February 2nd, 1878

Born on February 2nd, 1878

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 53,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 589 days, exactly on December 8th, 2025, people who were born on February 2nd, 1878 will be 54,000 days old!

... in seconds, minutes and hours

What happened on February 2nd?

February 2nd, 1943

World War II: The Soviet Red Army captured 91,000 tired and starving German soldiers, ending the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

February 2nd, 2012

The passenger ferry MV Rabaul Queen capsized and sank in rough conditions in the Solomon Sea, resulting in at least 88 deaths.

February 2nd, 2009

Omid, Iran's first domestically made satellite, was successfully launched from Semnan Space Center.

February 2nd, 2004

Swiss tennis player Roger Federer became the top-ranked men's singles player, a position he held for a record 237 consecutive weeks.

February 2nd, 1974

The F-16 Fighting Falcon (pictured), the most numerous fixed-wing aircraft currently in military service, made its first flight.

February 2nd, 1972

Protestors burned the British Embassy in Ireland following the massacre of 14 civilians in Derry by British forces.

February 2nd, 1963

113 alleged communists were arrested and detained without trial by Singapore's security agencies.

February 2nd, 1942

The first act of the Norwegian resistance movement took place with the bombing of Oslo East Station by the Osvald Group to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling.

February 2nd, 1934

The Export–Import Bank of the United States, the country's official export credit agency, was established.

February 2nd, 1920

The signing of the Treaty of Tartu ended the Estonian War of Independence, with Soviet Russia agreeing to recognize the country's independence and renounce in perpetuity all rights to its territory.

February 2nd, 1913

New York City's Grand Central Terminal, the world's largest train station by number of platforms, opened immediately after midnight.

February 2nd, 1850

Ute Wars: Brigham Young announced his decision to go to war against the Timpanogos, who were hostile to the Mormon settlement at Fort Utah.

February 2nd, 1709

Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk was rescued by English captain Woodes Rogers and his crew after spending four years as a castaway on an uninhabited island in the Pacific, providing the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe.

February 2nd, 1659

Jan van Riebeeck, the founder of Cape Town, produced the first bottle of South African wine (vineyard pictured).

February 2nd, 1207

Terra Mariana, comprising present-day Estonia and Latvia, was established as a principality of the Holy Roman Empire.

Birthdays
... of famous people, actors, celebrities and stars on February 2nd

Born on February 2nd, 1878

59

Joe Lydon

Boxer (1878-1937)

*February 2nd, 1878, Swinford †August 19th, 1937, St. Louis

Same Day
Who's birthday is on February 2nd?

58

James Joyce

Irish novelist and poet (1882–1941)

*February 2nd, 1882, Rathgar †January 13th, 1941, Zürich

64

João César Monteiro

Portuguese film director, actor, writer and film critic

*February 2nd, 1939, Figueira da Foz †February 3rd, 2003, Lisbon

64

Reinhard Häfner

German association football player and manager (1952–2016)

*February 2nd, 1952, Sonneberg †October 24th, 2016, Dresden

88

Ilse Jahn

German biologist, historian of science and curator (1922–2010)

*February 2nd, 1922, Chemnitz †May 8th, 2010, Berlin

77

Ayn Rand

Russian-born American writer and public philosopher (1905–1982)

*February 2nd, 1905, Saint Petersburg †March 6th, 1982, Manhattan

77

Gerhard Winkler

Austrian classical philologist, historian and epigraphist (1935-2012)

*February 2nd, 1935, Vienna †November 19th, 2012, Linz

47

Shakira

Colombian singer, songwriter and actress

*February 2nd, 1977, Barranquilla

94

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing

French official and politician (1926–2020)

*February 2nd, 1926, Koblenz †December 2nd, 2020, Authon

44

Lili Zhou

Badminton player

*February 2nd, 1980, Guangxi

28

Zhao Junpeng

Chinese badminton player

*February 2nd, 1996, Nanchang

38

Gemma Arterton

British actress

*February 2nd, 1986, Gravesend

22

Magnus Johannesen

Danish badminton player

*February 2nd, 2002, Aalborg

84

Geoffrey O'Hara

Canadian American composer, singer and music professor

*February 2nd, 1882, Chatham-Kent †January 31st, 1967, St. Petersburg

89

Elaine Stritch

American actress

*February 2nd, 1925, Detroit †July 17th, 2014, Birmingham

27

Stefan Gartenmann

Danish footballer

*February 2nd, 1997, Roskilde

85

Maurice Tourneur

French film director and screenwriter (1876–1961)

