October 27th: National & International Days, Celebrations and Observances

Looking for simple ways to help out this October 27?

• Consider saving those old family videos and photos in digital form - they're too precious to lose.
• The small breweries down the street could use a boost, so grab a local craft beer next time.
• And if you know any Navy veterans or active service members, a quick note of thanks goes a long way.
• Black cats still face tough odds at shelters. Sharing photos of these overlooked pets might just help them find their new homes.
• Watch for birds, plants, and wildlife in your area too - scientists use these everyday observations in their research.
• Take a peek at your library's old videos and records - you might spot familiar faces or places.
• Choose products with less plastic packaging when you can - our oceans will thank you.
• And while you're out exploring nature with the family, why not keep a digital record? Those moments are worth remembering.

Two scientific milestones share October 27. In 1553, Geneva officials executed physician Michael Servetus, burning him at the stake. He had mapped the path of blood flowing between heart and lungs - breakthrough work no European doctor had achieved before. His religious writings, though, proved too radical for 16th-century Geneva.

Fast forward to 1994. At Mount Palomar's 200-inch Hale telescope, a routine observation yielded an unexpected find in Lepus - the elusive Gliese 229B.

Located 18.8 light-years away, this strange object defied easy classification. Its mass ranges from 20 to 50 times that of Jupiter, with temperatures reaching 1000 Kelvin. The discovery finally put to rest decades of speculation about brown dwarfs - those in-between objects that blur the line between massive planets and small stars.

October 27th links several influential lives. In 1945, Brazil's factory floors hardly seemed like a path to leadership. Yet Lula da Silva rose from those shops to the presidency, where he tackled a pressing issue: Amazon destruction. His programs protected land larger than Germany, cutting forest losses 67%. Now in 2023, he's back pushing environmental reform.

Egypt's medical community changed when Dr. Nawal El Saadawi began practicing. One of the first women in Egyptian medicine, she wrote extensively - 55 books that connected nature's health with women's rights. Her ideas about ecology and feminism resonated across Arab nations.

In 1910, pharmaceutical production needed fresh thinking. Elizabeth Rousseau provided it. No other woman had joined AIChE at that point. She built the first successful penicillin production plant, creating deep-tank methods that became standard practice.

A climbing trip to Utah's Blue John Canyon in 2003 left Aron Ralston pinned by a boulder. After 127 hours, survival meant cutting off his own arm. His book and the film "127 Hours" led to his voice joining wilderness protection efforts.

Joe Medicine Crow knew both worlds well. As the last traditional war chief of the Crow, he earned his Anthropology Master's in 1939. His work saved vital indigenous knowledge about the natural world. President Obama recognized this legacy with the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom.