The phrase “Dog Days” refers to the hottest days of summer. The Old Farmer’s Almanac lists the traditional timing of the Dog Days: the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11, coinciding with the heliacal (at sunrise) rising of the Dog Star, Sirius. The rising of Sirius does not actually affect the weather (some of our hottest and most humid days occur after August 11), but for the ancient Egyptians, Sirius appeared just before the season of the Nile’s flooding so they used the star as a “watchdog” for that event. Since its rising also coincided with a time of extreme heat, the connection with hot, sultry weather was made for all time.
Question of the Day
How can I get a scuff mark off my leather recliner?
Try covering it with a one-eighth-inch-thick coating of petroleum jelly. Leave it on overnight or until you see the spot disappear, then wipe it off with paper towels.
Advice of the Day
Dog Days end.
Home Hint of the Day
Here’s a restorative drink to pass around to a work crew on a hot day. Old-timers call it switchel. Mix 1 gallon of water, 2-1/2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of dark molasses, 1/2 cup white or cider vinegar, and 2 teaspoons of ground ginger.
Word of the Day
Psychrometer
An instrument used for measuring the water vapor content of the air.
Puzzle of the Day
The Diamond State.(Name the U.S. state!)
Delaware
Born
Gifford Pinchot(conservationist)–
Jerry Falwell(evangelist)–
Hulk Hogan(wrestler)–
Joe Jackson(musician)–
Viola Davis(actress)–
Alyson Stoner(actress)–
Died
Edith Wharton(author)–
Jackson Pollock(artist)–
Herb Brooks(coached the U.S. hockey team to the Miracle on Ice” victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympics”)–
Eunice Kennedy Shriver(founder of the Special Olympics)–
Robin Williams(actor)–
Events
Mars moon Deimos discovered–
The first prisoners arrived at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary–
The first baseball game televised in color was between the Boston Braves and the Brooklyn Dodgers, broadcasted from Ebbets Field. The Dodgers won 8-1–
Weather
A major hurricane brought Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, the worst inland flooding since 1607–
The temperature in Burlington, Vermont, reached 101 degrees F–
