19 February - Thomas Edison received patent for phonograph

 

A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable,is a device for the mechanical and analogue recording and reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physical deviations of a spiral groove engraved, etched, incised, or impressed into the surface of a rotating cylinder or disc, called a "record". To recreate the sound, the surface is similarly rotated while a playback stylus traces the groove and is therefore vibrated by it, very faintly reproducing the recorded sound. In early acoustic phonographs, the stylus vibrated a diaphragm which produced sound waves which were coupled to the open air through a flaring horn, or directly to the listener's ears through stethoscope-type earphones.

The phonograph was invented in 1877 by Thomas Edison.Alexander Graham Bell's Volta Laboratory made several improvements in the 1880s and introduced the graphophone, including the use of wax-coated cardboard cylinders and a cutting stylus that moved from side to side in a zigzag groove around the record. In the 1890s, Emile Berliner initiated the transition from phonograph cylinders to flat discs with a spiral groove running from the periphery to near the center, coining the term gramophone for disc record players, which is predominantly used in many languages. Later improvements through the years included modifications to the turntable and its drive system, the stylus or needle, pickup system, and the sound and equalization systems.

The disc phonograph record was the dominant commercial audio recording format throughout most of the 20th century. In the 1960s, the use of 8-track cartridges and cassette tapes were introduced as alternatives. In the 1980s, phonograph use declined sharply due to the popularity of cassettes and the rise of the compact disc, as well as the later introduction of digital music distribution in the 2000s. However, records are still a favorite format for some audiophiles, DJs, collectors, and turntablists (particularly in hip hop and electronic dance music), and have undergone a revival since the 2000s.

The technology that made the modern music business possible came into existence in the New Jersey laboratory where Thomas Edison created the first device to both record sound and play it back. He was awarded U.S. Patent No. 200,521 for his invention—the phonograph—on February 19, 1878.

19 February - Nicolaus Copernicus born in 1473

 

Nicolaus Copernicus (19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at its center. In all likelihood, Copernicus developed his model independently of Aristarchus of Samos, an ancient Greek astronomer who had formulated such a model some eighteen centuries earlier.

The publication of Copernicus's model in his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), just before his death in 1543, was a major event in the history of science, triggering the Copernican Revolution and making a pioneering contribution to the Scientific Revolution.

Copernicus was born and died in Royal Prussia, a region that had been part of the Kingdom of Poland since 1466. A polyglot and polymath, he obtained a doctorate in canon law and was a mathematician, astronomer, physician, classics scholar, translator, governor, diplomat, and economist. From 1497 he was a Warmian Cathedral chapter canon. In 1517 he derived a quantity theory of money—a key concept in economics—and in 1519 he formulated an economic principle that later came to be called Gresham's law.

19 February - Gopal Krishna Gokhale death anniversary

 

Gopal Krishna Gokhale (9 May 1866 – 19 February 1915) was an Indian political leader and a social reformer during the Indian independence movement. Gokhale was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and the founder of the Servants of India Society. Through the Society as well as the Congress and other legislative bodies he served in, Gokhale campaigned for Indian self-rule and for social reforms. He was the leader of the moderate faction of the Congress party that advocated reforms by working with existing government institutions, and a major member of the Poona Association or the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha.His famous quote was "What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow".

19 February - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj born in 1630

 

 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the first ruler of the Maratha Empire, was born.

Shivaji Bhonsale I (19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur which formed the genesis of the Maratha Empire. In 1674, he was formally crowned the Chhatrapati of his realm at Raigad Fort.

Over the course of his life, Shivaji engaged in both alliances and hostilities with the Mughal Empire, the Sultanate of Golkonda, Sultanate of Bijapur and the European colonial powers. Shivaji's military forces expanded the Maratha sphere of influence, capturing and building forts, and forming a Maratha navy. Shivaji established a competent and progressive civil rule with well-structured administrative organisations. He revived ancient Hindu political traditions, court conventions and promoted the usage of the Marathi and Sanskrit languages, replacing Persian in court and administration.

Shivaji's legacy was to vary by observer and time, but nearly two centuries after his death, he began to take on increased importance with the emergence of the Indian independence movement, as many Indian nationalists elevated him as a proto-nationalist and hero of the Hindus

18 February - India Home Rule Society

 

 

On this day in 1905, an Indian organisation, the Indian Home Rule Society IHRS was founded in London which sought to promote the cause of self-rule in British India.

