February 29

Pre-1600 • 888 – Odo, count of Paris, is crowned king of West Francia (France) by Archbishop Walter of Sens at Compiègne. • 1504 – Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Jamaican natives to provide him with supplies. 1601–1900 • 1644 – Abel Tasman's second Pacific voyage begins as he leaves Batavia in command of three ships. • 1704 – In Queen Anne's War, French forces and Native Americans stage a raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, killing 56 villagers and taking more than 100 captive. • 1712 – February 29 is followed by February 30 in Sweden, in a move to abolish the Swedish calendar for a return to the Julian calendar. • 1720 – Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden abdicates in favour of her husband, who becomes King Frederick I on March 24. • 1768 – Polish nobles form the Bar Confederation. • 1796 – The Jay Treaty between the United States and Great Britain comes into force, facilitating ten years of peaceful trade between the two nations. • 1892 – St. Petersburg, Florida is incorporated. 1901–present • 1908 – James Madison University is founded at Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States as The State Normal and Industrial School for Women by the Virginia General Assembly. • 1912 – The Piedra Movediza (Moving Stone) of Tandil falls and breaks. • 1916 – Tokelau is annexed by the United Kingdom. • 1916 – In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill and mine workers is raised from 12 to 14 years old. • 1920 – The Czechoslovak National Assembly adopts the Constitution. • 1936 – The February 26 Incident in Tokyo ends. • 1940 – For her performance as Mammy in Gone with the Wind, Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award. • 1940 – Finland initiates Winter War peace negotiations. • 1940 – In a ceremony held in Berkeley, California, physicist Ernest Lawrence receives the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics from Sweden's consul general in San Francisco. • 1944 – The Admiralty Islands are invaded in Operation Brewer, led by American general Douglas MacArthur, in World War II. • 1960 – The 5.7  Agadir earthquake shakes coastal Morocco with a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme), destroying Agadir and leaving 12,000 dead and another 12,000 injured. • 1964 – British Eagle International Airlines Flight 802/6 crashes into the Glungezer mountain in the Tux Alps of Austria, killing all 75 people aboard. • 1968 – Aeroflot Flight 15 crashes Irkutsk Oblast, Soviet Union, due to a loss of control. Eighty-three of the 84 occupants onboard die. The exact cause of the accident is unknown. • 1972 – South Korea withdraws 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from South Vietnam as part of Nixon's Vietnamization policy in the Vietnam War. • 1980 – Gordie Howe of the Hartford Whalers makes NHL history as he scores his 800th goal. • 1984 – Pierre Trudeau announces his retirement as Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister of Canada. • 1988 – South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is arrested along with 100 other clergymen during a five-day anti-apartheid demonstration in Cape Town. • 1988 – Svend Robinson becomes the first member of the House of Commons of Canada to come out as gay. • 1992 – A referendum is begun in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the determination of Bosnian independence. • 1996 – Faucett Perú Flight 251 crashes in the Andes; all 123 passengers and crew are killed. • 1996 – The Siege of Sarajevo officially ends. • 2000 – Chechens attack a guard post near Ulus Kert, eventually killing 84 Russian paratroopers during the Second Chechen War. • 2004 – Jean-Bertrand Aristide is removed as president of Haiti following a coup. • 2004 – Angelina Jolie wears a White Marc Bouwer dress to the 76th Academy Awards, which has since been placed on numerous lists for best Oscars fashion. • 2008 – The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence withdraws Prince Harry from a tour of Afghanistan after news of his deployment is leaked to foreign media. • 2008 – Misha Defonseca admits to fabricating her memoir, Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years, in which she claims to have lived with a pack of wolves in the woods during the Holocaust. • 2012 – North Korea agrees to suspend uranium enrichment and nuclear and long-range missile tests in return for US food aid. • 2016 – In the Miqdadiyah bombing: at least 40 people are killed and 58 others wounded following a suicide bombing by ISIL at a Shi'ite funeral in the city of Miqdadiyah, Diyala, Iraq. • 2020 – During a