Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your February 20 shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the February 20 offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of February 20 at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a February 20? Wrong! If the February 20 is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about February 20 then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling February 20? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about February 20 and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your February 20 wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your February 20 then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the February 20 site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about February 20, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your February 20, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

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Events

• 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a dowry payment.
• 1547 - Edward VI of England crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey.
• 1792 - The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Postal Service, is signed by President George Washington.
• 1798 - Louis Alexandre Berthier removes Pope Pius VI from power.
• 1810 - Andreas Hofer, Tyrolean Patriotism and leader of rebellion against Napoleon I of France's forces, was execution (legal).
• 1816 - Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville debuts at Largo di Torre Argentina, with a fiasco.
• 1835 - Concepción, Chile is destroyed by an earthquake
• 1844 - Birth of famous solo mariner Joshua Slocum in Mount Hanley, Nova Scotia
• 1859 - Don't know! ... but this date is on the coat of arms of Venezuela
• 1864 - Battle of Olustee
• 1872 - In New York City the Metropolitan Museum of Art opens.
• 1873 - The University of California opens its first medical school in San Francisco, California.
• 1901 - The legislature of Hawaii Territory convenes for the first time.
• 1909 - Publication of the Futurist Manifesto in the French journal Le Figaro
• 1913 - King O'Malley drives in the first Surveying peg to mark commencement of work on the construction of Canberra.
• 1921 - The film The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (film), starring Rudolph Valentino, premieres.
• 1931 - California gets the go-ahead by the Congress of the United States to build the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
• 1942 - Lieutenant Edward O'Hare becomes America's first World War II flying ace.
• 1943 - American movie studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to Censorship movies.
• 1943 - The Parícutin volcano begins to form in Paricutín, México.
• 1944 - World War II: "Big Week" ended with American bomber raids on Nazism aircraft manufacturing centers.
• 1944 - World War II: The United States takes Eniwetok Island.
• 1947 - State of Prussia ceases to exist
• 1952 - Emmett Ashford becomes the first African-American umpire (baseball) in organized baseball by being authorized to be a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League.
• 1959 - The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture supersonic fighter aircraft in Canada is cancelled by the John George Diefenbaker government amid much political debate.
• 1962 - Mercury program: While aboard Mercury Atlas 6, John Glenn orbits the earth three times in 4 hours, 55 minutes, becoming the first American to orbit the earth.
• 1965 - Ranger 8 crashes into the moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program astronauts.
• 1976 - The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization disbands.
• 1987 - Unabomber: In Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States, a bomb explodes in a computer store.
• 1991 - A gigantic statue of Albania's long-time dictator, Enver Hoxha, is brought down in the Albanian capital, Tirana, by mobs of angry protesters.
• 1998 - American figure skater Tara Lipinski becomes the youngest gold-medalist at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
• 1998 - The Nashville Banner daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee, Tennessee, USA publishes its last edition.
• 1999 - First hockey game occurs at the Air Canada Centre. The Toronto Maple Leafs win 3-2 in overtime vs the Montreal Canadiens.
• 2002 - In Reqa Al-Gharbiya, Egypt, a fire on a train injures over 65 and kills at least 370.
• 2005 - Spain becomes the first country to vote in a Spanish referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout.

