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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Don’t judge a galaxy by its size. Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is about 100,000 light years across. This huge expanse of space contains hundreds of billions of stars! The smallest galaxies, called dwarf galaxies, are about 1/10th the size of the Milky Way and only contain a few billion stars. They are also the most common type of galaxy in the whole universe. Today’s image shows one such dwarf galaxy, NGC 4449, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. NGC 4449 and similar dwarf galaxies are missing more oxygen than models predict. This suggests their stellar winds and supernovae are surprisingly effective at blowing away oxygen and other heavy elements. Turns out these tiny galaxies may play a big role in spreading heavy elements — the building blocks of stars, planets, and life — throughout the universe!

Photo by NASA, ESA, A. Aloisi (STScI/ESA), and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration

Veterans Day November 11 | Historical Background

Veterans Day began with the end of World War I. After more than four years of  warfare, Germany and the Allied powers agreed to an armistice that took effect at 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918—the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. The armistice ended the fighting on the Western Front, although the formal peace settlement came later with the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. The war had killed millions of military personnel and civilians, devastated large areas of Europe, and transformed societies throughout the world. Its conclusion inspired widespread relief as well as hope that such destruction would never be repeated.

A year later, on November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first anniversary of the armistice a day of commemoration. The observance combined gratitude for victory, recognition of military service, remembrance of those who had died, and dedication to international peace. Communities marked the occasion with parades, public gatherings, religious services, and a temporary suspension of business at 11:00 a.m.

The day was initially known as Armistice Day. Similar commemorations developed in other Allied countries, where November 11 remains associated with remembrance of wartime service and sacrifice.

Causes and Setting

Armistice Day arose from the belief that the end of World War I represented more than a military victory. Many Americans hoped the conflict would become the last war of its magnitude. The annual observance was therefore intended to preserve the memory of those who served while encouraging peace and mutual understanding among nations. Individual states began recognizing November 11 as a holiday. In 1926, Congress adopted a resolution calling for its annual observance with thanksgiving, prayer, and activities devoted to peace and international goodwill.

The holiday also became connected with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. On November 11, 1921, an unidentified American service member killed in World War I was interred there in a national ceremony. The tomb became an enduring symbol of all military personnel whose identities or final resting places were unknown.Congress made November 11 a federal legal holiday in 1938. The legislation formally called it Armistice Day and dedicated it to the cause of world peace. At that time, the observance remained closely associated with World War I and the veterans who had served in it.

Major Developments

The meaning of Armistice Day changed after the United States fought in World War II and the Korean War. Millions of additional Americans had served in the armed forces, and veterans’ organizations argued that the national observance should recognize veterans of every period rather than those of World War I alone.

Ed Rees, a member of Congress from Kansas, introduced legislation expanding the holiday’s purpose. The proposal was also promoted by veterans, including Raymond Weeks of Birmingham, Alabama, who organized a national veterans celebration beginning in 1947.

In 1954, Congress amended the 1938 law by replacing “Armistice” with “Veterans.” President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the legislation on June 1, and later issued the first presidential Veterans Day proclamation. The renamed holiday honored American veterans of all wars and periods of service.

The change also broadened the observance from commemoration of a particular war’s conclusion to recognition of everyone who had served honorably in the United States Armed Forces. Although remembrance of the dead remained part of the day, Veterans Day developed a purpose distinct from Memorial Day. Memorial Day principally honors military personnel who died in service to the country; Veterans Day honors all American veterans, living or deceased, with particular attention given to living veterans.

The holiday’s date was temporarily altered by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, enacted in 1968. Intended to create additional three-day weekends, the law moved the federal observance of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. The first October observance occurred in 1971.

The change proved unpopular. Many states continued to observe the holiday on November 11 because of the date’s connection to the 1918 armistice. Veterans’ organizations and much of the public also favored restoring its historical date.

President Gerald Ford signed legislation in 1975 returning the federal observance to November 11, beginning in 1978. Veterans Day has remained on that date regardless of the day of the week on which it falls.

Outcome

Veterans Day became the principal national occasion for recognizing Americans who completed military service. Observances now include parades, school programs, community gatherings, flag ceremonies, public addresses, and events organized by veterans’ groups.

