February 9 facts for kids

February 9th is a special day in history, filled with many important events, famous births, and notable deaths. From ancient empires to modern times, this date has seen moments that changed the world, from big battles and new inventions to the start of popular sports and the birth of well-known people. Let's explore some of the exciting things that happened on February 9th!

Historical Events That Shaped the World

Early History: Before the 1600s

• 474 – Zeno became a co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire, sharing power.
• 1003 – Boleslaus III got his power back in Bohemia with help from Bolesław I the Brave of Poland.
• 1098 – During the First Crusade, an army led by Bohemond of Taranto won a big battle against the Seljuq emir Ridwan of Aleppo near Antioch.
• 1539 – The first horse race was officially recorded at Chester Racecourse in England.
• 1555 – John Hooper, a bishop, was executed during a difficult time in English history.

Important Moments: 1600s to 1900s

• 1621 – Gregory XV became the new Pope. He was the last Pope chosen by a special method called "acclamation," where everyone agrees at once.
• 1654 – The Capture of Fort Rocher happened during a war between England and Spain.
• 1775 – The British Parliament declared that Massachusetts was in rebellion, a key moment before the American Revolutionary War.
• 1778 – Rhode Island became the fourth U.S. state to agree to the Articles of Confederation, which was like an early constitution for the United States.
• 1822 – Haiti attacked the newly formed Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola.
• 1825 – Since no one won enough votes in the 1824 U.S. presidential election, the United States House of Representatives chose John Quincy Adams to be the sixth President of the United States.
• 1849 – The new Roman Republic was officially announced.
• 1861 – During the American Civil War, Jefferson Davis was chosen as the temporary President of the Confederate States of America.
• 1870 – U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signed a law creating the U.S. Weather Bureau, which helps predict weather.
• 1889 – U.S. President Grover Cleveland signed a bill that made the United States Department of Agriculture a more important part of the government.
• 1893 – Verdi's last opera, Falstaff, was performed for the first time in Milan, Italy.
• 1895 – William G. Morgan invented a new game called Mintonette, which soon became known as volleyball.
• 1900 – The Davis Cup tennis competition, a famous international team event, was started.

Modern Milestones: 1901 to Today

• 1904 – The Battle of Port Arthur ended during the Russo-Japanese War.
• 1907 – The Mud March took place, a large protest organized by women fighting for the right to vote in the UK.
• 1913 – A group of meteors was seen across parts of the Americas, leading scientists to think they came from a small, temporary natural satellite of Earth.
• 1920 – The Svalbard Treaty recognized Norway's control over the Arctic islands of Svalbard and made them a demilitarized area.
• 1932 – Prohibition law, which banned alcohol, was ended in Finland after people voted to repeal it.
• 1934 – The Balkan Entente was formed, an alliance between Greece, Romania, Yugoslavia, and Turkey.
• 1941 – During World War II, a bomb hit the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Genoa, Italy, but thankfully it did not explode.
• 1942 – Year-round Daylight saving time was brought back in the United States to save energy during World War II.
• 1943 – In World War II, Allied forces declared Guadalcanal safe after Japan left the island, ending the Battle of Guadalcanal.
• 1945 – During the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II, a British submarine, HMS Venturer, sank a German submarine, U-864, in a rare underwater battle.
• 1950 – During the Second Red Scare, U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that the U.S. State Department had many Communists.
• 1959 – The R-7 Semyorka, the first intercontinental ballistic missile, became ready for use in the USSR.
• 1961 – The Beatles performed at The Cavern Club in Liverpool for the first time after returning from Hamburg.
• 1964 – The Beatles made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, watched by a huge audience of 73 million people in the United States.
• 1965 – During the Vietnam War, the United States Marine Corps sent troops to South Vietnam for the first time without an advisory role.
• 1971 – The Sylmar earthquake hit the Greater Los Angeles Area, causing deaths and injuries.
• 1971 – Satchel Paige became the first player from the Negro leagues to be voted into the USA's Baseball Hall of Fame.
• 1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 14 returned to Earth after the third human Moon landing.
• 1975 – The Soyuz 17 Soviet spacecraft came back to Earth.
• 1986 – Halley's Comet was last seen in the inner Solar System.
• 1991 – Voters in Lithuania chose to become independent from the Soviet Union.
• 1996 – The element Copernicium was discovered by scientists Sigurd Hofmann and Victor Ninov.
• 2016 – Two passenger trains crashed in Bad Aibling, Germany, resulting in deaths and injuries.
• 2018 – The Opening Ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympics was held in Pyeongchang County, South Korea.
• 2020 – Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele had the army enter the Legislative Assembly to push for a new security plan, causing a brief political issue.
• 2021 – The Second impeachment trial of Donald Trump began.

Famous People Born on February 9th

Born Before the 1600s

• 1060 – Honorius II, who became a Pope.
• 1274 – Louis of Toulouse, a French bishop.
• 1441 – Ali-Shir Nava'i, a Turkic poet, language expert, and painter.
• 1533 – Shimazu Yoshihisa, a Japanese leader.

Born Between 1601 and 1900

• 1737 – Thomas Paine, an English-American philosopher and writer known for his ideas on freedom.
• 1773 – William Henry Harrison, an American general and the 9th President of the United States.
• 1830 – Abdülaziz, an emperor of the Ottoman Empire.
• 1846 – Wilhelm Maybach, a German engineer who helped found the car company Maybach.
• 1854 – Aletta Jacobs, a Dutch doctor and important activist for women's right to vote.
• 1867 – Natsume Sōseki, a famous Japanese author and poet.
• 1885 – Alban Berg, an Austrian composer.
• 1891 – Ronald Colman, an English-American actor.
• 1897 – Charles Kingsford Smith, a pioneering Australian pilot.