Births

• 1631 - Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, English statesman (d. 1712)
• 1745 - Henry James Pye, English poet (d. 1813)
• 1751 - Johann Heinrich Voss, German poet (d. 1826)
• 1753 - Louis Alexandre Berthier, French marshal (d. 1815)
• 1757 - John 'Mad Jack' Fuller, English philanthropist (d. 1834)
• 1794 - William Carleton, Irish novelist (d. 1869)
• 1802 - Charles de Bériot, Belgian violinist (d. 1870)
• 1819 - Alfred Escher, Swiss politician, railroad entrepreneur (d. 1882)
• 1839 - Benjamin Waugh, American minister; founder of the NSPCC (d. 1908)
• 1844 - Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicist (d. 1906)
• 1844 - Joshua Slocum, Canadian seaman and adventurer (d. 1909)
• 1848 - Edward Henry Harriman, American railroad executive (d. 1909)
• 1850 - Nérée Beauchemin, Canadian physician and poet (d. 1931)
• 1866 - Carl Westman, Swedish architect and designer (d. 1936)
• 1887 - Vincent Massey, Governor-General of Canada (d. 1967)
• 1888 - Georges Bernanos, French writer (d. 1948)
• 1893 - Russel Crouse, American playwright (d. 1966)
• 1898 - Jimmy Yancey, American pianist (d. 1951)
• 1899 - Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, American businessman (d. 1992)
• 1901 - Cecil Harmsworth King, English newspaper owner (d. 1987)
• 1901 - Muhammad Naguib, President of Egypt (d. 1984)
• 1902 - Ansel Adams, American photographer (d. 1984)
• 1904 - Alexei Kosygin, Premier of the Soviet Union (d. 1980)
• 1906 - Gale Gordon, American television and radio actor (d. 1995)
• 1912 - Pierre Boulle, French author (d. 1994)
• 1914 - John Charles Daly, South African-born broadcaster (d. 2001)
• 1920 - Evgeny Dragunov, Russian weapons designer (d. 1991)
• 1923 - Forbes Burnham, President of Guyana (d. 1985)
• 1924 - Gloria Vanderbilt, American socialite and clothing designer
• 1925 - Robert Altman, American film director (d. 2006)
• 1925 - Heinz Kluncker, German trade union leader
• 1926 - Richard Matheson, American author
• 1927 - Roy Cohn, American lawyer (d. 1986)
• 1927 - Ibrahim Ferrer, Cuban musician (Buena Vista Social Club) (d. 2005)
• 1927 - Sidney Poitier, American actor
• 1929 - Amanda Blake, American actress (d. 1989)
• 1930 - Willie Cunningham, Northern Irish footballer
• 1934 - Bobby Unser, American racing driver
• 1936 - Marj Dusay, American actress
• 1936 - Larry Hovis, American actor (d. 2003)
• 1937 - Robert Huber, German chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• 1937 - Roger Penske, American racing driver
• 1937 - Nancy Wilson (singer), American singer
• 1938 - Richard Beymer, American actor
• 1939 - Frank Arundel, English footballer
• 1941 - Buffy Sainte-Marie, Canadian singer
• 1942 - Phil Esposito, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1942 - Charlie Gillett, British radio DJ
• 1942 - Mitch McConnell, American politician
• 1943 - Antonio Inoki, Japanese professional wrestler
• 1943 - Mike Leigh, British film director
• 1944 - Robert de Cotret, French Canadian politician (d. 1999)
• 1944 - Willem van Hanegem, Dutch footballer and coach
• 1944 - Martina Newberry, American poet, writer
• 1945 - Brion James, American actor (d. 1999)
• 1945 - Annu Kapoor, Indian actor
• 1946 - Brenda Blethyn, English actress
