The following events occurred in February 1936:
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- An appeal from Benito Mussolini to "the students of Europe" was published in Il Popolo d'Italia, claiming that Italy wanted peace in Europe but sanctions against the country would lead to a war for which Italy would not be responsible.[1]
- Died: Georgios Kondylis, 57, Greek general and two-time prime minister of Greece
- Idaho Senator William E. Borah formally announced his candidacy for President of the United States.[3]
- The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by the English economist John Maynard Keynes was published.[4]
- The George Bernard Shaw play The Millionairess premiered at the Vienna Akademie Theatre.
- Born: David Brenner, comedian and actor, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2014); Gary Conway, actor and screenwriter, in Boston, Massachusetts
- Died: Wilhelm Gustloff, 41, leader of the Swiss NSDAP/AO was assassinated by David Frankfurter, a Croatian Jew.
- The last inmates in Welfare Island, widely considered the worst prison in the United States, were transferred to Rikers Island so the old prison could be razed and replaced with a park and hospital.[8]
- A severe cold wave swept across North America, breaking numerous records and crippling transportation services.[13]
- A committee of experts reported to the League of Nations that an oil embargo against Italy would take three and a half months to become effective, and even that would only be if the United States agreed to curtail its booming oil business with Italy.[14][15][16]
- A short-circuit started a fire in a Manhattan café that killed 5 people and injured 37. The incident would have been minor were it not for the panic causing a crowded dash down the stairways.[17]
- Charles Maurras published a column in Action Française calling for "the knife" to be used against politicians who supported sanctions against Italy. That same day, French politician Léon Blum was attacked and cut about the head by student followers of Maurras.[1][18] That night, the French government banned the Action Française, Camelots du Roi and Royalist Students' Association under the law passed in December prohibiting extremist political leagues.[19]
- Paraguayan President Eusebio Ayala was overthrown in a coup led by Rafael Franco.
- In Geneva, the League of Nations moved to its new headquarters, the Palace of Nations.[22]
- After several years of a trade war, the British and Irish government signed a pact reducing tariffs between the two countries.[23]
- The U.S. Supreme Court decided Ashwander v. Tennessee Valley Authority and Brown v. Mississippi.
- The comic strip The Phantom made its first appearance. Although the Phantom character did not have any superpowers, he was the first to wear a skintight unitard-style costume, the hallmark of many comic book superheroes to come.
- Born: Jim Brown, American football player and actor, in St. Simons, Georgia (d. 2023)
- Died: Alexander Pantages, 68 or 69, Greek-born American impresario
- Police in Spain fired on crowds of leftists attempting to burn churches and convents. 8 deaths were reported around the country.[26][27]
- The science fiction film Things to Come, written by H. G. Wells, premiered in Britain.[4]
- The musical comedy film Follow the Fleet starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers with music by Irving Berlin was released.
- Born: Larry Hovis, singer and actor, in Wapato, Washington (d. 2003); Shigeo Nagashima, baseball player and manager, in Sakura, Chiba, Japan
- Died: Kip Rhinelander, 32, American socialite (lobar pneumonia)
- The new Spanish government freed 34,000 political prisoners.[28]
- On George Washington's 204th birthday, retired baseball legend Walter Johnson replicated a feat attributed to Washington by throwing a silver dollar across the Rappahannock River. Though it remained in dispute whether Washington ever did such a thing, Johnson did prove that it could be done.[29][30]
- Nazi Germany established quotas for Jewish doctors. The decree by Gerhard Wagner stated that the proportion of Jewish doctors in Germany could not exceed the proportion of Jews in the country's general population.[31]
- Born: Elizabeth MacRae, actress, in Columbia, North Carolina (d. 2024)
- Puerto Rico's Chief of Police E. Francis Riggs was shot and killed by two young Nationalists. The two assailants were captured and executed immediately without trial.[32][33]
- Anthony Eden addressed the House of Commons for the first time as Foreign Secretary. He responded to criticism of the League of Nations failing to impose oil sanctions on Italy by explaining that oil was "a sanction like any other and must be judged by the same criterion, whether its imposition will help stop the war."[1]
- Born: Lance Reventlow, entrepreneur and racing driver, in London, England (d. 1972)
- Died: Albert Ritchie, 59, American lawyer and politician
- The Second Battle of Tembien ended in an Italian victory.
- The Japanese coup attempt was put down.[4]
- President Roosevelt extended the 1935 Neutrality Act through May 1, 1937.[37]
- Born: Henri Richard, ice hockey player, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (d. 2020); Alex Rocco, actor, in Cambridge, Massachusetts (d. 2015)
- Died: Shirō Nonaka, 32, central conspirator in the February 26 Incident (suicide)
Baer, George W. (1976). Test Case : Italy, Ethiopia, and the League of Nations. Leland Stanford Junior University. pp. 210, 213.
"1936". MusicAndHistory. Archived from the original on June 10, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2015. "'Worst Prison' in U.S. is Vacatedl Inmates Put in Model Jail". Chicago Daily Tribune. February 8, 1936. p. 2. Mercer, Derrik, ed. (1989). Chronicle of the 20th Century. London: Chronicle Communications Ltd. p. 463. ISBN 978-0-582-03919-3. "Huey Long's Widow Sworn as Senator to Fill Out Term". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 10, 1936. p. 1. Pearce, Jeff (2014). Prevail: The Inspiring Story of Ethiopia's Victory over Mussolini's Invasion, 1935–1941. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-63220-096-9. "Panic of 300 on Stairway is Blamed for 5 Deaths, 37 Injuries in Cafe Fire". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 13, 1936. p. 1. Judt, Tony (1998). The Burden of Responsibility: Blum, Camus, Aron, and the French Twentieth Century. University of Chicago Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-226-41419-5. Taylor, Edmond (February 14, 1936). "Paris Disbands Royalist Units to End Violence". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1. Day, Donald (February 16, 1936). "Poland's Rabbis Threaten to Tie Up Meat Trade". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 19. "Nazi Organization Is Banned by Swiss After Reich Protest". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 18, 1936. p. 1. Cortada, James W., ed. (1982). Historical Dictionary of the Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 495. ISBN 0-313-22054-9. Taylor, Edmond (February 21, 1936). "Red Mob Rule Imperils Spain; Fight Rioters". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1. "Germany Establishes Quoto for Number of Jewish Doctors". Chicago Daily Tribune. February 23, 1936. p. 3. Scarano, Francisco A. (2000). Puerto Rico Cinco Siglos de Historia (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). McGraw Hill Interamericana Edit. pp. 793–799. ISBN 970-10-2911-9. Taylor, Edmond (February 28, 1936). "Paris Chamber Accepts Russia as Ally in War". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1.