July 9 celebrates the passing of two Nunavut acts in Canadian Parliament – the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act and the Nunavut Act, 1993. Nunavut officially split from the Northwest Territories and became a Canadian territory on April 1, 1999. Nunavut…
On June 13, 1983, Pioneer 10 became the first human-made object to travel past Pluto. The first spacecraft to achieve escape velocity from our sun’s system, it was poised to enter interstellar space. For 10 years up to this date, the hardy pioneer had…
Yearly, on June 8, World Oceans Day recognizes 71% of our planet as an interconnected entity since all oceans are linked and flow together as one. Marine life moves without regard for ocean label. Unfortunately, so does acid rain and pollution that can move…
On June 5, 2024, World Environment Day celebrates its 51st anniversary. This year, the focus – #GenerationRestoration – calls our attention to growing forests, reviving water sources, and bringing back soils. – advising us to become the generation that can make peace with land.…
The Second Weekends of May and October are events observed twice each year as World Migratory Bird Day to focus world attention on the need to protect migratory bird populations, their habitats, and their international flyways. Through exchanges of information from people within and…
On April 23, 1775, Joseph Mallord William Turner was born. English landscape painter and skilled architectural draughtsman, he produced sketches and paintings that capture historical images of landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes. Attracted to qualities of light, Turner studied its effects on the subjects of…
On April 16, 1682, English mathematician and instrument maker John Hadley was born. He developed precision mirrors to improve the accuracy and power of the reflecting telescope. Until Hadley, telescopes used mirrors that were spherical in shape. These were often blurry and/or distorted the…
On March 13, 1941, American biophysicist and environmentalist Donella (Dana) Meadows was born. She was a professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire. Meadows regarded sustainability as something experienced through living it, an ability she saw in humankind to meet the needs…
On March 8, 1712, English physician and naturalist John Fothergill was born. At the University of Edinburgh, Fothergill moved from studying to become an apothecary to studying medicine, graduating as a doctor. After being licensed to practice in London, he distinguished himself during city…
On March 1, 1872, U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant declared Yellowstone a National Park. Located principally in what is today Wyoming, Yellowstone was not explored until late in the 19th century. By that time, geologists and naturalists were able to help bring to the…