The national ceremony is held at Arlington National Cemetery. It traditionally begins at 11:00 a.m. with the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by a program honoring those who served. The timing preserves the connection to the moment when the World War I armistice took effect.

The holiday also draws attention to veterans’ experiences after military service. Public recognition may include discussion of health care, disability, employment, education, housing, mental health, family life, and the difficulties of returning to civilian society. Veterans are not a single or uniform group: they served in different eras, branches, occupations, locations, and circumstances, during both war and peace.

The official spelling is Veterans Day, without an apostrophe. The name indicates a day honoring veterans collectively rather than a day belonging to one veteran or a defined group of veterans.

Historical Significance

Veterans Day reflects the changing relationship between military service, national memory, and citizenship. It began as a commemoration of peace after one catastrophic conflict, then expanded as later wars made it clear that the generation of World War I veterans would not be the nation’s last.

Its history also reveals a continuing tension within public remembrance. The holiday honors service and sacrifice, but its Armistice Day origins carried an equally important commitment to peace. Remembering that origin prevents the observance from becoming solely a celebration of warfare. It recognizes military service while preserving the hope that future generations will face less need for it.

Veterans Day gives Americans an opportunity to acknowledge the holiday's beginings and honoring those who accepted the obligations and risks of military life. Its most enduring meaning lies not in ceremony alone, but in connecting public gratitude with an informed understanding of veterans’ service, experiences, and continuing place within the nation.

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Panoramic view towards Świnica from Kościelec, Tatra National Park, Zakopane. Today is Poland's National Independence Day.

kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.

Did You Know? | Kudos 365 Curiosity Series

1. The largest known organism by area is an underground fungus.
In Oregon's Blue Mountains, a single genetically connected Armillaria fungus extends beneath several square miles of forest. Most of the organism is hidden underground as networks of fungal tissue, making its enormous size easy to overlook.

2. The Eiffel Tower was originally intended to be temporary.
Built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, the tower's original concession allowed it to stand for 20 years. Its usefulness for scientific experiments and, especially, radio communications helped ensure that it remained part of the Paris skyline.

3. Earth's oceans contain underwater lakes and pools.
In some places on the seafloor, extremely salty water collects in depressions because it is denser than ordinary seawater. These brine pools can develop distinct surfaces and shorelike boundaries, creating the remarkable appearance of lakes beneath the ocean.

4. Your skeleton is constantly being rebuilt.
Bone may seem permanent, but it is living tissue undergoing continuous remodeling. Specialized cells remove older bone while others create new material, helping the skeleton repair microscopic damage and adapt to changing physical demands.

5. The world's smallest flowering plants can be smaller than a grain of rice.
Plants in the genus Wolffia, commonly called watermeal, float on ponds and other calm freshwater. Individual plants may measure less than a millimeter across and lack conventional roots and stems, yet they are genuine flowering plants.

6. The first modern Olympic marathon was shorter than today's marathon.
At the 1896 Athens Olympics, the marathon covered roughly 40 kilometers (about 25 miles). The now-standard distance of 42.195 kilometers—26 miles, 385 yards—was not formally standardized internationally until decades later.

7. A large iceberg can contain billions of gallons of fresh water.
Icebergs are generally formed when pieces break away from glaciers or ice shelves created from accumulated snowfall. Although they float in salty oceans, the ice itself is predominantly fresh water—and the largest icebergs contain astonishing quantities of it.

8. A shrimp can produce one of the loudest sounds made by a small marine animal.
Snapping shrimp rapidly close a specialized claw, producing a high-speed jet of water and a collapsing bubble. The resulting cavitation creates an intense snap that can stun small prey. Large colonies can make underwater environments surprisingly noisy.

Sometimes the familiar world becomes much more interesting when we look a little closer --  Explore. Discover. Learn.

