Events in History
- Feb 4 Earthquake in Quito, Ecuador kills 41,000
- Feb 12 Joseph Haydn's song "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" (God Save Emperor Francis) premieres in Vienna
Victory in Battle
Feb 14 The Battle of Cape St Vincent: British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeats larger Spanish fleet under Admiral Don José de Córdoba y Ramos near Cape St. Vincent, Portugal. Captain Horatio Nelson distinguishes himself.
- Feb 18 Trinidad is surrendered to a British fleet under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby
- Feb 21 Trinidad, West Indies, a Spanish colony, surrenders to the British
Last Invasion of Britain
Feb 22 The Last Invasion of Britain, launched by the French during the Revolutionary Wars, begins near Fishguard, Wales
Birthdays in History
- Feb 6 Joseph Maria von Radowitz, German diplomat, born in Frankfurt, Germany (d. 1912)
- Feb 22 William I, King of Prussia (1861-88) and the 1st German Emperor (1871-88), born in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1888)
- Feb 28 Mary Lyon, American educator (Mt Holyoke) (Hall of Fame)
- Feb 28 Frederick, prince of Netherlands, general and admiral (10 day campaign), born in Berlin (d. 1881)
Deaths in History
- Feb 22 Baron Münchhausen, German adventurer, soldier and storyteller (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen), dies at 76