National Public Radio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "National Public Radio (NPR)

National Public Radio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "National Public Radio (NPR) is an independent, private, non-profit membershi organization of public radio stations in the United States.[1] NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson, which established the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and also led to the creation of the Public Broadcasting Service. The network was founded on February 26, 1970, headed by founder Robert Conley with a partnership of journalists, with 30 employees and 90 public radio stations as charter members.

Like its fellow public radio networks American Public Media and Public Radio International, NPR produces and distributes news and cultural programming. Its member stations are not required to broadcast all of these programs and most public radio stations broadcast programs from all three providers. Its flagship programs are two drive time news broadcasts, Morning Edition and the afternoon All Things Considered; both are carried by nearly all NPR affiliates and in 2002 were the second- and third-most popular radio programs in the country. Morning Edition has been the network's most popular program since 1979, but recently it has been overtaken by the automotive Q & A show Car Talk.[citation needed] In a Harris poll conducted in 2005, NPR was voted the most trusted news source in the US"

VOA began broadcasting on February 24, 1942.

Voice of America - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Voice of America, VOA began broadcasting on February 24, 1942. (VOA) is the official international radio and television broadcasting service of the United States federal government. It is vaguely similar to other international broadcasters such as the BBC World Service, Deutsche Welle, Radio Netherlands, Radio France Internationale, Voice of Russia and Radio Canada International, although these other agencies are not fully government-controlled. Its oversight bureau is the International Broadcasting Bureau, which is committed to 'public diplomacy.'

There are also many affiliate and contracted radio stations which carry VOA programs. VOA programs in many of its broadcast languages are also available on the World Wide Web in both streaming media and downloadable formats. VOA formerly was based on a 625-acre site in Union Township (now West Chester Township) in Butler County, Ohio, near Cincinnati. The Bethany Relay Station operated from 1944 to 1994. Other former sites include California (Dixon), Hawaii, Okinawa, Liberia, Costa Rica, and Belize."

Gutenberg Bible - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed from movable type

Gutenberg Bible - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible, and as the Mazarin Bible) is a print of the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible that was printed by Johannes Gutenberg, in Mainz, Germany in the fifteenth century. The printed bible is a possible imitation of a Mainz illuminated manuscript, the so called Giant Bible of Mainz (Biblia latina), whose 1300 pages were written in two years, 1452-53"

AEA Silver Dart - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

AEA Silver Dart - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The Silver Dart (or Aerodrome #4) was an early aircraft which was flown off the ice at Baddeck, Nova Scotia on February 23, 1909. This was the first controlled powered flight in Canada and the British Empire. The plane was piloted by one of its designers, John McCurdy. The original Silver Dart was the fruit of the Aerial Experiment Association formed under the guidance of Alexander Graham Bell.

The frame and structure of the Silver Dart was made of steel tube, bamboo, friction tape, wire, and wood. The wings were covered with rubberized silk balloon-cloth. Its engine was a reliable V-8 that developed 40 hp (26 kW) at 1000 rpm supplied by Glenn Curtiss. The aircraft had no brakes. "

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is a historic photograph taken on February 23, 1945 by Joe Rosenthal. It depicts five United States Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman raising the flag of the United States atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. The photograph was extremely popular, being reprinted in hundreds of publications. Later, it became the only photograph to win the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in the same year as its publication, and ultimately came to be regarded as one of the most significant and recognizable images of the war, and possibly the most reproduced photograph of all time.[1] Of the six men depicted in the picture, three (Franklin Sousley, Harlon Block, and Michael Strank) did not survive the battle; the three survivors (John Bradley, Rene Gagnon, and Ira Hayes) became celebrities upon the publication of the photo. The picture was later used by Felix de Weldon to sculpt the USMC War Memorial, located adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery just outside Washington, D.C.

Daytona 500 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1959 Daytona 500

Lee Petty, patriarch of a famous racing family whose most renowned member was his son Richard, won the first Daytona 500 on February 22, 1959 defeating Johnny Beauchamp in a highly unusual manner. Petty and Beauchamp were lapping Joe Weatherly at the finish, when officials initially called Beauchamp the winner as the three cars crossed the line. After reviewing photographs and film of the finish for three days, the call was reversed, and Petty was awarded the win

Daytona 500 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap, 500 mile (805 km) NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule. In 2008, the race will celebrate its 50th running.

