Tuesday, February 28, 2017

ΣΥΝΑΥΛΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΣΥΜΦΩΝΙΚΗΣ ΟΡΧΗΣΤΡΑΣ ΤΟΥ ΔΗΜΟΥ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗΣ ΣΤΟ ΜΕΓΑΡΟ ΜΟΥΣΙΚΗΣ

Συναυλία με έργα των Samuel Barber, Ντίνου Κωνσταντινίδη, Θάνου Μικρούτσικου και Μπετόβεν, υπό τη διεύθυνση της Marta Gardolinska, θα δώσει η Συμφωνική Ορχήστρα του Δήμου Θεσσαλονίκης, την Τρίτη 7 Μαρτίου 2017, στις 21.00, στο Μέγαρο Μουσικής Θεσσαλονίκης (Κτίριο Μ2, Αίθουσα «Αιμίλιος Ριάδης»).

Στο πρώτο μέρος θα παρουσιαστεί το έργο του Samuel Barber «Adagio για ορχήστρα εγχόρδων», το έργο «Music for Bill» του Ντίνου Κωνσταντινίδη και το έργο του Θάνου Μικρούτσικου «For sax and dreams and love and dreams», ενώ στο δεύτερο μέρος η Ορχήστρα θα ερμηνεύσει τη Συμφωνία αρ.7, σε Λα μείζονα, op.92 του L. van Beethoven με σολίστ στο σαξόφωνο, τον Θεόφιλο Σωτηριάδη.

Οι τιμές των εισιτηρίων διαμορφώνονται στα 10€ (κανονικό) και στα 5€ (μαθητικό - φοιτητικό - κάτοχοι κάρτας ανεργίας).

Ο Θεσσαλονικιός που δημιούργησε

τον online οδηγό κατά της... πείνας!

Μαθαίνοντας τα βασικά στοιχεία για το «στήσιμο» μιας ιστοσελίδας και χρησιμοποιώντας διάφορες πλατφόρμες δημιουργίας site στο διαδίκτυο που είναι δωρεάν, αποφάσισε να κάνει την δική του καινοτόμα ιδέα... πράξη.

Ποια είναι αυτή;

Να καταγράψει σε μια ηλεκτρονική πλατφόρμα όλες τις καντίνες της χώρας. Όπως αναφέρει ο 29χρονος Παναγιώτης Παπαδόπουλος στο www.ka-business.gr η ιδέα για το kantines-online προέκυψε ένα βράδυ πριν περίπου ένα χρόνο, ένα βράδυ που ο ίδιος και η παρέα του αναζητούσαν ένα μέρος να... φάνε.

Σκέφτηκε τότε, πως δεν υπάρχει κάποια εφαρμογή στην Ελλάδα που να προσφέρει στους χρήστες της πληροφορίες για όλες τις καντίνες που υπάρχουν σε παραλίες και εθνικές οδους της Ελλάδας.

Έτσι, πήρε ο ίδιος την απόφαση να δημιουργήσει την πλατφόρμα αυτή. «Σκοπός της σελίδας είναι να ενημερώνει τον κόσμο σχετικά με τις καντίνες και να τον καθοδηγεί πως μπορεί να φτάσει εύκολα και γρήγορα» αναφέρει στο www.ka-business.gr ο κ. Παπαδόπουλος.

Σύμφωνα με τον εμπνευστή της ιστοσελίδας πρόκειται για έναν χάρτη- οδηγό που... γιατρεύει την πείνα, αφού εκτός από τα σημεία που μπορεί κανείς να βρει μια καντίνα, διατίθενται στον χρήστη στοιχεια επικοινωνίας για την καντίνα, το μενού αλλά και φωτογραφίες των καντινών.

Ο Παναγιώτης Παπαδόπουλος γεννήθηκε στα Γιαννιτσά και μένει με την σύζυγό του στην Θεσσαλονίκη. Είναι ιδιωτικός υπάλληλος σε μια εταιρία και έχει σπουδάσει λογιστική.

«Το internet είναι ένα πολύ χρήσιμο εργαλείο. Διάβασα τυχαία πως θα μπορούσα να κάνω μια ιστοσελίδα και ξεκίνησα να πειραματίζομαι. Ένα βράδυ ενώ έτρωγα σε μια καντίνα σκέφτηκα ότι δεν υπάρχει μια τέτοια πλατφόρμα. Έτσι ξεκίνησα» λέει ο κ. Παπαδόπουλος.

Σύμφωνα με τον ίδιο το πιο δύσκολο κομμάτι ήταν να βρει όλες τις καντίνες της Ελλάδας. Ξεκίνησε, όπως διηγείται, με το αυτοκίνητό του και έβρισκε καντίνες, τις φωτογράφιζε και μιλούσε με τους ιδιοκτήτες του. Στην πορεία βέβαια, και αφού διαπίστωσε πως πρόκειται για ένα δύσκολο εγχείρημα ξεκίνησε να παίρνει τηλέφωνα.

Μέχρι σήμερα το www.kantines-online.gr «φιλοξενεί» περισσότερες από 40 καντίνες με τον Παναγιώτη Παπαδόπουλο να ελπίζει πως στο επόμενο διάστημα θα καταγράψει στην πλατφόρμα του ΟΛΕΣ τις καντίνες που υπάρχουν στην Ελλάδα. «Οι καντίνες σε όλη την Ελλάδα είναι πάρα πολλές. Σκοπός μου είναι να εξυπηρετείται ο κόσμος. Στο επόμενο διάστημα σχεδιάζω να κυκλοφορήσω και την αντίστοιχη εφαρμογή για smartphones για να μπορούν οι χρήστες ανά ώρα και στιγμή με ένα άγγιγμα να εντοπίζουν το πλησιέστερο σε αυτούς σημείο όπου υπάρχει κάποια καντίνα» καταλήγει ο κ. Παπαδόπουλος.