Curiosity Series © 2026–Present Kudos365. All Rights Reserved. | M1.0.1 | HSR2.3.0

"Living in the high desert near Santa Fe, New Mexico, winters can be cold and dry. There’s not much water for the birds and, when they find water, its often frozen. We have a heated birdbath and birds flock to it all day. This mountain bluebird is watching from a nearby tree and waiting for an opening to get in and drink."
John Duncan on Unsplash

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Sometimes Saturn disappears. It doesn't really go away, of course -- it just disappears from our view when Earth's Moon moves in front. Such a Saturnian eclipse, more formally called an occultation, was visible in early 2025 along a small swath of Earth -- from Greenland through central Europe and into northern Africa. The featured image is a digital fusion of three images, the first of just Saturn before it disappeared, and then two more of the Moon with different exposure lengths. The images were taken from Sardinia, Italy, after sunset. The bright dot near Saturn is not a moon of Saturn, but rather the star 85 Aquarii, which is further behind Saturn than Saturn is behind the Moon. The next time the Moon moves in front of Saturn, as visible from some place on Earth, will be in 2031.

Photo by Roberto Ortu

Shaking Hands | The Past That Shaped Us | Kudos365 History Series

A handshake is one of the most familiar gestures in human society. Two people extend their right hands, clasp them briefly, and release. The exchange may last only a few seconds, yet it can communicate welcome, trust, respect, agreement, or congratulations.

We shake hands when meeting strangers, greeting friends, concluding negotiations, celebrating achievements, and marking important occasions. The gesture crosses many cultural and national boundaries, although its meaning and popularity vary considerably around the world.

But why did clasping another person's hand become such a widely recognized expression of goodwill? The answer reaches back thousands of years, to societies in which the open hand could represent peaceful intentions and a physical greeting could carry considerable social meaning.

Ancient Origins: A Gesture of Peace

The precise origin of the handshake is unknown. No surviving historical record identifies the first people to exchange one, and similar gestures may have developed independently in different societies. One familiar explanation is that extending the right hand demonstrated that a person was not holding a weapon. In societies where personal encounters could involve danger, offering an empty hand may have served as a visible indication of peaceful intentions.

This explanation is plausible, but it should not be mistaken for a documented account of how handshaking began. Historians cannot establish that the gesture originated specifically as a weapons check, nor that shaking hands was intended to dislodge a concealed dagger. What we do know is that clasped hands appeared in ancient representations of human relationships. In the ancient Near East, a ninth-century BCE relief from the reign of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III depicts the king clasping hands with a Babylonian ruler. The  scene suggests a gesture associated with political recognition or agreement.

Ancient Greek art also provides important evidence. From approximately the fifth century BCE onward, handclasping appears in sculptures and funerary monuments. The Greeks used the term dexiosis for the joining of right hand s, a gesture that could express greeting, farewell, affection, or an enduring relationship.

On some funerary monuments, the deceased and a surviving family member are shown clasping hands. These scenes demonstrate that the gesture could convey emotional and symbolic meanings beyond an ordinary greeting. The Romans likewise used images of joined right hands, associated with dextrarum iunctio, to represent concord, loyalty, and personal or political bonds. Such imagery appeared on coins, monuments, and other objects. By classical antiquity, the joined hand had become a recognizable symbol of connection between individuals.

From Personal Greeting to Public Agreement

For much of history, a handshake could signify more than a simple hello. In societies where formal contracts were less common or where personal reputation carried particular importance, physical gestures helped make promises visible. Joining hands could accompany an agreement, reconciliation, or pledge of loyalty.

The handshake did not itself guarantee that a promise would be honored. Its significance came from the social understanding that the participants were publicly acknowledging a relationship or commitment. This association between handshaking and agreement survived into later European traditions. Even today, people speak of sealing a deal with a handshake, particularly when they wish to emphasize mutual trust rather than elaborate formalities.

The gesture also became associated with equality, although that meaning was neither universal nor present in every historical use. Unlike bowing, kneeling, or other greetings that could emphasize differences in rank, a handshake places the participants in a relatively symmetrical physical position. Each person extends a hand, and both participate in the exchange. That characteristic eventually helped make handshaking attractive in communities seeking less hierarchical forms of social interaction.
 
The Quakers and the Growth of Everyday Handshaking

An important chapter in the development of modern handshaking occurred among the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers.
Emerging in seventeenth-century England, the Quakers rejected many conventional distinctions of social rank. Their religious principles emphasized spiritual equality, simplicity, and the belief that outward displays of deference should not determine a person's worth.

