131 things happened on 1 February, from AD 772 to 2025. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1884 · 142 years ago
The very first part of the Oxford English Dictionary was published. It was a 352-page book that only covered words from 'A' to 'ant'. Published by Oxford University Press, the dictionary traces the history of English words and how they have developed over tim…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Edward III was crowned King of England when he was only fourteen years old. At first, the country was really run by his mother, Queen Isabella, and Roger Mortimer. Edward went on to rule for fifty years, one of the longest reigns in English history. During his reign England became a powerful military force, and Parliament grew in important ways.
UK story
Revolutionary France declared war on Great Britain and the Netherlands. This drew Britain into the French Revolutionary Wars, a series of conflicts that followed the French Revolution. The wars lasted from 1792 until 1802, with France fighting against Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia and other countries. The fighting began in Europe but gradually spread around the world.
UK story
The very first part of the Oxford English Dictionary was published. It was a 352-page book that only covered words from 'A' to 'ant'. Published by Oxford University Press, the dictionary traces the history of English words and how they have developed over time. It is an important tool for scholars who study the English language.
UK story
The Beatles reached number one in the United States for the first time with 'I Want to Hold Your Hand'. The band was formed in Liverpool in 1960 by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The song, written by Lennon and McCartney, had already come out in the UK in November 1963. The Beatles are seen as the most influential band in pop music.
UK story
Visitors could go up the Shard in London for the first time when its viewing gallery opened to the public. The pointed, pyramid-shaped skyscraper stands 309.6 metres high and has 95 storeys. It is the tallest building in the United Kingdom. It was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano and stands in Southwark, near London Bridge.
UK story
The Kalabalik or Skirmish at Bender results from the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed III's order that his unwelcome guest, King Charles XII of Sweden, be seized.
UK story
The capital of Upper Canada is moved from Newark to York.
UK story
The first fascicle of the Oxford English Dictionary, a 352-page volume that covered words from A to ant, was published.
UK story
Great Britain, defeated by Boers in key battles, names Lord Roberts commander of British forces in South Africa.
UK story
Russia–United Kingdom relations are restored, over six years after the Communist revolution.
President Abraham Lincoln signed the Thirteenth Amendment, a change to the United States Constitution that made slavery illegal. The House of Representatives had passed it the day before. Enough states had agreed to it by December 1865 for it to become law. Lincoln was the 16th president and led the country through the American Civil War.
American inventor Thomas Edison finished building the Black Maria in West Orange, New Jersey. It was the world's first motion picture studio, a place built especially for making films. Edison is famous for his work on the electric light bulb, the phonograph and early moving pictures. He registered 1,093 patents for his inventions in the United States.
La bohème, an opera by the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, was first performed at the Teatro Regio in Turin. An opera is a play in which the story is told through singing and music. La bohème is set in Paris around 1830 and follows a poor seamstress and her artist friends. It became one of the most often performed operas in the world.
Trygve Lie, a politician from Norway, was picked to be the first Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Secretary-General leads the UN's staff and speaks for the organisation on the world stage. During the Second World War, Lie had been Norway's foreign minister while its government was in exile in London. He held the UN post until 1952.
Four African-American students sat down at a Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, in a peaceful protest. They were protesting against segregation, the unfair rule that kept Black and white customers apart. The sit-ins went on for more than five months. In the end Woolworth dropped segregation in its stores in the southern United States, and many more sit-ins followed.
The Teutonic Knights successfully besieged the hillfort of Medvėgalis (pictured) in Samogitia, Lithuania, and baptised the defenders in the Catholic rite.
The First Peace of Thorn was signed, ending the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War.
Sino-Dutch conflicts: After besieging Fort Zeelandia for nine months, Ming loyalist Zheng Chenggong secured the Dutch East India Company's surrender and the end of their rule in Taiwan.
Slavery is abolished in Mauritius.
American Civil War: Texas secedes from the United States and joins the Confederacy a week later.
Second Schleswig War: Prussian forces crossed the border into Schleswig, starting the war.
Fountains Valley, Pretoria, the oldest nature reserve in Africa, is proclaimed by President Paul Kruger.
Shinhan Bank, the oldest bank in South Korea, opens in Seoul.
Voice of America, the official external radio and television service of the United States federal government, began broadcasting to Germany during World War II.
Mao Zedong makes a speech on "Reform in Learning, the Party and Literature", which puts into motion the Yan'an Rectification Movement.
The Parliament of Hungary abolishes the monarchy after nine centuries, and proclaims the Hungarian Republic.
The first prototype of the MiG-17 makes its maiden flight.
Invented by German engineer Felix Wankel, the first working prototype of the Wankel rotary engine ran for the first time at the research and development department of NSU Motorenwerke AG.
Canada's three military services, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, are unified into the Canadian Forces.
The New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad are merged to form Penn Central Transportation.
Kuala Lumpur (pictured), the capital of Malaysia, was granted city status.
Kuala Lumpur becomes a city by a royal charter granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile and soon led the Iranian Revolution to overthrow the Pahlavi dynasty.
The Underarm bowling incident of 1981 occurred when Trevor Chappell bowls underarm on the final delivery of a game between Australia and New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
The Intel 80286 is released, which introduced protected mode memory. The IBM PC/AT and its clones used this CPU.
Rear Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne becomes the first female African American to be promoted to rear admiral.
The Timor-Leste Defence Force was established from the erstwhile anti-Indonesian independence movement Falintil.
King Gyanendra of Nepal carries out a coup d'état to capture the democracy, becoming Chairman of the Councils of ministers.
The National Weather Service in the United States switches from the Fujita scale to the new Enhanced Fujita scale to measure the intensity and strength of tornadoes.
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (pictured) became the first female prime minister of Iceland.
The Burmese military staged a coup d'état that deposed the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking nationwide protests and a civil war.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Fourteen-year-old Edward III is crowned King of England”?
A: 1327. 1327 — that’s 699 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “The Beatles have their first number one hit in America”?
A: 1964. 1964 — that’s 62 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
A: Fourteen-year-old Edward III is crowned King of England. 1327: Fourteen-year-old Edward III is crowned King of England · 1884: The first part of the Oxford English Dictionary is published · 1964: The Beatles have their first number one hit in America Find it on the page
“The first part of the Oxford English Dictionary is published” happened in 1884. How many years ago was that?
A: 142 years. 2026 − 1884 = 142. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 1 February.
UK story
Stanley Matthews was an English footballer who played on the right wing. He is often called one of the greatest English players ever, and his nicknames included 'The Wizard of Dribble'. He is the only footballer to be knighted while he was still playing. He was also the first winner of the European Footballer of the Year award.
Well-known people who died on 1 February.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 1 February somewhere in the world.
UK story
Imbolc, also called Saint Brigid's Day, is a traditional Gaelic festival held on 1 February. It marks the beginning of spring and falls about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It is also the feast day of Saint Brigid, one of Ireland's patron saints. Its folk traditions were once widely followed in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “February 1” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.