February 14, 278
Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed for illegally performing marriages for men who were attempting to avoid compulsory military service.
February 16, 1959
Fidel Castro is sworn in as prime minister of Cuba after leading a guerrilla campaign that forced right-wing dictator Fulgencio Batista into exile.
February 19, 1847
The first rescuers reach surviving members of the Donner Party, a group of California-bound emigrants stranded by snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.