Holidays Calendar for February 23, 2019
February 23 is one of the important holidays for Russia and number of former republics of the Soviet Union. This is Defender of the Fatherland Day.
National Day in Brunei annually falls on February 1. This holiday celebrates gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1984, that actually happened on January 1.
Guyana annually celebrates Mashramani on February 23. The festival celebrates Republic Day, the day when Guyana officially became a republic in 1970.
The Emperor’s Birthday is one of the most important public holidays in Japan. It coincides with the actual birthday of the reigning emperor. Since Naruhito’s ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019, it has been celebrated on February 23.
International STAND UP to Bullying Day is held twice a year, on the last Friday of February and on the third Friday of November. This semi-annual event was launched to take a public stance against bullying.
World Peace and Understanding Day, also known as World Understanding and Peace Day, is observed annually on February 23. It was created to commemorate the founding anniversary of Rotary International, one of the world’s oldest and largest service organizations.
World Sword Swallowers Day, sometimes referred to as International Sword Swallowers Day, is observed annually on the last Saturday of February. It was created to celebrate the exciting and dangerous art of sword swallowing and raise funds to help injured sword swallowers.
National Hospitality Workers Appreciation Day is observed annually on February 23. It was created to celebrate millions of people in the service industry who ensure that you have a good time while traveling or going out to restaurants and bars.
Some ceremonial counties of the United Kingdom have a special day set aside to celebrate their cultural heritage. For example, Shropshire Day is celebrated on February 23 because it is the feast day of Saint Milburga, who is venerated as the county’s patron saint.
February 23 is a great day to indulge in a slice of delicious banana bread. If you haven't baked it for ages, it's time to do it to celebrate National Banana Bread Day.
February 23 is perfect day to give your dog a treat because it is International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day. This fun holiday was created to celebrate popular dog treats that come in various shapes, sizes, and flavors.
If you have a bottle of wine that you have been saving for a special occasion, but that occasion never seems to come, you should open it on the last Saturday of February because it’s Open That Bottle Night! This holiday was created specifically to encourage people to enjoy wine and share it with their loved ones.
Curling Day is celebrated in Canada on the last Saturday of February. It was created to honor a winter sport that originated in Scotland but is particularly popular in Canada.
Festivals on February 23, 2019
- Kurentovanje Carnival (Carnival of Ptuj) in Ptuj, Slovenia
- Carnival of Acireale in Acireale, Italy
- Carnival of Oruro in Oruro, Bolivia
- Golden Raspberry Awards in Los Angeles, USA
- Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (Fespaco) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
- Mardi Gras! Galveston in Galveston, USA
- Carnival of Tarragona in Tarragona, Spain
- New York International Children’s Film Festival in New York, USA
- Vilnius Book Fair in Vilnius, Lithuania
- Fantasporto Film Festival in Porto, Portugal
- FEST (Belgrade International Film Festival) in Belgrade, Serbia
- Anime Festival Asia in Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Salon du Chocolat in Brussels in Brussels, Belgium
- Hong Kong Arts Festival in Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Dubai Food Festival in Dubai, UAE
This Day in History
- 2021 Riots simultaneously began in four prisons in three provinces of Ecuador (Guayas, Azuay, and Cotopaxi). 79 inmates were killed and several others were injured.
- 2011 Died: Nirmala Srivastava, Indian religious leader, founder or Sahaja Yoga, a meditation technique and religious movement.
- 2010 An environmental disaster was sparked by unknown criminals. Over 2.5 million liters of diesel oil and other hydrocarbons were poured into the river Lambro in Northern Italy.
- 1998 Tornadoes in central Florida, USA destroyed and damaged 2,600 structures. 42 people were killed.
- 1994 Born: Dakota Fanning, American actress. She made her breakthrough at the age of 7 due to her performance in the 2001 film I Am Sam. Her other film credits include War of the Worlds, Charlotte's Web, The Runaways, The Twilight Saga, and more.
- 1994 Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg produced and isolated plutonium for the first time.
