Major Events
- 1692 First people are accused of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts - Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba, a West Indian slave
- 1904 Theodore Roosevelt, appoints 7-man Panama Canal Commission to proceed with completing a canal at the Isthmus
- 1960 Agadir earthquake in Morocco kills a third of the population (12,000-15,000)
- 1984 Pierre Trudeau announces he is stepping down after 15 years as Canadian Prime Minister
- More February 29 Events
Feb 29 in Film & TV
- 1940 Hattie McDaniel becomes 1st African American woman to win an Oscar for "Gone With The Wind"
Feb 29 in Music
- 1968 Beatles' "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" wins Grammy Award for Album of the Year, the first rock LP to do so
Feb 29 in Sport
- 1980 Future Hockey Hall of Fame right wing Gordie Howe scores in the 3rd period to become first NHL player to score 800 career goals as Hartford Whalers beat St. Louis Blues, 3-0 at Springfield Civic Center
Did You Know?
Ann Lee
Gioachino Rossini
John Philip Holland
Henri Richard
Pedro Sánchez
Ja Rule
Fun Fact About February 29
Michael Bracey ends 59 h 55 m trapped in an elevator, England
Famous Weddings
- 1816 Dutch (King) Willem II marries Russian grand-duchess Anna Paulowna
- 1996 Fashion designer Nicole Miller (44) weds Kim Taipale (42) in the office of New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani
- 2012 American actor Dick Van Dyke (86) weds second wife, American make-up artist Arlene Silver (40) in Malibu, California
More February 29 Weddings
Elpidio Quirino
Melvin Purvis
Davy Jones
Brian MulroneyArticles, Photos and Quiz
Crafty Columbus Plays a Leap Year Trick
Many people born on February 29th curse their fate but it can also bring luck and benefits as explorer Christopher Columbus demonstrated over 400 years ago.
February 29, 1504
Salem Witch Trials
Dramatic lithograph of the Salem witch trials produced in 1892
February 29, 1692
Weekly Quiz for February 24 - March 1
Under what name did Muhammad Ali win his 1st heavyweight world title this week in 1964? What was the world's first national park, created in 1872?
