February 23, 2016

Flag Raised at Iwo Jima

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

The 54 day of the year

312 days left to go 

THIS WEEK IS

• National Entrepreneurship Week
• Bird Health Awareness Week
• Brotherhood / Sisterhood Week
• National Date (fruit) Week
• National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
• National Engineers Week
• National FFA Week
• National Invasive Species Awareness Week
• National Pancake Week
• Through With The Chew

TODAY IS
Curling is Cool Day (Link)
National Banana Bread Day (recipe)
Iwo Jima Day (read more)
Diesel Engine Day
National Dog Biscuit Day 
Spay Day USA 
Single Tasking Day

ON THIS DATE...
1455: Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type (see history spotlight)

1848: John Quincy Adams, the 6th president of the United States, died at the age of 80 (Read more)   

1886: Charles Martin Hall invented aluminum (read more). 

1896: the Tootsie Roll was introduced by Leo Hirschfield (Link)


1905: the Rotary Club was founded in Chicago, Illinois, by attorney Paul Harris. 
1927: the Federal Radio Commission began its work.  The name was later changed to the Federal Communications Commission. 
1939: Walt Disney won an Academy Award for "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."  He received one Oscar statue and seven miniature versions. 
1945: United States Marines from the Fifth Marine Division raised the American flag atop Mount Surabachi on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. 

1965: comedian Stan Laurel died at the age of 74.  He was half of the famous comedy team Laurel and Hardy. (Video clip of Laurel and Hardy)


1980: Queen topped the pop singles chart with "Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Song)" 

1983: the rock group Toto won six Grammy Awards, tying the record for most awards in a single year. 


1985: Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight was ejected from a game against Purdue after throwing a chair onto the court. 
1985: "Gimme A Break" became the first television sitcom since the 1950s to be broadcast live before a studio audience. 
1991: President Bush announced that a ground offensive against Iraqi forces had begun.  

1997: scientists in Scotland announced the successful cloning of an adult mammal.  They produced a lamb named "Dolly." 


2000: Carlos Santana won eight Grammy awards, including Album Of The Year for his comeback album "Supernatural."  Santana's eight Grammys tied the record set by Michael Jackson 1983 for the most Grammys in a single night.  

2014: The 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia came to an end with fireworks and spectacle at the Closing Ceremony.  After more than two weeks of competition, the host nation finished on top of the standings with 33 total medals.  The U.S. was second with 28.  The Winter Games in Russia were the most expensive in history with a final price tag of more than 51-billion-dollars.  


HISTORY SPOTLIGHT

Gutenberg Bible Published on this day in 1455(Source)

The Gutenberg Bible was one of the first books created on a printing press with moveable metal type. (China and Korea had been using the technology for more than a hundred years.) Moveable type consists of blocks of individual letters and symbols that can quickly be arranged and re-arranged to create different words and phrases. The type is then coated with ink and pressed into paper or vellum, an expensive parchment made of animal skin. 

The Gutenberg Bible is named after its creator, Johannes Gutenberg. Gutenberg himself invented the wooden printing press, metal types, and oil-based ink used in the new printing process. Historians think Gutenberg printed about 160-180 Bibles in 1455. Today, 48 Gutenberg Bibles survive in whole or in part.

Before publication of the Gutenberg Bible, all Western manuscripts had to be hand-copied, which could take years and cost the wages of an entire lifetime. Books were rare and limited to very wealthy individuals, churches or monasteries, or universities. Although Gutenberg Bibles were still relatively rare and expensive, the technology set off the so-called “Gutenberg Revolution,” which made books and knowledge available to almost all literate people.




QUICK TRIVIA 

You can make your own dog treats! There are many benefits. You can control what goes into the recipe and make sure your pet is getting a nutritious and wholesome snack. You can also tailor your dog treat recipes to your dog’s taste preferences as well as cater to any dietary restrictions.  (find out more)




WORD OF THE DAY 

aestheticism [es-thet-uh-siz-uh m]  noun

1. the acceptance of artistic beauty and taste as a fundamental standard

2. an exaggerated devotion to art, music, or poetry, with indifference to practical matters.

