February 14th

Before you bang your head against a wall, let me tell you that this is NOT another dreaded Valentine’s Day post. The blogosphere is already inundated with more than enough lovers prattling on about the great V-Day. Instead I’m going to share some other things that happened on February 14th, sourced from the great online Oracle, Wikipedia :D

1849 - In New York City, James Knox Polk becomes the first serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken. (...and the first paparazzi was born)

1855 - Texas linked by telegraph with the rest of the United States, with the completion of a connection between New Orleans and Marshall, Texas. (...a time before the mobile phone)

1859 - Oregon admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.

1876 - Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone, as does Elisha Gray. (...can anyone imagine a world without the telephone today.)

1886 - First trainload of oranges left Los Angeles via the transcontinental railroad. (Oranges??? didn't they have anything better to send?)

1899 - Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.

1900 - Second Boer War: In South Africa, 20,000 British troops invade the Orange Free State. (Does the Brits have something against Free Oranges?)

1912 - Arizona admitted as the 48th U.S. state.

1912 - In Groton, Connecticut, the first diesel-powered submarine is commissioned.

1919 - The Polish-Soviet War begins.

1920 - The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago, Illinois.

1924 - The International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is founded. ( Me thinks we should have IBM day instead…)

1929 - St. Valentine's Day Massacre: Seven people, six of them gangster rivals of Al Capone's gang, are murdered in Chicago, Illinois. (Must have been fun :P)

1942 - Battle of Pasir Panjang contributes to the fall of Singapore.

1949 - The Knesset (Israeli parliament) first convenes.

1961 - Discovery of the chemical elements: Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized at the University of California.

1979 - In Kabul, Muslims kidnap the American ambassador to Afghanistan, Adolph Dubs who is later killed during a gunfight between his kidnappers and police.

1990 - 92 people are killed aboard Indian Airlines Flight 605 at Bangalore, India.

2005 - Lebanon's former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri, is assassinated, prompting the country to fall into chaos and devisions.

2005 - Seven people were killed and 151 wounded in a series of bombings by suspected Al-Qaeda-linked militants that hit the Philippines' Makati financial district in Metro Manila, Davao City, and General Santos City.

The most obvious one of course is the death of St. Valentine around 270 AD


Shocker aint it. The world doesn’t stop on Valentine’s day :P

This is just a selection of events. For the complete list visit here.

All are welcome to add any interesting events that happened on the 14th, in Sri Lanka or anywhere around the world.

If you are looking for a Valentines on the dark side, this might just be it. “My Bloody Valentine” on the 17th of February, Sunday from 5pm to 9pm @ the Zetter, featuring three superbly excellent local metal bands, Stigmata, Paranoid Earthling and Swords of the Spirit.

Check Theena’s blog for the poster

Cheers y’all





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