Today is King Frost Day – which harkens back to the Little Ice Age when temperatures in northern hemisphere, at least, were below normal. This led to freezing in areas such as London, which were not normally so affected by the deep cold of winter. Frost fairs were held that are reminiscent of other modern and ancient festivals held in the depth of winter. These gatherings provided activity and entertainment, yet were probably rooted in other ancient festivals that marked not so much the long nights of winter as at the Solstice, but the hope that the warmth of the sun would not be too long in returning.
Today (February 4th) is King Frost Day, when the people of London used to celebrate the harbinger of the winter freeze by holding frost fairs on the frozen River Thames. Before embankment, when the river was wider and therefore flowed much slower, it would freeze in winter. Between the 15th century and early 19th century – a period known as the Little Ice Age – temperatures were much lower than they are now, and, during the Great Frost of 1683–84 (the worst recorded in England), the Thames was completely frozen for two months, with the ice reaching a thickness of 11 inches. People could easily walk from one side of the river to the other.
The USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear submarine, was launched today in 1954. This occurred in the midst of the Cold War and advances by Soviet scientists into the space race. Nautilus was the first vessel to reach and cross the north pole while submerged – which brought Russia much closer to the reach of this new nuclear Navy.
USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was the world’s first operational nuclear-powered submarine. She was the first vessel to complete a submerged transit to the North Pole on 3 August 1958. Sharing names with the submarine in Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and named after another USS Nautilus (SS-168) that served with distinction in World War II, Nautilus was authorized in 1951 and launched in 1954. Because her nuclear propulsion allowed her to remain submerged far longer than diesel-electric submarines, she broke many records in her first years of operation, and traveled to locations previously beyond the limits of submarines. In operation, she revealed a number of limitations in her design and construction. This information was used to improve subsequent submarines. (Wikipedia)
Sharing the same name is the craft from the Jules Verne novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
And, of course, the tattoos – of the chambered nautilus.
According to fashion historians, the top hat may have descended directly from the sugarloaf hat; otherwise it is difficult to establish provenance for its creation. Gentlemen began to replace the tricorne with the top hat at the end of the 18th century; a painting by Charles Vernet of 1796, Un Incroyable, shows a French dandy (one of the Incroyables et Merveilleuses) with such a hat. The first silk top hat in England is credited to George Dunnage, a hatter from Middlesex, in 1793.[5] The invention of the top hat is often erroneously credited to a haberdasher named John Hetherington.
There is are a lot of other interesting “facts” onWiki.
Also, here is a nod to the 1935 Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers film, Top Hat.
But one of the places we visited while in Virginia was the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air & Space Museum – and, if you have been there, you will know that it is spectacular! The space is immense, but with sky walks, stairs and balconies, it is easy to navigate. There were a lot of people there the day we visited. The logical way the exhibits are laid out – and quality of the light and airiness of the space – contributed to a very pleasant experience.
Here are some more photos – but go there if you can.
Want to know how big the space shuttle is? That is my almost six foot tall person standing there under it.
Since the topic is related to Air & Space, let me mention the 80th birthday of Flash Gordon:
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934. Ref. Wiki.
Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day. Squirrels inhabit every continent on earth, except Australia. National Geographic says that there are over 200 squirrel species and that:
“Like other rodents, squirrels have four front teeth that never stop growing so they don’t wear down from the constant gnawing. Tree squirrels are the types most commonly recognized, often seen gracefully scampering and leaping from branch to branch. Other species are ground squirrels that live in burrow or tunnel systems, where some hibernate during the winter season.”
Squirrels range in size from the 5″ long African Pygmy Squirrel below (aww!) –
To the 36″ long Indian Giant Squirrel at the top of the page (eek!)
Here’s a map of where squirrels live (also from National Geographic:
And here are the tattoos which are surprisingly nice:
Today is Gilbert Stuart’s birthday. He was born in 1755 in Saunderstown, Rhode Island. In those years before paparzzi, he became one of America’s outstanding portraitists. Stuart is probably best known for his unfinished portrait of George Washington (above) that has become iconic, appearing on the dollar bill and elsewhere. It is probably the likeness most of us call to mind when thinking about Washington. The portrait was never finished, but Stuart did make copies of the portrait, selling them for $100 each (no Kinko’s either). Ref – Wikipedia
Stuart became very successful, recording likenesses of the rich and famous of his day, which can now be found in museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Portrait Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and other public and private collections.
I thought it was interesting that Stuart, “an artist accustomed to easily engaging and enlivening his clients with conversation and jokes, [he] was at a loss with Washington: ‘Anapathy seemed to seize him and a vacuity spread over his countenance, most appalling to paint.’ Yet, despite the struggle to capture the President’s elusive character, Stuart succeeded in executing the image that was then and is now considered to be a definitive and insightful likeness.”
Are diamonds a girl’s best friend? Perhaps they are on Saturn and Jupiter according to some researchers who hypothesize that heat, pressure and chemical conditions on these two giant planets may be conducive to the production of diamonds – diamonds that may rain down through the atmosphere.
This research opens up new and interesting ways to look at the composition and mineral wealth of the solar system. As for me, I am working on the development of my Hydrogen Integral Squeezing System (HISS) in order to produce more helium – because the world needs more helium.
Gunsmoke and Knitting 