Today's Highlights:
Thursday, November 29, 2007
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Computer Drawing of the Doppler Effect Source |
Spotlight: In 1845, Christian Doppler conducted experiments having musicians play tunes on flatbed railway trains, while people with perfect pitch wrote down the changing notes they heard as the train approached and then receded. This confirmed the findings of a mathematical formula he had come up with three years earlier — the Doppler Effect. It shows that the perceived frequency of a sound, light or radio wave depends on the speed of the source relative to the observer. Doppler was born on this date in 1803.
Quote: "Professor Doppler over several weeks has excited me with his ideas, the one more brilliant than the other. I must think about them day and night."
Word of the day: hang timeThe time from veraison until the grapes are harvested. The longer the hang time the greater the fruit's depth and complexity — perfectly ripe grapes produce superior, long-aging wines. On the other hand, if the hang time is too long, the grapes will become overripe, which will affect both flavor and aroma of the finished wine.
The new Wine Lover's Companion is brimming with definitions of terms from the wine industry, including grape types and where they grow, wine-tasting lingo, and even events in the history of the intoxicating beverage. Includes pronunciation guides.
Today's History:
- Army-Navy game: football rivalry began at West Point; Navy won 24-0 (1890)
UN Partition Plan : the UN voted to divide Palestine between Jews and Arabs (1947)- Warren Commission: was established by US president Lyndon Johnson to investigate JFK's assassination (1963)
Today's Birthdays:
- Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007): authors popular with children
- Jacques Chirac (75): former president of France
- Joel Coen (53): half of the Coen Brothers filmmaking duo, Raising Arizona, Fargo