ΦΕΣΤΙΒΑΛ ΠΑΤΣΑ ΣΤΗΝ DETROP

Από αριστερά ο εκπρόσωπος της ΠΟΒΑΚΩ, κ. Πέτρος Καλπακίδης, ο αναπληρωτής γενικός διευθυντής της ΔΕΘ-Helexpo, κ. Αλέξης Τσαξιρλής, ο πρόεδρος της ΔΕΘ-Helexpo, κ.Τάσος Τζήκας,η υφυπουργός Μακεδονίας Θράκης, κα Μαρία Κόλλια-Τσαρουχά, ο διευθύνων σύμβουλος της ΔΕΘ-Helexpo, κ. Κυριάκος Ποζρικίδης και η υπεύθυνη των Detrop-Oenos, κα Σέβη Καφφά.

Πλήρης εκθέσεων ο Μάρτιος σε Θεσσαλονίκη και Αθήνα

Έρχονται Detrop-Oenos, Infacoma-Aquatherm

και Ελλήνων Κόσμημα με περισσότερους από 1.100 εκθέτες

Πλήρης εκθέσεων ξεκινά ο Μάρτιος, καθώς τρεις διοργανώσεις της ΔΕΘ-Helexpo –οι δύο εκ των οποίων διπλές- πραγματοποιούνται παράλληλα σε Θεσσαλονίκη και Αθήνα τις επόμενες ημέρες. Detrop-Oenos, Infacoma-Aquatherm και Ελλήνων Κόσμημα, με περισσότερους από 1.100 εκθέτες, έρχονται με τα ενισχυμένα μεγέθη τους να εκπροσωπήσουν σημαντικούς κλάδους της ελληνικής οικονομίας.

Το εκθεσιακό «δίδυμο» των Detrop-Oenos θα καλύψει φέτος συνολικά 11 περίπτερα έναντι 6 περιπτέρων στην προηγούμενη διοργάνωση, συγκεντρώνοντας 700 εκθέτες έναντι 530 το 2015. Παράλληλα, θα συμμετάσχουν 300 προσκεκλημένοι ξένοι αγοραστές-εμπορικοί επισκέπτες (hosted buyers) από 36 χώρες, μεταξύ των οποίων οι Αλβανία, Βουλγαρία, FYROM, Κύπρος, Γερμανία, Βέλγιο, Ινδία, Ιταλία, Ελβετία, Νορβηγία, Σουηδία, Αυστρία, Γαλλία, Πολωνία, Ισπανία, Ρουμανία, Ουγγαρία, Ολλανδία, Αγγλία, ΗΠΑ, Δανία, Σλοβενία, Ουκρανία, Λουξεμβούργο, Τουρκία, Αίγυπτος, Ηνωμένα Αραβικά Εμιράτα, Ρωσία, Πορτογαλία, Καναδάς, Ιαπωνία κα. Συνολικά, αναμένεται να πραγματοποιηθούν 5.500 επιχειρηματικά ραντεβού.

H Detrop και η Oenos έχουν στο επίκεντρο τους δύο μεγάλα θεματικά αφιερώματα. Το πρώτο θα εστιάσει στο ελαιόλαδο και την ελιά και το δεύτερο στα αποστάγματα. Οι δύο εκθέσεις πλαισιώνονται από καινοτόμες παράλληλες εκδηλώσεις (συνεργάτης σε αυτές είναι η εταιρεία Places & Flavors), όπως τα Pop-Up Restaurants, αναδυόμενα θεματικά εστιατόρια και το Corner Showroom «It’s All New to Me», ένας ειδικά διαμορφωμένος χώρος μέσα στην Detrop, όπου θα προβάλλονται νέα ελληνικά προϊόντα, έτοιμα προς εξαγωγή. Για πρώτη φορά θα διοργανωθεί Φεστιβάλ Πατσά, ενώ θα πραγματοποιηθεί και ο 10ος Διεθνής Διαγωνισμός Μαγειρικής Ν.Α. Ευρώπης, μια συνδιοργάνωση με τη Λέσχη Αρχιμαγείρων Βορείου Ελλάδος.

Στο ίδιο διάστημα, από τις 2 έως τις 5 Μαρτίου, στο εκθεσιακό κέντρο Helexpo Maroussi στην Αθήνα θα πραγματοποιηθεί το εκθεσιακό «δίδυμο» Infacoma-Aquatherm. Οι δύο εκθέσεις συγκεντρώνουν 200 εκθέτες, συμμετοχές από 17 χώρες και αναπτύσσονται σε εκθεσιακό χώρο 10.000 τμ. Η Infacoma στα 33 χρόνια ζωής της έχει καθορίσει όσο καμία άλλη τις τάσεις του κλάδου της δόμησης και των κατασκευών, ενώ η διεθνούς φήμης Aquatherm εκπροσωπεί τους τομείς της οικιακής & βιομηχανικής θέρμανσης, κλιματισμού & εξαερισμού, διαχείρισης νερού, ύδρευσης & αποχέτευσης, ενέργειας και εξοπλισμού για εγκαταστάσεις σε σπα, σάουνες και πισίνες. Οι προσκεκλημένοι εμπορικοί επισκέπτες των Infacoma και Aquatherm προέρχονται, μεταξύ άλλων, από Ρωσία, Αίγυπτο, Λιβύη, Βουλγαρία και Σουηδία και προβλέπεται να πραγματοποιήσουν πάνω από 500 επιχειρηματικές συναντήσεις με τους εκθέτες. Η ομαδική συμμετοχή επιχειρήσεων-μελών του Επιμελητηρίου της Timisoara Ρουμανίας, ξεχωρίζει μεταξύ των ξένων εμπορικών επισκεπτών, ενώ σε συνεργασία με την Ομοσπονδία Βιοτεχνών Υδραυλικών Ελλάδας προσκλήθηκαν περισσότεροι από 250 επαγγελματίες από όλη την Ελλάδα.

