Cool Fact of the Day [May 4th]
Invisible Mass
How much of the universe is made of ordinary matter?
Astronomers have estimated that ordinary visible matter made of electrons, protons, and
neutrons (stars, planets, clouds of gas and dust) appear to make up only about 5% of the
mass of the universe. This conclusion comes from observations of the movement of galaxies
and the expansion of the universe. Most of the gravitational effects we see are too large to be
generated by stars and other visible matter.
Aside from ordinary matter, no one knows for sure what else there is, but there seem to be
two different kinds of mystery stuff that generate gravity. The first kind, "dark matter," is made
of unknown particles or objects whose gravity holds galaxies together and keeps them in
clusters.
The second is called "dark energy," a mysterious kind of reverse cosmic glue that is causing
the universe's rate of expansion to speed up. Unlike the dark matter, this strange stuff behaves
as though it had negative mass, but its effects are only felt across vast distances of billions of
light years.
Satellite records distant supernovae to study dark energy:
enews.lbl.gov
How the "cosmic triangle" reveals dark energy:
sciencedaily.com
How astronomers know the universe is expanding:
features.learningkingdom.com
Cool Word of the Day
smitten [v. SMIT-n]
Smitten means affected by a strong and sudden feeling, especially one of affection or
infatuation. Example: "When she entered the room, it was clear that he was completely
smitten." Near synonyms include enamored, bewitched, and entranced.
Smitten is the past participle of the verb to smite, which means to inflict a heavy blow on or to
afflict. Smite was first seen before 900; it comes from the Old English smitan (to smear).
Person of the Day
Hoagy Carmichael, 1899-1981
Composer
After hearing a recording of one of his own songs which had been performed without his
knowledge, Hoagland Howard Carmichael decided to give up the legal profession and began
writing songs for a living. Carmichael ultimately became one of the best-known songwriters of
the big-band era.
In 1927, he composed the first version of his most popular song, "Stardust." That was
followed by tunes that soon became standards, including "Georgia On My Mind,"
"Lazybones," and "Heart and Soul."
In 1951, he received an Academy Award for "In the Cool Cool Cool of the Evening." Two
decades later, Carmichael became one of the first 10 inductees in the Songwriters Hall of
Fame. Today, his life and music are chronicled in the Hoagy Carmichael Room at his alma
mater, Indiana University.
More about Hoagy Carmichael:
redhotjazz.com
indianahistory.org
Carmichael was honored with a U.S. postage stamp:
unicover.com
Quotes of the Day
Morality; Thoughts on the nature of morality:
"Morality cannot be legislated but behavior can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change
the heart, but they can restrain the heartless."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr., American clergyman and civil rights leader
"What is morality in any given time or place? It is what the majority then and there happen to
like, and immorality is what they dislike."
-- Alfred North Whitehead, British mathematician and metaphysician
"Foundations of morality are like all other foundations; if you dig too much about them, the
superstructure will come tumbling down."
-- Samuel Butler, English poet
"Morality is the best of all devices for leading mankind by the nose."
-- Frederick Nietzsche, German philosopher
"The foundation of all morality is to have done, once and for all, with lying; to give up
pretending to believe that for which there is no evidence, and repeating unintelligible
propositions about things beyond the possibilities of knowledge."
-- Thomas Henry Huxley, British biologist
Today in History
May 4th
1886: Bell and Tainter Patented Graphophone
Chichester Bell and Charles Tainter received a U.S. patent for the graphophone. This
invention replaced Thomas Edison's phonograph, and featured wax-coated cylinders. These
were considered an improvement over the phonograph's tinfoil cylinders, which had been
delicate and difficult to remove.
More about recording technology history:
ac.acusd.edu
1919: Start of Massive Student Demonstrations in China
Because China was on the side of the victorious Allies during World War I, the Chinese
hoped for certain benefits from the post-war peace settlement. They hoped that the settlement
would mean an end to the concessions and treaty ports set up during the Qing Dynasty under
duress from overseas power. Specifically, they expected that the German territories within
China would be returned to Chinese rule. But the Western leaders meeting in Versailles had
other ideas. Rather than encourage a Chinese nationalism that would ultimately threaten the
'Unequal Treaties' that governed their relations with China, they preferred to allow Japan to
remain the dominant Asian power. So, the 1919 Versailles Treaty ceded German territories in
China to Japan, rather than returning them to China. The Chinese were shocked and angered.
On May 4, 1919 a group of approximately 3,000 students gathered in Beijing's Tiananmen
Square to protest the Treaty of Versailles. A series of similar demonstrations followed, which
inaugurated a new phase of national consciousness in China. Referred to as the "May 4th
Movement," it sought to resist foreign domination by revolutionizing Chinese culture. In
particular, modern science and Western-style democracy were promoted, and the traditional
Confucian culture was attacked. The "Spirit of May 4th" led to a reorganization of Sun
Yat-sen's Nationalist Party, and a bit later to the establishment of the Communist Party in
China.
More about the significance of the May 4th Movement:
china2thou.com
The May 4th protest established Tiananmen Square as a key site for political demonstrations:
nmis.org
1961: Start of "Freedom Rides" Against Racial Segregation
In 1946 the U.S. federal government issued a ruling stating that racial segregation was illegal
at any interstate transportation facility. However, in most Southern states, this federal law was
almost entirely ignored. African-Americans were forced to ride separate buses, or to ride at
the back of buses carrying whites. Restaurants and restrooms in bus terminals were also
segregated. Although these policies were in flagrant violation of federal law, the Justice
Department ignored the violation. John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign had
included speeches in favor of ending racial segregation, but once in office, he ignored pleas
from civil rights advocates who urged him to enforce the federal law.
In 1961 James Farmer, of the Congress of Racial Equality, decided to expose the illegal
segregation practices in the South in order to force the federal government to take action. To
that end, he organized a "Freedom Ride" in which blacks and whites would board buses
together to travel from Washington, D.C. through the South to New Orleans. Leaving from
Washington on May 4, 1961, the integrated group of civil rights activists rode Greyhound and
Trailways buses and defied the segregation policies they encountered: blacks would enter
"whites only" sections, while whites would enter the "colored" waiting rooms. During the trip,
mobs of white people stoned the buses, slashed the tires, and even firebombed them. In
several Southern towns the Freedom Riders were attacked and beaten while police looked on
without intervening. The increasingly violent incidents were publicized throughout the country,
exposing the realities of racial segregation and the Southern defiance of federal law.
Although they never reached New Orleans, the Freedom Rides succeeded in forcing the
Kennedy administration to take a stand on civil rights. In September, 1961, the Interstate
Commerce Commission made more specific laws outlawing segregation in interstate bus
travel. Following the example of the Freedom Rides, civil rights activists continued to set up
confrontations requiring the Justice Department to force Southern compliance with federal
law. Thus, during the Kennedy administration the federal government became, however
reluctantly, an active participant in the fight against racial segregation.
A detailed account of the Freedom Ride:
watson.org
A rich personal memoir by one of the Freedom Riders:
clc.uc.edu
Newspaper description of the arrival of a Freedom Ride bus in Jackson, Mississippi:
guardiancentury.co.uk
1970: National Guard Killed Students During Demonstration
National Guard troops killed 4 students during an anti-Vietnam War demonstration at Kent
State University in Ohio. The four students killed were Allison Krause, Sandra Lee Scheuer,
Jeffrey Glenn Miller and William K. Schroeder.
The event triggered nationwide protests:
kent.edu
1989: Space Shuttle Atlantis was Launched
The space shuttle Atlantis was launched. Its main objective was to deploy the spacecraft
Magellan, making this the first time that a craft was launched from a space shuttle. Magellan's
mission was to map the surface of Venus.
Magellan provided the most detailed map of Venus to date:
star.le.ac.uk
Holidays & Events
May 4
Remembrance Day, Youth Day
NETHERLANDS: REMEMBRANCE DAY
A Liberation Festival is held this weekend in the Netherlands. Tomorrow there will be street
fairs and pop concerts. Today, though, is a solemn day of ceremonies to honor those who
died in World War II. The festivities in Wageningen celebrate the liberation by Canadian and
Polish troops of the Netherlands from Nazi Germany in 1945.
Learn more about the Liberation:
bouwman.com
More about the Netherlands:
netherlands-embassy.org
CHINA: YOUTH DAY
Youth Day has been an official public holiday in China since 1946. This day in particular was
selected in recognition of a demonstration of thousands of students in Tiananmen Square on
May 4, 1919 who had gathered to protest imperialism and feudalism in China. There are
speeches today and recognition of the contributions of youths.
More about the demonstration:
china2thou.com
Tiananmen Square is firmly planted in the minds of many as the site of a 1989 protest and
massacre:
campus.northpark.edu
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