Good morning.

Monday brings a rainy day with a high of sixty-one.

Whitewater’s Library Board meets at 6:30 PM.

On this day in 1783, Congress approves a peace treaty:

…the Continental Congress of the United States officially ratifies the preliminary peace treaty with Great Britain that was signed in November 1782. The congressional move brings the nascent nation one step closer to the conclusion of the Revolutionary War.

Five months later, on September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed by representatives of the United States, Great Britain, Spain and France, officially bringing an end to the Revolutionary War. It also formalized Great Britain’s recognition of America’s independence.

On this day in 1876, speedy communication comes to northern Wisconsin:

1876 – First Northern Wisconsin Telegraph Line Completed
On this date the first telegraph line in northern Wisconsin was completed near Ashland. A few months later, this same telegraph line was used to convey General Custer’s defeat. [Source: “B” Book I, Beer Bottles, Brawls, Boards, Brothels, Bibles, Battles & Brownstone by Tony Woiak]

Google-a-Day asks about a big reptile: “What does the name given to the Aldabra giant tortoise, considered one of the longest-living animals on record at the time of his death, mean in English?”

Good morning.

It’s a Sunday wintry mix for Whitewater, of rain, freezing rain, and snow, with no meaningful accumulation of snow expected. We’ll have 13h 20m of sunlight and 14h 19m of daylight with a waxing crescent moon.

Pres. Lincoln was shot this day in 1865 at Ford’s Theater, and passed away a day later, 4.15.1865.

Police in North Carolina are searching for lobster and banana-clad thieves who stole a $1,000 sculpture:

Today in 1953, a baseball milestone for Wisconsin:

1953 – Milwaukee Braves Debut On this date the Milwaukee Braves made their official debut in Milwaukee, at the newly constructed County Stadium. They defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2, in 10 innings. Bill Bruton hit the game-winning home run. [Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online]

Milwaukee had an impressive  .597 season that year, but also the misfortune of sharing the NL with the .682 (105-49) Brooklyn Dodgers.

Here’s a geography question from Google-a-Day: “What city, the major financial center of its country, is located on the northern coast of the island where the poet who wrote “A Good Boy” died ?”

Good morning.

Saturday brings a chance of morning flurries and a high of forty-three.

On this day in 1970, Apollo 13’s planned moon landing became impossible after an explosion from a liquid oxygen tank.

Anthony Bourdain will have a new show on CNN, Parts Unknown, beginning this Sunday @ 8 PM CT. Here’s a portion of the upcoming premiere episode, in which he discovers a human-powered Ferris wheel:

Risky, but where there’s a will…

Google-a-Day offers a sports question: “Describing the reporter people loved to hate, what late columnist, born in Fort Benning, wrote, “Very few people liked Howard Cosell… but that’s the point…”?”

Good morning.

Whitewater’s week ends with a cloudy & rainy day, with a high of forty-three.

On this day in 1861, the Civil War begins:

The bloodiest four years in American history begin when Confederate shore batteries under General P.G.T. Beauregard open fire on Union-held Fort Sumter inSouth Carolina‘s Charleston Bay. During the next 34 hours, 50 Confederate guns and mortars launched more than 4,000 rounds at the poorly supplied fort. On April 13, U.S. Major Robert Anderson surrendered the fort. Two days later, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteer soldiers to quell the Southern “insurrection.”

Google-a-Day is designed to encourage web searches, and today’s very particular history question is an example: “At the time of signing, what was the title of the man who is the first of the two names in the name of the 1901 treaty that nullified the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty?”