Good morning.

It’s a Wednesday of early fog, clearing with a high of fifty-eight, for Whitewater.

On this day in 1877, the first of Thomas Edison’s principal inventions:

The American inventor announces his invention of the phonograph, a way to record and play back sound.

Edison stumbled on one of his great inventions–the phonograph–while working on a way to record telephone communication at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey. His work led him to experiment with a stylus on a tinfoil cylinder, which, to his surprise, played back the short song he had recorded, “MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB”. Public demonstrations of the phonograph made the Yankee inventor world famous, and he was dubbed the “Wizard of Menlo Park.”

Edison set aside this invention in 1878 to work on the incandescent light bulb, and other inventors moved forward to improve on the phonograph. In 1887, Edison resumed work on the device, using the wax-cylinder technique developed by Charles Tainter. Although initially used as a dictating machine, the phonograph proved to be a popular tool for entertainment, and in 1906 Edison unveiled a series of musical and theatrical selections to the public through his National Phonograph Company. Continuing to improve on models and cylinders over the years, the Edison Disc Phonograph debuted in 1912 with the aim of competing in the popular record market. Edison’s discs offered superior sound quality but were not compatible with other popular disc players.

During the 1920s, the early record business suffered with the growth of radio, and in 1929 recording production at Edison ceased forever. Edison, who acquired an astounding 1,093 patents in his 84 years, died in 1931.

From Google’s daily puzzle, a question about science fiction: “What does Douglas Adams cite as the reason for people’s unhappiness in the preface to his 1979 absurdist novel?”

Good morning.

Patchy fog for Whitewater’s morning will give way to a mostly cloudy day with a high of fifty-five. We’ll have 9h, 33m of sunlight, and 10h, 35m of daylight.

Common Council meets tonight at 6:30 PM, with the principal business of the meeting being a public hearing on the 2013 municipal budget.

On this day in 1945, two dozen Nazi leaders went on trial in Nuremberg for crimes against humanity:

The entire day was devoted to the reading of the lengthy charges and bills of particulars to which the defendants will plead tomorrow. Dramatic despite their familiarity and inevitable repetition, these documents reviewed the whole bloody annals of World War II, reviving for many auditors the stunned horror with which the peaceful nations reacted to the news of German atrocities. Statistics attested to the facts and staggering totals were piled up to challenge the defendants’ future declarations of innocence.

Lord Justice Lawrence of Britain, who will preside for the duration of the trial, held court a half hour beyond the announced closing time of 4:30 to complete the text of the voluminous indictment. The actual presentation of evidence is expected to begin tomorrow morning.

On this day in 1859, a happy first for Wisconsin:

1859 – First Baseball Game in Milwaukee
An impromptu game of base ball , as it was spelled in the early years, was played by two teams of seven at the Milwaukee Fair Ground. The game was organized by Rufus King, publisher of the Milwaukee Sentinel, and is believed to have been the first baseball game played in Milwaukee. In spite of cold weather, two more games were played in December, and by April 1860 the Milwaukee Base Ball Club was organized. View early baseball photographs at Wisconsin Historical Images, and read about baseball’s first decades in Wisconsin at Turning Points in Wisconsin.

We’ve more tornadoes than we’d like in Wisconsin, of course; in Australia this week, they had a spectacular waterspout, that a videographer recorded for others to see:

Google asks a sports question today: “Apart from Sir Nick Faldo, who is the only other captain of a Ryder Cup team to have been knighted by the Queen of England?” more >>

Good morning.

It’s a cloudy Monday for Whitewater, with a high of fifty-four and a slight chance of afternoon showers.

Whitewater’s Library Board meets tonight at 6 PM.

On this day in 1863, Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address:

On November 19, 1863, at the dedication of a military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln delivers one of the most memorable speeches in American history. In just 272 words, Lincoln brilliantly and movingly reminded a war-weary public why the Union had to fight, and win, the Civil War.

The Battle of Gettysburg, fought some four months earlier, was the single bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Over the course of three days, more than 45,000 men were killed, injured, captured or went missing. The battle also proved to be the turning point of the war: General Robert E. Lee’s defeat and retreat from Gettysburg marked the last Confederate invasion of Northern territory and the beginning of the Southern army’s ultimate decline.

Charged by Pennsylvania’s governor, Andrew Curtin, to care for the Gettysburg dead, an attorney named David Wills bought 17 acres of pasture to turn into a cemetery for the more than 7,500 who fell in battle. Wills invited Edward Everett, one of the most famous orators of the day, to deliver a speech at the cemetery’s dedication. Almost as an afterthought, Wills also sent a letter to Lincoln—just two weeks before the ceremony—requesting “a few appropriate remarks” to consecrate the grounds.

