Tag: Magickal Correspondences

May 17 Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 May 17

NGC 1316: After Galaxies Collide

Image Credit & Copyright: Capture: Greg Turgeon; Processing: Kiko Fairbairn

Explanation: Astronomers turn detectives when trying to figure out the cause of startling sights like NGC 1316. Investigations indicate that NGC 1316 is an enormous elliptical galaxy that started, about 100 million years ago, to devour a smaller spiral galaxy neighbor, NGC 1317, just on the upper right. Supporting evidence includes the dark dust lanes characteristic of a spiral galaxy, and faint swirls and shells of stars and gas visible in this wide and deep image. One thing that >remains unexplained is the unusually small globular star clusters, seen as faint dots on the image. Most elliptical galaxies have more and brighter globular clusters than NGC 1316. Yet the observed globulars are too old to have been created by the recent spiral collision. One hypothesis is that these globulars survive from an even earlier galaxy that was subsumed into NGC 1316. Another surprising attribute of NGC 1316, also known as Fornax A, is its giant lobes of gas that glow brightly in radio waves.

May 16 Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 May 16

Milky Way over French Alp Hoodoos

Image Credit & Copyright: Benjamin Barakat

Explanation: Real castles aren’t this old. And the background galaxy is even older. Looking a bit like an alien castle, the pictured rock spires are called hoodoos and are likely millions of years old. Rare, but found around the world, hoodoos form when dense rocks slow the erosion of softer rock underneath. The pictured hoodoos survive in the French Alps and are named Demoiselles Coiffées — which translates to English as “Ladies with Hairdos“. The background galaxy is part of the central disk of our own Milky Way galaxy and contains stars that are typically billions of years old. The photogenic Cygnus sky region — rich in dusty dark clouds and red glowing nebulas — appears just above and behind the hoodoos. The featured image was taken in two stages: the foreground was captured during the evening blue hour, while the background was acquired from the same location later that night.

May 15 Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 May 15

Colors of the Moon

Image Credit & Copyright: Marcella Giulia Pace

Explanation: What color is the Moon? It depends on the night. Outside of the Earth’s atmosphere, the dark Moon, which shines by reflected sunlight, appears a magnificently brown-tinged gray. Viewed from inside the Earth’s atmosphere, though, the moon can appear quite different. The featured image highlights a collection of apparent colors of the full moon documented by one astrophotographer over 10 years from different locations across Italy. A red or yellow colored moon usually indicates a moon seen near the horizon. There, some of the blue light has been scattered away by a long path through the Earth’s atmosphere, sometimes laden with fine dust. A blue-colored moon is more rare and can indicate a moon seen through an atmosphere carrying larger dust particles. What created the purple moon is unclear — it may be a combination of several effects. The last image captures the total lunar eclipse of 2018 July — where the moon, in Earth’s shadow, appeared a faint red — due to light refracted through air around the Earth. Today there is not only another full moon but a total lunar eclipse visible to observers in North and South America — an occurrence that may lead to some unexpected lunar colorings.

May 15 Today in History and the Word of the Day

Today’s Important Historical Events

1252 Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad exstirpanda, which authorizes, but also limits, the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition

1618 German astronomer Johannes Kepler discovers the third of his three planetary laws his “harmonics law”

1869 National Woman Suffrage Association forms in New York, founded by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton

1940 Richard and Maurice McDonald open the 1st McDonald’s restaurant in San Bernardino, California

1951 AT&T becomes the 1st US corporation to have a million stockholders after young car salesman Brady Denton purchases 7 shares worth $1,078

1988 USSR begins withdrawing its 115,000 troops from Afghanistan

Today’s Historical Events

756 Abd-al-Rahman I becomes emir of Cordova, Spain

884 Marinus I ends his reign as Catholic Pope

1004 Henry II the Saint crowned King of Italy

1213 King John of England names Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury

1222 Mongolian leader Genghis Khan meets the leader of the Taoist Dragon Gate sect Chang Chun at his camp in Parwan (Afghanistan)

1248 Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden lays cornerstone for Cologne Cathedral

1252 Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad exstirpanda, which authorizes, but also limits, the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition

1492 Cheese & Bread rebellion: German mercenaries kill 232 residents of Alkmaar, Netherlands

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1928 Mickey Mouse makes his 1st ever appearance in silent film “Plane Crazy”

1954 KGLO (now KIMT) TV channel 3 in Mason City, IA (CBS) 1st broadcast

1955 KPUA (now KGMD) TV channel 9 in Hilo, HI (CBS) begins broadcasting

1958 “Gigi” based on the story by Colette, directed by Vincent Minnelli and starring Leslie Caron and Maurice Chevalier premieres in New York (Best Picture 1959)

1959 12th Cannes Film Festival: “Black Orpheus” directed by Marcel Camus wins the Palme d’Or

1960 KHVO TV channel 13 in Hilo, HI (ABC) begins broadcasting

1960 “L’Avventura”, Italian film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, starring Gabriele Ferzetti, Monica Vitti. premieres at Cannes

1961 “Bonanza” by Al Caiola Orchestra hits #19

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1858 Royal Italian Opera opens in Covent Garden, London

