So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

February 1st


- Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery (Mauritius)
- Christian Feast Day:
- Federal Territory Day (Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, Malaysia)
- Imbolc (Celtic Calendar)
- National Freedom Day (United States)
- The start of Black History Month (United States and Canada)
- The start of LGBT History Month (United Kingdom)

February 1st


- 2009 - Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is elected as the first female Prime Minister of Iceland, becoming the first openly gay head of state in the modern world.
- 2005 - King Gyanendra of Nepal carries out a coup d'état to capture the democracy, becoming Chairman of the Councils of ministers.
- 2004 - 251 people are trampled to death and 244 injured in a stampede at the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
- 2004 - Janet Jackson's breast is exposed during the half-time show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, resulting in US broadcasters adopting a stronger adherence to Federal Communications Commission censorship guidelines.
- 2003 - Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
STS-107 reentry
- 1998 - Rear Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne became the first female African American to be promoted to rear admiral.
- 1996 - The Communications Decency Act is passed by the U.S. Congress.
- 1993 - Gary Bettman becomes the NHL's first commissioner
- 1992 - The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal court declares Warren Anderson, ex-CEO of Union Carbide, a fugitive under Indian law for failing to appear in the Bhopal Disaster case.
- 1989 - The Western Australian towns of Kalgoorlie and Boulder amalgamate to form the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
- 1982 - Senegal and the Gambia form a loose confederation known as Senegambia.
- 1979 - Convicted bank robber Patty Hearst is released from prison after her sentence is commuted by President Jimmy Carter.
- 1979 - The Ayatollah Khomeini is welcomed back to Tehran, Iran after nearly 15 years of exile.
- 1978 - Director Roman Polanski skips bail and flees the United States to France after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl.
- 1974 - A fire in the 25-story Joelma Building in Sao Paulo, Brazil kills 189 and injures 293.
- 1974 - Kuala Lumpur is declared a Federal Territory.
- 1972 - Kuala Lumpur becomes a city by a royal charter granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
- 1968 - Vietnam War: The execution of Viet Cong officer Nguyen Van Lem by South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyen Ngoc Loan is videotaped and photographed by Eddie Adams. This image helped build opposition to the Vietnam War.
- 1968 - Canada's three military services, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, are unified into the Canadian Forces.
- 1968 - The New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad are merged to form the ill-fated Penn Central Transportation.
- 1965 - The Hamilton River in Labrador, Canada is renamed the Churchill River in honour of Winston Churchill.
- 1960 - Four black students stage the first of the Greensboro sit-ins at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.
- 1958 - Egypt and Syria merge to form the United Arab Republic, which lasted until .
- 1958 - The United States Army launches Explorer 1.
- 1957 - Felix Wankel's first working prototype DKM 54 of the Wankel engine runs at the NSU research and development department Versuchsabteilung TX in Germany
- 1946 - Trygve Lie of Norway is picked to be the first United Nations Secretary General.
- 1942 - World War II: Josef Terboven, Reichskommissar of German-occupied Norway, appoints Vidkun Quisling the Minister President of the National Government.
- 1924 - The United Kingdom recognizes the USSR.
- 1920 - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police begins operations.
- 1918 - Russia adopts the Gregorian Calendar.
- 1908 - King Carlos I of Portugal and his son, Prince Luis Filipe are killed in Terreiro do Paco, Lisbon.
- 1897 - Shinhan Bank, the oldest bank in South Korea, opens in Seoul.
- 1896 - The opera La bohème receives its premiere in Turin.
- 1893 - Thomas A. Edison finishes construction of the first motion picture studio, the Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey.
- 1884 - The first volume (A to Ant) of the Oxford English Dictionary is published.
- 1865 - President Abraham Lincoln signs the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
- 1861 - American Civil War: Texas secedes from the United States.
- 1851 - Honduras and El Salvador, during their invasion of Guatemala, are repelled at the Battle of La Arada.
