JANUARY
Civil rights leader remembered on the third Monday of January in the U.S.
MARTIN LUTHER KING Jr. - As January approaches, many families take a moment to reflect on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. whose impact continues to inspire people around the world. He was one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movements from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. Martin Luther King Day is observed on the third Monday of January.
It's the capital of Australia!
CANBERRA - The capital city of Australia is Canberra. In 1908 the site of the nation's capital was chosen as a compromise between rival cities, Sydney (NSW) and Melbourne (Vic). Cranberra is besides being known as Australia's capital city, it's sometimes affectionally called The Bush capital for its sweeping nature reserves and surrounding mountain ranges.
Annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
EARTH DAY - Earth Day is an annual event celebration that honours the achievements of the environmental movement and raise awareness of the need to protect Earths natural resources for future generations. The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, it now is a wide range of events that includes 1 billion people in more that 193 countries. Each country celebrates this day differently. In one country , you may see a parade of employees biking to work instead of driving. In another, a community project, like tree-planting or gardening.In Toronto, residents were encouraged to host community cleanups to remove litter from public spaces such as parks, ravines, sidewalks etc.
World population in 2023 grew by how many hundreds, thousands or millions?
75 MILLION - The world population grew by 75 million people over the past year and as of past New Year's Day it stands at more than eight billion people according to figures by the U.S. Census Bureau. If the current pace continues through the end of the decade, the 2020s could be the slowest growing decade in U.S history. The slowest-growing decade currently was in the aftermath of the Great Depression in the 1930s, when the growth rate was 7.3 . (today's rate 4.3).
The "D" for D-Day of the 1944 invasion stands for what?
DAY - D-DAY was the name given to the June 6, 1944 invasion of the beaches at Normandy in Northern France by troops from the United States. The most widely acknowledged explanation for why that event is remembered as D-Day is a straightforward one. This code designation was used for the day of any important invasion or military operation.
The French maintain the D means "disembarkation" and the poetics insist D-Day is short for "Day of Decision".
The most common New Year's resolution in the U.S. and Canada.
EXERCISE MORE - as the New Year begins, people find themselves joining the wave of resolutions, with a commitment to exercise regularly. It's not just a goal; it's a journey towards a healthier, more energetic version of oneself, one step at a time.
20-Time Grand Slam winner who was willing to miss tournament over vaccine.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC - Novak Djokovic has said he would rather miss out on future tennis trophies than be forced to get a Covid vaccine. In January of 2022, the 20-time Grand Slam winner was deported from Australia after the government cancelled his vis one his vaccine status. He said " I was never against vaccination, but I've always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body. Novak did receive a visa to play in the 2023 Australian Open, inspire of not being vaccinated.
Greenhouse gases that are the biggest contributor to global warming.
CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) - carbon dioxide a chemical compound. It is an important heat-trapping gas, or greenhouse gas, that comes from extracting and burning of fossil fuels, from wildfires. It is a colorless, odorless gas. Carbon dioxide travels in the blood from the body's tissue to the lungs. Breathing out clears carbon dioxide from the lungs.
This weekend marked the 180th. anniversary of what national news source.
GOLBE and MAIL - Yesterday, January 6th. marked the debut of our nations newspaper the Globe and Mail, when Scottish-born newspaperman George Brown founded the paper 180 years ago, when his crusades for justice made powerful enemies - and his reconciliation with one of them would create a new country. The Globe and Mail reaches over 20 million Canadians daily.
Extremely valuable underground fungus that can be found by digging, and are referred to as "dirty diamonds".
TRUFFLES - The truffle, the fruiting body of a fungus, is one gof the most expensive foods you can buy.The reason behind such hight cost is the scarcity of the produce.Unlike mushrooms, they grow underground near tree roots. In recent decades, trained dogs replaced pigs to dig up the truffle, reason being that pigs would often eat the fungus. Just recently, eight ounce (227 grams) listed for US$3,900 (Can$5,200).
Gemstone associated with January, known for its red color.
GARNET - Garnet is the birthstone for January and the stone that celebrates the 2nd anniversary of marriage. The name 'garnet' comes from the Latin word 'Garanatus', meaning seedlike, in reference to a pomegranate. It is one of the most common and widespread gems, but not all garnets are as abundant as the red ones. In the past, garnet was believed to have healing properties because of its blood red colour.
Animal that is native to Australia.
KANGAROO - Animal that is native to Australia. Facts about the kangaroo:
Kangaroos are mainly active at night
Kangaroos live in family groups, called a mob
Kangaroo females can raise one young per year
Kangaroos use their tails to lean on, push off and move on. Essentially they use it as an extra leg.
President who had solar panels installed on the White House Roof.
JIMMY CARTER - In June 1979, Jimmy Carter spoke at the dedication ceremony for the 32 solar panels he had installed on the roof of the White House. The glass, aluminum, and stainless steel panels reclined at low angles and basked in the sun as the men in suits and ties, flanked by reporters, took to theWest Wing roof to look at what they thought was the future. In 1986, seven years after the West Wing roof party, Ronald Reagan tore down the solar panels, due to government indifferences.
