Daily Calendar for Friday, April 19, 2024
Question of the Day
How does one care for a bronze statue that is kept outdoors?
It depends on how long the bronze statue has been outdoors. We consulted an expert on the subject, who advised us that before bronze statues leave the foundry, they are protected by a cedar wax coating that effectively seals the bronze from penetrating oxygen. The coating will last for a few years, but a wash with plain soap and water, followed by an application of wax (there is one specifically made for bronze), is recommended after two to three years and annually thereafter. If the statue has been outdoors for many years and is covered by a grayish-green substance, then there are two methods of cleaning: a form of sand-blasting known as the glass-bead method, or the use of an acid to remove the grayish-green corrosion. However, either method should be carried out by a professional.
Advice of the Day
Prune roses in the spring to encourage growth.
Home Hint of the Day
You can take the rust off tools by wiping them with kerosene and then scrubbing with steel wool. If the rust is heavy, soak them for a while — t’s fine to immerse the handles too.
Word of the Day
Rostrum
The beak or head of a ship. Beaklike projection of the anterior part of the head of certain insects such as e.g. weevils. The long, projecting nose of a beast, as of swine.
Puzzle of the Day
What kind of ears do engines have?
Engineers!
Born
- Roger Sherman (American statesman) –
- Dick Sargent (actor) –
- Jayne Mansfield (actress) –
- Tim Curry (actor) –
- Tony Plana (actor) –
- Ashley Judd (actress) –
- James Franco (actor) –
- Kate Hudson (actress) –
- Hayden Christensen (actor) –
- Maria Sharapova (tennis player) –
- Simu Liu (actor) –
Died
- Charles Darwin (naturalist) –
- Daphne du Maurier (author) –
- Norris McWhirter (co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records, final arbiter on everything from the fastest climb of Mount Everest to the world’s longest hot dog) –
Events
- The American Revolution began with the first shot fired at Lexington (no one knows from which side). The shot heard round the world” (a reference from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem “The Concord Hymn”) occurred at the North Bridge in Concord later that same day. It was the first exchange where colonial militiamen were ordered to fire upon British soldiers.”–
- The Boston Marathon was held for the first time–
- Great fire in Toronto started–
- Canadian runner Tom Longboat won the Boston Marathon in 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 24 seconds–
- Women granted the right to vote in Alberta, Canada–
- Leslie Irvin made the first free-fall parachute jump, Dayton, Ohio–
- John C. Miles won Boston Marathon–
- Oxford English Dictionary completed–
- Surgeon’s Loch Ness monster hoax photo taken–
- Movie Stand Up and Cheer released in U.S., first to seriously launch Shirley Temple’s film career–
- Spring peepers heard in Dublin, NH–
- WIYY DJ Bob Rivers began an on-air vigil until baseball’s Baltimore Orioles won (which was in 258 hours)–
- Oklahoma City bombing–
- Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany was elected pope. He chose the name Pope Benedict XVI. He was the oldest pope elected since 1730–
- The death of the oldest known spider (43-year-old trapdoor species) was announced –
- NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter became the first aircraft to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet (Mars).–
Weather
- Last snow of a late winter raised snow cover to 3 feet in southern New Hampshire–
- In the second day of an early-season heat wave in the Northeast, Providence, Rhode Island, reached 98 degrees F–
- The Boston Marathon was run in 90-degree heat–
- The temperature reached 88 degrees F in Portsmouth, New Hampshire–
- Lead, South Dakota, received 59 inches of snow–