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3114 BC - On this date in the proleptic Gregorian calendar begins our current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar.

586 BC - The First Temple (originally built by King Solomon) is destroyed by the Babylonians in Jerusalem.

480 BC - Greco-Persian Wars: Battle of Thermopylae - Persians under Xerxes defeat Spartans under King Leonidas. The Spartans fought to the last man.

480 BC - Greco-Persian Wars: Battle of Artemisium - The Persian and Greek fleets also fight the indecisive .

70 - The Second Temple is destroyed by the Roman army in Jerusalem.

355 - Claudius Silvanus, accused of treason, proclaims himself Roman Emperor against Constantius II.

1492 - Alexander VI is elected Pope.

1711 - The first race meeting was held at Ascot

1858 - First ascent of the Eiger.

1898 - Spanish-American War: American troops enter the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

1918 - World War I - Battle of Amiens ends

1919 - Constitution of Weimar Republic adopted

1920 - The Latvia-Bolshevist Russia peace treaty, which relinquished Russia's authority and pretenses to Latvia, is signed.

1929 - Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs in his career with a home run at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio.

1934 - Federal prison opened at Alcatraz Island

1951 - René Pleven becomes Prime Minister of France

1952 - Hussein proclaimed king of Jordan

1960 - Chad declares independence

1965 - Race riots (the Watts riots) begin in Watts area of Los Angeles, California

1966 - John Lennon holds a press conference in Chicago apologizing for stating that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus".

1968 - The last steam passenger train service ran in Britain. A British Rail steam locomotive made the 314-mile journey from Liverpool to Carlisle and returned to Liverpool before being dispatched to the Wrecking yard.

1970 - A trademark application by the Van Brode Milling Company for the word Spork was published by the USPTO.

1972 - Vietnam War: The last United States ground combat unit depart South Vietnam

1984 - United States President Ronald Reagan, during a voice check for a radio broadcast remarks "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes".

1987 - Alan Greenspan becomes Chairman of the United States Federal Reserve.

1992 - The Mall of America, the biggest shopping mall in the country, opened in Bloomington, Minnesota.

1995 - Russell Hill subway accident kills three people in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

1999 - A total solar eclipse visible from Europe and Asia.

1999 - The exceptional Salt Lake City Tornado tears through the downtown district of the city, killing one.

2003 - NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.

2003 - Jemaah Islamiyah leader Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, is arrested in Bangkok, Thailand.

2003 - A big heat wave in Paris had temperatures up to 112°F (44° C), with about 144 people dead.

2005 - Murderer Mitchell Johnson is released from prison on his 21st birthday.

2006 - The last software patent expired on the GIF format.

2006 - The largest string of firecrackers ever assembled is ignited in Buchanan, Wisconsin. It contains an estimated 10,500,000 firecrackers.

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1667 - Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, last of the Medicis (d. 1743)

1673 - Richard Mead, English physician (d. 1754)

1718 - Sir Frederick Haldimand, Swiss-born British colonial governor (d. 1791)

1722 - Richard Brocklesby, English physician (d. 1797)

1794 - James Barton Longacre, American engraver (d. 1869)

1807 - David Rice Atchison, American politician (d. 1886)

1833 - Robert G. Ingersoll, American politician and soldier (d. 1899)

1833 - Kido Takayoshi, Japanese politician (d. 1877)

1836 - Warren Brown, American politician (d. 1919)

1837 - Marie François Sadi Carnot, French statesman (d. 1894)

1858 - Christiaan Eijkman, Dutch physician, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1930)

1863 - Gaston Doumergue, President of the French Third Republic (d. 1937)

1870 - Tom Richardson, English cricketer (d. 1912).

1872 - Shidehara Kijuro, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1951)

1892 - Eiji Yoshikawa, Japanese novelist (d. 1962)

1892 - Hugh MacDiarmid, Scottish poet (d. 1978)

1897 - Louise Bogan, American poet (d. 1970)

1897 - Enid Blyton, English author (d. 1968)

1900 - Philip Phillips, American archaeologist (d. 1994)

1902 - Alfredo Binda, Italian cyclist (d. 1986)

1902 - Lloyd Nolan, American actor (d. 1985)

1905 - Erwin Chargaff, Austrian biochemist (d. 2002)

1912 - Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German astronomer (d. 1954)

1912 - Thanom Kittikachorn, Prime Minister of Thailand (d. 2004)

1913 - Angus Wilson, British novelist (d. 1991)

1914 - José Silva, American parapsychologist (d. 1999)

1919 - Ginette Neveu, French violinist (d. 1949)

1920 - Chuck Rayner, American ice hockey player (d. 2002)

1921 - Alex Haley, American historian (d. 1992)

1925 - Mike Douglas, American entertainer (d. 2006)

1925 - Floyd Curry, National Hockey League player (d. 2006)

1926 - Aaron Klug, Lithuanian-born chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate

1928 - Arlene Dahl, American actress

1932 - Fernando Arrabal, Spanish writer

1932 - Israel Asper, Canadian tax lawyer (d. 2003)

1933 - Jerry Falwell, American preacher

1936 - Andre Dubus, American short-story writer (d. 1999)

1938 - Branko Stanovnik, Slovenian chemist

1939 - Ronnie Dawson, American rockabilly performer (d. 2003)

1943 - Abigail Folger, American coffee heiress and murder victim (d. 1969)

1943 - Pervez Musharraf, Pakistani general, 12th President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

