| Friday, October 23, 2009 |
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Answer of the DayWho is Avogadro and why does he get his own number? Amedeo Avogadro was a 19th-century Italian physicist. He hypothesized that equal volumes of gases under identical conditions of pressure and temperature contain the same number of molecules. This hypothesis, which became one of the basic concepts of the atomic theory of matter, is known as Avogadro's law. Later, other physicists determined that the number of molecules in the gram molecular volume, or the "mole," is the same for all gases. That number — known as Avogadro's number — is 6.02x10²³. Each year in America, from 6:02 AM to 6:02 PM on 10/23, the mole is celebrated by chemists, mathematicians and physicists. It is part of National Chemistry Week, observed annually from the Sunday through Saturday in October in which the 23rd falls. Happy National Mole Day!
Quote"I tell my students to try to know molecules so well that when they have some question involving molecules, they can ask themselves, What would I do if I were that molecule?"
Word of the dayedentulous
Having no teeth; toothless.
And now, for your descriptive needs, two weeks of useful adjectives.
Today's History
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| The iPod |
- Brutus: committed suicide after losing to Mark Anthony and Octavian in the Second Battle of Philippi, a war fought to avenge the assassination of Julius Caesar (42 BCE)
- War of Jenkins' Ear: British PM Robert Walpole reluctantly declared war on Spain after a ship's captain brought in his ear, pickled, and told the House of Commons it had been severed by the Spanish coast guard (1739)
- Hungarian Revolution: spontaneous protest began, marking the first anti-Soviet revolt; many thousands were killed or fled; the Hungarian Republic was declared exactly 33 years later(1956)
- iPod: digital music player was launched by Apple (2001)
- Moscow Theater Crisis: Chechen terrorists took 700 hostages; many died during a Russian raid the next day (2002)
Today's Birthdays
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| Ryan Reynolds |
- John Heisman (1869-1936): football coach after whom the Heisman Trophy is named
- Johnny Carson (1925-2005): host of The Tonight Show
- Jim Bunning (78): pitcher-turned-politician; also, pitchers Al Leiter (44) and John Lackey (31)
- Pelé (69): Brazil's most famous soccer star; plus, swimmer Gertrude Ederle (1905-2003)
- Michael Crichton (1942-2008): author of Jurassic Park
- Ang Lee (55): Oscar-winning director of Brokeback Mountain; filmmakers Philip Kaufman (73) and Sam Raimi (50) share this birth date
- 'Weird Al' Yankovic (50): pop parodist; also, country star Dwight Yoakam (53)
- Ryan Reynolds (33): actor, The Proposal; actors Michael Rupert (58), Masiela Lusha (24) and Jessica Stroup (23) also celebrate birthdays today
