February 28

Natalia Vodianova

 

Natalia Mikhailovna Vodianova (Russian: Наталья Михайловна Водянова, pronunciation Nataľja Mikhajlovna Vodjanova; born 28 February 1982) is a Russian model, actress and philanthropist who resided in England from 2001 until 2012, and currently lives in Paris.^[  In 2012, she came in 3rd on the Forbes top-earning models list, estimated to have earned $8.6 million in one year.

Photographed by Steven Meisel, she was presented on the September 2004 cover of American Vogue as one of the "Models of the Moment". As of May 2009, Vodianova has appeared on the cover of British Vogue seven times; the first was the September 2003 issue. She made her first appearance on the cover of the U.S. Vogue in the September 2004 edition alongside eight other models, then appeared as the solo cover subject of the July 2007 edition of the magazine. During this time period, other covers of the American Vogue have all featured non-model celebrities with only three other exceptions: models Linda Evangelista, Liya Kebede and Gisele Bündchen.

February 27

Diniyar Rinatovich Bilyaletdinov (Russian: Динияр Ринатович Билялетдинов), is a Russian footballer of ethnic Tatar descent, who plays for Russian club Spartak Moscow and the Russia national football team. He usually plays as a winger, but has also played as an attacking midfielder. His father Rinat Bilyaletdinov was also a professional footballer and is now a coach.

Yulii Borisovich Khariton (Russian: Ю́лий Бори́сович Харито́н, February 27, 1904 – December 18, 1996) was a Soviet physicist working in the field of nuclear power. He was the chief designer of the Soviet atomic bomb, and worked in the Soviet nuclear program for many years. Khariton studied at the Leningrad Polytechnical Institute (1920–1925) under Abram Ioffeand then at the University of Cambridge (1926–1928) under Ernest Rutherford, where he received a doctor's degree. From 1931 to 1946 he was head of the Explosion Laboratory at the Institute of Chemical Physics. In 1935 he received his doctorate in physical and mathematical sciences. During this period, Yulii Khariton and Yakov Zel'dovich conducted experiments regarding chain reactions of uranium. He was elected as a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1946, and as a full member in 1953. He received the Hero of Socialist Labor award in 1949, 1951, and 1954; an Order of Lenin in 1956; and three Stalin Prizes in 1949, 1951, and 1953. He also received a Gold Medal of I.V.Kurchatov in 1974 and a Great Gold Medal of M.V.Lomonosov in 1982.

February 26

Nikolai Petrovich Starostin (Cyrillic: Никола́й Петро́вич Ста́ростин; 26 February 1902 – 17 February 1996) was a Russian footballer and ice hockeyplayer, and founder of Spartak Moscow.

Nadezhda Konstantinovna "Nadya" Krupskaya (Russian: Наде́жда Константи́новна Кру́пская, scientific transliteration Nadežda Konstantinovna Krupskaja) (26 February [O.S. 14 February] 1869 – February 27, 1939) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and politician. She married the Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin in 1898. She was deputy minister (Comissar) of Education in 1929–1939, Doctor of Education.

February 25

Aleksei Balabanov (born 25 February 1959 in Sverdlovsk, USSR) is a popular Russian filmmaker. Balabanov is best known for the 1997 crime film Brat, and its more action-oriented sequel, Brat-2, both of which starred the late Sergei Bodrov Jr. as a novice hit man. The second film, along with its soundtrack, was immensely popular in Russia. Recently, however, he has become better known for his shocking and controversial films Gruz 200 (2007) and Morphine (2008).

Arkady (Avraam) Il'ich Ostrovsky  (February 25, 1914 – September 18, 1967), was a Soviet Russian composer of light music, the author of the song May There Always Be Sunshine and other Soviet songs of the 1960s, including the lullaby of Good Night, Little Ones, the children's TV program aired for more than 50 years

February 24

Alexei Kovalev

 Alexei Vyacheslavovich "Alex" Kovalev (Russian: Алексей Вячеславович Ковалёв; born February 24, 1973) is a Russian professional ice hockey player who currently plays for the Florida Panthers. He has also previously played for HC Red Ice of the 1st Amateur League of Switzerland, in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with the Atlant Moscow Oblast, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins (on two separate occasions), and the New York Rangers, with whom he was originally drafted and won a Stanley Cup in 1994, playing over 1,300 NHL games over 18 seasons.