Οι Infacoma-Aquatherm, που διοργανώνονται από κοινού με την Be-Best, απολαμβάνουν της υποστήριξης της Πανελλήνιας Ομοσπονδίας Βιοτεχνών Αλουμινοσιδηροκατασκευαστών, της Πανελλήνιας Ομοσπονδίας Εμπόρων & Βιοτεχνών Υαλοπινάκων, του Συνδέσμου Ελλήνων Κατασκευαστών Αλουμινίου και της Ομοσπονδίας Βιοτεχνών Υδραυλικών Ελλάδος.

Παράλληλα, στην Αθήνα και στο εκθεσιακό κέντρο Metropolitan Expo αυτή τη φορά, θα διοργανωθεί από τις 3 έως τις 6 Μαρτίου η Ελλήνων Κόσμημα, η μεγαλύτερη έκθεση κοσμήματος και ωρολογίων των Βαλκανίων. Με τη συμμετοχή των δυναμικότερων brands της αγοράς, η έκθεση αναπτύσσεται σε 12.000 τμ. και φιλοξενεί περισσότερες από 270 εταιρείες από την Ελλάδα και το εξωτερικό. Οι ξένοι εκθέτες προέρχονται από Σουηδία, Κύπρο, Βέλγιο, Ινδία, ΗΠΑ και Τουρκία, ενώ η φετινή διοργάνωση συγκεντρώνει όλες τις νέες τάσεις και τα σχέδια σε κόσμημα και ρολόι, τις τελευταίες εξελίξεις στον τομέα της παραγωγής κοσμήματος, καθώς και καινούργιες προτάσεις παρουσίασης κοσμημάτων.

«Τρέχει» η ΔΕΘ-Helexpo

«Ο Μάρτιος είναι ο σημαντικότερος εκθεσιακός μήνας για μας» σημείωσε ο πρόεδρος της ΔΕΘ-Helexpo, κ. Τάσος Τζήκας σε σημερινή συνέντευξη Τύπου ενόψει των τριών διοργανώσεων. Αναφερόμενος δε στην εκθεσιακή παρουσία στην Αθήνα, σημείωσε πως η εταιρεία έχει ανοίξει τα «φτερά» της σε όλη την Ελλάδα.

Από την πλευρά της η υφυπουργός Μακεδονίας Θράκης, κα Μαρία Κόλλια-Τσαρουχά, τόνισε πως με τις παράλληλες διοργανώσεις δημιουργείται ένα πλαίσιο που πολλαπλασιάζει το ενδιαφέρον επισκεπτών και εκθετών.

Την έντονη εκθεσιακή δραστηριότητα της εταιρείας υπογράμμισε με τη σειρά του ο διευθύνων σύμβουλος της ΔΕΘ-Helexpo, κ. Κυριάκος Ποζρικίδης, αναφέροντας πως μέχρι τον Ιούνιο θα «τρέξουν» 15 εκθέσεις από τον εθνικό εκθεσιακό φορέα.

Μια από τις δυναμικότερες της Ευρώπης είναι η ελληνική αργυροχρυσοχοΐα, σύμφωνα με τον εκπρόσωπο της Πανελλήνιας Ομοσπονδίας Βιοτεχνών Αργυροχρυσοχόων, Κοσμηματοπωλών-Ωρολογοπωλών (ΠΟΒΑΚΩ) και πρόεδρο του Συλλόγου Κοσμηματοπωλών-Ωρολογοπωλών Θεσσαλονίκης, κ. Πέτρο Καλπακίδη. Μάλιστα, ο ίδιος εκτίμησε πως η φετινή Ελλήνων Κόσμημα θα ανεβάσει και πάλι τον πήχη των επισκεπτών.

Τις μεγάλες δυνατότητες του εθνικού εκθεσιακού φορέα αποδεικνύουν οι παράλληλες διοργανώσεις αυτού του διαστήματος, όπως τόνισε ο αναπληρωτής γενικός διευθυντής της ΔΕΘ-Helexpo, κ. Αλέξης Τσαξιρλής, ενώ η υπεύθυνη της Detrop-Oenos, κα Σέβη Καφφά, σημείωσε πως παρά τις δύσκολες οικονομικές συνθήκες οι εκθέτες συνεχίζουν να στηρίζουν και να εμπιστεύονται τη διοργάνωση.

********************Eξαιρετικα πρωτοτυπη η ιδεα τηςΔΕΘ να προωθησει διεθνως τον πατσα και η προσφορα στους δημοσιογραφους μετα την χθεσινη συνεντευξη τυπου πατσα,που προσεφερε η επιχειρηση ΤΣΑΡΟΥΧΑ που συμπληρωνει 65 χρονια προσφορας στην Θεσσαλονικη και στην γαστρονομια.

ΣΤΑ ΟΣΚΑΡ Η ΧΡΟΥΣΑΛΑ

Στα Οσκαρ η Μαριέττα Χρουσαλά!

Μέσω του προσωπικού της λογαριασμού στο Instagram δημοσίευσε φωτογραφία ποζάροντας με δημιουργία υψηλής ραπτικής δια χειρός της καλής της φίλης, Σήλιας Κριθαριώτη.

