August 22, 2011

Good morning! It's The Nerd's Almanac for Monday, August 22, 2011.

Today is the anniversary of the first experimental television broadcast by the BBC in 1932. It seems to have caught on somewhat.

On this date in 1963, test pilot Joe Walker reached an altitude of 107.7 km in an X-15 rocket plane. This flight held the record for highest flight until 2004, when it was eclipsed by Brian Binnie in SpaceShipOne.

And this date marks the confirmation of the rings of Neptune in 1989. Whether or not they had been detected in the sixties, they were confirmed by Voyager 2.

It's the birthday of Samuel Langley, born in 1834. He was one of the pioneers of aviation, working on a piloted aircraft at the same time as the Wright Brothers, but without as much success. In astronomy, he studied radiant energy and invented the bolometer, an instrument for measuring infrared radiation.

And today is the birthday of Ray Bradbury, born in 1920. He is a writer of science fiction, fantasy, mystery in stories, novels, plays, and screenplays. Most nerds will know Bradbury as the author of Fahrenheit 451 or The Martian Chronicles, but there is so much more -- you should check it out!

Here is a quote for today...
"You've got to jump off cliffs and build your wings on the way down."
-- Ray Bradbury

And that's the almanac for today. Nerds of the world, we salute you!

Sources:
Wikipedia: August 22
Wikipedia: Timeline of the BBC
Wikipedia: Joseph Walker
Wikipedia: Flight altitude record
Wikipedia: Neptune
Wikipedia: Samuel Langley
Wikipedia: Ray Bradbury
Wikipedia: Ray Bradbury bibliography
BrainyQuote: Ray Bradbury