My Congratulations! Healthy, Wealthy , Happiness!!!

February 23

Defender of the Fatherland Day  is a holiday observed in Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Israel, Ukraine and several other former republics of the Soviet Union. It is celebrated on February 23.

Officially, as the name suggests, the holiday celebrates people who are serving or were serving the Russian Armed Forces (both men and women), but unofficially, nationally it has also more recently come to include the celebration of men as a whole, and to act as a counterpart of International Women's Day on March 8.
The holiday is celebrated with parades and processions in honor of veterans, and women also give small gifts to the Russian men in their lives, especially husbands (or boyfriends), fathers and sons. As a part of the workplace culture, women often give gifts to their male co-workers. Consequently, in colloquial usage, the holiday is often referred to as Men's Day.

 

February 22

Nikolay Yakovlevich Sonin (February 22, 1849 – February 27, 1915) was a Russian mathematician.

He was born in Tula and attended Lomonosov University, studying mathematics and physics there from 1865 to 1869. His advisor was Nikolai Bugaev. He obtained a Master's Degree with a thesis submitted in 1871, then he taught at the University of Warsaw where he obtained a doctorate in 1874. He was appointed to a chair in the University of Warsaw in 1876. In 1894, Sonin moved to St. Petersburg where he taught at the University for Women.

Sonin worked on special functions, in particular cylindrical functions. He also worked on the Euler–Maclaurin summation formula.

Other topics Sonin studied include Bernoulli polynomials and approximate computation of definite integrals, continuing Chebyshev's work on numerical integration. Together with Andrey Markov, Sonin prepared a two volume edition of Chebyshev's works in French and Russian. He died in St. Petersburg.

February 21

     International Mother Language Day is an observance held annually on 21 February worldwide to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. It was first announced by UNESCO on 17 November 1999. Its observance was also formally recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution establishing 2008 as the International Year of Languages.
     International Mother Language Day has been observed every year since 2000 February to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. The date represents the day in 1952 when students demonstrating for recognition of their language, Bangla, as one of the two national languages of the then Pakistan, were shot and killed by police in Dhaka, the capital of what is now Bangladesh.

     Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage. All moves to promote the dissemination of mother tongues will serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education but also to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

February 20

Yulia Olegovna Volkova better known by the alternative spelling of Julia, is a Russian singer, recording artist and actress, best known for being a member in the Russian girl group t.A.T.u., along with Lena Katina. A girl group who were managed in Moscow, Russia by Ivan Shapovalov in March 1999, the group signed a record deal to Universal Music Russia, where they had eventually signed to Universal's sub-label Interscope Records in 2001.

February 19

Vitaliy "Vitalik" Vladasovich Grachyov (Russian: Виталий Владасович Грачёв) better known by his stage name Vitas is a Russian singer-songwriter.
He was born on February 19, 1979.
 Known for his high falsetto voice and a vocal range of 5 octaves, he has been given the nickname "Prince of the Dolphin Voice" in China. His music is often difficult to categorize, incorporating elements of techno, dance, classical, jazz, and folk music. 
His 2000 song, "Opera No. 2" ("Opera #2"; released as a single in 2001) has been forwarded frequently via the Internet, which accounts for much of his worldwide recognition.He designs his own stage costumes.DIVA (ДИВА) is the name of the band that accompanies Vitas during his concerts. Vitas has achieved much notability through Russian television, and since 2005 his career has advanced into Asian markets. He has signed with entertainment labels such as Universal which distributes his music in Taiwan, and he has toured extensively in China and several other countries^. He has performed duets with many other singers including Demis Roussos, Lucio Dalla, and Vitas' grandfather Arkadiy Davydovich Marantsman (Аркадий Давыдович Маранцман), with whom he sings "Friendship".

February 18

Alla Kliouka

 Schaffer  

(born February 18, 1970 in Minsk, Belarus) is a Russian actress, and former wife of Ken Schaffer. Her American TV work includes playing Svetlana Kirilenko on the HBO T.V. series The Sopranos.

