Daily Calendar for Sunday, January 8, 2023
Question of the Day
How come longitude lines start in Greenwich, England?
The Royal Observatory Greenwich is located at the National Maritime Museum in London. The original site of the observatory was arbitrarily chosen as longitude 0 degrees in 1884. A plaque in the original structure marks the zero point from which longitude is calculated. The observatory was founded in 1675 by King Charles II to keep accurate tables of the position of the Moon for the calculation of longitude by English ships. In 1750 those tables were published as the Astronomical Observations, and after 1838 they were published annually. Meridian observations of the Sun, stars, and planets also were made at the observatory. Photographs of the Sun were taken daily, conditions permitting, and a continuous photographic record of sunspots was kept starting in 1873. Today the observatory is primarily a museum with a small planetarium.
Advice of the Day
A dash of salt makes cream and egg whites whip more rapidly.
Home Hint of the Day
If your candles warp, immerse them in a pan of warm water to make them pliable enough for straightening.
Word of the Day
Bloomer
From Mrs. Bloomer, an American, who sought to introduce this style of dress. A costume for women, consisting of a short dress, with loose trousers gathered round ankles, and (commonly) a broad-brimmed hat.
Puzzle of the Day
What key is the hardest to turn?
Donkey
Died
- Galileo (astronomer) –
- Eli Whitney (inventor) –
- Terry-Thomas (comedian) –
- Dave Thomas (Wendy’s fast food entrepreneur) –
- Alexander Prokhorov (Russian scientist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1964 for work that led to the development of the laser) –
- Yvonne De Carlo (actress best known as Lily Munster on The Munsters) –
- Iwao Takamoto (cartoonist; created Scooby Doo) –
- Art Clokey (creator of Gumby and Pokey) –
Born
- Jonathan Belcher (Colonial governor and merchant) –
- John Carrol (founded Georgetown University) –
- Alfred Wallace (naturalist) –
- Frank Nelson Doubleday (publisher) –
- Larry Storch (actor) –
- Bill Graham (producer) –
- Elvis Presley (American entertainer ) –
- Bob Eubanks (game show host) –
- Graham Chapman (actor) –
- Stephen Hawking (physicist) –
- David Bowie (singer) –
- Jeff Francis (baseball player) –
- Gaby Hoffmann (actress) –
Events
- First State of the Union message, delivered by President George Washington–
- President George Washington delivered first State of the Union address–
- The 11th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, modifying the power of the Supreme Court, was ratified–
- First soup kitchens opened in London for the relief of the poor–
- Lewis and Clark saw a 105-foot-long whale skeleton in NW Oregon–
- Andrew Jackson defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans (War of 1812)–
- Joseph Lister published the results of his study of antiseptic surgical methods. His use of carbolic acid to sterilize instuments and wounds trebles the survival rate of his patients–
- President Wilson delivered his Fourteen Points speech, suggesting the creation of a League of Nations–
- The Dow Jones industrial stock average passed the 2,000 mark–
- In Singapore, a barge accidentally rammed Jacques Cousteau’s Calypso, causing it to sink in the harbor (it was later raised)–
Weather
- New York City stayed below zero degrees F all day–
- Record cold hit Nevada, -50 degrees F at San Jacinto–
- January 6 to 8: A Nor’easter dumped record snow along the U.S. East Coast –
- Operation Recuperation began after ice storm hit New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec–
- 15,000+ troops began aid during a multiday ice storm in Ontario and Quebec.–