• The International Space Station often hosts a number of trays attached to the exterior of the spacecraft. Inside the trays are various substances: bacteria, algae, fungi, tardigrades, and so on. They are there to see if they can survive exposure to the harsh conditions and cosmic rays of space. So far, the best survival rate has been found in lichens. • Lichens are a symbiotic relationship between algae and fungus. A German botanist coined the term “symbiosis” in 1877 specifically to describe the partnership involved in lichens. • With lichens, algae provide energy produced through photosynthesis, while the fungus […]
February 2023
Fritz Haber – People Worth Remembering –
– PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING – • Fritz Haber was born to a Jewish family in Germany in 1868. He excelled at chemistry, and wrote two textbooks about it. In 1898, he became a professor of chemistry. Along the way, he converted to Christianity and served in the German army, collecting honors. • Haber discovered how to take nitrogen from the air and put it into soil. Nitrogen is essential for plant growth. The atmosphere is 78% nitrogen, but plants can’t absorb it from the air. The only way to get nitrogen into dirt naturally is through lightning strikes, by growing […]
TIDBITS® Examines Spores
by Janet Spencer Instead of seeds, mushrooms produce spores, which are almost as fine as smoke. Most fungal spores are single cells. Mushrooms also reproduce by sending out their thread-like “roots” called mycelium, but that method is very limited, whereas spores can spread very far, very fast. Come along with Tidbits as we consider spores! THE RAINY SEASON • The spores of mushrooms are made of chitin, which is the hardest naturally-made substance on earth. Chitin also forms the exoskeletons of insects and crustaceans, the beaks of the octopus and squid, and the tongue of mollusks. Researchers speculate that mushroom […]
Round and Round
• The oldest stationary carousel in the world can be found in Hanau, Germany. Completed in 1780, it was built as entertainment for Prince Wilhelm IX, and was originally driven by a horse and mule navigating together under the carousel platform. The platform with its 12 horses and 4 chariots is housed in a columned Greek pavilion atop a hill in a spa garden. Although it stopped operating in the 1930s, it has now been restored and reopened in 2016. • One of the fastest carousels is a 1920 creation located on the shores of Lake Erie near Ohio’s […]
Angelo Siciliano – People Worth Remembering –
– PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING – “Nobody picks on a strong man.” Those are the words of Angelo Siciliano, better known as Charles Atlas. Tidbits invites you to explore the life of this famous bodybuilder. • Angelo was born in Italy in 1892, and immigrated with his family to New York City via Ellis Island at age 11. By age 16, he had dropped out of school and was a leather worker in the City, making women’s purses. • As a small and weak adolescent, Angelo was the perfect target for bullies. He later described himself as a “97-lb. weakling” who […]
TIDBITS® Takes a ride on carousels
by Kathy Wolfe Tidbits is going around and around with these facts on carousels! • Carousels didn’t start out as a source of amusement. During the 12th century, they were a training machine for warriors. In fact, the Spanish and Italian words “garosello” and “carosella” translate “little war.” Cavalry soldiers in combat training would ride on hanging saddles carrying spears, and would attempt to aim the lance through hanging metal rings. The training included games, competitions, and jousting exercises. • The first known carousel ride in the U.S. ran in 1799. Located in Salem, Massachusetts, it was known as […]
Cher Ami
• During World War I, nearly 200 soldiers of New York’s 77th Infantry Division joined with 300 other troops and pushed through the Argonne Forest in France, which was held by the German army. They laid down an assault on the German troops that surrounded them, believing that French forces and American units were following on their flanks. But they broke through the German lines so easily and advanced so rapidly that their back-up battalions could not keep up with them. They became “lost” not in the sense that they did not know where they were, but in the sense […]
Martin Couney – People Worth Remembering –
– PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING – • Martin Couney was born in 1869 in Poland. He was interested in medicine, and studied under France’s expert in saving premature babies, Pierre Budin. Budin promoted the use of the world’s first incubators, and asked Couney to display them at the 1896 World Fair in Berlin. Couney told Budin that they would attract more attention if the incubators contained premature babies. The display, called “Kinderbrutanstalt” meaning “child hatchery” was a hit. Couney earned enough to pay for his passage to the U.S., bringing incubators with him. He was 19 years old. • In America, […]
TIDBITS® Stands in awe of volcanoes
by Janet Spencer At any given moment, about 20 volcanoes are exploding somewhere round the world. Approximately 350 million people live within “danger range” of an active volcano. Come along with Tidbits as we admire volcanoes from afar! VOLCANO FACTS • Yellowstone is actually the crater of an ancient— but still active— volcano. The entire area is rising regularly at the rate of half-inch per year. Yellowstone explodes about once every 600,000 years. The last explosion occurred about 600,000 years ago. When Yellowstone erupted 2 million years ago, it left a hole in the ground larger than Rhode Island. • […]
More Princesses
• The 12 Disney Princesses are divided into three eras. The Golden Era includes the first three, Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, the gentle, kind-hearted princesses. Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan belong to the second era, the Renaissance Era, those intelligent, independent, and self-reliant ones searching for adventure. The Modern Era princesses are Tiana, Rapunzel, Moana, and Merida, those who work hard to achieve their dreams. • Although “The Princess and the Frog” used digital effects, 2010’s “Tangled” was the first completely computer-animated princess movie. Based on the Brothers Grimm story of Rapunzel, who was locked […]