- 1814 - Mayon Volcano, in the Philippines, erupts, killing around 1,200 people, the most devastating eruption of the volcano.
- 1796 - The capital of Upper Canada is moved from Newark to York.
- 1793 - French Revolutionary Wars: France declares war on the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
- 1790 - In New York City, the Supreme Court of the United States attempts to convene for the first time.
- 1713 - The Kalabalik or Tumult in Bendery results from the Ottoman sultan's order that his unwelcome guest, King Charles XII of Sweden, be seized.
- 1662 - The Chinese general Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege.
- 1587 - The Colony of Roanoke Island is established by the landing of Sir Walter Raleigh. This Colony would become known as the "Lost Colony"
- 1411 - The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn, Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights (Prussia).
- 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.

February 1st


- 1990 - Laura Marling, British singer-songwriter
- 1987 - Montario Hardesty, American football player
- 1987 - Wu Jingyu, Chinese taekwondo practitioner
- 1987 - Heather Morris, American actress and dancer
- 1987 - Giuseppe Rossi, Italian footballer
- 1986 - Lauren Conrad, American reality TV personality
- 1985 - Jodi Gordon, Australian actress and model
- 1985 - Rachael Scdoris, American dog musher
- 1985 - Dean Shiels, Northern Irish footballer
- 1984 - Darren Fletcher, Scottish footballer
- 1984 - Lee Thompson Young, American actor
- 1983 - Kevin Martin, American basketball player
- 1983 - Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Belgian cyclist
- 1983 - Andrew VanWyngarden, musician (MGMT)
- 1982 - Gavin Henson Welsh rugby player
- 1982 - Shoaib Malik, Pakistani cricketer
- 1981 - Rob Austin, British racing driver
- 1981 - Luis Lamá, Angolan footballer
- 1981 - Graeme Smith, South African cricketer
- 1980 - Héctor Luna, Dominican Republic baseball player
- 1980 - Moisés Muñoz, Mexican footballer
- 1980 - Otilino Tenorio, Ecuadorian footballer (d. 2005)
- 1979 - Julie Augustyniak, American soccer player
- 1979 - Valentin Elizalde, Mexican Singer (d. 2006)
- 1979 - Rachelle LeFevre, Canadian actress
- 1979 - Juan Silveira dos Santos, Brazilian footballer
- 1978 - Domenick Davies, Welsh-born German rugby player
- 1978 - Tim Harding, Australian singer (Hi-5)
- 1977 - Kevin Kilbane, Irish footballer
- 1977 - Robert Traylor, American basketball player
- 1976 - Phil Ivey, American poker player
- 1975 - Big Boi, American musician (Outkast)
- 1975 - Katerina Thanou, Greek sprinter
- 1974 - Walter McCarty, American basketball player
- 1974 - David Meca, Spanish long distance swimmer
- 1973 - Andrew DeClercq, American basketball player
- 1973 - Yuri Landman, Experimental musical instrument builder, musician and comic book artist
- 1973 - Makiko Ohmoto, Japanese voice actress
- 1972 - Yoshi DeHerrera, American TV personality
- 1972 - Kami (musician), drummer of Japanese visual kei band Malice Mizer (d. 1999)
- 1971 - Jill Kelly, American porn actress
- 1971 - Ron Welty, American musician
- 1971 - Zlatko Zahovi?, Slovenian footballer
- 1971 - Michael C. Hall, American actor
- 1971 - Ajay Jadeja, Former Indian cricketer
- 1970 - Yasuyuki Kazama, Japanese racing driver
- 1970 - Malik Sealy, American basketball player (d. 2000)
- 1969 - Gabriel Batistuta, Argentine footballer
- 1969 - Brian Krause, American actor
