On This Day: 1 February

1 February in Indian history

• 1992The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal court declares Warren Anderson, ex-CEO of Union Carbide, a fugitive under Indian law for failing to appear in the Bhopal disaster case.India
• 1991A magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes the Hindu Kush region, killing at least 848 people in Afghanistan, Pakistan and present-day Tajikistan.India
• 1662Sino-Dutch conflicts: After besieging Fort Zeelandia for nine months, Ming loyalist Zheng Chenggong secured the Dutch East India Company's surrender and the end of their rule in Taiwan.India

1 February in world history

• 2021The Burmese military staged a coup d'état that deposed the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking nationwide protests and a civil war.
• 2012Seventy-four people are killed and over 500 injured as a result of clashes between fans of Egyptian football teams Al Masry and Al Ahly in the city of Port Said.
• 2007The National Weather Service in the United States switches from the Fujita scale to the new Enhanced Fujita scale to measure the intensity and strength of tornadoes.
• 2004During the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, Janet Jackson's breast was exposed by Justin Timberlake in what was later referred to as a "wardrobe malfunction", resulting in an immediate crackdown and widespread debate on perceived indecency in U.S. broadcas
• 2003All seven crew members aboard Space Shuttle Columbia were killed when the orbiter disintegrated over Texas during reentry.
• 1982The Intel 80286 is released, which introduced protected mode memory. The IBM PC/AT and its clones used this CPU.
• 1979Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran after nearly 15 years of exile.
• 1968Vietnam War: The execution of Viet Cong officer Nguyễn Văn Lém by South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan is recorded on motion picture film, as well as in an iconic still photograph taken by Eddie Adams.
• 1960Civil rights movement: Four African-American students staged the first of more than five months of sit-ins at an F. W. Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, to protest the company's policy of racial segregation.
• 1942World War II: Josef Terboven, Reichskommissar of German-occupied Norway, appoints Vidkun Quisling the Minister President of the National Government.
• 1942Voice of America, the official external radio and television service of the United States government, begins broadcasting with programs aimed at areas controlled by the Axis powers.
• 1924Russia–United Kingdom relations are restored, over six years after the Communist revolution.
• 1411The First Peace of Thorn was signed, ending the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War.
• 1329The Teutonic Knights successfully besieged the hillfort of Medvėgalis in Samogitia, Lithuania, and baptised the defenders in the Catholic rite.
• 1327Fourteen-year-old Edward III was crowned King of England, but with the country ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.

Born on 1 February

• 1968Mark Recchi, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1961Kaduvetti Guru, Indian politician (died 2018)India
• 1958Luther Blissett, Jamaican-English footballer and manager
• 1950Mike Campbell, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1884Candy Jim Taylor, American baseball player (died 1948)
• 1859Victor Herbert, Irish-American cellist, composer, and conductor (died 1924)

Died on 1 February

• 2025Horst Köhler, Polish-German economist and politician, 9th President of Germany (born 1943)
• 2014Maximilian Schell, Austrian-Swiss actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1930)
• 2013Shanu Lahiri, Indian painter and educator (born 1928)India
• 1991Ahmad Abd al-Ghafur Attar, Saudi Arabian writer and journalist (born 1916)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 1 February in history?

2021: The Burmese military staged a coup d'état that deposed the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking nationwide protests and a civil war. 2012: Seventy-four people are killed and over 500 injured as a result of clashes between fans of Egyptian football teams Al Masry and Al Ahly in the city of Port Said. 2007: The National Weather Service in the United States switches from the Fujita scale to the new Enhanced Fujita scale to measure the intensity and strength of tornadoes. 2004: During the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, Janet Jackson's breast was exposed by Justin Timberlake in what was later referred to as a "wardrobe malfunction", resulting in an immediate crackdown and widespread debate on perceived indecency in U.S. broadcas.

What happened on 1 February in Indian history?

1992: The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal court declares Warren Anderson, ex-CEO of Union Carbide, a fugitive under Indian law for failing to appear in the Bhopal disaster case. 1991: A magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes the Hindu Kush region, killing at least 848 people in Afghanistan, Pakistan and present-day Tajikistan. 1662: Sino-Dutch conflicts: After besieging Fort Zeelandia for nine months, Ming loyalist Zheng Chenggong secured the Dutch East India Company's surrender and the end of their rule in Taiwan.

Which famous people were born on 1 February?

Mark Recchi, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (1968); Kaduvetti Guru, Indian politician (died 2018) (1961); Luther Blissett, Jamaican-English footballer and manager (1958); Mike Campbell, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (1950).

Which day is observed on 1 February?

Abolition of Slavery Day (Mauritius); Air Force Day (Nicaragua); Earliest day on which Constitution Day can fall, while February 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Monday in February. (Mexico); Federal Territory Day (Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, Malaysia); Foundation Day (of the Ryukyu Kingdom, celebrated in Okinawa Prefecture).