A Brief History On March 20, 2023, whether we celebrated it or not, the Vernal Equinox marked the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Of course, in the Southern Hemisphere on that day was the passing of Summer into Autumn, making it the Autumnal Equinox for those folks down under. Digging Deeper So, what exactly is the Vernal Equinox? It is the astronomical event when, at 5.24 pm EDT, the Sun is shining directly down on the Equator. When the Sun shines directly on the Equator again, September 22, 2024, it will be the…
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A Brief History On March 19, 2008, an astronomical event occurred that resulted in the farthest ever known object able to be seen with the naked human eye. Gamma ray burst GRB 080319B was a burst of light seen from Earth for 30 seconds or so. Digging Deeper While GRB 080319B had a light intensity about 21 quadrillion times brighter than our Sun, the fact that it occurred 7.5 billion light years away made it less than impressive to the casual observer. That this event happened 7.5 billion years ago is a sobering thought. The farthest point in the universe…
A Brief History On March 18, 1974, a concrete sculpture of a nude female called Güzel İstanbul in Karaköy Square, Istanbul, Turkey, was attacked by persons unknown and toppled after much public criticism for its allegedly “obscene” nature. The 4.8 meter tall sculpture was subsequently moved to Yıldız Park and re-erected, although the damage to the sculpture has not been fixed. Digging Deeper It seems people just cannot agree on what is art and what is offensive, and other such instances include: The “Vietnam Veterans Memorial” by Maya Lin, built in 1982, received severe criticism when unveiled, largely for the…
A Brief History On March 17, 1945, the Ludendorf Bridge over the Rhine River fell 10 days after the US Army seized the span allowing them to cross the Rhine into Germany. The Germans failed to blow up the bridge, and again failed to take it down later, a major blunder in World War II. Digging Deeper Bridges are often magnificent, and when they fall the event is major news. Some notable bridge collapses include the following: The Ponte das Barcas of Porto, Portugal in 1809, is the deadliest bridge collapse, with 4,000 people fleeing French soldiers falling to their…
A Brief History On March 16, 1945, the battle for the island of Iwo Jima supposedly was won by the US, although fighting would continue for another two weeks. Famous as a heroic battle won by US Marines, Iwo Jima has history often overlooked. Digging Deeper While 22 Marines earned the Medal of Honor, another five US Navy sailors also earned this highest honor. Of the Navy Corpsmen that landed on Iwo Jima, 332 were killed and 659 wounded. The aircraft carrier USS Bismarck Sea was sunk, killing 318 of her crew, the last US carrier sunk in World War…