"Jimmy, overcome by art, studied his bacon sandwich admiring his bent toward aestheticism"



WORD FROM THE WORD 

And he sought to see Jesus who He was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.--Luke 19:3

Read today's "Our Daily Bread" 

February 22, 2016

Cook a Sweet Potato Day 

Monday, February 22, 2016

The 53 day of the year
312 days left to go

THIS WEEK IS 

• National Entrepreneurship Week
• Bird Health Awareness Week
• Brotherhood / Sisterhood Week
• National Date (fruit) Week
• National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
• National Engineers Week
• National FFA Week
• National Invasive Species Awareness Week
• National Pancake Week
• Through With The Chew

TODAY IS

• 87th Academy Awards Ceremony
• Museum Advocacy Day
• National Margarita Day
• Woolworth's Day
• World Thinking Day
• George Washington's Birthday
• Tex Avery Day
• National Cook a Sweet Potato Day

ON THIS DATE...
1349: Jews are expelled from Zurich Switzerland
1630:  Native Americans introduce popcorn to English colonists (See quick trivia) 

1732: George Washington is born (read more). 


1777: Archibald Bulloch dies under mysterious circumstances (read more)
1879: Frank W. Woolworth opened his first 5 and 10-cent store in Utica, New York. 
1919: The first dog race track to use an imitation rabbit opened in Emeryville, CA.

1923: The first chinchilla farm opened. It was in Los Angeles, CA. (read more)

1935: Airplanes are no longer permitted to fly over the White House (Read more) 

1942: President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders Gen. Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines. 
1958: Roy Hamilton’s record, Don’t Let Go, became #13 in its first week on the record charts. The song was the first stereo record to make the pop music charts. 

1959:  Lee Petty wins first Daytona 500 (Read more)


1969: Barbara Jo Rubin became the first woman to win a U.S. thoroughbred horse race. She was riding Cohesian at Charlestown Race Course in West Virginia.

1975: Drew Barrymore is born (bio).

1980: In Lake Placid, New York, the United States hockey team defeats the Soviet Union hockey team 4-3. (See History Spotlight). 
1992: Kristi Yamaguchi of the United States won the gold medal in women’s figure skating at the Albertville Olympics (watch). 



HISTORY SPOTLIGHT 

Miracle on Ice (Source) 

On February 22, 1980, the American ice hockey team played the “Miracle on Ice”—it defeated the Soviet Union at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. The hockey game was a complete upset, and put the U.S. in position to win the gold medal against Finland two days later.

The Soviet team was so heavily favored that the game was not shown live on American television. The Soviets had won the gold medal at every Winter Olympic competition since 1964, and lost just three world championships in that time. 

Cold War tensions contributed to the emotions surrounding the game. President Jimmy Carter was considering withdrawing the American team from the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union, to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan months earlier. (The U.S. did not participate in the Summer Olympics that year.)


The “Miracle on Ice” was named the international “story of the century” by the International Ice Hockey Federation in 2008, and Sports Illustrated’s “sports moment of the century” in 1999.

(Miracle Speech by Kurt Russell)

QUICK TRIVIA 

Popcorn Facts (Source)

• Americans consume some 16 billion quarts of this whole grain, good-for-you treat. That’s 51 quarts per man, woman, and child.
• Popcorn is a type of maize (or corn), a member of the grass family, and is scientifically known as Zea mays everta.
• Of the 6 types of maize/corn—pod, sweet, flour, dent, flint, and popcorn—only popcorn pops.
• Popcorn needs between 13.5-14% moisture to pop.
• Most U.S. popcorn is grown in the Midwest, primarily in Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky and Missouri.
• Most popcorn comes in two basic shapes when it's popped: snowflake and mushroom. Snowflake is used in movie theaters and ballparks because it looks and pops bigger. Mushroom is used for candy confections because it doesn't crumble.
• Popping popcorn is one of the number one uses for microwave ovens. Most microwave ovens have a "popcorn" control button.
• The world’s largest popcorn ball was created by volunteers in Sac City, Iowa in February, 2009.  It weighed 5,000 lbs., stood over 8 ft. tall, and measured 28.8 ft. in circumference.