1891 Jules Massenet‘s opera “Grisélidis” premieres in Paris

1914 Henri Rabaud’s opera “Marouf, savetier de Caire” premieres in Paris

1941 Nazi occupiers in Netherlands forbid Jewish music

1960 Dmitri Shostakovich‘s 7th String quartet premieres in Leningrad

1967 Paul McCartney meets his future wife Linda Eastman

1971 “70, Girls, 70” closes at Broadhurst Theater, NYC, after 35 performances

1972 “Hard Job Being God” opens at Edison Theater, NYC; runs for 6 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1862 First baseball enclosure opens at Union Grounds, Brooklyn

1876 2nd Kentucky Derby: Bobby Swim aboard Vagrant wins in 2:38.25

1894 20th Kentucky Derby: Frank Goodale aboard Chant wins in 2:41

1906 NY Giants’ Hooks Wiltse strikes out 4 batters in 1 inning

1912 37th Preakness: Clarnence Turner on Colonel Holloway wins in 1:56.6

1912 Ty Cobb rushes a heckler at a NY Highlander game & is suspended

1918 43rd Preakness: Johnny Loftus aboard War Cloud wins in 1:53.6

1918 Washington Senator Walter Johnson pitches 1-0, 18 inning game

Today’s Word is

Majestic

Brought to you by wordoftheday.net

Majestic / adjective / muh·jeh·stuhk

We use the word “majestic” in the English language to represent people, places, and things that have an elegant or stately quality. “Majestic” is a term that describes otherworldly greatness, grace, style, and outstanding beauty or form. English speakers often use the word “majestic” to describe things related to royalty and regality. Familiar terminology uses the word “majestic” to address royal kings and Queens as his or her “majesty.”

In a Sentence

It surprised them to see the “majestic” looking yacht emerge from the ocean.

The King and Queen of the palace always dress in a “majestic” fashion.

The Taj Mahal is one of the most “majestic” buildings in existence.

Etymology

English-speakers find the first instance of the word “majestic” showing up around the end of the late-15th century. Etymologists say the word “majestic” has Latin origins and first entered language around 1570. The original definition of “majestic” refers to outstanding and out-of-this world characteristics or behavior synonymous with exceptionality, dignity, and grace. “Majestic” still carries the original definition assigned in the 1500s.

Synonym

Classy, Courtly

Antonym

Dowdy, Graceless

May 14 Today in History and the Word of the Day

Today’s Important Historical Events

1787 Delegates gather in Philadelphia to draw up US Constitution

1796 English country doctor Edward Jenner administers his revolutionary cowpox-based vaccine for smallpox, in Berkeley, Gloucestershire

1804 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark‘s expedition commissioned by Thomas Jefferson sets out from St Louis for Pacific Coast

1948 Israel declares independence from British administration

Today’s Historical Events

649 Theodore I ends his reign as Catholic Pope

1027 Robert II of France names his son Henry I as junior King of the Franks

1264 Battle of Lewes, 2nd Barons’ War: Simon de Montfort the younger, Earl of Leicester, defeats English King Henry III

1483 Coronation of Charles VIII of France (“Charles the Affable”)

1509 Battle of Agnadello, French forces under Louis XII defeat the Venetians in Northern Italy

1576 Dutch Council of State replaced by Council of Beroerten

1607 English colonists establish the 1st permanent English settlement in America at Jamestown. Unknown to them they have landed amidst the worst drought in 800 years.

1608 The Protestant Union is founded in Auhausen.

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1897 Oldest continuously operating movie theater in the world, the State Theatre first opens in Washington, Iowa (Guinness World Records)

1938 “The Adventures of Robin Hood”, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland premieres

1948 WBEN (now WIVB) TV channel 4 in Buffalo, NY (CBS) begins broadcasting

1951 Ernie Kovacs Show, TV Variety debut on NBC

1964 17th Cannes Film Festival: “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” directed by Jacques Demy wins the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film

1972 24th Emmy Awards: “All in the Family”, Carrol O’Conner & Jean Stapleton win

1973 French film “Day for Night” written and directed by François Truffaut, starring Jacqueline Bisset and Jean-Pierre Léaud premieres at Cannes (Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film)

1975 Cult feminist film “Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” written and directed by Chantal Ackerman and starring Delphine Seyrig premieres at Cannes

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1832 Felix Mendelssohn‘s concert overture “Hebrides” premieres in London

1902 Italian tenor Enrico Caruso makes his Covent Garden debut opposite Nellie Melba in Verdi’s opera “Rigoletto” in London

1927 “Ain’t She Sweet?” hits #1 on the singles chart by Ben Bernie

1942 World premiere performance of Aaron Copland‘s “Lincoln Portrait” with: Andre Kostelanetz conducting the Cincinnati Symphony in Cincinnati, Ohio

1946 Paul Hindemith‘s “For Those We Love” premieres

1949 “Love Life” closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 252 performances

1951 Sammy Fain and Yip Harburg’s musical “Flahooley” opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 40 performances

1957 Bob Merrill’s musical “New Girl in Town” opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 432 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1885 11th Kentucky Derby: Babe Henderson aboard Joe Cotton wins in 2:37.25

1886 12th Kentucky Derby: Paul Duffy aboard Ben Ali wins in 2:36.50

1888 14th Kentucky Derby: George Covington aboard MacBeth II wins in 2:38.00

1890 16th Kentucky Derby: Isaac Murphy aboard Riley wins in 2:45

1906 Flagpole at the White Sox ballpark breaks during pennant-raising

1913 Washington Senator Walter Johnson ends MLB record scoreless streak at 56 innings

1918 Sunday baseball is made legal in Washington, D.C.

1919 44th Preakness: Johnny Loftus aboard Sir Barton wins in 1:53 on way to first Triple Crown

Today’s Word is

Spiffy

Brought to you by wordoftheday.net

 

Spiffy / adjective / ˈspi-fē

“Spiffy” is an adjective we use in the English language to describe a person’s clothing and outer appearance. Someone said to be looking “spiffy” is well-dressed and sharp looking in their appearance. While the word doesn’t always apply to high fashion, when we think of the word “spiffy,” we think of elegant, well-dressed partygoers or business persons who have put on their most stunning outfits.