At the dedication, the crowd listened for two hours to Everett before Lincoln spoke. Lincoln’s address lasted just two or three minutes. The speech reflected his redefined belief that the Civil War was not just a fight to save the Union, but a struggle for freedom and equality for all, an idea Lincoln had not championed in the years leading up to the war. This was his stirring conclusion: “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Reception of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was initially mixed, divided strictly along partisan lines. Nevertheless, the “little speech,” as he later called it, is thought by many today to be the most eloquent articulation of the democratic vision ever written.

CNN offers a story about an odd experience: a crazed goat that chased a paperboy up a tree. Really:

Google’s daily puzzle asks a question about literature: “In the 2000 translation of the oldest piece of English literature, who is the queen that is married to the Danish “ring-giver”?” more >>

Good morning.

Whitewater’s Sunday will be mild, with a high of fifty-six, and sunny.

On this day in 1863, Pres. Lincoln goes to Gettysburg:

…President Abraham Lincoln boards a train for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to deliver a short speech at the dedication of a cemetery of soldiers killed during the battle there on July 1 to July 3, 1863. The address Lincoln gave in Gettysburg became one of the most famous speeches in American history.

Lincoln had given much thought to what he wanted to say at Gettysburg, but nearly missed his chance to say it. Shortly before the trip, Lincoln’s son, Tad, became ill with a fever. The president and his wife Mary Todd Lincoln were no strangers to juvenile illness: They had already lost two sons to disease. Prone to fits of hysteria, Mary Lincoln panicked when her husband prepared to leave. However, Lincoln felt the opportunity to speak at Gettysburg and present his defense of the war was too important to miss, so he boarded a train and headed to Pennsylvania.

Despite his son’s illness, Lincoln was in good spirits during the journey. He was accompanied by an entourage that included Secretary of State William Seward, Postmaster General Montgomery Blair, Interior Secretary John Usher, Lincoln’s personal secretaries John Hay and John Nicolay, several members of the diplomat corps, some foreign visitors, a Marine band, and a military escort.

When Lincoln arrived in Gettysburg, he was handed a telegram that lifted his spirits: Tad was feeling much better. Lincoln enjoyed an evening dinner and a serenade by the Fifth New York Artillery Band before he retired to finalize his famous Gettysburg Address.

In Wisconsin history on this day in 1930,

1930 – Beloit Area Home Raided
On this date federal agents and county deputies raided Otto Matschke’s home, north of Beloit, and seized an illegal still and 300 gallons of contraband moonshine. [Source: Janesville Gazette November 19, 1930, p.1]

Google’s daily puzzle asks about a band: “Whom did John Phillips not want in his band, convinced that her size would stand in the way of the group’s success?”

Good morning.

It’s a mostly sunny Saturday for Whitewater, with a high of fifty-three, and winds from the south-southeast at 5 to 10 miles per hour.

On this day in 1973, Pres. Nixon offered his heartfelt reassurances to the American people:

Nixon’s not talking about Watergate here, but accusations of financial impropriety; still, his use of the word crook in any context made the press conference instantly memorable.

Earlier this week, Australians had the chance to watch a solar eclipse. Here’s a video of what they saw (while the link above offers an accompanying photo slideshow):

Google’s daily puzzle asks about geography: “The Canal Street Ferry will take you over to Algiers Point. Since when has this ferry been in service?” more >>

Good morning.

Whitewater’s work week ends with mostly sunny skies and a high of forty-seven.

A major film-series opening:

On this day in 2001, the British author J.K. Rowling’s star creation–bespectacled boy wizard Harry Potter–makes his big-screen debut in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which opens in movie theaters across the United States. Based on the mega-best-selling fantasy novel of the same name, the film, which starred Daniel Radcliffe in the title role, went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies in history.

The first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, debuted in Great Britain in 1997 and was released in the United States the following year under the name Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Children and adults alike were captivated by the story of Harry, his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, their adventures at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Harry’s struggles against his main enemy, the evil Lord Voldemort….

The first Harry Potter film was directed by the American filmmaker Chris Columbus, whose previous credits included Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire. Prior to being selected to play Harry, Daniel Radcliffe, who was born July 23, 1989, in London, had appeared in a BBC production of David Copperfield as well as the 2001 film The Tailor of Panama, which starred Pierce Brosnan. British actors Rupert Grint and Emma Watson were chosen for the roles of Harry’s friends Ron and Hermione. A roster of celebrated actors took supporting roles in the film and its various sequels, including Ralph Fiennes, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Richard Harris and Gary Oldman.

In Wisconsin history on this date, from 1896:

1896 – First Rural Free Delivery Route Established
On this date the first Rural Free Delivery route in Wisconsin was established at Sun Prairie. Rural Free Delivery routes were free government mail delivery services in rural areas. [Source: The Wisconsin Mosaic]

From Google’s daily puzzle, a science question: “What lake in Africa is only two kilometers longer than The Schrodinger Basin?”