February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 328 days remaining until the end of the year (329 in leap years).
- 1685 - James II of England and VII of Scotland becomes King upon the death of his brother Charles II.
- 1778 - American Revolutionary War: In Paris the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce are signed by the United States and France signaling official recognition of the new republic.
- 1788 - Massachusetts becomes the sixth state to ratify the United States Constitution.
- 1815 - New Jersey grants the first American railroad charter to a John Stevens.
- 1817 - The Argentinian San Martín crosses the Andes with an army in order to liberate Chile from Spanish rule.
- 1819 - Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founds Singapore.
- 1820 - The first 86 African American immigrants sponsored by the American Colonization Society started a settlement in present-day Liberia.
- 1840 - Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, establishing New Zealand as a British colony.
- 1843 - The first minstrel show in the United States The Virginia Minstrels opens (Bowery Amphitheatre in New York City).
- 1862 - American Civil War: Ulysses S. Grant gives the United States its first victory of the war, by capturing Fort Henry, Tennessee, known as the Battle of Fort Henry.
- 1899 - Spanish-American War: The Treaty of Paris (1898), a peace treaty between the United States and Spain, is ratified by the United States Senate.
- 1900 - The international arbitration court at The Hague is created when the Netherlands' Senate ratifies an 1899 peace conference decree.
- 1922 - Achille Ratti becomes Pope Pius XI.
- 1922 - The Washington Naval Treaty was signed in Washington, DC, limiting the naval armaments of United States, Britain, Japan, France, and Italy.
- 1933 - The 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution goes into effect.
- 1934 - Far right leagues rally in front of the Palais Bourbon in an attempted coup against the French Third Republic, creating a political crisis in France.
- 1936 - Olympic Games: Winter Olympic Games — IV Olympic Winter Games open in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
- 1951 - The Broker, a Pennsylvania Railroad passenger train derails near Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. The accident kills 85 people and injures over 500 more. The wreck is one of the worst rail disasters in American history.
- 1952 - Elizabeth II becomes Queen upon the death of her father George VI. At the exact moment of succession, she was in a treehouse at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya.
- 1958 - Eight Manchester United players are killed in the Munich air disaster.
- 1959 - Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments filed the first patent for an integrated circuit.
- 1959 - At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first successful test firing of a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile is accomplished.
- 1978 - The Blizzard of 1978, one of the worst Nor'easters in New England history, hit the region, with sustained winds of 65 mph and snowfall of 4" an hour.
- 1987 - Justice Mary Gaudron is appointed to the High Court of Australia, the first woman to be appointed.
- 1992 - The Saami people of the Nordic countries have an official day celebrating their existence.
- 1998 - Washington National Airport is renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport.
- 1998 - In Corsica, the prefect Claude Erignac is assassinated in Ajaccio, presumably by Yvan Colonna.
- 1577 - Beatrice Cenci, Italian noblewoman (d. 1599)
- 1608 - Antonio Vieira, Portuguese writer (d. 1697)
