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 Space Shuttle, which is being built by the London, Ontario, Canada firm PlanetSpace, and which will be launched from their facility 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

Waldo Dean Waterman was a man with a vision. He was born in 1894 and became quite interested in both airplanes and cars. In 1917, he built a flying car. It was exhibited, though it never flew. It had sparked his imagination however and he kept at it until he built one that flew. On the 21st in 1937, in response to the federal government’s call for the Model T of the air, Waterman’s dream of an airplane-car hybrid was realized when his Arrowbile took to the air.

February 20

Farming is an endeavor that, if you pay attention to your world, has few real surprises and generally, you can rely on one day being as familiar and comfortable as any other day. You can rely on the seeds that you have planted growing to maturity and providing you with food to serve to your family and sell at a market. This assumes, of course, that you pay attention to the demands of the seeds. Life takes on a comfortable and comforting rhythm. Occasionally however, there are days when something you had not planted grows and then unexpected and extraordinary things begin to happen. The 20th in 1943 was just such a day for Dionisio Pulido, a Mexican farmer, and his family. As the small group was plowing their fields in Paricutín a town in the Mexican state of Michoacán, they noticed a very strange thing in one field. Lava and ash began erupting from the ground. Within a year, Dionisio had grown a volcano that reached an elevation of over 10,000 feet.

February 19

Nicolaus Copernicus was born on the 19th in 1473. As I am certain you know, he became a bit of a big shot in the field of astronomy. His book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, generally referred to as On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), was first printed in 1543 in Nuremberg. In that book, as Dava Sobel points out in her book Galileo’s Daughter, Copernicus, goes out of his way to do his bit to make our solar system just a bit more relaxed (page 50). Sobel points out that Copernicus “saved the enormous Sun the trouble of traipsing all the way around the smaller earth from morning till evening. Likewise the vast distant realm of the stars could now lie still, instead of having to wheel overhead even more rapidly than the Sun every single day.” Wasn’t that a very considerate thing for Copernicus to have done?

February 18

The filibuster is a tool that members of a government can use to extend a debate on issues facing the governing body. The provisions for a filibuster that are written into the rules of our Senate do not require that those speaking during a filibuster remain on-topic and they can talk about whatever they feel like. This provision must have struck someone as a particularly good idea. It was, however, a theoretical option until the 18th in 1841, when the Democratic minority tried to block a bank bill favored by the Whig majority by using this political tactic. Senator Henry Clay, a promoter of the bill, threatened to change Senate rules to allow the majority to close debate. Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton (pictured) rebuked Clay for trying to stifle the Senate's right to unlimited debate and Clay was unsuccessful in eliminating the filibuster with a simple majority vote. The filibuster would last until March 11.

February 17

It has often been said that if you want to get something done you should give the task to a busy person. Chiara Offreduccio was a very busy and a very devote woman. A Roman Catholic, she became a nun and adopted the name Claire of Assisi. While Pope Alexander IV may have canonized her on September 26, 1255, she didn’t really hit the big time until the 17th in 1958, when Pope Pius XII made her the patron saint of television. This added one more thing to her long list of responsibilities as she was already the patroness of clairvoyance, eyes, eye disease, goldsmiths, laundry, embroiders, gilders, gold, good weather, needle workers, Santa Clara Pueblo, telephones, and telegraphs.