Special Days in February

Here is the list of February’s holidays, observances, food themes, awareness days , historic figures, composers and authors birthdays, science and historic based anniversaries, and more! Whether you’re looking for something special to study, trivia, a day to celebrate, or a food to add to the menu, this listing of special days gives you plenty to choose from.

Resources for teaching throughout the month, including a PDF of February’s Special Days, can be found at the end of this list.

February Awareness and Observation Themes

African American History
American History
Bird Feeding
Black History
Boost Self Esteem
Dental Health
Dog Training/Education
Expect Success
Friendship
Heart
Haiku Writing
Hoof Care
Humpback Whale Awareness
Laugh Friendly
Library Lovers
Love the Bus
Low Vision
Mend a Broken Heart
Plant Seeds of Greatness
Pull Your Sofa Off the Wall
Responsible Pet Owner
Spunky Old Broads Month
Time Management
Youth Leadership

February Food Themes

Avocado
Bake for Family Fun
Banana
Beans
Berry Fresh
Canned Food
Celebration of Chocolate
Cherry
Chocolate Lovers
Exotic Vegetables
Great Pies
Hot Breakfast
Grapefruit
Potato Lover’s
Snack Food
Star Fruit
Strawberries
Sweet Potato

Special Days Not Falling on the Same Date Each
Year
Blame Someone Else Day (1st Fri.)
Bubble Gum Day (1st Fri.)
Extraterrestrial Culture Day (2nd Thurs.)
Jello Week (2nd full week)
Clean Out Your Computer Day (2nd Mon.)
Family Day (2nd Mon.)
Oatmeal Day (2nd Mon.)
International Friendship Week (last full
week)
Brotherhood/Sisterhood Week (3rd Mon.)
Presidents’ Day (3rd Mon.)
World Whale Day (3rd Sat)
Pangolin Day (3rd Sat)
Inconvenience Yourself Day (4th Wed.)
Chili Day (last Thurs.)
French Fry Friday (4th Fri.)
Sword Swallowers Day (last Sat.)

February Special Days with Dates That Vary
Super Bowl
Chinese New Year
Engineers’ Week (sometimes March)
Great Backyard Bird Count
Homes for Birds Week
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day
Academy Awards
Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras (sometimes
March)
Pancake Day (sometimes March)
Lent (sometimes March)
Daytona 500
Whooping Crane Festival
Justice for Animals Week
Invasive Species Awareness Week

February’s Special Days with Set Dates

Feb. 1

Be an Encourager Day
Bureau of Forestry created 1905 (US)
Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week begins
G.I. Joe Day
Hula in the Coola Day
Imbolc
National Freedom Day
Oxford English Dictionary published 1884
Serpent Day
1st Single rpm Record released 1949
Reader’s Digest 1st published 1922
Robinson Crusoe Day
Spunky Old Broads Day
1st US Supreme Court 1790

Feb. 2

Candlemas
Green Week begins
Groundhog Day
Hedgehog Day
Kiwi Day
Marmot Day
Sled Dog Day
World Wetlands Day

Feb.3

Bean Toss Day/Risshun
Carrot Cake Day
The Communist Party of Vietnam established 1930
The Day the Music Died (Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. Richardson and their pilot died in an aviation accident 1959)
Feed the Birds Day
Artist Norman Rockwell born 1894

Feb. 4

Apache Wars begin 1861
Artist Appreciation Day
Create a Vacuum Day
Homemade Soup Day
Income Tax established 1913 (US)
Aviator Charles Lindbergh born 1902
Civil Rights Activist Rosa Parks born 1913
Sri Lanka Independence Day 1948
Stuffed Mushroom Day
Take Your Child to the Library Day
Thank a Mailman Day
USO Day
Weatherman’s Day
World Cancer Day

Feb. 5

Baseball’s Hank Aaron born 1934
Chocolate Fondue Day
Loop-the-Loop Centrifugal Railway patented 1901
Theologian Dwight L. Moody born 1837
Nutella Day
Robert Peel born 1788
Weatherman’s Day
Western Monarch Day
Wildlife Federation founded 1936 (US)

Feb. 6

Chopsticks Day
Baseball’s Babe Ruth (George Herman) born 1895
Digital Learning Day
Frozen Yogurt Day
Massachusetts Statehood 1788
Monopoly Game introduced 1935
Pay a Compliment Day
President Ronald Reagan born 1911
Sami National Day
Waitangi Day (New Zealand)

Feb. 7

Author Charles Dickens born 1812
Fettuccine Alfredo Day
Grenada Independence Day 1974
Risk Awareness Week begins
Safer Internet Day
Send a Card to a Friend Day
1st Unattached Spacewalk 1984
Wave All Your Fingers at Your Neighbor Day
Author Laura Ingalls Wilder born 1867

Feb. 8

Bake Pizza Week begins
Boy Scouts (US) founded 1910
Celebration of Love Week begins
Hershey Chocolate Founded 1894
Kite Flying Day
Laugh and Get Rich Day
Opera Day
Propose Day
Author Jules Verne born 1828

Feb. 9

Bagels and Lox Day
Happy Chocolate Day
President William Harrison born 1773
Pizza Pie Day
Random Acts of Kindness Week begins
Read in the Bathtub Day
Stop Bullying Day
Toothache Day

