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Afonso (1845–1847) was the Prince Imperial and heir apparent to the throne of the Empire of Brazil. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the eldest child of Emperor Dom Pedro II and Dona Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies, and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza. With the birth of his child, the insecure and shy 19-year-old Emperor Pedro II became more mature and outgoing. Afonso's arrival also fostered a closer and happier relationship between his parents, who had not married for love. Afonso died from epilepsy at the age of two, devastating the emperor. After the loss of his other son, doubts grew in Pedro II's mind that the imperial system could be viable. He still had an heir in his daughter Isabel, but he was unconvinced that a female would prove to be a suitable successor. He became careless about the effects of his policies on the monarchy, provided his daughter Isabel with no training for her role as potential empress, and failed to cultivate her acceptance within the country's political class. Pedro II's lack of interest in protecting the imperial system ultimately led to its downfall. (Full article...)

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• ... that the Dumas Brothel (pictured), believed to be haunted, was the longest-operating brothel in the United States?
• ... that the helium dimer is the largest molecule in the ground state made from two atoms?
• ... the Atmabodha Upanishad explains "state of knowledge of the inner self"?
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• ... that Richard the Lionheart deliberately took church property without its permission?
• ... that John Gilroy has edited films for his father and both of his brothers?
• ... that the Australian cricketer Bill Woodfull was the first to carry the bat twice in Tests?

• Birdman wins four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director (Alejandro González Iñárritu, pictured), at the Academy Awards.
• Prokopis Pavlopoulos is elected President of Greece.
• Limpet teeth are found to have the highest tensile strength among biomaterials, outperforming spider silk.
• At least sixteen people are killed in a stampede at a Mardi Gras parade in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
• Egypt strikes ISIS targets in Libya after a video is released showing the beheading of twenty-one Egyptian Copts.
• Taxi, by Iranian director Jafar Panahi, wins the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Ongoing: Boko Haram – Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – War in Ukraine
Recent deaths: Clark Terry – Daniel Topolski – D. Ramanaidu

February 23: Clean Monday (Eastern Christianity, 2015); National Day in Brunei (1984); Defender of the Fatherland Day in Russia and several other former Soviet republics

• 1739 – The identity of English highwayman Dick Turpin was uncovered by his former schoolteacher, who recognised his handwriting, leading to Turpin's arrest.
• 1885 – Sino-French War: France gained an important victory in the Battle of Đồng Đăng in the Tonkin region of what is now Vietnam.
• 1909 – The Silver Dart (pictured) was flown off the ice of Bras d'Or Lake on Cape Breton Island, making it the first controlled powered flight in Canada.
• 1945 – American photographer Joe Rosenthal took the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima during the Battle of Iwo Jima, an image that was later reproduced as the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial.
• 2005 – France passed a law requiring lycée teachers to teach students "the positive role" of French colonialism, creating so much public opposition that it was repealed within a year.

More anniversaries: February 22 – February 23 – February 24

The Academy Award for Best Actor is presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role while working within the film industry. The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929 with Emil Jannings receiving the award for his roles in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh. Currently, nominees are determined by single transferable vote within the actors branch of AMPAS; winners are selected by a plurality vote from the entire body of eligible voting members of the Academy. In the first three years of the awards, actors were nominated as the best in their categories. The system was later replaced by one in which an actor is nominated for a specific performance in a single film. Since its inception, the award has been given to 78 actors. Daniel Day-Lewis (pictured) has received the most awards in this category with three Oscars. Spencer Tracy and Laurence Olivier were nominated on nine occasions, more than any other actor. (Full list...)