On This Day

February 1779 in History

Events in History

  • Feb 24 George Rogers Clark captures Vincennes (Ind) from British

Birthdays in History

  • Feb 20 Augustus Callcott, landscape painter, Kensington
  • Feb 21 Friedrich C von Savigny, German lawyer
  • Feb 27 Thomas Hazlehurst, English soap and alkali manufacturer (d. 1842)

Deaths in History


Person of interestJames Cook

Feb 14 James Cook, British explorer, navigator and cartographer, discovered and explored Australia, Pacific Islands and New Zealand for Britain, killed in a fight with Hawaiians near Kealakekua at 50

Explorer James Cook
Explorer
James Cook
  • Feb 20 Johannes Burman, Dutch botanist, plant author and physician, dies at 71
  • Feb 24 Paul Daniel Longolius, German encylopedist (editor of Grosses vollständiges Universal-Lexicon), dies at 74
  • Feb 27 Jan Nepveu, Dutch governor of Suriname (1769-79), dies at 59