Timeline February 1936

Events in February 1936 15

• 1849 – 1936 Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) Died 27 February 1936, aged 86 Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist who won the 1904 Nobel Prize for his work on digestion. He is best known for discovering classical conditioning through his experiments with dogs. His work had a strong influence on behavioural psychology.
• 1854 – 1936 Takahashi Korekiyo (1854-1936) Died 26 February 1936, aged 81 Takahashi Korekiyo was a Japanese prime minister and a long-serving finance minister. His expansionary policies helped Japan recover quickly from the Depression. Rebel officers assassinated him during the February 26 Incident.
• 1858 – 1936 Saitō Makoto (1858-1936) Died 26 February 1936, aged 77 Saitō Makoto was a Japanese admiral who served as Governor-General of Korea and as prime minister from 1932 to 1934. At the time of his death he was Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. Rebel officers assassinated him during the February 26 Incident.
• 1860 – 1936 Charles Curtis (1860-1936) Died 8 February 1936, aged 76 Charles Curtis served as the 31st vice president of the United States under Herbert Hoover. A member of the Kaw Nation, he was the first person of significant Native American ancestry to hold the office. He had earlier been Senate Majority Leader.
• 1866 – 1936 Charles Nicolle (1866-1936) Died 28 February 1936, aged 69 Charles Nicolle was a French bacteriologist who directed the Pasteur Institute in Tunis. He won the 1928 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for showing that body lice transmit typhus. The discovery led to effective control of the disease.
• 1879 – 1936 Billy Mitchell (1879-1936) Died 19 February 1936, aged 56 Billy Mitchell was a US Army general and an early advocate of military air power. He was court-martialled in 1925 for publicly criticising his superiors. He is regarded as a father of the United States Air Force.
• 1936 Bill Monroe's first recordings Bluebird Records The Monroe Brothers record for Bluebird.
• 1936 Keynes publishes The General Theory Foundational work of modern macroeconomics John Maynard Keynes published The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. It argued that economies can remain stuck with high unemployment and that government spending can revive demand. The book changed economic policy in the decades that followed.
• 1936 Modern Times released Charlie Chaplin's last Little Tramp film Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times premiered in New York. It satirises industrial society and the Depression, and apart from a single song it is almost entirely silent. It was the last film to feature his Little Tramp character.
• 1936 1936 Winter Olympics IV Winter Games - Garmisch-Partenkirchen Alpine skiing made its debut. Winner: Norway.
• 1936 Winter Olympics at Garmisch-Partenkirchen Fourth Winter Games held in Bavaria The fourth Winter Olympic Games were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, and included alpine skiing for the first time. Norway won the most medals. Sonja Henie won her third consecutive figure skating gold medal.
• 1936 – 2018 Burt Reynolds (1936-2018) Died 6 September 2018, aged 82 American actor who became one of Hollywood's top box-office draws in the 1970s and 1980s with films including Deliverance and Smokey and the Bandit. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Boogie Nights. He remained a prominent screen presence across five decades.
• 1936 Spanish general election Popular Front wins narrow victory The left-wing Popular Front coalition won the Spanish general election, defeating the right-wing parties. Political violence increased in the months that followed. In July, army officers launched the coup that started the Spanish Civil War.
• 1936 – 2026 J. Michael Bishop (1936-2026) Died 20 March 2026, aged 90 American virologist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for clarifying the cellular origins of cancer.
• 1936 February 26 Incident Young army officers attempt a coup in Tokyo About 1,400 troops led by radical young officers of the Imperial Japanese Army occupied central Tokyo and assassinated several senior officials, including former prime minister Takahashi Korekiyo. Emperor Hirohito ordered the revolt put down, and it collapsed on 29 February. The aftermath increased the army's influence over the Japanese government.