American socialite, Paris Hilton, was born in New York City. She is the heir of the Hilton hotel empire who was catapulted to world fame after the unauthorized release of a private sexual video with her then boyfriend, Rick Salomon.

China invaded Vietnam. The was lasted approximately one month and was an indirect result of the fallout between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.

American actress, Denise Richards, was born in Illinois. She gained fame after her participation in the hit movie, Wild Things, which helped establish her as a young actress. She is also known for her short lived marriage to fellow actor, Charlie Sheen.

A severe weather front in Hamburg, West Germany caused the death of approximately 300 people.

The Newsweek magazine was published for the first time.

Prohibition ended in the United States.

Native American Indian, Geronimo, died at the age of 80. He was one of the most famous American Indian leaders who led the last remnants of resistance against the United States and died as a prisoner of war.

French politician, Andre Maginot, was born in Paris. He is most known for having been the advocate for the creation of the defensive fortification that is known as the Maginot Line while he was minister of Defence. The Maginot Line was meant to protect France from the forces of Germany but proved completely ineffective against the mechanised warfare of the second world war.

American entrepreneur, Thomas J. Watson, was born in New York. He was the founder of the International Business Machines (IBM) corporation and is considered as one of the most successful businessmen of all time.

The first ship navigated the Suez Canal.

Sweden adopted the use of the Gregorian calendar (instead of the Julian calendar). In effect this caused the rest of February that year to be skipped, jumping from the 17th of February to the 1st of March the next day.