Alessandro Volta Birth Anniversary

 

Alessandro Volta, born on 18 February 1745, was an Italian physicist and chemist who was a pioneer of electricity and power, who is credited as the inventor of the electric battery and the discoverer of methane. He invented the voltaic pile in 1799, and reported the results of his experiments in 1800 in a two-part letter to the president of the Royal Society. With this invention Volta proved that electricity could be generated chemically and debunked the prevalent theory that electricity was generated solely by living beings. Volta's invention sparked a great amount of scientific excitement and led others to conduct similar experiments, which eventually led to the development of the field of electrochemistry.

World Whale Day

World Whale Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of February, and as such, this year on February 18. The objective of this day is to increase public knowledge of these amazing creatures, their beauty, and the ecological importance of what they contribute to the earth.

The aquatic mammals belong to the order Cetacea. The term 'whale' can be used in reference to ant cetacean, including porpoises and dolphins, but in general it is applied to those more than 3 metres (10 feet) long.

World Whale Day was founded in Maui, Hawaii, in 1980 to honour humpback whales, which swim off the coast of this tropical island. This day was started aa an idea by Greg Kauffman, founder of the Pacific Whale Foundation to raise awareness about the threat of extinction faced by humpback whales.

René Laennec Birth Anniversary

 

René Laennec, born on 17 February 1781, was a French physician and musician. His skill of carving his own wooden flutes led him to invent the stethoscope in 1816, while working at the Hôpital Necker. He pioneered its usage in diagnosing various chest conditions. He became a lecturer at the Collège de France in 1822 and professor of medicine in 1823. His final appointments were that of head of the medical clinic at the Hôpital de la Charité and professor at the Collège de France. He died of tuberculosis in 1826 at the age of 45.

Christopher Latham Sholes Death Anniversary

 

Christopher Latham Sholes, who passed away on 17 February 1890, was an American inventor who invented the QWERTY keyboard, and along with Samuel W. Soule, Carlos Glidden and John Pratt, has been contended as one of the inventors of the first typewriter in the United States. He was also a newspaper publisher and Wisconsin politician.

Edward Stanley Gibbons Death Anniversary

 

Edward Stanley Gibbons, who passed away on 17 February 1913, was an English stamp dealer and founder of Stanley Gibbons Ltd, publishers of the famous Stanley Gibbons stamp catalogue and other stamp-related books and magazines.

Jiddu Krishnamurti Death Anniversary

 

Jiddu Krishnamurti, who passed away on 17 February 1986, was an Indian philosopher, speaker and writer. In his early life he was groomed to be the new World Teacher but later rejected this mantle and withdrew from the Theosophy organization behind it. His interests included psychological revolution, the nature of mind, meditation, inquiry, human relationships, and bringing about radical change in society. He stressed the need for a revolution in the psyche of every human being and emphasised that such revolution cannot be brought about by any external entity, be it religious, political, or social.

Kailash Nath Katju Death Anniversary

 

Kailash Nath Katju, who passed away on 17 February 1968, was a prominent politician of India. He was the Governor of Orissa and West Bengal, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, the Union Home Minister and the Union Defence Minister. He was also one of India's most prominent lawyers. He was part of some of the most riveting cases of his times, including the famous INA trials. Dr Katju joined the freedom struggle against the British rule in India early on and spent several years incarcerated with fellow freedom fighters.