(Ahem) The Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus is the largest living land predator and the largest living bear species. It is a hypercarnivore, which means that 70% or more of its diet is meat. It has white fur. It Lives above the arctic circle and is considered to be a marine mammal, like the sea otter, because it is dependent upon sea ice for its survival. Because of the impact of global warming upon the sea ice, it is considered to be a vulnerable species. It has many names in many languages, including nanuq, pronounced nanook, and, ya got to be kidding me, Oshkúj, which comes from the Komi oski, "bear"; go Bears.
It is the twenty-seventh. Twenty-seven is cool because it is a perfect cube, 33. It is also self-locating in pi. Counting up from zero, the 27th and 28th digits after the decimal are 2 and 7, respectively. The US Interstate Highway System includes an interstate highway numbered I-27, which runs from Lubbock to Amarillo. Seemingly somebody was unclear as to the meaning of "interstate", but, whatever.
On this day in history:
0380 -- Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors told all Roman citizens to convert to trinitarian Christianity. 1782 -- The British House of Commons voted against further war in America. 1812 -- Manuel Belgrano raised the Flag of independent Argentina in the city of Rosario. 1844 -- The Dominican Republic won its independence from Haiti 1900 -- The British Labour Party was founded. 1922 -- The Supremes ruled in favor of the 19th Amendment in Leser v. Garnett. 1933 -- Reichstag fire 1939 -- The Supremes outlawed sit-down strikes in NLRB v. Fansteel Metallurgical Corp 1940 -- Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discovered carbon-14 1951 -- The 22nd Amendment was ratified 1963 -- Juan Bosch, became the first elected post-Trujillo president of the Dominican Republic 1973 – The American Indian Movement occupied Wounded Knee 2007 – The Shanghai Stock Exchange fell 9% on fears that the government would crack down on illegal activities, triggering a global drop in markets, heh.
Some people who were born on this day:
The Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to bare the secrets of government and inform the people.
~~ Hugo Black
0272 -- Constantine the Great, superstitious Roman ruler. 1659 – William Sherard, botanist 1689 -- Pietro Gnocchi, composer, and polymath 1799 – Frederick Catherwood, artist, architect and explorer 1807 -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet and educator 1859 -- Bertha Pappenheim, activist and author 1869 -- Alice Hamilton, physician, toxicologist and academic 1877 – Joseph Grinnell, zoologist and biologist * 1881 – L. E. J. Brouwer, mathematician, philosopher, and academic 1886 -- Hugo Black, jurist 1897 -- Marian Anderson, singer 1899 -- Charles Herbert Best, co-discoverer of Insulin 1902 -- John Steinbeck, journalist and author, 1904 -- James T. Farrell, author and poet 1907 -- Mildred Bailey, singer, the Queen of Swing 1914 -- Winifred Atwell, pianist 1923 -- Dexter Gordon, saxophonist, composer, and actor 1925 – Pia Sebastiani, pianist and composer 1934 -- Ralph Nader, lawyer, politician, and activist, 1936 – Sonia Johnson, feminist activist and author 1938 -- Jake Thackray, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and journalist 1942 -- Jimmy Burns, singer, songwriter and guitarist 1951 – Steve Harley, singer, songwriter, and guitarist 1954 – Neal Schon, rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter 1955 -- Peter Christopherson, keyboard player, songwriter, and director; throbbing Gristle 1957 -- Adrian Smith, guitarist and songwriter; Iron Maiden 1959 -- Johnny Van Zant, singer & songwriter 1971 -- Rozonda Thomas, singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress; TLC 1980 -- Chelsea Clinton, famous offspring 1981 -- Josh Groban, singer, songwriter, producer, and actor * The Cal falcon Grinnell was named after Joseph Grinnell
Some people who died on this day:
All political parties die at last of swallowing their own lies.
~~ John Arbuthnot
1706 -- John Evelyn, author & diarist 1720 -- Samuel Parris, minister, Salem witch hunter & prosecutor, slave owner & general rat bastard 1735 -- John Arbuthnot, physician, mathemetician, satirist and polymath 1887 -- Alexander Borodin, composer and chemist 1936 -- Ivan Pavlov, physiologist, physician, & bell ringer 1937 – Hosteen Klah, artist, medicine man, and weaver 1968 -- Frankie Lymon, singer & songwriter 1977 -- John Dickson Carr, author and playwright 1985 -- Ray Ellington, singer, band-leader, and drummer 1989 – Konrad Lorenz, zoologist, ethologist, and ornithologist 1992 -- S. I. Hayakawa, semanticist, linguist, university president and politician. 1999 – Horace Tapscott, pianist and composer 2002 – Spike Milligan, soldier, musician, actor, comedian, and author 2008 -- William F. Buckley, Jr., author and journalist, founded the National Review 2012 – Tina Strobos, resistance member, physician and psychiatrist 2013 -- Van Cliburn, pianist 2015 -- Leonard Nimoy, token vulcan actor
Some Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such: International Polar Bear Day National Strawberry Day Anosmia Awareness Day
Today's Tunes
Pietro Gnocchi
Marian Anderson
Mildred Bailey
Winifred Atwell
Dexter Gordon
Jake Thackray
Jimmy Burns
Peter Christopherson
Adrian Smith
Johnny Van Zant
Rozonda Thomas
Josh Groban
Alexander Borodin
Frankie Lymon
Ray Ellington
Van Cliburn
Bonus: Night in Tunisia, because
Ok, it's an open thread, so it's up to you folks now. So what's on your mind?
Cross posted from http://caucus99percent.com open Thread, 27, Polar Bears, Manuel Belgrano, Longfellow, Bertha Pappenheim, Alice Hamilton, Hugo Black Marian Anderson, Mildred Bailey, Winifred Atwell, Dxter Gordon, Borodin, Van Cliburn, Throbbing Gristle, Frankie Lymon