Photo courtesy 123rf.com
On this day in 1889 the Eiffel Tower officially opened for the Exposition Universelle (World's Fair) held, of course, in Paris. For more information click here.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Eiffel Tower 133 Years Old
Photo courtesy 123rf.com
On this day in 1889 the Eiffel Tower officially opened for the Exposition Universelle (World's Fair) held, of course, in Paris. For more information click here.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Anesthesia Anniversary
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Inhaled ether officially began being used as anesthesia in surgery after William T. G. Morton demonstrated its use at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on this day in 1846. For more information click here.
What did you learn today?
Thursday, March 29, 2012
The Petticoat Duel...For Real...With Guns!
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While pistol-duels were usually an activity for men, women were known to do this from time to time. The 1792 Petticoat Duel was between Lady Almeria Braddock and Mrs. Elphinstone, because Mrs. Elphinstone said Lady Braddock was 61 years old, and Lady Braddock insisted she was not even 30. They met to duel, but when neither was hurt by bullets they commenced dueling with swords. Neither was killed nor even seriously injured, and they even curtsied to each other in the end.
For more information click here. What did you learn today?
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Socialism vs. Communism
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One of the main differences between socialism and communism is as follows. "As an economic system, socialism seeks to manage the economy through deliberate and collective social control. Communism, however, seeks to manage both the economy and the society by ensuring that property is owned collectively and that control over the distribution of resources is centralized to achieve both classlessness and statelessness." For more information click here.
What did you learn today?
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Constitution Day & 225th Anniversary
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2012 is the 225th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution. Constitution Day is celebrated every year on September 17. For more information click here. What did you learn today?
Monday, March 26, 2012
The Pressure's On!
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The giraffe has the highest blood pressure of all animals. For more information click here. What did you learn today?
Sunday, March 25, 2012
What Are Your Tornado Chances?
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The U.S. has more tornadoes every year than any other place in the world. About 1,000 tornadoes touch down in the U.S. every year. For more information click here. What did you learn today?
Saturday, March 24, 2012
First White-Water Rafting Expedition
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My favorite summer sport is white-water rafting, and my favorite places to do this are the North Island of New Zealand. For an action-packed day, try rafting the Tongariro River. For riverside beauty and a little more relaxed day, try rafting the Mokau River.
The first organized white-water rafting expedition took place in 1842, and was organized by topographer and explorer Lieutenant John Fremont (1813-1890) of the U.S. Army on Nebraska's Platte River. Among other things, Fremont went on to be the 5th Territorial Governor of Arizona. For more information click here and click here.
What did you learn today?
Friday, March 23, 2012
Paper Bag Beginnings
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American botanist, educator, clergyman, and inventor Francis Wolle (1817-1893) invented the paper-bag-making machine in 1852. American inventor Margaret Knight (1838-1914) invented the square-bottom paper-bag-folding machine in 1871. For more information click here.
What did you learn today?
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Early Arrival for Vernal Equinox 2012
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Tuesday, March 20, was the 2012 Vernal or Spring Equinox, where the number of daylight and night hours are equal. There are many spring equinox rituals and celebrations, such as attempting to stand an egg on its end. Some gardeners believe that it is the best time to do spring planting, so I have several friends who have been unavailable since Tuesday as they are spending every spare minute in their gardens.
This year spring made its earliest arrival since 1896. For more information click here and click here.
What did you learn today?
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Live Stream Inside a Red-Tailed Hawks Nest!
Photo of Red-Tailed Hawk courtesy 123rf.com
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has fascinating live stream of a Red-Tail Hawk's nest. I've never seen one so close. For more information click here.
What did you learn today?
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Seven-Minute Egg
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I love a 7-minute egg: put egg(s) in pan, cover with water, put lid on pan, put pan on burner, turn on burner to high setting, as soon as water boils turn off burner but do not remove pan from burner, leave pan on burner for seven minutes, remove pan from burner and drain hot water, add cold water to pan, remove and peel egg(s), and enjoy! The white is completely cooked, and the yolk is orange and barely runny. If you want a completely cooked yolk, leave pan on burner for ten to fifteen minutes.
