Good morning.

Whitewater’s election day will be sunny and warm, with a high of eighty.

About a decade ago, parts of the east coast experienced a day-long blackout:

On this day in 2003, a major outage knocked out power across the eastern United States and parts of Canada. Beginning at 4:10 p.m. ET, 21 power plants shut down in just three minutes. Fifty million people were affected, including residents of New York, Cleveland and Detroit, as well as Toronto and Ottawa, Canada. Although power companies were able to resume some service in as little as two hours, power remained off in other places for more than a day.

The outage stopped trains and elevators, and disrupted everything from cellular telephone service to operations at hospitals to traffic at airports. In New York City, it took more than two hours for passengers to be evacuated from stalled subway trains. Small business owners were affected when they lost expensive refrigerated stock. The loss of use of electric water pumps interrupted water service in many areas. There were even some reports of people being stranded mid-ride on amusement park roller coasters. At the New York Stock Exchange and bond market, though, trading was able to continue thanks to backup generators.

From Google’s daily puzzle, a question about the natural order: “What cannot happen to energy according to the law that’s expressed mathematically as delta U = Q – W?” more >>

Good morning.

Whitewater’s Monday brings (still-needed) showers and a high of seventy-seven.

The Whitewater Community Development Authority meets at 4:30 PM. Thereafter, at 6 PM, Whitewater’s Planning Commission will meet.

On this day in 1961, East Germany implicitly admitted the failure of its political system by constructing the Berlin Wall.

LiveScience.com offers an compelling, enticing video flyover of the Grand Canyon.

Google’s daily puzzle reminds that sometimes people would prefer a limited, peer review: “What variation in writing style was used by the man known for the quote, “Let no man who is not a mathematician read the elements of my work?”

Good morning.

Whitewater’s day will be mostly cloudy, with a high of seventy-seven, and a one-in-five chance of showers this afternoon.

The Wisconsin Historical Society records that on this day in 1939, the Wizard of Oz had its world premiere in Oconomowoc:

1939 – Wizard of Oz World Premier — in Oconomowoc

According to the fan site, thewizardofoz.info, “The first publicized showing of the final, edited film was at the Strand Theatre in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin on August 12, 1939. No one is sure exactly why a small town in the Midwest received that honor.” It showed the next day in Sheboygan, Appleton and Rhinelander, according to local newspapers. “The official premiere was at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on August 15, attended by most of the cast and crew and a number of Hollywood celebrities.” [Source: thewizardofoz.info]

Google’s daily puzzle asks about a painting: “The man whose academy survived for 900 years appears in what painting by Raphael?”

Good morning.

A beautiful Saturday awaits: a sunny day with a high of seventy-eight.

On this day in 1934, federal prisoners first arrived on Alcatraz:

The Wisconsin Historical Society marks this day in 1919 as the one on which the Packers were founded:

1919 – Green Bay Packers Founded

On this date the Green Bay Packers professional football team was founded during a meeting in the editorial rooms of Green Bay Press-Gazette. On this evening, a score or more of young athletes, called together by Curly Lambeau and George Calhoun, gathered in the editorial room on Cherry Street and organized a football team. [Source: Packers.com]

Google’s daily puzzle asks about the peculiar habits and attire of English royalty: “The first English royal known to wear silk stockings was a king. How many years passed before an English queen wore a pair?” more >>