Feb. 17, Monday — George Washington's birthday (observed). Conjunction of sun and Uranus. Winter's back breaks.
Feb. 18, Tuesday — Planet Pluto discovered, 1930, by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh. "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" published in the United States, 1885.
Feb. 19, Wednesday — Moon at perigee. Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus born, 1473. U.S. Marines landed on Iwo Jima, 1945. Marriage is a covered dish.
Feb. 20, Thursday — Hockey player Phil Esposito born, 1942. The Metropolitan Museum of Art opened in N.Y.C., 1872. Thunder now means poor sugaring.
Feb. 21, Friday — Religious leader Malcolm X killed, 1965. President Richard Nixon visited China, 1972.
Feb. 22, Saturday — George Washington born, 1732. Poet Edna St. Vincent Millay born, 1892. F.W. Woolworth Co. opened, 1879.
Feb. 23, Sunday — Moon at descending node. Educator W.E.B. DuBois born, 1868. Tootsie Roll invented by Leo Hirshfield, 1896.
Ask The Old Farmer's Almanac:Is a "red-letter day" an Almanac term? — H.Y., Liberal, Kan.
Answer: Not exactly, but it is a calendar term. The ecclesiastical calendars used red print to denote the feast days and other special holy days, beginning around the 15th century. Almanacs like ours were usually printed only in one color, black, and so did not use red ink for the holy days (holidays) but instead used a distinctive type-style for church calendar days such as Saints' days, Lent, Advent, etc., or the Dominical letters for Sundays. For example, this year's Dominical letter is E, which appears in place of the "Su" in Sunday on the left-hand pages of the Almanac calendar.
Ask The Old Farmer's Almanac: Is it true that the tallest Boy Scout in the world was almost 9 feet tall? —L.Y., Milwaukee, Wis.
Answer: Well, he grew to be almost 9 feet. At age 13, when he drew his fame as a tall Boy Scout, he was a mere 7 feet 4 inches. Robert P. Wadlow was his name, and he was born on George Washington's birthday, Feb. 22, 1918.
A normal-sized baby, Robert's growth spurt seemed to begin after a hernia operation at age 2. By the time he started kindergarten, this 5-year-old was 5 feet 6 inches, which put him at a growth rate of more than 13 inches per year of his life! Worldwide notoriety became his inheritance, along with an exceptional difficulty finding clothes and footwear to fit. He took it in stride and earned a reputation as a friendly and good-natured giant. He eventually grew to a maximum height of 8 feet 11.1 inches and weighed in at 490 pounds. The "gentle giant" died at the age of 22.
Ask The Old Farmer's Almanac:Why is it that the virtues faith, hope and charity are always portrayed by women? Can't men be virtuous, too? — T.H., Stuttgart, Ark.
Answer: The three theological virtues, faith, hope and charity (or, some say, love), were said to be the daughters of Wisdom, or St. Sophia. There were also four cardinal virtues: courage (which carried a knight's armor, lion skin, sword and buckler); justice (with the scales); prudence; and temperance. Some, like Faith, Hope, Charity, Prudence and Temperance, became common women's names, of course. But if it's any consolation, the word "virtue" comes from the Latin "virtus" for manliness.
When it came to the vices, men were better represented, but both sexes appeared. The cardinal sins include pride (a crowned woman with bat's wings); envy (another woman); gluttony (also female); covetousness (a man sitting on a money chest); sloth (a man asleep); anger (also male); lust (a woman); unbelief (androgynous); despair (male); folly (male); and cowardice (also male). So, while the virtues were predominantly female, the vices were not solely male.
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