Μια μαύρη, εξώπλατη τουαλέτα με παγιέτες. Η Μαριέττα Χρουσαλά με την δημοσίευσή της θέλησε με τον δικό της τρόπο να ευχαριστήσει την σχεδιάστρια για την μοναδική της δημιουργία.

Kάθε φορά, με μοναδικό τρόπο η σχεδιάστρια επιμελείται την εμφάνισή της.

Επίσκεψη του βασιλιά της Σ. Αραβίας στην Ινδονησία -Με αποσκευές 459 τόνων

Επίσκεψη «μετακόμιση» του βασιλιά της Σ. Αραβίας στην Ινδονησία -Με αποσκευές 459 τόνων

-A +A

Περισσότερο μετακόμιση παρά επίσκεψη θυμίζει το ταξίδι του

βασιλιά της Σαουδικής Αραβίας στην Ινδονησία.

Αρκεί να αναλογιστεί κανείς ότι για την επίσκεψη των εννέα ημερών ο βασιλιάς

Σαλμάν μπιν Αμπντούλ Αζίζ θα πάρει μαζί του αποσκευές 459 τόνων, που

περιλαμβάνουν δύο λιμουζίνες Mercedes-Benz S600 και δύο ηλεκτρικούς

ανελκυστήρες, σύμφωνα με τα ΜΜΕ στην Ινδονησία, όπως γράφει η

Washington Post.

Μάλιστα, η αεροπορική εταιρεία που έχει αναλάβει τη μεταφορά του φορτίου θα

επιστρατεύσει 572 υπαλλήλους για να χειριστούν τις αποσκευές του βασιλιά!

Για τα μέλη της βασιλικής οικογένειας της Σαουδικής Αραβίας τέτοια μεγαλοπρεπή

ταξίδια μόνο σπάνιο φαινόμενο δεν είναι. Αλλωστε, ο ίδιος ο Σαλμάν είχε κλείσει

ολόκληρο το Four Seasons- των 222 δωματίων- κατά την επίσκεψή του στην

Ουάσινγκτον το 2015.

Την ίδια χρονιά είχε πάει στη Γαλλική Ριβιέρα για τρεις ημέρες, με συνοδεία 1.000

ατόμων. Τότε, ο δήμαρχος της περιοχής είχε διαμαρτυρηθεί γιατί οι Σαουδάραβες

είχαν ρίξει τσιμέντο στην παραλία, δίχως άδεια, σε μία προσπάθεια να

εγκαταστήσουν ανελκυστήρα, προκειμένου να εξυπηρετείται ο βασιλιάς.

Πάντως, με αντίστοιχη μεγάλη συνοδεία αναμένεται να φτάσει αυτή την

εβδομάδα και στην Ινδονησία. Η Jakarta Post έγραψε ότι μαζί του θα ταξιδέψουν

περίπου 1.500 άτομα, ανάμεσά τους 10 υπουργοί, 25 πρίγκιπες και τουλάχιστον

100 σωματοφύλακες.

DARK SENSE OF HUMOR IN BHUTAN

What the signs lack in punctuation, they make up for by being consistently memorable, thanks to a neat turn of phrase that’s perhaps unexpected from the pens of bureaucrats.

The Land of The Thunder Dragon, as the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan’s full name translates into English, has famously embraced modern life at a considerably slower pace than much of the rest of the world.

Television and the internet only arrived in 1999, with mobile phone networks coming four years later. And unbelievably, it wasn’t until 1960 that construction began on the country’s very first road. Until then, the only way to get around Bhutan was via the footpaths and mule tracks that criss-cross the breathtaking mountain landscape.

But more than 1,500km of roads have been built since then, and there’s a particular and unexpected pleasure for those driving them today: some very quirky roadside signs.

Variously funny, blunt and occasionally profound, they form part of Project Dantak, an Indian government-funded initiative by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which for more than half a century has helped Bhutan’s steady path towards modernisation through construction and development projects.

In Bhutan’s second city of Paro, home to the country’s only airport, just 12 pilots are permitted to manually land on the short runway that seems to appear from nowhere between the mountains. At a nearby bend in the road underneath the flight path, where cars pull over for the perfect view of the city’s 17th-Century Ta-Dzong watchtower, drivers will see a poetic warning of the perils of drink driving, a common theme among Bhutan’s road signs:

(Credit: Chris Dwyer)

The signs are in English and occasionally also in Dzhongka, Bhutan’s official language. What they lack in punctuation, they make up for by being consistently memorable, thanks to a neat turn of phrase that’s perhaps unexpected from the pens of bureaucrats.

(Credit: Chris Dwyer)

With just 75,000 cars for the total population of 750,000 – in a country the size of Switzerland – the roads are usually pretty empty. There’s also not much in the way of traffic signals. The capital Thimphu was home to Bhutan’s sole traffic light – for just 24 hours. It was quickly removed to be replaced by a now famous policeman who directs traffic with flamboyant, white-gloved hand movements from the middle of what is one of the city’s busiest streets. Not that you’d know it.

(Credit: Chris Dwyer)

Along the invariably winding mountain roads, speeding is another regular theme. The rhyme playbook is bought out again with ‘Going faster will see disaster’ or the slightly less terrifying ‘On the bend, go slow friend’.

The warnings can also be blunt in the extreme – especially when they raise the prospect of not seeing out the end of your journey. ‘Life is a journey, complete it’ or ‘Time is money, but life is precious’ leave no doubt as to the goal of making it home in one piece.

Rhyming may be taken to the limits of credibility with ‘Don't hurry, be cool, since heaven is already full’ but the message is again clear.