The organisation was founded by Shyamji Krishna Varma, with support from a number of prominent Indian nationalists in Britain at the time including Bhikaji Cama, Dadabhai Naoroji and Sardarsinhji Ravaji S. R. Rana. It was intended to be a rival organisation to the British Committee of the Indian National Congress that was the main avenue of the loyalist opinion at the time.

The  Indian Home Rule Society was a metropolitan organisation modelled after Victorian public institutions of the time. It had a written constitution and the stated aims to secure Home Rule for India and to carry on a genuine Indian propaganda in this country by all practicable means.

The IHRS was open for membership to Indians only and found significant support amongst Indian students and other Indian populations in Britain. It recruited young Indian activists and maintained close contact with revolutionary movements in India.

16 February - First Barbary War -night of 16 February 1804

 

The First Barbary War (1801–1805), also known as the Tripolitan War and the Barbary Coast War, was a conflict during the Barbary Wars, in which the United States and Sweden fought against Tripolitania. Tripolitania had declared war against Sweden and the United States over disputes regarding tributary payments made by both states in exchange for a cessation of Tripolitatian commerce raiding at sea. United States President Thomas Jefferson refused to pay this tribute. Sweden had been at war with the Tripolitans since 1800.

On the night of 16 February 1804, Captain Stephen Decatur led a small detachment of United States Marines aboard the captured Tripolitan ketch rechristened USS Intrepid, thus deceiving the guards on Philadelphia to float close enough to board her. Decatur's men stormed the ship and overpowered the Tripolitan sailors. With fire support from the American warships, the Marines set fire to Philadelphia, denying her use by the enemy.

16 February - Dadasaheb Phalke death anniversary

 

Dhundiraj Govind Phalke popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke (30 April 1870 – 16 February 1944), was an Indian producer-director-screenwriter, known as "the Father of Indian cinema".His debut film, Raja Harishchandra, was the first Indian movie released in 1913, and is now known as India's first full-length feature film. He made 95 feature-length films and 27 short films in his career, spanning 19 years, until 1937, including his most noted works: Mohini Bhasmasur (1913), Satyavan Savitri (1914), Lanka Dahan (1917), Shri Krishna Janma (1918) and Kaliya Mardan (1919).

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award, awarded for lifetime contribution to cinema by the Government of India, is named in his honour.

15 February - Death anniversary of Samarth Ramdas (Ramdas Navami)

 

Ramdas Navami is the death anniversary of Samarth Ramdas. Ramdas Navami 2023 date is February 15. Sri Ramdas, popular known as Samarth Ramdas, was a Marathi saint and poet of the 17th century. Samarth Ramdas dropped his physical body and merged with the Supreme Soul on the Navami day of Krishna Paksha (9th day of waning phase of moon) in the Magh month (January – February) as per traditional Marathi Calendar.

Samarth Ramdas was an ardent devotee of Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman and he turned to spirituality at a very young age. He is believed to have greatly influenced Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Sri Ramdas was a gifted poet and his short poems contain universal truth and are pregnant with meaning.

Sri Ramdas inspired and motivated his generation to rise against the foreign oppressors and also stimulated the thoughts of self realization.

His life, writings and poems continues to inspire Marathis and all those who had the opportunity to read his immortal literary works.

Manache Shlok is a popular literary work credited to Samarth Ramdas.

15 February - Canada Maple Leaf inaugurated in a public ceremony

 

The new maple leaf flag was made official by a proclamation from Queen Elizabeth II on January 28, 1965. On February 15 of that year, it was inaugurated in a public ceremony on Parliament Hill. Thousands of Canadians gathered as the Canadian Red Ensign was lowered and, at the stroke of noon, the new National Flag of Canada was hoisted. Prime Minister Pearson’s words on the occasion resound with hope and determination: “May the land over which this new flag flies remain united in freedom and justice … sensitive, tolerant and compassionate towards all.”

In the words of John Matheson, the new flag “was the handiwork of many loving hands, extended over a long period of Canada’s history.” This collaborative effort created an elegant new emblem, instantly recognizable as the foremost symbol of Canada, its values, and the millions of citizens who make up the Canadian family.

15 February - World Hippo Day

 

Every year on February 15, World Hippopotamus Day, sometimes referred to as World Hippo Day, is observed. The day is set aside specifically to honor hippopotamuses and to inspire action against their extinction.The hippopotamus is the largest terrestrial mammal after elephants and rhinos.
 

The closest surviving relatives of hippopotamids, despite their outward resemblance to pigs, are whales, dolphins, porpoises, etc., from whom they diverged some 55 million years ago. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, hippos are semi-aquatic mammals that like to live in rivers and mangrove swamps.