Good morning, Whitewater.

Tuesday in town will be partly sunny with a high of seventy-six. Sunrise is 5:29 and sunset 8:31, for 15h 02m 11s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with just 2.6% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1789, aggrieved Frenchmen storm the Bastille:

The crowd gathered outside around mid-morning, calling for the surrender of the prison, the removal of the guns and the release of the arms and gunpowder. Two representatives of the crowd outside were invited into the fortress and negotiations began, and another was admitted around noon with definite demands. The negotiations dragged on while the crowd grew and became impatient. Around 1:30 the crowd surged into the undefended outer courtyard, and the chains on the drawbridge to the inner courtyard were cut, crushing one unfortunate vainqueur. About this time gunfire began, though some stories state that the Governor had a cannon fire into the crowd killing several women, children, and men, turning the crowd into a mob. The crowd seemed to have felt it had been drawn into a trap and the fighting became more violent and intense, while attempts by deputies to organise a cease-fire were ignored by the attackers.

The firing continued, and at 3:00 the attackers were reinforced by mutinous gardes françaises and other deserters from among the regular troops, along with two cannons. A substantial force of Royal Army troops encamped on the nearby Champs de Mars did not intervene. With the possibility of a mutual massacre suddenly apparent Governor de Launay ordered a cease fire at 5:00. A letter offering his terms was handed out to the besiegers through a gap in the inner gate. His demands were refused, but de Launay nonetheless capitulated, as he realised that his troops could not hold out much longer; he opened the gates to the inner courtyard, and the vainqueurs swept in to liberate the fortress at 5:30.

Louis XVI only learns of the storming the next morning:

The king was only informed of the storming the next morning by the Duke of La Rochefoucauld.

“Is it a revolt?” asked Louis XVI.

The duke replied: “No sire, it’s not a revolt; it’s a revolution.”^[9]

On this day in 1948, Janesville tries to solve a problem:

1948 – Janesville Sprays for Bugs

On this date, intending to create a bug-free environment, Janesville tested a DDT fogging machine that quickly emitted a “smokescreen of insect-killing fog.” City officials hoped to persuade the county to buy the machine for use by all municipalities or to buy it jointly with Beloit. [Source: Janesville Gazette]

A Google a Day asks a science question:

What is the name of the anatomy text written by a physician from Bologna who is credited as “the restorer of anatomy?”

Good morning, Whitewater.

We’ll have a day of scattered strong storms and a high of ninety today. Sunrise is 5:28 and sunset 8:32, for 15h 03m 37s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 7.1% of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Planning Commission meets tonight at 6:30 PM.

On this day in 1787, Congresses passes the Northwest Ordinance:

Northwest Territory Established

On this date the Northwest Ordinance was passed by the Continental Congress. The ordinance provided for the administration of the territories and set rules for admission as a state. The Northwest territoryincluded land west of Pennsylvania and Northwest of the Ohio River, which encompassed present day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, parts of Minnesota and of course Wisconsin. [Source: Indiana Historical Bureau]

A Google a Day asks a basketball question:

The youngest recipient of the NBA MVP award joined which one of his “Bulls” teammates in receiving this honor?

Good morning, Whitewater.

Sunday will be partly cloudy, with a high of eighty-five. Sunrise is 5:28 and sunset 8:33, for 15h 05m 00s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 13.4% of its visible disk illuminated.

Friday’s poll asked respondents whether they thought a Utah college’s designation of separate staircase lanes for walking, running, and texting was a good idea. A majority of respondents (54.55%) didn’t think so, but a sizable number (45.45%) supported the idea.

Yesterday, I posted a video of BASE jumper Uli Emanuele using a wingsuit to fly between a two meter opening far below his launch point. Embedded below is a video about a smaller creature that shares Emanuele’s skill in gliding —

1995 – Deadly Heat Wave Begins
From July 12-15, 1995, the Midwest was subjected to a deadly outbreak of hot and humid weather responsible for 141 deaths in Wisconsin. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, this was the “greatest single event of weather-related deaths in Wisconsin history.” Most of the fatalities happened in the urban southeast counties of the state, and at one point several Milwaukee-area hospitals were unable to admit more patients.

Milwaukee Temperatures (from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel): July 12: Hi=91, Lo=65 July 13: Hi=103*, Lo=78 July 14: Hi=102, Lo=84 July 15: Hi=92, Lo=69 July 16: Hi=88, Lo=68 *Some communities reported highs as high as 108. Heat Index values were 120-130 degrees.

NOAA’s Natural Disaster Survey Report on the outbreak is available at http://www.weather.gov/os/assessments/pdfs/heat95.pdf [Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Good morning, Whitewater.

Saturday in Whitewater will be partly sunny, with an even chance of afternoon thundershowers, and a high of seventy-eighty. Sunrise is 5:27 and sunset 8:33, for 15h 06m 21s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 21.6% of its visible disk illuminated.