They were known for avoiding certain elaborate greetings and gestures associated with social hierarchy. Handshaking offered a relatively straightforward way to acknowledge another person without the formal distinctions expressed by bowing or removing one's hat. The Quakers support of handshaking helped top establish it as an ordinary, socially acceptable greeting among equals.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, handshaking became increasingly familiar in European and North American social and commercial life. Its use expanded alongside changing conventions of politeness, business relationships, and public interaction. By the modern era, a handshake had become an expected part of many professional introductions and formal encounters.

The Handshake in Business and Diplomacy

As commercial institutions developed, handshaking acquired a particularly strong association with business. It could mark the beginning of a relationship, acknowledge an agreement, or express confidence between parties. The phrase a handshake deal came to represent an understanding based on personal commitment, even when written contracts were absent. In diplomacy, the gesture developed a different but related role.

When political leaders shake hands before cameras, the exchange becomes a public symbol. It may suggest cooperation, reconciliation, mutual recognition, or the willingness to negotiate. The meaning can be especially powerful when the participants represent governments or groups with a history of conflict. A diplomatic handshake, however, does not necessarily mean that underlying disagreements have been resolved. It is a visible expression of contact or agreement whose political significance depends upon the circumstances. The gesture's simplicity makes it particularly useful in such settings. It can communicate a message instantly, without requiring a shared spoken language.

Different Cultures, Different Greetings

Although handshaking is familiar across much of the world, it has never been humanity's universal greeting.
In Japan, bowing has long played an important role in expressing respect and acknowledging social relationships. In Thailand, the wai, performed by placing the palms together, serves a similar purpose. In India, namaste, often accompanied by joined palms, is another established form of greeting.

In some societies, handshakes are customary but follow different conventions concerning duration, firmness, or the use of one or both hands. Religious and cultural practices may also influence whether people shake hands across genders.
These differences demonstrate that the underlying purpose of a greeting—recognizing another person's presence and establishing an appropriate relationship—can be expressed through many gestures. The handshake became internationally recognizable partly through the expansion of European commercial, diplomatic, and political conventions. Its global familiarity should not be confused with universal cultural preference.

What a Handshake Communicates

A handshake is unusual because it combines a symbolic gesture with direct physical contact. Extending a hand requires a small act of mutual cooperation. Both participants must recognize the invitation, respond, and coordinate their movements. The result is a brief physical acknowledgment of one another.

In modern social settings, people sometimes interpret the firmness, duration, or manner of a handshake as an indication of confidence, friendliness, or sincerity. Such impressions, however, are not reliable measures of character. They are influenced by cultural expectations, personal habits, physical abilities, and the circumstances of the encounter.

A firm handshake may be considered appropriate in one setting and unnecessarily forceful in another. A gentle handshake may reflect courtesy rather than uncertainty. What gives the gesture meaning is not its physical strength but the shared social understanding surrounding it.

A Tradition That Continues to Change

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how quickly even deeply established social customs can change.
Concerns about disease transmission led many people to replace handshakes with waves, nods, verbal greetings, or other gestures that avoided physical contact. In business and diplomatic settings, greetings that had once seemed almost automatic became matters of personal choice. As restrictions eased, handshaking returned in many places, but the experience also reinforced the idea that physical contact should not be assumed or required.

Today, the handshake remains a familiar part of social, professional, and ceremonial life. Yet it exists alongside a wider range of accepted greetings, reflecting changing expectations about health, personal boundaries, and cultural differences.

Lasting Impact

The handshake has endured because it transforms a simple physical action into a recognizable expression of human connection.
Across centuries, clasped hands have represented peaceful intentions, affection, agreement, loyalty, reconciliation, and mutual recognition. Although the circumstances have changed, these meanings remain familiar in modern business, diplomacy, and everyday encounters.
Its history also illustrates how social customs evolve. A gesture used in ancient political and personal relationships gradually became an ordinary greeting in many societies, acquiring new meanings as ideas about equality, politeness, and public behavior changed.


History Series © 2026–Present Kudos365. All Rights Reserved. | M2.0.0 | HSR2.4.0 

12th-century crypt of Verdun Cathedral, France, rediscovered after the Great War during the restoration works. When the reconstruction of the crypt was completed, the cathedral was reconsecrated on 10 November 1935.

Andreas F. Borchert, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. View source.