In a Sentence

The new army recruits were looking very “spiffy” in their uniforms.

The groom was looking spiffy in his tuxedo as he awaited the arrival of his bride.

That is quite a spiffy-looking vehicle you’re driving!

Etymology

Spiffy first entered the English language as an adjective. Etymologists say that “spiffy” was used to describe snappy dressers in the mid-18th century. We first see the word recorded toward the latter end of the 18th century in 1877. Other words derived from “spiffy” include ‘spiffier’ and ‘spifiest.’ All iterations of the word carry the same meaning intending to describe well-dressed people and people wearing high fashion or trending items of their time. “Spiffy” hasn’t changed its definition since its first introduction into the language.

Synonym

Stylish, Chic

Antonym

Unfashionable, Old Fashioned

May 13 Today in History and Introducing the Word of the Day

Today’s Important Historical Events

1787 Arthur Phillip sets sails with 11 ships of criminals to Botany Bay, Australia

1830 Republic of Ecuador is founded, with Juan Jose Flores as president

1934 Great dustbowl storm sweeps across US prairies

1940 Winston Churchill says “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat” in his first speech as Prime Minister to British House of Commons

1981 Pope John Paul II is shot and critically wounded by Turkish gunman Mehemet Ali Agca in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City

1989 Approx 2,000 students begin hunger strike in Tiananmen Square, China

Today’s Historical Events

535 St Agapitus I begins his reign as Catholic Pope

609 Pope Boniface I turns the Pantheon in Rome into a Catholic church

641 Eligius (Saint Eloy) becomes bishop of Doornik-Noyon

1106 Henry I of Limburg loses the duchy of Lower Lorraine to Godfrey of Louvain

1110 Crusaders march into Beirut causing a bloodbath

1277 As Vizier Mehmet I of Karaman issues a firman (decree) ordering only the Turkish language to be used, not Arabic or Persian

1364 Peter Coutherel banished from Leuven

1497 Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Italian Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola (urged the expulsion of the Medici’s from Florence)

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1878 Danvers State Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts, opens—later serves as inspiration for Arkham Sanitorium in the work of H.P. Lovecraft, which in turn inspired Arkham Asylum of the D.C. Batman universe

1959 Kraft Music Hall with Milton Berle last airs on NBC-TV

1960 WOLE TV channel 12 in Aguadillo, PR

1970 Beatles movie “Let it Be” premieres

1982 Terri Lea Utley, 20 (Arkansas) crowned 31st Miss USA

1985 Laura Elena Martinez-Herring, 21, (Texas), crowned 34th Miss USA

1992 Frank Stallone beats Geraldo Rivera in boxing on Howard Stern Show

1993 Arsenio Hall‘s 1,000th show retrospective seen in Netherlands

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1767 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart‘s first opera “Apollo et Hyacinthus”, written when he was 11 years old, premieres in Salzburg

1848 First performance of Finland’s national anthem “Maamme”, composed by Fredrik Pacius, Swedish words by Johan Ludvig Runeberg

1941 Willy Lewis’ US jazz band performs in Switzerland

1954 “Pajama Game” opens at St James Theater NYC for 1063 performances

1965 The Rolling Stones record “Satisfaction”

1966 The Rolling Stones release “Paint it Black” in the UK

1973 “Cyrano” opens at Palace Theater NYC for 49 performances

1975 “Rodgers & Hart” opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC for 108 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1887 15th Preakness: William Donohue aboard Dunboyne wins in 2:39.25

1890 18th Preakness: W Martin aboard Montague wins in 2:36.75

1891 17th Kentucky Derby: Isaac Murphy aboard Kingman wins in 2:52.25

1905 World heavyweight boxing champion James J. Jeffries retires undefeated after 7 title defences; returns in 1910 to be beaten by Jack Johnson

1909 First Giro d’Italia takes place in Milan – Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna is the winner

1911 37th Kentucky Derby: George Archibald aboard Meridian wins in 2:05

1916 42nd Kentucky Derby: Johnny Loftus aboard George Smith wins in 2:04

1922 48th Kentucky Derby: Albert Johnson aboard Morvich wins in 2:04.6

Today’s Word is

We use the word frou-frou to describe the sound made by a woman’s clothing. In most cases, the frou-frou sound refers to the sound a ruffling dress makes as a woman is walking. As a noun, we also use frou-frou to describe frilly ornamentation and embellishments added to clothing.

We see a person wearing frou-frou clothing as annoyingly overdressed and unnecessarily flamboyant. Their over-the-top clothing style makes frou-frou dressers the butt of many fashion-related jokes.

In a Sentence

She disturbed the church service by walking in late wearing a frou-frou dress.

Please dress casually. None of that “frou-frou” excess is required for the occasion.

Her ruffled “frou-frou” dress made a loud swooshing sound when she walked by.

