18 February - Enzo Ferrari birth anniversary

 

Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari Cavaliere di Gran Croce( 18 February 1898– 14 August 1988) was an Italian motor racing driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari automobile marque. He was widely known as "il Commendatore" or "il Drake". In his final years he was often referred to as "l'Ingegnere" (the Engineer) or "il Grande Vecchio (the Great Old Man)". 

 

 

18 February - Mary 1 of England birth anniversary

 

Mary I of England, also known as Mary Tudor, was born on February 18, 1516, and she became Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death in November 1558. Mary was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.

Mary I is often remembered for her efforts to restore Roman Catholicism to England, a country that had undergone significant religious changes during the reigns of her father, Henry VIII, and her half-brother, Edward VI. She is sometimes referred to as "Bloody Mary" due to the persecution of Protestants that occurred during her reign.

One of Mary's most notable actions was her marriage to Philip II of Spain in 1554, a union that aimed to strengthen ties between England and Spain. However, her marriage and her religious policies were met with resistance, and her reign is marked by political and religious turmoil.

Mary I died on November 17, 1558, and her half-sister Elizabeth I succeeded her to the throne. Elizabeth I's reign saw the establishment of the Elizabethan Religious Settlement, which brought a degree of stability to the religious landscape of England.

18 February - Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto

 

Clyde Tombaugh, an American astronomer, is credited with the discovery of Pluto. He made this historic find on February 18, 1930, while working at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Tombaugh's discovery was the result of a systematic search for a ninth planet, predicted to exist beyond Neptune.

Tombaugh used a technique called "blink comparison," which involved taking photographic plates of the same section of the sky at different times and then comparing them to identify any moving objects. In the process, he noticed a faint point of light that shifted its position against the background stars, indicating the presence of an unknown celestial body. This discovery marked the first identification of Pluto, which was initially considered the ninth planet in our solar system.

Pluto held the status of the ninth planet for several decades until 2006 when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefined the criteria for classifying planets. Pluto no longer met the updated definition, and it was reclassified as a "dwarf planet." Despite this reclassification, Clyde Tombaugh's discovery of Pluto remains a significant milestone in the history of astronomy.

 

18 February - John Travolta birth anniversary

 

John Travolta is an American actor, producer, dancer, and singer, born on February 18, 1954, in Englewood, New Jersey. He gained fame in the 1970s with his performances in successful films and became a prominent figure in Hollywood.

Travolta's breakout role came in the television series "Welcome Back, Kotter" (1975-1979), but he achieved widespread recognition with his lead roles in two major box office successes in the late 1970s: "Saturday Night Fever" (1977) and "Grease" (1978). These films not only showcased his acting abilities but also highlighted his talent as a dancer and singer.

In the 1980s, Travolta faced a career downturn, but he experienced a significant resurgence in the mid-1990s with his role in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" (1994), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. This marked a turning point in his career, leading to a successful comeback.

Travolta has since been involved in a variety of film genres, including dramas, comedies, and action films. Some of his notable movies include "Get Shorty" (1995), "Face/Off" (1997), and "Hairspray" (2007). Outside of acting, he is known for his passion for aviation and holds a private pilot's license.

Travolta has been married to actress Kelly Preston, with whom he had three children. Tragically, Kelly Preston passed away in 2020 after battling breast cancer. John Travolta continues to be a respected and influential figure in the entertainment industry.

18 February - Independence day Gambia

 

Gambia celebrates its Independence Day on February 18th. On this day in 1965, The Gambia gained independence from British colonial rule. The country is located in West Africa and is surrounded by Senegal, except for its coastline along the Atlantic Ocean.

Independence Day in The Gambia is a national holiday marked by various events and celebrations. People participate in parades, cultural performances, and other festivities to commemorate the country's freedom and to honor its national identity. It is a time for reflection on the nation's history, progress, and aspirations for the future.

18 February - Toni Morrison birth anniversary

 

Toni Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford on February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019) was an American novelist, essayist, editor, and professor. She was a highly acclaimed and influential figure in American literature, known for her powerful and lyrical writing that often explored the African American experience, particularly the complexities of race, identity, and the impact of history on individuals and communities.

Morrison's most famous and widely celebrated works include "Beloved" (1987), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and "Song of Solomon" (1977), which earned her the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her other notable works include "The Bluest Eye" (1970), "Sula" (1973), and "Paradise" (1997). Throughout her career, she received numerous awards and honors, including the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993, becoming the first African American woman to win this prestigious award.

In addition to her literary contributions, Toni Morrison worked as an editor for Random House for many years, where she played a crucial role in promoting and publishing the works of other African American writers. She was a professor at Princeton University and held various teaching positions throughout her career, leaving a lasting impact on the literary and academic communities. Toni Morrison's writings continue to be widely studied and appreciated for their depth, beauty, and exploration of important themes in American society.

