^B{^#!16!19 February^N! Feast day of St Boniface of Lausanne, St Barbatus, St Conrad of Piacenza, and St Mesrop.
^B{1800^B} Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed himself First Consul of France. ^B{1878^B} US inventor Thomas Edison patented the phonograph. ^B{1897^B} The Women's Institute was founded in Ontario, Canada, by Mrs Hoodless. ^B{1906^B} William Kellogg established the Battle Creek Toasted Cornflake Company, selling breakfast cereals originally developed as a health food for psychiatric patients. ^B{1959^B} Britain, Greece, and Turkey signed an agreement guaranteeing the independence of Cyprus. ^B{1976^B} Iceland broke off diplomatic relations with Britain after negotiations failed to produce an agreement over fishing limits in the 'cod war'. ^B{1985^B} BBC TV broadcast the first episode of the soap opera ^I{EastEnders^I}.
^B{^I{^#!14!Born ^N}Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish astronomer, ^B{1473^B}; David Garrick, English actor and theater manager, ^B{1717^B}; Luigi Boccherini, Italian cellist and composer, ^B{1743^B}; Adelina Patti, Italian soprano, ^B{1843^B}; Merle Oberon, Tasmanian-born film actress, ^B{1911^B}; Lee Marvin, US film actor, ^B{1924^B}; Andrew, Duke of York, ^B{1960^B}.
^B{^I{^#!14!Died ^N}Georg Bⁿchner, German poet and dramatist, ^B{1837^B}; Charles Blondin, French tightrope walker, ^B{1897^B}; Ernst Mach, Austrian physicist, ^B{1916^B}; AndrΘ Gide, French novelist, ^B{1951^B}; Luigi Dallapiccola, Italian composer, ^B{1975^B}; Michael Powell, English documentary filmmaker, ^B{1990^B}.
