1749 – 1st edition of Henry Fielding’s novel “Tom Jones” is published
1882 – 1st US college cooperative store opens, at Harvard University
1900 – General Buller’s troops relieve Ladysmith in Natal
1904 – Vincent d’Indy’s 2nd Symphony in B, premieres
1914 – Rida Johnson Young, James Royce Shannon, and Chanucy Ollcot’s musical “Shameen Dhu” closes at the Opera House, NYC, after a limited engagement of 32 performances
1981 – Columbia Records releases “Seven Year Ache,” the third studio album by Rosanne Cash; it is her commercial breakthrough and goes to #1 on the country music chart
1998 – “View From the Bridge” closes at Criterion Theater NYC
2016 – Explosion at Severnaya coal mine in Vorkuta, Russia kills 36, including 5 rescuers
Author: gil7
Today in History for 28th February 2026
Historical Events
1870 – The Bulgarian Exarchate (Orthodox Church) is established by decree of Sultan Abd-ul-Aziz of the Ottoman Empire
1974 – US and Egypt re-form diplomatic relations after 7 years
1981 – Calvin Murphy (Hou), sets NBA record with 78 consecutive free throws
1998 – First flight of the RQ-4 Global Hawk, the first unmanned aerial vehicle certified to file its own flight plans and fly regularly in US civilian airspace
2024 – Ghana passes new legislation making it illegal to identify as LGBTQ+
Famous Birthdays
1704 – Louis Godin, French astronomer and seismologist who travelled to Peru, born in Paris (d. 1760)
1854 – Juliusz Zarębski, Polish pianist, composer, and pedagogue, born in Zhytomyr, Kingdom of Poland, Russian Empire (d. 1885)
1930 – Frank Malzone, American baseball third baseman (8 × MLB All-Star; 3 × Gold Glove Award; Boston Red Sox), born in the Bronx, New York (d. 2015)
1957 – John Turturro, American actor (Brain Donor, Color of Money, Jungle Fever), born in Brooklyn, New York
1957 – Ainsley Harriott, English celebrity chef (Read Steady Cook), born in London
Famous Deaths
1737 – Hercule Brehy, Flemish composer and organist, dies at 63
1796 – Friedrich Wilhelm Rust, German violinist and composer, dies at 56
1979 – Jane Hylton [Audrey Gwendolene Clark], British actress (Adv of Sir Lancelot, Daybreak), dies of a heart attack at 52
1994 – Buster Holmes, American chef and New Orleans restaurateur, dies at 88
1999 – Bill Talbert, American tennis player (9 x Grand Slam doubles titles; US Open singles 1944, 45 runner-up; International Tennis HOF), dies at 80
Famous Deaths for 27th February 2026
1735 – John Arbuthnot, Scottish mathematician and writer (Scriblerus Club), dies at 67
1844 – Nicholas Biddle, US lawyer/diplomat/statesman/financier, dies at 85
1946 – James Cecil Parke, Irish tennis player (Australasian C’ship singles and doubles, Davis Cup 1912; Wimbledon doubles 1914) and rugby union centre (20 caps; Leinster Rugby), dies at 64
1947 – Francis MacKinnon, English cricket batsman (1 Test; Kent CCC) and 35th Chief of MacKinnon clan, dies at 98
1968 – Frankie Lymon, American pop singer (The Teenagers – “Why Do Fools Fall In Love”), dies of a heroin overdose at 25
1989 – Konrad Lorenz, Austrian zoologist and ethologist (Man and His Ideas, Nobel Prize 1973), dies at 85
1993 – Marlena Davis, American pop singer (The Orlons – “Don’t Hang Up”; “South Street”), dies of lung cancer at 48
2008 – Anthony Blond, British publisher (The Publishing Game, Book Book), dies at 79
2011 – Frank Buckles, last surviving American World War I veteran (b. 1901)
2024 – Richard Lewis, American comedian and actor (Anything But Love; Robin Hood: Men in Tights; Curb Your Enthusiasm), dies of a heart attack at 76
Historical Events for 27th February 2026
1900 – Battle of Paardeberg: Boer General Piet Cronjé surrenders to the British after a prolonged siege
1901 – National League Rules Committee for baseball decrees that all fouls are to count as strikes except after two strikes
1997 – British singer Sade arrested in Jamaica for disobeying a police officer
1998 – FBI arrests 10 most wanted suspected serial killer Tony Ray Amati
1998 – 14th Soap Opera Digest Awards – General Hospital wins
2007 – Mark Messier’s #11 jersey is retired by the Edmonton Oilers
2014 – Chaos erupts after the Swedish Public Employment Service mistakenly invites 61,000 people to a job interview in Stockholm
2014 – Unmarked Russia special forces invade neighboring Crimea, Ukraine to assist pro-Russian nationalists, occupying government buildings in preparation for annexation
Today in History for 27th February 2026
Historical Events
1816 – Dutch regain Suriname from the French after the defeat of Napoleon
1973 – American Indian Movement occupy Wounded Knee in South Dakota
1996 – First appearance of Pokémon in the role-playing video game “Pocket Monsters Red and Green” for Game Boy in Japan
1998 – 12th Soul Train Music Awards: Puff Daddy, Whitney Houston win
2003 – Rowan Williams is enthroned as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.
