Birthdays: Teller (1948) Darwin (1809)

Founding Dates:  Coalition of Reason (2009)

  • Black History Month – From the Library of Congress: “As a Harvard-trained historian, Carter G. Woodson, like W. E. B. Du Bois before him, believed that truth could not be denied and that reason would prevail over prejudice. His hopes to raise awareness of African American’s contributions to civilization was realized when he and the organization he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), conceived and announced Negro History Week in 1925. The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that encompassed the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The response was overwhelming: Black history clubs sprang up; teachers demanded materials to instruct their pupils; and progressive whites, not simply white scholars and philanthropists, stepped forward to endorse the effort.”
  • Wear Red Day is the first Friday in February. Heart disease and stroke cause 1 in 3 deaths among women each year, killing approximately one woman every 80 seconds. This national campaign to wear red and raise awareness informs women about risk reduction and raises funds for research and treatment. Learn more: goredforwomen.org
  • 2/7 – e Day / Euler’s Number Day –  a day where people recognize the significance of the number e, which is approximately 2.71828 (so, celebrated on 2/7). Popularized in use by Leonhard Euler in the early 1700’s, it is an irrational number that represents the idea that all continually growing systems are a scaled version of a common rate. The constant e is mostly used in logarithms, exponential growth, and complex numbers.
  • 2/11 – International Day of Women and Girls in Science: In order to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/70/212 declaring 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
  • Random Acts of Kindness Week – spearheaded by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, this international week of kindness aims to build a better world, one kind act at a time.
  • 2/12 – Darwin Day – A day to celebrate Darwin’s immense intellectual bravery,  perpetual curiosity, and ravenous hunger for truth.  The Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC) is planning a special event for the Orlando area that will feature nationally known speakers and informational tables. Visit CFFC’s Meetup for more information. Learn more about Darwin Day and find a map of events: DarwinDay.org
  • 2/14 – #OneBillionRising -Held annually, this international solidarity against the exploitation of women is based on the staggering statistics that one in every three women will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. Learn more: onebillionrising.org  Here in Central Florida, the SafeHouse of Seminole joins forces with UCF Victim Services and other organizations and task forces for a #OneBillionRising event at the University of Central Florida.
  • Random Acts of Kindness Day – part of RAK Week, RAK day is a focused effort to create random kindness in the world.  Learn more: randomactsofkindness.org