- 1611 - Chongzhen Emperor, Emperor of China (d. 1644)
- 1639 - Daniel Georg Morhof, German writer and scholar (d. 1691)
- 1664 - Mustafa II, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1703)
- 1665 - Anne of Great Britain (d. 1714)
- 1695 - Nicolaus II Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician (d. 1726)
- 1732 - Charles Lee, General in the American Revolution (d. 1782)
- 1744 - Pierre-Joseph Desault, French anatomist and surgeon (d. 1795)
- 1748 - Adam Weishaupt, founder of the Bavarian Illuminati (d. 1811)
- 1756 - Aaron Burr, 3rd Vice President of the United States (d. 1836)
- 1757 - Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, Polish scholar and statesman. (d. 1841)
- 1811 - Henry George Liddell, father of the Alice in Alice in Wonderland (d. 1898)
- 1832 - John Brown Gordon, general, U.S. Senator, and Governor of Georgia
- 1833 - James Ewell Brown Stuart, American Confederate cavalry general (d. 1864)
- 1833 - José María de Pereda, Spanish novelist (d. 1906)
- 1834 - Ema Puksec, Croatian singer (d. 1889)
- 1838 - Sir Henry Irving, British actor (d. 1905)
- 1838 - Yisrael Meir Kagan, Chofetz Chayim (d. 1933)
- 1847 - Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, American architect (d. 1918)
- 1853 - Ignacij Klemenčič, Slovenian physicist (d. 1901)
- 1887 - Josef Frings, German Archbishop of Cologne (d. 1978)
- 1875 - Leonid Gobyato, Russian general (d. 1915)
- 1892 - William Parry Murphy, American physician, Nobel laureate (d. 1987)
- 1894 - Eric Partridge, New Zealand lexicographer (d. 1979)
- 1895 - Babe Ruth, American baseball player (d. 1948)
- 1897 - Louis Buchalter, Jewish American mobster (d. 1944)
- 1899 - Ramón Novarro, Mexican actor (d. 1968)
- 1901 - Ben Lyon, American actor (d. 1979)
- 1902 - George Brunies, American musician (d. 1974)
- 1903 - Claudio Arrau, Chilean-born pianist (d. 1991)
- 1905 - Władysław Gomułka, Polish leader (d. 1982)
- 1908 - Amintore Fanfani, Italian politician (d. 1999)
- 1910 - Irmgard Keun, German author (d. 1982)
- 1910 - Carlos Marcello, Tunisian-born gangster (d. 1993)
- 1911 - Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States (d. 2004)
- 1912 - Eva Braun, German mistress and wife of Adolf Hitler (d. 1945)
- 1913 - Mary Leakey, British anthropologist (d. 1996)
- 1914 - Thurl Ravenscroft, American voice actor (d. 2005)
- 1916 - John Crank, British mathematician (d. 2006)
- 1917 - Zsa Zsa Gábor, Hungarian-born actress
- 1918 - Lothar-Günther Buchheim, German author (d. 2007)
- 1922 - Bill Johnston, Australian cricketer
- 1922 - Patrick Macnee, British actor
- 1922 - Denis Norden, British television personality
- 1924 - Billy Wright, English footballer (d. 1994)
- 1925 - Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Indonesian author (d. 2006)
- 1926 - Haskell Wexler, American cinematographer
- 1926 - Walker Edmiston, American actor (d. 2007)
- 1927 - Gerard K. O'Neill, American physicist (d. 1992)
- 1929 - Pierre Brice, French actor
- 1929 - Oscar Sambrano Urdaneta, Venezuelan writer
- 1931 - Rip Torn, American actor
- 1931 - Mamie Van Doren, American actress
- 1932 - Camilo Cienfuegos, Cuban revolutionary (d. 1959)
- 1932 - François Truffaut, French film director (d. 1984)
- 1933 - Leslie Crowther, British comedian (d. 1996)
- 1934 - Bernard Erhard, American voice actor (d. 2000)
- 1936 - Kent Douglas, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1936 - J. Howard Marshall III, American businessman
- 1939 - Mike Farrell, American actor
- 1939 - Orlando Parga, Puerto Rican politician
- 1940 - Tom Brokaw, American news anchorman
- 1940 - Jimmy Tarbuck, British comedian
- 1941 - Gigi Perreau, American actress
- 1942 - Sarah Brady, American gun-control activist
