Good morning.

Tuesday will be a day of thunderstorms and a high of seventy for Whitewater. We’ll have rainfall accumulations between a quarter and half of an inch.

On this day in 1754, Lt. Col. George Washington finds himself at the beginning of the Seven Years’ War:

…a 22-year-old lieutenant colonel of the Virginia militia named George Washington successfully defeats a party of French and Indian scouts in southwest Pennsylvania as Virginia attempts to lay claim to the territory for its own settlers. The action snowballed into a world war and began the military career of the first American commander in chief.

The Ohio Valley had long been a contested territory among French Canadians, various Indian groups and the British colonies of Pennsylvania and Virginia. When the French began to establish fortifications along the river and refused Virginia’s written demand that they depart, Virginia’s governor, Robert Dinwiddie, dispatched Washington to complete and defend a Virginian fort at the forks of the Ohio.

Upon their arrival, Washington discovered that a scouting party led by the French ensign, Joseph Coulon de Jumonville was nearby. Fearing that Jumonville was planning an attack, Washington struck first, successfully ambushing the small party. In one of history’s murkier moments, Jumonville was murdered by Washington’s Indian ally, Tanaghrisson, while the monolingual Washington struggled to interrogate the French-speaking Canadian….

Google-a-Day poses a history question: “What was the title of the father of the first child born to the sister of the British monarch who ascended the throne in February 1952?”

Good morning.

Memorial Day holds an even chance of showers for Whitewater, primarily in the afternoon. The holiday will be otherwise cloudy with a high of sixty-one.

On this day in 1703, Peter the Great founds St. Petersburg:

After winning access to the Baltic Sea through his victories in the Great Northern War, Czar Peter I founds the city of St. Petersburg as the new Russian capital.

The reign of Peter, who became sole czar in 1696, was characterized by a series of sweeping military, political, economic, and cultural reforms based on Western European models. Peter the Great, as he became known, led his country into major conflicts with Persia, the Ottoman Empire, and Sweden. Russian victories in these wars greatly expanded Peter’s empire, and the defeat of Sweden won Russia direct access to the Baltic Sea, a lifelong obsession of the Russian leader. With the founding of St. Petersburg, Russia was now a major European power–politically, culturally, and geographically. In 1721, Peter abandoned the traditional Russian title of czar in favor of the European-influenced title of emperor. Four years later, he died and was succeeded by his wife, Catherine.

On 5.27.13, explorers Marquette & Joliet reach Green Bay:

Towards the end of May, 1673, the two explorers reached the site of modern Green Bay. “Embarking then in our canoes,” Marquette wrote in his journal, “we arrived shortly afterward at the bottom of the Bay des Puants, where our Fathers labor successfully for the conversion of these peoples, over two thousand of whom they have baptized while they have been there.” Read what they encountered there, as well as what the old French name “Puants” means, in our [Wisconsin Historical Society] pages devoted to Historic Diaries.

Google-a-Day asks about architecture: “Of what type of architecture is the Paris Cathedral that in 1970 was the site of Charles de Gaulle’s funeral?”

Good morning.

Sunday brings partly cloudy skies, and a high of sixty-seven, to Whitewater.

On this day in 1927, it’s the last day of a production run (1908-1927) at Ford Motor Company:

…Henry Ford and his son Edsel drive the 15 millionth Model T Ford out of their factory, marking the famous automobile’s official last day of production.

More than any other vehicle, the relatively affordable and efficient Model T was responsible for accelerating the automobile’s introduction into American society during the first quarter of the 20th century. Introduced in October 1908, the Model T—also known as the “Tin Lizzie”—weighed some 1,200 pounds, with a 20-horsepower, four-cylinder engine. It got about 13 to 21 miles per gallon of gasoline and could travel up to 45 mph. Initially selling for around $850 (around $20,000 in today’s dollars), the Model T would later sell for as little as $260 (around $6,000 today) for the basic no-extras model.

Google’s daily question asks about mythology: “Ancient myth believed that beneath Mount Etna a mighty giant was buried. Who was believed to have hurled this giant from heaven?”

Good morning.

We’ll have a high of fifty-nine and a one-third chance of showers for Saturday. Sunrise was at 5:23 AM, and sunset will be at 8:21 PM. Moonrise is at 9:08 PM, with a waning gibbous moon having 100% of the its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1977, Star Wars opens:

The incredible success of Star Wars–it received seven Oscars, and earned $461 million in U.S. ticket sales and a gross of close to $800 million worldwide–began with an extensive, coordinated marketing push by Lucas and his studio, 20th Century Fox, months before the movie’s release date. “It wasn’t like a movie opening,” actress Carrie Fisher, who played rebel leader Princess Leia, later told Time magazine. “It was like an earthquake.” Beginning with–in Fisher’s words–“a new order of geeks, enthusiastic young people with sleeping bags,” the anticipation of a revolutionary movie-watching experience spread like wildfire, causing long lines in front of movie theaters across the country and around the world.