- 1969 - Joshua Redman, American musician
- 1969 - Patrick Wilson, American musician (Weezer)
- 1968 - Lisa Marie Presley, American singer and actress
- 1968 - Kent Mercker, American baseball player
- 1968 - Mark Recchi, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1968 - Pauly Shore, American comedian
- 1967 - Meg Cabot, American author
- 1967 - Patle Shishupal Natthu, Indian politician
- 1966 - Michelle Akers, American soccer player
- 1966 - Vasilis Dimitriadis, Greek footballer
- 1966 - Rob Lee, English footballer
- 1965 - Sherilyn Fenn, American actress
- 1965 - Brandon Lee, American actor (d. 1993)
- 1965 - Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
- 1964 - Mario Pelchat, Quebec singer
- 1964 - Linus Roache, English actor
- 1963 - Takashi Murakami, Japanese artist
- 1962 - José Luis Cuciuffo, Argentinian footballer (d. 2004)
- 1962 - Tomoyasu Hotei, Japanese guitarist
- 1961 - Volker Fried, German field hockey player
- 1961 - Daniel Tani, NASA astronaut
- 1958 - Luther Blissett, English footballer
- 1958 - Ryo Horikawa, Japanese voice actor
- 1958 - Jackie Shroff, Indian actor
- 1957 - Renae Jacobs, American voice actress
- 1956 - Mike Kitchen, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1956 - Brahmanandam, Indian film actor
- 1956 - Exene Cervenka, American musician
- 1955 - Ernie Camacho, baseball player
- 1954 - Chuck Dukowski, American musician (Black Flag)
- 1954 - Bill Mumy, American actor and musician
- 1953 - Brendan Batson, English former footballer
- 1952 - Jen? Jandó, Hungarian pianist
- 1951 - Sonny Landreth, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1950 - Mike Campbell, American guitarist and producer
- 1948 - Rick James, American musician and composer (d. 2004)
- 1948 - Elisabeth Sladen, British actress
- 1947 - Mike Brant, Israeli pop singer (d. 1975)
- 1947 - Normie Rowe, Australian singer
- 1947 - Jessica Savitch, American journalist (d. 1983)
- 1946 - Chris Clark, Motown Soul singer
- 1945 - Serge Joyal, French Canadian politician
- 1944 - Mike Enzi, American politician, senior senator from Wyoming
- 1944 - Burkhard Ziese, German football manager (d. 2010)
- 1942 - Terry Jones, Welsh actor and writer
- 1942 - Muna Wassef, Syrian/Arab actress and United Nations Goodwill ambassador.
- 1941 - Karl Dall, German television host
- 1941 - Jerry Spinelli, children's author
- 1940 - Bibi Besch, Austrian-American actress (d. 1996)
- 1940 - Hervé Filion, Quebec harness racer
- 1939 - Fritjof Capra, Austrian physicist
- 1939 - Claude François, French singer (d. 1978)
- 1939 - Paul Gillmor, American politician (d. 2007)
- 1939 - Joe Sample, American jazz pianist
- 1938 - Sherman Hemsley, American comedian and actor
- 1938 - Niculi?? Secrieriu, Romanian painter (d. 2002)
- 1937 - Garrett Morris, American comedian
- 1937 - Ray Sawyer, American singer (Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show)
- 1937 - Don Everly, American musician (Everly Brothers)
- 1936 - Azie Taylor Morton, 35th Treasurer of the United States (d. 2003)
- 1934 - Bob Shane, American folk singer (The Kingston Trio)
- 1932 - Jan Ramberg, Swedish law professor, and arbitration court judge
- 1931 - Iajuddin Ahmed, President of Bangladesh
- 1931 - Boris Yeltsin, 1st President of the Russian Federation (d. 2007)
- 1930 - Shahabuddin Ahmed, President of Bangladesh
- 1930 - Mario Beaulieu, Canadian politician (d. 1998)
- 1930 - Hossain Mohammad Ershad, Bangladeshi politician