Project Dantak seems to have some romantics in its ranks, reminding drivers of their loved ones to ensure that speed limits are adhered to:

(Credit: Chris Dwyer)

But it’s two road signs in remote southeast Bhutan that take some beating when it comes to humour. It’s clearly a part of the country where tardiness is not an issue if it means getting to your destination in one piece:

(Credit: Yeshey Dorji)

While this one leaves little to the imagination:

(Credit: Yeshey Dorji)

Elsewhere, the road from Thimphu to the former capital of Punakha passes one of the world’s most beautiful rest stops at the Dochula Pass, where the Jigme Singye Wangchuck Himalayan range and national park provide the horizon.

But as all careful Bhutanese drivers know, ‘Mountains are pleasure only if you drive with leisure’.

(Credit: Chris Dwyer)

It’s not just road safety that the signs communicate, as a clean environment is clearly a happy one in Bhutan: ‘Don't litter, it will make your life bitter’. There’s even room to quietly show some pride in their work, ‘Smooth road for your smooth ride’.

Over the years, the Border Roads Organisation has also built and maintained roads in other countries neighbouring India, including Afghanistan, Burma and Sri Lanka. Today, they largely employ local workers, but historically, many Indians took on the difficult and dangerous work. Their ability to have a sense of humour in challenging circumstances is clear both in their brilliant road signs and in their mission:

“Let us not forget that roads in this difficult terrain have been built not only with mere cement and concrete, but also with the blood of men of the Border Roads Organisation of India. Many lost their lives for the cause of duty on the project. To these men, who always play with danger and laugh at death, duty comes first.”

It’s a sacrifice that the people of Bhutan continue to value and honour more than half a century on, with more than a few smiles along the way.

(Credit: Chris Dwyer)

EVENTS OF THIS DAY IN THE PAST 28/2

[edit]

202 BC – Coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place thus initiating four centuries of the Han dynasty's rule over China.
628 – Khosrow II is executed by Mihr Hormozd under the orders of Kavadh II.
870 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople closes.
1246 – The siege of Jaén ends in the context of the Spanish Reconquista resulting in the Castilian takeover of the city from the Taifa of Jaen.
1525 – Aztec king Cuauhtémoc is executed on the order of conquistador Hernán Cortés.
1638 – The Scottish National Covenant is signed in Edinburgh.
1700 – Today is followed by March 1 in Sweden, thus creating the Swedish calendar.
1710 – Battle of Helsingborg: 14,000 Danish invaders under Jørgen Rantzau are decisively defeated by an equally sized Swedish force under Magnus Stenbock. This is the last time Swedish and Danish troops meet on Swedish soil.
1784 – John Wesley charters the Methodist Church.
1827 – The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is incorporated, becoming the first railroad in America offering commercial transportation of both people and freight.
1838 – Robert Nelson, leader of the Patriotes, proclaims the independence of Lower Canada (today Quebec).
1844 – A gun on USS Princeton explodes while the boat is on a Potomac River cruise, killing eight people, including two United States Cabinet members.
1847 – The Battle of the Sacramento River during the Mexican–American War is a decisive victory for the United States leading to the capture of Chihuahua.
1849 – Regular steamboat service from the west to the east coast of the United States begins with the arrival of the SS California in San Francisco Bay, four months 22 days after leaving New York Harbor.
1867 – Seventy years of Holy See–United States relations are ended by a Congressional ban on federal funding of diplomatic envoys to the Vatican and are not restored until January 10, 1984.
1870 – The Bulgarian Exarchate is established by decree of Sultan Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire.
1874 – One of the longest cases ever heard in an English court ends when the defendant is convicted of perjury for attempting to assume the identity of the heir to the Tichborne baronetcy.
1885 – The American Telephone and Telegraph Company is incorporated in New York as the subsidiary of American Bell Telephone. (American Bell would later merge with its subsidiary.)
1893 – The USS Indiana, the lead ship of her class and the first battleship in the United States Navy comparable to foreign battleships of the time, is launched.
1897 – Queen Ranavalona III, the last monarch of Madagascar, is deposed by a French military force.
1900 – The Second Boer War: The 118-day "Siege of Ladysmith" is lifted.
1922 – The United Kingdom ends its protectorate over Egypt through a Unilateral Declaration of Independence.
1925 – The Charlevoix-Kamouraska earthquake strikes northeastern North America.
1933 – Gleichschaltung: The Reichstag Fire Decree is passed in Germany a day after the Reichstag fire.
1935 – DuPont scientist Wallace Carothers invents nylon.
1939 – The erroneous word "dord" is discovered in the Webster's New International Dictionary, Second Edition, prompting an investigation.
1940 – Basketball is televised for the first time (Fordham University vs. the University of Pittsburgh in Madison Square Garden).
1942 – The heavy cruiser USS Houston is sunk in the Battle of Sunda Strait with 693 crew members killed, along with HMAS Perth which lost 375 men.
1947 – February 28 Incident: In Taiwan, civil disorder is put down with the loss of an estimated 30,000 civilians.
1948 – Christiansborg Cross-Roads shooting in the Gold Coast, when a British police officer opens fire on a march of ex-servicemen, killing three of them and sparking major riots and looting in Accra.
1953 – James Watson and Francis Crick announce to friends that they have determined the chemical structure of DNA; the formal announcement takes place on April 25 following publication in April's Nature (pub. April 2).
1954 – The first color television sets using the NTSC standard are offered for sale to the general public.
1958 – A school bus in Floyd County, Kentucky hits a wrecker truck and plunges down an embankment into the rain-swollen Levisa Fork river. The driver and 26 children die in what remains one of the worst school bus accidents in U.S. history.
1959 – Discoverer 1, an American spy satellite that is the first object intended to achieve a polar orbit, is launched but fails to achieve orbit.
1972 – Sino-American relations: The United States and People's Republic of China sign the Shanghai Communiqué.
1975 – In London, an underground train fails to stop at Moorgate terminus station and crashes into the end of the tunnel, killing 43 people.
1980 – Andalusia approves its statute of autonomy through a referendum.
1983 – The final episode of M*A*S*H airs, with almost 106 million viewers. It still holds the record for the highest viewership of a season finale.
1985 – The Provisional Irish Republican Army carries out a mortar attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station at Newry, killing nine officers in the highest loss of life for the RUC on a single day.
1986 – Olof Palme, 26th Prime Minister of Sweden, is assassinated in Stockholm.
1991 – The first Gulf War ends.
1993 – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raid the Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas with a warrant to arrest the group's leader David Koresh. Four ATF agents and five Davidians die in the initial raid, starting a 51-day standoff.
1995 – Former Australian Liberal party leader John Hewson resigns from the Australian parliament almost two years after losing the Australian federal election, 1993.
1997 – An earthquake in northern Iran is responsible for about 3,000 deaths.
1997 – GRB 970228, a highly luminous flash of gamma rays, strikes the Earth for 80 seconds, providing early evidence that gamma-ray bursts occur well beyond the Milky Way.
1998 – First flight of RQ-4 Global Hawk, the first unmanned aerial vehicle certified to file its own flight plans and fly regularly in U.S. civilian airspace.
1998 – Kosovo War: Serbian police begin the offensive against the Kosovo Liberation Army in Kosovo.
2002 – During the religious violence in Gujarat, the 97 people killed in the Naroda Patiya massacre and 69 in Gulbarg Society massacre.
2004 – Over one million Taiwanese participating in the 228 Hand-in-Hand rally form a 500-kilometre (310 mi) long human chain to commemorate the February 28 Incident in 1947
2005 – A suicide bombing at a police recruiting centre in Al Hillah, Iraq kills 127.
2013 – Pope Benedict XVI resigns as the pope of the Catholic Church, becoming the first pope to do so since 1415.

