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Djedkare's pyramid

Djedkare Isesi was an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh, the eighth ruler of the Fifth Dynasty in the late 25th century to mid 24th century BCE, during the Old Kingdom period. His reign, probably over 40 years long, heralded a new period in the history of the Old Kingdom. Breaking with a tradition followed by his predecessors since the time of Userkaf, Djedkare did not build a temple to the sun god Ra, possibly reflecting the rise of Osiris in the Egyptian pantheon. More significantly, Djedkare effected comprehensive reforms of the Egyptian state administration, the first undertaken since the inception of the system of ranking titles. He also reorganised the funerary cults of his forebears buried in the necropolis of Abusir and reformed the corresponding priesthood. Djedkare commissioned expeditions to Sinai to procure copper and turquoise, to Nubia for its gold and diorite and to the Land of Punt for its incense. One such expedition had what could be the earliest recorded instance of oracular divination intended to ensure an expedition's success. (Full article...)

Ave Maria Gracia Ple[na]

• ... that the book of hours Heures de Charles d'Angoulême contains a miniature of the beginning of the Ave Maria in historiated letters (pictured)?
• ... that Last Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary in Saskatchewan, established in 1887, was the first bird sanctuary in North America?
• ... that George Francis Hardy was an actuary, Egyptologist, and amateur astronomer whose scientific methods and calculations contributed to all three fields?
• ... that David Bowie wrote the lyrics to his 1987 song "Time Will Crawl" after hearing of the Chernobyl disaster, and later chose the song as one of his favorites from his entire career?
• ... that WCHV, the oldest radio station in Charlottesville, Virginia, was founded more than 200 miles (320 km) away on the campus of Emory and Henry College?
• ... that layers of ash considered to be from the Dacht-i-Navar Group volcanic complex in Afghanistan have been found 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) away in India?
• ... that more than 300 young stars in RCW 36 have been detected by the Chandra X-ray Observatory?
• ... that U.S. presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway's mention of a nonexistent massacre in Bowling Green, Kentucky, went viral?

Damien Chazelle

• South Sudan and the United Nations declare a famine in parts of the country.
• A suicide bombing at a shrine in Sehwan, Pakistan, kills at least 83 people and injures more than 250 others.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation's PSLV-C37 mission launches a record 104 satellites at once.
• Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is killed in Malaysia.
• La La Land wins in five categories, including Best Film and Best Director (Damien Chazelle, pictured), at the British Academy Film Awards.

February 21: Language Movement Day in Bangladesh

Polaroid Land Camera Model 95

• 1245 – Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, was granted resignation by Pope Innocent IV after having confessed to torture and forgery.
• 1828 – The inaugural issue of the Cherokee Phoenix, the first newspaper in a Native American language, was published.
• 1921 – The Constituent Assembly of Georgia adopted the nation's first constitution, shortly before being overthrown by the Soviet Union.
• 1947 – Edwin H. Land demonstrated the use of the first instant camera (pictured) to the Optical Society of America.
• 1952 – Protesters in Dhaka, East Pakistan, walked into military crossfire demanding the establishment of Bengali as an official language.

Nina Simone (b. 1933) · Baruch Spinoza (d. 1677)