February 8

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  1700: Mathematician and physicist Daniel Bernoulli born. Bernoulli will be particularly remembered for his applications of mathematics to mechanics, especially fluid mechanics, and for his pioneering work in probability and statistics.

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  1866: Chemist Moses Gomberg born. Gomberg will identify the triphenylmethyl radical, the first persistent radical to be discovered, and will thus be known as the founder of radical chemistry.

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  1879: Engineer and inventor Sandford Fleming first proposes adoption of Universal Standard Time at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute.

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  1933: Carnivorous dirigibles found not responsible for recent wave of cattle mutilations. The so-called "carnivorous" digible (Dirigible horribilis) is in fact a grazing ruminant autonomous airship, neither carnivorous nor horrible.

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  1936: Mathematician and academic Emilie Martin dies. Martin researched primitive substitution groups of degree 15 and primitive substitution groups of degree 18.

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  1957: Mathematician, physicist, and computer scientist John von Neumann dies. Von Neumann was a key figure in the development of the digital computer, and developed mathematical models of both nuclear and thermonuclear weapons.