George Frideric Handel's Birth Anniversary

George Frideric Handel, born on 23 February 1685, was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training in Halle and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before settling in London in 1712, where he spent the bulk of his career and became a naturalised British subject in 1727. He was strongly influenced both by the middle-German polyphonic choral tradition and by composers of the Italian Baroque. In turn, Handel's music forms one of the peaks of the "high baroque" style, bringing Italian opera to its highest development, creating the genres of English oratorio and organ concerto, and introducing a new style into English church music. He is consistently recognized as one of the greatest composers of his age.

Play More Cards Day

Get ready to shuffle and deal because February 22 is Play More Cards Day! This unique holiday encourages us to put down our screens and pick up a deck of cards for some good old-fashioned fun. Did you know that playing cards have been around since the 9th century? They were originally used for fortune-telling, but eventually evolved into the games we all know and love today. Whether you prefer poker, blackjack, or crazy eights, there's no better way to spend this day than with friends and family, laughing and connecting over a friendly game of cards. So let's celebrate this timeless pastime on Play More Cards Day!

 

Harakh Chand Nahata's Death Anniversary

 

Harakh Chand Nahata, who passed away on 21 February 1999, was a prominent Indian businessman and social leader. Nahata was born in Bikaner, Rajasthan on 18 July 1936. His uncle, Agar Chand Nahata, and elder brother, Bhanwar Lal Nahata, were acknowledged authorities on Prakrit literature, Jain canonical literature and scriptures. The family has a private collection of more than 85,000 books, manuscripts, works of arts etc. at Abhay Jain Granthagar in Bikaner. His family has more than 175 years of business presence in the field of trading and distribution in Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Calcutta, Tripura and the former East Bengal (now Bangladesh).

World Day of Social Justice

World Day of Social Justice (Social Justice Equality Day) is an international day recognizing the need to promote social justice, which includes efforts to tackle issues such as poverty, exclusion, gender inequality, unemployment, human rights, and social protections. Many organizations, including the UN, American Library Association (ALA), and the International Labour Organization, make statements on the importance of social and present plans for greater social justice by tackling poverty, social and economic exclusion and unemployment. The United Nations General Assembly has decided to observe 20 February annually, approved on 26 November 2007 and starting in 2009, as the World Day of Social Justice. The Declaration focuses on guaranteeing fair outcomes for all through employment, social protection, social dialogue, and fundamental principles and rights.

International Tug-of-War Day

February 19^th is International Tug-of-War Day. It is a contest in which two teams pull at the opposite ends of a rope, aiming to drag each other over a central line. This activity has gained popularity among children as the perfect team-building exercise. There is also an international governing body, named Tug of War International Federation, which has gathered more than 60 member associations worldwide. It does organize world championships, both indoor and outdoor. The origins of Tug-of-war are doubtful, but the sport was practiced in Cambodia, ancient Egypt, Greece, India, and China.

Discovery of Pluto in 1930

 

Pluto, once believed to be the ninth planet, is discovered on February 18, 1930 at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, by astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh.

The existence of an unknown ninth planet was first proposed by Percival Lowell, who theorized that wobbles in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune were caused by the gravitational pull of an unknown planetary body. Lowell calculated the approximate location of the hypothesized ninth planet and searched for more than a decade without success.

However, in 1929, using the calculations of Lowell and W.H. Pickering as a guide, the search for Pluto was resumed at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona. On February 18, 1930, Tombaugh discovered the tiny, distant planet by use of a new astronomic technique of photographic plates combined with a blink microscope. His finding was confirmed by several other astronomers, and on March 13, 1930—the anniversary of Lowell’s birth and of William Herschel’s discovery of Uranus—the discovery of Pluto was publicly announced.

With a surface temperature estimated at approximately -360 Fahrenheit, Pluto was appropriately given the Roman name for the god of the underworld in Greek mythology. Pluto’s average distance from the sun is nearly four billion miles, and it takes approximately 248 years to complete one orbit. It also has the most elliptical and tilted orbit of any planet, and at its closest point to the sun it passes inside the orbit of Neptune, the eighth planet.

After its discovery, some astronomers questioned whether Pluto had sufficient mass to affect the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. In 1978, James Christy and Robert Harrington discovered Pluto’s only known moon, Charon, which was determined to have a diameter of 737 miles to Pluto’s 1,428 miles. Together, it was thought that Pluto and Charon formed a double-planet system, which was of ample enough mass to cause wobbles in Uranus’ and Neptune’s orbits. In August 2006, however, the International Astronomical Union announced that Pluto would no longer be considered a planet, due to new rules that said planets must “clear the neighbourhood around its orbit.” Since Pluto’s oblong orbit overlaps that of Neptune, it was disqualified.

 

National Cabbage Day (U.S.)

 

 

National Cabbage Day on February 17 recognizes a delightful garden staple that provides some of the best recipes for the Celtic holidays coming up next month. It's an excellent day to test your corned beef and cabbage skills alongside other delicious seasonal dishes.