Thomas Edison patents the phonograph in 1878

 

Thomas Edison announced his invention of the first phonograph, a device for recording and replaying sound, on November 21, 1877 (early reports appear in Scientific American and several newspapers in the beginning of November, and an even earlier announcement of Edison working on a 'talking-machine' can be found in the Chicago Daily Tribune on May 9), and he demonstrated the device for the first time on November 29 (it was patented on 19 February 1878, as US Patent 200,521). "In December, 1877, a young man came into the office of the Scientific American, and placed before the editors a small, simple machine about which very few preliminary remarks were offered. The visitor without any ceremony whatever turned the crank, and to the astonishment of all present the machine said: 'Good morning. How do you do? How do you like the phonograph?' The machine thus spoke for itself, and made known the fact that it was the phonograph..."

Beant Singh Death Anniversary

 

Beant Singh, born on 19 February 1922, was an Indian politician and the Chief Minister of Punjab from 1992 to 1995. He was a member of Indian National Congress. He was killed in a car bombing.

Nicolaus Copernicus Birth Anniversary

 

Nicolaus Copernicus, born on 19 February 1473, was a Renaissance-era mathematician and astronomer, who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at the center of the universe, in all likelihood independently of Aristarchus of Samos, who had formulated such a model some eighteen centuries earlier.

Rajkumar Lal Pratap Singh Death Anniversary

 

Rajkumar Lal Pratap Singh who passed away on 19 February 1858, was a member of the Bisen Rajput dynasty of Kalakankar. He was prominent leader in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He was killed during the 1858 Battle of Chanda.

Balwantrai Mehta Birth Anniversary

 

Balwantrai Mehta, born on 19 February 1900, was an Indian politician who served as the second Chief Minister of Gujarat state, India. He participated in Indian independence movement and later hold various public offices. He is considered as the 'Architect of Panchayati Raj’ due to his contributions towards democratic decentralisation.

Munshi Nawal Kishore Death Anniversary

 

Munshi Nawal Kishore, who passed away on 19 February 1895, was a book publisher from India. He has been called Caxton of India. In 1858, at the age of 22, he founded the Nawal Kishore Press and Book Depot at Lucknow. This institution today is the oldest printing and publishing concern in Asia. Mirza Ghalib was one of his admirers.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale Death Anniversary

 

Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who passed away on 19 February 1915, was an Indian liberal 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.

Shivaji's Birth Anniversary

 

Shivaji Bhosale I, born on 19 February 1630, was an Indian warrior-king and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out an enclave from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the Maratha Empire. In 1674, he was formally crowned as the chhatrapati (emperor) of his realm at Raigad.