July 2020 is here and with it come lots of opportunities to Do Some Science! In addition to being UV Safety Awareness Month, April is also home to Manhattanhenge, Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower, and Moon Day. Take a look at what July 2020 brings for the science lover in you.
July 1: Hungarian physician, Ignaz Semmelweis was born on this day in 1818. He is credited with discovering that the spread of many diseases could be drastically reduced by enforcing effective hand-washing behavior among medical caregivers.
July 3: Dog Days of Summer begin
July 4: Earth at Aphelion
July 4: On this day in 1933, William Coolidge obtained a patent for the X-ray tube (also known as the Coolidge tube).
July 5: Full Buck Moon (also known as Full Thunder Moon or Hay Moon).
July 5: Penumbral solar eclipse
July 8: National Blueberry Day
July 9: On this day in 1968, Frederick R. Schellhammer received a patent for his “Portable Beam Generator” (also known as a hand-held laser ray gun).
July 10: Croatian engineering, Nikola Tesla was born on this day in 1856. Among his many inventions and discoveries are the radio, vacuum tube amplifier, X-rays, alternating current, and the Tesla Coil.
July 10: Scientist and American television personality, Don Herbert was born on this day in 1917. As the star and namesake of Mr. Wizard’s World (1983-1990), he is credited with awakening a love of science in children and adults around the world.
July 12-13: Manhattanhenge
July 14: Jupiter at Opposition. This is the best time to view the planet.
July 14: Shark Awareness Day
July 14: On this day in 1885, Sarah Goode received a patent for her Folding Cabinet Bed. This honor made her the first African-American woman to receive a patent in the United States of America.
July 16: World Snake Day
July 16: Apollo 11 launched on its voyage to the moon on this day in 1969.
July 18-26: National Moth Week
July 19: Rosalyn Yalow was born on this day in 1921. She share the Nobel Prize in 1977 for the development of radioimmunoassay (RIA) which allows researchers to measure biological substances in the blood from a very small sample.
July 20: Saturn at Opposition. This is the best time to view the planet.
July 20: Moon Day – Anniversary of Apollo 11 first step on the Moon July 20, 1969
July 21: French Astronomer, Jean Picard was born on this day in 1620. He was the first to accurately measure the length of a degree of a meridian (longitude line) and from that computed the size of the Earth.
July 22: Pi Approximation Day
July 22: World Brain Day
July 22-24: STEM Forum & Expo
July 24: National Thermal Engineer Day
July 25: Rosalind Franklin was born on this day in 1920. She is credited with capturing the first image of the helical structure of DNA. Her work contributed to our understanding of genetics and a Nobel Prize for Francis Crick, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins. Rosalind Franklin was not included.
July 27: On this day in 1921, Canadian scientists, Frederick Banting and Charles Best first isolated insulin. Their discovery led to life saving treatments for human sufferers of diabetes.
July 28-29: Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower
July 29: NASA was established on this day in 1958
July 29: International Tiger Day
July 30: French biologist, Francoise Barre-Sinoussi was born on this day in 1947. She is shared the Nobel prize in 2008 for her contribution to our understanding of the connection between HIV and AIDS.
July 31: The first US Patent was granted on this day in 1790 to Samuel Hopkins. His patent was for an improvement “in the making of Pot ash and Pearl ash by a new Apparatus and Process.”
