On February 8, 1919, as his will was, the body of Ismail Qemali, the father of Albanian independence, left Italy to rest in the Homeland. Accompanied by his three sons and representatives of the Italian Foreign Ministry, on board the war ship “Alpino”, his body was brought to Vlora.

On February 8, 1920, Tirana was declared the temporary capital by the Lushnja Congress. The final status of Tirana as capital of the country was decided on December 31, 1925.

On February 8, 1923, Jakov Xoxa, novelist and short story writer, was born in Fier. He studied at the University of Sofia. He started to work as a journalist first and then as a lecturer at the Tirana State University, teaching theory of literature. The author of the novel “The Dead River”, “White South”, and “Salty Flower”, Jakov Xoxa, passed away in 1979, in Bucharest, while undergoing medical treatment. His body was brought to rest in the homeland.

On February 8, 1936, the composer Gjon Simoni was born in Shkodër. He became active at early age in the musical life of his hometown. Graduated with very good results at the State Conservatory of Tirana (now the University of Arts) in Music Composition and Theory, he was appointed Head of Music Department in Gjirokastër. In 1980 he was appointed Head of the Department of Composition and orchestration teacher at the Academy of Arts in Tirana, to be from 1996 to 1997 the Dean of the Faculty of Music of this Academy. Lecturer, composer, orchestrator, head of music department at Radio-Tirana and at the Faculty of Music at the High Institute of Arts, the brilliant orchestrator, the refined intellectual, a milestone of Albanian music, he was awarded the title of “Merited Artist” in 1989. While in 1999 he was honored with an honorary degree from the International Center of Biographies, Cambridge, UK. Gjon Simoni passed away accidentally in Tirana on July 2, 1999.

On February 8, 1945, the patriot Thanas Floqi passed away. He was born in Korça, on January 14, 1884. He studied at the University of Athens, in the Faculty of Law. He returned to his homeland after the proclamation of the new Ottoman constitution, on July 24, 1908. In Korca, he was appointed director of the Albanian school for boys. He composed several patriotic songs. He also directed plays “Besa” /The Faith/ and “Pyrrhus Death” on the stage of Korca theater. Thanas Floqi was elected as the representative of Korça in the Historical Assembly of Vlora, which proclaimed the independence of Albania. He passed away in Elbasan at the age of 61.

/a.p./