In the video below, Uli Emanuele “pilots what is possibly the most technical and difficult BASE jump ever. For the past 3 years Uli has been dreaming about and preparing for what could be a world record jump. With just his wingsuit and hiking poles, he climbs to his exit point and realizes there is no turning back.”

On this day in 1914, Babe Ruth makes his major league start, as a pitcher:

On July 11, 1914, in his major league debut, George Herman “Babe” Ruth pitches seven strong innings to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Cleveland Indians, 4-3.

George Herman Ruth was born February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland, where his father worked as a saloon keeper on the waterfront. He was the first of eight children, but only he and a sister survived infancy. The young George, known as “Gig” (pronounced jij) to his family, was a magnet for trouble from an early age. At seven, his truancy from school led his parents to declare him incorrigible, and he was sent to an orphanage, St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys. Ruth lived there until he was 19 in 1914, when he was signed as a pitcher by the Baltimore Orioles.

That same summer, Ruth was sold to the Boston Red Sox. His teammates called him “Babe” for his naiveté, but his talent was already maturing. In his debut game against the Indians, the 19-year-old Ruth gave up just five hits over the first six innings. In the seventh, the Indians managed two runs on three singles and a sacrifice and Ruth was relieved. His hitting prowess, however, was not on display that first night–he went 0 for 2 at the plate.

Ruth developed quickly as a pitcher and as a hitter. When the Red Sox made the World Series in 1916 and 1918, Ruth starred, setting a record with 29 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings in World Series play. His career record as a pitcher for the Red Sox was 89-46.

To the great dismay of Boston fans, Ruth’s contract was sold to the New York Yankees before the 1920 season by Red Sox owner Harry Frazee, so that Frazee could finance the musical No, No, Nanette. Ruth switched to the outfield with the Yankees, and hit more home runs than the entire Red Sox team in 10 of the next 12 seasons. “The Sultan of Swat” or “The Bambino,” as he was alternately known, was the greatest gate attraction in baseball until his retirement as a player in 1935. During his career with the New York Yankees, the team won four World Series and seven American League pennants. After getting rid of Ruth, the Red Sox did not win a World Series until 2004, an 85-year drought known to Red Sox fans as “the Curse of the Bambino.”

On this day in 1921, the America’s first equal rights law of its kind takes effect:

1921 – Nation’s First Equal Rights Law Signed
On this day Governor John J. Blaine signed into law the nation’s first legislation guaranteeing women the same legal privileges, rights and protections as men. [Source: WLHBA]

Good morning, Whitewater.

The work week in Whitewater ends with mostly sunny skies and a high of eighty-two. Sunrise is 5:26 and sunset 8:34, for 15h 07m 38s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 32% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1940, and lasting for over a hundred days, the Battle of Britain begins:

The Battle of Britain (German: Luftschlacht um England, literally “Air battle for England”) is the name given to the Second World War air campaign waged by the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940. The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces,^[18] and was also the largest and most sustained aerial bombing campaign to that date.

The objective of the Nazi German forces was to achieve air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF), especially its Fighter Command. Beginning in July 1940, coastal shipping convoys and shipping centres, such as Portsmouth, were the main targets; one month later, the Luftwaffe shifted its attacks to RAF airfields and infrastructure. As the battle progressed, the Luftwaffe also targeted factories involved in World War II aircraft production and ground infrastructure. Eventually the Luftwaffe resorted to attacking areas of political significance and using terror bombing strategy.^{[nb 10]}

By preventing Germany from gaining air superiority, the British forced Adolf Hitler to postpone and eventually cancel Operation Sea Lion, a planned amphibious and airborne invasion of Britain. However, Germany continued bombing operations on Britain, known as The Blitz. The failure of Nazi Germany to achieve its objective of destroying Britain’s air defences in order to force Britain to negotiate an armistice (or even surrender outright) is considered by historians to be its first major defeat in World War II and a crucial turning point in the conflict.^[20]

On this day in 1832, during the Black Hawk War, soldiers begin building a fort:

1832 – Fort Koshkonong Construction Begins
On this date General Henry Atkinson and his troops built Fort Koshkonong after being forced backwards from the bog area of the “trembling lands” in their pursuit of Black Hawk. The Fort, later known as Fort Atkinson, was described by Atkinson as “a stockade work flanked by four block houses for the security of our supplies and the accommodation of the sick.” It was also on this date that Atkinson discharged a large number of Volunteers from his army in order to decrease stress on a dwindling food supply and to make his force less cumbersome. One of the dismissed volunteers was future president, Abraham Lincoln, whose horse was stolen in Cold Spring, Wisconsin, and was forced to return to New Salem, Illinois by foot and canoe. [Sources: History Just Ahead: A Guide to Wisconsin’s Historical Markers edited by Sarah Davis McBride and Along the Black Hawk Trail by Willilam F. Stark]

A Google a Day asks a geography question:

The expansion of the earth’s surface is demonstrated by what U.S. state that is believed to be increasing by 1.2 “nanostrains” per year?