• 1946 - Richard Cocciante, French-Italian singer and songwriter
• 1946 - Sandy Duncan, American singer and actress
• 1946 - The J. Geils Band, American guitarist (The J. Geils Band)
• 1947 - Andre van Duin, Dutch comedian
• 1947 - Eggert Magnusson, English football executive
• 1947 - Peter Osgood, English footballer (d. 2006)
• 1947 - Peter Strauss, American actor
• 1948 - Pierre Bouchard, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1948 - Jennifer O'Neill, Brazilian-born actress
• 1949 - Ivana Trump, Czech-born American socialite
• 1950 - Walter Becker, American guitarist (Steely Dan)
• 1950 - Ken Shimura, Japanese performer and actor
• 1950 - Tony Wilson, British journalist and impresario (d. 2007)
• 1951 - Edward Albert, American actor (d. 2006)
• 1951 - Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• 1951 - Randy California, American guitarist (Spirit (band)) (d. 1997)
• 1951 - Phil Neal, English footballer
• 1953 - Riccardo Chailly, Italian conductor
• 1953 - Poison Ivy (musician), American musician (The Cramps)
• 1954 - Jon Brant, American musician (Cheap Trick)
• 1954 - Anthony Stewart Head, English actor
• 1954 - Patty Hearst, American socialite
• 1956 - Rick Green (ice hockey), Canadian ice hockey player
• 1957 - Glen Hanlon, Canadian ice hockey coach
• 1959 - Bill Gullickson, American baseball player
• 1960 - Joel Hodgson, American comedian (Mystery Science Theater 3000)
• 1960 - Kee Marcello, Swedish guitarist
• 1963 - Charles Barkley, American basketball player
• 1963 - Ian Brown, English singer (The Stone Roses)
• 1963 - Jon Lynn Christensen, former Nebraska United States House of Representatives
• 1964 - French Stewart, American actor
• 1966 - Cindy Crawford, American model
• 1967 - Kurt Cobain, American musician (Nirvana (band)) (d. 1994)
• 1967 - Andrew Shue, American television actor
• 1967 - Lili Taylor, American actress
• 1968 - Ted Hankey, English darts player
• 1969 - Vaginal Davis, American drag queen and performance artist
• 1969 - Keiji Takayama, Japanese professional wrestler
• 1971 - Jari Litmanen, Finnish footballer
• 1971 - Shawn McKenzie, American programmer
• 1972 - Brent Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1972 - K-OS, Canadian musician/rapper
• 1974 - Ophelie Winter, French actress
• 1975 - Liván Hernández, Cuban baseball player
• 1975 - Brian Littrell, American singer (Backstreet Boys)
• 1976 - Ed Graham, English drummer (The Darkness)
• 1976 - Gail Kim, Canadian professional wrestler
• 1977 - Bartosz Kizierowski, Polish swimmer
• 1977 - Stephon Marbury, American basketball player
• 1977 - T.J. Slaughter, American football player
• 1978 - Lauren Ambrose, American actress
• 1978 - Jakki Degg, English glamour model/actress
• 1978 - Jay Hernandez, American actor
• 1978 - Julia Jentsch, German actress
• 1980 - Artur Boruc, Polish footballer
• 1980 - Massimo Donati, Italian footballer
• 1980 - Imanol Harinordoquy, French rugby union footballer
• 1981 - Tony Hibbert, English footballer
• 1981 - Chris Thile, American musician
• 1982 - Jason Hirsh, American baseball player
• 1983 - Justin Verlander, American baseball player
• 1985 - Ryan Sweeney, American baseball player
• 1985 - Yulia Volkova, Russian singer (t.A.T.u.)
• 1988 - Rihanna, Barbadian singer
• 1989 - Melanie Leishman, Canadian actress

