On This Day

On June 26, 1824, British mathematician, physicist, and inventor Sir William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, was born. A student-researcher of many natural phenomena, Thomson spent his life learning and applying his knowledge and expertise to them all and, often, simultaneously. Lauded as a giant of…

On June 12, 1944, Big Bend National Park became a reality in Texas. An area of markedly contrasting elevations – from Rio Grande shoreline at 550 m (1800 ft) to Emory Peak at 12600 m (7,832 ft) – is home to many varied microclimates…

On June 7, 1909, American obstetric anesthesiologist Dr. Virginia Apgar was born in New Jersey. She was a leader in the fields of anesthesiology and teratology, and effectively founded the field of neonatology. At a time when fetal monitors had not been invented, she…

On May 23, 1707, Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist Carolus (Carl) Linnaeus was born. He laid the foundation for the modern scheme of taxonomy, the classification of plants and animals. When Linnaeus studied medicine, botany was an important part of medical studies because doctors…

On March 12, 1993, another great “Nor’easter” began and continued until the 15th – the Blizzard of 1993 or, as some have called it, “the Storm of the Century”. The storm moved from the Gulf of Mexico up into and finally blew itself out…

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…

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…

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…

 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…

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…