Have you ever felt like arrest some mass together and crispen something in the name of skill ? If you have , then you may have already noticed that of theeleven federally distinguish U.S. holidays , not a one of them has anything to do with science .
There are , of path , many unofficial days of watching throughout the yr , but how many science - theme examples can you really name off the top of your head , save the obvious Earth day and Arbor Day ? permit us help you out — here are 10 scientific holidays to look forward to in 2012 and beyond .
10 ) Yuri ’s Night : April 12 , 2012
Yuri Gagarin was a soviet pilot burner , cosmonaut , and the first person in story to hazard into tabu place . In recognition of his forged - assery , people the world over congregate every year on April 12th to commemorate his flight of stairs in the Vostok 1 starship ( April 12 , 1961 ) , the first Space Shuttle flight ( April 12 , 1981 ) , and to promote the hereafter of outer space exploration . [ Imagevia ]
Last year marked the fiftieth anniversary of Gagarin ’s ocean trip to outer space , but people have been celebrate every year since 2001 , and there ’s no sign of them letting up in the future tense . Yuri ’s Night Space Parties are contain every year in city and towns all over the world ( the exposure featured here was captured at the Yuri ’s Night Bay Area 2010 , held at NASA Ames Research Center in California ) . Head over tothe main Yuri ’s Night webpageto keep up - to - date on where to incur a local celebration as the date approach . [ Photo byMatthew Reyes ]
9 ) Pi Day : March 14 , 2012
The mathematical incessant pi ( or π ) symbolise the kinship between a traffic circle ’s diameter and its circumference . Most people know pi from equation like A = πr2 , which is used to calculate the expanse of a circle , but even beyond widely - known country and volume equations , pi is one of the most utilitarian and commonly used constants in all of math .
While pi has been calculated to over10 trillion digits past its decimal point , it is typically just approximated as 3.14 , which is why pi day is celebrate every year by maths buffs the the macrocosm over on the fourteenth day of March , the third calendar month of the year ( fun fact : pi day also happens to be Albert Einstein ’s birthday ) . you may celebrate this year by kicking back with a slash of pie , listen tosome pi - inspired tunes , andgetting your needlework on . get word more onthe official pi day website .
http://io9.com/5852502/epic-pi-quest-sets-10-trillion-digit-record?tag=pi
This Is What Pi Sounds Like
Find private eye with a sewing needle
- Pi Approximation Day : July 22 , 2012
And for those who choose to laugh in the facial expression of pi ’s irrational nature by plainly equating it to 22/7 ( an over - bringing close together , but a intellectual number , notwithstanding ) , there isPi Approximation Day , which is observed on July 22 ( 22/7 in day / month date data format ) .
7 ) National Metric Week : October 7—13 , 2012
The metrical organisation is used by every single industrialised country on Earth but the United States , and its use is essential to just about every scientific theatre of operations imaginable .
fight down the good fighting , people — recognize the superiority of the metric system on the second week of October , during National Metric Week ( in other words , the week containing 10/10 ) — and maybe one Clarence Day we ’ll accredit it every day of the class . Familiarize yourself with the switch to metric function with handy pathfinder like this one , courtesy of XKCD .
6 ) Mole Day : October 23 , 2012
The “ mole ” is one of the most basic unit of measurement in all of chemistry . Generally address , one mole of any substance — be it an speck like hydrogen , or a molecular compound like pee — is said to be 6.02 x 1023 particle or molecules of that substance . This numer is known as Avogadro ’s number , in recognition ofAmedeo Avogadro(pictured here with a mole on his articulatio humeri ) , who believe of the constant quantity .
In memorial of Avogadro ’s number , chemistry enthusiasts celebrate annually on October 23 from 6:02 am to 6:02 pm ( though the nature of Avogadro ’s number means alternate notice dates — like June 2 — also subsist ) . chemist have been celebrating mole day unofficially every class since 1991 — you may see more about this yr ’s celebrations — include this yr ’s theme of “ Molar Eclipse ” — over at theNational Mole Day Foundation . [ Imagevia ]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmaal7Hf0WA
5 ) Hagfish sidereal day : October 17th , 2012
Hagfish are utterly abhorrent brute , but they ’re also pretty awing , and play an important role in their native ecosystems . It was with this in mind that Ruth Musgrave , managing director of WhaleTimes.org , introduced Hagfish day in 2009 .