WORD OF THE DAY

Fractious  [frak-shuhs]  –adjective 

refractory or unruly; readily angered; peevish; irritable; quarrelsome


"The ladies loved to have Mr. Green's grandson, Brutus in the nursery, but they all had to admit he was a little fractious"

WORD FROM THE WORD

Be still, and know that I am God--Psalm 46:10

Read "Our Daily Bread

February 21, 2016

Sunday, February 21, 2014

The 52 day of the year

313 days left to go 

THIS WEEK IS

• Bird Health Awareness Week
• National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
• National Secondhand Wardrobe Week
• Peace Corps Week

TODAY IS

• International Mother Language Day
• National Sticky Bun Day

ON THIS DATE...
1795: Freedom of worship was established in France.
1804: British engineer Richard Trevithick demonstrated the first steam engine to run on rails.
1838:  Samuel F.P. Morse gave the first public demonstration of his telegraph.
1842: the sewing machine was patented by John Greenough of Washington, D.C.. 
1866: Lucy B. Hobbs became the first woman to graduate from a dental school, the Ohio College of Dental Surgery in Cincinnati.
1878: the first telephone directories were distributed to residents in New Haven, Connecticut. 
1885: the Washington Monument was dedicated. 
1916: the World War One Battle of Verdun began in France.  
1925: the first issue of "New Yorker" magazine was published. 
1931: Alka Seltzer was first introduced to consumers.  
1947: Edwin Land demonstrated his new camera which could take and develop a picture in about a minute.  It became known as the Polaroid Land Camera. 
1965: civil rights leader Malcolm X was shot to death while addressing a crowd at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City.  He was 39.    
1972: President Nixon began his historic visit to China.  
1979: two Iowa girls high school basketball teams played four scoreless quarters and three scoreless overtime periods before the game was eventually won four-to-two in the fourth overtime.  
1980: U.S. speedskater Eric Heiden became the first Olympic athlete to win five individual gold medals. 
1981: country singer Dolly Parton hit the top of the pop charts with "Nine to Five."  
1981: REO Speedwagon’s Hi Infidelity was the #1 U.S. album. Hi-Infidelity spent a total of fifteen weeks at number one. The tracks: Don’t Let Him Go, Keep on Loving You, Follow My Heart, In Your Letter, Take It on the Run, Tough Guys, Out of Season, Shakin’ It Loose, Someone Tonight, I Wish You Were There.
1988: televangelist Jimmy Swaggart confessed to his congregation that he had an improper relationship with a prostitute.  
1990: Milli Vanilli won a Grammy award for Best New Artist.  The duo was later forced to return the award after it was revealed that they did not actually sing on the album.  
1992: Kristi Yamaguchi of the U.S. captured the women's figure skating gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. 
1997: "The Empire Strikes Back: Special Edition" was re-released in theaters.  
1997: The Spice Girls topped the "Billboard" pop singles chart with "Wannabe."  They earned the honor of becoming the first British act since The Beatles 1964 to hit the number one spot with a debut single. 
2000: consumer advocate Ralph Nader entered the presidential race on the Green Party ticket.  
2000: David Letterman returned to the late night airwaves for the first time since undergoing quintuple bypass surgery five weeks earlier.  
2003: a deadly oil refinery explosion on Staten Island, New York shook homes and sent smoke and flames shooting hundreds of miles into the air.  The explosion took place at the Exxon Mobil storage complex.  At least two people were killed.  
2004: in one of his first major challenges since being elected Governor of California, Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the state's attorney general to immediately stop the issuance of marriage licenses to San Francisco gay couples, calling the action an "imminent risk to civil disorder."  
2007: after 80 years representing the school, the University of Illinois' controversial mascot, Chief Illiniwek, danced his last dance.  School officials pulled the mascot under pressure from Native American groups and the NCAA who said "Indian" mascots and team names were derogatory and demeaning to Native Americans.
2009: Mike Myers walked away with the big raspberries at the 2008 Razzie Awards in Los Angeles.  Myers was named worst actor and his film "The Love Guru" was selected as 2008's worst film.  One of the year's major films also brought home a Razzie.  The worst "prequel, remake, rip-off or sequel" award went to the Harrison Ford starrer, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.'' 
2011: more than 60 people were killed when a powerful magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck the city of Christchurch, New Zealand.  The quake struck just five months after a 7.1 magnitude quake hit Christchurch. 


