Good morning, Whitewater.

Tuesday in town will be mostly sunny with a high of fifty-three. Sunrise is 7:16 AM and sunset 6:03 PM. The moon is a waning crescent with five-percent of its visible disk illuminated.

Common Council meets tonight at 6:30 PM.

On this day in 1879, Edison invents a workable electric light. Here’s how the New York Times described a visit to his laboratory:

There was no lack of enthusiasm or of confidence about Mr. Edison as he greeted the Times reporter who entered his laboratory at Menlo Park, N. J., yesterday. The inventor, a short, thick-set man, with grimy hands, led the way through his workshop, and willingly explained the distinctive features of what he and many others look upon as an apparatus which will soon cause gas-light to be a thing of the past.

The lamp which Mr. Edison regards as a crowning triumph is a model of simplicity and economy. In the lamp the light is emitted by a horseshoe of carbonized paper about two and a half inches long and the width of a thread. This horseshoe is in a glass globe, from which the air has been as thoroughly exhausted as science is able to do. So good a vacuum is produced that it is estimated that at the utmost no more than a one-millionth part of the air remains.

The operation of pumping lasts one hour and a quarter. At the ends of the carbon horseshoe are two platinum clamps, from which platinum wires run outwardly through a small glass tube contained within a larger one leading out of the glass globe. The small tube contains air. Within it the platinum wires are met by two copper wires connecting with the conductors of the electricity. The air is left in the small tube, because otherwise the copper wires would be fused by the electric current. The carbonized paper is capable of being made incandescent by a current of electricity, and while it allows the current to pass over it, its resistance to the heat is strong enough to prevent it from fusing.

On this day in 1897, Williams Bay sees an observatory’s dedication:

On this date the Yerkes Observatory was dedicated. Founded by astronomer George Hale and located in Williams Bay, the Yerkes Observatory houses the world’s largest refracting optical telescope, with a lens of diameter 102 cm/40 inches. It was built through the largess of the tycoon Charles Tyson Yerkes, who rebuilt important parts of the Chicago transportation system after the fire. Situated in a 77-acre park on the shore of Lake Geneva, this observatory was the center for world astronomy in the early 20th century and invited a number of astronomers from around the world, including Japan, for scientific exchange. [Source: Yerkes Observatory Virtual Museum]

Google-a-Day asks a geography question:

What section of “The Great Silk Road” led from Samarkand via Hodjent to Isfara, Kokand and Osh?

Good morning, Whitewater.

Monday in the city will be partly cloudy with a high of fifty-seven.

The tech industry has a style of presenting new products that’s susceptible of satire. Here’s an example, if Silicon Valley has a vegetable it wanted to promote:

On this day in 1944, Douglas MacArthur returns to the Philippines:

On 20 October 1944, troops of Krueger’s Sixth Army landed on Leyte, while MacArthur watched from the light cruiser USS Nashville. That afternoon he arrived off the beach. The advance had not progressed far; snipers were still active and the area was under sporadic mortar fire. When his whaleboat grounded in knee-deep water, MacArthur requested a landing craft, but the beachmaster was too busy to grant his request. MacArthur was compelled to wade ashore.[198] In his prepared speech, he said:

People of the Philippines: I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand again on Philippine soil—soil consecrated in the blood of our two peoples. We have come dedicated and committed to the task of destroying every vestige of enemy control over your daily lives, and of restoring upon a foundation of indestructible strength, the liberties of your people.[199]

Since Leyte was out of range of Kenney’s land-based aircraft, MacArthur was dependent on carrier aircraft.[200] Japanese air activity soon increased, with raids on Tacloban, where MacArthur decided to establish his headquarters, and on the fleet offshore. MacArthur enjoyed staying on Nashville’s bridge during air raids, although several bombs landed close by, and two nearby cruisers were hit.[201] Over the next few days, the Japanese counterattacked in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, resulting in a near-disaster that MacArthur attributed to the command being divided between himself and Nimitz.[202] Nor did the campaign ashore proceed smoothly. Heavy monsoonal rains disrupted the airbase construction program. Carrier aircraft proved to be no substitute for land-based aircraft, and the lack of air cover permitted the Japanese to pour troops into Leyte. Adverse weather and valiant Japanese resistance slowed the American advance, resulting in a protracted campaign.[203][204]

By the end of December, Krueger’s headquarters estimated that 5,000 Japanese remained on Leyte, and on 26 December MacArthur issued a communiqué announcing that “the campaign can now be regarded as closed except for minor mopping up.” Yet Eichelberger’s Eighth Army killed another 27,000 Japanese on Leyte before the campaign ended in May 1945.[205] On 18 December 1944, MacArthur was promoted to the new five-star rank of General of the Army.[206]

On October 20, 1856, Frederick Douglass speaks in Wisconsin:

On this date Frederick Douglass arrived in Beaver Dam and spoke about the brutality and immorality of slavery. His speech was also intended to generate support for the abolitionist movement in Dodge Co. and Wisconsin. A former runaway slave and leading orator and author of the abolitionist movement, Douglass is regarded as one of the most influential Americans of the 19th century. [Source: Wisconsin Local History Network]

Google-a-Day asks about a remark:

Early in Conrad’s 1903 novella, Marlow makes a comment [about] “one of the dark places on earth”. About what place does he say this?