Births[edit]

1119 – Emperor Xizong of Jin (d. 1150)
1155 – Henry the Young King, English son of Henry II of England (d. 1183)
1261 – Margaret of Scotland, Queen of Norway (d. 1283)
1533 – Michel de Montaigne, French philosopher and author (d. 1592)
1552 – Jost Bürgi, Swiss mathematician and clockmaker (d. 1632)
1612 – John Pearson, English bishop, theologian, and scholar (d. 1686)
1627 – Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Essex (d. 1703)
1675 – Guillaume Delisle, French cartographer (d. 1726)
1683 – René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, French entomologist and academic (d. 1757)
1704 – Louis Godin, French astronomer and academic (d. 1760)
1712 – Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, French general (d. 1759)
1724 – George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend, English field marshal and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1807)
1792 – Karl Ernst von Baer, German biologist, meteorologist, and geographer (d. 1876)
1812 – Berthold Auerbach, German poet and author (d. 1882)
1820 – John Tenniel, English illustrator (d. 1914)
1833 – Alfred von Schlieffen, German field marshal (d. 1913)
1840 – Henri Duveyrier, French explorer (d. 1892)
1848 – Arthur Giry, French historian and academic (d. 1899)
1851 – Samuel W. McCall, American journalist and politician, 47th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1923)
1858 – Tore Svennberg, Swedish actor and director (d. 1941)
1865 – Wilfred Grenfell, English physician and missionary (d. 1940)
1866 – Vyacheslav Ivanov, Russian poet and playwright (d. 1949)
1873 – William McMaster Murdoch, Scottish sailor (d. 1912)
1878 – Pierre Fatou, French mathematician and astronomer (d. 1929)
1882 – Geraldine Farrar, American soprano and actress (d. 1967)
1882 – José Vasconcelos, Mexican philosopher, lawyer, and politician, Mexican Secretary of Public Education (d. 1959)
1883 – Seán Mac Diarmada, Irish rebel leader (d. 1916)
1884 – Ants Piip, Estonian lawyer and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1942)
1887 – William Zorach, Lithuanian-American sculptor and painter (d. 1966)
1894 – Ben Hecht, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1964)
1895 – Marcel Pagnol, French author, playwright and director (d. 1974)
1896 – Philip Showalter Hench, American physician and endocrinologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965)
1898 – Zeki Rıza Sporel, Turkish footballer (d. 1969)
1900 – Wolf Hirth, German pilot and engineer, co-founded Schempp-Hirth (d. 1959)
1901 – Linus Pauling, American chemist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
1903 – Vincente Minnelli, American director and screenwriter (d. 1986)
1906 – Bugsy Siegel, American gangster (d. 1947)
1907 – Milton Caniff, American cartoonist (d. 1988)
1908 – Billie Bird, American actress (d. 2002)
1909 – Stephen Spender, English author and poet (d. 1995)
1911 – Otakar Vávra, Czech director and screenwriter (d. 2011)
1915 – Ketti Frings, American author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1981)
1915 – Peter Medawar, Brazilian-English biologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
1915 – Zero Mostel, American actor and comedian (d. 1977)
1916 – Cesar Climaco, Filipino lawyer and politician, 10th Mayor of Zamboanga City (d. 1984)
1917 – Ernesto Alonso, Mexican actor, director, and producer (d. 2007)
1919 – Alfred Marshall, American businessman, founded Marshalls (d. 2013)
1919 – Brian Urquhart, English soldier and diplomat, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
1920 – Jadwiga Piłsudska, Polish soldier, pilot, and architect (d. 2014)
1921 – Pierre Clostermann, French pilot, engineer, and author (d. 2006)
1922 – Yuri Lotman, Russian-Estonian historian and scholar (d. 1993)
1923 – Charles Durning, American soldier and actor (d. 2012)
1924 – Uno Prii, Estonian-Canadian architect (d. 2000)
1924 – Robert A. Roe, American soldier and politician (d. 2014)
1925 – Harry H. Corbett, Burmese-English actor (d. 1982)
1926 – Svetlana Alliluyeva, Russian-American author and educator (d. 2011)
1928 – Stanley Baker, Welsh actor and producer (d. 1976)
1928 – Tom Aldredge, American actor (d. 2011)
1929 – Hayden Fry, American football player and coach
1929 – Frank Gehry, Canadian-American architect, designed 8 Spruce Street and Walt Disney Concert Hall
1929 – John Montague, American-Irish poet and academic
1929 – Rangaswamy Srinivasan, Indian-American physical chemist and inventor
1930 – Leon Cooper, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1931 – Iajuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi academic and politician, 14th President of Bangladesh (d. 2012)
1931 – Gavin MacLeod, American actor
1931 – Dean Smith, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)
1933 – Rein Taagepera, Estonian political scientist and politician
1938 – Foge Fazio, American football player and coach (d. 2009)
1939 – John Fahey, American guitarist (d. 2001)
1939 – Chögyam Trungpa, Tibetan philosopher and scholar (d. 1987)
1939 – Daniel C. Tsui, Chinese-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1939 – Tommy Tune, American actor, singer, dancer, and director
1940 – Aldo Andretti, Italian-American race car driver
1940 – Mario Andretti, Italian-American race car driver
1940 – Joe South, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer (d. 2012)
1942 – Brian Jones, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 1969)