HISTORY SPOTLIGHT

The Washington Monument (Taken from Link) 

The Washington Monument, built in honor of America's revolutionary hero and first president, was dedicated on this day in 1885. 

The 555-foot-high marble obelisk was first proposed in 1783, and Pierre L'Enfant left room for it in his designs for the new U.S. capital. After George Washington's death in 1799, plans for a memorial for the "father of the country" were discussed, but none were adopted until 1832--the centennial of Washington's birth. Architect Robert Mills' hollow Egyptian obelisk design was accepted for the monument, and on July 4, 1848, the cornerstone was laid. Work on the project was interrupted by political quarreling in the 1850s, and construction ceased entirely during the American Civil War. Finally, in 1876, Congress, inspired by the American centennial, passed legislation appropriating $200,000 for completion of the monument.

In February 1885, the Washington Monument was formally dedicated, and three years later it was opened to the public, who were permitted to climb to the top of the monument by stairs or elevator. The monument was the tallest structure in the world when completed and remains today, by District of Columbia law, the tallest building in the nation's capital.


QUICK TRIVIA 
Sticky buns were a Philadelphia specialty in the 19th century. They are a yeast cinnamon roll with currants, topped with brown sugar and butter. (Link)


WORD OF THE DAY 

discern  [dih-surn, -zurn]  

verb (used with object)

1. to perceive by the sight or some other sense or by the intellect; see, recognize, or apprehend: 

2. to distinguish mentally; recognize as distinct or different; discriminate: 


"Jeannie was asked by her mom to pick out a few good bananas, but as her skill in fruit-picking was somewhat limited, she was not able to discern a good one from a bad one."



WORD FROM THE WORD 

And He goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto Him whom He would: and they came unto Him. —Mark 3:13

Read today's "Our Daily Bread" 

February 20, 2016

National Cherry Pie Day

Saturday, February 20, 2015

The 51 day of the year

314 days left to go 

THIS WEEK IS

• National Nestbox Week
• NCCDP Alzheimer's & Dementia Staff Education Week
• Brotherhood / Sisterhood Week
• Build A Better Trade Show Image Week
• Through With The Chew
• National Date (fruit) Week
• National Pancake Week
• National Justice for Animals Week

TODAY IS

• Love Your Pet Day 
• Northern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day
• World Day for Social Justice
• National Cherry Pie Day (Link)

ON THIS DATE...
1792: President George Washington signed the Postal Service Act.
1809: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the power of the federal government is greater than that of any individual state.
1811: Austria declared itself bankrupt.

1872: The Metropolitan Museum of Art opened in New York City. 

1895: abolitionist and educator Frederick Douglass died on this date in Washington, D.C.. 

1944: the "Batman and Robin" comic strip appeared in newspapers for the first time. (Link)




1952: Emmett L. Ashford, became the first black umpire in organized baseball on this date.  Ashford was authorized to be a substitute in the Southwestern International League. 

1962: astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth (Read more).


1974: Cher filed for separation from her husband Sonny Bono. 
1974: hockey legend Gordie Howe came out of retirement and signed a contract to play for the Houston Aeros.  This gave Howe an opportunity to play professional hockey with his sons, Mark and Marty.

1987: David Hartman left his position at "Good Morning America" after eleven years.  Charles Gibson took over as co-host. 

1991: Quincy Jones' album "Back On The Block" was named Album Of The Year at the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards.  
1992: actor Dick York, who played the first Darrin Stephens, in the 1960s TV series "Bewitched," died on this date at the age of 63. 
1996: rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg and his former bodyguard were acquitted of the 1993 murder of an alleged gang member.  