Deaths

• 702 - K'inich Kan B'alam II, king of the Maya state of Palenque (b. 635)
• 1154 - Saint Wulfric of Haselbury Plucknett
• 1171 - Conan IV, Duke of Brittany (b. 1138)
• 1194 - King Tancred of Sicily
• 1258 - Al-Musta'sim, last Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad
• 1408 - Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, English statesman (b. 1342)
• 1431 - Pope Martin V (b. 1368)
• 1524 - Tecún Umán, last leader of the Quiché-Maya
• 1579 - Nicholas Bacon, English politician (b. 1509)
• 1618 - Philip William, Prince of Orange (b. 1554)
• 1626 - John Dowland, English composer and lutenist (b. 1563)
• 1762 - Tobias Mayer, German astronomer (b. 1723)
• 1771 - Jean Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan, French geophysicist (b. 1678)
• 1773 - King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia (b. 1701)
• 1778 - Laura Bassi, Italian scholar (b. 1711)
• 1790 - Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1741)
• 1803 - Marie Dumesnil, French actress (b. 1713)
• 1806 - Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-born American military and political leader (b. 1725)
• 1810 - Andreas Hofer, Tyrolean national hero (executed) (b. 1767)
• 1871 - Paul Kane, Irish-born painter (b. 1810)
• 1893 - P.G.T. Beauregard, American Confederate general (b. 1818)
• 1895 - Frederick Douglass, American abolitionist writer (b. 1818)
• 1905 - Jeremiah W. Farnham, American merchant captain
• 1907 - Henri Moissan, French chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate (b. 1852)
• 1916 - Klas Pontus Arnoldson, Swedish writer and pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1844)
• 1920 - Robert Peary, American explorer (b. 1856)
• 1961 - Percy Grainger, Australian composer (b. 1882)
• 1963 - Ferenc Fricsay, Hungarian conductor (b. 1914)
• 1963 - Jacob Gade, Danish Composer(b. 1879)
• 1966 - Chester Nimitz, American admiral (b. 1885)
• 1968 - Anthony Asquith, British film director and writer (b. 1902)
• 1969 - Ernest Ansermet, Swiss conductor (b. 1883)
• 1970 - Sophie Treadwell, American playwright and journalist (b. 1885)
• 1972 - Maria Goeppert-Mayer, German physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1906)
• 1972 - Walter Winchell, American journalist (b. 1897)
• 1976 - René Cassin, French judge, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1887)
• 1976 - Kathryn Kuhlman, American evangelist (b. 1907)
• 1980 - Bon Scott, lead singer of rock band AC/DC (b. 1946)
• 1981 - Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg, magazine editor, socialite (b. 1904)
• 1983 - Fritz Köberle, Austrian-Brazilian physician (b. 1910)
• 1985 - Clarence Nash, American voice actor (b. 1904)
• 1992 - Roberto D'Aubuisson, Salvadoran politician (b. 1944)
• 1992 - Dick York, American actor (b. 1928)
• 1993 - Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian automobile manufacturer (b. 1916)
• 1996 - Solomon Asch, American psychologist (b. 1907)
• 1996 - Tōru Takemitsu, Japanese composer (b. 1930)
• 1999 - Sarah Kane, English playwright (b. 1971)
• 1999 - Gene Siskel, American film critic (b. 1946)
• 2000 - Anatoly Sobchak, Russian politician (b. 1937)
• 2001 - Rosemary DeCamp, American actress (b. 1910)
• 2003 - Maurice Blanchot, French author (b. 1907)
• 2003 - Orville Freeman, American politician (b. 1918)
• 2003 - Harry Jacunski, American football player
• 2003 - Ty Longley, American guitarist (Great White (band)) (b. 1971)
• 2003 - Mushaf Ali Mir, Pakistani Chief of the Air Staff (b. 1947)
• 2005 - Pam Bricker, American jazz singer and Thievery Corporation vocalist (b. 1954)
• 2005 - Sandra Dee, American actress (b. 1944)
• 2005 - John Raitt, American actor (b. 1917)
• 2005 - Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist and author (b. 1937)
• 2005 - Tom Willmore, English geometer (b. 1919)
• 2006 - Curt Gowdy, American sportscaster (b. 1919)
• 2006 - Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist, writer and traveller (b. 1920)
• 2007 - F. Albert Cotton, American chemist (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances

• February 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

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Events

• 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a dowry payment.
• 1547 - Edward VI of England crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey.
• 1792 - The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Postal Service, is signed by President George Washington.
• 1798 - Louis Alexandre Berthier removes Pope Pius VI from power.
• 1810 - Andreas Hofer, Tyrolean Patriotism and leader of rebellion against Napoleon I of France's forces, was execution (legal).
• 1816 - Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville debuts at Largo di Torre Argentina, with a fiasco.
• 1835 - Concepción, Chile is destroyed by an earthquake
• 1844 - Birth of famous solo mariner Joshua Slocum in Mount Hanley, Nova Scotia
• 1859 - Don't know! ... but this date is on the coat of arms of Venezuela
• 1864 - Battle of Olustee
• 1872 - In New York City the Metropolitan Museum of Art opens.
• 1873 - The University of California opens its first medical school in San Francisco, California.
• 1901 - The legislature of Hawaii Territory convenes for the first time.
• 1909 - Publication of the Futurist Manifesto in the French journal Le Figaro
• 1913 - King O'Malley drives in the first Surveying peg to mark commencement of work on the construction of Canberra.
• 1921 - The film The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (film), starring Rudolph Valentino, premieres.
• 1931 - California gets the go-ahead by the Congress of the United States to build the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
• 1942 - Lieutenant Edward O'Hare becomes America's first World War II flying ace.
• 1943 - American movie studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to Censorship movies.
• 1943 - The Parícutin volcano begins to form in Paricutín, México.
• 1944 - World War II: "Big Week" ended with American bomber raids on Nazism aircraft manufacturing centers.
• 1944 - World War II: The United States takes Eniwetok Island.
• 1947 - State of Prussia ceases to exist
• 1952 - Emmett Ashford becomes the first African-American umpire (baseball) in organized baseball by being authorized to be a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League.
• 1959 - The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture supersonic fighter aircraft in Canada is cancelled by the John George Diefenbaker government amid much political debate.
• 1962 - Mercury program: While aboard Mercury Atlas 6, John Glenn orbits the earth three times in 4 hours, 55 minutes, becoming the first American to orbit the earth.
• 1965 - Ranger 8 crashes into the moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program astronauts.
• 1976 - The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization disbands.
• 1987 - Unabomber: In Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States, a bomb explodes in a computer store.
• 1991 - A gigantic statue of Albania's long-time dictator, Enver Hoxha, is brought down in the Albanian capital, Tirana, by mobs of angry protesters.
• 1998 - American figure skater Tara Lipinski becomes the youngest gold-medalist at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
• 1998 - The Nashville Banner daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee, Tennessee, USA publishes its last edition.
• 1999 - First hockey game occurs at the Air Canada Centre. The Toronto Maple Leafs win 3-2 in overtime vs the Montreal Canadiens.
• 2002 - In Reqa Al-Gharbiya, Egypt, a fire on a train injures over 65 and kills at least 370.
• 2005 - Spain becomes the first country to vote in a Spanish referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout.