1942 – Dino Zoff, Italian footballer and manager
1943 – Barbara Acklin, American singer-songwriter (d. 1998)
1943 – Hans Dijkstal, Egyptian-Dutch educator and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2010)
1943 – Donnie Iris, American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
1944 – Kelly Bishop, American actress and dancer
1944 – Edward Greenspan, Canadian lawyer and author (d. 2014)
1944 – Sepp Maier, German footballer and manager
1944 – Storm Thorgerson, English graphic designer (d. 2013)
1945 – Mimsy Farmer, American-French actress and sculptor
1945 – Bubba Smith, American football player and actor (d. 2011)
1945 – Linda Preiss Rothschild, American mathematician and academic
1946 – Philip Bailhache, English lawyer and politician
1946 – Robin Cook, Scottish educator and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (d. 2005)
1947 – Stephanie Beacham, English actress
1948 – Steven Chu, American physicist and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Energy, Nobel Prize laureate
1948 – Mike Figgis, English director, screenwriter, and composer
1948 – Bernadette Peters, American actress, singer, and author
1948 – Mercedes Ruehl, American actress
1948 – Alfred Sant, Maltese politician, 11th Prime Minister of Malta
1951 – Bill Cratty, American dancer and choreographer (d. 1998)
1953 – Ingo Hoffmann, Brazilian race car driver
1953 – Paul Krugman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
1953 – Ricky Steamboat, American wrestler, referee, and trainer
1954 – Brian Billick, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
1955 – Adrian Dantley, American basketball player and coach
1955 – Gilbert Gottfried, American comedian, actor, and singer
1956 – Terry Leahy, English businessman
1956 – Guy Maddin, Canadian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer
1957 – Paul Delph, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (d. 1996)
1957 – Ainsley Harriott, English chef and author
1957 – John Turturro, American actor, director, and screenwriter
1957 – Cindy Wilson, American singer-songwriter
1958 – Jack Abramoff, American businessman and criminal
1958 – Manuel Torres Félix, Mexican criminal and narcotics trafficker (d. 2012)
1958 – Natalya Estemirova, Russian journalist and activist (d. 2009)
1958 – Jeanne Mas, Spanish-French singer-songwriter and actress
1958 – David R. Ross, Scottish historian and author (d. 2010)
1959 – Megan McDonald, American librarian and author
1961 – Rae Dawn Chong, Canadian-American actress
1961 – Mark Latham, Australian politician
1961 – Barry McGuigan, Irish-British boxer
1962 – Gary Belcher, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
1963 – Claudio Chiappucci, Italian cyclist
1964 – Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, Uzbekistan sprinter and cyclist
1965 – Colum McCann, Irish-American author and academic
1965 – Norman Smiley, English-American wrestler and trainer
1966 – Vincent Askew, American basketball player and coach
1966 – Paulo Futre, Portuguese footballer
1966 – Archbishop Jovan VI of Ohrid
1967 – Colin Cooper, English footballer and manager
1967 – Martin Tielli, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
1969 – Butch Leitzinger, American race car driver
1969 – Robert Sean Leonard, American actor
1969 – Patrick Monahan, American singer-songwriter and actor
1970 – Daniel Handler, American journalist, author, and accordion player
1970 – Noureddine Morceli, Algerian runner
1971 – Junya Nakano, Japanese pianist and composer
1971 – Peter Stebbings, Canadian actor and director
1972 – Ville Haapasalo, Finnish actor and screenwriter
1973 – Eric Lindros, Canadian ice hockey player
1973 – Nicolas Minassian, French race car driver
1973 – Masato Tanaka, Japanese wrestler
1974 – Lee Carsley, English-Irish footballer and manager
1974 – Alexander Zickler, German footballer and manager
1975 – Mike Rucker, American football player
1976 – Ali Larter, American actress
1977 – Jason Aldean, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1977 – Lance Hoyt, American football player and wrestler
1978 – Jeanne Cherhal, French singer-songwriter and guitarist
1978 – Benjamin Raich, Austrian skier
1978 – Jamaal Tinsley, American basketball player
1978 – Mariano Zabaleta, Argentinian tennis player
1979 – Sébastien Bourdais, French race car driver
1979 – Ivo Karlović, Croatian tennis player
1979 – Primož Peterka, Slovenian ski jumper
1980 – Pascal Bosschaart, Dutch footballer
1980 – Lucian Bute, Romanian-Canadian boxer
1980 – Christian Poulsen, Danish footballer
1980 – Tayshaun Prince, American basketball player
1981 – Brian Bannister, American baseball player and scout
1981 – Florent Serra, French tennis player
1982 – Natalia Vodianova, Russian-French model and actress
1983 – Terry Bywater, English basketball player
1984 – Noureen DeWulf, American actress
1984 – Karolína Kurková, Czech model and actress
1985 – Tim Bresnan, English cricketer
1985 – Jelena Janković, Serbian tennis player
1985 – Diego Ribas da Cunha, Brazilian footballer
1986 – Tendai Mzungu, Australian footballer
1987 – Antonio Candreva, Italian footballer
1988 – Aroldis Chapman, Cuban baseball player
1988 – Jorge Gastélum, Mexican footballer
1988 – Markéta Irglová, Czech singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
1989 – Charles Jenkins, American basketball player
1994 – Jake Bugg, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

