Today marks the first day of Autumn, and it officially began at 11:44am, eastern daylight time, here in the Northern Hemisphere. Everywhere on Earth (except near the poles) will have an equal amount of daylight and darkness, about 12 hours and 8 minutes.

For those of us who love sunlight, this also marks the day that our daylight hours will get progressively shorter as we move through Autumn and into Winter until we reach the Winter Solstice....so get out there and enjoy the day!

If the Equinox does not add enough excitement to your day, today is also Hobbit Day! This day celebrates the birthdays of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins and their creator J.R.R. Tolkien, and is just part of the festivities during Tolkien week, which runs from 9/21-27*.

* source: Chase's Calendar of Events, 2008. R. 905 C487A1 

If you're living in Chicago, chances are, baseball is a part of your life this summer. Whether you're a Cubs fan or a Sox fan, or just trying to avoid enthusiastic fans on the train, it's hard not to notice that the pennant race is heating up! And, with both teams currently in first place in their respective divisions, it's even more exciting this year...

But, did you know that on August 11, 1929, Babe Ruth became the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs in his career with a home run at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio? Just a little fun fact you can break out as you're sitting in the Cell tonight cheering for the Sox's against Boston!

Today is one of the days the International Earth Rotation Service of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures sets aside to add or subtract a second from the atomic clock to "coordinate atomic and astronomical time."  In case you were feeling a little off.

Source: Chase's Calendar of Events, 2008. Lincoln Park Reference, R.905 C487A1

On June 10, 1943  Hungarian journalist Laszlo Biro (1899-1985) patented the ballpoint pen. The inspiration came one day during a visit to the print shop of the magazine for which he wrote. Noticing how quickly the ink dried, he saw the advantages in a pocket-sized writing implement with that property and set to work on a prototype in 1938. To escape the Nazis, Biro fled to Argentina in 1940 and began selling his pens in Buenos Aires in 1945. His name became a household word--biro is a global synonym for the ballpoint pen.     

Source: This Day in Business History by Raymond L. Francis available at the Loop Campus Library, R.330.900202 F819d2006

Memorial Day is much more than a three-day weekend that marks the beginning of summer. To many people, especially the nation's thousands of combat veterans, this day, which has a history stretching back all the way to the Civil War, is an important reminder of those who died in the service of their country. To read more about the history of this national holiday, click here.

All DePaul Libraries will maintain normal hours on Saturday and Sunday; Only the Lincoln Park Campus Library will be open on Monday from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

In 1861, after Mexico declared a temporary moratorium on the payment of foreign debts, English, Spanish and French forces invaded the country.  By April 1862, English and Spanish forces withdrew and on May 5, 1862, a band of poorly equipped soldiers defeated French troops lead by Napolean III at the Battle of Puebla.  The victory over the French came to symbolize Mexican resistance of foreign domination and is now celebrated in Mexico and the United States as Cinco de Mayo.¹  The celebration has come to more broadly represent Mexican pride and heritage.

1. "Cinco de Mayo." Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 5 May 2008 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9389223>

Tomorrow marks the 38th celebration of Earth Day.  The event was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin, who also passed legislation to protect the Appalachian Trail and ban the use of the pesticide DDT.  Since its inception on April 22, 1970, Earth Day has grown from a national event with 20 million participants to an internationally recognized celebration.¹  The purpose of Earth Day is to raise awareness of growing environmental concerns including global warming and the need for clean renewable energy sources.  Find out more about current environmental issues by following the links below.

• What won't you be taking home from Whole Foods?  Find out here.
• Is clean energy affordable?  Check out this article from the March 2008 issue of Business Week.
• Farmers are bowing out of U.S. government conservation program. Read more.
• Interested in tracking evironmental issues? Visit the Science section-environmental issues page at the New York Times or listen to environmentalist Lester Brown discuss biofuel and other current environmental issues on NPR's Worldview.
• Check out the libraries' holdings for books on sustainable living, environmental health, global warming or search the online catalog for other environmental issues.

Interested in what you can do to protect the environment?

• Start at home with energy conservation and recycling.
• Volunteer at a local organization such as Chicago Wilderness or the Chicago branch of the Sierra Club.

Have fun exploring the links that spark your interest and have a happy Earth Day!!! 

_{1 "Earth Day." Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 10 Apr 2008 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9442790>.}

April 17th
National High Five Day

Don't leave us hanging!  Stop by the reference desk--we won't force you to give us a high five, but if you stop by, we will give you some treats in celebration of National Library Week!

Source: Chase's Calendar of Events, 2008 Lincoln Park Reference, R.905 C487A1

  The safety pin was patented on this day in 1849 by Walter Hunt of New York.

 Source: Chase's Calendar of Events, 2008 Lincoln Park Reference, R.905 C487A1