1998: 15-year-old Tara Lipinski became the youngest gold medalist in the history of the Winter Olympics when she captured the top prize in women's figure skating in Nagano, Japan (Bio)

1999: famed movie critic Gene Siskel of Siskel & Ebert fame, died at the age of 53.   
2003: actor David Hasselhoff and his wife Pamela suffered multiple injuries in a motorcycle accident in Los Angeles.   
2003: at least 96 people were killed after the West Warwick, Rhode Island nightclub the Station, burst into flames after a pyrotechnics stunt orchestrated by the heavy metal band Great White went awry.

2009: late night talk show host Conan O'Brien hosted his final "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" show on NBC.  Guests included Conan's former sidekick Andy Richter and musical guests the White Stripes.  Conan would move on to replace Jay Leno as host of NBC's "The Tonight Show."  Former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Jimmy Fallon replaced Conan in the "Late Night" hosting position. 

2011: at age 20: rookie racecar driver Trevor Bayne became the youngest winner of the 53-year history of the Daytona 500 and just the second youngest driver to win a Sprint Cup race.  Carl Edwards finished second after Bayne held off his last minute charge (Link). 



HISTORY SPOTLIGHT

The Postal Act of 1792 (Source)

The Postal Act of February 20, 1792 allowed newspapers to be mailed at low rates to promote the spread of information across the states. To ensure the sanctity and privacy of the mails, postal officials were forbidden to open any letters in their charge unless they were undeliverable. 



QUICK TRIVIA 

Swan Lake Ballet Premieres (Source)

On February 20, 1877, the ballet Swan Lake, with music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, made its debut at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Russia. Today, Swan Lake is a standard in both classical music and ballet repertoires. In particular, the leading ballerina’s dual characters of the “White Swan” and “Black Swan” is one of the most demanding roles in dance.




WORD OF THE DAY 

nyctophobia (nik-tuh-foh-bee-uh)

— noun

an abnormal dread of night or darkness

"At seven years of age, Bryan was fearless; however, after his brother told him a scary story, he he did suffer from a short stent of nyctophobia"




WORD FROM THE WORD 

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. —Hebrews 12:1


Read today's "Our Daily Bread" 

February 19, 2016

Iwo Jima Day

Friday, February 19, 2016

The 50 day of the year

316 days left to go 

THIS WEEK IS

• Random Acts of Kindness Week
• International Flirting Weeks Day
• Love a Mensch Week
• National Nestbox Week
• NCCDP Alzheimer's and Dementia Staff Education Week

TODAY IS

• Iwo Jima Day (Landing) 
• National Chocolate Mint Day
• National Lashes Day 
• Women in Blue Jeans Days
• National Caregivers Day 
• Great American Spit Out (Link) 

ON THIS DATE...

1473: Nicolaus Copernicus, the "father of modern astronomy", is born in Torun, a city in north-central Poland. 


1777: The Continental Congress voted to promote Thomas Mifflin; Arthur St. Clair; William Alexander, Lord Stirling; Adam Stephen; and Benjamin Lincoln to the rank of major general. Although the promotions were intended in part to balance the number of generals from each state, Brigadier General Benedict Arnold felt slighted that five junior officers received promotions ahead of him and, in response, threatened to resign from the Patriot army.

1807: Aaron Burr, former US vice president, was arrested in Alabama on charges of plotting to annex Spanish territory in Louisiana and Mexico to be used toward the establishment of an independent republic. He was acquitted on the grounds that, although he had conspired against the United States, he was not guilty of treason because he had not engaged in an "overt act," a requirement of treason as specified by the Constitution of the United States of America (bio)

1878: Thomas Edison received a patent for his phonograph. 
1881: Kansas became the first state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages. 

1906: William Kellogg established the Battle Creek Toasted Cornflake Company, selling breakfast cereals. The cereals were originally developed as a health food for psychiatric patients (Read more).

1913: the first "prize" was inserted into a Cracker Jack box (History). 



1935: Lou Gehrig signed a one-year contract with the Yankees for $30 thousand. 

1972: on a memorable episode of "All in the Family," Archie Bunker got a kiss from Sammy Davis, Jr.  (See Video) 


1981: the U.S. Post Office announced it would raise the price of a first class postage stamp from 15 to 18 cents. 

