Jul 15

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Jul. 15, 2019 Week: 29 \ Day: 196

86004:   H 83° \ L 54° \ Average Sky Cover: 60% 

Nearest wildfire:  136mi. Nearest lightning:  69mi

Wind:   6mph\Gusts:  11mph

Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 92°[1970]   Record Low: 37°[2011]

Jul Averages: 82°\542° (8 day with rain)

Today’s Quote

History is a vast early warning system.

Norman Cousins

Random Tidbits

Deseret

Although you might assume as much, it was not named for the desert. It was actually named after a Mormon word meaning honeybee. Parts of modern day Nevada, Utah, Southern California, most of Arizona, and a portion of New Mexico were claimed by Mormon settlers escaping religious persecution in New York.

Franklin

This region was comprised of eight counties that originally belonged to North Carolina but are now eastern Tennessee. In fact, Franklin almost became the 14th State, only needing two more votes to reach the 2/3 majority vote needed for statehood. The larger state of Tennessee was formed instead.

More Observances This Month

Independent Retailer Month Link
International Blondie and Deborah Harry Month
National Deli Sandwich Month
International Group B Strep Awareness Month Link
International Women with Alopecia Month
International Zine Month
National Anti-Boredom Month
Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month Link

Observances This Week

6-28
Tour de France

14-20

Everybody Deserves A Massage Week Link 

Observances for Today

Be a Dork Day
Cow Appreciation Day

Gummi Worm Day Link
National Get Out of the Doghouse Day

National Give Something Away Day
National Pet Fire Safety Day Link  Link
Saint Swithin's Day
Tapioca Pudding Day

World Youth Skills Day

My Rambling Thoughts

After a great time in Moscow, time to move on. Our first stop was Kazan, on the Volga River. The capital of Tartar. WOW! The city is beautiful. More parks, more gardens, more birch trees. We attended a very nice Tartar cultural performance and learned about the music, dance, and singing. Great traditional dress too. We had a good local lunch then visited a blue domed Islam mosque. We are getting to know Jimmy and his wife, the couple from India. They are Muslim and shared so things with me about the mosque.

Then it was off on the train to Yekaterinburg. This is where Nicholas II and his family were murdered during the 1918 revolt. Lots of history here. Just out of town we stopped at the Europe/Asia border. There was a monument, and thousands of love ribbons tied to fences and tree limbs. We added a Focus ribbon to the many that were there. The area is green, forested, has lots of open space. Before leaving this city, we were able to enjoy a spectacular sunset. We are crossing two time zones during the night, so all clocks go forward 2 hours. Vlad is becoming very good at bringing us the news during dinner. He tells us to change our clocks, the next day activity, and a little more about his love of jazz music. Very interesting tour guide, and he is quickly becoming part of Focus or we are becoming part of Russia.

Here is Flag, we keep hoping that the monsoon will arrive. Every day is cloudy, nice breeze, the smell of rain, but little has fallen from the sky. I need some rain to cool things off. Maybe today will be our first real thunderstorm of the season.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of this page

There are three light bulbs in your attic. All of them are turned off and their switches are installed downstairs. You can play with the switches as much as you want and after that, you can visit the attic above just once. How can you find out which switch to which bulb corresponds?

Today’s Highlighted Historical Events

1000’s

1099 City of Jerusalem is captured and plundered by Christian forces during the First Crusade

1400’s

1410 Battle of Grunwald (First Battle of Tannenburg, Battle of Žalgiris), one of Medieval Europe's largest battles during Poland-Lithuanian Teutonic War. Polish King Władysław Jagiełło and Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas defeat Teutonic Ulrich von Jungingen

1700’s

1799 The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign

1800’s

1830 Indian tribes, Sioux, Sauk & Fox, sign fourth Treaty of Prairie du Chien giving the US most of Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri

1869 Margarine is patented by Hippolye Méga-Mouriès for use by French Navy

1900’s

1916 Boeing Company (Pacific Aero) formed by William Boeing in Seattle, Washington

1922 1st duck-billed platypus publicly exhibited in US, at NY Zoo

1955 18 Nobel laureates sign the Mainau Declaration against nuclear weapons, later co-signed by 34 more laureates

1968 Commercial air travel begins between US & USSR

1971 US President Richard Nixon announces he will visit the People's Republic of China

2000’s

2016 Attempted military coup in Turkey fails, nearly 300 killed, 6,000 then arrested

Highlighted Birthdays Today

1606 Rembrandt van Rijn, Dutch painter (Night Watch), born in Leiden, Netherlands (d. 1669-@630)

1858 Emmeline Pankhurst, British suffragette who formed the Women's Social & Political Union (1903), born in Moss Side, Manchester (d. 1928-@69-stomach problems)

1892 Henry Johnson, American soldier of 369th regiment (aka Harlem Hell Fighters), 1st US WWI soldier to receive the Croix de guerre after fighting a German raid in hand-to-hand combat to rescue a fellow soldier (posthumous Medal of Honour, 2015), born in Tallahassee, Florida, (d. 1929-@36)

60’s

69- Arianna Huffington, Greek-American author, syndicated columnist and creator of The Huffington Post, born in Athens, Greece

50’s

58- Forest Whittaker, actor

40’s

43- Gabriel Iglesias, comedian

Highlighted Historical Obits Today

80’s

@87-1948 John J. Pershing [Blackjack], American general and WWI commander

50’s

@50-1997 Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer (Versace), shot and murdered by Andrew Cunanan

40’s

@47-1521 Juan Ponce de León, Spanish explorer and conquistador who searched for the fountain of youth and the first European to discover Florida, mortally wounded by locals

@44-1904 Anton Chekhov, Russian writer (Uncle Vanya), dies of TB

@44-1883 Tom Thumb, famous small person (40"), dies of a stroke

Puzzle answer:

You turn the first switch on, then wait for 30 minutes and turn the second switch on. After that go upstairs and examine the bulbs. The one which is turned off corresponds to the third switch. The one which is turned on and is still cold corresponds to the second switch. The one which is turned on and is hot corresponds to the first switch.