Bourque's Scoring Record
Feb 1 Future Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque scores a goal and an assist to become the Boston Bruins' all-time scoring leader, with 1,341 points in an 18-year NHL career
- Feb 2 "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" closes at Gershwin NYC
- Feb 2 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 26-23 (OT); MVP: Mark Brunell, Jacksonville Jaguars, QB
Bowman Makes 1,000 Games
Feb 2 Scotty Bowman becomes first coach in NHL history to win 1,000 games
- Feb 3 Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Detroit MI on WKRK 97.1 FM
Carl Sagan Public Memorial
Feb 3 Public memorial held for Carl Sagan at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Milošević Recognizes Opposition Victory
Feb 4 After at first contesting the results, Serbian President Slobodan Milošević recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections.
- Feb 4 En route to Lebanon, two Israeli Sikorsky CH-53 troop-transport helicopters collide in mid-air over northern Galilee, Israel killing 73.
Lemieux Scores 600
Feb 4 Mario Lemieux is 7th NHL player to score 600 goals
O.J. Simpson Liable
Feb 4 O.J. Simpson found liable in the deaths of Ron Goldman and Nicole Simpson in a civil court action
Albright's Jewish Grandparents
Feb 4 US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright announces she just discovered that her grandparents were Jewish, three of whom were killed in the Holocaust
- Feb 5 Brook Lee from Hawaii, crowned 46th Miss USA (en route to Miss Universe)
- Feb 5 Japan's Ministry of Finance announces plans to cut import tariffs on crude oil and most petroleum products
- Feb 6 Diane Blood, 32, in England, won right to use her dead husband's sperm
- Feb 7 US & Russia announce summit set for Helsinki, March 20-21
- Feb 8 28th NAACP Image Awards: "A Time to Kill" wins Outstanding Motion Picture
11th American Comedy Award
Feb 9 11th American Comedy Award: Debbie Reynolds wins
- Feb 9 47th NBA All-Star Game, Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH: East beats West, 132-120; MVP: Glen Rice, Charlotte Hornets, F
The Simpsons Record Run
Feb 9 Fox cartoon series "The Simpsons" airs 167th episode; longest-running animated series in cartoon history
- Feb 10 13th Soap Opera Digest Awards - General Hospital wins
- Feb 10 5th ESPY Awards: Michael Johnson, Amy Van Dyken Lobo win
- Feb 10 Comet Shoemaker-Holt 2 Closest Approach to Earth (1.9245 AU)
- Feb 10 Lemrick Nelson found guilty in the fatal stabbing on Hasidic Jew Yankel Rosenbaum in Crown Heights Brooklyn in 1991
- Feb 10 O.J. Simpson jury reaches decision on $25M in punitive damages
- Feb 10 Soyuz TM-25 launches to the MIR
Sports History
Feb 11 Bill Parcells becomes head coach of NY Jets
- Feb 11 STS 82 (Discovery 22) launches
- Feb 12 Fred Goldman says he will settle for a signed murder confession from O.J. Simpson in lieu of his $20.5 million judgement
- Feb 13 "Three Sisters" opens at Criterion Theater NYC
Berlin Film Festival
Feb 13 47th Berlin International Film Festival: "The People vs. Larry Flynt" wins the Golden Bear
- Feb 13 Discovery captures Hubble Space Telescope
Event of Interest
Feb 13 Joseph Stiglitz becomes Chief Economist of the World Bank
- Feb 15 US female Figure Skating championship won by Tara Lipinski
- Feb 15 US male Figure Skating championship won by Todd Eldridge
Daytona 500
Feb 16 39th Daytona 500: Hendrick Motorsports posts a 1-2-3 finish with Jeff Gordon winning the race, ahead of Terry Labonte and Ricky Craven
Baseball Record
Feb 20 San Francisco Giants Barry Bonds signs record $22.9M 2 year contract
- Feb 21 "Empire Strikes Back, special edition" premieres
- Feb 21 NASA's STS 82 (Space Shuttle Discovery 22) lands
- Feb 22 Scientists at the Roslin Institute in Scotland announce they have cloned an adult mammal, producing Dolly the sheep - born 5 July 1996 (d. 2003)
- Feb 23 Ali Abu Kamal opens fire in Empire State Building & kills 1
Event of Interest
Feb 24 Deng Xiaoping the former paramount leader of China is cremated five days after he passed away
- Feb 24 Qatar inaugurates the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporting facility and formally launches Qatar Liquefied Gas Co.
- Feb 24 South Africa announces it is constructing largest modern day blimp
Grammy Awards
Feb 26 39th Grammy Awards: "Change the World", Babyface, Beck, and LeAnn Rimes win
- Feb 27 "Last Night of Ballyhoo" opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC
- Feb 27 British singer Sade arrested in Jamaica for disobeying a police officer
- Feb 28 Earthquake in Pakistan kills 45
- Feb 28 FBI agent Earl Pitts pleads guilty to selling secrets to Russia
- Feb 28 Purchasers of cigarettes in US must prove they are over 18
- Feb 28 The North Hollywood shootout takes place.
Admirals
Aviators
Gangsters
Generals
Industrialists
Suffragists