American financier, known for his charismatic personality, who developed an elite "social circle" that ended up in in a big scandal.
JEFFREY EPSTEIN - in 1974, at his time as a school headmaster in Manhattan, Jeffrey Edward Epstein treated his students more like friends than their teacher, and started showing inappropriate behaviour toward underage female students. This is when he developed an elite "social circle" that involved high profile friends and acquaintances. The yet to be released documents include at least 200 names of presidents, bankers, lawyers and ........ a British Prince.
Features of the new Canadian passport design.
COAT OF ARMS - The new passport will display a Coat of Arms, making Canada among the first in the Commonwealth to introduce a travel document series that references King Charles III. It will show the Queen's Coat of Arms as the passport's creation came before the King approved the new version. The new cover will have an outline of a maple leaf and visa pages will exhibit seasonal art that changes under ultraviolet light. The new passport will begin rolling out late summer.
Area where a record wind chill of -91C was recorded in January of 1989.
PELLY BAY in the Northwest Territories - Us Canadians know that normal recorded temperature is usually hiding something worse: windchill. In January of 1989, Pelly Bay, Nunavut, recorded a record low of -91C with the windchill. In 1999 the name Pelly Bay was changed to Kugaaruk, meaning "little stream", has a population of 1,035 and has it's own airport, the Kugaaruk airport.
Name of the world's largest coral reef system.
GREAT BARRIER REEF - located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Australia, is the world's largest coral reef system stretching over 2,300 km over an area of more than 344,000 sq.km, with thousands of reefs and hundreds of islands. The combination od destructive fishing practices, polluted water entering the ocean, coastal development, shipping-and climate change causing rapid ocean warming has led to mass coral death.
Regions that have experienced the most obvious and impactful effect of global warming so far.
ARCTIC REGIONS - The warmer temperatures are having impacts in the Arctic region. Sea ice is melting, frozen ground (called permafrost) is thawing, and habitat is shrinking for wildlife that rely on cold temperatures. Changes in the Arctic climate are important because the Arctic acts as a refrigerator for the rest of the world - it helps cool the planet. So changes in the Arctic climate could affect the climate in the rest of the world.
An annual around the world iconic New Year's Day tradition that took place on January 1, 2024.
THE ROSE PARADE - It started in 1890 with the Valley Hunt Club members, a private social club located in Pasadena, California. Its residents who were eager to showcase their home's mild winter weather to New Yorkers, who were dealing with freezing temperatures.
They decided to hold a festival to tell the world about their paradise by having the Rose Parade, with numerous floats. The 2024 Rose Parade theme: "Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language".
The day, we reflect on the Crown's contributions to Canada's development and celebrate Canadian heritage and culture,
VICTORIA DAY, MAY 24th - For over 175 years, Canadians have celebrated this day as the birthday of our head of state, beginning with Her Imperial Majesty Queen Victoria. Victoria played a supportive role in development of the Dominion of Canada, bringing together political figures from the British North American colonies through their shared loyalty to the Crown.
Why is January 11 an important day in Canada.
JOHN MACDONALD DAY - The Right Honourable Sir John A. Macdonald was the first Prime Minister of Canada and one of the architects of Confederation. MacDonald was the leading figure in the subsequent discussions re. the establishment of Canada as a nation in 1867. He was the first prime minister of this new nation, and served 19 years. Every January 11, Canadians organize activities and events in his honour.
It's the oldest city in Australia.
SYDNEY - nicknamed SIN CITY . Located on Australia's east coast, Sydney is the oldest, largest and most populous city in Australia. In the second half of the 20th century, Sin City was in every way a nickname for Sydney. Organised crime held a grip on the city and corruption was rife, infiltrating the top levels of politics, law and justice. This reputation is now outdated, due to new the imposition of new laws.
It's the oldest and largest sources of renewable energy.
HYDROPOWER - Hydropower is one of the oldest and largest sources of renewable energy, which uses the natural flow of moving water to generate electricity. Why is it called hydropower? Hydro comes from the Greek word for water. The Power of Running Water. Hydroelectric energy has been used fro thousands of years. Ancient Romans built turbines, which are wheels turned by flowing water.
Today is the 81st anniversary of this annual award presentation.
GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS - The 81st Golden Globe Awards that presents awards for film and American television productions of 2023. It is annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honour artists and professionals and their work and has been a major part of the film industry's award season, which culminates each year in the Academy Awards.
Biomass that is stretching from West Africa all the way to the Gulf of Mexico (9,000km)
SARGASSUM BELT - the Seaweed Belt. This giant brown belt stretches from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico, and contains scattered floating patches of seaweed which accumulates in the open ocean. It originates in the Sargasso Sea , which lies east of Florida and the Caribbean. Because of sea currents, a wave of sargassum floats to the Dominican Republic and as far as California where it hits its beautiful beach. They refer to it as "Devil Weed".