Etymology

We see the first use of the word “frou-frou” introduced in the late 18th-century. “Frou-frou” is a French word that came about in a …

Click here to read about the rest of today’s word brought to you by wordoftheday.net

Some of the Witchcraft/Magickal Correspondence Digest for Friday

 

From GypsyWolf.weebly.com

Friday is the sixth day of the week, but used to be the seventh, the Sabbath of the Jewish lunar calendar.   The name, Friday,  is derived from the Nordic goddess, Frigg, Frigga, Freyja, Freya, or Frija (Germanic), considered to be the mother of all.  She is the Goddess of love and war, fertility and death.   She is the leader of the Valkyries and the Disir (Divine Grandmothers), and creator of Seidr magic.  Her symbols are the cat and the Brisingamen, which is the magic necklace of the rainbow bridge.  Freya’s Roman and Greek counterparts are Venus and Aphrodite, goddesses of love and beauty.
Latin: Dies Veneris, dedicated to Venus, the Roman Goddess of love
French: vendredi
Italian: venerdi
Spanish: viernes
Old High German: frigedag
German: Freitag
Dutch: vrijdag
Rules: Love, fidelity, reconciliation, interchanges, beauty, youth, joy, happiness, pleasure, luck, friendship, compassion, music, the arts.
Colors: Light Blue, Green, Pink, Copper Hues
Planet: Venus
Metal: Copper
Stones: Azurite, Calcite (blue, green & pink), Cat’s Eye, Chrysocolla, Chrysoprase, Coral, Emerald, Jade, Jasper (green), Kunzite, Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, Olivine, Peridot, Sodalite, Tourmaline (blue, green, pink & watermelon), Turquoise Malachite
Herbs: Apple Blossom, Cardamom, Crocus, Daisy, Geranium (rose), Heather, Hyacinth, Iris, Licorice, Lilac, Magnolia, Myrtle, Orchid, Orris, Plumeria, Rose, Spearmint, Stephanosis, Sweet Pea, Tansy, Thyme, Tonka, Tuberose, Vanilla, Violet, Willow, Ylang Ylang
Zodiac: Libra & Taurus

May 13 Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 May 13

The Milky Way’s Black Hole

Image Credit: X-ray – NASA/CXC/SAO, IR – NASA/HST/STScI; Inset: Radio – Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration

Explanation: There’s a black hole at the center of the Milky Way. Stars are observed to orbit a very massive and compact object there known as Sgr A* (say “sadge-ay-star”). But this just released radio image (inset) from planet Earth’s Event Horizon Telescope is the first direct evidence of the Milky Way’s central black hole. As predicted by Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, the four million solar mass black hole’s strong gravity is bending light and creating a shadow-like dark central region surrounded by a bright ring-like structure. Supporting observations made by space-based telescopes and ground-based observatories provide a wider view of the galactic center’s dynamic environment and an important context for the Event Horizon Telescope’s black hole image. The main panel image shows the X-ray data from Chandra and infrared data from Hubble. While the main panel is about 7-light years across, the Event Horizon Telescope inset image itself spans a mere 10 light-minutes at the center of our galaxy, some 27,000 light-years away.

May 12 Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 May 12

Young Stars of NGC 346

Image Credit: NASA, ESA – acknowledgement: Antonella Nota (ESA/STScI) et al.,

Explanation: The massive stars of NGC 346 are short lived, but very energetic. The star cluster is embedded in the largest star forming region in the Small Magellanic Cloud, some 210,000 light-years distant. Their winds and radiation sweep out an interstellar cavern in the gas and dust cloud about 200 light-years across, triggering star formation and sculpting the region’s dense inner edge. Cataloged as N66, the star forming region also appears to contain a large population of infant stars. A mere 3 to 5 million years old and not yet burning hydrogen in their cores, the infant stars are strewn about the embedded star cluster. In this false-color Hubble Space Telescope image, visible and near-infrared light are seen as blue and green, while light from atomic hydrogen emission is red.

May 12 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1789 William Wilberforce makes his first major speech on abolition in the UK House of Commons, reasoning the slave trade morally reprehensible and an issue of natural justice

1940 Nazi blitzkrieg and conquest of France begins with the crossing of the Muese River

1943 Axis forces in North Africa surrender

2002 Former US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro becoming first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro’s 1959 revolution.

2008 Wenchuan earthquake, measuring 7.8 in magnitude occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 87,000, injuring 374,643 and leaving homeless between 4.8 million and 11 million people

Today’s Historical Events

254 Stephan I succeeds Lucius I as Catholic Pope

919 Duke Henry of Saxony becomes King Henry I of Oostfrankischreich

1057 The Ostromir Gospel, now the oldest surviving Russian manuscript is recorded completed by its scribe Deacon Grigory [1]

1082 Battle at Mailberg: Vratislav II of Bohemia beats Leopold II of Austr

1215 English barons serve ultimatum on King John which eventually leads to the creation and signing of the Magna Carta

1294 Construction of Santa Croce begins in Florence, the largest Franciscan church in the world (consecrated 1442)

1328 Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV and assembly of priests select Pietro Rainalducc as anti-Pope Nicolas V; consecrated in Rome by the Bishop of Venice

1459 Jodhpur, Sun City, founded by Rao Jodhpur in India

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1953 KUHT TV channel 8 (PBS) in Houston, TX, begins broadcasting

1960 Elvis Presley appears on a Frank Sinatra television special; Elvis sings Sinatra’s 1957 Cy Coleman hit “Witchcraft”, and Frank performs Presley’s 1956 classic “Love Me Tender”

