Giulio Natta's Birth Anniversary

Giulio Natta, born on 26 February 1903, was an Italian chemist who contributed to the development of high polymers useful in the manufacture of films, plastics, fibres, and synthetic rubber. Along with Karl Ziegler of Germany, he was honoured in 1963 with the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the development of Ziegler-Natta catalysts.

Natta took his doctorate in chemical engineering at Milan Polytechnic (1924) and held chairs in chemistry at the universities of Pavia, Rome, and Turin before returning to the Polytechnic as professor and research director of industrial chemistry (1938). His earlier work formed the basis of modern industrial syntheses of methanol, formaldehyde, butyraldehyde, and succinic acid. In 1953 he began intensive study of macromolecules. Using Ziegler’s catalysts, he experimented with the polymerization of propylene and obtained polypropylenes of highly regular molecular structure. The properties—high strength, high melting points—of these polymers soon proved very commercially important.

John Harvey Kellogg's Birth Anniversary

 

John Harvey Kellogg, born on 26 February 1852, was an American physician and health-food pioneer whose development of dry breakfast cereals was largely responsible for the creation of the flaked-cereal industry.

Kellogg received an M.D. from Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York City, in 1875. A Seventh-day Adventist and vegetarian, Kellogg became superintendent in 1876 of the Seventh-day Adventist Western Health Reform Institute, which then became the Battle Creek Sanitarium, located in Battle Creek, Michigan. (The sanitarium was renamed the Percy Jones Army Hospital in 1942, the Battle Creek Federal Center in 1954, and Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center in 2003.) Kellogg developed numerous nut and vegetable products to vary the diet of the patients, including a flaked-wheat cereal called Granose and cornflakes. Although cornflakes were not new, they had never before been presented as a breakfast food. In 1898 Kellogg and his brother W.K. Kellogg founded the Battle Creek Sanitarium Health Food Company to handle the production of cornflakes and other foods for sanitarium patients. In 1906, after a dispute over the distribution of their cornflake cereal, W.K. Kellogg formed his own cereal company, the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company (later renamed Kellogg Company), and one of the sanitarium patients, C.W. Post, also founded a cereal company that became well known.

Kellogg was a co-founder of the Race Betterment Foundation, an organization that promoted eugenics and racial segregation. He also was founder and first president (1923–26) of Battle Creek College, and in 1931 he opened Miami–Battle Creek Sanitarium at Miami Springs, Florida. He was the author of numerous medical books.

Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 culminates

 

The final day of the grand Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 began on Wednesday, February 26, with devotees rushing to the Triveni Sangam in the wee hours for a holy dip, the last special 'snan', on the occasion of Maha Shivratri.

With this, the six-week-long Mela, the world's largest spiritual gathering being held at Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, will conclude.

Maha Shivratri, as is, is a key occasion for Hindus as it commemorates the divine union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. However, it holds a special place in the Maha Kumbh context. As per Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva's crucial role in the Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean), led to the emergence of Amrit Kumbh (the pitcher of nectar), which is the key essence of the Kumbh Mela.

Maha Kumbh Mela, which began on January 13, witnessed six special ‘snan’, including three 'Amrit Snan' days. The first one being on Paush Purnima on January 13, Makar Sankranti on January 14, Mauni Amavasya on January 29, Basant Panchami on February 3, Maghi Purnima on February 12 and finally, Maha Shivratri on February 26.

Quiet Day

Quiet Day is observed every year on February 25. As the name suggests, Quiet Day is about taking a pause and appreciating the sound of silence. Noise is everywhere — be it on the train, in a busy office, in the pub, in the classroom, or even at home!

Printers Day

Printers Day is observed on February 24th every year to commemorate the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1440. This revolutionary invention revolutionized the spread of knowledge and ideas by making books and printed materials more accessible to people worldwide.

The day serves as a reminder of the importance of printing in preserving history, culture, and knowledge. It also acknowledges the contributions made by printers and publishers in shaping societies and fostering intellectual growth.

Why Do We Celebrate Printers Day?

Preserving Cultural Heritage: Printing plays a crucial role in preserving cultural heritage by documenting stories, traditions, and historical events for future generations. Through books, newspapers, magazines, and other printed materials, we can delve into different eras and learn from diverse cultures.

Spreading Knowledge: The printing press has been instrumental in disseminating knowledge across borders. It has empowered individuals with access to education, literature, scientific discoveries, and advancements in various fields.

Promoting Freedom of Expression: Print media has long been an important platform for expressing opinions and advocating for social change. On World Printing Day, we celebrate the freedom that printing affords us to voice our thoughts openly.

Honouring Print Industry Professionals: This day recognizes the hard work and dedication of printers, publishers, writers, editors, designers, illustrators, and all those involved in bringing printed materials to life.

Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Battutah's Birth Anniversary

 

Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Battutah, born on 24 February 1304, commonly known as Ibn Battuta, was a Maghrebi traveller, explorer and scholar. Over a period of thirty years from 1325 to 1354, Ibn Battuta visited most of North Africa, the Middle East, East Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, China, the Iberian Peninsula, and West Africa. Near the end of his life, he dictated an account of his journeys, titled A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling, but commonly known as The Rihla. Ibn Battuta travelled more than any other explorer in pre-modern history, totalling around 117,000 km (73,000 mi), surpassing Zheng He with about 50,000 km (31,000 mi) and Marco Polo with 24,000 km (15,000 mi). There have been doubts over the historicity of some of Ibn Battuta's travels, particularly as they reach farther East.

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.