- 47th Day of 2012 / 319 Remaining
- 33 Days Until Spring Begins
- Sunrise:6:59
- Sunset:5:50
- 10 Hr 51 Min
- Moon Rise:2:56am
- Moon Set:12:51pm
- Moon’s Phase: 27 %
- The Next Full Moon
- March 8 @ 1:41 am
- Full Worm Moon
- Full Sap Moon
- Full Crust Moon
- Lenten Moon
As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the last full Moon of winter.
- Tides
- High:5:29am/7:53pm
- Low:12:49pm
- Rainfall
- This Year:6.86
- Last Year:13.59
- Normal To Date:15.27
- Annual Average: 22.28
- Holidays
- National Almond Day
- National Do A Grouch A Favor Day
- Independence Day-Lithuania
- On This Day In …
- 1741 --- Benjamin Franklin published America’s second magazine, "The General Magazine and Historical Chronicle".
- 1857 --- The National Deaf Mute College was incorporated in Washington, DC. It was the first school in the world for advanced education of the deaf. The school was later renamed Gallaudet College.
- 1868 --- The Jolly Corks organization in New York City changed its name to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
- 1923 --- In Thebes, Egypt, English archaeologist Howard Carter enters the sealed burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian ruler King Tutankhamen. Because the ancient Egyptians saw their pharaohs as gods, they carefully preserved their bodies after death, burying them in elaborate tombs containing rich treasures to accompany the rulers into the afterlife. In the 19th century, archeologists from all over the world flocked to Egypt, where they uncovered a number of these tombs. Many had long ago been broken into by robbers and stripped of their riches. When Carter arrived in Egypt in 1891, he became convinced there was at least one undiscovered tomb--that of the little known Tutankhamen, or King Tut, who lived around 1400 B.C. and died when he was still a teenager. Backed by a rich Brit, Lord Carnarvon, Carter searched for five years without success. In early 1922, Lord Carnarvon wanted to call off the search, but Carter convinced him to hold on one more year. In November 1922, the wait paid off, when Carter's team found steps hidden in the debris near the entrance of another tomb. The steps led to an ancient sealed doorway bearing the name Tutankhamen. When Carter and Lord Carnarvon entered the tomb's interior chambers on November 26, they were thrilled to find it virtually intact, with its treasures untouched after more than 3,000 years. The men began exploring the four rooms of the tomb, and on February 16, 1923, under the watchful eyes of a number of important officials, Carter opened the door to the last chamber. Inside lay a sarcophagus with three coffins nested inside one another. The last coffin, made of solid gold, contained the mummified body of King Tut. Among the riches found in the tomb--golden shrines, jewelry, statues, a chariot, weapons, clothing--the perfectly preserved mummy was the most valuable, as it was the first one ever to be discovered. Despite rumors that a curse would befall anyone who disturbed the tomb, its treasures were carefully catalogued, removed and included in a famous traveling exhibition called the "Treasures of Tutankhamen." The exhibition's permanent home is the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
- 1937 --- Dr. Wallace Hume Carothers received a patent for Nylon. (Which he discovered in 1935). One of its first uses was to replace the hog bristles that had been used in toothbrushes. Think about it: people used to brush their teeth with pigs hair.
- 1948 --- NBC-TV aired the first nightly newscast, "The Camel Newsreel Theatre," which consisted of Fox Movietone newsreels.
- 1950 --- Arlene Francis, Dorothy Kilgallen, humorist Hal Block, and Louis Untermeyer joined host John Daly as one of the classics of early television debuted on CBS. What’s My Line stayed on the air for 17 years -- the longest-running game show in the history of prime-time network television -- and launched one of TV’s biggest production companies: that of Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. During many years in the television industry, the Goodson-Todman name became famous for such hit game shows as I’ve Got a Secret, Beat the Clock, The Name’s the Same, To Tell the Truth, The Price is Right and The Match Game. What many people don’t know is that Mark Goodson and Bill Todman also produced a dramatic anthology, The Web, which aired on CBS-TV from July 1950 through September 1954 and then on NBC-TV (for four months) in 1957.
- 1959 --- Fidel Castro is sworn in as prime minister of Cuba after leading a guerrilla campaign that forced right-wing dictator Fulgencio Batista into exile. Castro, who became commander in chief of Cuba's armed forces after Batista was ousted on January 1, replaced the more moderate Miro Cardona as head of the country's new provisional government.
- 1968 --- The first 911 emergency telephone system in the U.S. was operational in Haleyville, Alabama.
- 1970 --- Joe Frazier began his reign as the undefeated heavyweight world champion when he knocked out Jimmy Ellis in five rounds. He lost the title on January 22, 1973, when he lost for the first time in his professional career to George Foreman.
- 1980 --- At the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, American speed skater Eric Heiden captured the second of five gold medals, while the U.S. hockey team defeated Norway 5-1.
- 1990 --- The National Museum of Wales displayed the largest dead leatherback turtle ever washed ashore. Nose to tail, it measured 9 feet 5 inches and weighed 2,016 pounds. Most museums won’t exhibit large dead turtles because they can drip oil for 50 years.
- 1993 --- A Norwegian bandit escaped with $5,000 from an Oslo bank, only to be arrested two hours later when he returned and tried to deposit the money in a new account at the same bank. He told police he was afraid of being robbed and wanted to put the money someplace safe.
- Birthdays
- John McEnroe
- Ice T (Tracy Morrow)
- Richard McDonald
- James Ingram
- LeVar Burton
- Elizabeth Olsen
- Kim Jong-il
- Patty Andrews
- Andy Taylor
- Henry Adams
- Edgar Bergen
- Hugh Beaumont
- Sonny Bono
- Pete Postlethwaite
- Margaux Hemingway