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HISTORIC BIRTHDATES IN FEBRUARY
Born this Month in History
1 Feb. |
1915 |
Sir Stanley Matthews, the first ever soccer player to be
knighted, he made 880 first-class appearances playing 54 times for
England, spread over an amazing 22 years. |
| 2 Feb. |
1650 |
Nell Gwyn, actress and
mistress of King Charles II by whom she had two sons. She began her
theatrical career selling oranges at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane,
London |
| 3 Feb. |
1928 |
Frankie 'Mr Moonlight' Vaughan, Liverpool-born crooner famous
for his tuxedo, top hat and cane. Born Frank Abelson, he took his
stage name because his Russian grandmother said he would be her
"number vorn" singer. |
| 4 Feb. |
1920 |
Sir Norman Wisdom, one of the true greats of British comedy and
international star of stage, television and the silver screen. |
| 5 Feb. |
1788 |
Robert Peel,
Lancashire-born Conservative politician and Prime Minister, as Home
Secretary he reorganised the London police force who are still
referred to today as the 'Peelers' or 'Bobbies'. |
| 6 Feb. |
1665 |
Queen Anne,
the last Stuart ruler of Great Britain and Ireland. A golden age for
Britain in the fields of science, literary output, architecture and
war, it was also during her reign that the Act of Union with
Scotland was passed in 1707. |
Charles Dickens |
| 7 Feb. |
1812 |
Charles
Dickens, the most widely known English writer after Shakespeare,
his many novels present a vivid portrayal of social life in Victorian
England. |
| 8 Feb. |
1819 |
John
Ruskin, London-born writer, his many books on the subject
including Modern Painters established him as the leading
art critic of the day. Ruskin College at Oxford is named after him. |
| 9 Feb. |
1865 |
Mrs Patrick Campbell, nee Beatrice Stella Tanner,
actress famous for her roles in The Second Mrs Tanqueray and as
Eliza in George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. |
| 10 Feb. |
1894 |
Harold 'Supermac' Macmillan, Conservative politician and Prime
Minister 1957-63; Famously led his party to victory in the 1959
elections with the slogan 'You've never had it so good'. |
| 11 Feb. |
1800 |
Henry Fox Talbot, Dorset-born pioneer of photography which he
developed independently of Daguerre in 1838. He went on to invent
flash photography and the use of photographic negatives to make prints
. |
| 12 Feb. |
1809 |
Charles Robert Darwin, scientist and founder of the modern
theory of evolution. His book On the Origin of Species by Means of
Natural Selection in 1859, aroused bitter controversy as it
disagreed with the Book of Genesis in the Bible. |
| 13 Feb. |
1728 |
John Hunter, Scottish surgeon who moved to London to study at
St. George's Hospital and developed such a flair for dissection that
he is now considered the founder of scientific surgery. |
| 14 Feb. |
1766 |
Thomas Malthus,
Surrey-born economist and clergyman, his Essay on the Principle of
Population suggested that populations increase faster than the
means of subsidence. This problem he addressed by promoting sexual
abstinence and birth control. |
Mary
Tudor
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| 15 Feb. |
1748 |
Jeremy Bentham,
philosopher and pioneer of utilitarianism, an ethical doctrine which
argues that the aim of all actions and legislation should result in
the greatest happiness and least pain for the greatest number of
people. |
| 16 Feb. |
1822 |
Sir Francis
Galton, Birmingham-born scientist and founder of eugenics (the
science of creating superior offspring). Not surprising therefore,
that he supported the theories of his cousin Charles Darwin. |
| 17 Feb. |
1934 |
Alan Bates, actor of stage, television and the silver screen,
his films include Georgy Girl, The Go-Between and Secret Friends. |
| 18 Feb. |
1517 |
Mary Tudor, Roman Catholic daughter of Henry VIII, King of
England, and Catherine of Aragon, she was also known as "Bloody Mary"
because of her relentless persecution of Protestants. |
| 19 Feb. |
1717 |
David Garrick, Hereford-born actor and Drury Lane theatre
manager, he dominated the English stage for 30 years. |
| 20 Feb. |
1888 |
Dame Marie Rambert, dancer and founder of the Ballet Rambert,
born in Warsaw she moved to London in 1918, and was made DBE in 1962. |
| 21 Feb. |
1801 |
John Henry Newman, Cardinal and theologian noted for his
philosophical writings. His poem The Dream of Gerontius was set
to music by Edward Elgar. |
| 22 Feb. |
1857 |
Sir Robert
Baden-Powell, soldier and hero of the Siege of Mafeking in the
Boer War, he is best known however as the founder of the Boy Scout
movement (1908) and, with his sister Agnes, of the Girl Guides (1910). |
Samuel
Pepys |
| 23 Feb. |
1633 |
Samuel
Pepys, the son of a London tailor, his celebrated Diary from
1660-69, intertwines the confessions of a man with a distinct love of
life, naval administration, court intrigue and the three disasters of
that decade. |
| 24 Feb. |
1500 |
Charles V.
Born in Ghent, Belgium he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1519, and
thereby became the most powerful monarch in Europe at the tender age
of 19. |
| 25 Feb. |
1943 |
George Harrison, Liverpool-born pop musician and former member
of the Quarrymen, who adopted the name The Beatles in 1960. He went
solo after the group disbanded in 1970, releasing My Sweet Lord that year. |
| 26 Feb. |
1879 |
Frank Bridge, composer and conductor of the New Symphony
Orchestra from its inception at Covent Garden in 1905.. |
| 27 Feb. |
1932 |
Dame Elizabeth Taylor, London-born film star. She moved with
her family to Los Angeles in 1939, where she made her screen debut at
the age of ten. Famous for her many Academy Award nominations and
marriages. |
| 28 Feb. |
1820 |
Sir John Tenniel, self-trained artist and cartoonist who
supplied the original illustrations for Lewis Carroll's Alice in
Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1872). |
| 29 Feb. |
1736 |
Ann Lee also known as Mother Ann, Manchester-born blacksmith's
daughter who emigrated with a handful of followers to the USA in 1774
and founded the religious group the American Society of Shakers. |
More British History
History
of England - History of Scotland - History of Wales
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