February 1 is mainly a historic date because of the 1953 flood disaster, in which approximately 1,800 people became victims of broken Dutch dikes. Most of the victims died of drowning and hypothermia. But the 1st day of February is a date on which special events took place for even more reasons. An overview of joyful events that took place on February 1.
First skating competition for women, February 1, 1805
The first skating competition for women was held on February 1, 1805. Only in the last few hundred years have women been able to obtain more or less equal rights compared to men. For example, before 1805 it was unthinkable that a woman would participate in a skating competition. Competition on the ice, and in sports in general, was considered a man’s affair and men determined whether women could participate in such competitions. The first Dutch skating competition for women was held in Friesland. 130 women took part in the competition. They skated in underwear, which was viewed with suspicion. The majority of people in the Netherlands said it was a shame that women took part in something as masculine as a skating competition, and dressed in such a way that their body shapes were not neatly covered. In those years people still lived strongly under the spiritual yoke of faith and in the Netherlands it was still believed that a strict man lived in heaven who oversaw everything. Women were supposed to be subordinate to men, women’s suffrage did not yet exist and women were not allowed to study. The skating competition for women was held in Leeuwarden and won by: Trijntje Pieters Westra (Born in Gauw (Friesland) on 7-12-1783 Died: Rauwerderhem, Friesland 3-9-1861). Trijntje was 20 years old when she won the first glorious Women’s Skating Competition for women . She was born in the Frisian town of Gauw near Sneek.
The race was held on February 1 and 2, 1805, on the city canal of Leeuwarden. More than 10,000 to 12,000 visitors came to attend the skating competition and enjoyed the spectacle. However, at the end of February 1st the match was not yet completely over and was continued the next day. The women skated home and returned the next day to complete the matches. Trijntje Pieters Westra became the eventual winner on February 2. She rode the last race against sixteen-year-old Janke Wybes van Damwoude. Janke won 2nd prize a necklace of jet and coral, with a gold padlock. The value of the piece of jewelry was 31 guilders, a very nice price at the time. Winner Trijntje Pieters Westra received (in addition to eternal fame) a gold earring with a value of 105 guilders. After this, women’s skating competitions became indispensable, and the competitions returned as soon as weather conditions permitted.
Anniversary of Piet Mondriaan’s death, February 1, 1944
Painter Piet Mondriaan also died on February 1, but in the year 1944. Mondriaan co-founded De Stijl in 1917. De Stijl was a group of artists who mainly expressed peace and harmony in their work. The artists did not want to portray reality. The choice to use only the three primary colors (red, blue, yellow) in their work was essential.
In addition, black, white and gray were used. Another characteristic of De Stijl was that all lines and surfaces had to be straight, so the works usually consisted of lines and angles. The result was often working with colored squares or rectangular surfaces in primary colors, often framed with black or gray surfaces and lines. Gerrit Rietveld was also one of the well-known artists of De Stijl.
February 1, 1953
The flood disaster in the Netherlands on February 1, 1953 killed around 1,800 people. Dikes broke through in various places in the Netherlands, in Zeeland, South Holland and West Brabant. England, Belgium and Germany also had to deal with the consequences of the heavy storm. 72,000 people lost their homes in the Netherlands and thousands of livestock drowned.
Events on February 1 through history in general
The historical events below always took place on February 1.
- 1673: Mail is sent for the first time between Boston and New York
- 1793: France started a war with the Netherlands and the United Kingdom
- 1804: French rule in Haiti ended.
- 1852: The first postage stamps appeared in the Netherlands
- 1892: The first immigrants entered the United States of America through Ellis Island
- 1908: King Charles of Portugal and his son, Crown Prince Louis Philippe, were murdered in Lisbon by Portuguese republicans.
- 1958: The first artificial moon was launched into space. The artificial Explorer-1 satellite remained in orbit around the Earth until August 1965
- 1972: Hewlett-Packard released the HP-35. It was the first official pocket-sized electronic calculator
- 1978: 213 people died in an air disaster. An Air India Boeing 747, on its way to Dubai, crashed in Bombay two minutes after take-off
- 2003: 7 astronauts from ‘Space Shuttle Columbia’ exploded as the Shuttle was about to land on Earth. The crew of 5 men and 2 women were killed instantly
- 2007: An Adam Air Boeing 737-400 crashes. All passengers, a total of 102 people, died in the plane crash. The aircraft could not be found on radar above Celebes in Indonesia
- 2009: The Italian army takes possession of the island of Mal di Ventre, after the Republic of Malu Entu was proclaimed on the island.
Constellation
If you were born on February 1, you are an Aquarius
Holidays February 1
February 1 also has some celebrations. Not in the Netherlands, but in the following countries:
- Abolition of slavery – Mauritius
- Federal Area Day – Malaysia
- Air Force Day – Nicaragua
- The day of the heroes – Rwanda
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