December 28,2006 - New Year's Eve Trivia

Well, tonight we had the last net of 2006. Happy New Year to everyone and thanks for your support!

New Year's Eve Trivia

Each year millions of people the world over watch as the famous New Year's Eve Ball drops in New York's Times Square to mark the beginning of the new year.

TRIVIA QUESTION:

In what year did the Times Square ball drop first take place?

TRIVIA ANSWER:

1907.

Revelers began celebrating New Year's Eve in Times Square as early as 1904, but it was in 1907 that the New Year's Eve Ball made its maiden descent from the flagpole atop One Times Square. This original Ball, constructed of iron and wood and adorned with 100 25-watt light bulbs, was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds. In 1920, a 400 pound ball made entirely of iron replaced the original.


The Ball has been lowered every year since 1907, with the exceptions of 1942 and 1943, when its use was suspended due to the wartime "dimout" of lights in New York City. The crowds who still gathered in Times Square in those years greeted the New Year with a moment of silence followed by chimes ringing out from One Times Square.

n 1955, the iron ball was replaced with an aluminum ball weighing a mere 150 pounds. This aluminum Ball remained unchanged until the 1980s, when red light bulbs and the addition of a green stem converted the Ball into an apple for the "I Love New York" marketing campaign from 1981 until 1988. After seven years, the traditional Ball with white light bulbs and without the green stem returned to brightly light the sky above Times Square. In 1995, the Ball was upgraded with aluminum skin, rhinestones, strobes, and computer controls, but the aluminum ball was lowered for the last time in 1998.

For Times Square 2000, the millennium celebration at the Crossroads of the World, the New Year's Eve Ball was completely redesigned by Waterford Crystal. The new crystal Ball combined the latest in technology with the most traditional of materials, reminding us of our past as we gazed into the future and the beginning of a new millenium.

For more about the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball, visit: http://www.timessquarenyc.org/nye/nye_ball.html


********** Tonight's Net Check-In's **********


Here's the list of folks that checked in to tonight's Thursday Night Net and their answers to tonight's trivia question:

WB6A - Pat - 1950
WB6ATV - Ron - 1948
KE6CZH - Robert - 1952
KG6DBL - Bill - 1902
K6FCC - Khalil - 1936
KF6GKR - Terry - 1960
KB6IS - Madeline - 1948
KD6JEV - John - 1904 <<<<
WA6JWF - Joey -1929
N6KAS - Andy - 1946
KG6KTC - Leon - 1946
NY6L - Jay - 1948
K6LMN - Roger - 1946
KE6MSS - Thomas - 1926
KG6NWJ - Barry - 1953
KG6RDA - Sidney - 1946
AD6UP - Louie - 1945
WA6USL - Murray - 1900
KF6ZQM - Harry - Dick Clark's Birthday
N6ZZK - Theo - 1921
KG6WAP - Danial - No Answer


Thanks to all and I hope everyone had a great 2006 and will have a greater 2007!


73, N6CIZ

December 21, 2006 - Solstice Trivia

Today we celebrate the Winter Solstice - which marks the beginning of Winter and the shortest day of the year.

Here in Los Angeles today the sun rose at 6:54 AM and set at 4:47 PM so our day was 9 hours and 53 minutes long.


TRIVIA QUESTION:

If you happened to be in Sydney Australia on December 21st, how many hours and minutes of daylight would you experience?


TRIVIA ANSWER:

14 hours and 20 minutes.


The sun rose at 5:43 AM and set at 8:03 PM today in Sydney. Although today is the shortest day of the year here, in Australia it is the LONGEST day of the year and is the Summer Solstance, marking the beginning of Summer. Remember - Sydney is in the Southern Hemisphere!

* * * * * * * * * *

In astronomy, the solstice is either of the two times a year when the Sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator, the great circle on the celestial sphere that is on the same plane as the earth's equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs either December 21 or 22, when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn; the summer solstice occurs either June 21 or 22, when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Cancer. In the Southern Hemisphere, the winter and summer solstices are reversed.

The reason for the different seasons at opposite times of the year in the two hemispheres is that while the earth rotates about the sun, it also spins on its axis, which is tilted some 23.5 degrees towards the plane of its rotation. Because of this tilt, the Northern Hemisphere receives less direct sunlight (creating winter) while the Southern Hemisphere receives more direct sunlight (creating summer). As the Earth continues its orbit the hemisphere that is angled closest to the sun changes and the seasons are reversed.

The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, and its noontime elevation appears to be the same for several days before and after the solstice. Hence the origin of the word solstice, which comes from Latin solstitium, from sol, "sun" and -stitium, "a stoppage." Following the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter.

For information on Sunrise and Sunset times anywhere in the world, go to: http://www.sunrisesunset.com


X X X X X X X X NET CHECK IN's X X X X X X X X

Thanks to all who checked in to tonight's net. Here's the list of check-in's and their answers to tonight's question (in the format HOURS:MINUTES).