The largest chicken egg ever recorded weighed one pound, and had two yolks and two shells! For more information click here.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Ear Flaps
Photo courtesey 123rf.com
Mammals are the only creatures that have flaps around their ears. For more information click here.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
City of Sails
Photo of Auckland, New Zealand looking east courtesy 123rf.com
One of my favorite cities in the world is Auckland. I love all of New Zealand: the people, their government, the terrain, the climate, their wines, just about everything. Apparently many others feel much the same as Auckland is ranked on different lists as being 3rd, 4th, and 9th of all cities in the world for quality of life. Other interesting Auckland statistics include: the population is about 1,400,000; 1 in 3 households own a boat, so it is sometimes called "City of Sails"; it is the 23rd richest city in the world; and the main three religions are Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Presbyterian. For more information 1click here, 2click here, and 3click here.
What did you learn today?
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Where Are the Irish ?!
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Current estimates of the total number of Irish in the world are about 80 million. The largest Irish communities outside of Great Britain are in the United States. Next are Australia, Canada, Argentina, then New Zealand. For more information click here, click here, and click here.
What did you learn today?
Friday, March 16, 2012
Party St. Patrick's Day Style!
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If you're planning a St. Patrick's Day party, click here for three pages of fun ideas for invitations, decorations, food, and more. Elsewhere on the website are pages for the history of St. Patrick's Day, and movies with Irish themes.
What did you learn today?
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Medieval Plague Masks
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The plague mask was probably designed in the 17th century by the doctor of Louis XIII, Charles de Lorme. In the beak was stored perfume and herbs to block what were perceived to be the poisonous vapors associated with the foul air caused by the decomposition of the bodies of Black Plague victims.
Click here or more information in this week's post by The Chirurgeon's Apprentice.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Consilience & World Ants
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Two days ago I reviewed a wonderful documentary about origami I saw on Sunday. One of the premises of this documentary reminded me of a wonderful book I read, which was published in 1998, "Consilience" by Edward O. Wilson. In the documentary the relationship of origami to other fields of study was explored; in Wilson's book consilience is the unity of all knowledge bases from science to the humanities.
Dr. Wilson is from Alabama (as am I) and grew up near Washington, D.C. (I did not, although I visited several times in my youth) and near Mobile, Alabama (as did I). As a young man he was very interested in natural history and entomology. He has won several awards for his research and writings primarily in science.
What I didn't know is that as a young man he attempted to survey all the ants of Alabama. For a website that will give you information about ants in any region of the world click here.
What did you learn today?
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
World Interfaith Calendar
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In looking up which day this weekend is St. Patrick's Day, I stumbled on a fabulous calendar, InterFaithCalendar.org, that has dates of religious observances for many faiths, definitions for the observances, and much more. You can access calendars from 2009 through 2019, and an archive that dates from 2001. For more information click here. This would be very useful for teachers and business owners, and others, too.
Click here to find out why 2008 had two unique dates in religious history. What did you learn today?
Monday, March 12, 2012
The Music of Origami
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I have just seen the best documentary I've ever seen, "Between the Folds: Exploring Origami." One of the most interesting parts of this documentary is how the evolution of Western Art Music is compared to the evolution of origami. Some of the most breathtaking origami I have ever seen is presented. There are different genres of origami--very much like music--and some even moves! Another very interesting part of the film is the scientists who do and study origami for practical application in medicine and other fields. It is a riveting 56 minutes. On top of all that, I thought the score was genius in that it sounded like what origami looks like! I hope you will see this documentary, then leave a comment here on this blog.
For more information click here and click here. What did you learn today?
Sunday, March 11, 2012
What Time Is It?!
