The autumnal equinox is defined as the point at which the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator from north to south. The celestial equator is the circle in the celestial sphere halfway between the celestial poles. It can be thought of as the plane of Earth’s equator projected out onto the sphere. Another definition of fall is nights of below-freezing temperatures combined with days of temperatures below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The word equinox means “equal night”; night and day are about the same length of time. The spring equinox is in late March. In addition to the (approximately) equal hours of daylight and darkness, the equinoxes are times when the Sun’s apparent motion undergoes the most rapid change. Around the time of the equinoxes, variations in the position on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets can be noticed from one day to the next by alert observers. See more about the September equinox at www.Almanac.com/fall
Daily Calendar for Thursday, September 22, 2022
Question of the Day
When was the fly swatter invented?
Although there are medieval woodcuts that show similar insect-swatting devices in use, the fly swatter as we know it today was invented in 1905 by a schoolteacher named Frank H. Rose. He was inspired to do so by Kansas State Board of Health member Dr. Samuel J. Crumbine, who was at the time on a campaign to rid Kansas of flies. Rose called his invention, made of wire screening attached to a yardstick, a fly bat. It was renamed a fly swatter by Dr. Crumbine.
Advice of the Day
For a happy marriage, never speak loudly to one another unless the house is on fire.
Home Hint of the Day
Rule of thumb, Part I: When you’re working with softwood lumber, the penny of the nail you use should be the same, in eighths of an inch, as the board you’re nailing. For a 1/2 inch (4/8 inch) board, a 4d nail is fine.
Word of the Day
Halcyon Days
About 14 days of calm weather follows the blustery winds of autumn’s end. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed them to occur around the time of the winter solstice, when the halcyon, or kingfisher, was brooding. In a nest floating on the sea, the bird was said to have charmed the wind and waves so that the waters were especially calm during this period.
Puzzle of the Day
If you transpose a term for low, what horses have will plainly show. Transpose these letters yet once more, what’s said in churches you’ll explore.(What word fits the first clue, and when rearranged, fits the others?)
Mean - mane - amen
Born
- Anne of Cleves (fourth wife of King Henry VIII) –
- George Gordon Lord Byron (poet) –
- Paul Muni (actor) –
- John Houseman (actor) –
- George Balanchine (dancer/choreographer) –
- Joseph M. Valachi (criminal) –
- Tommy Lasorda (baseball player) –
- Shari Belafonte-Harper (actress) –
- Joan Jett (singer) –
- Scott Baio (actor) –
- Bonnie Hunt (actress) –
Died
- Nathan Hale (patriot) –
- Dan Rowan (comedian & actor) –
- Irving Berlin (songwriter) –
- George C. Scott (actor) –
- Joseph Kane (author of Famous First Facts, a collection of provable trivia) –
- Gordon Jump (actor) –
- Marcel Marceau (mime) –
- Eddie Fisher (singer) –
- Yogi Berra (baseball player, exactly 69 years following his 1946 MLB debut.) –
Events
- Position of U.S. Postmaster General established–
- Lincoln issued preliminary Emancipation Proclamation–
- Gene Tunney beat Jack Dempsey–
- Fiddler on the Roof opened on Broadway–
- The first Farm Aid concert took place–
- Turner Broadcasting System announced plans to merge with Time Warner–
- 3.3 earthquake near Rathdrum, Idaho–
Weather
- Hailstorm in Strawberry, Arizona. Five days after the storm, drifts of remaining hail were still 12 to 18 inches deep–
- Hurricane Esther circled Cape Cod, Massachusetts, for four days, bringing heavy rains and widespread flooding to Maine–