- 1942 - James Loewen, American sociologist and historian
- 1943 - Fabian Forte, American singer
- 1943 - Gayle Hunnicutt, American actress
- 1944 - Christine Boutin, French politician
- 1944 - Willie Tee, American singer and songwriter (d. 2007))
- 1944 - Michael Tucker, American actor
- 1945 - Bob Marley, Jamaican musician (d. 1981)
- 1946 - Jim Turner, American politician
- 1946 - Kate McGarrigle, Canadian singer and songwriter
- 1949 - Jim Sheridan, Irish film director
- 1950 - Natalie Cole, American singer
- 1951 - Marco Antônio, Brazilian footballer
- 1951 - Margo O'Donnell , Irish singer
- 1951 - Jacques Villeret, French film actor (d. 2005)
- 1952 - Ricardo Lavolpe, Argentine football coach
- 1955 - Michael Pollan, American journalist
- 1957 - Kathy Najimy, American actress and comedienne
- 1957 - Simon Phillips. Drummer of Toto (band)
- 1957 - Robert Townsend, American actor
- 1958 - Cecily Adams, American actress (d. 2004)
- 1958 - Barry Miller, American actor
- 1959 - Ken Nelson, English record producer
- 1960 - Megan Gallagher, American actress
- 1961 - Bill Lester, American racecar driver
- 1962 - Axl Rose, American singer (Guns N' Roses)
- 1963 - Kevin Trudeau, American entrepreneur
- 1966 - Rick Astley, British singer
- 1967 - Anita Cochran, American singer
- 1967 - Izumi Sakai, Japanese singer (Zard) (d. 2007)
- 1968 - Adolfo Valencia, Colombian footballer
- 1968 - Akira Yamaoka, Japanese composer
- 1969 - David Hayter, American voice actor
- 1970 - Per Frandsen, Danish footballer
- 1971 - Dana Eskelson, American actress
- 1971 - Brad Hogg, Australian cricket player
- 1971 - Brian Stepanek, American actor
- 1972 - David Binn, American football player
- 1975 - Brett Hawke, Australian swimmer
- 1975 - Tomoko Kawase, Japanese singer
- 1975 - Svend-Allan Sørensen, Danish artist
- 1976 - Tanja Frieden, Swiss snowboarder
- 1976 - Colin Teo, Singaporean Grand Prix driver
- 1976 - Kim Zmeskal, American gymnast
- 1977 - Jason Euell, English-born footballer
- 1979 - Dan Bălan, Moldovan singer (O-Zone)
- 1980 - Mamiko Noto, Japanese seiyu
- 1980 - Kim Poirier, Canadian actress
- 1980 - Luke Ravenstahl, American politician
- 1981 - Calum Best, American model
- 1981 - Jens Lekman, Swedish musician
- 1981 - Ty Warren, American football player
- 1982 - Alice Eve, English actress
- 1982 - Tank Lu, Mandopop singer
- 1983 - Brodie Croyle, American football player
- 1983 - S. Sreesanth, Indian cricketer
- 1983 - Jamie Whincup, Australian racing driver
- 1983 - Myron Wolf Child, Canadian politician
- 1983 - Melrose Bickerstaff, American fashion model
- 1984 - Darren Bent, English footballer
- 1984 - Piret Järvis, Estonian singer
- 1985 - Kris Humphries, American basketball player
- 1985 - Yang Yu, Chinese swimmer
- 1985 - Joji Kato, Japanese speedskater
- 1986 - Alice Greczyn, American actress
- 1986 - Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1988 - Allison Holker, American dancer
- 1988 - Bailey Hanks, American actress
- 1989 - Craig Cathcart, Irish footballer
- 2004 - Princess Louise of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Princess of Belgium
- 891 - St. Photius I the Great, Patriarch of Constantinople
- 1378 - Jeanne de Bourbon, wife of Charles V of France (b. 1338)
- 1497 - Johannes Ockeghem, Flemish composer (b. c.1410)
- 1515 - Aldus Manutius, Italian printer
- 1585 - Edmund Plowden, English legal scholar (b. 1518)
- 1593 - Jacques Amyot, French writer (b. 1513)
- 1593 - Emperor Ogimachi of Japan (b. 1517)
- 1617 - Prospero Alpini, Italian scientist (b. 1553)
- 1685 - King Charles II of England (b. 1630)
- 1740 - Pope Clement XII (b. 1652)
- 1775 - William Dowdeswell, English politician (b. 1721)
- 1783 - Capability Brown, English landscape gardener (b. 1716)
