Daily Calendar for Thursday, September 26, 2024

John Chapman ( Johnny Appleseed) was born in Massachusetts on September 26, 1774. He was a legendary American pioneer and folk hero who planted apple trees across the American Frontier. 

Chapman earned his nickname because he planted small orchards and individual apple trees during his travels as he walked across 100,000 square miles of Midwestern wilderness and prairie. He was a genuine and dedicated professional nurseryman known for his generous nature, his love of the wilderness, his devotion to the Bible, his knowledge of medicinal herbs, his harmony with the Indians, and his eccentric nature, too. His efforts resulted in settlers’ planting their own orchards.

John Chapman died in 1845 near his nursery in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Every September, when apples are ripe, Fort Wayne hosts an annual festival to commemorate the life of Johnny Appleseed.

Next time you bite into an apple, think of Johnny Appleseed. Learn more about Johnny Appleseed and Johnny Appleseed Day!

Question of the Day

What would happen if Earth’s rotation started to slow down?
Earth is already slowing down and has been doing so for billions of years. At the present time, our planet is slowing down by about .002 second per century. The slowing occurs mainly because of friction between solid earth and ocean tides. Earth’s loss of rotational energy is transferred to the Moon, which goes into a wider orbit, thus lengthening the time between successive full Moons.

Advice of the Day

Counsel is no command.

Home Hint of the Day

To clean discolored glass, soak it in vinegar with the contents of a tea bag, then wash and rinse.

Word of the Day

Three Chilly Saints
Mamertus, Pancras, and Gervais were three early Christian saints. Because their feast days, on May 11, 12, and 13, respectively, are traditionally cold, they have come to be known as the Three Chilly Saints. An old French saying goes: “St. Mamertus, St. Pancras, and St. Gervais do not pass without a frost.”

Puzzle of the Day

Formed long ago, yet made today; And most employed when others sleep; What few would like to give away; And fewer still to keep. (What is being described?)

Bed

Born

  • Johnny Appleseed Chapman (farmer, folk legend)
  • Sir Louis-Olivier Taillon (8th premier of Quebec)
  • Ivan Pavlov (physiologist)
  • Arthur B. Davies (artist)
  • T.S. Eliot (poet)
  • George Gershwin (composer)
  • Jack LaLanne (fitness guru)
  • Olivia Newton-John (singer)
  • Melissa Sue Anderson (actress)
  • Serena Williams (tennis player)

Died

  • Daniel Boone (frontiersman)
  • Bessie Smith (singer)
  • Robert Palmer (singer)
  • Paul Newman (actor & businessman)

Events

  • Parthenon partially destroyed by Venetians, Athens, Greece
  • On the steps of the Salem, New Jersey courthouse, Colonel Robert Johnson bit into a tomato in order to prove wrong the long-lasting theory that tomatoes were poisonous
  • The Shriners, a fraternal and charitable organization, opened its first temple
  • Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy confronted each other in the first televised presidential debate
  • The Beverly Hillbillies debuted on television
  • N.Y. Giant Ali Haji-Sheikh kicked a 56-yard field goal
  • Australia won the America’s Cup. It was the first time in 132 years that the U.S. did not win
  • Prairie View A&M University football team snapped 80-game losing streak
  • 42.1-inch-long cucumber set world record

Weather

  • The temperature in San Diego, California, reached 111 degrees F
  • The temperature in Los Angeles, California, reached 109 degrees F
  • Death Valley, California, had an afternoon temperature of 104 degrees F