Daily Calendar for Monday, May 15, 2023
Question of the Day
My kids want to know where “berserk” is, as in “going berserk.” Is the derivation from a place?
No, but we like the idea. Somewhere near bedlam, we’d guess. In truth, it comes from a person, who was a bit of a wild man, as you might expect. In Scandinavian mythology, Berserkr was a great warrior who always entered battle wearing only a bearskin. The name comes from bera (bear) and serkr (shirt), and it was the Saxons who converted it to berserk. By the late 19th century, it had come to mean not just the wild man but also wild or frenzied behavior, often associated with frustration. Berserkr supposedly had a dozen sons, all of whom carried the same name and reputation as furious fighters. Legend also has it that the original Berserkr could take on the appearance of various wild beasts and that neither firearm nor flame could harm him.
Advice of the Day
Better a good cow than a cow of good kind.
Home Hint of the Day
If a board is twisted, you might get some use out of it by cutting it into two or more lengths — or, better yet, avoid using it altogether.
Word of the Day
Pineapple Express
A strong south-westerly wind off the Pacific Ocean. This wind can bring heavy rain and flooding to the Pacific Northwest during winter.
Puzzle of the Day
What reptile is the most mathematical?
The adder
Born
- L. Frank Baum (author) –
- Williamina Fleming (astronomer) –
- Pierre Curie (chemist) –
- Katherine Anne Porter (novelist) –
- Emmitt Smith (football player) –
- Rod Smith (football player) –
- Josh Beckett (baseball player) –
- Andy Murray (tennis player) –
Died
- Emily Dickinson (poet) –
- June Carter Cash (singer) –
- Jerry Falwell –
- Barbara Stuart (actress) –
Events
- English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold arrived at Shoal Hope in what is now Massachusetts. They caught so many cod there they renamed it Cape Cod–
- Johannes Kepler verified his Third Law of Planetary Motion–
- James Puckle was granted a patent for his Defence Gun, the world’s first rapid-fire gun–
- The Baily’s Beads solar eclipse phenomenon was first described–
- Rain and fish fell from the sky in Olneyville, Rhode Island. Most of the fish measured 2- to 4-inches long.–
- Ellen Church became the first airline stewardess, at Boeing Air Transport–
- First live TV pictures received from a U.S. spacecraft, (Faith 7)–
- Governor George Wallace of Alabama was shot–
- Boston Red Sox player Manny Ramirez hit his 400th home run–
- Four bear cubs playing on a backyard trampoline was caught on video in Avon, Connecticut–
Weather
- Thirty-six inches of snow, Haverhill, New Hampshire–
- Ninety-two degrees F at Portland, Oregon–
- 85 degrees F, Olympia and Seattle, Washington–
- 94 degrees F in Theilman, Minnesota–