Category Archives: Sunday Stuff
Giant hole hurts business, says Saint John restaurateur
Billy Grant says business at his seafood restaurant just hasn’t been the same since the building next to him was torn down in 2021, leaving a gaping hole in the heart of the city.
On this day April 7
Today in History
-
1990 An arson attack on the passenger ferry, Scandinavian Star, kills 159
Insurance fraud is today considered the most likely motive for the attack. According to a 2013 report, 9 crew members started the fire and sabotaged the fire crew’s attempts to extinguish the blaze.
-
1969 The internet is born
The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) awarded a contract to build a precursor of today’s world wide web to BBN Technologies. The date is widely considered as the internet’s symbolic birthday.
-
1948 The World Health Organization is established
The WHO is a United Nations agency concerned with fighting disease and epidemics worldwide, building up national health services, and improving health education in its 194 member states.
-
1827 The first friction match is sold
English chemist John Walker produced and sold the first operable matches. They were soon banned in France and Germany because burning fragments would sometimes fall to the floor and start fires.
-
1724 Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion is premiered
The sacred oratorio is the oldest extant Passion by the German composer. The highly popular work is a dramatization of the final days of Jesus Christ, according to the Gospel of John.
Sunday March 31
Bunsen Burner Day
Bunsen Burner Day on March 31 celebrates the inventor of the Bunsen Burner, German chemist Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen.
©iStockphoto.com/IPGGutenbergUKLtd
The most important contribution of Robert Bunsen, one that changed chemistry labs all over the world, was the Bunsen Burner.
Revolutionized Chemistry
A staple in all chemistry labs, the Bunsen Burner is a device that uses a flammable gas to produce a hot flame.
The Bunsen Burner was the precursor to the gas stove many people used in their homes today.
Photochemistry
Born on March 31, 1811, Robert Bunsen is thought to be a trailblazer in the field of photochemistry. Photochemistry is a specialized branch of chemistry that looks at the chemical effects of light.
He was also well-known for his work on the chemistry of arsenic, a chemical element that is used for a variety of purposes including preserving wood, but is also toxic to human beings and animals in larger quantities.
What To Do
- Honor your chemistry teachers on this day. Thank them for all the knowledge they have imparted you.
- Introduce young adults and children in your life to the joys of chemistry.
- Learn more about the life of Robert Bunsen.
FYI…
…that Robert Bunsen also discovered cesium and rubidium with Gustav Kirchhoff? Cesium is one of 5 elements that are liquid at room temperature.
Mario Day
Mario Day
March 10 is Mario Day, a day to celebrate the main character of the popular Nintendo video game franchise, Super Mario.
March 10 was chosen by fans of the game as the date for this holiday because March 10 when abbreviated and written without a space between the month and date – Mar10 – looks like the word Mario.
Fictional Italian Plumber
The Super Mario video games follows the adventures of Italian plumber Mario and his brother Luigi while they try to rescue Princess Peach from the evil Bowser. Princess Peach is the princess of the fictional Mushroom Kingdom in which the game is set.
Best-Selling Game
Considered to be the best-selling video game of all time and one of the most recognizable video game characters in the world, Mario was created by Shigeru Miyamoto. Since his first appearance in the 1981 Nintendo game, Donkey Kong as Jumpman, Mario has featured in over 200 video games, and several television shows and comics.
FYI…
…that when Mario made his first gaming appearance as Jumpman, he was not a plumber but a carpenter?