Births

• 1631 - Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, English statesman (d. 1712)
• 1745 - Henry James Pye, English poet (d. 1813)
• 1751 - Johann Heinrich Voss, German poet (d. 1826)
• 1753 - Louis Alexandre Berthier, French marshal (d. 1815)
• 1757 - John 'Mad Jack' Fuller, English philanthropist (d. 1834)
• 1794 - William Carleton, Irish novelist (d. 1869)
• 1802 - Charles de Bériot, Belgian violinist (d. 1870)
• 1819 - Alfred Escher, Swiss politician, railroad entrepreneur (d. 1882)
• 1839 - Benjamin Waugh, American minister; founder of the NSPCC (d. 1908)
• 1844 - Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicist (d. 1906)
• 1844 - Joshua Slocum, Canadian seaman and adventurer (d. 1909)
• 1848 - Edward Henry Harriman, American railroad executive (d. 1909)
• 1850 - Nérée Beauchemin, Canadian physician and poet (d. 1931)
• 1866 - Carl Westman, Swedish architect and designer (d. 1936)
• 1887 - Vincent Massey, Governor-General of Canada (d. 1967)
• 1888 - Georges Bernanos, French writer (d. 1948)
• 1893 - Russel Crouse, American playwright (d. 1966)
• 1898 - Jimmy Yancey, American pianist (d. 1951)
• 1899 - Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, American businessman (d. 1992)
• 1901 - Cecil Harmsworth King, English newspaper owner (d. 1987)
• 1901 - Muhammad Naguib, President of Egypt (d. 1984)
• 1902 - Ansel Adams, American photographer (d. 1984)
• 1904 - Alexei Kosygin, Premier of the Soviet Union (d. 1980)
• 1906 - Gale Gordon, American television and radio actor (d. 1995)
• 1912 - Pierre Boulle, French author (d. 1994)
• 1914 - John Charles Daly, South African-born broadcaster (d. 2001)
• 1920 - Evgeny Dragunov, Russian weapons designer (d. 1991)
• 1923 - Forbes Burnham, President of Guyana (d. 1985)
• 1924 - Gloria Vanderbilt, American socialite and clothing designer
• 1925 - Robert Altman, American film director (d. 2006)
• 1925 - Heinz Kluncker, German trade union leader
• 1926 - Richard Matheson, American author
• 1927 - Roy Cohn, American lawyer (d. 1986)
• 1927 - Ibrahim Ferrer, Cuban musician (Buena Vista Social Club) (d. 2005)
• 1927 - Sidney Poitier, American actor
• 1929 - Amanda Blake, American actress (d. 1989)
• 1930 - Willie Cunningham, Northern Irish footballer
• 1934 - Bobby Unser, American racing driver
• 1936 - Marj Dusay, American actress
• 1936 - Larry Hovis, American actor (d. 2003)
• 1937 - Robert Huber, German chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• 1937 - Roger Penske, American racing driver
• 1937 - Nancy Wilson (singer), American singer
• 1938 - Richard Beymer, American actor
• 1939 - Frank Arundel, English footballer
• 1941 - Buffy Sainte-Marie, Canadian singer
• 1942 - Phil Esposito, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1942 - Charlie Gillett, British radio DJ
• 1942 - Mitch McConnell, American politician
• 1943 - Antonio Inoki, Japanese professional wrestler
• 1943 - Mike Leigh, British film director
• 1944 - Robert de Cotret, French Canadian politician (d. 1999)
• 1944 - Willem van Hanegem, Dutch footballer and coach
• 1944 - Martina Newberry, American poet, writer
• 1945 - Brion James, American actor (d. 1999)
• 1945 - Annu Kapoor, Indian actor
• 1946 - Brenda Blethyn, English actress
