"Hurricane Katrina was the eleventh named storm and the fifth hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the costliest natural disaster and one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States."
"The storm originated over the Bahamas on August 23 from the interaction between a tropical wave and the remnants of Tropical Depression Ten. Early the following day, the new depression intensified into Tropical Storm Katrina. The cyclone headed generally westward toward Florida and strengthened into a hurricane only two hours before making landfall at Hallandale Beach and Aventura on August 25. After very briefly weakening to a tropical storm, Katrina emerged into the Gulf of Mexico on August 26 and began to rapidly deepen. The storm strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, but weakened before making its second landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on August 29 in southeast Louisiana."
"Ah, the brain freeze — the signature pain of summer experienced by anyone who has eaten an ice cream cone with too much enthusiasm or slurped down a slushie a little too quickly."
"But have you ever stopped mid-freeze to think about why our bodies react like this?"
"Well, researchers who study pain have, and some, like Dr. Kris Rau of the University of Louisville in Kentucky, say it's a good way to understand the basics of how we process damaging stimuli."
On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States. Each year on July 4th, also known as Independence Day, Americans celebrate this historic event.
"As daylight drains from the summer sky, a cool breeze rustles through a hay-scented New England meadow. Relaxing in the long grass, even the keenest observer might miss the miniature army that’s now awakening from its daytime slumber. One by one, tiny male fireflies are creeping upward along grass highways. They pause at each apex, ready to lift off like silent Black Hawks. But as they prepare for their nightly search missions, these firefly males aren’t motivated by military conquest. Their quest? Genetic immortality. They’re hell-bent on procreation, driven by an urgent need to propel their genes into the next firefly generation. These resolute males are destined to spend every night of their short adult lives valiantly broadcasting their luminous signals. Unfortunately, the odds are stacked against them as they head off into the night looking for love."
"How in the world did people deal with the summer heat without air conditioning? Lots of ways, both time-tested and experimental."
"The summer solstice arrives late Tuesday, or early Wednesday depending on where you live, making both days essentially the "longest" days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere."