Answer of the Day
What was reached by humans first, the South Pole or the North Pole? Although Robert E. Peary has long gotten the credit for reaching the North Pole first, in 1909, it may have actually been Frederick Cook who got there first, in 1908. It was another two years before explorers reached the earth's other end. Word came back on this date in 1911 that Roald Amundsen became the first person known to reach the South Pole. He and his team of four men all returned safely from the expedition. Only 12 of the 52 sled dogs that accompanied the group made it back. Just a month later, Captain Robert F. Scott led a team of five men to the South Pole, but none of them returned from this trip. Their frozen bodies were found 11 months later. A significant date for exploration, December 14 is also the birth date of two famous explorers: James Bruce, who discovered that the Blue Nile began in a lake in Ethiopia, was born on this date in 1530. And Tycho Brahe, famous for exploring the stars, albeit from afar, was born on this date in 1546.

Quote
"That is the exploration that awaits you! Not mapping stars and studying nebula, but charting the unknown possibilities of existence." — Star Trek: The Next Generation, Q to Picard, in "All Good Things"

Word of the day
rhinorrhea
(ry-nuh-REE-uh)

noun
A runny nose.

Etymology
From Neo-Latin, from Greek rhino- (nose), -rrhea (flow)

Another word with the same prefix: rhinoceros. Another word with the same suffix: logorrhea (excessive flow of words: talkativeness). So what happens when you combine these two words? You redefine rhinorrhea: a rhinoceros who talks too much.

Usage
"Once the volunteers began sniffling, they rated the severity of their symptoms of sneezing, rhinorrhea, stuffy noses, sore throat, cough, headache, fatigue and chills." — A.J. Hostetler; Study: Herb (echinacea) Can't Curb Cold; Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia); Aug 4, 2005.
(© Wordsmith.org)

Today's History

Eugene Cernan

• St. Lucia's flood: a broken dike in the Netherlands caused one of the worst floods in history; 50,000+ people were killed (1287)
• Apollo program: Eugene Cernan, as a member of Apollo 17, became the last man on the moon so far (1972)

Today's Birthdays

Michael Owen

• Nostradamus (1503-1566): astrologer and physician known for his prophecies
• Shirley Jackson (1919): author of "The Lottery"
• Stan Smith (61): tennis hall-of-famer; tennis pro Patty Schnyder (31) also celebrates a birthday today
• Michael Owen (30): English World Cup hero
• Vanessa Anne Hudgens (21): actor, High School Musical; also, actors George Furth (1932-2008), Lee Remick (1935-1991), Hal Williams (71), Patty Duke (63), Dee Wallace (61), Cynthia Gibb (46), KaDee Strickland (34), Tammy Blanchard (33) and Sophie Monk (30)