• 1946 - Richard Cocciante, French-Italian singer and songwriter
• 1946 - Sandy Duncan, American singer and actress
• 1946 - The J. Geils Band, American guitarist (The J. Geils Band)
• 1947 - Andre van Duin, Dutch comedian
• 1947 - Eggert Magnusson, English football executive
• 1947 - Peter Osgood, English footballer (d. 2006)
• 1947 - Peter Strauss, American actor
• 1948 - Pierre Bouchard, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1948 - Jennifer O'Neill, Brazilian-born actress
• 1949 - Ivana Trump, Czech-born American socialite
• 1950 - Walter Becker, American guitarist (Steely Dan)
• 1950 - Ken Shimura, Japanese performer and actor
• 1950 - Tony Wilson, British journalist and impresario (d. 2007)
• 1951 - Edward Albert, American actor (d. 2006)
• 1951 - Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• 1951 - Randy California, American guitarist (Spirit (band)) (d. 1997)
• 1951 - Phil Neal, English footballer
• 1953 - Riccardo Chailly, Italian conductor
• 1953 - Poison Ivy (musician), American musician (The Cramps)
• 1954 - Jon Brant, American musician (Cheap Trick)
• 1954 - Anthony Stewart Head, English actor
• 1954 - Patty Hearst, American socialite
• 1956 - Rick Green (ice hockey), Canadian ice hockey player
• 1957 - Glen Hanlon, Canadian ice hockey coach
• 1959 - Bill Gullickson, American baseball player
• 1960 - Joel Hodgson, American comedian (Mystery Science Theater 3000)
• 1960 - Kee Marcello, Swedish guitarist
• 1963 - Charles Barkley, American basketball player
• 1963 - Ian Brown, English singer (The Stone Roses)
• 1963 - Jon Lynn Christensen, former Nebraska United States House of Representatives
• 1964 - French Stewart, American actor
• 1966 - Cindy Crawford, American model
• 1967 - Kurt Cobain, American musician (Nirvana (band)) (d. 1994)
• 1967 - Andrew Shue, American television actor
• 1967 - Lili Taylor, American actress
• 1968 - Ted Hankey, English darts player
• 1969 - Vaginal Davis, American drag queen and performance artist
• 1969 - Keiji Takayama, Japanese professional wrestler
• 1971 - Jari Litmanen, Finnish footballer
• 1971 - Shawn McKenzie, American programmer
• 1972 - Brent Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1972 - K-OS, Canadian musician/rapper
• 1974 - Ophelie Winter, French actress
• 1975 - Liván Hernández, Cuban baseball player
• 1975 - Brian Littrell, American singer (Backstreet Boys)
• 1976 - Ed Graham, English drummer (The Darkness)
• 1976 - Gail Kim, Canadian professional wrestler
• 1977 - Bartosz Kizierowski, Polish swimmer
• 1977 - Stephon Marbury, American basketball player
• 1977 - T.J. Slaughter, American football player
• 1978 - Lauren Ambrose, American actress
• 1978 - Jakki Degg, English glamour model/actress
• 1978 - Jay Hernandez, American actor
• 1978 - Julia Jentsch, German actress
• 1980 - Artur Boruc, Polish footballer
• 1980 - Massimo Donati, Italian footballer
• 1980 - Imanol Harinordoquy, French rugby union footballer
• 1981 - Tony Hibbert, English footballer
• 1981 - Chris Thile, American musician
• 1982 - Jason Hirsh, American baseball player
• 1983 - Justin Verlander, American baseball player
• 1985 - Ryan Sweeney, American baseball player
• 1985 - Yulia Volkova, Russian singer (t.A.T.u.)
• 1988 - Rihanna, Barbadian singer
• 1989 - Melanie Leishman, Canadian actress

