2 February

Across recorded history, 1,868 notable lives are recorded as having ended on 2 February. Below are the 24 most widely documented — ranked by how many language editions of Wikipedia carry an article about them.

← February 1 February 3 →

Bertrand Russell

1872–1970

British philosopher and logician

Bertrand Russell was a British philosopher and logician who made significant contributions to the fields of analytic philosophy and mathematical logic.

Dmitri Mendeleev

1834–1907

Russian chemist

Dmitri Mendeleev was a chemist who formulated the periodic law and created the periodic table of elements.

Philip Seymour Hoffman

1967–2014

American actor

Philip Seymour Hoffman was an American actor known for his extensive work in film and theater.

Gene Kelly

1912–1996

American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer

Gene Kelly was an American dancer who performed in, directed, and choreographed numerous motion pictures.

Donald Pleasence

1919–1995

British actor

Donald Pleasence was a British actor who appeared in numerous television and film productions throughout his career.

Sid Vicious

1957–1979

English bassist

Sid Vicious was an English musician who served as the bassist for the punk rock band the Sex Pistols.

Michael Glinka

1803–1857

Russian composer

Michael Glinka was a Russian composer recognized as the founder of the Russian classical music tradition.

Lou Andreas-Salomé

1861–1937

German-Russian essayist, philosopher, and psychoanalyst

Lou Andreas-Salomé was a writer who worked as an essayist, philosopher, and psychoanalyst.

Monica Vitti

1931–2022

Italian actress

Monica Vitti was an Italian actor known for her work in film.

Marija Gimbutas

1921–1994

Lithuanian-American archaeologist

Marija Gimbutas was an archaeologist who developed the Kurgan hypothesis regarding the origins of Indo-European languages and cultures.

Imre Lakatos

1922–1974

Hungarian philosopher of mathematics and science

Imre Lakatos was a philosopher who developed the methodology of scientific research programmes.

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

1755–1826

French lawyer, politician and writer

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin was a French writer best known for his influential work on gastronomy and the culinary arts.

Boris Karloff

1887–1969

British actor

Boris Karloff was a British actor known for his work in film, voice, and stage productions.

Joshua Lederberg

1925–2008

American molecular biologist

Joshua Lederberg was a molecular biologist who conducted research in genetics and microbiology.

William Howard Stein

1911–1980

American biochemist

William Howard Stein was an American biochemist who conducted research on the chemical structure and activity of the enzyme ribonuclease.

Daniil Kharms

1905–1942

Russian writer

Daniil Kharms was a Russian writer known for his contributions to absurdist literature and children's poetry.

Shunichiro Okano

1931–2017

Japanese association football player and manager

Shunichiro Okano was a Japanese association football player and manager.

Chris Kyle

1974–2013

American war veteran and author

Chris Kyle was a United States Navy SEAL sniper and author who wrote an autobiography detailing his military service.

Maria-Letizia Bonaparte

1750–1836

mother of Napoleon

Maria-Letizia Bonaparte was an aristocrat who served as the mother of Napoleon.

Natalie Clifford Barney

1876–1972

American writer who hosted a literary salon at her home in Paris

Natalie Clifford Barney was a writer who hosted a literary salon at her home in Paris.

Vsevolod Meyerhold

1874–1940

Russian theatre director

Vsevolod Meyerhold was a Russian theatre director who developed the biomechanics acting system.

Carl Weathers

1948–2024

American actor and football player

Carl Weathers was an actor and professional football player known for his roles in film and television.

Anna May Wong

1904–1961

Chinese American actress

Anna May Wong was an actress who achieved international recognition as the first Chinese American film star.

Max Schmeling

1905–2005

German boxer

Max Schmeling was a German boxer who held the world heavyweight championship title.

Source: Wikidata, released into the public domain under CC0. Snapshot: 2026-07. Names, dates and roles come from Wikidata; summaries are condensed from it. Nothing here is generated to fill a gap.