• National Seed Swap Day (Jan 31, 2026 - last Sat) Swap seeds with other gardeners in your bioregion. Learn, network and prepare for the gardening season ahead. Connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about saving seeds and sharing their seed stories

• Feast of St. John Bosco, patron of apprentices

On this day in:

1817 Antoine Beauvilliers died (born 1754).  French chef who founded the first luxury restaurant, La Grande Taverne de Londres.

1865 Hugh Falconer died (born Feb 29, 1808).  Scottish botanist and paleontologist. After investigations, he successfully recommended that tea production be introduced to India.

1881 Birth of Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. A famous dessert of Australian or New Zealand origin was named for her. It is a meringue with whipped cream and fruit. (Feb 12 on the new Gregorian calendar)

1893 The Coca-Cola trademark was recorded.

1908 Carl von Voit died. German physiologist whose work on metabolism helped establish modern nutritional science.

1911 The 1st Saskatchewan Homemakers' Clubs Convention is held in Regina, Saskatchewan.

1933 Drackett Chemical of Cincinnati, Ohio registered the 'Windex' trademark (liquid cleaner for glass).

1942 The manufacture of civilian vehicles in the U.S. was halted due to WW II.

1948 The 'New Yorker' published J.D. Salinger's a perfect day for banana fish

1957 Canada makes Thanksgiving Day a national holiday, the 2nd Monday in October ("A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed …")

1980 Due to record high sugar prices, Coca Cola begins substituting high fructose corn syrup for half of the sucrose (sugar) used in Coca Cola.

1990 The first McDonald's restaurant in Moscow, Russia opens.

1991 Average U.S. food prices: white bread 71 cents; grade A large eggs $1.10 dz; milk $2.76 per gallon; chicken 89 cents lb; ground beef $1.65 lb

2001 Germany announced plans to destroy 400,000 cattle due to the mad cow crises. The European Union estimates that up to 2 million cattle will be destroyed in EU countries by the end of June.

2014 The world's oldest flamingo, 83 year old 'Greater,' died at the Adelaide Zoo in Australia.

2020 The United Kingdom (UK) officially leaves the European Union (EU) after 45 years.  Details to be worked out by December 31, 2020.