1963 Bob Dylan walks out of “The Ed Sullivan Show” over a dispute about his song choice

1967 20th Cannes Film Festival: “Blowup” directed by Michelangelo Antonioni wins the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film

1968 WSKG TV channel 46 (PBS) in Binghamton, NY, begins broadcasting

1970 KTVM TV channel 6 in Butte, MT (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting

1977 Emmy 4th Daytime Award presentation: “Ryan’s Hope” and “Family Feud” win

1983 Julie Lynne Hayek, (California), crowned 32nd Miss USA

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1832 Gaetano Donizetti’s opera “L’elisir d’amore” premieres in Milan

1894 Ludwig Englander’s musical “Passing Show” premieres in NYC

1926 Dmitri Shostakovich‘s 1st Symphony premieres in Leningrad

1934 “Cocktails For Two” by Duke Ellington hits #1

1936 Ralph Vaughan Williams’ opera “Poisoned Kiss” premieres in London

1938 Arthur Honegger and Paul Claudel’s oratorio “Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher” (Joan of Arc at the Stake) premieres in Basel, Switzerland

1950 Darius Milhaud‘s opera “Bolivar” premieres in Paris

1958 “Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu” by Dicky Doo & The Don’ts hits #40

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1890 First official County Cricket Championship match begins; Yorkshire beats Gloucestershire by 8 wickets at Bristol; James Cranston scores first century (101) in the competition

1909 34th Preakness: Willie Doyle aboard Effendi wins in 1:39.8

1910 Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Charles “Chief” Bender no-hits Cleveland Naps, 4-0

1913 English runner Harry Green runs world record marathon 2:38:16.2 in the Polytechnic Marathon in London, England

1917 42nd Preakness: E Haynes aboard Kalitan wins in 1:54.4

1917 43rd Kentucky Derby: Charles Borel on Omar Khayyam wins in 2:04.6

1919 New York Yankees and Washington Senators play second straight extra inning tie, 4-4 in 15 innings at the Polo Grounds; 0-0 in 12 the previous day

1923 48th Preakness: Benny Marinelli aboard Vigil wins in 1:53.6

May 11 Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 May 11

Astronomers think that in the future the “Cheshire Cat” group will become what is known as a fossil group, a gathering of galaxies that contains one giant elliptical galaxy and other much smaller, fainter ones. Today, researchers know each “eye” galaxy is the brightest member of its own group of galaxies and these two groups are racing toward one another at over 300,000 miles per hour. Data from Chandra (purple), which has been combined with optical data from Hubble, show hot gas that has been heated to millions of degrees, which is evidence that the galaxy groups are slamming into one another. Chandra’s X-ray data also reveal that the left “eye” of the Cheshire Cat group contains an actively feeding supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy.

Gravity’s Grin

Image Credit: X-ray – NASA / CXC / J. Irwin et al. ; Optical – NASA/STScI

Explanation: Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, published over 100 years ago, predicted the phenomenon of gravitational lensing. And that’s what gives these distant galaxies such a whimsical appearance, seen through the looking glass of X-ray and optical image data from the Chandra and Hubble space telescopes. Nicknamed the Cheshire Cat galaxy group, the group’s two large elliptical galaxies are suggestively framed by arcs. The arcs are optical images of distant background galaxies lensed by the foreground group’s total distribution of gravitational mass. Of course, that gravitational mass is dominated by dark matter. The two large elliptical “eye” galaxies represent the brightest members of their own galaxy groups which are merging. Their relative collisional speed of nearly 1,350 kilometers/second heats gas to millions of degrees producing the X-ray glow shown in purple hues. Curiouser about galaxy group mergers? The Cheshire Cat group grins in the constellation Ursa Major, some 4.6 billion light-years away.

May 11 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

330 Constantinople (Byzantium) becomes the capital of the Roman Empire

1189 Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and 100,000 crusaders depart Regensburg for the Third Crusade

1751 Pennsylvania Hospital founded by Dr. Thomas Bond and Benjamin Franklin, in Philadelphia

1995 More than 170 countries agree to extend the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty indefinitely and without conditions to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons [1]

2000 India’s population officially reaches 1 billion – Astha Arora named India’s billionth baby

Today’s Historical Events

330 Constantinople (Byzantium) becomes the capital of the Roman Empire

868 “The Diamond Sutra”, the world’s oldest surviving and dated printed book is printed in Chinese and made into a scroll

1068 Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror, is crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey, London

1189 Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and 100,000 crusaders depart Regensburg for the Third Crusade

1310 Fifty-four members of the Knights Templar are burned at the stake in France for being heretics

1421 Jews are expelled from Styria Austria

1502 Christopher Columbus begins 4th & last trip to the “Indies”

1625 Peasants besiege Frankenburg estate in Upper Austria

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1918 44th Kentucky Derby: William Knapp on Exterminator wins in 2:10.8

1929 1st regularly scheduled TV broadcasts (3 nights per week)

1931 “M” Fritz Lang’s first sound film starring Peter Lorre premieres in Berlin

1956 Pinky Lee Show last airs on NBC-TV

1959 Mary Rodgers & Marshall Barer’s musical “Once Upon A Mattress”, starring Carol Burnett and directed by George Abbott, opens at Phoenix Theatre, NYC; runs for 244 performances

1968 Richard Harris releases “MacArthur Park”

1969 British comedy troupe Monty Python forms, made up of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin

1973 Ground-breaking Indian crime film “Zanjeer” directed by Prakash Mehra and starring “The Angry Young Man” Amitabh Bachchan released

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1812 Waltz introduced into English ballrooms. Some observers consider it disgusting and immoral.

1881 Bedřich Smetana’s opera “Libuše” premieres iat the Natonal Theater, in Prague

1956 Elvis Presley‘s 1st entry on UK charts with “Heartbreak Hotel”

1959 “Kookie, Kookie Lend Me Your Comb” by Byrnes & Connie Stevens hits #4

1963 “Puff (The Magic Dragon)” by Peter, Paul & Mary hits #2

1965 “Flora, the Red Menace” opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 87 performances

1967 “Sing, Israel Sing” opens at Brooks Atkinson Theatre NYC for 14 performances

1970 “The Long and Winding Road” becomes Beatles’ last American single release

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1887 13th Kentucky Derby: Isaac Lewis aboard Montrose wins in 2:39.25

1888 16th Preakness: F Littlefield aboard Refund wins in 2:49

1892 18th Kentucky Derby: Lonnie Clayton aboard Azra wins in 2:41½

1893 Henri Desgrange establishes world’s 1st bicycle world record, travelling 35.325 km (21.95 miles) an hour

1897 Washington Senator catcher Charlie Farrell throws out 8 attempted stealers

1900 James J. Jeffries KOs James J Corbett in 23 for heavyweight boxing title

1912 38th Kentucky Derby: Carol H Shilling aboard Worth wins in 2:09.4

1918 44th Kentucky Derby: William Knapp on Exterminator wins in 2:10.8

Spell for Today – Printable

May 10 Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 May 10

NGC 6334: The Cat’s Paw Nebula

Image Credit & Copyright: Stefan Steve Bemmerl & Team Wolfatorium (Hakos/Namibia)

Explanation: Nebulas are perhaps as famous for being identified with familiar shapes as perhaps cats are for getting into trouble. Still, no known cat could have created the vast Cat’s Paw Nebula visible toward the constellation of the Scorpion (Scorpius. At 5,500 light years distant, Cat’s Paw is an emission nebula with a red color that originates from an abundance of ionized hydrogen atoms. Alternatively known as the Bear Claw Nebula and cataloged as NGC 6334, stars nearly ten times the mass of our Sun have been born there in only the past few million years. Pictured here is a deep field image of the Cat’s Paw Nebula in light emitted by hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur.

 

Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator

May 10 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1497 Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci leaves for his first voyage to the New World (disputed)

1775 Second Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and issues paper currency for 1st time

1801 First Barbary War: The Barbary pirates of Tripoli declare war on the United States of America (1st US foreign war)

1857 Indian mutiny against rule by the British East India Company begins with the revolt of the Sepoy soldiers in Meerut

1940 Winston Churchill succeeds Neville Chamberlain as British Prime Minister

1960 US atomic submarine USS Triton completes 1st submerged circumnavigation of the globe

1994 Nelson Mandela sworn in as South Africa’s 1st black president

Today’s Historical Events

1267 Vienna’s church orders all Jews to wear a distinctive garb

1278 Jews of England imprisoned on charges of coining

1291 Scottish nobles recognize authority of English King Edward I

1294 Temür Khan declared Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty

1427 Jews are expelled from Bern, Switzerland

1497 Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci leaves for his first voyage to the New World (disputed)

1503 Christopher Columbus discovers the Cayman Islands

1525 Church reformer John Pistorius caught in the Hague

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1928 WGY, Schenectady begins regular TV programming

1952 5th Cannes Film Festival: “The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice” directed by Orson Welles and “Two Cents Worth of Hope” directed by Renato Castellani jointly awarded the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film

1953 KCBD TV channel 11 in Lubbock, TX (NBC) begins broadcasting

1955 8th Cannes Film Festival: “Marty” directed by Delbert Mann wins Palme d’Or

1956 KFSN TV channel 30 in Fresno, CA (ABC/CBS) begins broadcasting

1956 9th Cannes Film Festival: “The Silent World” directed by Jacques Cousteau and Louis Malle wins the Palme d’Or

1973 Bruce Lee collapses in Golden Harvest studios in Hong Kong and is rushed to Hong Kong Baptist Hospital where doctors diagnose him with cerebral edema

1982 WABC radio (NYC) plays its last record – John Lennon‘s “Imagine” – and switches to all-talk format

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1849 Astor Place Riot: Backers of American actor and working class hero Edwin Forrest attempt to disrupt British actor William McReady’s performance at Astor Place Opera House in NYC; Military troops supporting police shoot at the crowd, killing between 22 and 31 [1]

1907 Paul Dukas’ opera “Ariane et Barbe Bleue” premieres in Paris

1932 Government declares “Wilhelmus” as the Netherlands’ national anthem

1947 “Chocolate Soldier” closes at Century Theater NYC after 69 performances

1952 Revival of Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle’s musical “Shuffle Along” closes at Broadway Theater, NYC, after 4 performances

1957 Dmitri Shostakovich‘s 2nd Piano concerto premieres in Moscow

1963 Decca signs Rolling Stones on advice of Beatle George Harrison

1967 Rolling Stones Keith Richards, Brian Jones & Mick Jagger arrested on drug charges

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1870 Jem Mace & defends his heavyweight crown against Irish champ Joe Coburn, it lasts 1 hr & 17 minutes, & neither is struck by a punch