Good morning, Whitewater.

Sunday in town will be partly cloudy with a high of fifty-seven.

Among respondents to Friday’s FW poll asking about a preference between summer and winter, a clear majority (78.95%) picked summer.

On this day in 1781, Lord Cornwallis’s forces formally surrender at Yorktown, effectively ending the Revolutionary War:

The fire on Yorktown from the allies was heavier than ever as new artillery pieces joined the line.[64] Cornwallis talked with his officers that day and they agreed that their situation was hopeless.[65]

On the morning of October 17, a drummer appeared followed by an officer waving a white handkerchief.[66] The bombardment ceased, and the officer was blindfolded and led behind the French and American lines. Negotiations began at the Moore House on October 18 between Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Dundas and Major Alexander Ross (who represented the British) and Lieutenant Colonel Laurens (who represented the Americans) and the Marquis de Noailles (who represented the French).[66] To make sure that nothing fell apart between the French and Americans at the last minute, Washington ordered that the French be given an equal share in every step of the surrender process.[66]

The articles of capitulation were signed on October 19, 1781.[66] Signatories included Washington, Rochambeau, the Comte de Barras (on behalf of the French Navy), Cornwallis, and Lieutenant Thomas Symonds (the senior Royal Navy officer present).[67] Cornwallis’ British men were declared prisoners of war, promised good treatment in American camps, and officers were permitted to return home after taking their parole. At 2:00 pm the allied army entered the British positions, with the French on the left and the Americans on the right.[66]

The British had asked for the traditional Honors of War (marching out with dignity, flags waving, muskets shouldered, and playing an enemy [American] tune as a tribute to the victors), but remembering that the British, on taking Charleston earlier in the war, had refused the Americans (under Benjamin Lincoln) the same privilege, Washington firmly denied their request. Consequently, the British and Hessian troops marched with flags furled, muskets reversed in shame, while according to legend the British drummers and fifers played the tune “The World Turn’d Upside Down” – actually a popular British marching tune of the time, and in line with custom, but curiously appropriate under the circumstances. The British soldiers had been issued new uniforms hours before the surrender and until prevented by General O’Hara some threw down their muskets with the apparent intention of smashing them. Others wept or appeared to be drunk.[68] In all, 8,000 troops, 214 artillery pieces, thousands of muskets, 24 transport ships, wagons and horses were captured.[69]

Cornwallis refused to meet formally with Washington, and also refused to come to the ceremony of surrender, claiming illness.[69] Instead, Brigadier General Charles O’Hara presented the sword of surrender to Rochambeau. Rochambeau shook his head and pointed to Washington.[70] O’Hara offered it to Washington, but he refused to accept it, and motioned to his second in command, Benjamin Lincoln, who had been humiliated by the British at Charleston, to accept it.[69] The British soldiers marched out and laid down their arms in between the French and American armies, while many civilians watched.[71] At this time, the troops on the other side of the river in Gloucester also surrendered.[72]

Good morning, Whitewater.

The weekend begins with partly cloudy skies and a daytime high of fifty-one. Sunrise is 7:12 AM and sunset 6:08 PM. The moon is a waning crescent with twenty-four percent of its visible disk illuminated.

What’s an easy way to draw a circle freehand? Dave Hax has the answer:

On this day in 1867, America takes possession of Alaska:

Alaska Purchase

Financial difficulties in Russia, the desire to keep Alaska out of British hands, and the low profits of trade with Alaskan settlements all contributed to Russia’s willingness to sell its possessions in North America. At the instigation of U.S. Secretary of State William Seward, the United States Senate approved the purchase of Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000. on August 1, 1867. This purchase was popularly known in the U.S. as “Seward’s Folly,”, “Seward’s Icebox,” or “Andrew Johnson’s Polar Bear Garden”, and was unpopular at the time, though the later discovery of gold and oil would show it to be a worthwhile one and be come the 49th state.

After Russian America was sold to the U.S., all the holdings of the Russian–American Company were liquidated.

The Department of Alaska (1867-1884)

The United States flag was raised on October 18, 1867 (now called Alaska Day). Changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, for residents, Friday, October 6, 1867 was followed by Friday, October 18, 1867—two Fridays in a row because of the date line shift.

During the Department era, from 1867 to 1884, Alaska was variously under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army (until 1877), the United States Department of the Treasury (from 1877 until 1879) and the U.S. Navy (from 1879 until 1884).

When Alaska was first purchased, most of its land remained unexplored. In 1865, Western Union laid a telegraph line across Alaska to the Bering Strait where it would connect, under water, with an Asian line. It also conducted the first scientific studies of the region and produced the first map of the entire Yukon River. The Alaska Commercial Company and the military also contributed to the growing exploration of Alaska in the last decades of the 19th century, building trading posts along the Interior’s many rivers.

On this day in 1967, demonstrators protest at UW-Madison:

1967 – Police and Student Activists Clash in Madison
On this date club-wielding Madison police joined campus police to break up a large anti-war demonstration [against Dow Chemical, maker of napalm] on the UW-Madison campus. Sixty-five people, including several officers, were treated for injuries. Thirteen student leaders were ordered expelled from school. State Attorney General Bronson La Follette criticized the police for using excessive brutality. [Source: They Marched Into Sunlight]