Been pretty warm around here. No records or anything…but today may be a potential record breaker. In 1907 we reached 84 degrees and today that will be in jeopardy. Now, one might insert a Global Warming comment here because the record has been standing for 100 years. One might say that supports global warming then again, one might say the opposite since if the earth was getting warmer, the record would have been broken. Both notions, I think, would be incorrect. See, much of the evidence for global warming would be defined by overnight temperatures, not so much high temperatures. However, in Louisville, an interesting aspect in March regarding temperatures shows up when looking at basic record temperatures. Six of the all time lowest high March temperatures have occured in Louisville since 1970. Nine of the all time highest low temperatures have occured since 1970. One might say that is significant but again, that means that 22 days have record high low temperatures for a long time. Eleven days in March have been Louisville’s warmest afternoons since 1970. On this date in 1955, Louisvillians woke up to 12 degrees though 38 years prior, it got to 84. We shall see if the record book gets re-written today.
Basketball pool…lots of people have the final four. I wasnt one of them. Told you the Aggies wouldn’t be there. That sure didn’t sound like a “no” from Billy Donovan regarding the UK job, did it?
This Date In History
In 1801, Charles Wilson Peale unearthed a previously un-named prehistoric skeleton. It became known as a Mastadon but, at the time, it got the nickname Mammoth for its size. So, the term mammoth became popular in early 19th century America to describe something very large. In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson received a “mammoth” 1200 pound hunk of cheese from a bunch of Baptist from Massachusettes in appreciation for his advocation of religious tolerance. Remember, the Baptists weren’t always welcome in many corners of early American society, but they had been an effective thorn in the side of the Brits in Colonial America, particularly in places like Williamsburg. In any event, on this date in 1804, Jefferson attended a public party in the Senate that featured a “mammoth loaf” of bread. The big ole loaf of bread was baked to go along with what was left of the two year old cheese….and a giant portion of roast beef….and an ample supply of alcohol. The occasion was to show support for Jefferson’s use of the US Navy to go after the Barbary Pirates. The Barbary Coast was an area of Northern Africa which was supposed to be part of the Ottoman Empire but was really controlled by local powers in Tunis, Algiers and Tripoli. It was a region controlled by Islamists. They had been impairing US commerce so Jefferson sent the US Navy to enforce and, if need be attack, the bad guys. Numerous battles ensued. One note of interest….this military action of the United States against these Islamic states was funded by Congress, but was an undeclared military action by the United States that lasted for some 4 years. Those who think our current situation is unprecedented need to look more at Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. There are differences but the similiarities are worth noting….oh yes..its also worth noting that written observations say that the event with the “mammoth loaf” and the leftover “mammoth cheese” turned into a drunken, noisy affair…something some folks might say has been going on in the Senate ever since.
