February 22, 1981 (Sunday)
- Amateur pilot Charles Newton and his wife Judy were flying in a small engine plane when he suffered a fatal heart attack. Mrs. Newton, who didn't know how to fly and wasn't sure of her location, was saved after a flight instructor in Statesville, North Carolina, Phillip Hazel, took the air in a plane of his own. After locating her, Mr. Hazel then gave Mrs. Newton step-by-step instructions on airplane flight and guided her to a safe landing at the Statesville airport.
- Born: Jeanette Biedermann, German singer and actress, in West Berlin
- Died: Joe Smith, 97, American comedian who teamed with Charlie Dale (1885–1971) as the comic duo Smith & Dale.
Read more about this topic: February 1981
Famous quotes containing the word february:
“In my experience, if you have to keep the lavatory door shut by extending your left leg, it’s modern architecture.”
—Nancy Banks-Smith, British columnist. Guardian (London, February 20, 1979)