February 29

February 29 is a leap day (or "leap year day")—an intercalary date added periodically to create leap years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the 60th day of a leap year in both Julian and Gregorian calendars, and 306 days remain until the end of the leap year. It is the last day of February in leap years only. It is also the last day of meteorological winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the last day of meteorological summer in the Southern Hemisphere in leap years.

In the Gregorian calendar, the standard civil calendar used in most of the world, February 29 is added in each year that is an integer multiple of four, unless it is evenly divisible by 100 but not by 400. For example, 1900 was not a leap year, but 2000 was. The Julian calendar—since 1923 a liturgical calendar—has a February 29 every fourth year without exception. Consequently, February 29 in the Julian calendar, since 1900, falls 13 days later than February 29 in the Gregorian, until the year 2100.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The convention of using February 29 was not widely accepted before the 15th century; from Julius Caesar's edict in 45 BC until the 16th century (formally), February 24 was doubled instead.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In one of its attempts to adopt the Gregorian calendar, Sweden tried (unsuccessfully) to phase in the change by omitting leap days in the 11 successive leap-years, 1700Template:Ndash1740.<ref name="Lamont">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Events

Pre-1600

• 888 – Odo, count of Paris, is crowned king of West Francia (France) by Archbishop Walter of Sens at Compiègne.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1504 – Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Jamaican natives to provide him with supplies.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

1601–1900

• 1644 – Abel Tasman's second Pacific voyage begins as he leaves Batavia in command of three ships.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1704 – In Queen Anne's War, French forces and Native Americans stage a raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, killing 56 villagers and taking more than 100 captive.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1712 – February 29 is followed by February 30 in Sweden, in a move to abolish the Swedish calendar for a return to the Julian calendar.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1720 – Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden abdicates in favour of her husband, who becomes King Frederick I on March 24.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1768 – Polish nobles form the Bar Confederation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1796 – The Jay Treaty between the United States and Great Britain comes into force, facilitating ten years of peaceful trade between the two nations.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• 1892 – St. Petersburg, Florida is incorporated.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

1901–present

• 1908 – James Madison University is founded at Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States as The State Normal and Industrial School for Women by the Virginia General Assembly.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1912 – The Piedra Movediza (Moving Stone) of Tandil falls and breaks.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1916 – Tokelau is annexed by the United Kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1916 – In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill and mine workers is raised from 12 to 14 years old.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1920 – The Czechoslovak National Assembly adopts the Constitution.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1936 – The February 26 Incident in Tokyo ends.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1940 – For her performance as Mammy in Gone with the Wind, Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1940 – Finland initiates Winter War peace negotiations.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1940 – In a ceremony held in Berkeley, California, physicist Ernest Lawrence receives the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics from Sweden's consul general in San Francisco.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1944 – The Admiralty Islands are invaded in Operation Brewer, led by American general Douglas MacArthur, in World War II.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1960 – The 5.7 Template:M Agadir earthquake shakes coastal Morocco with a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme), destroying Agadir and leaving 12,000 dead and another 12,000 injured.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1964 – British Eagle International Airlines Flight 802/6 crashes into the Glungezer mountain in the Tux Alps of Austria, killing all 75 people aboard.<ref name="Flight349">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• 1968 – Aeroflot Flight 15 crashes Irkutsk Oblast, Soviet Union, due to a loss of control. Eighty-three of the 84 occupants onboard die. The exact cause of the accident is unknown.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1972 – South Korea withdraws 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from South Vietnam as part of Nixon's Vietnamization policy in the Vietnam War.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1980 – Gordie Howe of the Hartford Whalers makes NHL history as he scores his 800th goal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1984 – Pierre Trudeau announces his retirement as Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister of Canada.<ref>Template:Cite DCB</ref>
• 1988 – South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is arrested along with 100 other clergymen during a five-day anti-apartheid demonstration in Cape Town.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1988 – Svend Robinson becomes the first member of the House of Commons of Canada to come out as gay.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1992 – A referendum is begun in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the determination of Bosnian independence.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>
• 1996 – Faucett Perú Flight 251 crashes in the Andes; all 123 passengers and crew are killed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1996 – The Siege of Sarajevo officially ends.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2000 – Chechens attack a guard post near Ulus Kert, eventually killing 84 Russian paratroopers during the Second Chechen War.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• 2004 – Jean-Bertrand Aristide is removed as president of Haiti following a coup.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2008 – The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence withdraws Prince Harry from a tour of Afghanistan after news of his deployment is leaked to foreign media.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2008 – Misha Defonseca admits to fabricating her memoir, Misha: A Mémoire of the Holocaust Years, in which she claims to have lived with a pack of wolves in the woods during the Holocaust.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2012 – North Korea agrees to suspend uranium enrichment and nuclear and long-range missile tests in return for US food aid.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2016 – In the Miqdadiyah bombing: at least 40 people are killed and 58 others wounded following a suicide bombing by ISIL at a Shi'ite funeral in the city of Miqdadiyah, Diyala, Iraq.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2020 – During a demonstration, pro-government colectivos shoot at disputed President and Speaker of the National Assembly Juan Guaidó and his supporters in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, leaving five injured.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2020 – The United States and the Taliban sign the Doha Agreement for bringing peace to Afghanistan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2020 – Muhyiddin Yassin is appointed as the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia, amid the 2020 Malaysian political crisis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2024 – The Flour Massacre (also known as the Al-Rashid massacre) took place on al-Rashid street at the Al-Nabulsi roundabout to the west of Gaza City in the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip where more than 100 Palestinians were killed and over 750 were wounded after Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid amidst the Gaza war.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Births