demonstration, pro-government colectivos shoot at disputed President and Speaker of the National Assembly Juan Guaidó and his supporters in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, leaving five injured. • 2020 – The United States and the Taliban sign the Doha Agreement for bringing peace to Afghanistan. • 2020 – Muhyiddin Yassin is appointed as the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia, amid the 2020 Malaysian political crisis. • 2020 – Luxembourg becomes the first country in the world to render public transport free nationwide. • 2024 – The Flour Massacre took place in the Gaza Strip: Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians waiting for aid amidst the Gaza war, killing over 100 and wounding 750. ==Births==

Pre-1600 • 1468 – Pope Paul III (died 1549) • 1528 – Albert V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1579) • 1528 – Domingo Báñez, Spanish theologian (died 1604) • 1572 – Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon (died 1638) • 1576 – Antonio Neri, Florentine priest and glassmaker (died 1614) 1601–1900 • 1640 – Benjamin Keach, Particular Baptist preacher and author whose name is given to Keach's Catechism (died 1704) • 1692 – John Byrom, English poet and educator (died 1763) • 1724 – Eva Marie Veigel, Austrian-English dancer (died 1822) • 1736 – Ann Lee, English-American religious leader, founder of the Shakers (died 1784) • 1792 – Gioachino Rossini, Italian composer (died 1868) • 1812 – James Milne Wilson, Scottish-Australian soldier and politician, eighth Premier of Tasmania (died 1880) • 1828 – Emmeline B. Wells, American journalist, poet and activist (died 1921) • 1836 – Dickey Pearce, American baseball player and manager (died 1908) • 1840 – Theodor Leber, German ophthalmologist (died 1917) • 1852 – Frank Gavan Duffy, Irish-Australian lawyer and judge, fourth Chief Justice of Australia (died 1936) • 1852 – Prince George Maximilianovich, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg (died 1912) • 1860 – Herman Hollerith, American statistician and businessman, co-founder of the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (died 1929) • 1884 – Richard S. Aldrich, American lawyer and politician (died 1941) • 1892 – Augusta Savage, American sculptor (died 1962) • 1896 – Morarji Desai, Indian civil servant and politician, fourth Prime Minister of India (died 1995) • 1896 – William A. Wellman, American actor, director, producer and screenwriter (died 1975) 1901–present • 1904 – Jimmy Dorsey, American saxophonist, composer and bandleader (died 1957) • 1904 – Pepper Martin, American baseball player and manager (died 1965) • 1908 – Balthus, French-Swiss painter and illustrator (died 2001) • 1908 – Dee Brown, American historian and author (died 2002) • 1908 – Alf Gover, English cricketer and coach (died 2001) • 1908 – Louie Myfanwy Thomas, Welsh writer (died 1968) • 1912 – Kamil Tolon, Turkish industrialist (died 1978) • 1916 – James B. Donovan, American lawyer (died 1970) • 1916 – Leonard Shoen, founder of U-Haul Corp. (died 1999) • 1920 – Fyodor Abramov, Russian author and critic (died 1983) • 1920 – Arthur Franz, American actor (died 2006) • 1920 – James Mitchell, American actor and dancer (died 2010) • 1920 – Michèle Morgan, French-American actress and singer (died 2016) • 1920 – Rolland W. Redlin, American lawyer and politician (died 2011) • 1924 – David Beattie, New Zealand judge and politician, 14th Governor-General of New Zealand (died 2001) • 1924 – Carlos Humberto Romero, Salvadoran politician, President of El Salvador (died 2017) • 1924 – Al Rosen, American baseball player and manager (died 2015) • 1928 – Joss Ackland, English actor (died 2023) • 1928 – Jean Adamson, British writer and illustrator (Topsy and Tim) (died 2024) • 1928 – Vance Haynes, American archaeologist, geologist and author • 1928 – Michael Henshall, English Anglican suffragan bishop (died 2017) • 1928 – Seymour Papert, South African mathematician and computer scientist, co-creator of the Logo programming language (died 2016) • 1928 – Tempest Storm, born Annie Banks, "The Queen Of Exotic Dancers", American burlesque performer and actress (died 2021) • 1932 – Gene H. Golub, American mathematician and academic (died 2007) • 1932 – Masten Gregory, American race car driver (died 1985) • 1932 – Reri Grist, American soprano and actress • 1932 – Jaguar, Brazilian cartoonist (died 2025) • 1932 – Gavin Stevens, Australian cricketer • 1936 – Nh. Dini, Indonesian writer (died 2018) • 1936 – Jack R. Lousma, American colonel, astronaut and politician • 1936 – Henri Richard, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2020) • 1936 – Alex