Timeline February 1915

Events in February 1915 14

• 1837 – 1915 Émile Waldteufel (1837-1915) Died 16 February 1915, aged 77 French composer Émile Waldteufel was one of the most popular waltz composers of the late nineteenth century, celebrated for pieces such as "The Skaters' Waltz." He served as pianist to the imperial court of Napoleon III before building an international reputation as a bandleader.
• 1915 – 1916 Gallipoli -- the campaign that makes Ataturk The Gallipoli campaign (February 1915 - January 1916) is the largest Allied amphibious operation of WWI and its most famous failure. Britain and France attempt to knock the Ottomans out of the war, open a supply route to Russia and capture Istanbul by landing at Gallipoli. The Ottomans, commanded by the German general Liman von Sanders and the Ottoman colonel Mustafa Kemal, hold the heights. Kemal's defence of Chunuk Bair (August 1915) -- 'I am not ordering you to attack, I am ordering you to die' -- becomes legendary. The Allies withdraw in January 1916 having suffered 250,000 casualties. Gallipoli creates Kemal's reputation and becomes the founding myth of both Australia/New Zealand (ANZAC) and modern Turkey.
• 1915 – 2000 Sir Stanley Matthews (1915-2000) Died 23 February 2000, aged 85 Stanley Matthews was an English winger whose career ran from 1932 to 1965, playing top-flight football until he was fifty. Known as the "Wizard of the Dribble", he was the first European Footballer of the Year and the first footballer knighted while still playing. The 1953 FA Cup final is often called the "Matthews final".
• 1915 – 2002 Abba Eban (1915-2002) Died 17 November 2002, aged 87 Abba Eban was Israel's ambassador to the United Nations and the United States in its early years and later its foreign minister during the wars of 1967 and 1973. Celebrated as an orator in several languages, he presented Israel's case to the world with unusual polish. In his last decades he wrote and presented histories of the Jewish people and of diplomacy.
• 1915 Germany declares unrestricted submarine warfare German U-boats authorized to sink merchant ships without warning around Britain On 4 February 1915 Germany declared the waters around the British Isles a war zone in which Allied merchant ships would be sunk without warning. The policy, which took effect on 18 February, marked an escalation of submarine warfare that would later draw the United States toward war.
• 1915 Unrestricted submarine warfare declared Berlin, Germany Germany announced it would sink merchant ships around Britain without warning, including neutral ones.
• 1915 – 2002 Eddie Bracken (1915-2002) American actor, the everyman hero of Preston Sturges's wartime comedies.
• 1915 Eddie Bracken born in New York Eddie Bracken is born in New York.
• 1915 The Birth of a Nation released D. W. Griffith's controversial epic premieres in Los Angeles D. W. Griffith's silent film "The Birth of a Nation" premiered on 8 February 1915, pioneering film techniques that shaped narrative cinema while glorifying the Ku Klux Klan and provoking protests over its racist portrayal of Reconstruction. It became the highest-grossing film of the silent era.
• 1915 The naval attack on the Dardanelles Dardanelles, Ottoman Empire An Anglo-French fleet tried to force the straits and lost three battleships to mines in a single day. The failure led directly to the land campaign.
• 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition opens World's fair celebrates the opening of the Panama Canal The Panama-Pacific International Exposition opened in San Francisco on 20 February 1915, marking the completion of the Panama Canal and the city's recovery from the 1906 earthquake. It ran through 4 December 1915 and introduced millions of visitors to early aviation displays and electric lighting spectacles.
• 1915 – 1967 Ann Sheridan (1915-1967) American actress, Warner Bros.' Oomph Girl, known for Kings Row and I Was a Male War Bride.
• 1915 Ann Sheridan born in Denton Ann Sheridan is born in Denton.
• 1915 – 1977 Zero Mostel (1915-1977) Died 8 September 1977, aged 62 Zero Mostel was an American actor best known for originating the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway. He also starred in The Producers and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.