On This Day December 3rd

 OTD 

January 3rd is the third day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 362 days remain until the end of the year.


 Events

250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (except Jews) to make sacrifices to the Roman gods.

1521 – Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.

1749 – The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark's oldest continually operating newspaper, is published.

1833 – Captain James Onslow, in the Clio, reasserts British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

1870 – Construction work begins on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, United States.

1913 – An Atlantic coast storm sets the lowest confirmed barometric pressure reading for a non-tropical system in the continental United States.

1947 – Proceedings of the U.S. Congress are televised for the first time.

1959 – Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state.

1990 – United States invasion of Panama: Manuel Noriega, former leader of Panama, surrenders to American forces

2009 – The first blockchain block of the decentralized payment system Bitcoin blockchain, called the Genesis block, was established by the system's creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.


Birthdays

106 BC – Cicero, Roman philosopher, lawyer, and politician (d. 43 BC)

1802 – Charles Pelham Villiers, English lawyer and politician (d. 1898)

1806 – Henriette Sontag, German soprano and actress (d. 1854)

1880 – Francis Browne, Irish Jesuit priest and photographer (d. 1960)

1892 – J.R.R. Tolkien, English writer, poet, and philologist (d. 1973)

1917 – Roger Williams Straus, Jr., American journalist, and publisher, co-founded Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (d. 2004)

1926 – George Martin, English composer, conductor, and producer (d. 2016)

1939 – Bobby Hull, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2023)

1956 – Mel Gibson, American-Australian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1981 – Eli Manning, American football player

1991 – Goo Hara, South Korean singer and actress (d. 2019)


Holiday Spotlight

Earth at Perihelion

  Perihelion is an astronomical occurrence around two weeks from the December Solstice. Even though it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere during this period, Earth reaches the closest point of over 91 million miles to the sun on this day. Perihelion does not directly affect Earth’s temperature; it does not make us feel any warmer nor provide respite from the chilling temperature. However, it does indirectly affect seasons because Earth’s orbital speed is at its maximum at perihelion. On this day, the sun appears the largest in the sky for the entire year, gradually growing smaller through the remainder of the year. 

 In 1246, Perihelion Day was on the December Solstice. Every 58 years since then, the date has changed by a day. Perihelion Day varies yearly due to precession and orbital factors following specific cyclical patterns known as the Milankovitch cycles. Another cause is the moon’s presence, which can change the date by up to two days from one year to another. While the Earth-Moon barycenter moves on a stable orbit around the sun, Earth’s center, which is around 2,900 mi from the barycenter, can shift in any direction from it, thus affecting the actual time of the perihelion. 

 In 2000, the longitude of the perihelion was about 282.895°, and by 2010, it had become around 283.067°. According to astronomers, in the year 6430, the perihelion will happen simultaneously with the March Equinox.


Other Include

Festival of Sleep Day 

Fruitcake Toss Day 

Humiliation Day 

J.R.R. Tolkien Day 

Memento Mori "Remember You Die" Day 

National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day 

National Drinking Straw Day 

National Write to Congress Day 

Women Rock! Day


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In This Day December 3rd

  O.T.D December 3rd is the three hundred thirty-third day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 33 days remain until the end of the year. Events 1775—American Revolutionary War: The USS Alfred becomes the first vessel to fly the Grand Union Flag (the precursor to the Stars and Stripes); John Paul Jones hoists the flag. 1800 – United States presidential election: The Electoral College casts votes for president and vice president that result in a tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. 1854 – Battle of the Eureka Stockade: More than 20 gold miners at Ballarat, Victoria, are killed by state troopers in an uprising over mining licenses. 1898 – The Duquesne Country and Athletic Club defeats an all-star collection of early football players 16–0 in the first all-star game for professional American football. 1904 – Charles Dillon Perrine discovers the Jovian moon Himalia at California's Lick Observatory. 1910 – Georges Claude first demonstrates modern neon lighting at the Paris Moto...
Read more

The Lightning Mind of Benjamin Franklin: Innovator, Statesman, and Sage

Image
   Benjamin Franklin, one of the most extraordinary figures in American history, was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts. His life spanned an era of remarkable change and progress, and Franklin himself was a driving force behind much of this transformation.  Franklin's thirst for knowledge was evident from a young age. Born into a modest family, he had limited formal education but compensated for this with an insatiable curiosity and a passion for self-learning. His early exposure to books and learning, mainly through his apprenticeship at his brother's printing shop, laid the foundation for his lifelong pursuit of knowledge.  Regarding Franklin's IQ, it's important to note that the concept of IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and IQ tests were not developed during Franklin's lifetime. Thus, it's impossible to accurately state his IQ. However, his broad range of achievements and intellectual pursuits indicate high intelligence and creativity.  Franklin e...
Read more

On This Day January 13th

 OTD January 13th is the Thirteenth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 352 days remain until the end of the year.   Events 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the Roman Senate's and the people's free disposal. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years. 532 – The Nika riots break out during the racing season at the Hippodrome in Constantinople because of discontent with the rule of Emperor Justinian 1815 – War of 1812: British troops capture Fort Peter in St. Mary’s, Georgia, the only battle of the war to take place in the state. 1888 – The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C. 1910 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; a live performance of the operas Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci is sent out over the airwaves from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. 1920 – The Reichstag Bloodbath of January 13, 1920, the bloodiest demonstration in German history. 1966 – Robert C. Weaver became the f...
Read more