Rocco, American actor (died 2015) • 1940 – Sonja Barend, Dutch talk show host • 1940 – Bartholomew I, current Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. • 1944 – Dennis Farina, American police officer and actor (died 2013) • 1944 – Nicholas Frayling, English priest and academic • 1944 – Phyllis Frelich, American actress (died 2014) • 1944 – Steve Mingori, American baseball player (died 2008) • 1944 – Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri, Italian author and illustrator • 1944 – Lennart Svedberg, Swedish ice hockey player (died 1972). • 1944 – Saeed Poursamimi, Iranian actor • 1948 – Hermione Lee, English author, critic and academic • 1948 – Manoel Maria, Brazilian footballer • 1948 – Patricia A. McKillip, American author (died 2022) • 1948 – Sonny M'Pokomandji, Central African basketball player and politician, Minister of Equipment and Transport (2003–2005) • 1952 – Tim Powers, American author and educator • 1952 – Raisa Smetanina, Russian cross-country skier • 1952 – Bart Stupak, American police officer and politician • 1956 – Knut Agnred, Swedish singer, actor and comedian • 1956 – Jonathan Coleman, English-Australian radio and television host (died 2021) • 1956 – Bob Speller, Canadian businessman and politician, 30th Canadian Minister of Agriculture (died 2021) • 1956 – Aileen Wuornos, American serial killer (died 2002) • 1960 – Khaled, Algerian singer-songwriter • 1960 – Richard Ramirez, American serial killer and sex offender (died 2013) • 1960 – Tony Robbins, American author and motivational activist • 1964 – Dave Brailsford, English cyclist and coach • 1964 – Carmel Busuttil, former Maltese footballer • 1964 – Lyndon Byers, Canadian ice hockey player and radio host (died 2025) • 1964 – Mervyn Warren, American tenor, composer and producer • 1968 – Chucky Brown, American basketball player and coach • 1968 – Gareth Farr, New Zealand composer and percussionist • 1968 – Pete Fenson, American curler • 1968 – Bryce Paup, American football player and coach • 1968 – Howard Tayler, American author and illustrator • 1968 – Eugene Volokh, Ukrainian-American lawyer and educator • 1968 – Frank Woodley, Australian actor, producer and screenwriter • 1972 – Sylvie Lubamba, Italian showgirl • 1972 – Mike Pollitt, English footballer and coach • 1972 – Antonio Sabàto Jr., Italian-American model and actor • 1972 – Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain • 1972 – Dave Williams, American singer (died 2002) • 1972 – Saul Williams, American singer-songwriter • 1972 – Pedro Zamora, Cuban-American activist and educator (died 1994) • 1976 – Vonteego Cummings, American basketball player • 1976 – Katalin Kovács, Hungarian sprint kayaker • 1976 – Terrence Long, American baseball player • 1976 – Ja Rule, American rapper and actor • 1980 – Çağdaş Atan, Turkish footballer and coach • 1980 – Simon Gagné, Canadian ice hockey player • 1980 – Rubén Plaza, Spanish cyclist • 1980 – Clinton Toopi, New Zealand rugby league player • 1980 – Taylor Twellman, American soccer player and sportscaster • 1980 – Peter Scanavino, American actor (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) • 1984 – Darren Ambrose, English footballer • 1984 – Rica Imai, Japanese model and actress • 1984 – Cullen Jones, American swimmer • 1984 – Nuria Martínez, Spanish basketball player • 1984 – Lena Raine, American video game composer and producer • 1984 – Rakhee Thakrar, English actress • 1984 – Cam Ward, Canadian ice hockey player • 1984 – Mark Foster, American singer, songwriter and musician • 1988 – Lena Gercke, German model and television host • 1988 – Benedikt Höwedes, German footballer • 1988 – Coco Khan, British writer • 1988 – Brent Macaffer, Australian Rules footballer • 1988 – Hannah Mills, Welsh sports sailor • 1992 – Sean Abbott, Australian cricketer • 1992 – Eric Kendricks, American football player • 1992 – Jessica Long, American paralympic swimmer • 1992 – Jessie T. Usher, American actor • 1992 – Saphir Taïder, Algerian footballer • 1996 – Nelson Asofa-Solomona, New Zealand rugby league player • 1996 – Norberto Briasco, Argentine-Armenian footballer • 1996 – Reece Prescod, British sprinter • 1996 – Claudia Williams, New Zealand tennis player • 2000 – Tyrese Haliburton, American basketball player • 2000 – Ferran Torres, Spanish footballer • 2000 – Jesper Lindstrøm, Danish footballer • 2004 – Lydia Jacoby, American swimmer • 2004 – Abdukodir Khusanov, Uzbek footballer • 2008 – Rémi Himbert, French footballer ==Deaths==