1889 17th Preakness: W Anderson aboard Buddhist wins in 2:17.5

1893 19th Kentucky Derby: Eddie Kunze aboard Lookout wins in 2:39.25

1902 Dutch soccer club FC Blauw-Wit (Blue-White) is formed in the Kinkerbuurt area of Amsterdam; merge with VV De Beursbengels in 2015

1905 31st Kentucky Derby: Jack Martin aboard Agile wins in 2:100.75

1910 36th Kentucky Derby: Fred Herbert aboard Donau wins in 2:06.4

1913 39th Kentucky Derby: Roscoe Goose aboard Donerail wins in 2:04.8

1913 Yanks commit 8 errors & still beat Tigers 10-9 in 10 innings

Witchcraft/Magickal Correspondence Digest for Monday

From Ancient Pathway

Monday
Magickal Intentions:
Psychic Sensitivity, Women’s Mysteries, Tides, Waters, Emotional Issues, Agriculture, Animals, Female Fertility, Messages, Theft, Reconcilliations, Voyages, Dreams and Merchandise		 Incense:
African Violet
Honeysuckle
Myrtle
Willow
Wormwood
Planet:
Moon		 Sign:
Cancer		 Angel:
Gabriel
Colors:
Silver
White
Gray		 Herbs/Plants:
Night Flowers
Willow Root
Orris Root
Birch
Motherwort
Vervain
White Rose
White Iris		 Stones:
Carnelian
Moonstone
Aquamarine
Pearl
Quartz Crystal
Flourite
Geodes

May 9 Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 May 9

A Martian Eclipse: Phobos Crosses the Sun

Video Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, ASU MSSS, SSIExplanation: What’s that passing in front of the Sun? It looks like a moon, but it can’t be Earth’s Moon, because it isn’t round. It’s the Martian moon Phobos. The featured video was taken from the surface of Mars a month ago by the Perseverance rover. Phobos, at 11.5 kilometers across, is 150 times smaller than Luna (our moon) in diameter, but also 50 times closer to its parent planet. In fact, Phobos is so close to Mars that it is expected to break up and crash into Mars within the next 50 million years. In the near term, the low orbit of Phobos results in more rapid solar eclipses than seen from Earth. The featured video is shown in real time — the transit really took about 40 seconds,as shown. The videographer — the robotic rover Perseverance (Percy) — continues to explore Jezero Crater on Mars, searching not only for clues to the watery history of the now dry world, but evidence of ancient microbial life.

 

New Social Mirror: APOD now available on mastodon

May 8 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1660 English parliament declares Charles Stuart to be King Charles II of England

1835 1st installment of Hans Christian Andersen “Fairy Tales” published by C. A. Reitzel in Copenhagen, Denmark

1895 China cedes Taiwan to Japan under Treaty of Shimonoseki

1902 Mount Pelée on the French overseas island of Martinique erupts, wiping out the city of Saint-Pierre, killing 30,000 and leaving only two survivors

1945 V-E Day: World War II ends in Europe after Germany signs an unconditional surrender

1980 World Health Organization announces smallpox has been eradicated

2007 A new Northern Ireland Executive is formed with Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party) as First Minister and Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin) as Deputy First Minister

Today’s Historical Events

535 John II’s reign as Catholic Pope ends

589 Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo

615 St Boniface IV’s reign as Catholic Pope ends

685 St Benedict II’s as Catholic Pope ends after 11 months with his death

1254 University of Salamanca granted a royal charter by Alfonso IX. Third oldest university still operating and the oldest Hispanic.

1348 Ship from Bordeaux carrying the plague, lands in Melcombe Regis (now Weymouth), Dorset. The beginning of the Terrible Pestilence (Black Death) in England.

1360 Treaty of Brétigny signed by English & French, ending the first phase of the Hundred Years’ War

1450 Jack Cade’s Rebellion: Kentishmen revolt begins against King Henry VI and they march towards London

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1912 Film and television production and distribution studio Paramount Pictures is founded

1952 5th British Film and Television Awards (BAFTAS): “La Ronde” Best Film

1953 WIPB TV channel 49 in Muncie, IN (PBS) begins broadcasting

1958 Classic Hammer horror film “Dracula” film starring Christopher Lee as the eponymous vampire alongside Peter Cushing, directed by Terence Fisher released

1963 1st James Bond film, “Dr. No”, starring Sean Connery, premieres in US

1970 Beatles release 12th, and final, studio album, “Let It Be”, in conjunction with the film of the same name

1978 ABC TV airs “Stars Salute Israel at 30”

1993 ABC Masters Bowling Tournament won by Phil Ware

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1823 “Home! Sweet Home!” by John Howard Payne is 1st sung in London

1924 Arthur Honegger‘s orchestral tribute to steam locomotives “Pacifica 231” premieres

1952 Revival of George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin’s musical “Of Thee I Sing” opens at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC; runs for 72 performances

1952 Revival of Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle’s musical “Shuffle Along” opens at Broadway Theater, NYC; runs for 4 performances

1960 1st performance of Ferde Grofé’s “San Francisco Suite”, with Grofé conducting, in San Francisco

1962 Stephen Sondheim‘s musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” starring Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford, and directed by George Abbott, opens at Alvin Theater, NYC; runs for 965 performances, and wins 6 Tony Awards

