Start of the Women’s T20 World Cup (on until 26 February) – Cape Town

Inventors’ Day

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Royal Hobart Regatta begins (on until 13 Feb)

Birthdays for Jennifer Aniston (1969) and Khalid (1998)

Anniversary of:
• the first first-class game of cricket played in Australia. It was Tasmania v Victoria in Launceston (1851)
• a 20.2kg lobster was caught off Nova Scotia – the heaviest crustacean ever caught (1977)
• Nelson Mandela being released from Victor Verster Prison in South Africa after 27 years as a political prisoner (1990)
• the deaths of Sylvia Plath (1963), Alexander McQueen (2010) and Whitney Houston (2012)