25 August: 237

Today is the 237^th day of the year. 10 fun facts about that number.

1. 237 Coelestina is a main belt asteroid discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa in 1884 in Vienna and named after Coelestine, wife of astronomer Theodor von Oppolzer.

2. London bus number 237 runs from Frampton Road to White City Bus Station.

3. + 237 is the telephone dialling code for Cameroon.

4. Biggy 237 is a TV show in Cameroon based on the Big Brother franchise. “Biggy” was likely borrowed from Big Brother Naija, formerly known as Big Brother Nigeria, in which contestants called Big Brother “Biggy” and the number is probably because of the Cameroon dialling code.

5. The A237 is a road in south London which connects Mitcham Common and Coulsdon.

6. In 1992, Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers used to DJ at a club in Manchester before forming the band. They were known by the alias "237 Turbo Nutters" based on their house number and their fondness for raves.

7. 237 is number of the hotel room in The Shining which is haunted by past traumatic events and into which the character Danny is lured.

8. A documentary about The Shining and interpretations of the film is called Room 237.

9. The year 237 was a common year starting on Sunday known at the time as the Year of the Consulship of Perpetuus and Felix.

10. In numerology people influenced by 237 are likely to be creative and to enjoy mixing with other creative people. They are romantics and deep thinkers, especially in the fields of science and spirituality.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

24 August: Saint Bartholomew

24 August is the Feast Day of St Bartholomew. Here’s all you need to know.

1. Bartholomew was one of the twelve disciples who followed Jesus after the Baptism in the Jordan River. He was originally from Cana in Galilee and is sometimes equated with a disciple John mentions in his gospel, Nathaniel.

2. The name Bartholomew comes from the Aramaic, "son of Tolmai" or "son of the furrows".

3. After the Ascension, it’s said he was a missionary in numerous places including Mesopotamia, Parthia, Lycaonia, Ethiopia, India and Armenia, the latter being the first state to become officially Christian in 301, allegedly as a direct result of Bartholomew’s missionary work. Hence he is a patron saint of Armenia.

4. One version of his story says he was executed in Armenia because he converted the local king, Polymius, to Christianity. Polymius's brother, Prince Astyages, ordered Bartholomew's torture and execution. However, there is no record of a king of Armenia at that time with the name Polymius.

5. One thing the records agree on is the manner of Bartholomew’s death – flayed and skinned alive. Hence in art, he is often portrayed holding his own Skin and often wrapping it around himself; and holding the knife that was used to skin him. He is a common feature in medieval manuscripts, rather appropriately, as these were often made from the flayed skin of animals.

6. Because of the way he died, he is patron of people who work with skin, such as Glove makers, bookbinders, butchers, leather workers, shoemakers, tanners and trappers. He’s also invoked against skin diseases.

7. In the early days of the study of human anatomy, pictures of Bartholomew could also serve as an anatomical diagram with muscles, veins and tendons accurately depicted where his skin had been removed.

8. The modern day artist Damian Hurst was inspired by him, too. His piece Exquisite Pain depicts Saint Bartholomew in accurate anatomical detail with his flayed skin draped over his right arm, a scalpel in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other. He’s holding scissors because the movie Edward Scissorhands was another inspiration for Hurst.

9. Saint Bartholomew’s fair, which took place in Smithfield, London around this time of year is named for him, as is St Bartholomew's Hospital, also known as Barts, a teaching hospital located in the City of London.

10. 24 August isn’t the only day Bartholomew is celebrated. The Eastern Orthodox Church venerates him on 11 June. 25 August is a celebration of the transfer of Bartholomew's relics, and on 30 June he is venerated as one of the 12 Apostles.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

23 August: King Louis XVI

This date in 1754 was the birthdate of King Louis XVI of France, who reigned from 1774 to 1793 and was married to Marie Antoinette. 10 facts about him.

1. He was never supposed to be king. Like Henry VIII, he had an older brother who died young.

2. Because he wasn’t first in line to the throne, the young Louis was virtually ignored by his parents and grandfather while his older brother was with praise and gifts while being groomed for kingship. King Louis XV, his grandfather, called his grandson "ungainly" and "dimwitted", even though he was actually very intelligent.

3. After the death of his elder brother in 1761, and his father in 1765 aged just 36, Louis became the new dauphin at the age of 11 and his kingly education had to begin. His tutors, however, weren’t that good, teaching him that being timid and shy was a great attribute for a king, as was never letting on to anyone what you might be thinking about.

4. Louis was 15 when he married the Austrian princess Marie Antoinette. The marriage was arranged for political reasons. The marriage got off to a bad start when Louis decided he was going to organise the Firework display to end all firework displays as part of the celebrations. He ordered piles of fireworks to be set up on a wooden podium in the middle of Paris. People crowded in to get the best view. The wooden podium caught fire and people fled. 130 people lost their lives in the stampede to get away from the fire. It was here that Louis showed he wasn’t a cruel and heartless king: he met with the families of the victims personally and supported them financially. He did care, and wanted to be liked; he just didn’t know how.

