Blue Moon….

A Blue Moon, Super Moon and Blood Moon are all being present tonight for the first time since 1866.

Once in a blue moon…an expression that we have generally all come across at some point. Does, “I only go out for dinner or the cinema once in a blue moon now that I have children“, sound familiar?? Well, have you ever wondered where the expression comes from…..

 

[metaslider id=297]

 

The definition that we commonly go with in my generation is that an actual blue moon is the second full moon in a month. This was coined after a bit of a mix up back in 1946, when an article entitled “Once in a Blue Moon” appeared in Sky & Telescope written James Hugh Pruett (1886-1955), who was an amateur astronomer living in Eugene, Oregon USA. He had attributed it to the second full moon in a month. Originally it had been associated to the more complicated formular of the fourth full moon of a farming season. Some saw his version of the second full moon as a mistake but it has stuck as the more common version.

The name blue moon has been subject now of songs, poems and also used in every day language. When it’s used it stands for ‘never’ or ‘rarely’. I take all new parents back to the quote in the first paragraph!

Is the moon actually blue?…No. When there has been recorded sightings of the moon having a blue tinge it’s been when there has been volcanic ash which has risen and caused this slight effect.

It seems to transcend the years and still maintains a modernity that is as rare as a, dare I say it…….a blue moon!

There are many other names for full moons, which ones do you know?

Or, do you have your own tales of when you’ve used the term ‘once in a blue moon’?

Tweet to let others know about the moon facts!Click To Tweet

 

 

8 Incredible January Facts 

As you probably know I love facts and trivia so I thought I’d kick the new year off with 8 Incredible January facts to get your mind awake.

The zodiac star signs which cover this period are Capricorn which spans from December 22nd – January 19th who’s element is earth and Aquarius January 20th – February 18th who’s element is air.

Something which I am very pleased about is that on January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs announced the iPhone at the Macworld convention. It wasn’t until June that it was actually released. In apple ads for the iPhone, the time is always shown as 9.41

Australia day on the 26th is when Australia celebrates the day of the establishment of the first European settlement at Port Jackson, now part of Sydney, which happened in 1788.

Movie releases for the UK in January 2017 were; Monster Calls with Felicity Jones, Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver, cert 12A, Assassins Creed with Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons cert 12A, La la Land with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone cert 12A

In 2018 we have; The Commuter, you have to love a bit of Liam Nelson battling against the odds. Downsizing with Matt Damon looks well worth a box of popcorn. I’m still watching Martian quite happily after about the 10th time! The Post is the one to watch for Spielberg fans.

It’s the month of birth of Robert “Rabbie” Burns, Scottish poet. Burns Suppers celebrated all over the world each year on this day on the 25th January. Auld Lang Syne is one of the most frequently sung songs in English, most of which was written by Robert Burns.

There is a variety of cold-tolerant winter cabbage grown in England known as January King. It is purple and blue in places and is a hardy winter veg.

Martin Luther King day is held on the third monday in January in the United States. He was an important civil rights activist and was a leader in the movement to end racial segregation in the United States. His most famous address was the “I Have A Dream” speech in 1963. He was an advocate of non-violent protest and became the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

click to share with your friends on twitterClick To Tweet

The Anglo Saxons who came from north-western Europe to Great Britain called it the Wulf-monath (meaning “wolf month”) as it was the time of year when the wolves were unable to find food and their hunger made them bold enough to come into the villages of ancient Britain.

 

If you enjoyed this and would like to see a few more then have a little look at another of my posts here: Amazing Facts – you never knew you didn’t know!

8 Incredible January Facts 

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

10 Quiz Questions You Need To Know

10 Quiz Questions you must know! Test yourself with these 10 well known quiz questions that you will have on the tip of your tongue, but will you remember?

I love going to our local quiz. It’s a great time that I get to spend with my family and friends. It taps into areas of my brain that sometimes don’t get an airing and are stuck on mum or work mode. I like the movies and tv or pot luck, my OH is good at maths and geography, my brother is a good all-rounder and my nephew is right on the button with modern music.

There are some great general knowledge questions that I always have on the tip of my tongue, really should know but can’t recall them. So, I thought I’d put them down in a quick fire 10 Quiz Questions you need to know post. Questions first and then answers below. Keep them for reference later on:)

Are you ready for the Questions?

1. What is the total number of dots on a dice?

2. What country has the smallest coastline?

3. What is Sir Elton Johns real name?

4. What is the largest state in the USA?

5. What is a baby spider called?

6. What is the chemical symbol for Gold?

7. What is the name of the large snake in Jungle Book?

8. How many minutes in a week? You have 30 seconds to work it out – set the timer!

9. If you were born on May 13th what star sign are you?

10. Is the capital city of Germany Berlin or Munich?

 

See Below for the answers

10 quiz questions you need to know

The Answers are…

1. As there are six faces on a die: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. These total  21

2. Monaco. It’s only around 3-4 kilometers

3. Reginald Kenneth Dwight

4. Alaska

5. Spiderling

6. Au

7. Kaa

8. 10080

9. Taurus

10. Berlin

 

How did you do? If you liked these then I think you’ll also enjoy my 10 Amazing Facts you never knew you didn’t know!

I’d love to hear  your score today and also if you have any great quiz questions then please put them to me in the comments section!

Test your friends by tweetingClick To Tweet

 

 

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.