On this Day - Galileo was born

Galileo was born on this day in 1564.

But did you know that the Italian astronomer and physicist - who made the first effective use of the refracting telescope (he did not invent the telescope - that was invented by Hans Lippershey in 1608) as well as discovering the law of falling bodies and the pendulum and getting into hot water with the Catholic Church - was the first to discover the four largest moons of Jupiter. Named the Galilean moons, they were discovered by Galileo Galilei on January 7th 1610.

More details on the moons can be found at wikipedia.org and on Galileo himself at wikipedia.org

Jupiter has at least 63 known moons, though the Galilean moons are the largest.

Galileo was also immortalised in the famous Queen song, Bohemian Rhapsody

"I see a little silhouetto of a man,
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango.
Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very fright'ning me.
(Galileo.) Galileo. (Galileo.) Galileo, Galileo figaro.
Magnifico. I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me."

February 14th. Valentines Day

Though the Catholic Church recognises at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred (a more detailed anaylsis can be found at historychannel.com we do have Pope Gelasius to be grateful for all that flower exchanging and card giving as he was the one who set aside February 14th to honour a St. Valentine. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "At least three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the early martyrologies under the date of 14 February."

One such Saint Valentine was beheaded and martyred by the Roman Emperor Claudius II Gothicus because, legend has it, he continued to marry young couples even though Claudius forbade it. catholic.org states that: "Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who, with St. Marius and his family, assisted the martyrs in the persecution under Claudius II. He was apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who, on finding all his promises to make him renounce his faith in effectual, commended him to be beaten with clubs, and afterwards, to be beheaded, which was executed on February 14, about the year 270."

Was he the one that history has come to celebrate? The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in a The Nuremberg Chronicle in 1493 and Pope Gelasius marked today as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom in 496 AD.

We also know that 'archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine.' The Roman priest had a reputation for kindness which may well have grown into the legend that now is.

Whilst we may never find out for sure, it is suggested that the first Valentines card was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time. We hope he sent it first class. The British Museum in its Library contains a Valentines card from the 1400s.

A more detailed look at the history of the Valentines festival can be found at wilstar.com

Peter Benchley RIP

Peter Benchley, author of Jaws, who died today, was once a script writer for former US President Lyndon Johnson.

Benchley said: "In 1967 I went to work as a speechwriter for President Lyndon Johnson in the White House, where I stayed until January of 1969."

You can read Benchley talk about writing those speeches at peterbenchley pdf

Benchley said of the success of Jaws: "Jaws" didn't give me a new outlook. It gave me the opportunity to spend much of my life on and under the sea, and that experience created a sense of the need for conservation ... not just of sharks, but of the ocean itself."

The official website to Peter Benchley can be found at peterbenchley.com

On this Day - France tests its first atom bomb

By 2006 there have now been over 2,000 nuclear tests worldwide, but on February 13th 1960 in Reggan, in the Sahara Desert, France detonated its first test. At that time Reggan, Algeria was a protectorate of France.

You can see a video of France testing its 3rd bomb at bbc.co.uk

The first bomb test by France had a yield of 60-70 kilotons (it was 12.5 kilotons of TNT used for the mob dropped on Hiroshima). hypertextbook.com states that: "The energy released by nuclear weapons is measured in tons, kilotons (thousands of tons), or megatons (millons of tons) of TNT. In international standard units (SI), one ton of TNT is equal to 4.184 x 109 joule (J)."

France conducted a total of 210 nuclear tests between February 13th 1960 and January 27th 1996.

Russell Crowe...The Soap Star

Yes, Russell Crowe of A Beautiful Mind (2001) and Gladiator (2000) made some of his earliest screen appearances in the Aussie soap Neighbours back in 1987 (he was born in 1964). You can read his full screen appearances at imdb.com and a write up of his Neighbours three show slot at murphsplace.com The character he played in the long running soap was Kenny Larkin and you can read UK updates of the show at Neighbours Spoilers

He had a chance to extend his contract on Neighbours, but opted out saying he was holding out for: "more serious roles."

What's Up Doc... not carrots again!

Melvin Jerome Blanc - Mel Blanc - voice of Bugs Bunny (who worked for Warner Brothers and Hanna-Barbera studios) was not, as some claimed (itself ironic) allergic to carrots. He just couldn't stand the things.

He said: "I don't especially like carrots, at least not raw. And second, I found it impossible to chew, swallow, and be ready to say my next line. We tried substituting other vegetables, including apples and celery, but with unsatisfactory results. The solution was to stop recording so that I could spit out the carrot into a wastebasket and then proceed with the script. In the course of a recording session I usually went through enough carrots to fill several. Bugs Bunny did for carrots what Popeye the Sailor did for Spinach. How many lip-locked, head-swelling children were coerced into eating their carrots by mothers cooing, "...but Bugs Bunny eats HIS carrots." If only they had known."

Details about Mel can be found at toonopedia.com

On This Day - Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin was born in 1809.

He didn't in fact coin the phrase "survival of the fittest". Herbert Spencer - see en.wikipedia.org an English philosopher had already used it in his works on evolutionary philosophy.

Charles Darwin said: “The expression often used by Mr. Herbert Spencer of the Survival of the Fittest is more accurate, and is sometimes equally convenient.”

Spencer himself wrote: "This survival of the fittest, which I have here sought to express in mechanical terms, is that which Mr. Darwin has called "natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life."

Sylvester Stallone is...Staying Alive?

Did you know that 'Sly', who once said of his film: "Rambo isn't violent. I see Rambo as a philanthropist." Directed and co-wrote that early 1980s dancing hit to Saturday Night Fever... 'Staying Alive'.

'Tis true. See movie info at imdb.com

* John Travolta's physical training for the role was supervised by Stallone.