February 25

It has often been recognized that in certain families the apple does not fall far from the tree. The two Adams presidents as well as the two Bush presidents are but two examples that spring to mind. Another is the Parker family. No, not the Parker of fountain pen fame. I refer to Sir Hyde Parker who was born on the 25th in 1714. He became Vice-admiral of the British navy. His son, Hyde Parker, Jr. was also Vice-admiral of the British navy, followed in short order by his son, Hyde Parker, III who also became Vice-admiral of the British navy. This apparently was done by the British navy to save a couple of dollars on the navy’s stationery costs.

February 24

If you’re considering pursuing a career in national politics, though why anyone in their right mind would want to do that is beyond me, you should begin by building a resume with at least a couple of items of public service in it. Andrew Johnson, 17th president of the United States has the distinction, among others, of having held every non-judicial post in the American political system, a feat not duplicated by anyone else. He was a city councilman, mayor, state representative, state senator, governor, representative, senator, vice-president and president. You would also do well to develop a very thick skin because on the 24th in 1868, Johnson became the first president to be impeached by the House of Representatives. While the Senate would subsequently acquit him, this was the second time around for Johnson because impeachment proceedings against him were also held in 1867.

February 23

When the AEA Silver Dart took to the air from the ice in Baddeck, Nova Scotia on the 23rd in 1909, its flight marked the first controlled powered flight in Canada and the British Empire. This is not to be confused with the Silver Dart (pictured), a proposed alternative to the American Shuttle which is being built by the London, Ontario, Canada firm PlanetSpace with launch facilities on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

February 22

Galileo published his book Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems on the 22nd in 1632. Steven Hawkin has said, “Galileo has probably contributed more to the creation of the modern natural sciences than anyone else.” Hawkin is a brilliant man; there can be little doubt about that. Before he starts mouthing off however, I suggest that he either read the book or have it read to him. Because in Galileo’s book, never once does he mention either the Linux or Windows operating systems, let alone spend any time discussing them.

February 21

On the 21st in 1848, Karl Marx published the Communist Manifesto. It, obviously, has been through many editions and ranks highly on the list of the most widely influential political documents. While the title page credits authorship to both Karl Marx (pictured. no, that is not Jerry Garcia) and Friedrich Engels, no less an authority than Engels himself acknowledges that the work is solely that of Marx. Recent research however has established that the typo on page 278 was the result of Engel’s horrid handwriting. Written in England, courtesy of the good offices of the British Library, where Marx did most of his research, the first edition appeared in German. As of 2007, the British Library was still trying to collect the rent, which Marx neglected to pay in a timely fashion.

February 20

There are some people that you just have to admire, if only for their chutzpah. Michel Collin is just such a man. Collin was a member of the Order of the Sacred Heart and a Roman Catholic priest. Well, he was a member and priest until the day in 1950 when he declared himself Pope Clement XV. Upon his making this declaration, Collin was immediately dismissed from the order and excommunicated by the Church. It seems that neither the Vatican nor anyone else in the Church was involved in Collin’s election to the papacy, and Roman Catholics, particularly those in the papacy and the College of Cardinals, are notorious sticklers for details. Not one to let those little details get in his way, Michel took his role as Pope Clement XV quite seriously. In ministering to his flock, Michael informed them that there would be a worldwide catastrophe on the 20th in 1969. (Think Pat Robertson without the tsunamis and nuclear holocausts but with a specific deadline) When life as he, or everyone else, knew it did not come to a screeching halt and his followers became his detractors, Michel’s response was to accuse his flock of ‘quibbling over dates’.

February 19

Life is a very busy place and unless one is reminded of historic events, there is a tendency to overlook them. Consider the following and mark you calendars accordingly. On March 14, 1942, Drs John Bumstead and Orvan Hess first used penicillin to treat a patent. On April 12, 1955, Dr. Jonas Salk announced his success in creating a vaccine to fight polio. December 2, 1982 was witness to the successful implantation of the world’s first artificial heart into a human. In addition, on the 19th in 1912, prizes were first included in boxes of Cracker Jack.