1535 – Following the Affair of the Placards, French Protestants are burned at the stake in front of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris
1789 – The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth, is printed in Boston, Massachusetts.
1793 – After being found guilty of treason by the French Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine.
1824 – Stonewall Jackson, American general (d. 1863) was born.
1861 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis resigns from the United States Senate.
1884 – Roger Nash Baldwin, American author and activist, co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union (d. 1981) was born.
1905 – Karl Wallenda, German acrobat (d. 1978) was born.
1908 – New York City passes the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public, only to have the measure vetoed by the mayor.
1924 – Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov Lenin, Russian Revolutionary leader and Premier, dies of a stroke at 53
1924 – Benny Hill, English actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1992) was born.
1937 – Ursula Owen, English publisher and activist was born.
1938 – Wolfman Jack, [Bob Smith], Brooklyn New York, American DJ (Midnight Special) Born
1940 – Jack Nicklaus, Columbus Ohio, golfer (Player of Yr 1967,72,73,75,76) Born
1941 – Sparked by the murder of a German officer in Bucharest, Romania, the day before, members of the Iron Guard engaged in a rebellion and pogrom killing 125 Jews.
1942 – Mac Davis, Lubbock, Texas, American country music singer-songwriter, actor (Mac Davis Show, North Dallas 40) Born
1945 – Chris Britton, rocker (Troggs-Rock & Roll Goldmine) Born
1948 – The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec. The day is marked annually as Quebec Flag Day.
1950 – American lawyer and government official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury.
1950 – George Orwell, Indian-English journalist and author (b. 1903) died.
1951 – Eric Holder, American jurist, 82nd United States Attorney General was birthed
1953 – Glenn Kaiser, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Resurrection Band) was born.
1953 – Paul Allen, American entrepreneur, co-founder of Microsoft – Born
1954 – The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States.
1955 – Jeff Koons, American artist Born
1959 – Cecil B[lount] de Mille, producer (10 Commandments), dies at 77
1960 – Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey on board.
1965 – Jam Master Jay, American disc jockey (Run DMC) (d. 2002) Born
1968 – A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete.
1972 – Cat Power (Chan Marshall), American musician, Born
1977 – President of the United States Jimmy Carter pardons nearly all American Vietnam War draft evaders, some of whom had emigrated to Canada.
1983 – Lamar Williams, American bass player (The Allman Brothers Band and Seal Level) (b. 1949) died.
1984 – Jackie Wilson, US singer (I Get the Sweetest Feeling), dies at 49
1994 – Basel al-Assad, Syrian pres Assad son, dies in car accident at 31
1997 – The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined.
1997 – Colonel Tom Parker, manager (Elvis Presley), dies at 87
1998 – Jack Lord, American actor (Hawaii 5-0) (b. 1920) Dies
1999 – War on Drugs: In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 4,300 kilograms (9,500 lb) of cocaine on board.
2002 – Peggy Lee, American singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1920) died.
2004 – NASA’s MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6.
2004 – Canada: The residence of reporter Juliet O’Neill is searched by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) investigating leaks concerning the deportation of Maher Arar.
2008 – Black Monday in worldwide stock markets. FTSE 100 had its biggest ever one-day points fall, European stocks closed with their worst result since 9/11, and Asian stocks drop as much as 15%.
2008 – The Eyak language in Alaska becomes extinct as its last native speaker dies.
2013 – Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Netherlands’ Minister of Finance, becomes the President of the Euro Group