Dashed left edge = started before February 2020 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond February 2020
Events in February 2020 7
1916 – 2020Kirk Douglas (1916-2020)Died 5 February 2020, aged 103Kirk Douglas was a Hollywood leading man of the 1950s and 60s, starring in films including Spartacus and Paths of Glory, and a founder of Bryna Productions. He died on 5 February 2020 at the age of 103.
1918 – 2020Katherine Johnson (1918-2020)Died 24 February 2020, aged 101Katherine Johnson was a NASA mathematician whose orbital calculations were critical to early US crewed spaceflights, including John Glenn's 1962 orbit of Earth. Her story was told in the 2016 film Hidden Figures; she died on 24 February 2020.
2019 – 2020Australian Black Summer BushfiresAustralia's worst fire season on recordCatastrophic bushfires across southeastern Australia burned over 46 million acres, destroyed more than 3,000 homes and killed an estimated three billion animals. 34 people died. Smoke reached South America and New Zealand, and the crisis intensified global debate about climate change.
2020Australian "Black Summer" bushfiresCatastrophic fire season burns over 18 million hectaresBushfires that had raged across Australia since mid-2019 continued into early 2020, ultimately burning more than 18 million hectares, destroying thousands of homes and killing at least 33 people. Smoke haze reached South America, and the fires were declared contained by mid-February 2020.
2020Trump acquitted in first impeachment trialSenate votes to acquit on abuse of power and obstruction chargesThe US Senate voted largely along party lines to acquit President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on 5 February 2020. The trial stemmed from Trump's pressure on Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden.
2020Parasite wins Best PictureBong Joon-ho film is first non-English-language Best Picture winnerBong Joon-ho's South Korean class satire Parasite won the Academy Award for Best Picture on 9 February 2020, the first non-English-language film to do so in Oscar history. It also won Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature.
2020Harvey Weinstein convicted of sexual assaultNew York jury delivers landmark #MeToo verdictA New York jury convicted former film producer Harvey Weinstein of criminal sexual assault and rape on 24 February 2020. The verdict was hailed as a landmark moment for the #MeToo movement; he was later sentenced to 23 years in prison.