1971 Courtney, Courtney, and Link’s musical “Earl of Ruston” closes at Billy Rose Theater, NYC, after 5 performances

1976 Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner’s musical “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue” closes at Mark Hellinger, NYC, after 7 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1878 1st unassisted triple play in organized baseball, by Paul Hines

1896 Yorkshire Cricket all out for 887 against Warwickshire

1897 22nd Preakness: T. Thorpe aboard Paul Kauvar wins in 1:51¼

1906 Philadelphia A’s pitcher Chief Benders plays outfield & hits 2 HRs

1907 Boston’s Big Jeff Pfeffer no-hits Cincinnati Reds, 6-0

1907 Canadian Tommy Burns retains his world heavyweight boxing title after beating “Philadelphia” Jack O’Brien on points in 20 rounds in Los Angeles, California

1909 American Albert Raines runs world record marathon (2:46:04.6) in NYC

1909 British runner Henry Barrett runs world record marathon (2:42:31) in the Polytechnic Marathon in London

May 7 Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2022 May 7

Firefall by Moonlight

Image Credit & Copyright: Tara Mostofi

Explanation: On certain dates in February, an elusive firefall can be spotted at sunset in Yosemite National Park, when water flows, the weather cooperates and the direction to the setting Sun is just right. Often photographed from vantage points below, at the right moment the park’s seasonal Horsetail Fall is isolated in the shadows of the steep walls of El Capitan. Then, still illuminated with rays of reddened sunlight the waterfall briefly takes on a dramatic, fiery appearance. But a Horsetail firefall can be photographed by moonlight too. Even more elusive by moonlight, the firefall effect can also be seen when a bright Moon sets at the right direction along the western horizon. And skies were clear enough for this well-planned imaging of an ephemeral Horsetail firefall, lit by a bright gibbous Moon setting in the early morning hours of April 15.

May 7 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1429 English siege of Orleans broken by Joan of Arc and the French army

1867 Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel Patents Dynamite in England, the first of three patents he would receive for the explosive material

1912 Columbia University approves plans for awarding the Pulitzer Prize in several categories, after established by Joseph Pulitzer

1915 RMS Lusitania sunk by German submarine off the southern coast of Ireland; 1198 lives lost

1939 Germany and Italy announce an alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis

1945 World War II: Unconditional German surrender to the Allies signed by General Alfred Jodl at Rheims

1952 The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by G

eoffrey Dummer

2017 Emmanuel Macron wins France’s presidential election defeating Marine Le Pen

Today’s Historical Events

558 In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses. Justinian I immediately orders the dome rebuilt.

1274 2nd Council of Lyons (14th ecumenical council) opens, convened by Pope Gregory X

1355 1,200 Jews of Toledo, Spain killed by Count Henry of Trastamara

1416 Monk Nicolaas Serrurier arrested because of heresy at Tournay

1429 English siege of Orleans broken by Joan of Arc and the French army

1579 Congress of Cologne forms in Netherlands

1624 Admiral Hermites conquering fleet reaches Callao the Lima, Peru

1638 Cornelis S Goyer takes possession of Mauritius (uninhabited)

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1947 “Kraft Television Theater” premieres on NBC

1965 WAOW TV channel 9 in Wausau, WI (ABC) begins broadcasting

1987 Diane Chambers’ (Shelley Long) final episode on TV comedy “Cheers”

1996 Comedian Martin Lawrence suffers a nervous breakdown

1997 Science fiction film “The Fifth Element” written and directed by Luc Besson, starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich is released. Then the most expensive European film ever made.

2006 52nd British Academy Television Awards: “Help” Best Comedy, “Doctor Who” Best Drama

2011 “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”, directed by Rob Marshall, starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz, premieres in – opening weekend makes $350.6m

2017 MTV becomes 1st major awards show to adopt gender-neutral categories – Emma Watson best film actor, Millie Bobby Brown best TV actor

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1824 Ludwig van Beethoven‘s 9th (Choral) Symphony, often regarded as his greatest work, premieres in Vienna

1888 Édouard Lalo’s opera “Le roi d’Ys” premieres in Paris

1941 Glenn Miller records “Chattanooga Choo Choo” for RCA, it becomes 1st record to be designated “gold”

1953 Cole Porter‘s musical “Can-Can” opens at the Shubert Theatre, NYC; runs for 892 performances

1960 Webster and Fain’s musical “Christine”, based on Hilda Wernher’s novel “My Indian Family”, closes at 46th St Theater, NYC, after 12 performances

1960 Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical “Flower Drum Song” closes at St James Theater. NYC, after 602 performances and 1 Tony Award

1960 Musical review “From A to Z” closes at Plymouth Theater, NYC, after 21 performances

1961 “Young Abe Lincoln” closes at Eugene O’Neill NYC after 27 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1910 35th Preakness: R Estep aboard Layminster wins in 1:40.6

1917 In a testament to his pitching ability, future Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Babe Ruth leads Boston Red Sox to a 1-0 victory against Washington Senators legend Walter Johnson

1921 47th Kentucky Derby: Charles Thompson on Behave Yourself wins 2:04.2

1922 Belgian soccer team defeats Netherlands: 1-2

1922 NY Giant Jesse Barnes no-hits Phillies, 2-0

1925 Phillies have their 8th game postponed in a row

1925 MBA Pittsburgh Pirate shortstop Glenn Wright makes an unassisted triple play

1932 58th Kentucky Derby: Eugene James aboard Burgoo King wins in 2:05.2