Feb. 10

French and Indian War Ends 1763
Reformer Samuel Plimsoll born 1824
Umbrella Day

Feb. 11

Be Electrific Day
Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day
Inventor Thomas Edison born 1847
Inventor’s Day
Iran National Day
Make a Friend Day
Nelson Mandela released 1990
Peppermint Patty Day
Shut-in Visitation Day
White Shirt Day

Feb. 12

Paul Bunyan Day
Scientist Charles Darwin born 1809
President Abraham Lincoln born 1809
Lost Penny Day
Plum Pudding Day
Safety Pup Day

Feb. 13

Get a Different Name Day
Lupercalia
Pancake Day
1st Public School opened 1635 (US)
Radio Day
Stamp Collectors Day
Tortellini Day
Artist Grant Wood born 1892
World Radio Day

Feb. 14

Arizona Statehood 1912
Comedian Jack Benny born 1894
Creme Filled Chocolates Day
Frederick Douglass Day
Ferris Wheel Day (Inventor George Ferris born 1859)
Have a Heart Day
League of Women Voters Day
Library Lovers Day
Oregon Statehood 1859
Nest Box Week
Race Relations Day
Quirkyalone Day
Valentine’s Day

Feb. 15

Susan B Anthony born 1820
Author Norman Birdwell born 1928
Decimal Day
Flag Day – Canada
Scientist Galileo Galilei born 1564
Gum Drop Day
Hippo Day
Singles Awareness Day
Total Defense Day (Singapore)

Feb. 16

Almond Day
Do a Grouch a Favor Day
Lithuania Independence Reinstate 1918
Nylon introduced 1937
Read Aloud Day
King Tutankhamen’s Tomb opened 1923

Feb. 17

Human Spirit Day
Athlete Michael Jordan born 1963
My Way Day
Newsweek Magazine 1st Published 1933
Random Acts of Kindness Day
World Cabbage Day

Feb. 18

Battery Day (Inventor Volta born 1745)
Hernando Cortes sets sail for Mexico 1519
Gambia Independence Day 1965
Kid Inventors Day
Queen Mary I born 1516
Pluto discovered 1930

Feb. 19

Scientist Nicolaus Copernicus born 1473
Chocolate Mint Day
Iwo Jima Day (battle began 1945)
Phonograph patented 1878
Temporary Insanity Day

Feb. 20

Photographer Ansel Adams born 1902
Cherry Pie
Hoodie Hoo Day (Northern Hemisphere)
Love Your Pet Day
Social Justice Day
Student Volunteer Day
Toothpick patented 1872 Women in Blue Jeans Day

Feb. 21

Card Reading Day
The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx first published 1848
Confederate Constitution 1862
Entrepreneurship Week begins
Mother Language Day
Polaroid Camera 1st demonstrated 1947
Single Taking Day
Sticky Bun Day
Washington Monument dedicated 1885

Feb. 22

Be Humble Day
Cook a Sweet Potato Day
Future Farmers of America Week begins
Wildlife Expert Steve Irwin born 1962
Saint Lucia Independence Day 1979
Walking the Dog Day
President George Washington born 1732
World Thinking Day

Feb. 23

Banana Bread Day
Curling is Cool Day
Diesel Engine Day
Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
Dolly the Sheep Cloned 1997
Composer George Frideric Handel born 1685
Writer Samuel Pepys born 1633
Play Tennis Day
Polio Vaccine 1st used 1954

Feb. 24

Missionary Gladys Aylward born 1902
Dia de la Bandera (Mexico)
Flying Scotsman begins service 1923
Gregorian Calendar introduced 1582
Author Wilhelm Grimm born 1786
Artist Winslow Homer born 1836
Mexican Independence 1821
Tortilla Chip Day

Feb. 25

1st Anderson Shelter 1939
Chocolate Covered Peanuts Day
Clam Chowder Day
Let’s All Eat Right Day
Paper Currency introduced (US) 1862
Peace Corp Week begins
Pistol Patented 1836 (Samuel Colt)
1st Power Driven Vacuum Cleaner introduced 1902
Artist Pierre Auguste Renoir born 1841

Feb. 26

Buffalo Bill born 1846
Carnival Day
Communist Manifesto published 1848
Grand Canyon National Park established 1919
1st Grand National Steeplechase 1839
Author Victor Hugo born 1802
For Pete’s Sake Day
Pistachio Day
Levi Strauss born 1829
Tell a Fairy Tale Day

Feb. 27

Dominican Republic Independence Day 1844
Author Henry Wadsworth-Longfellow born 1807
Polar Bear Day
No Brainer Day
Author John Steinbeck born 1902
Strawberry Day
Texas Cowboy Poetry Week begins
World NGO Day

Feb. 28

Chocolate Souffle Day
DNA discovered 1953
Floral Design Day
Scientist Linus Pauling born 1901
Public Sleeping Day
Rare Disease Day
Smokey the Bear introduced 1944
Tooth Fairy Day

Free Printable – Special Days in February

February Resources

Here’s my favorite resources for help with teaching special days each month https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2016/07/31/learning-resources-for-special-days/

How I use Special Days lists in our homeschool blog series :

Special Days and the Evolution of Morning Calendar Time

Special Days and Biographies

Special Days and Geography

Special Days and Science

Special Days Archive – Direct links to the most recent Special Days and Resource lists for each month

I make my monthly special days calendars by using several sources including old calendars, holiday books, newspapers, and the web. These are the best sites for finding special days resources online.

http://food.unl.edu/fnh/february