The Daytona 500 is widely considered to be NASCAR's most important and prestigious race, and has the largest purse, although it is equivalent to other races on the calendar for championship purposes. It is also the circuit's first race of the year; this phenomenon is virtually unique in sports, which tend to have championships or other major events at the end of the season rather than the start. Since 1995, U.S. television ratings for the Daytona 500 have been the highest for any auto race of the year, surpassing the traditional leader, the Indianapolis 500. The 2006 Daytona 500 attracted the sixth largest average live global TV audience of any sporting event that year with 20 million viewers. [1]

The event serves as the final event of Speedweeks and is known as 'The Great American Race' and the 'Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing.' It is held the third or second Sunday in February, and since 1971, has been loosely associated with Presidents Day weekend."

CF-105 Arrow - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CF-105 Arrow - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The Avro CF-105 Arrow was a delta-wing interceptor aircraft, designed and built by Avro Aircraft Ltd. in Malton, Ontario, Canada, as the culmination of a design study that began in 1953. Emerging in 1957 in the shadow of the Sputnik launch and a government reappraisal of air defense needs, the Avro Arrow faced an uncertain future. After beginning its flight test program in 1958, the first five examples were undergoing proving and service evaluation trials when the CF-105 Arrow, and its accompanying Orenda Iroquois jet engine program, was abruptly cancelled in 1959, sparking a long and bitter political debate."

NASCAR - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the NEXTEL Cup, the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. It also oversees NASCAR Regional Racing, the Whelen Modified Tour, and the Whelen All-American Series. NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 38 states, Canada, and Mexico. From 1996 to 1998, NASCAR held exhibition races in Japan, and an exhibition race in Australia in 1988.

NASCAR - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "NASCAR was founded by William France Sr. on February 21, 1948 with the help of several other drivers at the time. The points system was written on a barroom napkin. The sanctioning body hosted their first event at the Daytona beach on February 15, 1948. Red Byron beat Marshall Teague in the Modified division race. NASCAR had several divisions in its early years."

DNA - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

DNA - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "In 1953, based on X-ray diffraction images[122] taken by Rosalind Franklin and the information that the bases were paired, James D. Watson and Francis Crick suggested[122] what is now accepted as the first accurate model of DNA structure in the journal Nature.[5] Experimental evidence for Watson and Crick's model were published in a series of five articles in the same issue of Nature [123]. Of these, Franklin and Raymond Gosling's paper[124] saw the publication of the X-ray diffraction image which was key in Watson and Crick interpretation, as well as another article, co-authored by Maurice Wilkins and his colleagues.[125] Franklin and Gosling's subsequent paper identified the distinctions between the A and B structures of the double helix in DNA.[126] In 1962 Watson, Crick, and Maurice Wilkins jointly received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine."

Steam locomotive - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Steam locomotive - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "



A steam locomotive is a locomotive powered by steam. The term usually refers to its use on railways, but can also refer to a 'road locomotive' such as a traction engine or steamroller.

Steam locomotives were the dominant form of rail traction from the mid 19th century until the mid 20th century, after which they were superseded by diesel and electric locomotives."

In 1802 Trevithick built one of his high pressure steam engines to drive an automatic hammer at the Pen-y-Daren iron works near Merthyr in South Wales. With the assistance of Rees Jones, an employee of the iron works and under the supervision of Samuel Homfray, the proprietor, he mounted the engine on a wagon chassis and turned it into a locomotive. In 1803 Trevithick sold the patents for his railway locomotives to Samuel Homfray.

