💝 February in the Time Tunnel

Every day of February: one big moment from history, famous birthdays and special days. Click a date for the full story and a quiz.

1. February 11884: The first part of the Oxford English Dictionary was published🎂 Harry Styles
2. February 2🦫 Groundhog Day1709: Sailor Alexander Selkirk was rescued from a deserted island — his story inspired the book "Robinson Crusoe"🎂 Shakira
3. February 31488: Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias sailed around the southern tip of Africa and landed in South Africa🎂 Felix Mendelssohn
4. February 41789: George Washington was unanimously elected the first President of the United States🎂 Charles Lindbergh
5. February 51869: The giant "Welcome Stranger" gold nugget was found in Australia🎂 Cristiano Ronaldo
6. February 61918: Women over 30 in Britain won the right to vote🎂 Bob Marley
7. February 71940: Walt Disney’s animated movie "Pinocchio" premiered🎂 Charles Dickens
8. February 81693: The College of William & Mary in Virginia received its official charter🎂 Jules Verne
9. February 9🍕 National Pizza Day1870: The US national weather service was created🎂 Peggy Whitson
10. February 101502: Explorer Vasco da Gama set sail from Lisbon on his second voyage to India🎂 Mark Spitz
11. February 11👩‍🔬 International Day of Women and Girls in Science1938: The BBC aired the world’s first science-fiction TV program🎂 Thomas Edison
12. February 121541: Santiago, the capital of Chile, was founded🎂 Abraham Lincoln
13. February 131954: Basketball player Frank Selvy scored 100 points in a single college game🎂 Robbie Williams
14. February 14💝 Valentine’s Day1876: Alexander Graham Bell applied for a patent on the telephone🎂 Frederick Douglass
15. February 151493: Christopher Columbus wrote a letter aboard his ship describing his voyage to the Americas🎂 Galileo Galilei
16. February 161923: Archaeologist Howard Carter opened the burial chamber of the pharaoh Tutankhamun🎂 Richard McDonald
17. February 17💛 Random Acts of Kindness Day1863: People in Geneva formed a committee to help wounded soldiers — it became the Red Cross🎂 Michael Jordan
18. February 181885: Mark Twain’s "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" was published in the United States🎂 Alessandro Volta
19. February 191878: Thomas Edison received a patent for the phonograph, a machine that records and plays sounds🎂 Nicolaus Copernicus
20. February 201824: William Buckland named Megalosaurus — the first dinosaur to get a scientific name🎂 Rihanna
21. February 211804: The first self-propelled steam locomotive ran on rails in Wales🎂 Jeanne Calment
22. February 221881: "Cleopatra’s Needle," a 3,500-year-old Egyptian obelisk, was set up in Central Park, New York🎂 George Washington
23. February 231455: By tradition, the date the Gutenberg Bible — the first major book printed with movable type in Europe — was published🎂 George Frideric Handel
24. February 241582: Pope Gregory XIII announced the Gregorian calendar — the calendar most of the world uses today🎂 Steve Jobs
25. February 251870: Hiram Rhodes Revels became the first African American sworn into the US Senate🎂 Pierre-Auguste Renoir
26. February 261606: Willem Janszoon’s crew became the first Europeans known to land in Australia🎂 Victor Hugo
27. February 27🐻‍❄️ International Polar Bear Day1870: Japan’s flag — a red circle on white — was first adopted for merchant ships🎂 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
28. February 281835: Elias Lönnrot finished the first version of the "Kalevala," Finland’s national epic🎂 Mario Andretti
29. February 291712: Sweden added a very special day to its calendar: February 30!🎂 Gioachino Rossini