Cool Fact of the Day
Undersea Fishing
What deep-sea predator fishes with a line and lure?
Hovering weightlessly in the deep ocean are colonial jellyfishes called siphonophores. Some of
these creatures catch their prey with a line and a lure, reeling it in once it is caught.
The bait is a tasty-looking, wiggly bit of flesh that dangles at the end of a long, very thin tentacle,
bobbing up and down in the water. But the morsel's appearance is deceptive. When a hungry
fish or squid takes the bait, it gets a mouthful of poisonous stingers. The siphonophore draws in
its long tentacle, and the prey, killed by the poison, is consumed.
Siphonophores are among the ocean's most deadly predators. Some dangle as many as 85
twitching baits at once. Others are important consumers of krill, the tiny shrimp-like creatures
that also feed blue whales and salmon. Some kinds can grow up to 130 feet (40 meters) long,
making them the world's longest animals, although they are no wider than a broomstick.
Siphonophores live in the depths of California's Monterey Bay:
mbayaq.org
fp.redshift.com
A live siphonophore was collected in 1994:
bonita.mbnms.nos.noaa.gov
news_94_summer/news94_summerpg5.html
It's hard to catch one without tearing it apart:
features.learningkingdom.com
Cool Word of the Day
exigent [adj. EK-suh-junt]
Exigent means requiring immediate attention or action. Near synonyms include critical, urgent,
imperative, and pressing. It can also mean demanding or exacting.
Exigent was first seen in the 1400s in Middle English. It comes from the Latin exigentem,
present participle of the verb exigere (to demand).
Person of the Day
Maggie L. Walker, 1867-1934
American businesswoman
Maggie L. Walker was America's first female bank president, and was also the first
African-American woman to hold such a position.
The daughter of a former slave, Walker was born in poverty two years after the end of the Civil
War, in Richmond, Virginia, the former capital of the Confederacy. Educated in the city's public
school system, she helped support her family by assisting her mother with delivering clean
laundry. After graduating from school, Walker briefly taught and then began a family of her
own.
Previously, Walker had joined a fraternal society called the Independent Order of St. Luke.
Reinvigorating the Society through her diligent efforts, and eventually rising to a prominent
position within it, she founded a newspaper and then a bank to support the Society's goal of
helping its members help themselves.
The financial institution she founded in 1903, originally known as the St. Luke's Penny Savings
Bank, has survived to this day. Now called the Consolidated Bank & Trust Company, it is the
nation's oldest bank continuously operated by African-Americans.
More about Maggie L. Walker:
toptags.com
gatewayva.com
Quotes of the Day
Censorship; In the long run, censorship is futile:
"Books won't stay banned. They won't burn. Ideas won't go to jail. In the long run of history, the
censor and the inquisitor have always lost. The only weapon against bad ideas is better ideas."
-- A. Whitney Griswold, 1906-1963, U.S. educator and historian
"You can cage the singer but not the song."
-- Harry Belafonte, 1927-, U.S. singer, civil rights activist
"Don't join the book burners. Don't think you are going to conceal faults by concealing evidence
that they ever existed."
-- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1890-1969, U.S. President, U.S. general
Today in History
May 24th
1844: First U.S. Telegraph Line was Formally Inaugurated
The first U.S. telegraph line was formally inaugurated between Washington, D.C. and
Baltimore, Maryland. Samuel F.B. Morse, the telegraph's inventor, sent the first message with
the phrase "What hath God wrought?" from the Supreme Court building.
A photograph of Morse's first telegraphic message:
lcweb2.loc.gov
1883: Brooklyn Bridge Inaugurated
After more than 15 years of construction, the Brooklyn Bridge connecting the cities of New
York and Brooklyn, was finally inaugurated. Designed by John A. Roebling, the steel suspension
bridge has a span of 1,595 feet (532 mt). During its construction, 27 men died, including its
designer.
The toll to use the bridge during its first day was one cent:
lihistory.com
1935: First Major League Baseball Night Game was Played
The first major league baseball game to be played at night under lights took place at Crosley
Field in Cincinnati, Ohio. The night game attracted more than 20,000 fans -- 10 times the
number that would show up for a daytime game. In the first game the Cincinnati Reds won
against the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1.
Crosley Field served as home for the Cincinnati Reds until 1970:
pubweb.acns.nwu.edu
1968: De Gaulle Addressed Protest
As 10 million striking workers paralyzed the country, French leader Charles de Gaulle went on
television to speak of "a more extensive participation for everyone." Given that the protests did
not dwindle, the army was called in and battles broke out on the streets. Farmers set up road
blocks around major French cities in solidarity with students and other workers.
One of hundreds of posters produced during the period:
burn.ucsd.edu
1993: Eritrea Gained Independence
The African nation of Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia after a 30-year civil war.
Since the 19th century, Eritrea had been under both British and Italian control, and after World
War II, under Ethiopian control. The civil war forced almost one million people to flee their
homes.
A map and flag of Eritrea:
agora.stm.it
Holidays & Events
May 24
Holy Blood Procession, Wedding of the Sea
BELGIUM: HOLY BLOOD PROCESSION
Every Ascension Day in Belgium is cause for a procession of medieval religious pageantry. The
Holy Blood Procession is an historical parade that recalls the crusades. A centerpiece of the
procession is the bishop carrying a reliquary containing a vial of holy blood said to have been
brought back from the battlefield by Count Thierry of Alsace in 1150. Floats depicting events in
the Old and New Testament are also led through Bruges.
The procession in Bruges dates back to 1303:
visitbelgium.com
An online sightseeing tour of Bruges:
trabel.com
More about Bruges:
trabel.com
ITALY: WEDDING OF THE SEA
Ascension Day is marked 40 days after Easter. In Venice it is cause for a ceremony called
Wedding of the Sea. It recalls Venice's Doge dropping a gold ring into the water from a
ceremonial barge known as the Bucintoro to symbolize the indissoluble link between Venice and
the sea. This event was first marked in the year 1000 and has long been cause for ceremonies
and carnivals.
More about this Venetian celebration:
sevenonline.it
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