Events on Feb 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 Feb 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 Feb 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
Historical events on February 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 February 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 February 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
Events on Feb 29
- 1504Columbus uses a lunar eclipse to frighten hostile Jamaican Indians
- 1692Sarah Good and Tituba, an Indian servant, accused of witchcraft, Salem
- 1704French and Indians attack Deerfield, Mass, kill 50, abduct 100
- 1720Queen Ulrica Eleonora of Sweden resigns
- 1784Marquis de Sade transferred from Vincennes fortress to the Bastille
- 1816Dutch (King) Willem II marries Russian grand-duchess Anna Paulowna
- 1832Charles Darwin visits jungle near Bahia Brazil
- 1836Giacomo Meyerbeers opera "Les Huguenots, " premieres in Paris
- 1848Neufchatel declares independence of Switzerland
- 1856Hostilities in Russo-Turkish War cease
- 18681st British government of Disraeli forms
- 1880Gotthard railway tunnel between Switzerland and Italy completed
- 1892Britian and US sign treaty on seal hunting in Bering Sea
- 1904Theodore Roosevelt, appoints 7 man committee to study Panama Canal
- 1908Dutch scientists produce solid helium
- 1932Failed coup attempt by fascist Lapua Movement in Finland
- 1936FDR signs 2nd neutrality act
- 1940"Gone with the Wind, " wins 8 Oscars
- 194045 U-boats sunk this month (170,000 ton)
- 1940Frederic from G&S "Pirates of Penzance" finally released by pirate
- 1940Hattie McDaniel becomes 1st black woman to win an Oscar
- 19445 leaders of Indonesia Communist Party sentenced to death
- 1944US troop land on Los Negros, Admirality Islands
- 1948Stern-group bomb Cairo-Haifa train, 27 British soldiers died
- 1952Ice Dance Championship at Paris France won by Westwood and Demmy GRB
- 1952Ice Pairs Championship at Paris won by Ria Falk and Paul Falk of GER
- 1952Ladies Figure Skating Champ in Paris won by Jacqueline du Bief of FRA
- 1956Islamic Republic forms in Pakistan
- 1956President Eisenhower announces he would seek a 2nd term
- 19601st Playboy Club, featuring bunnies, opens in Chicago
Born on Feb 29
- 1468Paul III: Last Renaissance Pope (1534-49)
- 1696Esprit Joseph Antoine Blanchard: Composer
- 1728Robert Bage: English writer (Criticism by Peter Faulkner)
- 1736Anna Lee: Manchester, England -- Founder (Shaker movement in America)
- 1784Franz KL von Klenze: German architect (Hermitage, St-Petersburg)
- 1792Gioacchino Rossini: Pesaro, Italy -- Composer (Barber of Seville)
- 1792Karl Ernst von Baler: Russia -- Naturalist (discovered human ovum)
- 1796[Lambert] Adolphe J Quetelet: Belgian astronomer / meteorology
- 1812Hermann Hirschboch: German composer
- 1820Adolf Schimon: Composer
- 1828Antonio Guzman Blanco: President Venezuela
- 1840John Philip Holland: Liscannor, Ireland -- Pioneer in submarine building
- 1852Frederic Hymen Cowen: Composer
- 1860Herman Hollerith: Inventor (1st electric tabulating machine)
- 1884Alfred Sendrey: Composer
- 1896Omer C F L Tulippe: Belgian geographer
- 1896Ranchhodji Morarji Desai: Premier of India (1977-79)
- 1896Stanley Swash: CEO (Woolworths)
- 1896William W Wellman: Brookline, Massachusetts -- Director (Star is Born)
- 1896Wladimir Rudolfovich Vogel: Composer
- 1904Alan Richardson: Composer
- 1904Jimmy Dorsey: Shenandoah, Pennsylvania -- Orchestra leader (Stage Show)
- 1904John "Pepper" Martin: Baseballer (NL stolen base leader 1933, 34, 36)
- 1908Balthus: Painter (Valerie)
- 1920Arthur Franz: Perth Amboy, New Jersey -- Actor (Invaders From Mars, Young Lions)
- 1920James Mitchell: Sacramento, California -- Actor (Palmer-All My Children)
- 1920Louise Wood: Director of Girl Scouts of USA (1961-72)
- 1924David Beattie: British Governor-General of NZ
- 1924Otto Hutter: Physiologist
- 1928Alan Loveday: Violinist
Died on Feb 29
- 0468Pope Hilarius: Calendar reformer
- 0468St Hilary: Catholic Pope (461-468)
- 1604John Whitgift: Archbishop of Canterbury (1583-1604), dies at about 74
- 1844Thaddaus Weigl: Composer, dies at 67
- 1852John Landseer: Printer / engraver (Royal Academy)
- 1868[Charles] Louis I [Augustus]: King of Bavaria (L Montez), dies at 81
- 1916Edward H J Keurvels: Flemish conductor / Composer (Parisina), dies at 62
- 1928Adolphe Appia: Swiss set designer / theorist, dies at 65
- 1928Armando V Diaz: Italian marshal / Minister of War (1922-24), dies at 66
- 1932"Big Ed" Morris: Pitcher (Boston Red Sox)
- 1940Edward Frederic Benson: Novelist
- 1956Elpidio Quirino: President of Philippines (1949-53), dies at 65
- 1964Frank Albertson: Actor (Chico & Man, Room Service), dies at 55
- 1964Victor van Straelen: Flemish biologist / paleontologist, dies at 74
- 1980Yigol Alton: Israeli Foreign Minister, dies at 61
- 1984Roland Culver: Actor (Thunderball), dies of heart problems at 83
- 1992Earl Scheib: CEO (Earl Scheib Auto Paint), dies at 85
- 1992Johnny Mack: British actor (Time Lord-Dr Who), dies at 70
- 1996Duncan Stuart Wilson Fighter pilot-MacDonald: Dies at 83
- 1996Joe Minogue: Journalist, dies at 72
- 1996John Grant: Rear-admiral, dies at 87
- 1996Wes Farrell: Songwriter, dies at 56