Deaths[edit]

468 – Pope Hilarius
628 – Khosrow II, king of the Persian Empire
1105 – Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse (b. c. 1042)
1261 – Henry III, Duke of Brabant (b. 1230)
1326 – Leopold I, Duke of Austria (b. 1290)
1453 – Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine (b. 1400)
1510 – Juan de la Cosa, Spanish cartographer and explorer (b. 1450)
1572 – Aegidius Tschudi, Swiss historian and author (b. 1505)
1621 – Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1590)
1648 – Christian IV of Denmark (b. 1577)
1786 – John Gwynn, English architect and engineer (b. 1713)
1788 – Thomas Cushing, American lawyer and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1725)
1857 – André Dumont, Belgian geologist and academic (b. 1809)
1869 – Alphonse de Lamartine, French author and poet (b. 1790)
1879 – Hortense Allart, Italian-French author (b. 1901)
1891 – George Hearst, American businessman and politician (b. 1820)
1916 – Henry James, American novelist, short writer, and critic (b. 1843)
1925 – Friedrich Ebert, German politician, 1st President of Germany (b. 1871)
1929 – Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian physician and immunologist (b. 1874)
1932 – Guillaume Bigourdan, French astronomer and academic (b. 1851)
1935 – Chiquinha Gonzaga, Brazilian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1847)
1936 – Charles Nicolle, French biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1866)
1941 – Alfonso XIII of Spain (b. 1886)
1942 – Karel Doorman, Dutch admiral (b. 1889)
1959 – Maxwell Anderson, American journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1888)
1963 – Rajendra Prasad, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st President of India (b. 1884)
1966 – Charles Bassett, American captain, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1931)
1966 – Elliot See, American commander, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1927)
1967 – Henry Luce, Chinese-American publisher, co-founded Time Magazine (b. 1898)
1977 – Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, American actor and comedian (b. 1905)
1978 – Zara Cully, American actress (b. 1892)
1978 – Eric Frank Russell, English author (b. 1905)
1987 – Stephen Tennant, English author (b. 1906)
1991 – Wassily Hoeffding, Finnish-American statistician and theorist (b. 1914)
1993 – Ishirō Honda, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
1993 – Ruby Keeler, Canadian-American actress and dancer (b. 1909)
1998 – Dermot Morgan, Irish comedian and actor (b. 1952)
1998 – Arkady Shevchenko, Ukrainian diplomat (b. 1930)
2002 – Mary Stuart, American actress and singer (b. 1926)
2002 – Helmut Zacharias, German violinist and composer (b. 1920)
2003 – Chris Brasher, Guyanese-English runner and journalist, co-founded the London Marathon (b. 1928)
2003 – Fidel Sánchez Hernández, Salvadorian general and politician, President of El Salvador (b. 1917)
2004 – Daniel J. Boorstin, American historian and librarian (b. 1914)
2004 – Carmen Laforet, Spanish author (b. 1921)
2004 – Andres Nuiamäe, Estonian sergeant (b. 1982)
2005 – Chris Curtis, English singer and drummer (b. 1941)
2006 – Owen Chamberlain, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1920)
2007 – Charles Forte, Baron Forte, Italian-English businessman, founded the Forte Group (b. 1908)
2007 – Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. American historian and critic (b. 1917)
2007 – Billy Thorpe, English-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1946)
2008 – Joseph M. Juran, Romanian-American engineer and businessman (b. 1904)
2009 – Paul Harvey, American radio host (b. 1918)
2011 – Annie Girardot, French actress (b. 1931)
2011 – Jane Russell, American actress and singer (b. 1921)
2012 – Frisner Augustin, Haitian drummer and composer (b. 1948)
2012 – Jim Green, American-Canadian educator and politician (b. 1943)
2012 – Hal Roach, Irish comedian and author (b. 1927)
2013 – Donald A. Glaser, American physicist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1926)
2013 – Neil McCorkell, English cricketer and coach (b. 1912)
2014 – Hugo Brandt Corstius, Dutch linguist and author (b. 1935)
2014 – Lee Lorch, American mathematician and activist (b. 1915)
2015 – Alex Johnson, American baseball player (b. 1942)
2015 – Yaşar Kemal, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1923)
2016 – George Kennedy, American actor (b. 1925)