Eunice Newton Foote (1819–1888) was an American inventor, women's rights campaigner, and the first scientist to conclude that rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) could impact climate. Born in Connecticut, she was raised in New York at the center of movements such as the abolition of slavery, anti-alcohol activism, and women's rights. The Troy Female Seminary and Rensselaer School gave her a broad education in science. After marrying an attorney in 1841, Foote settled in Seneca Falls. She signed the Declaration of Sentiments and edited the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention's proceedings. In 1856 she published a paper (pictured) demonstrating the absorption of heat by CO2 and water vapor, hypothesizing that changing amounts of atmospheric CO2 would alter the climate. Foote died in 1888; her contributions were largely unknown before being rediscovered by women academics in the late 20th century. The American Geophysical Union instituted the Eunice Newton Foote Medal for Earth-Life Science in 2022.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunice_Newton_Foote
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1736:
Nader Shah, the founder of the Afsharid dynasty, was crowned Shah of Iran. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nader_Shah
1919:
During the Egyptian Revolution, British authorities arrested rebel leader Saad Zaghloul and exiled him to Malta. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Revolution_of_1919
1978:
BBC Radio 4 began broadcasting Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a science fiction radio series that was later adapted into novels, a television series, and other formats. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy_%28radio_series%29
1983:
Cold War: In a speech to the National Association of Evangelicals in Orlando, Florida, U.S. president Ronald Reagan described the Soviet Union as an "evil empire". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_Empire_speech
2017:
The Azure Window, a limestone natural arch in Gozo, Malta, collapsed during a storm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azure_Window
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
foundress: 1. (dated) A female founder (“one who founds or establishes”). 2. (zoology, specifically) A female animal which establishes a colony. 3. (obsolete, rare) A female founder (“one who founds or casts metals”). https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/foundress
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
A definition is the start of an argument, not the end of one. --Neil Postman https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Neil_Postman
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