February 15
February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 320 days remain until the year's end. It falls in winter (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Aquarius.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On February 15 the Sun's declination is approximately -13.3°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a February 15.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- National Flag of Canada Day
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
1764 — The city of St Louis was established in Spanish Louisiana. ↗(262 years ago)more
St. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while its metropolitan area, which extends into Illinois, had an estimated population of over 2.8 million.
1898 — The USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbour, killing 266 — a precipitating event of the Spanish-American War. ↗(128 years ago)more
USS Maine was a United States Navy ship that sank in Havana Harbor on 15 February 1898, contributing to the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April. U.S. newspapers claimed that the Spanish were responsible for the ship's destruction, while evidence points to an accident caused by an internal coal bunker fire.
1933 — Giuseppe Zangara attempted to assassinate U.S. President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt in Miami; Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was killed instead. ↗(93 years ago)more
On February 15, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt, then president-elect of the United States, survived an assassination attempt while delivering an impromptu speech at night from the back of an open car in Miami, Florida.
1965 — Canada adopted its national flag (the Maple Leaf). ↗(61 years ago)more
The national flag of Canada, popularly referred to as the Maple Leaf, consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the horizontal ratio of 1∶2∶1, in which is featured one stylized, red, 11-pointed maple leaf charged in the centre.
Notable births
1564 — Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer. ↗(462 years ago)more
Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei, commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei, was an Italian astronomer, physicist, and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. He was born in the city of Pisa, then part of the Duchy of Florence.
1820 — Susan B. Anthony, American suffragist. ↗(206 years ago)more
Susan B. Anthony was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to social equality, she collected anti-slavery petitions at the age of 17. In 1856, she became the New York state agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society.
Notable deaths
1988 — Richard Feynman, American theoretical physicist. ↗(38 years ago)more
Richard Phillips Feynman was an American theoretical physicist. He shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics with Julian Schwinger and Shin'ichirō Tomonaga "for their fundamental work in quantum electrodynamics (QED), with deep-ploughing consequences for the physics of elementary particles". He is also known for his work in the path integral formulation of q...
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (46) | 2 × 23 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (320) | 2^6 × 5 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 15022026 · next palindrome year: 2051 |
| Sun declination | -13.28° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 57 days |