Pre-1600

• 1468 – Pope Paul III (d. 1549)<ref>Template:Cite CE1913</ref>
• 1528 – Albert V, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1579)<ref>Template:Schaff-Herzog</ref>
• 1528 – Domingo Báñez, Spanish theologian (d. 1604)<ref>Template:Cite CE1913</ref>
• 1572 – Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon (d. 1638)<ref>Template:DNB</ref>
• 1576 – Antonio Neri, Florentine priest and glassmaker (d. 1614)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

1601–1900

• 1640 – Benjamin Keach, Particular Baptist preacher and author whose name is given to Keach's Catechism (d. 1704)<ref>Template:DNB</ref>
• 1692 – John Byrom, English poet and educator (d. 1763)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1724 – Eva Marie Veigel, Austrian-English dancer (d. 1822)<ref>Template:Cite ODNB</ref>
• 1736 – Ann Lee, English-American religious leader, founder of the Shakers (d. 1784)<ref>Template:Cite AmCyc</ref>
• 1792 – Gioachino Rossini, Italian composer (d. 1868)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1812 – James Milne Wilson, Scottish-Australian soldier and politician, eighth Premier of Tasmania (d. 1880)<ref name="milne">Template:Dictionary of Australian Biography</ref>
• 1828 – Emmeline B. Wells, American journalist, poet and activist (d. 1921)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1836 – Dickey Pearce, American baseball player and manager (d. 1908)<ref>Dickey Pearce at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed November 18, 2009. Archived November 18, 2009.</ref>
• 1840 – Theodor Leber, German ophthalmologist (d. 1917)<ref>M.Blum, P.G.Hykin, M.Sanders, H.E. Völcker: Theodor Leber: A founder of ophthalmic research. Survey of Ophthalmology 1992; 37:63-68</ref>
• 1852 – Frank Gavan Duffy, Irish-Australian lawyer and judge, fourth Chief Justice of Australia (d. 1936)<ref>Template:Australian Dictionary of Biography</ref>
• 1852 – Prince George Maximilianovich, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg (d. 1912)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1860 – Herman Hollerith, American statistician and businessman, co-founder of the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (d. 1929)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1884 – Richard S. Aldrich, American lawyer and politician (d. 1941)<ref>Template:CongBio</ref>
• 1892 – Augusta Savage, American sculptor (d. 1962)<ref>Template:Cite ANB</ref>
• 1896 – Morarji Desai, Indian civil servant and politician, fourth Prime Minister of India (d. 1995)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1896 – William A. Wellman, American actor, director, producer and screenwriter (d. 1975)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

