"But note that Anders Celsius developed his centigrade system for measuring temperature on December 25, 1741. The first predicted return of Halley's Comet was observed precisely 17 years later. The keen mind can still accomplish a lot at Christmas. In fact, who needs presents (I desperately ask as I realize that my online orders will not arrive before Thursday)? Isn't knowledge the greatest gift of all?"
"Elsewhere in the world, the sun never reaches true zenith, but in the band around the equator, its semiannual appearance produces the eerie effect of shadowlessness for objects on the ground. Look up Lāhainā Noon (as it's called in Hawaiʻi) if you wish to be disconcerted by some apparently levitating traffic cones and parking-lot stanchions. The magic lasts only a jiffy; then you're stuck with the bummer of merely being in Hawaiʻi."
Atlantic Trivia will run quizzes Monday and Tuesday during a short holiday week, then pause until the new year. Anders Celsius developed the centigrade temperature system on December 25, 1741; Halley's Comet returned as predicted 17 years later. Trivia included a 41-year-old American Olympic downhill gold medalist becoming the oldest World Cup winner this month; north of 66°30′ N the sun stays above the horizon once a year and that demarcating line was queried; a 19th-century American author known for rags-to-riches stories intended to influence young readers was noted. The tropics experience twice-yearly overhead sun moments called Lāhainā Noon in Hawaiʻi.
Read at The Atlantic
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]