In extremely cold Antarctic weather, some of the researchers and staff have come up with an unusual way to pass the time: rushing from an extremely hot sauna to the extremely cold conditions around the South Pole, in extremely light outfits (if any!).
Today in 1660, for the first time a woman took to the stage in England and performed a role in a production of Shakespeare’s Othello. We know she was a trailblazer. We know she was a pioneer. We don’t know who she was.
Today is the assumed birth date in 1817 or 1818 of Frederick Douglass, who is known for his powerful writing and speeches, but was also probably the most photographed person of his time.
Villas Las Estrellas is a tiny community run by Chile on Antarctica's King George Island. And it's so remote that one of the rules is that everyone who lives or works there has to have their appendix out before they show up.
In early 1970 President Richard Nixon introduced new uniforms for the guards at the White House - European-style suits that Americans thought looked better for movie ushers or marching bands.
Frost damage is a growing problem for fruit growers, but a team at Washington State University has developed a cellulose nanocrystal coating that can insulate the buds of grapes and cherries and keep them safe during cold snaps. Plus: a meteorologist who worked in Antarctica just got back the wallet he accidentally left there more than half a century ago.
A farmer in Barre, NY found a massive old safe in his fields, with a note on the side saying whoever could open it could have what was inside. But he decided maybe it would be better not to spoil the surprise. Plus: scientists studying satellite photos of Antarctica were able to spot new colonies of Emperor penguins! From space!
It would be understandable if you felt a little cut off from the rest of the world these days. Hopefully it won't be as challenging as it was for Dr. Leonid Rogozov, who on this day in 1961 had to remove his own appendix while stationed in Antarctica. Plus: today in 1970, Pink Floyd played a concert for public TV in San Francisco. Silence in the studio!
