February 8 : The greatest mistake we can make is to stay on the ground after falling.

On this day, 08 Feb....

1802 - Banjo Clock. Simon Willard, of Grafton, Massachusetts, patented his eight-day “Improved Timepiece,” a wall clock that came to be known as the “banjo clock.” With the advent of the Revolutionary War and subsequent problems with Great Britain on the high seas, imports had been curtailed and for the next sixty years, brass and spring steel were scarce and expensive. There was a need for a small inexpensive clock that could be purchased by the less affluent citizens of the new democracy. Willard recognized this need when he invented his clock. Subsequently, the early 19th century became the era of industrialization, and clock-making, like so many other crafts, became a mechanized industry.

1862 - The East Indian Railway set up the first full-fledged railway workshop facility in India at Jamalpur. This site was close to not only the main trunk route of the Sahibganj loop but also to Bihar for a source of skilled mechanical craftsmen.

1883 - Louis Waterman began experimenting with ideas that would lead to the invention of the fountain pen. (The Waterman pen company is a major manufacturer of luxury fountain pens. It is one of the few remaining first-generation fountain pen companies).

1898 - The first envelope folding and gumming machine received a patent. John Ames Sherman of US had designed a "mechanism for folding and sealing envelopes, which reduced the manufacturing cost per thousand from 60 cents to 8 cents.

1922 - Radio arrives at the White House. (This was a big day at the White House, as on this day President Harding had a radio installed. At the time, radio was the hottest technology there was, and the White House was on the cutting edge. Almost two years later, Calvin Coolidge, who followed Harding, was the first president to broadcast from the White House. Coolidge's address for Washington's Birthday was heard on 42 stations from coast to coast).

1928 - Trans Atlantic TV. John Logie Baird’s transmission of a TV image was received across the Atlantic ocean using shortwave radio, from England to Hartsdale, New York. Though imperfect, an image showed the face of Mrs. Mia Howe. The picture was crudely formed and the television receiver displayed a tiny, uneven image. This caused a sensation. The New York Times compared the event to Marconi’s sending of the letter “S” by radio across the Atlantic, 27 years earlier.

1936 - Pandit Jawaharlal follows Gandhi as chairman of India Congress Party.

1948 - Indian govt. bans Muslim groups 'Khaksars' and 'League National Guard'.

1994 - Kapil Dev sets world record for Test Cricket wickets with 432.

Born

1897 - Dr. Zakir Hussain, third President of India and Educationist.

1907 - Madhavravji Golwalkar, sarsanghchalak of 'Rashtriya Swayansewak Sangh' (RSS).

1932 - Johnny Whisky, actor.

1941 - Jagjit Singh, singer.

1963 - Mohammad Azharuddin, cricketer, elegant Indian batsman.

RIP

1946 - Felix Hoffmann, German chemist who discovered aspirin.

1999 - Gen K. Sundarji former Chief of Army Staff.

2008 - MaharishiMahesh Yogi, Guru.

Titbits

1967 - Indira Gandhi was hit in the face by a stone while addressing the crowd.

You may have known....

The driest spot on Earth is the Atacama Desert of Chile and Peru. In the center of this desert, there are places where rain has never been recorded.