February 1, 1851
The bacteriologist Jaime Ferrán is born. He developed a pioneering vaccine against cholera. Its use was very controversial and it took 20 years for Ferrán to be recognized worldwide for it
February 2, 1922
Scientist Albert Schatz is born. Together with Selman Waksman, he discovered the aminoglycoside streptomycin, an antibiotic isolated from the bacteria Streptomyces griseus
February 3, 1931
Olga M. Kozhova is born. She is known for her research on the hydrology and ecology of Lake Baikal. She also studied human activities that threaten this lake ecosystem
February 4, 1929
Programmer Mary Coombs is born. She was the first woman to work on the LEO Computer, the first computer in history intended for business
February 5, 1918
Mathematician and historian of mathematics Cecily Tanner is born. After initially researching integration, she devoted herself primarily to history and mathematics education
February 6, 1996
The United Kingdom transfers a research base in Antarctica to Ukraine. Named Akademik Vernadsky, it is located on the Marine Point of Galíndez Island (Wilhelm Archipelago)
February 7, 1871
Bacteriologist Kiyoshi Shiga is born. He discovered the bacteria Shigella dysenteriae, which causes infectious dysentery, and developed an effective serum to treat this disease
February 8, 1831
Nurse and doctor Rebecca Lee Crumpler is born. Defying the prejudices of the time, she became the first African-American woman to obtain a medical degree in 1864
February 9, 1892
Aquatic ecologist and zoologist Minna Jewell is born. She is known for her research on freshwater sponges
February 10, 1842
Astronomer Agnes Mary Clerke is born. She achieved worldwide fame in 1885 with the publication of her exhaustive treatise A Popular History of Astronomy during the Nineteenth Century
February 11, 2005
Mathematician and engineer Mary W. Jackson dies. She was NASA’s first black female engineer and worked to influence both the hiring and promotion of women in this agency
February 12, 1819
The doctor Francisco Javier Balmis dies. He led the Royal Philanthropic Expedition to spread the smallpox vaccine in America and the Philippines
February 13, 1913
Virologist Marguerite Vogt is born. She is best known for her research on polio and cancer at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies
February 14, 2003
Dolly the sheep dies. In 1996, it became the first mammal cloned from an adult cell
February 15, 1564
Galileo Galilei is born. His achievements include the improvement of the telescope, a wide variety of astronomical observations or the first law of motion
February 16, 1514
Georg Joachim Rheticus, mathematician, astronomer, theologian, cartographer, maker of musical instruments and doctor, is born. He was a disciple of Copernicus
February 17, 1928
Virologist Michiaki Takahashi is born. He developed the first vaccine against chickenpox. It was a very difficult investigation using a weakened live strain of the varicella-zoster virus
February 18, 1877
Alice Grace Cook, British astronomer known for her observations of meteorites and the discovery of the nova V603 Aquilae, is born
February 19, 1955
Mendelevium is synthesized for the first time at the University of California at Berkeley (USA). Its name recalls the chemist Dmitri Mendeléyev, key in the creation of the periodic table
February 20, 1902
Physicist Katharine Way is born. She was part of the Manhattan project team for which she worked on the design of reactors and the processing of data obtained in radioactive processes
February 21, 1962
Julio Rey Pastor dies. He researched algebraic geometry and projective geometry, becoming one of the most relevant mathematicians of his time in Europe
February 22, 1796
Adolphe Quetelet is born. He applied the statistical method to sociology and invented the body mass index that is still used today to determine obesity
February 23, 1924
Physicist Allan McLeod Cormack is born. In 1979, he received a Nobel Prize, together with engineer Godfrey Newbold Hounsfield, for the development of computer-assisted tomography
February 24, 1827
Suffragette and amateur scientist Lydia Becker is born. She studied botany and was also interested in astronomy, maintaining correspondence with Charles Darwin
February 25, 1925
Biochemist Ruth Benesch is born. She and her husband discovered a special kind of phosphorus compound, 2,3-bisphosphoglyceric acid, a bond between hemoglobin and oxygen
February 26, 1815
The mathematician Agustín de Pedrayes dies. He represented Spain in the development of the metric system of weights and measures
February 27, 2011
The first International Polar Bear Day is celebrated to draw attention to the difficulties this species faces due to the warming of the Arctic