1901–present

• 1904 – Jimmy Dorsey, American saxophonist, composer and bandleader (d. 1957)<ref>Template:Cite ANB</ref>
• 1904 – Pepper Martin, American baseball player and manager (d. 1965)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1908 – Balthus, French-Swiss painter and illustrator (d. 2001)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1908 – Dee Brown, American historian and author (d. 2002)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1908 – Alf Gover, English cricketer and coach (d. 2001)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1908 – Louie Myfanwy Thomas, Welsh writer (d. 1968)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1912 – Kamil Tolon, Turkish industrialist (d. 1978)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1916 – James B. Donovan, American lawyer (d. 1970)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1916 – Leonard Shoen, founder of U-Haul Corp. (d. 1999)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• 1920 – Fyodor Abramov, Russian author and critic (d. 1983)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1920 – Arthur Franz, American actor (d. 2006)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1920 – James Mitchell, American actor and dancer (d. 2010)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1920 – Michèle Morgan, French-American actress and singer (d. 2016)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1920 – Rolland W. Redlin, American lawyer and politician (d. 2011)<ref>Template:CongBio</ref>
• 1924 – David Beattie, New Zealand judge and politician, 14th Governor-General of New Zealand (d. 2001)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1924 – Carlos Humberto Romero, Salvadoran politician, President of El Salvador (d. 2017)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1924 – Al Rosen, American baseball player and manager (d. 2015)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1928 – Joss Ackland, English actor (d. 2023)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1928 – Jean Adamson, British writer and illustrator (Topsy and Tim) (d. 2024)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1928 – Vance Haynes, American archaeologist, geologist and author<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1928 – Michael Henshall, English Anglican suffragan bishop (d. 2017)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1928 – Seymour Papert, South African mathematician and computer scientist, co-creator of the Logo programming language (d. 2016)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• 1928 – Tempest Storm, born Annie Banks, "The Queen Of Exotic Dancers", American burlesque performer and actress (d. 2021)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1932 – Gene H. Golub, American mathematician and academic (d. 2007)<ref>Template:Cite journal.</ref>
• 1932 – Masten Gregory, American race car driver (d. 1985)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• 1932 – Reri Grist, American soprano and actress<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1932 – Jaguar, Brazilian cartoonist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1932 – Gavin Stevens, Australian cricketer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1936 – Nh. Dini, Indonesian writer (d. 2018)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1936 – Jack R. Lousma, American colonel, astronaut and politician<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1936 – Henri Richard, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2020)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1936 – Alex Rocco, American actor (d. 2015)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1940 – Sonja Barend, Dutch talk show host<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1940 – Bartholomew I, current Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1944 – Dennis Farina, American police officer and actor (d. 2013)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1944 – Nicholas Frayling, English priest and academic<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1944 – Phyllis Frelich, American actress (d. 2014)<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
• 1944 – Steve Mingori, American baseball player (d. 2008)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1944 – Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri, Italian author and illustrator<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1944 – Lennart Svedberg, Swedish ice hockey player (d. 1972).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1944 – Saeed Poursamimi, Iranian actor<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1948 – Hermione Lee, English author, critic and academic<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1948 – Manoel Maria, Brazilian footballer<ref>Template:Cite Sports-Reference</ref>
• 1948 – Patricia A. McKillip, American author (d. 2022)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1948 – Sonny M'Pokomandji, Central African basketball player and politician, Minister of Equipment and Transport (2003–2005)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1952 – Tim Powers, American author and educator<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• 1952 – Raisa Smetanina, Russian cross-country skier<ref>Template:Cite Sports-Reference</ref>
• 1952 – Bart Stupak, American police officer and politician<ref>Template:CongBio</ref>
• 1956 – Knut Agnred, Swedish singer, actor and comedian<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1956 – Jonathan Coleman, English-Australian radio and television host (d. 2021)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1956 – Bob Speller, Canadian businessman and politician, 30th Canadian Minister of Agriculture (d. 2021)<ref>Template:Canadian Parliament links</ref>
