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 10, 1535, Tomás de Berlanga, a Spanish Bishop based in Panama, accidentally discovered the Galapagos Islands while sailing to Peru. These beautiful islands were not occupied by humans at the time and seem to never have had human inhabitants. The 18 main islands are famous for their unique species of animals and plants and as the inspiration for Darwin’s theory of evolution. Digging Deeper Accidental discoveries have led to great things, including: In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas, finding the Americas while on his way to East Asia, opening a vast and rich…
A Brief History On February 16, 2024, we celebrate another National Do a Grouch a Favor Day. Why would we want to do a grouch a favor? Are grouches a good thing? Digging Deeper Whether you call them a grouch, a crab, a whining sniveling malcontent, or a more formal name such as curmudgeon, grouches are all around, complaining about everything and snapping at others. Here are some reasons we should be thankful for grouches and do them a favor. Grouches are funny. Famous comedians such as Don Rickles, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Burr, Lewis Black, and Ricky Gervais made a…
A Brief History On February 7, 2014, scientists in England verified that footprints found in an uncovered sediment layer in Happisburgh, Norfolk were of human, or “hominid” origin and dated back about 900,000 years. The footprints, called “The Happisburgh footprints” thus became the oldest known human footprints ever found outside of Africa. Digging Deeper The prints were found under an ancient forest bed the previous year and were meticulously photographed and documented before a rising tide covered and destroyed the impressions. Prior to this epic discovery, the previously known oldest hominid footprints found outside of Africa were found in Italy,…