Although he wrote mostly in Russian, Nikolai Gogol is considered one of Ukraine's most famous writers. Born on April 1, 1809 in Velyki Sorochyntsi, Poltava Oblast, he died on February 21, 1852 in Moscow. One of his best-known works is Taras Bulba, the story of a Ukrainian Cossack.
Dancer Vaslav Nijinsky was born in Kyiv on February 28, 1890. Called "the god of dance," both of the legendary ballet performer's parents were Polish dancers.
On February 25, 1917, the Russian Czar Nicholas II was deposed. Several months later, the Bolsheviks took power. Both events are considered the start of the Russian revolution.
Yuri Ivanovich Onufriyenko was born on February 6, 1961 in Ryasnoe, Kharkiv Oblast. Onufriyenko, a major in the Russian air force, is an experienced cosmonaut, with more than 380 days in space.
He has served on Mir and Soyuz missions, taking a turn as commander of the International Space Station and flying on the U.S. Space Shuttle.
On February 22, 1918, Germany claimed the Baltics, Finland and Ukraine from Russia. The claim was, not surprisingly, disputed and the territory became part of the Soviet Union.
On February 7, 1968, Peter Bondra was born in Lutsk, Volyn Oblast. The standout NHL right-winger most recently played for the Ottawa Senators and the Washington Capitals. Bondra's mother is Ukrainian, his father is Czech.
It was on February 17, 1969 that native Kyivan Golda Meir was sworn in as Israel's first female prime minister at age 70. She would hold office for five years. Born Golda Mabovitch she was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Ukrainian cubist sculptor and water color painter Alexander Archipenko died on February 24, 1964 at the age of 76. The prolific artist's
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