* WB6A - Pat - 10:00 (10 hours 0 minutes)
* WB6ATV - Ron - 11:46
* KE6CZH - Robert - 13:00
* KG6DBL - Bill - 15:00
* W6DTS - Ted - 14:22
* K6FCC - Khalil - 13:20
* KD6JEV - John - 9:49
* WA6JWF - Joey - 15:10
* KG6KTC - Leon - 11:46
* NY6L - Jay - 14:30
* K6LMN - Roger - 17:00
* W6NVY - Gary - 12:07
* KG6NWJ - Barry - 13:30
* KD6OBM - Jason - 12:30
* KF6PIH - Scott - 14:00
* K6QVZ - Joe - 18:00
* KG6RDA - Sidney - 14:30
* AD6UP - Louie - 9:53
* KF6YBM - Henry - 14:45
* KF6ZQM - Harry - Checked in by KG6RDA
* N6ZZK - Theo - 14:23
* KG6TRR - Bob -14:23
* KI6EBF - Douglas - 14:47
* N6NGU - Lee - 13:00

Thanks to all for your check-in's.

de N6CIZ - HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

December 14, 2006 - Statehood Trivia

Hello Everybody!

Today's trivia question on the Net was an "On This Day In History..." question.

TRIVIA QUESTION:

On this day in history, December 14th, Alabama became the 22nd U.S. state . In what year did this happen?


TRIVIA ANSWER:

1819

Alabama seceded from the union in 1861 to become part of the Confederate States of America. Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, Alabama was readmitted to the union in 1868.

Congratuations to W6DTS, K6FCC, and AD6UP for getting this one correct.

> > > > > NET CHECK-IN's < < < < <

Here's the list of folks that checked in to tonight's net along with their answers to the trivia question. Thanks to all of you!

* WB6A - Pat - 1880
* WB6ATV - Ron - 1835
* KE6CZH - Robert - 1820
* W6DTS - Ted - 1819
* K6FCC - Khalil - 1819
* KF6GKR - Terry - 1828
* N6HY - Ernie - 1812
* KB6IS - Madeline - 1831
* KD6JEV - John - 1823
* WA6JWF - Joey - 1874
* N6KAS - Andy - 1813
* KG6KTC - Leon - 1815
* K6LMN - Roger - 1810
* KE6MSS - Thomas - 1806
* W6NVY - Gary - 1818
* KG6NWJ - Barry - 1805
* KD6OBM - Jason - 1809
* KF6PIH - Scott - 1810
* K6QVZ - Joe - 1818
* AD6UP - Louie - 1819
* KG6WXY - Ralph - 1814
* KF6YBM - Henry - No Answer
* N6ZZK - Theo - 1823

73 and Thanks again to everyone for their support!

de Rich, N6CIZ.

December 7, 2006 - Pearl Harbor Trivia

Today marks the 65th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which took place on December 7th, 1941.

16 Navy ships were sunk or damaged during the attack, but some were later put back into service.


TRIVIA QUESTION:

How many of these 16 ships were permanently lost to the U.S. Navy?



TRIVIA ANSWER:

Only 3.

These were the battleships Arizona, Oklahoma, and the old battleship Utah (then used as a target ship).

Four ships sunk during the attack were later raised and returned to duty, including the battleships California, West Virginia and Nevada.

The destroyers Cassin and Downes were constructive total losses, but their machinery was salvaged and fitted into new hulls, retaining their original names, while Shaw was raised and returned to service.

Of the 22 Japanese ships that took part in the attack, only one survived the war.

*** NET CHECK INS ***

Here's the list of stations that checked in to tonight's net along with their trivia answers. Congratulations to Louie, AD6UP, for getting the correct answer.

* WB6A - Pat - 10
* WB6ATV - Ron - 6
* KE6CZH - Robert - 7
* KG6DBL - Bill - 13
* W6DTS - Ted - 11
* K6FCC - Khalil - 22
* N6HY - Ernie - 2
* KD6JEV - John - 5
* WA6JWF - Joey - 6
* N6KAS - Andy - 5
* NY6L - Jay - 13
* K6LMN - Roger - 15
* KE6MSS - Thomas - 8
* KD6NIW - Oliver - 11
* W6NVY - Gary - 8
* KG6NWJ - Barry - 2
* KD6OBM - Jason - 7
* K6QVZ - Joe - 1
* KF6PIH - Scott - 4
* KG6RDA - Sidney - Checked in By KF6ZQM
* AD6UP - Louie - 3
* WA6USL - Murray - 6
* KF6YBM - Henry - No Answer
* KF6ZQM - Harry - 14
* N6ZZK - Theo - 2
* N6GXS - Ralph - 4
* KG6WAP - Danial - No Answer

73 from N6CIZ