Cool Fact of the Day
Mimic Octopus
What remarkable ability does the mimic octopus have?
In the ocean near Indonesia lives a type of octopus that has the amazing ability to change its
shape, color, and behavior so that it looks like any one of many different animals. These
incredible eight-armed impressionists can take on the appearance of a flounder, a sea snake, a
lionfish, a crab, an eel, a jellyfish, a mantis shrimp, a brittle star, a feather star, a seahorse, a
nudibranch, and others.
No one knows for certain why they assume other appearances, but the sea is a dangerous place
for a soft creature like an octopus. There are nasty predators everywhere, and it might be
worthwhile to look like a poisonous lionfish or sea snake, or an inedible jellyfish or basket star.
Octopuses are not only experts at the art of appearances; they are also among the sea's most
intelligent animals and formidable hunters. Captive octopuses can figure out how to unscrew
jars, and they can escape from their tanks through the tiniest of openings.
More about Indonesia's impressionist octopuses:
asiandiver.com
An octopus with light-emitting organs in place of suckers:
features.learningkingdom.com
Cool Word of the Day
effulgent [adj. ih-FULL-junt or ih-FUHL-junt]
Effulgent means shining brightly. Example: "Her smile was effulgent as she walked down the
aisle on her wedding day." Near synonyms include resplendent, radiant, luminous, lustrous, and
beaming.
Effulgent has been a part of the English vocabulary since the 18th century. It comes from the
Latin effulgent, a participle of effulgere (to shine forth), from ex- (out) and fulgere (to shine).
Person of the Day
Nathan Hale, 1755-76
Teacher, Spy
Connecticut-born Nathan Hale was a recent Yale graduate who was teaching school at the
onset of the American Revolution. In 1775, Hale joined the Continental Army in the fight for
independence and was soon promoted to the rank of captain. Stationed near New York, he
volunteered to spy behind British lines posing as a schoolmaster.
Though successful in his attempt to secure vital military information, the British captured him
before he could return to his regiment. Sentenced to death without a trial, Hale is reputed to
have said, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" just before being hanged.
More about Nathan Hale:
seanet.com
lihistory.com
ctssar.org
Quotes of the Day
Sleep
Thoughts on sleep:
"Sleeping is no mean art: for its sake one has to stay awake all day."
-- Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher
"Even where sleep is concerned, too much is a bad thing."
-- Homer, Greek poet
"Blessed be he who invented sleep, a cloak that covers all a man's thoughts."
-- Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish writer
"Sleep that knits up the ravel'd sleeve of care,
The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course,
Chief nourisher in life's feast."
-- William Shakespeare, English playwright and poet
Today in History
May 8th
1541: Hernando De Soto Discovered the Mississippi River
As part of the Spanish expedition that conquered the Inca empire in Peru, explorer Hernando de
Soto shared in the plunder of Inca gold and became enormously wealthy. Seven years later, he
was leading another Spanish expedition in search of yet more gold and to chart part of the North
American continent.
On May 30, 1539, de Soto arrived on the west coast of Florida near present-day Tampa, with
ten ships carrying over 600 soldiers, priests, and explorers. De Soto was convinced that
somewhere in Spanish-owned Florida was a hoard of precious metal comparable to what he had
seen in Peru, and for the next four years he led his men on a fruitless search for the nonexistent
riches. They explored a vast area including present-day Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina,
Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. During the course of the expedition, De Soto's group left
significant damage in their wake, plundering native settlements, and inadvertently exposing them
to European germs against which they had no immunity.
After a disastrous clash with a group of native warriors, De Soto and his men were fleeing
across present-day Mississippi when, on May 8, 1541, they arrived on the banks of a mighty
river. Probably the first European to encounter what is now called the Mississippi River (from a
Native American Ojibwa word meaning "Big River"), De Soto dubbed it Rio de Espiritu Santo
("River of the Saint Spirit") before ordering his men to build boats in order to carry the
expedition across the unexpected expanse of water. They went on to explore parts of what is
now Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas before turning back east in disappointment. In late June,
1542 De Soto died on the banks of the river he had discovered.
1792: Washington Signed Act Authorizing Mint of Copper Coins
President George Washington signed an act that authorized the mint of the first U.S. copper
coins. Individuals involved in using coins other than the legal cents and half-cents would be
penalized with a $10 fine.
These coins were the predecessors of today's pennies:
earlyamerica.com
1794: Lavoisier was Decapitated
French chemist Antoine Laurent Lavoisier was decapitated in Paris for his former role as tax
collector. Lavoisier, often regarded as the founder of modern chemistry, demonstrated the role
of oxygen in chemical processes and made key observations about respiration.
More about Lavoisier:
cti.itc.virginia.edu
1902: Eruption of Mount Pelee Destroyed St. Pierre
Like virtually all of the islands in the eastern Caribbean, Martinique is of volcanic origin. And as
on several of them, the volcanic activity has not entirely ceased. An overseas territory of
France, the island is dominated by Mt. Pelee, a volcanic mountain 4,800 feet above sea level
that looms over the town of St. Pierre.
In April, 1902 Mt. Pelee started to spew powdery ash that fell on the town like gray snow. On
May 5 an eruption of boiling mud from the volcano carried fifty-ton boulders down the mountain,
burying alive forty workers in a sugar mill. But despite these warnings, the governor of the
island insisted no danger existed. Instead of evacuating the residents, he sent 1,500 troops to
keep them from leaving.
On May 8, a bright and clear day, without any warning, the volcano simply blew apart. The wall
of the volcano was ripped out on the side facing St. Pierre, an avalanche of lava poured down
the mountain, and within seconds the town was flooded with a cloud of superheated gas. After
the cloud passed and the oxygen supply returned, the town erupted into flames. Of nearly 30,000
inhabitants, only a handful of badly burned survivors were left. In terms of the loss of life, the
devastation of St. Pierre by the 1902 eruption of Martinique's Mt. Pelee was the most
destructive volcanic event of the twentieth century.
More about the Mount Pelee eruption, with photos:
volcano.und.nodak.edu
1942: Battle of the Coral Sea Ended
The Battle of the Coral Sea, between U.S. and Japanese ships, ended. This battle introduced a
new form of naval warfare in which opposing ships never faced each other directly; the entire
battle was waged by aircraft. Strategically, the U.S. was victorious, as Japanese forces were
prevented from expanding into the Pacific.
During the battle the warring ships never came within visual contact:
iol.net.au
1973: Siege at Wounded Knee Ended
A 71-day siege at Wounded Knee in South Dakota ended when members of the American
Indian Movement (AIM) surrendered. In an effort to bring attention to the plight of Native
Americans at Wounded Knee, one of the poorest communities in the U.S., AIM members took
eleven people hostage there. The siege ended after U.S. Senate officials promised to investigate
their complaints.
Holidays & Events
May 8
Liberation Day, Helston Furry Dance
FRANCE: LIBERATION DAY
France is one of a number of countries that today celebrate the surrender of Germany to the
Allied Forces and the cessation of hostilities on this day in 1945. This is also known as V-E
(Victory in Europe) Day. Here in France it is called Fete de la Victoire 1945. It is celebrated
with a big parade in downtown Paris and with other festivities throughout the country.
German Surrender Documents from 1945:
lib.byu.edu
More about the Victory in Europe in May 1945:
dtic.mil
A timeline of events in World War II:
collections.ic.gc.ca
ENGLAND: HELSTON FURRY DANCE
In Helston, Cornwall, dancing in the streets begins early this morning and continues throughout
the day. The main couples dance is held at noon when men wearing morning coats and silk hats
dance with women in garden party hats, summer frocks, and corsages. As the dancers weave in
and out of the streets, around and sometimes through Helston's houses, they are thought to bring
good luck to the occupants.
More about the Helston Furry Dance, including the name's origin:
cornishlight.freeserve.co.uk
homepages.rootsweb.com
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