1981: George Harrison was ordered to pay ABKCO Music the sum of $587,000 for “subconscious plagiarism” between his song, My Sweet Lord and the Chiffons early 1960s hit, He’s So Fine. Of all the riffs, chords, melodies, octaves and notes out there, George had to go and pick those in particular.
1982: Ozzy Osbourne was arrested for urinating on The Alamo.

1985: the Coca-Cola Company introduced Cherry Coke. 


1985: William Schroeder became the first artificial-heart patient to leave the confines of the hospital. 
1985: Mickey Mouse was welcomed to China as part of the 30th anniversary of Disneyland. The touring mouse played 30 cities in 30 days. 

1987: a controversial anti-smoking TV ad aired for the first time.  It featured actor Yul Brynner in a public service announcement that was recorded shortly before his October 1985 death from lung cancer.  Brynner warned viewers of the danger of cigarettes from "beyond the grave." (Video)

1993: Miss Michigan, 22-year-old Kenya Moore, was named the new Miss USA.  She was the second black woman to win that title in the pageant's 42-year history. 

1994: comedian Martin Lawrence hosted "Saturday Night Live" -- but deviated from his planned monologue, and instead launched into a segment on Lorena Bobbitt, women and hygiene.  The performance not only got him uninvited from a "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" appearance the following month, but unofficially banned from all shows on NBC.  The offending episode of "SNL" has since been shown on Comedy Central, with an abbreviated monologue and a card inserted to explain that Lawrence's monologue had to be edited. 

1994: American speedskater Bonnie Blair won the fourth Olympic gold medal of her career as she won the 500-meter race in Lillehammer, Norway (Read more)


1998: at the Nagano Olympics, Austrian Hermann Maier won the men's giant slalom while Hilde Gerg of Germany won the women's slalom. 
1999: "NYPD Blue" star Dennis Franz received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  
2006: Jimmie Johnson won the 2006 Daytona 500 auto race.  Johnson crossed the finish line ahead of Casey Mears to win the 48th running of the "Super Bowl of NASCAR."  The win marked the 19th of Johnson's Nextel Cup career. 

2010: golf star Tiger Woods issued a public apology over reports of his extramarital affairs.  

2011: during the 60th NBA All-Star Game Weekend in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Clippers rookie Blake Griffin was voted the Slam Dunk Contest champion after leaping over the hood of a car to complete his final slam.  



HISTORY SPOTLIGHT

Marines Invade Iwo Jima (Source) 

On this day, Operation Detachment, the U.S. Marines' invasion of Iwo Jima, is launched. Iwo Jima was a barren Pacific island guarded by Japanese artillery, but to American military minds, it was prime real estate on which to build airfields to launch bombing raids against Japan, only 660 miles away.
The Americans began applying pressure to the Japanese defense of the island in February 1944, when B-24 and B-25 bombers raided the island for 74 days. It was the longest pre-invasion bombardment of the war, necessary because of the extent to which the Japanese--21,000 strong--fortified the island, above and below ground, including a network of caves. Underwater demolition teams ("frogmen") were dispatched by the Americans just before the actual invasion. When the Japanese fired on the frogmen, they gave away many of their "secret" gun positions.
The amphibious landings of Marines began the morning of February 19 as the secretary of the navy, James Forrestal, accompanied by journalists, surveyed the scene from a command ship offshore. As the Marines made their way onto the island, seven Japanese battalions opened fire on them. By evening, more than 550 Marines were dead and more than 1,800 were wounded. The capture of Mount Suribachi, the highest point of the island and bastion of the Japanese defense, took four more days and many more casualties. When the American flag was finally raised on Iwo Jima, the memorable image was captured in a famous photograph that later won the Pulitzer Prize.



QUICK TRIVIA 

According to a 2014 survey conducted by the National Science Foundation, 74 percent of participants knew that the Earth revolved around the sun (the rest believed the sun revolved around the earth).  (Source) 




WORD OF THE DAY 

tautological \taw-TOL-uh-guh-kuhl\, adjective:

unnecessarily or uselessly repetitive

"The "song that never ends song" can be classified as tautological"






WORD FROM THE WORD 

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.--Habakkuk 3:17-18