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Click here for the TimeTemperature.com website, where you can find the current time and temperature and time zone of any city in any country in the world!
What did you learn today?
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Daylight Savings Time Around the World
Photo courtesy WebExhibits.org
Daylight Savings Time in the U.S.A. begins Sunday, March 11, 2012 and ends Sunday, November 4, 2012. Click here for a map (also see above) and fascinating details about other countries around the world who currently have, previously had, and have never had DST.
What did you learn today?
Friday, March 9, 2012
March Migration Madness!
Photo of male Northern Cardinal courtesy 123rf.com
The Great Back Yard Bird Count is in: for more information and to find out why a picture of a Cardinal is included in this post click here. The category most interesting to me is "Localities Reporting the Most Species".
Now get ready for March Migration Madness: click here and vote for your favorite North American bird. I may vote for the humble House Finch because I love their song so much. Or I may vote for the Bluebird because they are so pretty, and I like their song, too. Or I may vote for....oh, so many choices!
What did you learn today.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Book Banned in Germany
Photo of Alte Bibliothek in Berlin courtesy 123rf.com
Publication of Mein Kampf is banned by law in Germany. This law was upheld today by a German court. For more information click here.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
15 Sedona Vortexes
Photo of Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona courtesy 123rf.com
Iron ore, silicon dioxide, and sandstone content in rocks can cause rocks to have a magnetic field. In Sedona, Arizona there are 15 locations that exhibit intense positive or negative magnetic fields, powerful enough to cause the human body to react. These areas are called vortexes and are sought out by people for physical-health and spiritual reasons. For more information click here and click here.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
The Burning Bush Today
Photo of Moses' burning bush at St. Catherine Monastery in Egypt courtesy 123rf.com
Helena I, Constantine's mother, had a chapel built in the city of St. Catherine, Egypt on Mount Sinai, around what was and is believed to be the burning bush that Moses saw. Today the St. Catherine monastery surrounds that chapel. The complete name of the monastery is The Sacred and Imperial Monastery of the God Trodden Mount of Sinai. Over 170 saints are associated with the monastery.
For more information click here(1), click here(2), click here(3), and click here(4). What did you learn today?
Monday, March 5, 2012
Kids' Books for St. Patrick's Day
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St. Patrick's Day is less than two weeks away, on March 17, of course. Here is a list of books for kids through age 12 about St. Patrick's Day crafts, history, and fiction: click here.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Next Week: Daylight Savings Time
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On this day next week, in the U.S. and some other countries we will be changing our clocks by one hour for Daylight Savings Time. I remember how to make the change by saying, "Spring forward, fall backward."
The only two states who do not use DST are Arizona and Hawaii. In 1784 American Benjamin Franklin thought of the idea and wrote and essay about it. In 1895 New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson proposed a two-hour change. In 1905 Englishman William Willett proposed a weekly 20-minute change over the course of four weeks each spring and fall. For more information click here. What did you learn today?
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Free iLectures!
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You can download free Stanford University lectures on a variety of topics from iTunes--for Free! I'm still trying to decide which one to view first... For more information click here. What did you learn today?
Friday, March 2, 2012
Muscle-Head!
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Soon it will be caterpillar and butterfly time in the garden. In arming myself with knowledge-tools to make sure I can have both flowers and butterflies, but not let my flower-garden be decimated by caterpillars, I learned that caterpillars have about 248 muscles in their heads! For more information click here. What did you learn today?
Thursday, March 1, 2012
A Little Dog and A Flying Fish--Tonight!
Photo of Canis Minor courtesy SeaSky.org
Photo of Volans courtesy SeaSky.org
In the northern hemisphere, tonight is prime time viewing for Canis Minor (Little Dog) and Volans (Flying Fish). Canis Minor appears to be standing on the back of Monoceros (the Unicorn), and Volans resembles a flying fish when seen from the side.
For more information click here. What did you learn today?
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