Born After 1900

• 1909 – Carmen Miranda, a Portuguese-Brazilian actress, singer, and dancer.
• 1909 – Dean Rusk, an American politician who served as the 54th United States Secretary of State.
• 1910 – Jacques Monod, a French biochemist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1923 – Brendan Behan, an Irish writer and playwright.
• 1926 – Garret FitzGerald, an Irish lawyer and the 7th Taoiseach of Ireland (Prime Minister).
• 1928 – Frank Frazetta, an American painter and illustrator.
• 1928 – Rinus Michels, a Dutch football player and coach.
• 1931 – Josef Masopust, a Czech football player and coach.
• 1932 – Gerhard Richter, a German painter and photographer.
• 1940 – J. M. Coetzee, a South African-Australian novelist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1942 – Carole King, a famous American singer-songwriter and pianist.
• 1943 – Joe Pesci, an American actor.
• 1943 – Joseph Stiglitz, an American economist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1944 – Alice Walker, an American novelist and poet.
• 1945 – Mia Farrow, an American actress and activist.
• 1945 – Yoshinori Ohsumi, a Japanese biologist who won a Nobel Prize in 2016.
• 1946 – Vince Papale, an American football player.
• 1947 – Carla Del Ponte, a Swiss lawyer and diplomat.
• 1949 – Judith Light, an American actress.
• 1953 – Ciarán Hinds, an Irish actor.
• 1954 – Chris Gardner, an American businessman and giver to charity.
• 1955 – Charles Shaughnessy, an English actor.
• 1957 – Terry McAuliffe, an American politician and the 72nd Governor of Virginia.
• 1957 – Gordon Strachan, a Scottish football player and manager.
• 1958 – Sandy Lyle, a Scottish golfer.
• 1960 – Holly Johnson, an English singer-songwriter.
• 1960 – Peggy Whitson, an American biochemist and astronaut.
• 1963 – Brian Greene, an American physicist.
• 1963 – Travis Tritt, an American country singer-songwriter.
• 1968 – Gloria Trevi, a Mexican singer and actress.
• 1970 – Glenn McGrath, a famous Australian cricketer.
• 1973 – Svetlana Boginskaya, a Belarusian gymnast.
• 1973 – Makoto Shinkai, a Japanese animator and director.
• 1974 – Jordi Cruyff, a Dutch football player and manager.
• 1974 – Amber Valletta, an American model and actress.
• 1975 – Vladimir Guerrero, a Dominican-American baseball player.
• 1976 – Charlie Day, an American actor and producer.
• 1979 – Zhang Ziyi, a Chinese actress and model.
• 1981 – Tom Hiddleston, an English actor.
• 1982 – Ami Suzuki, a Japanese singer and actress.
• 1987 – Michael B. Jordan, an American actor.
• 1987 – Rose Leslie, a Scottish actress.
• 1987 – Magdalena Neuner, a German biathlete.
• 1993 – Wataru Endō, a Japanese footballer.
• 1993 – Niclas Füllkrug, a German footballer.
• 1996 – Chungha, a South Korean singer.
• 1997 – Saquon Barkley, an American football player.
• 2002 – Jalen Green, an American basketball player.

Remembering Those Who Passed Away

Before the 1600s

• 966 – Ono no Michikaze, a Japanese calligrapher.
• 1199 – Minamoto no Yoritomo, a Japanese shogun (military leader).
• 1450 – Agnès Sorel, a French noblewoman.
• 1555 – John Hooper, an English bishop.
• 1588 – Álvaro de Bazán, a Spanish admiral.

Between 1601 and 1900

• 1670 – Frederick III of Denmark, a Danish king.
• 1675 – Gerrit Dou, a Dutch painter.
• 1857 – Dionysios Solomos, a Greek poet.
• 1881 – Fyodor Dostoyevsky, a famous Russian novelist.
• 1891 – Johan Jongkind, a Dutch painter.

After 1900

• 1906 – Paul Laurence Dunbar, an American author and poet.
• 1930 – Richard With, a Norwegian captain who founded the Hurtigruten shipping company.
• 1942 – Lauri Kristian Relander, the 2nd President of Finland.
• 1957 – Miklós Horthy, a Hungarian admiral and politician.
• 1960 – Ernő Dohnányi, a Hungarian pianist and composer.
• 1966 – Sophie Tucker, a Russian-born American singer.
• 1969 – George "Gabby" Hayes, an American actor.
• 1977 – Sergey Ilyushin, a Russian engineer who founded the Ilyushin Design Bureau (aircraft company).
• 1981 – Bill Haley, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for rock and roll.
• 1984 – Yuri Andropov, a Russian politician.
• 1989 – Osamu Tezuka, a Japanese illustrator and animator, often called the "God of Manga."
• 1994 – Howard Martin Temin, an American geneticist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1995 – J. William Fulbright, an American lawyer and politician.
• 2001 – Herbert A. Simon, an American scientist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 2002 – Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, a member of the British royal family.
• 2005 – Robert Kearns, an American engineer who invented the intermittent windscreen wiper.
• 2010 – Walter Frederick Morrison, an American businessman who invented the Frisbee.
• 2016 – Sushil Koirala, the 37th Prime Minister of Nepal.
• 2018 – Reg E. Cathey, an American actor.
• 2018 – Jóhann Jóhannsson, an Icelandic composer.
• 2021 – Chick Corea, a famous American jazz composer.
• 2022 – Johnny Raper, an Australian rugby league player.

Holidays and Celebrations

• St. Maroun's Day (a public holiday in Lebanon)
• February 9th is the earliest day that Clean Monday can happen in Eastern Christianity.
• February 9th is the earliest day that People's Sunday can happen in Malta.