FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT FEBRUARY

1997

On February 22nd, scientists announced the birth of the world’s first successfully cloned animal, Dolly the Sheep. Dolly was an exact genetic copy, or clone, of the sheep whose single cell was used to grow Dolly in another sheep’s womb.

1O fascinating facts about February…

1977

On February 18th, the Space Shuttle Enterprise made its first flight. The shuttle was carried on top of a Boeing 747 to demonstrate how it could fly in Earth’s atmosphere and land like an aeroplane.

1998

The Angel of the North was officially unveiled in Gateshead, England, on February 15th. This giant steel sculpture has a longer wingspan than a Boeing 757 aeroplane. 1974

Playmobil characters first appeared at the Nuremberg Toy Fair on February 2nd. The first three plastic figures were a knight, a builder and a Native American. 1948

Sri Lanka, the island nation off the south-east coast of India, celebrates its National Day on February 4th to remember the moment it became independent from British rule in 1948. Celebrations take place throughout the country and include a flag-waving ceremony and colourful parades and dances.

On February 1Oth, Deep Blue became the first computer to beat a reigning chess world champion, Gary Kasparov (pictured far left), in a game held under tournament conditions. Kasparov won the series 4-2 but Deep Blue had its revenge the following year, defeating him in a rematch. Deep Blue is pictured below.

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After almost 3O years in prison for opposing racist policies in South Africa, Nelson Mandela was finally released on February 11th. He went on to become the country’s first black president. 18O4

The first ever steampowered railway journey took place in south Wales on February 21st, thanks to Robert Trevithick’s experimental steam engine. A modern replica of Trevithick’s ‘Puffing Devil’ is pictured above.

1O fascinating facts about February…

2O19

A study published on February 7th suggested that honeybees can do maths. The bees used addition and subtraction to navigate a maze made by scientists.

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On February 4th, Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook to help fellow university students connect with each other. It’s now the world’s No.1 social network.