- 1793 - Carlo Goldoni, Italian playwright (b. 1707)
- 1807 - John Reid, British army general and composer (b. 1721)
- 1816 - Maria Ludwika Rzewuska, Polish szlachcianka (b. 1744)
- 1833 - Pierre André Latreille, French entomologist (b. 1762)
- 1834 - Richard Lemon Lander, British explorer (b. 1804)
- 1855 - Josef Munzinger, Swiss Federal Councilor (b. 1791)
- 1899 - Leo von Caprivi, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1831)
- 1899 - Prince Alfred of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Prince of Edinburgh (b. 1874)
- 1910 - Alfonso Maria Fusco. Beatified Italian Roman Catholic priest and founder (b. 1839)
- 1916 - Rubén Darío, Nicaraguan writer (b. 1867)
- 1918 - Gustav Klimt, Austrian painter (b. 1862)
- 1927 - Sam Maguire, Irish Republican and Gaelic footballer (b. 1879)
- 1938 - Marianne von Werefkin, Russian-Swiss painter (b. 1860)
- 1950 - Georges Imbert, Alsatian chemist (b. 1884)
- 1951 - Gabby Street, former MLB player (b. 1882)
- 1952 - George VI of the United Kingdom (b. 1895)
- 1958 - David Pegg, English footballer (b. 1935)
- 1958 - Tommy Taylor, English footballer (b. 1932)
- 1958 - Geoff Bent, English footballer (b. 1932)
- 1958 - Roger Byrne, English footballer (b. 1929)
- 1958 - Eddie Colman, English footballer (b. 1936)
- 1958 - Mark Jones, English footballer (b. 1933)
- 1958 - Frank Swift, English footballer and journalist (b. 1913)
- 1958 - Walter Crickmer, English football club secretary and manager
- 1963 - Abd el-Krim, Moroccan politician
- 1964 - Emilio Aguinaldo, Filipino general and President (b. 1869)
- 1966 - Narcisa de Leon, Filipino film mogul (b. 1877)
- 1967 - Martine Carol, French film actress (b. 1920)
- 1976 - Vince Guaraldi, American musician (b. 1928)
- 1981 - Hugo Montenegro, American film music composer (b. 1925)
- 1981 - Frederika of Hanover, Queen Consort of Greece (b. 1917)
- 1985 - James Hadley Chase, English writer (b. 1906)
- 1986 - Frederick Coutts, Salvation Army general (b. 1899)
- 1986 - Minoru Yamasaki, American architect (b. 1912)
- 1988 - Nuno Oliveira, Bass Player (b. 1925)
- 1989 - André Cayatte, French filmmaker (b. 1909)
- 1989 - Barbara Tuchman, American historian (b. 1912)
- 1989 - Chris Gueffroy, East German attempted defector (b. 1968)
- 1989 - Osbourne Ruddock, Jamaican Dub music performer (b. 1941)
- 1991 - Salvador Luria, Italian biologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1912)
- 1991 - Danny Thomas, American singer, comedian, and actor (b. 1914)
- 1993 - Arthur Ashe, American tennis player (b. 1943)
- 1994 - Joseph Cotten, American actor (b. 1905)
- 1994 - Jack Kirby, American comic book writer (b. 1917)
- 1995 - James Merrill, American poet (b. 1926)
- 1996 - Guy Madison, American actor (b. 1922)
- 1997 - Roger Laurent, Belgian racing driver (b. 1913)
- 1998 - Falco, Austrian singer (b. 1957)
- 1998 - Carl Wilson, American musician (The Beach Boys) (b. 1946)
- 1998 - Haroun Tazieff, French vulcanologist and geologist (b. 1914)
- 2001 - Filemon Lagman, Filipino Communist revolutionary (b. 1953)
- 2001 - Fulgence Charpentier, Quebec journalist (b. 1897)
- 2002 - Max Perutz, Austrian molecular biologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1914)
- 2005 - Lazar Berman, Russian pianist (b. 1930)
- 2005 - Karl Haas, American radio presenter (b. 1913)
- 2007 - Lew Burdette, American baseball player (b. 1926)
- 2007 - Lee Hoffman, American author (b. 1932)
- 2007 - Len Hopkins, Canadian politician (b. 1930)
- 2007 - Frankie Laine, American singer (b. 1913)
- 2007 - Willye White, American athlete (b. 1939)
- 2008 - John McWethy, American journalist (b. 1947)
- 2008 - Tony Rolt, English racing driver (b. 1918)
