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What Happened in February?
Emperor ascensions, legendary battles, and assassinations. Discover what happened this month in history. Explore pivotal events from February that helped shape the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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The world's first telephone directory is published by the New Haven District Telephone Company on February 21, 1878, listing 50 subscribers but no numbers, as operators manually connected calls. The single page grew into a pamphlet with usage tips and ads, marking a significant step in telecommunications history.
Oscar Wilde's play "Salomé" is premiered in Paris.
The Washington monument is formally dedicated one day before George Washington's birthday (which fell on a Sunday that year).. More
All-time high temperatures are recorded in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.
The Western Australian gold rush begins, leading to significant gold discoveries in Kalgoorlie.
French scientist Henri Becquerel discovers radioactivity while working on a series of experiments on phosphorescent materials. During his experiments, Becquerel observed that uranium compounds produced a photographic image on a plate wrapped in black paper.
This indicated the emission of radiation independent of sunlight or external stimulation; an event he later termed "radioactivity". His accidental discovery led to further investigations by the Curies and others, eventually earning Becquerel the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 for his work on natural radioactivity.
Alfred L. Cralle, is granted a patent for the first ice cream scoop, Cralle was an African American businessman and inventor who noticed ice cream servers having difficulty getting the popular confection desired by the customer into the cone they were usually holding. The ice cream tended to stick to spoons and ladles, requiring the server to use two hands and at least two separate implements to serve customers. The invention solved a real problem and spread so quickly that people soon forgot or never knew ,Cralle as the inventor, so he never profited from his invention. More
The British invasion of the Kingdom of Benin begins. The operation was named the Benin Punitive Expedition and part of its objectives was to capture the Benin Oba. The British invasion force of about 1,200 Royal Marines, sailors and Niger Coast Protectorate Forces. Eventually, Benin City was captured by the expedition, looted and set ablaze including the Palace building itself. The British occupied Benin, which was absorbed into the British Niger Coast Protectorate and eventually into British colonial Nigeria. More
The USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, killing over 260 American crew members. While blamed on a Spanish mine, modern investigations suggest an internal coal bunker fire triggered the blast.
The event spurred public and media demand for war, resulting in the United States Congress declaring war on Spain on April 25, 1898, stating that a de facto state of war had existed since April 21, 1898. More
The United States Senate ratifies the Treaty of Paris, which had been formally signed in Paris on December 10, 1898, officially ending the Spanish-American War, concluding the hostilities and granting independence to Cuba, while ceding Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the United States.
Prior to that, on August 12, 1898, an armistice had been signed by the U.S. and Spain, bringing an end to the actual fighting in the war.
J.P. Morgan incorporates the United States Steel Corporation, the first billion-dollar corporation.
The first "Teddy bear" goes on sale. Named after President Theodore Roosevelt, the stuffed bear was designed by Rose Michtom, wife of Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn, New York, resident who owned a candy shop where the first Teddy bear went on sale. More
Japan launches a surprise attack against the Russian-held Port Arthur, along the coast of Manchuria, beginning the Russo-Japanese War. Russia faced many defeats as it battled Japan while also fighting a revolution on the home front. In September 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt negotiates peace between the two countries, earning him the Nobel Peace Prize. More
1909, February 12 - The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded. More
Pu Yi, the last Qing dynasty Emperor of China, is forced to abdicate, ending 267 years of Manchu rule in China and 2,000 years of imperial rule. The former emperor, only six years old at the time, was allowed to keep up his residence in Beijing’s Forbidden City, and he took the name of Henry Pu Yi. More
The Arizona territory becomes the 48th state in the union. The first Governor of the new state was George W.P. Hunt. Arizonans wanted statehood long before 1912, but rejected a proposal from the U.S. Senate that Arizona and New Mexico territories combine and be admitted as one state.
The Grand Central Terminal officially opened to great fanfare at 12:01am on Sunday, February 2, 1913. Although construction was not yet entirely complete, more than 150,000 visited on opening day. New York City would never be the same. More
The 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, establishing the federal income tax. More
The Scottish ship, SS California , homeward-bound and approaching Ireland at full steam, was attacked by the German U-boat SM U-85 and sank in nine minutes, 38 miles off the coast of Ireland. More