5. Louis and Marie Antoinette had no children for several years, leading to rumours that the king couldn’t “get it up”. There was speculation he suffered from a condition that made the required marital relations very painful for him, if not impossible. In the end, Marie Antoinette’s brother, Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, concerned that the Austria-France alliance was in danger, decided he needed to go to Versailles in person and get to the bottom of the problem. He showed up incognito as the Comte de Falkenstein and stayed for a while. The story goes that Joseph was blunt enough to ask Louis what he and Marie Antoinette actually did when they were in bed together. Joseph wrote that Louis told him that he "introduces the member," but then, "stays there without moving for about two minutes." Then he’d get up and leave. So it seems as well as not teaching him how to rule a country, or the health and safety around fireworks, his teachers didn’t teach him how to do sex properly, either. Presumably Joseph gave him a few pointers and Marie Antoinette got pregnant soon after, although now the rumours circulated that Louis wasn’t actually the father of her kids.

6. Louis became king aged 19, in 1774. He did try and do some good stuff. He signed the 1787 Edict of Versailles (also known as the Edict of Tolerance), giving non-Catholics civil and legal status and freedom of religion in France.

7. He also tried to get France out of debt by introducing new taxes. Needless to say, that didn’t go down well and most of his efforts were blocked by the nobles.

8. Some may dispute that he was a caring sort on reading the following fact. One of his favourite pastimes was shooting Cats. It’s possible Louis developed a dislike for cats because his grandfather Louis XV loved them and let them roam and breed all over Versailles. So whenever Louis XVI came across a cat in the grounds, he’d shoot it. He didn’t stop to consider that it might be someone’s pet and at least once shot a female courtier's beloved moggy by mistake. To be fair, when he realised what he’d done he was most apologetic and even bought the lady a new cat.

9. When the revolution happened, Louis and his family were held in the Tuileries in Paris. While there, Louis came up with an escape plan. They would sneak out at night disguised as servants and flee to safety in Austria, where they would regroup and return in due course to take back the throne. The plan went well to start with. They got out of the Tuileries and made it as far as a small village near the Austrian border before it all went pear-shaped. The story goes that a local man recognised the king because his face was on all the money and shopped him. So the family was captured and returned to a more secure prison in Paris.

10. Louis had made a fatal mistake, because he wrote a manifesto on why he should be kept on as king and left it behind in the Tuileries when he left. Needless to say, it didn’t go down well with the revolutionaries who merely saw it as evidence of treason to be used to condemn him at his trial. Louis XVI was executed by guillotine on 21 January 1793. Just before he was executed he pardoned those who had signed his death warrant and proclaimed his own innocence. His execution marked the end of 1,000 years of continuous French monarchy.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

22 August: Mohave Desert

On this date in 1826 the American explorer Jedediah Smith and his crew set out from the Great Salt Lake, Utah, to cross the Mohave Desert, the first Europeans to do so. They arrived in San Diego the following November. 10 things you might not know about the Mohave Desert.

1. It is named after the indigenous Mohave people, and is sometimes spelled Mojave, which is the Spanish version of the name.

2. It covers an area of 54,000-square-miles (140,000 km2) over four American states: California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah.

3. The Desert contains various Silver, tungsten, Iron and Gold deposits, and has been an important centre for mining. Some of the mining towns, such as the silver and copper-mining town of Calico, are now ghost towns. There’s also an abandoned rail depot at Kelso, California.

4. That said, there are also some thriving metropolitan areas on its edges, including St. George, Utah and Lancaster, California; but probably the best known city in the area is Las Vegas.

5. The Mohave is known for extremes of temperature, meaning it is very hot in summer and freezing cold in winter. It gets about five inches of precipitation a year.

6. One of the unique living things the extreme climate has given rise to is the Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) which is endemic to the desert and doesn’t grow anywhere else. If the name sounds familiar, it’s probably because U2 named one of their albums after it. The tree is said to have got its common name from some Mormons who crossed the desert in the 19^th century. The trees were landmarks to them, helping them find their way, and they were reminded of the Biblical story in which Joshua keeps his hands reached out for an extended period of time to enable the Israelites in their conquest of Canaan (Joshua 8:18–26 if you want to look it up).

7. The Mohave has played a part in military history. During World War II, large portions of the desert were used for training soldiers in desert warfare, and today, Edwards Air Force Base and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake are located here.

8. The highest point is Charleston Peak, 11,918 feet (3,633 meters) above sea level. The lowest is Death Valley at 282 feet (85.5 meters) below sea level, also the lowest place in North America, which has contributed to making the valley one of the hottest and driest places on Earth.

