Today's Calendar
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Question of the Day
What would happen if Earth’s rotation started to slow down?
Earth is already slowing down and has been doing so for billions of years. At the present time, our planet is slowing down by about .002 second per century. The slowing occurs mainly because of friction between solid earth and ocean tides. Earth’s loss of rotational energy is transferred to the Moon, which goes into a wider orbit, thus lengthening the time between successive full Moons.
Advice of the Day
Two sparrows on the same ear of corn are not long friends.
Home Hint of the Day
To clean a dirty television screen, wipe the screen with alcohol on a clean rag.
Word of the Day
Three Chilly Saints
Mamertus, Pancras, and Gervais were three early Christian saints. Because their feast days, on May 11, 12, and 13, respectively, are traditionally cold, they have come to be known as the Three Chilly Saints. An old French saying goes: “St. Mamertus, St. Pancras, and St. Gervais do not pass without a frost.”
Puzzle of the Day
On three legs I stand, And when taken in hand, My nose often points to the light. Inside I’m as black as any coal sack, But my outside is polished and bright. (1897) (What is being described?)
Candle snuffer
Born
- Samuel Adams (patriot) –
- Peter Joseph von Cornelius (painter) –
- Thomas Nast (cartoonist) –
- Catherine Marshall (writer) –
- William Conrad (actor) –
- Arthur Penn (director) –
- Wilford Brimley (actor) –
- Shaun Cassidy (singer) –
- Clara Hughes (cyclist) –
- Gwyneth Paltrow (actress) –
- Avril Lavigne (singer) –
Died
- Adelina Patti (opera singer; namesake of the song You’re the Flower of My Heart Sweet Adeline) –
- Engelbert Humperdinck (German composer) –
- Donald O'Connor (song and dance man) –
- William Safire (political columnist, language maven) –
Events
- Breakthrough in deciphering the Rosetta Stone announced–
- SS Arctic and SS Vesta collided in the North Atlantic–
- The Tonight Show made its television debut with Steve Allen as host–
- The Warren Commission Report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy issued–
- Two men, Jeffrey Petkovich and Peter Debernardi, went over Niagara Falls in a barrel. They were the first pair ever to go over the falls and live. They were charged with unlawfully performing the stunt–
- Mark McGwire hit his 69th and 70th home runs–
- Dawn spacecraft launched, Cape Canaveral, Florida–
Weather
- Unripened corn in much of New England was killed by a severe black frost–
- Winds gusted to 115 mph on Long Island; 109 mph in Chatham, Massachusetts; and 100 mph in Milton, Massachusetts–
- Hurricane Gloria made landfall near Fire Island, New York, and then crossed the Connecticut coastline–
- A rare waterspout was seen in Long Island Sound, New York, off Smithtown Bay–
- Los Angeles, California, reached a record high temperature of 113 degrees F–