- 1992 Born: Samara Weaving, Australian actress and model who came to prominence with her portrayal of Indi Walker on the soap opera Home and Away.
- 1987 Supernova 1987 was seen in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
- 1983 Born: Emily Blunt, English actress who made her breakthrough in The Devil Wears Prada. Among her other notable works are Edge of Tomorrow, Into the Woods, The Girl on a Train, A Quiet Place, and other films.
- 1981 Born: Josh Gad, American actor best known for voicing Olaf in the Frozen franchise and playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon.
- 1981 Antonio Tejero attempted a coup d'état in Spain by capturing the Spanish Congress of Deputies. He and 200 armed officers held the Parliament and cabinet hostage for 18 hours and surrendered the next morning without having harmed anyone.
- 1973 Died: Dickinson W. Richards, American physician, Nobel Prize laureate for the development of cardiac catheterization and the characterization of a number of cardiac diseases.
- 1965 Born: Michael Dell, American businessman, founder of Dell Inc, American multinational computer technology company, which has become one of the largest technological corporations in the world.
- 1960 Born: Naruhito, Emperor of Japan who acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019, following the abdication of his father, Akihito. The era of his reign was named Reiwa ("beautiful harmony").
- 1958 5-time world F1 champion Juan Manuel Fangio was kidnapped by Cuban rebels. Fangio was released after 29 hours and remained a good friend with his kidnappers afterwards.
- 1952 Born: Brad Whitford, American guitarist, best known as the rhythm guitarist of the hard rock band Aerosmith.
- 1944 Died: Leo Baekeland, Belgian-American chemist, inventor of Bakelite, an inexpensive, nonflammable, versatile popular plastic. His invention marked the beginning of the modern plastic industry.
- 1932 Born: Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, American actress and producer best known for playing multiple roles in the Star Trek franchise, including Nurse Christine Chapel in the original series.
- 1931 Died: Nellie Melba, Australian soprano, one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian Era and the early 20th century.
- 1924 Born: Allan McLeod Cormack, South-African-American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate for his work on X-ray computed tomography.
- 1898 Émile Zola was imprisoned in France after writing J'accuse, a letter in which he accused the French government of antisemitism and wrongfully imprisonment of Captain Alfred Dreyfus.
- 1889 Born: Victor Fleming, American director, cinematographer, and producer, best known for his films The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind.
- 1887 An earthquake hit the French Riviera, killing around 2,000 people.
- 1886 The first samples of man-made aluminum were produces by Charles Martin Hall after several years of intensive work.
- 1883 Born: Karl Jaspers, German philosopher and psychiatrist. Jaspers discovered an innovative philosophical system and is often viewed as a major exponent of existentialism in Germany.
- 1859 Died: Zygmunt Krasiński, Polish poet, a great Romantic poet, best known for his drama The Un-Divine Comedy.
- 1855 Died: Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician, astronomer, and physicist, sometimes referred as the greatest mathematician since antiquity.
- 1850 Born: César Ritz, Swiss businessman, founder of The Ritz London Hotel and Hôtel Ritz Paris.
- 1848 Died: John Quincy Adams, American politician, the 6th President of the United States.
- 1821 Died: John Keats, English poet. Although his works had been in publication for just 4 years before his death, he is considered one of the main figures of the second generation of Romantic poets along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley.
- 1792 Died: Joshua Reynolds, English painter and academic, promoter of the Grand Style in painting, which depended on idealization of the imperfect.
- 1744 Born: Mayer Amschel Rothschild, German banker, the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty. This family is believed to have become the wealthiest family in human history.
- 1685 Born: George Frideric Handel, German-English composer, famous for his operas, anthems and organ concertos. Among his most famous works are Messiah, Water Music, and Music for the Royal Fireworks.
- 1603 Died: Andrea Cesalpino, Italian philosopher, physician, and botanist, best known for classifying plants according to their fruits and seeds rather that alphabetically or by medicinal properties.
- 1455 The Gutenberg Bible was published. It was the first Western book printed with movable print.