• 1956 – Aileen Wuornos, American serial killer (d. 2002)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1960 – Khaled, Algerian singer-songwriter<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1960 – Richard Ramirez, American serial killer and sex offender (d. 2013)<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica 2017 v666">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1960 – Tony Robbins, American author and motivational activist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1964 – Dave Brailsford, English cyclist and coach<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1964 – Carmel Busuttil, former Maltese footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1964 – Lyndon Byers, Canadian ice hockey player and radio host<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1964 – Mervyn Warren, American tenor, composer and producer<ref>Template:LCAuth</ref>
• 1968 – Chucky Brown, American basketball player and coach<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1968 – Gareth Farr, New Zealand composer and percussionist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1968 – Pete Fenson, American curler<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1968 – Bryce Paup, American football player and coach<ref>Template:LCAuth</ref>
• 1968 – Howard Tayler, American author and illustrator<ref>Template:LCAuth</ref>
• 1968 – Eugene Volokh, Ukrainian-American lawyer and educator<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1968 – Frank Woodley, Australian actor, producer and screenwriter<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1972 – Sylvie Lubamba, Italian showgirl<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1972 – Mike Pollitt, English footballer and coach<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1972 – Antonio Sabàto Jr., Italian-American model and actor<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1972 – Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain<ref>Template:LCAuth</ref>
• 1972 – Dave Williams, American singer (d. 2002)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1972 – Saul Williams, American singer-songwriter<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1972 – Pedro Zamora, Cuban-American activist and educator (d. 1994)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1976 – Vonteego Cummings, American basketball player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1976 – Katalin Kovács, Hungarian sprint kayaker<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1976 – Terrence Long, American baseball player<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1976 – Ja Rule, American rapper and actor<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1980 – Çağdaş Atan, Turkish footballer and coach<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1980 – Simon Gagné, Canadian ice hockey player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1980 – Rubén Plaza, Spanish cyclist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1980 – Clinton Toopi, New Zealand rugby league player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1980 – Taylor Twellman, American soccer player and sportscaster<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1980 – Peter Scanavino, American actor (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1984 – Darren Ambrose, English footballer<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1984 – Rica Imai, Japanese model and actress<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1984 – Cullen Jones, American swimmer<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1984 – Nuria Martínez, Spanish basketball player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1984 – Lena Raine, American video game composer and producer<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>
• 1984 – Rakhee Thakrar, English actress<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1984 – Cam Ward, Canadian ice hockey player<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1984 – Mark Foster, American singer, songwriter and musician<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• 1988 – Lena Gercke, German model and television host<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1988 – Benedikt Höwedes, German footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1988 – Brent Macaffer, Australian Rules footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1988 – Hannah Mills, Welsh sports sailor<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1992 – Sean Abbott, Australian cricketer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1992 – Eric Kendricks, American football player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1992 – Jessica Long, American paralympic swimmer<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1992 – Jessie T. Usher, American actor<ref>Template:LCAuth</ref>
• 1992 – Saphir Taïder, Algerian footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1996 – Nelson Asofa-Solomona, New Zealand rugby league player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1996 – Norberto Briasco, Argentine-Armenian footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1996 – Reece Prescod, British sprinter<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1996 – Claudia Williams, New Zealand tennis player<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2000 – Tyrese Haliburton, American basketball player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2000 – Ferran Torres, Spanish footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2000 – Jesper Lindstrøm, Danish footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2004 – Lydia Jacoby, American swimmer<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2004 – Abdukodir Khusanov, Uzbek footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 468 – Pope Hilarius<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 992 – Oswald of Worcester, Anglo-Saxon archbishop and saint (b. 925)<ref>Template:EB1911</ref>
• 1460 – Albert III, Duke of Bavaria-Munich (b. 1401)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1528 – Patrick Hamilton, Scottish Protestant reformer and martyr (b. 1504)<ref>Template:EB1911</ref>
• 1592 – Alessandro Striggio, Italian composer and diplomat (b. 1536/1537)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• 1600 – Caspar Hennenberger, German pastor, historian and cartographer (b. 1529)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