Homfray was so impressed with Trevithick's locomotive that he made a bet with another ironmaster, Richard Crawshay, for 500 guineas that Trevithick's steam locomotive could haul 10 tons of iron along the Merthyr Tramroad from Penydarren to Abercynon, a distance of 9.75 miles (16 km). Amid great interest from the public, on 21 February 1804 it successfully carried 10 tons of iron, 5 wagons and 70 men the full distance in 4 hours and 5 minutes, an average speed of nearly 5 mph. As well as Homfray, Crawshay and the passengers, other witnesses included Mr. Giddy, a respected patron of Trevithick and an engineer from the Government'^[7]. The engineer from the Government was probably a safety inspector and particularly interested in the boiler's ability to withstand high steam pressures.

Ash Wednesday - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ash Wednesday - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "In the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days before Easter. It falls on different dates from year to year, according to the date of Easter; it can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10. Ash Wednesday can fall on Leap Day only during a leap year for which April 15 is Easter Sunday. The next time Ash Wednesday will fall on Leap Day will be in 2096, the first such year since the 1582 adoption of the Gregorian Calendar.

At Masses and services of worship on this day, worshippers are blessed with ashes by the celebrating priest or minister. The priest or minister marks the forehead of each participant with black ashes, in the shape of a cross, which the worshipper traditionally retains until washing it off after sundown. In many Christian churches, the minister of ashes may also be a layperson or non-clergyman. The symbolism echoes the ancient Near Eastern tradition of throwing ash over one's head signifying repentance before God"

Mardi Gras - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mardi Gras - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Mardi Gras (French for 'Fat Tuesday') is the day before Ash Wednesday, and is also called 'Shrove Tuesday' or 'Pancake Day'. It is the final day of Carnival (English:IPA: [kaː(ɹ)nɨvəl]). It is a celebration that is held just before the beginning of the Christian liturgical season of Lent."

Shrove Tuesday - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shrove Tuesday - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Shrove Tuesday is the term used in the English-speaking countries of the United Kingdom[1], Ireland[2], and Australia[3] to refer to the day after Collop Monday and before Ash Wednesday (the liturgical season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday). In these countries, and amongst Anglicans in Canada, this day is also known as Pancake Day, because it is customary to eat pancakes on this day.[4][5][6] In other parts of the world—for example, in historically Catholic and French-speaking parts of the United States and elsewhere—this day is called Mardi Gras, and in areas with large Polish-immigrant populations (for example, Chicago and Detroit) it is known as Paczki Day.

The French also have a festival associated with pancakes (Crêpes) which is held on February 2 each year. This festival is called Chandeleur and is a celebration of light (the name is derived from the word 'chandelle' which also gave the English word 'candle'. The festival is known as Candlemas in English). It is thought that pancakes are associated to this celebration because of the solar symbolic of their shape and colour. The traditional food for Mardi Gras are sweet fried dumplings usually served in the shape of a loose knot or a 5cm wide, 20cm long strip of dough one extremity of which is passed through a slit in its middle.

The reason that pancak"

Elm Farm Ollie - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Elm Farm Ollie - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Elm Farm Ollie (known as 'Nellie Jay' and post-flight as 'Sky Queen') was the first cow to fly in an airplane, doing so on 18 February 1930, as part of the International Air Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. On the same trip, which covered 72 miles from Bismarck, Missouri, to St. Louis, she also became the first cow milked in flight. This was done ostensibly to allow scientists to observe midair effects on animals, as well as for publicity purposes. A St. Louis newspaper trumpeted her mission as being 'to blaze a trail for the transportation of livestock by air.'"

List of historical anniversaries - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of historical anniversaries - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Condensed list of historical anniversaries."

Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "This set of pages serve as a queue of selected anniversaries in history taken from each day of the year's events and holidays/ observances section and from current Jewish, Islamic, and other lunar-based calendars. The selected anniversaries queue is used to help facilitate and coordinate updates to the 'Selected anniversaries' section on the Main Page. Be bold while improving this queue but please make sure you follow the guidelines. Also please note, although anniversary listings on individual date articles are written in the present tense, please write each 'selected anniversary listing' in the past tense. The tense change is due to the fact that the Main Page has current events and past ones on the same page."

Valentine's Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Valentine's Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Saint Valentine's Day or Valentine's Day is on February 14. It is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other; sending Valentine's cards or candy. It is very common to present flowers on Valentine's Day. The holiday is named after two men, both Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of 'valentines.' Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards. The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines"