February 1 facts for kids

February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 333 days remain until the end of the year (334 in leap years).

February 1st is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from important political changes to scientific discoveries and cultural milestones. It's a day when kings were crowned, new inventions were revealed, and significant steps were taken towards freedom and progress around the world.

Historical Events on February 1

Early History and Middle Ages

• 1327 – A young Edward III becomes King of England. However, his mother, Queen Isabella, and her friend, Roger Mortimer, were really in charge.
• 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed. This important agreement helped end a war between the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights and the Kingdom of Poland.

Major Changes: 17th to 19th Centuries

• 1662 – The Chinese general Koxinga takes control of the island of Taiwan. This happened after a long nine-month fight known as the Siege of Fort Zeelandia.
• 1793 – During the French Revolutionary Wars, France declares war on the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. This marked a big moment in European history.
• 1796 – The main city of Upper Canada (now part of Ontario) moves from Newark to York.
• 1814 – The Mayon volcano in the Philippines erupts. About 1,200 people lose their lives, making it the volcano's most destructive eruption.
• 1835 – Slavery is officially ended in Mauritius, a country in the Indian Ocean.
• 1861 – The state of Texas decides to leave the United States. A week later, it joins the Confederacy, leading up to the American Civil War.
• 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln signs the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This important law officially ends slavery in the United States.
• 1884 – The very first part of the famous Oxford English Dictionary is published. It covered words from 'A' to 'Ant'.
• 1893 – Thomas A. Edison finishes building the first motion picture studio. It was called the Black Maria and was located in West Orange, New Jersey.
• 1895 – Fountains Valley, Pretoria, which is the oldest nature reserve in Africa, is created by President Paul Kruger.

Modern Era: 20th and 21st Centuries

• 1908 – The Lisbon Regicide takes place in Lisbon, Portugal. King Carlos I of Portugal and his son, Infante Luis Filipe, are shot and killed.
• 1942 – Voice of America, a radio service from the United States government, starts broadcasting. Its first programs were aimed at areas controlled by the Axis powers during World War II.
• 1946 – Trygve Lie from Norway is chosen to be the very first United Nations Secretary-General.
• 1946 – The Parliament of Hungary ends the monarchy and declares the Hungarian Republic.
• 1960 – Four African American students begin the first of the Greensboro sit-ins. They sat at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, to protest segregation.
• 1964 – The Beatles achieve their first number one hit song in the United States with "I Want to Hold Your Hand".
• 1968 – Canada's three military services – the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force – are combined into the Canadian Forces.
• 1972 – Kuala Lumpur officially becomes a city. This happened through a special royal charter from the King of Malaysia.
• 1979 – Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran after being away for almost 15 years.
• 1981 – The famous Underarm bowling incident of 1981 happens in a cricket game between Australia and New Zealand.
• 1991 – A plane collision at Los Angeles International Airport causes the deaths of 34 people.
• 1998 – Rear Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne makes history. She becomes the first African American woman to be promoted to rear admiral in the US Navy.
• 2003 – The Space Shuttle Columbia breaks apart as it re-enters Earth's atmosphere. All seven astronauts on board are lost.
• 2007 – The National Weather Service in the United States starts using the new Enhanced Fujita scale. This scale is used to measure how strong tornadoes are.
• 2009 – Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Iceland. She was also the world's first openly gay head of government.
• 2012 – In Port Said, Egypt, 74 people are killed and over 500 injured during clashes between football fans.
• 2013 – The Shard, one of the tallest buildings in Europe, opens its viewing area to the public in London.
• 2021 – A military takeover happens in Myanmar. This removes Aung San Suu Kyi from power and brings back military rule.

Notable Births on February 1

Historical Figures (Before 1900)

• 1462 – Johannes Trithemius, a German scholar who was good at languages and history.
• 1552 – Edward Coke, an important English lawyer and judge.
• 1561 – Henry Briggs, a British mathematician known for his work with logarithms.
• 1659 – Jacob Roggeveen, a Dutch explorer who discovered Easter Island.
• 1761 – Christiaan Hendrik Persoon, a French scientist who studied fungi.
• 1851 – Durham Stevens, an American lawyer and diplomat.
• 1859 – Victor Herbert, an Irish-American musician and composer.
• 1872 – Clara Butt, a famous English opera singer.
• 1874 – Hugo von Hofmannsthal, an Austrian writer and poet.
• 1878 – Alfréd Hajós, a Hungarian swimmer and architect who won Olympic medals.
• 1882 – Louis St. Laurent, who became the 12th Prime Minister of Canada.
• 1894 – John Ford, a very famous American film director.
• 1898 – Leila Denmark, an American doctor who cared for children for many years.

Modern Personalities (1901-Present)

• 1901 – Clark Gable, a well-known American actor.
• 1902 – Langston Hughes, an important American poet and writer.
• 1905 – Emilio G. Segrè, an Italian-American physicist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1915 – Stanley Matthews, a legendary English football player.
• 1918 – Muriel Spark, a Scottish novelist.
• 1921 – Peter Sallis, an English actor, famous for his voice work.
• 1926 – Vivian Maier, an American street photographer whose work became famous after her death.
• 1931 – Boris Yeltsin, who became the first President of Russia.
• 1937 – Don Everly, an American singer and guitarist, part of the famous Everly Brothers duo.
• 1938 – Sherman Hemsley, an American actor.
• 1942 – Terry Jones, a Welsh actor and director, known for Monty Python.
• 1946 – Elisabeth Sladen, an English actress, famous for her role in Doctor Who.
• 1948 – Rick James, an American singer and producer.
• 1950 – Mike Campbell, an American guitarist and songwriter.
• 1954 – Bill Mumy, an American actor and musician.
• 1965 – Brandon Lee, an American actor and martial artist.
• 1965 – Stéphanie of Monaco, a member of the Monegasque royal family.
• 1967 – Meg Cabot, an American author, known for her young adult novels.
• 1968 – Lisa Marie Presley, an American singer and actress.
• 1969 – Gabriel Batistuta, a famous Argentinian football player.
• 1971 – Michael C. Hall, an American actor.
• 1975 – Big Boi, an American rapper.
• 1987 – Ronda Rousey, an American mixed martial artist and wrestler.
• 1994 – Harry Styles, an English singer and actor.
• 1997 – Jihyo, a South Korean singer, member of the group Twice.

Notable Deaths on February 1

Historical Figures (Before 1900)

• 772 – Pope Stephen III, a leader of the Catholic Church.
• 1222 – Alexios Megas Komnenos, the first Emperor of Trebizond.
• 1328 – Charles IV of France, a King of France.
• 1851 – Mary Shelley, an English novelist, famous for writing Frankenstein.
• 1871 – Alexander Serov, a Russian composer.

Modern Personalities (1901-Present)

• 1903 – Sir George Stokes, an important Anglo-Irish physicist and mathematician.
• 1908 – Carlos I of Portugal, the King of Portugal.
• 1944 – Piet Mondrian, a Dutch-American painter known for his abstract art.
• 1957 – Friedrich Paulus, a German general during World War II.
• 1958 – Clinton Davisson, an American physicist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1966 – Buster Keaton, a famous American actor and comedian from the silent film era.
• 1976 – Werner Heisenberg, a German physicist who won a Nobel Prize for his work in quantum mechanics.
• 1981 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., an American engineer who founded the Douglas Aircraft Company.
• 1986 – Alva Myrdal, a Swedish sociologist and politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 2003 – The crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia lost their lives during re-entry. They were:
  • Michael P. Anderson, an American colonel and astronaut.
  • David M. Brown, an American captain and astronaut.
  • Kalpana Chawla, an Indian-American engineer and astronaut.
  • Laurel Clark, an American captain, surgeon, and astronaut.
  • Rick Husband, an American colonel and astronaut.
  • William C. McCool, an American commander and astronaut.
  • Ilan Ramon, an Israeli colonel and astronaut.
• 2012 – Wisława Szymborska, a Polish poet who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 2013 – Ed Koch, a well-known American lawyer and politician who served as the Mayor of New York City.
• 2014 – Maximilian Schell, an Austrian-Swiss actor and director.
• 2015 – Monty Oum, an American animator and director.
• 2021 – Dustin Diamond, an American actor.

Special Days and Celebrations

• Abolition of Slavery Day (Mauritius)
• Air Force Day (Nicaragua)
• Federal Territory Day (Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, Malaysia)
• Heroes Day (Rwanda)
• Saint Brigid's Day/Imbolc (Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, and some Neopagan groups in the Northern hemisphere)
• Memorial Day of the Republic (Hungary)
• National Freedom Day (United States)
• The start of Black History Month (United States and Canada)

See also

In Spanish: 1 de febrero para niños