The trailer’s a true curiosity, but it’s stilted compared to the film, and misstates the setting of the film’s events, ones that took place “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….”

Google-a-Day asks about a musical: “What musical made its world premiere in October 1986, at 57 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4QL?”

Good morning.

The end of the week, and beginning of our holiday weekend, brings sunny skies and a high of fifty-nine. It’s sunset at 8:20 p.m. and the end of twilight at 8:54 p.m. We’ll have a full moon tonight at 11:26 p.m.

On this day in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was first opened to traffic.

Still beautiful:

Brooklyn Bridge from Danariza on Vimeo.

Google has a musical question for us: “What musical period is best described as an era of contrasts; e.g., between loud and soft, fast and slow?”

Good morning.

We’ll have a Thursday of morning showers and cool temperatures, with a high of fifty-nine, and north winds of 10 to 20 mph.

Whitewater’s Community Development Association meets today at 4:30 PM.

Google’s announced the winner of their Doodle 4 Google contest, and she’s Sarah Brady of Wisconsin, whose creation depicts a reunion during wartime:

We’ll be far better off when American schoolchildren in Wisconsin or elsewhere no longer need to depict a parent’s return from combat as an answer to the theme, ‘My Best Day Ever.’

On 5.23.1934, two killers meet their end:

On this day in 1934, notorious criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are shot to death by Texas and Louisiana state police while driving a stolen car near Sailes, Louisiana….

Texan prison officials hired a retired Texas police officer, Captain Frank Hamer, as a special investigator to track down Parker and Barrow. After a three-month search, Hamer traced the couple to Louisiana, where Henry Methvin’s family lived. Before dawn on May 23, Hamer and a group of Louisiana and Texas lawmen hid in the bushes along a country road outside Sailes. When Parker and Barrow appeared, the officers opened fire, killing the couple instantly in a hail of bullets.

All told, the Barrow Gang was believed responsible for the deaths of 13 people, including nine police officers.

In 1854, a Wisconsin milestone:

1854 – First Railroad Reaches Madison
On this date the Milwaukee and Mississippi railroad reached Madison, connecting the city with Milwaukee. When the cars pulled into the depot, thousands of people gathered to witness the ceremonial arrival of the first train, and an enormous picnic was held on the Capitol grounds for all the passengers who’d made the seven-hour trip from Milwaukee to inaugurate the line. [Source: Waukesha Chronicle, May 24, 1854; Wisconsin State Journal, June 1, 1924]

Google-a-Day asks a science (and crime) question: “What new malware hacked 45,000 Facebook accounts early in January 2012?”

Good morning.

Midweek in Whitewater brings a near certainty of showers, and a high near 65. Rainfall will amount to between a quarter and half of an inch.

Downtown Whitewater meets this morning at 8 AM in the Discover Whitewater Conference Room (150 W. Main Street). Here’s that agenda:

Downtown Whitewater Inc.
Board of Director’s Meeting Wednesday, May 22, 2013, 8:00 am Discover Whitewater, Conference Room 150 W. Main Street, Whitewater, WI 53190
AgendaNEXT STEPS

• DTWW will offer thoughts on downtown first floor housing; ideally May 8

• Dave will draft an opinion on no first floor and circulate with board for approval.  Pete will take survey back to ER.

• Pete will bring farmer’s market idea to ER.

• Tami will forward farmer’s market email to Pete, rest of board.

ACTION ITEMS

• Approval of agenda
• Approval of minutes from April 24, 2012
• DTWW checking accounts (Nate)
• Tax-free status (Dave)

DISCUSSION ITEMS

• President’s report
• Treasurer’s report
• Director’s report
• Update from strategic planning session (Roni)
• Pangea project (Tami)
• BID update (Nate)
• Main Street visit (Tami)
• Open Meetings Act (Dave)

COMMITTEE REPORTS

• Design (Dave)
• Organization (Kristine)
• Promotions (Tami)
• Economic Restructuring (Pete)

FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Next Board meeting: June 26, 2012, 8:00 am, Discover Whitewater, Conference Room

On this day in 1859, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is born. He passed away in 1930 of a heart attack, and the New York Times published an obituary upon his death, seventy-one years later.

On 5.22.1968, the Milwaukee Bucks became the Milwaukee Bucks:

1968 – Milwaukee Bucks Named
On this date “Milwaukee Bucks” was selected as the franchise name after 14,000 fans participated in a team-naming contest. 45 people suggested the name, one of whom, R.D. Trebilcox, won a car for his efforts. [Source: NBA.com]

Google-a-Day asks a question about warfare: “What tactics did Germany use in France, forcing a desperate British withdrawal at Dunkirk?”