FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

Georgia is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee and North Carolina; to the northeast by South Carolina; to the southeast by the Atlantic Ocean; to the south by Florida; and to the west by Alabama. Georgia is the 24th-largest state in area and 8th most populous of the 50 United States. Its 2020 population was 10,711,908, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Atlanta, a “beta(+)” global city, is both the state’s capital and its largest city. The Atlanta metropolitan area, with a population of more than 6 million people in 2020, is the 9th most populous metropolitan area in the United States and contains about 57% of Georgia’s entire population.

Founded in 1732 as the Province of Georgia and first settled in 1733, Georgia became a British royal colony in 1752. It was the last and southernmost of the original Thirteen Colonies to be established. Named after King George II of Great Britain, the Georgia Colony covered the area from South Carolina south to Spanish Florida and west to French Louisiana at the Mississippi River. On January 2, 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution. From 1802 to 1804, western Georgia was split to form the Mississippi Territory, which later was admitted as the U.S. states of Alabama and Mississippi. Georgia declared its secession from the Union on January 19, 1861, and was one of the original seven Confederate States. Following the Civil War, it was the last state to be restored to the Union, on July 15, 1870. In the post-Reconstruction era of the late 19th century, Georgia’s economy was transformed as a group of prominent politicians, businessmen, and journalists, led by Henry W. Grady, espoused the “New South” philosophy of sectional reconciliation, industrialization, and white supremacy.^[9] During the mid-20th century, several Georgians, most notably Martin Luther King Jr., were prominent leaders during the civil rights movement. Atlanta was selected as host of the 1996 Summer Olympics, which marked the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympic Games. Since 1945, Georgia has seen substantial population and economic growth as part of the broader Sun Belt phenomenon. From 2007 to 2008, 14 of Georgia’s counties ranked among the nation’s 100 fastest-growing.

Georgia is defined by a diversity of landscapes, flora, and fauna. The state’s northernmost regions include the Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the larger Appalachian Mountain system. The Piedmont plateau extends from the foothills of the Blue Ridge south to the Fall Line, an escarpment to the Coastal Plain defining the state’s southern region. Georgia’s highest point is Brasstown Bald at 4,784 feet (1,458 m) above sea level; the lowest is the Atlantic Ocean. With the exception of some high-altitude areas in the Blue Ridge, the entirety of the state has a humid subtropical climate. Of the states entirely east of the Mississippi River, Georgia is the largest in land area.

TODAY’S ALMANAC

St. Swithin’s Day

St. Swithin was a beloved ninth-century bishop of Winchester, England, who requested that he be buried in the churchyard—some say to be close to the common people, whom he loved; some say so that he could enjoy God’s gift of rain for all eternity. When he died in 862, his request was honored. About 100 years later, however, it was deemed unseemly that so holy a man should rest in a common grave. On July 15, the saint’s feast day, the people attempted to enshrine his remains in his church. Legend has it, however, that St. Swithin caused torrential rains to fall for 40 days, until the intended transfer was abandoned. This is the source of a very old Scottish weather proverb regarding rain on July 15: “St. Swithin’s Day if thou dost rain, / For forty days it will remain.”

Question of the Day

My brown sugar always turns rock hard in summer, no matter how I store it. How can I soften it?

Try putting the sugar in a plastic container and microwaving it for 30 to 60 seconds. If it is still hard, add a couple of drops of water and microwave again. Or you can preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, then put the sugar in a pan and place it in the oven. Turn off the heat and let the sugar stand in the oven until it is soft. To prevent hardening in the future, try storing half an apple in a canister with the sugar.

Advice of the Day

Place flowering sprigs of summer savory in drawers to repel moths.

Home Hint of the Day

To maintain vinyl siding, just give it an annual hosing off. Stains can be removed with either abrasive or nonabrasive cleaners (the color isn’t just a surface finish; it actually permeates the vinyl).

Word of the Day

What is the origin of the word “blizzard”?

It may have come from the German word blitzartig, meaning “lightninglike.” The first documented use of the word “blizzard” as a reference to weather appeared in an Iowa newspaper in 1870. The article referred to a fierce snowstorm that had stared on March 14 of that year.

Puzzle of the Day

The Evergreen State.(Name the U.S. state!)

Washington

Born

• Rembrandt (artist) – 1606
• Clement Moore (writer) – 1779
• Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (missionary) – 1850
• Edward Shackleton (explorer) – 1911
• Iris Murdoch (writer) – 1919
• Jocelyn Bell Burnell (astronomer) – 1943
• Linda Ronstadt (singer) – 1946
• Terry O’Quinn (actor) – 1952
• Barry Melrose (hockey player) – 1956
• Forest Whitaker (actor) – 1961
• Scott Foley (actor) – 1972
• Bryan Helmer (ice hockey player) – 1972

Died

• Gianni Versace (fashion designer) – 1997
• Ed Flesh (designer of the wheel on the TV game show Wheel of Fortune) – 2011
• Martin Landau (actor) – 2017

Events

• In the Egyptian village of Rashid, French Captain Pierre Bouchard found the Rosetta Stone– 1799
• Georgia became the last of the Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union– 1870
• First Buddhist temple established in U.S.– 1904
• The Second Battle of the Marne began with a German offensive from both sides of Reims which met strong resitance from French and American forces (WW I)– 1918
• The duck-billed platypus was first exhibited to the U.S. public, at the Bronx Zoo in New York City– 1922
• Super Florida mosquito stowaway reported on board American craft of Apollo/Soyuz Test Project– 1975
• Lun Lun, a giant panda at Zoo Atlanta, gave birth to twins– 2013

Weather

• Hailstones measuring two to three inches in diameter fell during a storm in southeastern Connecticut– 1799
• Hail at least three inches around fell in southeast Connecticut– 1799

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