# What happened on February 28 in history?

**Date:** February 28  
**Events recorded:** 30  
**Years spanned:** 202 BC – 2026  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/february/28/

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## Featured Event

**2026** — The United States and Israel launch attacks across Iran, assassinating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Retaliatory strikes are launched by Iran against US military bases in the Gulf, with explosions reported in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.

[Read more on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States)

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## Events on this date

- **202 BC** — Liu Bang is enthroned as the Emperor of China, beginning four centuries of rule by the Han dynasty. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Gaozu_of_Han))
- **870** — The Fourth Council of Constantinople closes. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Council_of_Constantinople_(Catholic_Church)))
- **1525** — Aztec king Cuauhtémoc is executed on the order of conquistador Hernán Cortés. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztecs))
- **1638** — The Scottish National Covenant is signed in Edinburgh. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Covenant))
- **1835** — Elias Lönnrot signs and dates the foreword to the first version of the Kalevala, the so-called Old Kalevala. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elias_L%C3%B6nnrot))
- **1844** — A gun explodes on board the steam warship USS Princeton during a pleasure cruise down the Potomac River, killing six, including Secretary of State Abel Upshur. President John Tyler, who is also on board, is not injured from the blast. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Princeton_(1843)))
- **1922** — The United Kingdom ends its protectorate over Egypt through a Unilateral Declaration of Independence. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protectorate))
- **1925** — The Charlevoix-Kamouraska earthquake strikes northeastern North America. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1925_Charlevoix%E2%80%93Kamouraska_earthquake))
- **1947** — February 28 incident: In Taiwan, civil disorder is put down with the death of an estimated 18,000 - 28,000 civilians. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_28_incident))
- **1948** — The 1948 Accra riots erupt following a march by ex-servicemen of the Gold Coast Regiment towards the seat of the colonial government at Christiansborg Castle, where they were fired upon by Superintendant Colin Imray, leading to the killing of Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey and the arrest of the Big Six in the Gold Coast. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Accra_riots))
- **1958** — A school bus in Floyd County, Kentucky hits a wrecker truck and plunges down an embankment into the rain-swollen Levisa Fork river. The driver and 26 children die in one of the worst school bus accidents in U.S. history. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_County%2C_Kentucky))
- **1959** — Discoverer 1, an American spy satellite that is the first object intended to achieve a polar orbit, is launched but fails to achieve orbit. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discoverer_1))
- **1966** — A NASA T-38 Talon crashes into the McDonnell Aircraft factory while attempting a poor-visibility landing at Lambert Field, St. Louis, killing astronauts Elliot See and Charles Bassett. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_T-38_Talon))
- **1969** — The 1969 Portugal earthquake hits Portugal, Spain and Morocco. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_Portugal_earthquake))
- **1973** — Aeroflot Flight X-167 crashes during takeoff from Semey Airport, killing 32 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_X-167))
- **1974** — The British election ends in a hung parliament after the Jeremy Thorpe-led Liberal Party achieved their biggest vote share since 1929. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_1974_United_Kingdom_general_election))
- **1975** — In London, an underground train fails to stop at Moorgate terminus station and crashes into the end of the tunnel, killing 43 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moorgate_tube_crash))
- **1983** — The final episode of M*A*S*H airs, with almost 110 million viewers. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodbye%2C_Farewell_and_Amen))
- **1985** — The Provisional Irish Republican Army carries out a mortar attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station at Newry, killing nine officers. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Irish_Republican_Army))
- **1986** — Olof Palme, 26th Prime Minister of Sweden, is assassinated in Stockholm. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olof_Palme))
- **1990** — Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-36. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Atlantis))
- **1993** — Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agents raid the Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas with a warrant to arrest the group's leader David Koresh, starting a 51-day standoff. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureau_of_Alcohol%2C_Tobacco%2C_Firearms_and_Explosives))
- **1997** — An earthquake in northern Iran is responsible for about 1,100 deaths. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Ardabil_earthquake))
- **1997** — A Turkish military memorandum results in the collapse of the coalition government in Turkey. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Turkish_military_memorandum))
- **2001** — The 2001 Nisqually earthquake, having a moment magnitude of 6.8, with epicenter in southern Puget Sound, damages the Seattle metropolitan area. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Nisqually_earthquake))
- **2002** — During the religious violence in Gujarat, 97 people are killed in the Naroda Patiya massacre and 69 in the Gulbarg Society massacre. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Gujarat_violence))
- **2013** — Pope Benedict XVI resigns as the pope of the Catholic Church, becoming the first pope to do so voluntarily since Pope Gregory XII in 1415. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI))
- **2023** — Two trains collide south of the Vale of Tempe in Greece, leading to the deaths of at least 57 people and leaving 58 missing and 85 injured. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempi_train_crash))
- **2024** — Prime Minister Modi of India inaugurates the 2nd Space Port of India - Kulasekarapattinam Spaceport. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_minister))
- **2026** — The United States and Israel launch attacks across Iran, assassinating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Retaliatory strikes are launched by Iran against US military bases in the Gulf, with explosions reported in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States))

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## Notable births on February 28

- **2005** — **Vitor Roque** — Brazilian footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitor_Roque))
- **2000** — **Moise Kean** — Italian footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moise_Kean))
- **2000** — **Josip Šutalo** — Croatian footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josip_%C5%A0utalo))
- **1999** — **Luka Dončić** — Slovenian basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luka_Don%C4%8Di%C4%87))
- **1998** — **Teun Koopmeiners** — Dutch footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teun_Koopmeiners))
- **1997** — **Chris Lindstrom** — American football player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Lindstrom))
- **1996** — **Jakub Vrána** — Czech ice hockey player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakub_Vr%C3%A1na))
- **1996** — **Lucas Boyé** — Argentinian footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucas_Boy%C3%A9))
- **1996** — **Axel Werner** — Argentinian footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axel_Werner))
- **1995** — **Randy Arozarena** — Cuban-Mexican baseball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Arozarena))

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## Notable deaths on February 28

- **2026** — **Ali Khamenei** — Supreme Leader of Iran (born 1939) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Khamenei))
- **2026** — **Aziz Nasirzadeh** — Minister of Defense of the Islamic Republic of Iran (born 1964) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aziz_Nasirzadeh))
- **2026** — **Mohammad Pakpour** — commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of the Islamic Republic of Iran (born 1961) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Pakpour))
- **2025** — **David Johansen** — American singer-songwriter and actor (born 1950) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Johansen))
- **2025** — **Miguel Piñera** — Chilean celebrity, night club owner and amateur musician (born 1954) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_Pi%C3%B1era))
- **2025** — **Joseph Wambaugh** — American writer (born 1937) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Wambaugh))
- **2024** — **Ahmed Salim** — Bangladeshi convicted murderer (born 1989) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Salim_(murderer)))
- **2024** — **Héctor Ortiz** — Puerto Rican baseball player and coach (born 1969) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A9ctor_Ortiz_(baseball)))
- **2024** — **Cat Janice** — American singer-songwriter (born 1993) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Janice))
- **2020** — **Joe Coulombe** — founder of Trader Joe's (born 1930) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Coulombe))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/february/28/](https://thisday.info/events/february/28/).  
Historical data is sourced from [Wikipedia/Wikimedia](https://www.wikipedia.org) under [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).  
Editorial framing and site content © thisday.info.