Magazine Posts

When angels fly,
from sky's, afar,
I think about,
who you are.

You were my light,
you still are.
A beautiful beacon,
a lovely Star.

A sweet vision,
of love without strife.
You have touched,
Lolo's new life.

July 1, 2024

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

What's happened since the universe started? The time spiral shown here features a few notable highlights. At the spiral's center is the Big Bang, the place where time, as we know it, began about 13.8 billion years ago. Within a few billion years atoms formed, then stars formed from atoms, galaxies formed from stars and gas, our Sun formed, soon followed by our Earth, about 4.6 billion years ago. Life on Earth begins about 3.8 billion years ago, followed by cells, then photosynthesis within a billion years. About 1.7 billion years ago, multicellular life on Earth began to flourish. Fish began to swim about 500 million years ago, and mammals because walking on land about 200 million years ago. Humans first appeared only about 6 million years ago, and made the first cities only about 10,000 years ago. The time spiral illustrated stops there, but human spaceflight might be added, which started only 75 years ago, and useful artificial intelligence began to take hold within only the past few years. Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator

Through idle chatter,
with dust and grey,
as Spring hangs on.
Won't go away.

Perhaps we will,
return to norm,
after July 4th,
when the country was born.

Tis Summer,
is what they say.
Why do we still have
wind and clouds today?

Samuel Barclay Beckett (1906 – 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, literary translator and poet. Beckett was a resident of Paris for most of his adult life and he wrote in both French and English. Beckett was a member of the French Resistance group Gloria SMH during WWII and he was awarded the Croix de Guerre. In 1961 he shared the inaugural Prix International with Jorge Luis Borges. In 1969 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. 

July brings moments of independence, imagination, and turning points in global history. NASA is founded, Disneyland opens its gates, and To Kill a Mockingbird is published—cultural landmarks that continue to influence generations. In earlier eras, the Amistad rebellion challenged the transatlantic slave trade, the Fourteenth Amendment reshaped American citizenship, and medieval battles and coronations redrew political maps across Europe and the Middle East.

Across centuries, July stands at the intersection of freedom, reform, and reinvention. From declarations and reforms to scientific milestones and artistic achievements, the month reflects both decisive action and lasting impact.

Explore the full collection of Today in History events that occurred in July, or jump directly to a specific day—from July 1 through July 31—to see what happened on this day in history.

Browse the timeline to research a date or trace the defining moments that give July its place in history.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

About 12 seconds into this video, something unusual happens. The Earth begins to rise. Never seen by humans before, the rise of the Earth over the limb of the Moon occurred about 55.5 years ago and surprised and amazed the crew of Apollo 8. The crew immediately scrambled to take still images of the stunning vista caused by Apollo 8's orbit around the Moon. The featured video is a modern reconstruction of the event as it would have looked were it recorded with a modern movie camera. The colorful orb of our Earth stood out as a familiar icon rising above a distant and unfamiliar moonscape, the whole scene the conceptual reverse of a more familiar moonrise as seen from Earth. To many, the scene also spoke about the unity of humanity: that big blue marble -- that's us -- we all live there. The two-minute video is not time-lapse -- this is the real speed of the Earth rising through the windows of Apollo 8. Seven months and three missions later, Apollo 11 astronauts would not only circle Earth's moon, but land on it. NASA Administrator Remembers Earthrise Photographer William Anders

Shared by Heather Cox Richardson from Letters from an American

I hear your voice,
and awake. I know
Your away from us