FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

John Robert Isner (born April 26, 1985) is an American professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 8 in singles and No. 19 in doubles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).

Considered one of the best servers ever to play on the ATP Tour, Isner achieved his career-high singles ranking in July 2018 by virtue of his maiden Masters 1000 crown at the 2018 Miami Open and a semifinal appearance at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. He has also twice reached the quarterfinals at the US Open in 2011 and 2018, the latter of which helped qualify him for an ATP Finals appearance later that year. At the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, he played the longest professional tennis match in history, requiring five sets and 183 games to defeat Nicolas Mahut in a match which lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes, and was played over the course of three days. Isner holds the record for hitting the ATP’s fastest “official” serve ever and third-fastest on record in tennis at 157.2 mph or 253 km/h during his first-round 2016 Davis Cup match. He currently has the second-most aces in the history of the ATP Tour, having served over 13,000.

TODAY’S ALMANAC

Midsummer Day

Although Midsummer Day occurs near the summer solstice, or what we think of as the beginning of summer, to the farmer it is the midpoint of the growing season, halfway between planting and harvesting, and an occasion for celebration. Although it’s also the feast day of St. John the Baptist, it features pagan traditions such as bonfires, fire walking, and a carnival atmosphere, all of which took place on Midsummer Eve. Certainly, it’s a night of magic and soothsaying as well, for as Washington Irving said, this is a time “when it is well known all kinds of ghosts, goblins, and fairies become visible and walk abroad.” After Midsummer Day, the days shorten. In Lithuanian tradition, the dew on Midsummer Day was said to make young girls beautiful and old people look younger. It was also thought that walking barefoot in the dew would keep one’s skin from getting chapped. It was customary to honor all men named John on this day by fixing wreaths of oak leaves around their doors. This is usually done in secret, and John must guess who did it or catch the person in the act, in which case he must give the person a treat.

Question of the Day

I’ve heard that bees act strangely before a storm. Is this true?

One weather proverb we’ve heard relating to bees is, “Bees will not swarm, before a near storm.” We advise caution if you wish to check this theory yourself.

Advice of the Day

Rain today means a wet harvest.

Home Hint of the Day

To avoid splashing water all over yourself when removing water from the inside of a tire swing, punch holes in the bottom of the tire so the water can drain out.

Word of the Day

Lachanophobia

Fear of vegetables

Puzzle of the Day

Spare him not (Change these words into a single word.)

Misanthrope

Died

• Lucrezia Borgia (Duchess of Ferrara) – 1519
• Grover Cleveland (22nd & 24th U.S. president) – 1908
• Sarah Orne Jewett (writer) – 1909
• Jackie Gleason (actor & comedian) – 1987
• Esther Rome (author) – 1995
• Brian Keith (actor) – 1997
• David Tomlinson (actor) – 2000
• Richard Pough (founder of the Nature Conservancy. Pough wrote a series of Audubon guides on birds. He was also one of the first to warn of the dangers of DDT and helped to get a law banning the sale of wild-bird feathers.) – 2003
• Eli Wallach (actor) – 2014

Born

• Ferdinand Bol (painter) – 1616
• Ambrose Bierce (writer) – 1842
• Jack Dempsey (boxer) – 1895
• Mick Fleetwood (musician) – 1947
• Mindy Kaling (actress) – 1979
• Minka Kelly (actress) – 1980
• Solange Knowles (actress & singer) – 1986

Events

• Battle of Bannockburn—Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce beat Edward II of England. Scotland regained its independence– 1314
• John Cabot landed on North American soil– 1497
• Henry VIII crowned King of England– 1509
• Canada’s national anthem, O Canada, was first performed, at a banquet in Quebec City, Quebec. The original lyrics were in French. English versions didn’t appear until the early 1900s.– 1880
• 9 UFOs reported, Mt. Rainier, Washington– 1947
• The guitar Eric Clapton used to record the song, Layla, sold at auction for $497,500– 1999
• Eric Clapton’s favorite guitar fetched $959,500 at auction, easily eclipsing the record set by the sale of another guitar by the legendary rock musician on this day in 1999– 2004
• John Isner of the U.S. defeated Nicolas Mahut of France at Wimbledon in the longest tennis match to date (11 hours and 5 minutes)– 2010
• Rusty, a red panda, was found exploring a nearby neighborhood after he had disappeared from the The Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., overnight.– 2013

Weather

• While on an Arctic expedition, Admiral Robert Peary reported seeing a large mountainous landmass off the coast. He named it Crocker Land, but later expeditions proved that it was a mirage.– 1906
• 6.54” of rain fell in Brooklyn, New York City– 1962
• The Mount Rainier National Park ranger station in Washington reported 4.4 inches of snow, bringing the season total to 1,122 inches– 1972
• Light snow flurries in northern Manitoba– 2005

COURTESY www.almanac.com