Can't Do a Thing About the Weather

I seem to be relegated to writing weather related posts this winter, even though you can't do a thing about it.

All you can do is observe it, and that is exactly what John Jeffries did. He was born on this day in 1744, and grew up to be a physician, aeronaut (he was in the balloon with Jean-Pierre Blanchard in 1785 when they were the first to fly across the English Channel ), and weather observer.

Dr. Jeffries kept a diary of the weather he observed, mostly in Boston and London, from 1774 until his death in 1819. He also took the weather measurements from the balloon flights he made.

In his honor, today is National Weatherperson's Day.

I just hope, after the steady rains of the last 36 or so hours (and yes, there is some water leaking into the house again, but by God's grace, not much), that today we will observe some sunshine.


Today is:

Bon Soo Winter Festival, Northern Ontario, through the 14th

Bubble Gum Day

Constitution Day, Mexico

Cordova Ice Worm Festival (through the 7th)

Disaster Day

Lailatul Quadr (Night of Power)

Move Hollywood & Broadway to Lebanon, PA Day (Why would they want it?)

National Chocolate Fondue Day

National Weatherman's Day

Primrose Day

Sapporo Snow Festival (Sapporo Yuki Matsuri), Japan, through the 11th

St. Agatha's Day (patron of Malta, nurses, jewelers, bell makers, bell ringers, wet nurses; against fire, breast cancer)

Wear Red Day

Winterlude, Ottawa winter festival, weekends through the 21st

World Nutella Day

Wyrd's Day (Celtic goddess of fortune telling)


Birthdays Today:
Jeremy Sumpter, 1989
Michael Sheen, 1969
Jennifer Jason Leigh, 1962
Christopher Guest, 1948
Barbara Hershey, 1948
Roger Stauback, 1942
H.R. Giger, 1940
Alex Harvey, 1935
Henry "Hank" Aaron, 1934
Andrew Greeley, 1928
Red Buttons, 1919
William Burroughs, 1914
Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr., 1900
Andre' Citroen, 1878
Belle Starr, 1848
Dwight Lyman Moody, 1837
Ole Bull, 1810
Sanjo, Emperor of Japan, 976


Today in History:

King Alfonso V orders Sicily's Jews to attend conversion sermons, 1428
A group of early Japanese Christians are killed by the new government of Japan for being seen as a threat to Japanese society, 1597
The first US livestock branding law is passed, in Connecticut, 1644
Methodists Charles and John Wesley arrive in Savannah, Georgia, 1736
Georgia becomes the first state to abolish both entail and primogeniture,1777
Sweden recognizes US independence, 1783
Hannah Lord Montague of New York creates the first detachable shirtcollar, 1825
The "Oregon Spectator" is the first newspaper published on the AmericanWest Coast, 1846
An adding machine employing depressible keys is patented in New Paltz, NY, 1850
Two innovations which helped pave the way for motion pictures are pateneted, a hand turned stereoscope by Samuel Goodale of Cincinnati, andthe Kinematoscope by Coleman Sellers of Philadelphia, 1861
Four inches of snow falls in San Francisco, 1887
The loop-the-loop centrifugal railroad (a/k/a the roller coaster) ispatented by Ed Prescot, 1901
Reader's Digest magazine is first published, 1922