Yesterday, in Science!
Good news! It’s the 11th of August! Why is that good news, you ask? Well, because of SCIENCE! What is so significant about the 10th of August (yesterday) in the land of Science? Why, these monumental things, of course.
Sir Almroth Wright was Born
Sir Almroth Wright was born on this day back in 1861. Never heard of the fellow? Well you have him to thank for giving us such things as anti-typhoid immunization and vaccines for tuberculosis and pneumonia. Hooray!
First Long Distance Phone Call
In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell calls up Paris. No, not that Paris, the other Paris, Paris Ontario, Canada. The six mile call (originating in Brantford, Ontario) was the furthest the infant technology had been pushed to such distances.
Discoverer 13 was Launched
Discoverer 13, an Earth-orbiting satellite was launched on this day in 1960. This little satellite was significant in that this was the first time an object from orbit had been successfully recovered.
Lunar Orbiter 1 was Launched
Image Taken by Lunar Orbiter 1
In 1966 the first lunar orbiter was launched. There were five lunar orbiter missions total that had the task of mapping out the lunar surface. All were successful.
The Great Daylight 1972 Fireball
A 3 meter meteoroid bounces off the Earth’s atmosphere entering above Utah and continuing until Alberta, where it then escaped, shooting off on its merry way. It was visible during the daytime when the even occurred.
Magellan Spacecraft Arrives at Venus
Magellan arrived at Venus on this day in 1990. It’s main mission was to topographically map the surface of Venus via long wavelength radar in order to penetrate Venus’ thick cloud cover.
The Father of Modern Rocketry Dies
Robert Hutchings Goddard dies on this day in 1945. He was the American physicist who designed and launched the first liquid fueled rocket.
Asprin is Created
Dr. Felix Hoffmann creates stable and pure asprin (acetylsalicylic acid) in his lab.
The Royal Observatory is Founded
In 1675 King Charles II laid the foundation stone for the Royal Observatory. This building is the home of the Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian line.
The Smithsonian Institution was Established
Congress passed the legislation in 1846 that established the Smithsonian Institution. President Polk signed the legislation into law the same day.
Today, Today
History is lovely and all, but we live in the FUTURE. So, fresh from the Lair’s The Future is Now Science Regurgitation Display Matrix1 are a few of today’s science tidbits.
Evidence for Liquid Water on Mars?
Photos from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has turned up some interesting views of dark streaks on the Martian surface that may suggest liquid water, possibly in a brine given surface temperature constraints. The streaks appear to be seasonal, giving more indication of something interesting oozing out of the Martian soil.
Recent Large Solar Flares
You may have heard about the increased solar flare activity on the sun over the
weekend. It has been so energetic that the Aurora Borealis was spotted as far south as Utah and Oregon. Yesterday morning, we got hit with a X6.9 flare as recorded by NASA. As X class is the largest class (with varying degrees of intensity via a numbered scale), this was a good size event and also happened to be the largest Earth directed flare in a while.
Perseid Meteor Shower
The Perseid meteor shower is gearing up these next few nights with the peak being on the moring of the 13th. So, get out there and watch as this clump of earth hurls through space and into the debris left by the comet, Swift-Tuttle. Weeeee!
- Trade marked, of course. [↩]
Tags: science, today in science