Famous Birthdays
1867 – Irving Fisher ‘ America’s greatest economist’ (Fisher’s Theory of Interest, Monetarism), born in Saugerties, New York (d. 1947)
1901 – Horatio Luro, American horse trainer (43 x stakes winners; Decidedly, Northern Dancer), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1991)
1950 – Julia Neuberger, British rabbi, born in Hampstead, United Kingdom
1957 – Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, screenwriter and creator of “Ed, Edd n Eddy”, born in Toronto, Ontario
1970 – David White, American NFL linebacker (Buffalo Bills), born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Famous Deaths
1942 – Karel Doorman, Dutch rear-admiral (Java Sea), KIA at 52
1977 – Allison Hayes, American model and actress (Attack of the 50 Foot Woman), dies of leukemia or lead poisoning at 47
1995 – Philip Sherrington, opus Dei Priest, dies at 51
1998 – J. T. Walsh, American actor (Good Morning, Vietnam, Pleasantville), dies of a heart attack at 54
2025 – Boris Spassky, Russian chess player (world champion 1969-72), dies at 88
Famous Deaths for 26th February 2026
1839 – Sybil Ludington, American revolutionary heroine (rode to alert militia), dies at 77
1910 – Adelaide Hoodless, Canadian educational reformer (founder of the Women’s Institute), dies at 51
1927 – Willie Simms, American jockey (US Champion Jockey by wins 1893, 94; Kentucky Derby 1896, 98; Preakness Stakes 1898; Belmont Stakes 1893, 94), dies at 57
1943 – Helene Stöcker, German feminist, pacifist, and writer, dies of cancer at 73
1966 – Minerva Urecal [Dunnock], American stage, radio, and screen character actress (Accent on Love; The Adventures of Tugboat Annie; Peter Gunn; The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao), dies of a heart attack at 71
1982 – Teinosuke Kinugasa, Japanese actor and director (Gate of Hell; A Page of Madness; Jujiro; Jigoku-mon), dies at 86
1995 – Willie Johnson, American electric blues guitarist (Howlin’ Wolf’s “How Many More Years”), dies at 71
2000 – George L. Street III, American Navy Submariner and Medal of Honor recipient, dies at 86
2008 – John Yates, Anglican bishop (Bishop of Lambeth), dies at 82
2021 – Hannu Mikkola, Finnish rally driver (World Rally champion 1983), dies from cancer at 78
Historical Events for 26th February 2026
1917 – First jazz records are recorded: “Dixie Jazz Band One Step” and “Livery Stable Blues” by the Original Dixieland Jass Band for the Victor Talking Machine Company in NYC
1917 – Russian February Revolution: Tsar Nicolas II orders army to quell civil unrest in Petrograd – army mutinies [NS Mar 11]
1955 – Leigh, Charlap, Styne, Comden and Green’s musical “Peter Pan”, starring Mary Martin and Cyril Ritchard, closes at Winter Garden Theater, NYC, after 152 performances
1983 – Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album goes #1 and stays #1 for 37 weeks
1991 – Signs of Iran crude now an option for US refiners, but no imports from Iran likely in near future
2004 – US lifts a ban on travel to Libya, ending restrictions that had lasted for 23 years
2017 – 59th Daytona 500: Kurt Busch wins after Kyle Larson runs out of gas on last lap; Jeffrey Earnhardt makes NASCAR history, 1st ever 4th generation driver to compete in Daytona 500
2023 – Dilbert comic strip creator Scott Adams faces widespread condemnation for his comments about African Americans in a YouTube show, prompting his strip and up-coming book to be cancelled
Today in History for 26th February 2026
Historical Events
1929 – US President Calvin Coolidge establishes Grand Teton National Park