Deaths

• 702 - K'inich Kan B'alam II, king of the Maya state of Palenque (b. 635)
• 1154 - Saint Wulfric of Haselbury Plucknett
• 1171 - Conan IV, Duke of Brittany (b. 1138)
• 1194 - King Tancred of Sicily
• 1258 - Al-Musta'sim, last Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad
• 1408 - Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, English statesman (b. 1342)
• 1431 - Pope Martin V (b. 1368)
• 1524 - Tecún Umán, last leader of the Quiché-Maya
• 1579 - Nicholas Bacon, English politician (b. 1509)
• 1618 - Philip William, Prince of Orange (b. 1554)
• 1626 - John Dowland, English composer and lutenist (b. 1563)
• 1762 - Tobias Mayer, German astronomer (b. 1723)
• 1771 - Jean Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan, French geophysicist (b. 1678)
• 1773 - King Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia (b. 1701)
• 1778 - Laura Bassi, Italian scholar (b. 1711)
• 1790 - Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1741)
• 1803 - Marie Dumesnil, French actress (b. 1713)
• 1806 - Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-born American military and political leader (b. 1725)
• 1810 - Andreas Hofer, Tyrolean national hero (executed) (b. 1767)
• 1871 - Paul Kane, Irish-born painter (b. 1810)
• 1893 - P.G.T. Beauregard, American Confederate general (b. 1818)
• 1895 - Frederick Douglass, American abolitionist writer (b. 1818)
• 1905 - Jeremiah W. Farnham, American merchant captain
• 1907 - Henri Moissan, French chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate (b. 1852)
• 1916 - Klas Pontus Arnoldson, Swedish writer and pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1844)
• 1920 - Robert Peary, American explorer (b. 1856)
• 1961 - Percy Grainger, Australian composer (b. 1882)
• 1963 - Ferenc Fricsay, Hungarian conductor (b. 1914)
• 1963 - Jacob Gade, Danish Composer(b. 1879)
• 1966 - Chester Nimitz, American admiral (b. 1885)
• 1968 - Anthony Asquith, British film director and writer (b. 1902)
• 1969 - Ernest Ansermet, Swiss conductor (b. 1883)
• 1970 - Sophie Treadwell, American playwright and journalist (b. 1885)
• 1972 - Maria Goeppert-Mayer, German physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1906)
• 1972 - Walter Winchell, American journalist (b. 1897)
• 1976 - René Cassin, French judge, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1887)
• 1976 - Kathryn Kuhlman, American evangelist (b. 1907)
• 1980 - Bon Scott, lead singer of rock band AC/DC (b. 1946)
• 1981 - Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg, magazine editor, socialite (b. 1904)
• 1983 - Fritz Köberle, Austrian-Brazilian physician (b. 1910)
• 1985 - Clarence Nash, American voice actor (b. 1904)
• 1992 - Roberto D'Aubuisson, Salvadoran politician (b. 1944)
• 1992 - Dick York, American actor (b. 1928)
• 1993 - Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian automobile manufacturer (b. 1916)
• 1996 - Solomon Asch, American psychologist (b. 1907)
• 1996 - Tōru Takemitsu, Japanese composer (b. 1930)
• 1999 - Sarah Kane, English playwright (b. 1971)
• 1999 - Gene Siskel, American film critic (b. 1946)
• 2000 - Anatoly Sobchak, Russian politician (b. 1937)
• 2001 - Rosemary DeCamp, American actress (b. 1910)
• 2003 - Maurice Blanchot, French author (b. 1907)
• 2003 - Orville Freeman, American politician (b. 1918)
• 2003 - Harry Jacunski, American football player
• 2003 - Ty Longley, American guitarist (Great White (band)) (b. 1971)
• 2003 - Mushaf Ali Mir, Pakistani Chief of the Air Staff (b. 1947)
• 2005 - Pam Bricker, American jazz singer and Thievery Corporation vocalist (b. 1954)
• 2005 - Sandra Dee, American actress (b. 1944)
• 2005 - John Raitt, American actor (b. 1917)
• 2005 - Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist and author (b. 1937)
• 2005 - Tom Willmore, English geometer (b. 1919)
• 2006 - Curt Gowdy, American sportscaster (b. 1919)
• 2006 - Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist, writer and traveller (b. 1920)
• 2007 - F. Albert Cotton, American chemist (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances

• February 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

February 20 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 314 days remaining until the end of the year (315 in leap years).

BBC ON THIS DAY | 20
1986: Soviets launch space station Mir. The Soviets open a new phase in space exploration with the launch of the world's biggest space station, Mir.

Serpentine Gallery: Karen Kilimnik 20 February – 9 April 2007
Current Karen Kilimnik 20 February – 9 April 2007. America artist Karen Kilimnik’s paintings recall the work of painters from the 16th through to the 19th centuries.

BBC NEWS | Talk about Newsnight | Wednesday, 20 February, 2008
Visit BBC News for up-to-the-minute news, breaking news, video, audio and feature stories. BBC News provides trusted World and UK news as well as local and regional perspectives.

Work - Wednesday, February 20
Wednesday, February 20 Work Calendar «

Work - Friday, February 20
Friday, February 20 Work Calendar «

Monday February 20 2006 | Media | MediaGuardian.co.uk
War of the words The conflict between the world's biggest censor and an array of journalists, bloggers and dissidents has just taken a remarkable turn, explains Jonathan Watts in ...

Execs & Accounts for February 20, 2008 - ClickZ
Idearc makes Mueller CEO; Avenue A | Razorfish helps Crystal Light get women pumped up. ... Idearc named John Mueller chief executive officer. Mueller is also the chairman of the ...

On-This-Day.com - February 20
On-This-Day.com: Daily historical facts and events, famous birthdays, celebrity birthdays, u.s. history, united states history, world history, music history and Quote of the Day.

DWP Press release: 20 February 2008 - Purnell: new sanctions regime ...
A review into the way benefit claimants are sanctioned will pave the way for a more flexible, graduated system which gives advisers more ability to impose sanctions on those ...