Happy Birthday, Mr. Celsius!

​Today, we celebrate the birthday of Anders Celsius.  Yes, the thermometer guy.  But did you know that's not what made him famous in his own time?  He was actually a mathematician, astronomer, and physicist.  And his fame was due to the Maupertuis expedition to Lapland, in which Celsius made crucial contributions.  ​​

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The purpose of the Maupertuis expedition was to measure the length of a degree of latitude along a meridian near the North Pole.  By comparing their measurements with similar measurements near the equator in South America, Celsius and Maupertuis were able to settle a longstanding debate regarding the shape of the earth.  They proved (after a lot of argumentation) that Newton was correct in his theory that the earth was "flattened" at the poles.


Today, we also celebrate the achievements of a family friend, Lord Sunflash, who has just been offered a full scholarship to Missouri University of Science and Technology.  Congratulations, Lord Sunflash!  May your reign be peaceful and profitable, for all your loyal subjects!

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