Did you know that Dr. Robert Ballard is one of the world’s top oceanographers?

Dr. Robert Ballard, Photo Taken by Becky Hale, from: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/field/explorers/robert-ballard/

Dr. Robert Ballard, born June 30, 1942 is one the world’s leading oceanographers, and has made a name for himself in the world of marine archeology. He has made many discoveries, such as finding the shipwrecks of the Titanic and USS Yorktown, as well as leading the research on the wreckage of Lusitania and JFK’s PT-109. In 1989 Dr. Ballard founded the JASON PROJECT, which was designed as a distance education program to engage middle school students in science and technology. Dr. Ballard also served as technical consultant for the 1993-1995 TV series “SeaQuest DSV”. Today he is the president of the Sea Research Foundation's Institute for Exploration in Mystic, Connecticut, and continues to lead the way in exploring the world’s oceans.



Find out more about this “Explorer of the deep” and his discoveries below:

 Noaa.gov on Dr. Robert Ballard 

Nationalgeographic on Dr Robert Ballard
Dr. Robert Ballard Ted Talk On Exploring Oceans Link Home

On September 30th of 1966....

Spandau Prison, 1951. "US Army Public Photo Archive of The Prison"

Did you know on today’s date, September 30th of 1966, that Spandau prison, located in west Berlin Germany, released two Nazi war criminals? Albert Speer and Bladur Von Schirach severed 20 years for their crimes. When the Spandau prison was first opened, it was originally built for 600 inmates and held some of the most notorious prisoners of the war. Over time its use as a prison facility passed, and in the end it contained only one prisoner. Until his death, the sole resident was the former Nazi deputy, Fuhrer Rudolf Hess!

Read more about this prison and the inmates below:
Encyclopedia Britannica on Spandau Prison
Time Magazine on Rudolf Hess

Today, September the 27th of 1722 in Boston Massachusetts

  Portrait of Samuel Adams, by John Singleton Copley (1738–1815) / Source from: wikipedia.org article

Did you know today, September the 27th of 1722 in Boston Massachusetts American Revolutionary leader Samuel Adams was born. He was a very vocal character who helped ignite the American revolution and participated in events such as serving as a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congress and even was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Find out more about this inspiring American leader below:

US History.org

Foundersquotes.com

A star that should not exist

  Photo From ESO Page: http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1132/

European astronomers have recently tracked down a star in the Milky Way galaxy that should not exist according to our modern, widely accepted theories of star formation. This faint star, labeled as SDSSJ102915+172927, is found in the constellation Leo (The Lion), and is estimated to be about 13 Billion years old. What makes this star’s existence so intriguing is that this stars mass is so small, and contains a very little amount of metal.

Read more about what will reset our thinking on how stars are formed, written by the European Space Observatory, from the link below:

 European Space Observatory

World War 1 Veteran

  

Photo from Discovery News Site / Photo credit: Corbis

 

Did you know that the last United States World War 1 veteran had passed away?

On the 28th of February, 2011, the United States of America lost its last living connection to World War 1 when Frank Buckles passed away at the age of 110. He died of natural causes at his home in Charles Town West Virginia. Frank had signed up for the military in 1917 after reading about the conflict in a news paper. He had spent the past few years petitioning for a national World War 1 memorial in Washington DC. Currently, the only monument of remembrance for World War 1 in DC is on the grounds of the national mall. It lists the names of locals that served in the Great War. The monument has been passed by time and has not been maintained.

Read more about Frank Buckles and the Great War monument in DC below:

CNN News Article

World War I Memorial Foundation

DC Preservation League

The most earth like planet has been discovered....

Photo from ESO / http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1134/

Were you aware that the most earth-like planet yet has been discovered?
A new Planet was found 36 light-years away. It has been named HD85512b and was discovered by astronomers at the European Southern Observatory. Planet HD85512b is believed to be 3.6 times the size of earth, and could possibly hold water on it's surface. It has also been confirmed that HD85512b is in its star's habitable zone, where temperatures are not to hot or cold for liquid water.

 

Video Animation of HD85512b

Video downloaded from ESO 

http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1134b/

Check out the links below to find out more about this fascinating planet:
Article from Space.com
Article from European Space Observatory (ESO)

Were you aware that Black beard’s pirate ship had been discovered?



Image of  Blackbeard, from wikki black beard link (list at end of article)

Black beard, the most dread dreaded pirate of the high sea's, Pirate ship "Queen Anne's Revenge" was discovered in Buford North Carolina in 1995. When this discovery was made, the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources emphasized that the wreckage could have been the "Queen Anne's Revenge". It was not until recently, after more closely reviewing the evidence, that they finally concluded that this ship was indeed captained by one of the most tempestuous pirates in history.

Check out more about this discovery, and about Blackbeard from the video and links below:

“Queen Anne's Revenge,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/videos/queen-annes-revenge (accessed Sep 2, 2011).

 

National Geographic Blackbeard article

History Channel "Queens Ann Revenge" Video Site

Wikipedia.org "Blackbeard"