dies at 88
- 1905Joseph C Juglar: French Physician / economist, dies at 85
- 1913Elephant seal: 6.8-m, 4000-kg, killed in S Georgia (South Atlantic)
- 1916Henry James: US / British writer (Bostonians), dies in London at 72
- 1922Vicente Lleo: Composer, dies at 51
- 1925Friedrich Ebert: Soc-dem President Germany
- 1929Clemens Freiherr von Pirquet: Austrian artist (React of P), dies at 54
- 1929John Ebenezer West: Composer, dies at 65
- 1935Alexander W F Idenburg: Governor-General of the Netherlands Indies (1909-16), dies at 73
- 1940Johan C Braakensiek: Dutch political cartoonist, dies at 81
- 1949Stanley Robert Marchant: Composer, dies at 65
- 1953Jim Thorpe: Decathlete (1912 Olympics - Gold Medalist), dies at 64
- 1959Maxwell Anderson: US dramatist (Key Largo, Bath Seed), dies at 70
- 1960F S Flint: British translator / Poet (imagist movement), dies at 74