February 17

Fyodor Sologub (February 17, 1863 – December 5, 1927) was a Russian Simbolist poet, novelist, playwright and essayist. He was the first writer to introduce the morbid, pessimistic elements characteristic of European  literature and philosophy into Russian prose.

In 1892 he was finally able to relocate to the capital, where he got a job teaching mathematics, started writing what would become his most famous novel, The Petty Demon, and began frequenting the offices of Severny Vestnik, which published much of his writing during the next five years. There, in 1893, Minsky, who thought Teternikov was an unpoetic name, suggested that he use a pseudonym, and the aristocratic name Sollogub was decided on, but one of the ls was omitted as an attempt (unavailing, as it turned out) to avoid confusion with Count Vladimir Sologub. In 1894 his first short story, "Ninochkina oshibka" (Ninochka's Mistake), was published inIllustrirovanny Mir, and in the autumn of that year his mother died. In 1896 he published his first three books: a book of poems, a collection of short stories, and his first novel, Tyazhelye sny (Bad Dreams), which he had begun in 1883 and which is considered one of the first decadent Russian novels.

In April 1897 he ended his association with Severny Vestnik and, along with Merezhkovsky and Gippius, began writing for the journalSever (North). The next year his first series of fairy tales was published. In 1899 he was appointed principal of the Andreevskoe municipal school and relocated to their premises on Vasilievski Island; he also became a member of the St. Petersburg District School Council. He continued to publish books of poetry, and in 1902 he finished The Petty Demon, which was published partially in serial form in 1905 (in Voprosy zhizni, which was terminated before the final installments). At this time his "Sundays," a literary group that met at his home, attracted poets, artists, and actors, including Aleksander Blok, Mikhail Kuzmin, Alexei Remisov, Sergei Gorodetsky,Vyacheslav Ivanov, Leon Bakst, Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, and Sergei Auslender.

February 16

Aleksandr Nepomnyashchiy  was born February 16, 1968,  he was a Russian  poet, singer  and bard and a member of National Bolshevik Party. In the early 90's was the winner of the festival "Oskolskaya Lear". Throughout the 90's and early 2000's was considered one of the best figures in the domestic counterculture. Views of Nepomnyastchy speak of him as a controversial personality, it is very significant for example 4 albums 1999-2000: pathetic patriotic and inspirational "Chain Reaction" (a joint account with a group of "Kranti"), romantic and at the same time in life, "Strawberries" contritely-soothing "defeat" and full of worldly wickedness "Grain" with remarkably small time interval replenish discography.

February 15

Yelena Bonner (Russian: Елена Георгиевна Боннэр;  born on 15 February 1923), was a human rights activist in the former Soviet Union and wife of the noted physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov. During her decades as a dissident, Bonner was noted for her characteristic blunt honesty and courage.

February 14

Yulia Stanislavovna Savicheva a Russian singer who performed for Russia in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest which was held in Istanbul, Turkey.Yulia was born on 14 February 1987, into a family of musicians in the city of Kurgan on the edge of Siberia east of the Ural Mountains. Frequent visitors to her parents included several Russian song writers and music producers. Yulia's father, being an avid piano player, would compose songs for Yulia to sing. This was the beginning of Yulia's career as a star.

In March 2004, Yulia participated in another contest, World's Best, and in May she won 11th place at the Eurovision contest with her song, "Believe Me". Her first album was finally released in 2005 with the title Vysoko. About half the material on the album was co-written with former musicians from the band Total.

In August 2005, Yulia wrote the song, "Esli v serdtse zhivyot lyubov" (If Love Lives in Your Heart), which became the theme for the TV series Don't Be Born Beautiful on STS. The song went on to become yet another hit, and she released an album of the same name in November. The album included the title track as well as live versions of songs from her first album. In June, 2006, she released Magnit, on which Anastasia Maksimova wrote the majority of the songs. This, too, was very successful.

In September 2007, she had concerts in Japan (Tokyo and Osaka). In February 2008, she released an album titled Origami. Her latest single "Goodbye, Lyubov'" announces a new album which is yet to be finalised.

And adding up to all that she was in the musical "That Kind of Music". Acting as the daughter of a Ballet dancer who owns a big studio, but since they are about to loose it "Yulia Savicheva" and her friends try to help by making a musical of their own to earn money and this is done with help from the soccer team.

