Daily Almanac for Tuesday, July 18, 2023

By Kim McGuire

On this date in 1898, Pierre and Marie Curie announced the discovery of a new element and called it polonium. Here is Pierre and Marie Curie (courtesy Curie Family Album)

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

The Curie family is a French family with a number of illustrious scientists. Several members were awarded the Nobel Prize, including physics, chemistry, or the Nobel Peace PrizePierre Curie, his Polish-born wife Marie Curie, their daughter, Irène, and son-in-law, Frédéric Joliot-Curie, are the most prominent members.

The Curie family won a total of 5 Nobel Prizes.

Polonium, thin film of polonium on a stainless-steel disk. 1965 photo. By Lapp, Ralph E. (1965). MATTER. LIFE Science Library., Fair use, https en.wikipedia.org

TODAY’S ALMANAC

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

“The Islamic New Year, or the First of Muharram, begins at sundown. This marks the beginning of the Islamic lunar calendar each year. For many Muslims, it begins at the first sighting of the lunar crescent after the new Moon in the month of Muharram. The crescent Moon may be visible a day or so after the new Moon, but weather and other factors may delay the sighting. Other Muslims use different criteria to determine the start of the calendar, such as the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA), which calculates the date according to the following: The Moon must be born (become new) before sunset in Makkah, and the Moon must set after sunset. The following dates are calculated according to the FCNA, and may be a day or so earlier than a visible sighting.”

Question of the Day

Is there a way to guess the height of clouds?

Sure. Here’s the formula for doing so. Take the current temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, subtract the dew point, and multiply this number by 220. This calculation will give you the approximate height of the clouds in feet.

Advice of the Day

Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. —Will Rogers

Home Hint of the Day

To keep out rabbits, place dried sulfur, available at farm and garden supply stores, around the edge of your garden.

Word of the Day

Navvy

Originally, a laborer on canals for internal navigation; hence, a laborer on other public works, as in building railroads, embankments, etc.

Puzzle of the Day

(Blank) succeeds like (Blank).(What’s the saying? Fill in the blanks!)

1) Nothing 2) success

Died

  • John Paul Jones (naval commander) – 
  • Jane Austen (author ) – 
  • Eugene Shoemaker (American astrogeologist) – 
  • Gerry Thomas (invented the TV dinner and helped revolutionize food marketing and distribution) – 
  • General William Westmoreland (commanded U.S. forces during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968) – 
  • Jerry Hadley (tenor) – 
  • George Coe (actor) – 
  • Alex Rocco (actor) – 

Born

  • William Makepeace Thackeray (writer) – 
  • Hume Cronyn (actor) – 
  • Red Skelton (actor & comedian) – 
  • Nelson Mandela (political activist) – 
  • John Glenn, Jr. (astronaut) – 
  • James Brolin (actor) – 
  • Mike Greenwell (baseball player) – 
  • Vin Diesel (actor) – 
  • Ben Sheets (baseball player) – 
  • Kristen Bell (actress) – 
  • Jamie Benn (hockey player) – 

Events

  • First train ride between U.S. (Portland, Maine) and Canada (Montreal, Quebec)– 
  • Pierre and Marie Curie announced the discovery of a new element and called it polonium– 
  • Fireworks banned in Cleveland, Ohio– 
  • The first jet combat plane was tested– 
  • Garden State Park racetrack opened, Cherry Hill, New Jersey– 
  • President Harry Truman signed the Presidential Succession Act into law which places the Speaker of the House and the Senate President Pro Tempore next in the line of succession after the United States Vice President– 
  • Video of RMS Titanic wreckage released– 

Weather

  • The temperature reached 102 degrees F in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories– 
  • Death Valley, California, recorded a high of 127 degrees F– 
  • The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers crested at 46.9 feet in St. Louis, Missouri– 
  • Aurora, Illinois, received 16.91 inches of rain in 24 hours– 
  • First day of storm that brought flooding to the Saguenay region of Quebec.– 

COURTESY www.almanac.com