*February 2nd, 1876, Paris †August 4th, 1961, Paris

94

Ciriaco De Mita

Italian politician (1928–2022)

*February 2nd, 1928, Nusco †May 26th, 2022, Avellino

84

Bo Hopkins

American actor (1938–2022)

*February 2nd, 1938, Greenville †May 28th, 2022, Van Nuys

54

Jennifer Westfeldt

American actress

*February 2nd, 1970, Guilford

62

Jean de Lattre de Tassigny

French army general, Marshal of France (1889-1952)

*February 2nd, 1889, Mouilleron-en-Pareds †January 11th, 1952, Paris

Same year
Born in 1878

81

Dorothea Douglass

English tennis and badminton player

*September 3rd, 1878, Ealing †January 7th, 1960, Kensington

74

Joseph Stalin

Leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953

*December 18th, 1878, Gori †March 5th, 1953, Kuntsevo Dacha

86

Ernst Rodenwaldt

German racial hygienist, university teacher and military physician (1878-1965)

*August 5th, 1878, Berlin †June 4th, 1965, Ruhpolding

87

Marie-Elisabeth Lüders

German politician (1878–1966)

*June 25th, 1878, Berlin †March 23rd, 1966, West Berlin

63

Walter Otto

German historian

*May 30th, 1878, Wrocław †November 1st, 1941, Munich

64

Janusz Korczak

Polish educator (1878-1942)

*July 22nd, 1878, Warsaw †August 7th, 1942, Treblinka extermination camp

89

Carl Sandburg

American writer and editor

*January 6th, 1878, Galesburg †July 22nd, 1967, Flat Rock

74

Ferenc Molnár

Hungarian-born dramatist and novelist (1878-1952)

*January 12th, 1878, Budapest †April 1st, 1952, New York City

87

Elizabeth Arden

Canadian American businesswoman

*December 31st, 1878, Woodbridge †October 18th, 1966, New York City

51

Gustav Stresemann

German politician, statesman, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate (1878-1929)

*May 10th, 1878, Berlin †October 3rd, 1929, Berlin

98

Eileen Gray

Irish architect and designer (1878-1976)

*August 9th, 1878, Enniscorthy †October 31st, 1976, 14th arrondissement of Paris

56

Erich Mühsam

German-Jewish anarchist writer (1878–1934)

*April 6th, 1878, Berlin †July 10th, 1934, Oranienburg concentration camp

51

Pierre Fatou

French mathematician and astronomer

*February 28th, 1878, Lorient †August 9th, 1929, Pornichet

48

Albert Corey

French long distance runner (1878-1926)

*April 16th, 1878, Meursault †August 3rd, 1926, Paris

77

Paul Renner

German type designer (1878–1959)

*August 9th, 1878, Wernigerode †April 25th, 1956, Überlingen

89

Lise Meitner

Austrian-Swedish physicist

*November 7th, 1878, Vienna †October 27th, 1968, Cambridge

87

Martin Buber

German Jewish Existentialist philosopher and theologian (1878–1965)

*February 8th, 1878, Vienna †June 13th, 1965, Jerusalem

74

Julia Dean

Actress (1878-1952)

*May 13th, 1878, Saint Paul †October 17th, 1952, Hollywood

45

Pancho Villa

Mexican revolutionary (1878-1923)

*June 5th, 1878, San Juan del Río, Durango †July 20th, 1923, Hidalgo del Parral

73

Owen Johnson

American novelist and short story writer

*August 27th, 1878, New York City †January 27th, 1952, Massachusetts

Birthdays of famous people

Public holidays on February 2nd

Fixed holidays (Christian Feast Day, Earliest day on which Shrove Monday can fall, while March 8 is the latest; celebrated on Monday before Ash Wednesday , Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple or Candlemas) which are celebrated on February 2nd.

Date as a Roman numeral / digit

Leap year

No: With 365 days 1878 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
February 1878