18 | February | 2015 | M'chelsMusings

Wednesday, the 18th of February, 2015 is the 49th day in 2015 and in the 8th calendar week

General Events:

Losar
February 18, 2015 in Tibet

The word Losar is a Tibetan word for New Year. LO means year and SAR means new. Tibetans celebrate their New Year as Losar. The Tibetan New Year is commemorated on the first day of the first month of the Tibetan lunar calendar, which usually falls in the month of January or February or even in March. It begins February 18 in 2015, February 8 in 2016 and January 28 in 2017. It sometimes falls on the same date as Chinese New Year, but not always.

The Losar festival is considered to be the most significant of all Tibetan festivals. This festival is celebrated in other countries, such as India, Bhutan and Nepal, as well. Celebrated with immense splendor and grandeur, the Tibetan New Year is characterized by its music, dances and a general spirit of merrymaking. One can witness different traditions and rituals followed to mark this religious occasion.

Commemorated with immense splendor and grandeur, the Tibetan New Year is celebrated across 15 days of which the first three days are the most significant. The Buddhists mark the festival as a victory of good over evil. Symbolizing purification and freshness, Losar is a best excuse for the Tibetans to have a grand feasts and celebrations.

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Where is Losar?
Nationwide Tibet

National Battery Day
February 18, 2015 in the USA

National Battery Day is observed on February 18, 2015. Think on that day about the usefulness of the batteries – and charging some up again, if you like. Recognize, just how important the simple battery is to our way of life. In electricity, a battery is a device consisting of one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Batteries have become a common power source for many household and industrial applications.

There are two types of batteries: primary batteries (disposable batteries), which are designed to be used once and discarded, and secondary batteries (rechargeable batteries), which are designed to be recharged and used multiple times. Batteries come in many sizes, from miniature cells used to power hearing aids and wristwatches to battery banks the size of rooms that provide standby power for telephone exchanges and computer data centers.

Where is the event?
Nationwide USA

Cow Milked While Flying in an Airplane Day
February 18, 2015 in the Wisconsin/USA

Today is Elm Farm Ollie Day, also known by the more descriptive title, Cow Milked While Flying In An Airplane Day. On February 18, 1930, a Guernsey cow named Nellie Jay or Elm Farm Ollie was flown from Bismarck, Missouri 72 miles to St. Louis for the International Air Exposition. The flight, besides being a great publicity stunt, was intended to let scientists study the effect of flight on animals.

Elm Farm Ollie was reported to have been an unusually productive Guernsey cow, requiring three milkings a day and producing 24 quarts of milk during the flight itself. Wisconsin native Elsworth W. Bunce milked her, becoming the first man to milk a cow mid-flight. Elm Farm Ollie’s milk was sealed into paper cartons which were parachuted to spectators below.

Although Elm Farm Ollie was born and raised in Bismarck, Missouri, it is largely in the dairy state of Wisconsin where her fame has lived on.

Where is the event?
Nationwide Wisconsin/USA

Natural Events:

February New Moon
February 18, 2015 in EST Eastern Standard Time / UTC-05

On February 18, 2015 the moon reaches its minimum brightness. Therefore it is called new moon. In astronomical terminology, the phrase new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth. At this time, the dark (unilluminated) portion of the Moon faces almost directly toward Earth, so that the Moon is not visible to the naked eye.

The original meaning of the phrase new moon was the first visible crescent of the Moon, after conjunction with the Sun. This takes place over the western horizon in a brief period between sunset and moonset, and therefore the precise time and even the date of the appearance of the new moon by this definition will be influenced by the geographical location of the observer. The astronomical new moon, sometimes known as the dark moon to avoid confusion, occurs by definition at the moment of conjunction in ecliptic longitude with the Sun, when the Moon is invisible from the Earth. This moment is unique and does not depend on location, and under certain circumstances it is coincident with a solar eclipse.

Where is February New Moon?
Eastcoast (North America) EST Eastern Standard Time / UTC-05

Historical Events on 18th February:

1129 – Jerusalem re-taken by Christians in peace treaty between Holy Roman Emperor Frederik II and Egyptian ruler Al-Kamil

1478 – George, Duke of Clarence, convicted of treason against his older brother Edward IV of England, is privately executed in the Tower of London.

1678 – John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” is published in Holborn, London by Nathaniel Ponder

1685 – Fort St. Louis is established by a Frenchman at Matagorda Bay thus forming the basis for France’s claim to Texas

1797 – Trinidad is surrendered to a British fleet under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby.

1861 – King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia becomes 1st King of Italy

1885 – Mark Twain publishes the “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”

1901 – H Cecil Booth patented a dust removing suction cleaner

1911 – The first official flight with air mail takes place in Allahabad, British India, when Henri Pequet, a 23-year-old pilot, delivers 6,500 letters to Naini, about 10 km away.

1921 – British troops occupy Dublin

1927 – US & Canada begin diplomatic relations

1930 – Cow flown & milked, milk sealed in paper containers & parachuted

1930 – US astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto

1951 – Nepal becomes a constitutional monarchy

1962 – France & Algerian Moslems negotiate truce to end 7 year war

1969 – PLO-attack El-Al plane in Zurich Switzerland

1974 – US ambassador to India Daniel Moynihan present $2,046,700,000 check

1979 – Snow falls in Sahara Desert

1998 – Two white separatists are arrested in Nevada and accused of plotting a biological attack on New York City subways

2001 – FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested for spying for the Soviet Union. He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to life in prison