February 9, 1773 – The 9th U. S. President, William Henry Harrison, is born in Berkeley, Virginia. He was sworn into office on March 4, 1841 but died 32 days later from complications from a cold he caught during his inaugural ceremonies.
February 11, 1847 – Prolific inventor Thomas Edison is born in Milan, Ohio. Throughout his lifetime he acquires over 1,200 patents.
February 12, 1809 – The 16th President of the U. S., Abraham Lincoln, is born in a log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. By the time he was a young man his family had relocated to Illinois where he became a self-taught lawyer, then served in both the state General Assembly and U. S. Congress. He became President in 1861, guided the Union through the Civil War, and abolished slavery. He was assassinated just a few days after Lee’s surrender to Grant at Appomattox.
February 15, 1809 - Inventor and industrialist Cyrus McCormick is born in Rockbridge County, Virginia. He invents a horse-drawn mechanical reaper contributing to development and cultivation of vast areas of the American Great Plains. His reaper forms the basis of International Harvester Corporation.