9. Being a desert, it doesn’t have much in the way of rivers, but there are two significant ones which flow underneath it: the Mojave River and the Amargosa River. There are also some lakes, the Manix, Mojave, and the Little Mojave lakes, which although fairly large are shallow.

10. It’s a popular place for filming music videos. Bodies by Robbie Williams, Breathless by The Corrs, Desert Rose by Sting and That Don't Impress Me Much by Shania Twain among them.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

21 August: Venetian blinds

This date in 1841, the Venetian blind was patented by John Hampton of New Orleans, Louisiana. 10 things you didn’t know about Venetian blinds.

1. Venetian blinds are a type of window covering made up of horizontal slats connected by cords or tapes, allowing them to be adjusted for Light control and privacy.

2. Despite the name, they didn’t originate in Venice. In fact, the ancient Egyptians used a precursor to the blinds we use today, by tying reeds together, and in ancient China they did the same thing with Bamboo.

3. They are called Venetian blinds because Venetian merchants first introduced them to Europe, most likely from Persia. Venice at the time was a trade hub, so the name derives from the traders who made them popular.

4. They were called “Les Persienes” in France. France was the destination of choice for many freed Venetian slaves, who went into the business of shipping blinds to France.

5. The patent issued in 1841 was for the device that changed the angle of the slats, which is still used today.

6. In 1982, Atari produced a joke video “game” called Venetian Blinds, which was never intended for public release but eventually did find its way into game collections. Essentially, the game consists of the player raising and lowering a Venetian blind using the joystick. When the blinds are raised, they reveal a detailed sunset behind a green valley. Bad Game Hall of Fame stated that it was "honestly something of a stretch to even call it a 'game.'"

7. Venetian Blind is a 1959 suspense novel by the British author William Haggard about a rich Englishman with a second home in Venice, who is in the negative gravity business, and the plot revolves around him trying to uncover a traitor who is leaking the secrets of negative gravity to the Germans.

8. Venetian blinds are actually a death trap. Between 1996 and 2012, 184 children in the US were strangled by them.

9. One of the largest orders for Venetian blinds ever placed was to the Burlington Venetian Blind Co., of Burlington, Vermont, which supplied blinds for the windows of the Empire State Building in New York City.

10. Other common types of Window blind include panel blinds, which originated in Japan, and roller blinds, which consist of fabric wrapped around a roller.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

20 August: Cerium

Swedish chemist Jons Jakob Berzelius, was born on this date in 1779. He is credited with identifying the chemical element cerium. 10 things you might not know about this element.

1. Cerium is a chemical element with the symbol Ce and atomic number 58.

2. It is a soft and ductile silvery-white metal which tarnishes in air and reacts with water. Pure cerium may ignite if scratched with a knife.

3. Its Melting point is 1068 K (795 °C, 1463 °F)

4. Its boiling point is 3716 K (3443 °C, 6229 °F).

5. It’s the most abundant of the rare-earth metals and the 25^th most abundant element overall. It’s actually more plentiful than lead or tin. Its estimated abundance in the Earth's crust is 68 ppm.

6. Cerium occurs in minerals such as bastnasite, monazite, and many others. It also is found among the fission products of Uranium, Plutonium, and thorium.

7. Cerium was discovered in Bastnäs in Sweden by Jöns Jakob Berzelius and Wilhelm Hisinger in 1803. In the same year, Martin Heinrich Klaproth also discovered it, quite independently, in Germany.

8. It was Jöns Jakob Berzelius who named the element, after the asteroid Ceres, which had been discovered two years earlier. The asteroid, in turn, was named after the Roman goddess Ceres, goddess of agriculture.

9. It has no biological role, but isn’t particularly toxic, either, except with intense or continued exposure. Percentage Amount in the Human Body: 0.00006%

10. Its uses in industry include grinding and polishing glass, for precision optical lenses, flat-screen TVs, and mirrors. It’s also used in lighter flints, Catalytic Converters and self-cleaning ovens.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

19 August: Bill Clinton Quotes

Born on this date in 1946 was former US President Bill Clinton. 10 things he said.

1. If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit.

2. The road to tyranny, we must never forget, begins with the destruction of the truth.

3. No one can change yesterday, but we can all change tomorrow.

4. We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs.

5. You can put wings on a pig, but you don't make it an eagle.

6. When our memories outweigh our dreams, it is then that we become old.

7. Character is a journey, not a destination.

8. Just because you can't do everything, it doesn't mean you shouldn't do what you can.

9. When people are feeling insecure, they'd rather have someone who is strong and wrong rather than somebody who is weak and right.

10. We all do better when we work together. Our differences do matter, but our common humanity matters more.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/