Pre-1600 • 468 – Pope Hilarius • 992 – Oswald of Worcester, Anglo-Saxon archbishop and saint (born 925) • 1460 – Albert III, Duke of Bavaria-Munich (born 1401) • 1528 – Patrick Hamilton, Scottish Protestant reformer and martyr (born 1504) • 1592 – Alessandro Striggio, Italian composer and diplomat (born 1536/1537) • 1600 – Caspar Hennenberger, German pastor, historian and cartographer (born 1529) 1601–1900 • 1604 – John Whitgift, English archbishop and academic (born 1530) • 1712 – Johann Conrad Peyer, Swiss anatomist (born 1653) • 1744 – John Theophilus Desaguliers, French-English physicist and philosopher (born 1683) • 1792 – Johann Andreas Stein, German piano builder (born 1728) • 1820 – Johann Joachim Eschenburg, German historian and critic (born 1743) • 1848 – Louis-François Lejeune, French general, painter and lithographer (born 1775) • 1856 – Auguste Chapdelaine, French Christian missionary (born 1814) • 1868 – Ludwig I of Bavaria (born 1786) • 1880 – James Milne Wilson, Scottish-Australian soldier and politician, 8th Premier of Tasmania (born 1812) • 1904 – Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin, French astronomer (born 1845) • 1908 – Pat Garrett, American sheriff (born 1850) • 1908 – John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow, Scottish-Australian politician, 1st Governor-General of Australia (born 1860) • 1916 – John Nanson, English-Australian journalist and politician (born 1863) • 1920 – Ernie Courtney, American baseball player (born 1875) • 1924 – Frederic Chapple, Australian educator (born 1845) • 1928 – Adolphe Appia, Swiss architect and theorist (born 1862) • 1928 – Ina Coolbrith, American poet and librarian (born 1841) • 1932 – Arthur Mills Lea, Australian entomologist (born 1868) • 1932 – Giuseppe Vitali, Italian mathematician (born 1875) • 1940 – E. F. Benson, English archaeologist and author (born 1867) • 1944 – Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, Finnish lawyer, judge and politician, 3rd President of Finland (born 1861) • 1948 – Robert Barrington-Ward, English lawyer and journalist (born 1891) • 1952 – Sarah Ann Jenyns, Australian entrepreneur (born 1865) • 1956 – Elpidio Quirino, Filipino lawyer and politician, 6th President of the Philippines (born 1890) • 1960 – Melvin Purvis, American police officer and FBI agent (born 1903) • 1960 – Walter Yust, American journalist and author (born 1894) • 1964 – Frank Albertson, American actor and singer (born 1909) • 1968 – Tore Ørjasæter, Norwegian poet and educator (born 1886) • 1972 – Tom Davies, American football player and coach (born 1896) • 1976 – Florence P. Dwyer, American politician (born 1902) • 1980 – Yigal Allon, Israeli general and politician, Prime Minister of Israel (born 1918) • 1980 – Gil Elvgren, American painter and illustrator (born 1914) • 1984 – Ludwik Starski, Polish screenwriter and songwriter (born 1903) • 1992 – Ruth Pitter, English poet and author (born 1897) • 1996 – Frank Daniel, Czech-American director, producer and screenwriter (born 1926) • 1996 – Wes Farrell, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1939) • 1996 – Ralph Rowe, American baseball player, coach and manager (born 1924) • 2000 – Dennis Danell, American guitarist (born 1961) • 2004 – Kagamisato Kiyoji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 42nd Yokozuna (born 1923) • 2004 – Jerome Lawrence, American playwright and author (born 1915) • 2004 – Harold Bernard St. John, Barbadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Barbados (born 1931) • 2004 – Lorrie Wilmot, South African cricketer (born 1943) • 2008 – Janet Kagan, American author (born 1946) • 2008 – Erik Ortvad, Danish painter and illustrator (born 1917) • 2008 – Akira Yamada, Japanese scholar and philosopher (born 1922) • 2012 – Davy Jones, English singer, guitarist and actor (born 1945) • 2012 – Sheldon Moldoff, American illustrator (born 1920) • 2012 – P. K. Narayana Panicker, Indian social leader (born 1930) • 2016 – Wenn V. Deramas, Filipino director and screenwriter (born 1966) • 2016 – Gil Hill, American police officer, actor and politician (born 1931) • 2016 – Josefin Nilsson, Swedish singer (born 1969) • 2016 – Mumtaz Qadri, Pakistani assassin, executed (born 1985) • 2016 – Louise Rennison, English author (born 1951) • 2020 – Dieter Laser, German actor (born 1942) • 2020 – Éva Székely, Hungarian Hall of Fame swimmer and 1952 Olympic champion (born 1927) • 2024 – Ali Hassan Mwinyi, 2nd President of Tanzania and 3rd President of Zanzibar (born 1925) • 2024 – Brian Mulroney, 18th Prime Minister of Canada (born 1939) ==Holidays and observances==

• As a Christian feast day: • Saint John Cassian • February 29 in the Orthodox church • Rare Disease Day (in leap years; usually celebrated in common years on February 28) • Bachelor's Day (Ireland and United Kingdom) ==See also==