1941 – Cowboys’ Amateur Association of America organized (California)
1954 – First typesetting machine (photo engraving) used in Quincy, Massachusetts
2013 – A rocket launched from the Gaza strip into Israel ends the ceasefire since November 2012
2025 – First death from measles in the US occurs in Texas in a decade, and the first child to die in 22 years amid an outbreak affecting 124 people
Famous Birthdays
1939 – Josephine Tewson, British actress (Keeping Up Appearances; Last Of The Summer Wine, 2003-10), born in Hampstead, England (d. 2022)
1945 – Peter Brock, Australian auto racer (3 x Australian Touring Car C’ship; 9 x Bathurst 500/1000; 9 x Sandown Endurance), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 2006)
1950 – Billy Steinberg, American lyricist and songwriter (with Tom Kelly – “Like A Virgin”; “True Colors”; “I Touch Myself”), born in Palm Springs, California (d. 2026)
1957 – David Muldrow Beasley, American politician, born in Darlington, South Carolina
1959 – Rolando Blackman, American basketball guard (NBA All-Star 1985, 86, 87, 90; Dallas Mavs, NY Knicks; Italian Cup MVP 1996 Olimpia Milano), born in Panama City, Panama
Famous Deaths
1802 – Esek Hopkins, American Revolutionary War admiral and Commander in Chief of the Continental Navy, dies at 83
1933 – Princess Thyra, Danish princess, daughter of Christian IX of Denmark, dies at 79
1960 – Aleksandar Belic, Serbian linguist, dies at 83
2008 – Glory Mukwati, Zimbabwean politician
2023 – Fred Shabel, American basketball coach (Connecticut Huskies 1963-67) and executive (AD University of Pennsylvania 1967-75; Comcast Spectacor), dies at 90
Famous Deaths for 25th February 2026
1805 – Thomas Pownall, British colonial statesman (b. 1722)
1865 – Otto Ludwig, German playwright and writer (Between Heaven and Earth), dies at 47
1906 – Anton Arensky, Russian composer and conductor, dies of tuberculosis at 44
1964 – Grace Metalious, American writer (b. 1924)
1967 – John Griggs, American actor (The Joey Bishop Show; Fearless Fosdick), dies at 58
1992 – Ollie O’Toole, American comedian, impressionist, and actor, dies after long illness at 79
1994 – Baruch Goldstein, American-Israli physician and mass murderer (at least 55 dead in shooting at Hebron Ibrahimi Mosque), lynched at 42
1998 – Rockin’ Sidney [Simien], American zydeco and RandB singer-songwriter, accordionist, guitarist, organist, and harmonica player (“My Toot-Toot”; “You Ain’t Nothing But Fine”), dies of throat cancer at 59
2005 – Edward Patten, American soul singer (Gladys Knight and the Pips – “Midnight Train to Georgia”, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”), dies of a stroke at 65
2021 – John Geddert, American gymnastics coach (US head coach London Olympic Team 2012), dies from self-inflicted gunshot wounds at 63
Historical Events for 25th February 2026
1746 – The Duke of Cumberland’s troops occupy Aberdeen
1892 – J. M. Barrie’s stage play “Walker London” premieres in London
1960 – John Cage’s musical composition “Music for Amplified Toy Pianos” premieres in Middletown, Connecticut
1980 – Coup ousts PM Henck Arron of Suriname
1981 – Rita Jenrette, wife of US “Abscam” congressman, appears on “Donahue” TV talk show
1981 – Exec Board of Baseball Players’ Association votes unanimously to strike on May 29 if the issue of free-agent compensation remains unresolved
1991 – Businessman Bruce McNall, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and actor John Candy buy CFL’s Toronto Argonauts
2013 – Italy Common Good, a centre left alliance, wins the Italian general election