“ In world-wide , science programme highlight the precious , ” said Musgrave — a former marine science pedagog and freelance children ’s writer — in an interview with Science Magazine , ” but an ecosystem ask everything . ” The idea behind Hagfish Day , she explains , is that “ detestable and slightly revolting animate being like hagfish make cracking role model for play up preservation concerns for all nautical animate being . ”
Hagfish Day is celebrated the third Wednesday of every October . travel to WhaleTimes.orgfor more information , let in suggestion on how to observe the vacation like a slime - loving professional .
4 ) International Darwin Day : February 12 , 2012
Created in 1993 by molecular life scientist Robert Stephens , Darwin Day is billed as a global celebration of science , humanity , and reason , and is held every yr on or around February 12th — the birthday of evolutionary life scientist Charles Darwin . According to the International Darwin Day Foundation website :
Recognizing science as an external language accessible to all individuals and company , the International Darwin Day Foundation provides a new global holiday that transcends separate nationality and cultures . Darwin Day can be lionize in many unlike way : civic ceremonies with official proclamations , educational symposia , birthday company , artwork show , script discussions , hall days , games , protests , and dinner parties . Organizers may include : pedantic high society , skill organizations , freethought groups , spiritual congregations , libraries , museum , gallery , teachers and educatee , family and friends . In Darwin Day , we are capable to recognize the diverseness among us , while celebrating our common humanity and the cosmopolitan understanding we divvy up .
Head over tothe official Darwin Day websiteto learn more and find out aboutupcoming Darwin Day Events near you .
3 ) DNA Day : April 20 , 2012
Historically , DNA Day has been celebrated on April 25th . It was on April 25th , in 1953 , thatthe article on the social structure of DNA(based on the body of work of James Watson , Francis Crick , and Rosalind Franklin ) was first published ; and it was also during April ( fifty days later in 2003 ) that the Human Genome Project was complete .
It was also in 2003 that the U.S. Senate and the House of Representativesdeclared the month of April “ Human Genome Month , ” and the twenty-fifth “ DNA Day”(they did not , however , make it an official , one-year holiday ) . Every DNA Day since then has been organise by the National Human Genome Research Institute ( NHGRI ) , with the holiday taking position on different daytime throughout April . This year ’s festivity will be hold on April 20th — go over outthe official DNA Day webpageto learn more . [ Imagevia ]
2 . Square Root Day : April 4 , 2016
It probably does n’t really need explaining , but Square Root Day is hold whenever the act match to the calendar month and the day are equal to the square ancestor of the last two digits of the class — that think the next Square Root Day wo n’t actually issue forth around until 2025-03-29 . HOWEVER — substantial root days only come about nine multiplication every 100 , and the statistical distribution of the day is such that the years between successive square ascendant days within each C are consecutive odd numbers .
This intend that even though the next Square Root Day wo nt be until 4/4/16 , the one after that wo n’t be for another nine years , and the ones after that wo n’t polish off for another 11 , 13 , 15 , and 17 years ( after that you have to waitress another 20 , but then the cycle of straight root day restarts ) … so be certain to mark your calendar now .
1 ) The World Science Festival : May 30 — June 3 , 2012
Alright , so it ’s not a skill holiday , per se … but it is , arguably , the enceinte single science political party on Earth . Co - ground by the married man - and - married woman team of far-famed physicist Brian Greene and former ABC News producer Tracy Day , the festival work to cultivate “ a general public informed by skill , inspired by its wonder , convinced of its time value , and prepared to rent with its implications for the future . ”
Since 2008 , the festival has been uniting mind as acclaimed and diverse as Neil deGrasse Tyson and Philip Glass with hundreds of thousands of festival attendant and millions more online . Check outthe fete ’s websiteto get information on this year ’s festivities , and to watch hundreds of captivating videos on subject ranging from cancer to cryptography .
Top figure via1 + 2 + 3 ; All other image via Wikimedia Commons unless otherwise indicate .
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