Apart from the Saint Valentine’s Day, Albanians remember of February 14^th also because,

On February 14, 1858, the patriot Filip Kraja was born in Shkodër. He was arrested and imprisoned in 1905 on the charge of disseminating political ideas of an insurrectionary nature.

After he was released, he escaped to Italy. In the congress of Albanianness held in Trieste from March 1 – 4, 1913, he was part of the nation’s most prominent activists, such as Faik Konica, and Fan Noli. He returned to his homeland after the liberation of Shkodra from the Montenegrins in 1913. The patriot Filip Kraja passed away on February 1, 1933.

On February 14, 1911, the first issue of the “Koha” newspaper, a 4-6 page political and literary weekly paper, was published in Korça for almost 15 years until 1926.

On February 14, 1917, Beqir Balluku, an anti-fascist fighter, was born in Tirana. military, general. In 1943 he was a member of the Communist Party and a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. He was arrested by the Italians in 1943 for a few months and on May 20, 1943 he was appointed commander of the partisan battalion Krujë-Ishëm. On September 18, 1943 commissar of the 3rd Brigade and then commander of the 2nd Brigade. In 1944, he was commander of the operational staff of brigades 2, 9 and 20. In 1945, he was a member of the Special Court. He was shot in 1974 for political reasons.

On February 14, 1947, was founded the anti-aircraft regiment of Albanian Armed Forces in Tirana.

On February 14, 1984, Gjon Mili passed away in New York, United States. He was born in 1904 in Korça. In 1923, he arrived in the USA where he started taking pictures as an amateur. Meanwhile, he also started to write. His three novels with the titles “Far”, “Dream” and “Mother” were published in Odise Paskali’s magazine “Albanian Student” in Turin in 1929. Later he studied at the famous MIT university (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), where he graduated as a lighting engineer. John Mili used the “electronic flash” and the “stroboscopic light” for the first time. In 1937 he received the title of professor. His ultra-short exposure photographs constitute one of the most interesting phenomena of the connection between science and art. GjonMili is also involved in cinematography, shooting six documentary films with his own script. John Mill died in New York at the age of 80.

On February 14, 1998, Avdullah Nikaj, martyr of the KLA war, died.

On February 14, 1999, the US Secretary of State, Madeline Albright talked in the Castle of Rambouillet with the Kosovo delegation led by Hashim Thaçi, who headed the Kosova delegation at this conference. Mrs. Albright had asked for a unified stance of the delegation.

/a.p./