18 February - Ramakrishna Paramahansa birth anniversary

 

Ramakrishna Paramahansa ( 18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886),was an Indian Hindu mystic and spiritual leader. After adhering to various religious practices from the Hindu traditions of Bhakti yoga, Tantra, and Advaita Vedanta as well as from Islam and Christianity, he proclaimed the world's various religions as "so many paths to reach one and the same goal", thus validating the essential unity of religions.Ramakrishna's followers came to regard him as an avatar, or divine incarnation, as did some of the prominent Hindu scholars of his day.

Ramakrishna, who experienced spiritual ecstasies from a young age, started his spiritual journey as a priest at the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple, built by Rani Rashmoni. Soon his mystical temperament gained him widespread acclaim amongst the general public as a Guru, attracting to him various religious teachers, social leaders, Bengali elites, and common people alike; initially reluctant to consider himself a guru, he eventually taught his disciples, who later formed the monastic Ramakrishna Order.After his demise, his chief disciple Swami Vivekananda popularized his ideas, and founded the Ramakrishna Math, which provides spiritual training for monastics and householder devotees, and the Ramakrishna Mission, to provide charity, social work and education.

17 February - First unofficial airmail flight flown in 1911

 

Although airborne mail transport had occurred during the nineteenth century, the first official airmail flown by airplane took place in India in 1911.

During the 1800s, balloons and gliders carried the first flown mail. The first official U.S. airmail delivery took place on August 17, 1859. On that day, veteran balloonist John Wise (1808-1879) carried 123 letters and twenty-three circulars from Lafayette to Crawfordsville, Indiana, a distance of thirty miles, in his balloon Jupiter.

On 17 February  1911, French pilot Henri Pequet (1888-1974) carried the first official mail flown by airplane. The flight occurred in India. Pequet carried a sack with about 6,000 cards and letters on his Humber biplane. The plane flew a distance of five miles, from an Allahabad polo field, over the Yamuna River, to Naini. All mail received a special cancel depicting an airplane, mountains, and “First Aerial Post, 1911, U. P. Exhibition Allahabad.”

Pequet was in India flying demonstration flights for the United Provinces Exhibition in Allahabad. Walter Windham (1868-1942), a British aviation pioneer, organized the aerial demonstrations. The event marked the first time airplanes flew in India. An appeal from Rev. W.E.S. Holland, a chaplain of the Holy Trinity Church, Allahabad, spurred the event. He had appealed to Windham for help in fundraising for a new youth hostel. Windham conceived the aerial post and obtained approval from the post office for officially sanctioned mail. Postal officials asked Windham to design the cancel. Most mail has a magenta cancellation, but a few examples exist with black ink. The regular postage rate required an additional surcharge as a donation for the Church Hostel Building.

17 February - The Sinhagad Fort was conquered by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from the Mughals in 1670

 

Sinhagad Fort, located near Pune in Maharashtra, India, was conquered by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from the Mughals. The exact date of this event is commonly recorded as 17 February 1670. On that day, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj successfully recaptured the fort from the Mughal commander Aurangzeb's general, Udaybhan Rathod.

The name "Sinhagad" translates to "Lion's Fort" in Marathi, and the fort has historical significance for being a site of various battles and strategic importance during the Maratha-Mughal conflicts. The successful recapture of Sinhagad Fort by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is remembered as a significant event in Maratha history.

 

17 February - Shmuel Yosef Agnon death anniversary

 

Shmuel Yosef Agnon, born as Shmuel Yosef Czaczkes (17 July 1888 – 17 February 1970), was a Nobel Prize-winning Israeli writer and one of the most prominent figures in modern Hebrew literature. Here are some key points about Shmuel Yosef Agnon:

1. Early Life: Agnon was born in Buczacz, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Ukraine). He received a traditional Jewish education and began writing at an early age.

2. Move to Palestine: In 1907, Agnon immigrated to Palestine (then part of the Ottoman Empire) and settled in Jaffa. Later, he moved to Jerusalem. His experiences in the Land of Israel greatly influenced his writing.

3. Literary Career: Agnon's literary career spanned several decades, and he wrote novels, short stories, and essays. His works often explored Jewish life, folklore, and the complexities of modernity.

4. Nobel Prize in Literature: In 1966, Agnon was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, sharing it with Nelly Sachs. The Nobel Committee cited his "profoundly characteristic narrative art with motifs from the life of the Jewish people."

5. Major Works: Some of Agnon's major works include "The Bridal Canopy" ("HaChupah"), "A Simple Story" ("Sipur Pashut"), and "Only Yesterday" ("Tmol Shilshom"). His writings often blend traditional Jewish storytelling with modernist literary techniques.

6. Language: Agnon wrote primarily in Hebrew but was also familiar with Yiddish and used elements of both languages in his works. His writing style is known for its richness and complexity.

7. Legacy: Shmuel Yosef Agnon is regarded as one of the most important figures in Hebrew literature. His works continue to be studied and translated into various languages. His literary contributions reflect a deep connection to Jewish tradition and a profound understanding of the challenges of the modern world.

Shmuel Yosef Agnon passed away on 17 February 1970, in Jerusalem, leaving behind a lasting legacy in Israeli and world literature.