1601–1900

• 1604 – John Whitgift, English archbishop and academic (b. 1530)<ref>Template:EB1911</ref>
• 1712 – Johann Conrad Peyer, Swiss anatomist (b. 1653)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1744 – John Theophilus Desaguliers, French-English physicist and philosopher (b. 1683)<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
• 1792 – Johann Andreas Stein, German piano builder (b. 1728)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• 1820 – Johann Joachim Eschenburg, German historian and critic (b. 1743)<ref>Template:EB1911</ref>
• 1848 – Louis-François Lejeune, French general, painter and lithographer (b. 1775)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• 1856 – Auguste Chapdelaine, French Christian missionary (b. 1814)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1868 – Ludwig I of Bavaria (b. 1786)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1880 – James Milne Wilson, Scottish-Australian soldier and politician, 8th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1812)<ref name="milne" />

1901–present

• 1904 – Patrick O'Sullivan, Irish-Australian politician (b. 1818)<ref>Template:Cite AuDB</ref>
• 1904 – Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin, French astronomer (b. 1845)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1908 – Pat Garrett, American sheriff (b. 1850)<ref>Template:Cite ANB</ref>
• 1908 – John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow, Scottish-Australian politician, 1st Governor-General of Australia (b. 1860)<ref>Template:Cite AuDB</ref>
• 1916 – John Nanson, English-Australian journalist and politician (b. 1863)<ref>Template:Cite AuDB</ref>
• 1920 – Ernie Courtney, American baseball player (b. 1875)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1924 – Frederic Chapple, Australian educator (b. 1845)<ref>Template:Cite AuDB</ref>
• 1928 – Adolphe Appia, Swiss architect and theorist (b. 1862)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1928 – Ina Coolbrith, American poet and librarian (b. 1841)<ref>Template:Cite ANB</ref>
• 1932 – Arthur Mills Lea, Australian entomologist (b. 1868)<ref>Template:Cite AuDB</ref>
• 1932 – Giuseppe Vitali, Italian mathematician (b. 1875)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1940 – E. F. Benson, English archaeologist and author (b. 1867)<ref>Template:Cite ODNB</ref>
• 1944 – Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, Finnish lawyer, judge and politician, 3rd President of Finland (b. 1861)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1948 – Robert Barrington-Ward, English lawyer and journalist (b. 1891)<ref>Template:Cite ODNB</ref>
• 1952 – Sarah Ann Jenyns, Australian entrepreneur (b. 1865)<ref>Template:Cite AuDB</ref>
• 1956 – Elpidio Quirino, Filipino lawyer and politician, 6th President of the Philippines (b. 1890)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1960 – Melvin Purvis, American police officer and FBI agent (b. 1903)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• 1960 – Walter Yust, American journalist and author (b. 1894)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1964 – Frank Albertson, American actor and singer (b. 1909)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1968 – Tore Ørjasæter, Norwegian poet and educator (b. 1886)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1972 – Tom Davies, American football player and coach (b. 1896)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1976 – Florence P. Dwyer, American politician (b. 1902)<ref>Template:CongBio</ref>
• 1980 – Yigal Allon, Israeli general and politician, Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1918)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1980 – Gil Elvgren, American painter and illustrator (b. 1914)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1984 – Ludwik Starski, Polish screenwriter and songwriter (b. 1903)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1992 – Ruth Pitter, English poet and author (b. 1897)<ref>Template:Cite ODNB</ref>
• 1996 – Frank Daniel, Czech-American director, producer and screenwriter (b. 1926)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1996 – Wes Farrell, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1939)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• 1996 – Ralph Rowe, American baseball player, coach and manager (b. 1924)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2000 – Dennis Danell, American guitarist (b. 1961)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• 2004 – Kagamisato Kiyoji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 42nd Yokozuna (b. 1923)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• 2004 – Jerome Lawrence, American playwright and author (b. 1915)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2004 – Harold Bernard St. John, Barbadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Barbados (b. 1931)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2004 – Lorrie Wilmot, South African cricketer (b. 1943)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2008 – Janet Kagan, American author (b. 1946)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2008 – Erik Ortvad, Danish painter and illustrator (b. 1917)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2008 – Akira Yamada, Japanese scholar and philosopher (b. 1922)<ref>Template:LCAuth</ref>
• 2012 – Davy Jones, English singer, guitarist and actor (b. 1945)<ref>Template:Cite ODNB</ref>
• 2012 – Sheldon Moldoff, American illustrator (b. 1920)<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
• 2012 – P. K. Narayana Panicker, Indian social leader (b. 1930)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2016 – Wenn V. Deramas, Filipino director and screenwriter (b. 1966)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2016 – Gil Hill, American police officer, actor and politician (b. 1931)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2016 – Josefin Nilsson, Swedish singer (b. 1969)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2016 – Mumtaz Qadri, Pakistani assassin, executed (b. 1985)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2016 – Louise Rennison, English author (b. 1951)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2020 – Dieter Laser, German actor (b. 1942)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2020 – Éva Székely, Hungarian Hall of Fame swimmer and 1952 Olympic champion (b. 1927)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2024 – Ali Hassan Mwinyi, 2nd President of Tanzania and 3rd President of Zanzibar (b. 1925)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2024 – Brian Mulroney, 18th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1939)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Holidays and observances

• As a Christian feast day:
  • Saint John Cassian<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • February 29 in the Orthodox church
• Rare Disease Day (in leap years; usually celebrated in common years on February 28)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Bachelor's Day (Ireland and United Kingdom)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• February 30
• February 31
• March 0

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• Template:NYT On this day
• Historical Events on February 29