Shaping the Globe
On March 5, 1512, Gerhard Mercator was born in Flanders. He received as fine an education as he could from church tutors and used this formal education and his selection of master craftsmen to work with to become a cross-discipline 16th century businessman –…
Science Scope
On February 28, 1956, physicist, astronomer, science educator-strategist Penny D. Sackett was born in Nebraska. Her studies have taken her from theoretical physics at the University of Pittsburgh to the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute in the Netherlands to Director of the Australian National University’s Research…
Industry Meets THE Doctor!
On February 27, 1869, American physician, bacteriologist, and industrial medicine expert Dr. Alice Hamilton was born. She was one well-prepared doctor. Hamilton graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School, pursued internships at hospitals for women and children, and then bacteriology and pathology at…
Out on a Limn
On January 30, 1903, British-American zoologist George Evelyn Hutchinson was born. His growth as a preeminent ecologist was perhaps foreshadowed when the young Hutchinson set up his own aquarium “pond” with red water mites and other aquatic insects to observe their behaviour. And kept…
Talking Up Stars
On August 1, 1905, Helen Battles Sawyer Hogg, CC was born. A childhood sighting of Halley’s Comet thrilled her and ignited her fascination with astronomy. Later, astronomer Annie Jump Cannon’s visit during college cemented Hogg’s decision to stick with astronomy and turned into her…
Park Pick
On July 19, 2014, it is Canada’s Parks Day. Observed on the third Saturday of July, parks across the country join in a national event celebrating the importance of Canada’s national parks and the contribution that they make to healthy and diverse ecosystems. Park…
Hiking and Howling in the Moonlight
On July 11, 2014, another Moonlight Hike & Wolf Howl will begin at Gordon’s Park Eco Resort on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. This is one in a series of guided hikes lit by a full moon that includes an educational orientation into northern grey wolves,…
Discovery Discovers Retirement
On This Day in 2012, Space Shuttle Discovery officially retired. It was transported to Dulles International Airport en route to the Smithsonian where it has become a permanent exhibit. Discovery is now amidst thousands of aviation and space artifacts in the James S McDonnell…
Air Apparent
On This Day in 1891, Swedish meteorologist Tor Bergeron was born. Before daily weather balloons, before the phrase air mass, there was the Bergen (Norway) School of Meteorology – a radical place whose principal scientists concerned themselves with predicting, tracking, and mapping large bodies…
Seer of the Sierras
On May 28 1892, in San Francisco, California, conservationist John Muir founded the Sierra Club. Along with many hikers and wilderness travellers, Muir shared a vision of regional heritage sites set aside for public reach, enjoyment, and introduction to nature’s beauty and spectacle. Muir had…