- 1928 - Stuart Whitman, American actor
- 1926 - Shane Devine, United States Federal Judge (d. 1999)
- 1924 - H. Richard Hornberger, American writer (d. 1997)
- 1924 - Ben Weider, Canadian businessman and author
- 1921 - Peter Sallis, English actor
- 1921 - Renata Tebaldi, Italian soprano (d. 2004)
- 1918 - Muriel Spark, Scottish author (d. 2006)
- 1917 - Eiji Sawamura, Japanese baseball player (d. 1944)
- 1915 - Stanley Matthews, English footballer (d. 2000)
- 1910 - Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Tibetan politician (d. 2009)
- 1909 - George Beverly Shea, Canadian singer
- 1908 - George Pal, Hungarian-born director and producer (d. 1980)
- 1907 - Günter Eich, German lyricist (d. 1972)
- 1907 - Camargo Guarnieri, Brazilian composer (d. 1993)
- 1906 - Hildegarde, American actress and singer (d. 2005)
- 1905 - Emilio G. Segrè, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1989)
- 1904 - S. J. Perelman, American humorist (d. 1979)
- 1902 - Therese Brandl, Nazi concentration camp guard (d. 1947)
- 1902 - Langston Hughes American writer (d. 1967)
- 1901 - Frank Buckles, last surviving American veteran of World War I
- 1901 - Clark Gable, American actor (d. 1960)
- 1897 - Denise Robins (aka Francesca Wright, Ashley French, Harriet Gray, Julia Kane) British romance novelist (d. 1985)
- 1895 - Conn Smythe, Canadian builder of the National Hockey League (d. 1980)
- 1894 - John Ford, American director and producer (d. 1973)
- 1894 - James P. Johnson, American composer (d. 1955)
- 1887 - Charles Nordhoff, English-born author (d. 1947)
- 1884 - Bradbury Robinson, who threw the first forward pass in American football history in 1906 (d. 1949)
- 1884 - Yevgeny Zamyatin, Russian writer (d. 1937)
- 1882 - Louis Stephen St. Laurent, 12th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1973)
- 1878 - Milan Hodža, Slovak politician (d. 1944)
- 1874 - Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Austrian writer (d. 1929)
- 1873 - Joseph Allard, Canadian fiddler (d. 1947)
- 1873 - John Barry, Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross (d. 1901)
- 1872 - Jerome F. Donovan, American politician (d. 1949)
- 1872 - Andrew Kehoe, American mass murderer (d. 1927)
- 1859 - Victor Herbert, Irish composer (d. 1924)
- 1851 - Durham Stevens, American diplomat (d. 1908)
- 1844 - G. Stanley Hall, American psychologist (d. 1924)
- 1841 - William Davenport, American magician (d. 1877)
- 1820 - George Hendric Houghton, American Protestant Episcopal clergyman (d. 1897)
- 1801 - Émile Littré, French lexicographer (d. 1881)
- 1796 - Abraham Emanuel Fröhlich, Swiss poet (d. 1865)
- 1764 - George Duff, Royal Navy Captain, killed in action at the Battle of Trafalgar (d.1805)
- 1763 - Thomas Campbell, Irish theologian (d. 1854)
- 1761 - Christian Hendrik Persoon, South African mycologist (d. 1836)
- 1710 - Konrad Ernst Ackermann, German actor (d. 1771)
- 1690 - Francesco Maria Veracini, Italian composer (d. 1768)
- 1663 - Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo, Filipino foundress of the Religious of the Virgin Mary (d. 1748)
- 1659 - Jacob Roggeveen, Dutch explorer (d. 1729)
- 1635 - Marquard Gude, German archaeologist (d. 1689)
- 1552 - Edward Coke, English jurist and Member of Parliament (d. 1634)
- 1462 - Johannes Trithemius, German cryptographer (d. 1516)
- 1459 - Conrad Celtes, German scholar (d. 1508)
- 1261 - Walter de Stapledon, English bishop (d. 1326)