February 13

1934 - The Soviet steamship Cheliuskin sinks in the Arctic Ocean. 

SS Chelyuskin was a Soviet steamship reinforced to navigate through polar ice that became ice-bound in Arctic waters during navigation along the Northern Maritime Route from Murmansk to Vladivostok. The expedition's task was to determine the possibility to travel by non-icebreaker through the Northern Maritime Route in a single navigation season.

It was built in Denmark in 1933 by Burmeister and Wain (B&W, Copenhagen) and named after the 18th century Russian polar explorerSemion Ivanovich Chelyuskin. The head of the expedition was Otto Yuliyevich Shmidt and the ship's captain was V. I. Voronin. There were 111 people on board the steamship. The crew members were known as Chelyuskintsy, "Chelyuskinites".

February 12

Pyotr Podgorodetsky is famous Soviet and Russian musician, showman. Keyboardist of the legendary rock band "The Time Machine" in the 1979-1982 and 1990-1999, co-author of the music of the famous song of this group - "Rotation". He also worked in the "Resurrection", conducted programs on television and radio. Now - the leader of the band XO, Honored Artist of Russia (1999)

February 11

Timur Batrutdinov was born on the 11 of February in 1978 in Moscow region. He is not only a bright, funny resident of Comedy Club, but also a talented actor and a beginning singer. His childhood was dull because he could not displayed himself as a person who could do more than spend his time in a hopeless place. Of course his childhood can’t be compared with his present life. And it’s proved by a great amount of TV programs and shows with his participation that we watch every day.

February 10

         BIRTHDAYS 

Boris Pasternak

Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (10 February 1890 – 30 May 1960) was a Russian language poet, novelist, and literary translator. In his native Russia, Pasternak's anthology My Sister, Life, is one of the most influential collections ever published in the Russian language. Furthermore, Pasternak's translations of stage plays by Goethe, Schiller, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, and William Shakespeare remain deeply popular with Russian audiences.

Outside Russia, Pasternak is best known as the author of Doctor Zhivago, a novel which takes place between the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the Second World War. Due to its independent minded stance on the socialist state, Doctor Zhivago was refused publication in the USSR. At the instigation of Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, Doctor Zhivago was smuggled to Milan and published in 1957. Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature the following year, an event which both humiliated and enraged the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In the midst of a massive campaign against him by the CPSU and the Union of Soviet Writers, Pasternak reluctantly agreed to decline the Prize. In his resignation letter to the Nobel Committee, Pasternak stated the reaction of the Soviet State was the only reason for his decision.

By the time of his death from lung cancer in 1960, the campaign against Pasternak had severely damaged the international credibility of the U.S.S.R. He remains a major figure in Russian literature to this day. Furthermore, tactics pioneered by Pasternak were later continued, expanded, and refined by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and other Soviet dissidents.

Fanni Kaplan

Fanny Yefimovna Kaplan (February 10, 1890 – September 3, 1918), was a Russian political revolutionary and an attempted assassin of Vladimir Lenin.

Faina Yefimovna Kaplan, a.k.a. Fanya Kaplan, was born one of seven children to a Jewish peasant family in the Ukraine. She became a political revolutionary at an early age.

In 1906, during the political chaos of early 20th Century Russia, she was arrested in Kiev after an accidental explosion of a terrorist bomb, which she had been transporting, killing a maid in her hotel. She was sentenced to life at hard labor and served in various gulags throughout Siberia.

On August 30, 1918, Lenin was speaking at a rally in a Moscow factory. As he was leaving the building, Kaplan called out to him and when he turned around she fired several bullets at him. Lenin was hit in the left shoulder and jaw. He survived, but it is believed that these injuries were the ultimate cause of the strokes that led to his death in 1924.

Kaplan was taken into custody by the Cheka, where she gave the following statement:

My name is Fanya Kaplan. Today I shot at Lenin. I did it on my own. I will not say from whom I obtained my revolver. I will give no details. I had resolved to kill Lenin long ago. I consider him a traitor to the Revolution.

Although she was "severely" interrogated, she refused to implicate any of her colleagues. She was executed, shot to death on September 3, 1918.