1944 - Ian McDiarmid, Scottish actor

1944 - Fred Smith, American entrepreneur

1946 - Marilyn vos Savant, American newspaper columnist

1946 - John Conlee, American country music singer

1948 - Jan Palach, Czechoslovakian student protester

1949 - Eric Carmen, American musician

1950 - Gennidy Nikonov, Russian weapons inventor

1950 - Steve Wozniak, American computer pioneer

1953 - Hulk Hogan, American wrestler

1954 - Joe Jackson, English singer

1954 - Juan Maria Solare, Argentine composer

1955 - Sylvia Hermon, British politician

1956 - Pierre-Louis Lions, French mathematician

1957 - Richie Ramone, American musician (The Ramones)

1960 - Gustavo Cerati, Argentinian musician (Soda Stereo)

1964 - Jim Lee, Korean-born comic book artist

1965 - Marc Bergevin, professional ice hockey player

1966 - Nigel Martyn, English footballer

1967 - Joe Rogan, American television host

1967 - Enrique Bunbury, Spanish singer

1968 - Lorenzo Bernardi, Italian volleyball player

1968 - Charlie Sexton, American musician

1968 - Alan Kelly, England-born Irish footballer

1968 - Veda Hille, Canadian singer

1969 - Jonah Matranga, American singer

1970 - Andy Bell, English musician (Oasis)

1971 - Tommy Mooney, English football player

1972 - Jonathon Prandi, American model

1974 - Audrey Mestre, French diver

1974 - Will Friedle, American Actor

1976 - Ben Gibbard, American musician (Death Cab For Cutie, The Postal Service)

1976 - Ľubomir Visnovsky, Slovak ice hockey player

1976 - Bubba Crosby, American baseball player

1978 - Jermain Taylor, American boxer

1978 - Amber Brkich, Reality show contestant

1980 - Lee Suggs, American football player

1981 - Sandi Thom, Scotish born singer

1984 - Melky Cabrera, American baseball player

1993 - Alyson Stoner, American actress

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480 BC - Leonidas, King of Sparta

353 - Magnentius, Roman usurper

449 - Flavian, Patriarch of Constantinople

897 - Wilfred the Hairy, Count of Barcelona

1204 - King Guttorm of Norway (b. 1199)

1253 - Clare of Assisi, Italian follower of Francis of Assisi (b. 1194)

1456 - John Hunyadi, regent of Hungary (b. 1387)

1464 - Nicholas of Cusa, German philosopher and mathematician (b. 1401)

1519 - Johann Tetzel, German opponent of the Reformation (b. 1465)

1563 - Bartolomé de Escobedo, Spanish composer

1578 - Pedro Nunes, Portuguese mathematician (b. 1502)

1614 - Lavinia Fontana, Italian painter (b. 1552)

1656 - Prince Octavio Piccolomini, Duke of Amalfi, Austrian field marshal (b. 1599)

1774 - Tiphaigne de la Roche, French writer (b. 1722)

1813 - Henry James Pye, English poet (b. 1745)

1851 - Lorenz Oken, German naturalist (b. 1779)

1854 - Macedonio Melloni, Italian physicist (b. 1798)

1890 - John Henry Cardinal Newman, English Catholic cardinal (b. 1801)

1892 - Enrico Betti, Italian mathematician (b. 1813)

1919 - Andrew Carnegie, Scottish-born industrialist and philanthropist (b. 1835)

1937 - Edith Wharton, American author (b. 1862)

1939 - Jean Bugatti, Italian automobile designer (b. 1909)

1953 - Tazio Nuvolari, Italian race car driver (b. 1892)

1956 - Jackson Pollock, American artist (b. 1912)

1961 - Antanas Škėma, Lithuanian writer, stage actor and director (b. 1910)

1972 - Max Theiler, South African virologist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1899)

1980 - Paul Robert, French lexicographer and publisher (b. 1910)

1982 - Tom Drake, American actor (b. 1918)

1984 - Alfred A. Knopf, American publisher (b. 1892)

1984 - Paul Felix Schmidt, Estonian–German chess player (b. 1916)

1988 - Anne Ramsey, American actress (b. 1929)

1991 - J.D. McDuffie, NASCAR Driver (b. 1939)

1994 - Peter Cushing, British actor (b. 1913)

1995 - Phil Harris, American singer, songwriter and comedian (b. 1904)

1996 - Rafael Kubelík, Czech-born conductor and composer (b. 1914)

2000 - Jean Papineau-Couture, Canadian composer (b. 1916)

2002 - Galen Rowell, photographer, climber (b. 1940)

2003 - Armand Borel, Swiss mathematician (b. 1923)

2003 - Herb Brooks, American hockey coach (b. 1937)

2005 - James Booth, English actor (b. 1927)

2006 - Mike Douglas, American singer and talk show host (b. 1925)

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Brazil - Student's Day, Lawyer's Day, Foundation of the Law Studies in Brazil

Taiwan - Valentine's Day

Zimbabwe - Heroes Day

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Liturgical feasts
Roman Catholicism

Translation of St. Callistus, pope, martyr Reims
Feast of the Crown of Thorns Paris
Saint Hippolytus, martyr Paris
Saint Equitius, abbot
St. Gery/Gaugericus, bishop of Cambrai, confessor (sometimes martyr) Cambrai, Liège, Magdeburg, Paderborn, Winchester
Saint Taurinus, bishop of Evreux, confessor northern France, England
Saints Tiburtius and Chromatius, martyrs common
~? Saint Susanna, virgin, martyr in 295 common
Saint Clare of Assisi, virgin
Saint Gilberte
Saint Philomena
Saint Radegundis, virgin (sometimes also queen) Salzburg
Saint Rusticola, abbess at Arles, virgin Arles