Feb. 10, Monday — Moon at ascending node. Edmund Halley became second Astronomer Royal of England, 1720.
Feb. 11, Tuesday — Mount Holyoke Seminary, first women's college, chartered, 1836. Inventor Thomas Alva Edison born, 1847.
Feb. 12, Wednesday — President Abraham Lincoln born, 1809. First baseball catcher's mask patented by F. W. Thayer, 1878.
Feb. 13, Thursday — Moon rides high. First lady Bess Truman born, 1885. "Blue Danube," by composer Johann Strauss, premiered in Vienna, 1867.
Feb. 14, Friday — St. Valentine. James Polk became first U.S. president to be photographed, 1849. Inventor of the Ferris wheel, George Ferris, born, 1859.
Feb. 15, Saturday — The National Flag of Canada was inaugurated, 1965. A February spring is not worth a pin.
Feb. 16, Sunday — Full snow moon. Basketball pro Wilt Chamberlain scored 30,000th point, 1972.
Ask The Old Farmer's Almanac: What's the difference between a raven and a crow, and why does the former have such a bad reputation? — J.N.K., Paterson, N.J.
Answer: They're cousins, you might say, both from the family Corvidae, but the raven is definitely the black sheep of the family, probably because of its sheer size and darkness of plumage. The common raven (Corvus corax) can be half a foot longer than a crow, spanning about 26 inches in length, whereas the average length of the common American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) is about 20 inches. Ravens have thicker beaks than crows; sport wedge-shaped, rather than fan-shaped, tails; and emit lower, hoarser calls.
Ravens are the largest birds of the crow family and are typically, well, ravenous when it comes to feeding. They're scavengers and pests, but they do not gather in large groups as crows sometimes do, preferring, instead, to remain alone or in pairs.
They've come to be seen as birds of bad omens, denoting ill luck or even death. Some say that the significance originated with the tendency of ravens to follow armies or pestilence, hoping to feast on corpses. In one old myth, it was a raven that informed Apollo of the faithlessness of one of his nymphs. For this, Apollo "blacked the raven o'er, / And bid him prate in his white plumes no more." (Evidently, the raven was formerly as white as a swan.)
Other old myths depict the raven as prophetic. Although crows do not share the ominous reputation that ravens do, they can be just as bothersome. All crows can be thieves of small, bright objects, much like magpies — another crow cousin, along with blue jays, jackdaws and rooks. Crows have been known to ruin new plantings of corn, as well as to make a meal of mature corn as it ripens in the field .
Yet, crows are thought to have their strong points, as well. Experts tell us that they are among the most intelligent of birds. Some have been taught to talk, like parrots, and to perform tricks.
Ask The Old Farmer's Almanac: We hear so much about environmental toxins commonly present in everyday life. Are there sensible ways to minimize one's exposure? —P.R., Vienna, Va.
Answer: Toxins we often hear about include secondary smoke (from cigarettes); carbon monoxide (near busy roads and in underground parking); benzene (from gasoline fumes); formaldehyde (from carpeting, upholstery, drapes, foam insulation); various sources of radiation (including video display terminals, some appliances and electrical power lines); lead (in old house paints); radon (which can dissipate into homes through stone or cinder block foundations); and mold (in cellars, bathrooms, air-conditioner vents, old foam rubber pillows). Many of these toxins have the possibility of recourse.
You can choose to avoid smokers and underground parking. You can get in the "full service" line at gas stations, or use the pumps fitted with protective nozzles and then turn away from the smell. In the house, choose the natural-fiber area rugs over wall-to-wall carpeting, or at least inform yourself about what the backing of the carpet contains. The same with choices of upholstery, drapes and anything you'll live with for a long time. Look for natural, not synthetic, materials.
Avoid radiation by choosing an old-fashioned clock over the video-display variety. In your office, consider an antiradiation screen for your computer monitor. Make sure the copier is well ventilated or turned off, and don't sit next to it. As for lead and radon, there are tests that you can have done to make sure your home is safe. Remove any mold from surfaces, and replace materials as needed; help prevent further growth by keeping areas clean and dry (reducing moisture is key!), and by providing plenty of ventilation.
Before you bring any chemical cleansers into the house, especially oven cleaners or toilet or drain products, consider what they're going to do to your air quality. If you choose to use them, ventilate! Also, if you live in an area where air pollution is a problem, keep tabs on outdoor air-quality advisories; some activities may be restricted during this period.
Ask The Old Farmer's Almanac: Is it true that the word "tidy" really relates to the tides? — B.W., Sarasota, Fla.
Answer: That's right; they both derive from the Old English "tid," for time. A tidy fortune, for example, is a sum of money that's not only neat, but also seasonable, or earned in good time. One 16th-century proverb begins, "If the weather be fair and tidy," meaning that it was seasonable, or right for that time of year, whether summer or winter. Someone who is getting along tidily is doing well, or doing favorably under the circumstances. It's not so much a matter of neatness as it is of appropriateness.
Just as the tides are methodical and keep to their proper season, so tidiness comes with orderliness and proper arrangement, along with a hint of opportunity. A young bachelor, hoping to make his tidy fortune, knows that "The tide must be taken when it comes." If he misses his chance, however, he'll be assured that, "The tide never goes out so far but it always comes in again." If he misses it a second time, however, he should be warned that "Time and tide wait for no man."
Send your questions to: Ask the Almanac, The Old Farmer's Almanac, Main St., Dublin, NH 03444. Every day the editors of The Old Farmer's Almanac answer a question on the Internet. All questions are archived there as well. On the World Wide Web, the address is www.almanac.com; © Yankee Publishing