Kosovo declares independence.

A massive mudslide occurs in Southern Leyte, Philippines; the official death toll is set at 1,126.

The London Congestion Charge scheme begins.

NASA's Discovery Program begins as the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft lifts off on the first mission ever to orbit and land on an asteroid, 433 Eros.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, world champion Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match.

The Cenepa War between Peru and Ecuador ends on a cease-fire brokered by the UN.

Colin Ferguson is convicted of six counts of murder for the December 1993 Long Island Rail Road shootings and later receives a 200+ year sentence.

The Sino-Vietnamese War begins.

The Troubles: The Provisional IRA detonates an incendiary bomb at the La Mon restaurant, near Belfast, killing 12 and seriously injuring 30.

Robert K. Preston, a disgruntled U.S. Army private, buzzes the White House in a stolen helicopter.

Sales of the Volkswagen Beetle exceed those of the Ford Model-T.

In Springfield, Massachusetts, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opens.

Project Ranger: The Ranger 8 probe launches on its mission to photograph the ''Mare Tranquillitatis'' region of the Moon in preparation for the manned Apollo missions. ''Mare Tranquillitatis'' or the "Sea of Tranquility" would become the site chosen for the Apollo 11 lunar landing.

Gabonese president Leon M'ba is toppled by a coup and his rival, Jean-Hilaire Aubame, is installed in his place.

In ''Wesberry v. Sanders'' the Supreme Court of the United States rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population.

A storm kills more than 300 people in Hamburg, West Germany.

Project Vanguard: Vanguard 2

Pope Pius XII declares Saint Clare of Assisi (1193

A fire at a home for the elderly in Warrenton, Missouri, kills 72 people.

The Voice of America begins transmitting radio broadcasts to the Soviet Union.

World War II: Operation Hailstone begins. U.S. naval air, surface, and submarine attack against Truk (Chuuk), Japan's main base in the central Pacific, in support of the Eniwetok invasion.

World War II: The Battle of Eniwetok Atoll begins. The battle ends in an American victory on February 22.

The Blaine Act ends Prohibition in the United States.

''Newsweek'' magazine is published for the first time.

Harold Ross and Jane Grant found ''The New Yorker'' magazine; the debut issue is dated February 21, 1925.

In Miami, Florida, Johnny Weissmuller sets a new world record in the 100-yard freestyle swimming competition with a time of 52{{frac|2|5}} seconds.

The Armory Show opens in New York City, displaying works of artists who are to become some of the most influential painters of the early 20th century.

''Madama Butterfly'' receives its première at La Scala in Milan.

El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico becomes part of the United States National Forest System as the Luquillo Forest Reserve.

The victorious Prussian Army parades though Paris, France after the end of the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War.

The first ship passes through the Suez Canal.

American Civil War: Columbia, South Carolina, is burned as Confederate forces flee from advancing Union forces.

American Civil War: The {{Ship||H. L. Hunley|submarine|6}} becomes the first submarine to engage and sink a warship, the {{USS|Housatonic|1861|6}}.

The United Kingdom recognizes the independence of the Orange Free State.

The United States House of Representatives passes the Missouri Compromise.

The Battle of Mormans.

Miami University is chartered by the State of Ohio.

An electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr Vice President by the United States House of Representatives.

In Sweden February 17 is followed by March 1 as the country moves from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.

Myles Standish is appointed as first commander of Plymouth colony.

The philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori in Rome for heresy.

The Battle of Hemmingstedt.

The Battle of Rudau.