Yearly Archives: 2018

Giovanni Battista Riccioli — April 17 is Giovanni Battista Riccioli’s birthday. Riccioli was an Italian astronomer and Jesuit priest who is best known for naming the features of the Moon. In 1651, he published Almagestum Novum which became a standard text for any serious astronomer well into the 19th Century. It was a collection […]

Today in Science History – April 17 – Giovanni Battista ...

This entry was posted on April 16, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on February 21, 2026)

Hans Sloane — April 16 is Hans Sloane’s birthday. Sloane was an Irish physician whose greatest contribution to science actually occurred after his death. During his lifetime, he was an avid collector of interesting items pertaining natural history. He amassed a large collection of books, notes, drawings, samples of plants and animals, and […]

Today in Science History – April 16 – Hans Sloane

This entry was posted on April 15, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on June 11, 2025)

Leonardo da Vinci — April 15 is the birthday of the original “Renaissance Man”, Leonardo da Vinci. He was an artist, musician, scientist, engineer, inventor, anatomist, and writer. As an artist, he is best known for his paintings. He painted the most famous portrait in history, the Mona Lisa. He painted one of the […]

Today in Science History – April 15 – Leonardo da ...

This entry was posted on April 14, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on May 24, 2025)

Christiaan Huygens — April 14 is Christiaan Huygens’ birthday. Huygens was a Dutch physicist, astronomer, and leading figure of the scientific revolution. Huygens is famous for the invention of the pendulum clock. Pendulums swing in a simple circular path where the time it takes to complete a single oscillation is proportional to the amplitude of […]

Today in Science History – April 14 – Christiaan Huygens

This entry was posted on April 13, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on November 25, 2025)

You shouldn't store open cans in the fridge because metals and BPA can leach into food. (maerzbow) — When you don’t finish an open can, you may be tempted to put some plastic wrap over it and put it in the refrigerator for later. However, it’s not a good idea to store open cans in the fridge. No, it won’t grow Salmonella or give you botulism. The risks […]

Why You Shouldn’t Store Open Cans in the Fridge

This entry was posted on April 13, 2018 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on May 9, 2026)

Annie Jump Cannon — April 13 marks the passing of Annie Jump Cannon. Cannon was an American astronomer who developed the star classification system in use today. Astronomy students learn the system using the mnemonic “Oh! Be A Fine Girl — Kiss Me!” The system ranks stars by their temperature, color and spectrum lines […]

Today in Science History – April 13 – Annie Jump ...

This entry was posted on April 12, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on September 20, 2025)

Gagarin Headlines — April 12 is the day the Soviet rocket Vostok 1 lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome. The payload for this mission was Yuri Gagarin who became the first human to leave Earth’s atmosphere and enter outer space. Gagarin’s flight was short. It only lasted 108 minutes from launch to landing and […]

Today in Science History – April 12 – Yuri Gagarin ...

This entry was posted on April 11, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on May 16, 2026)

Percy Lavon Julian — April 11 is Percy Lavon Julian’s birthday. Julian was an African-American chemist and pioneer of steroid synthesis from plant sources. Chemists of the 1930s had a new set of chemical compounds with similar structures called steroids. Steroids are found in the sex hormones and adrenal glands of animals but difficult […]

Today in Science History – April 11 – Percy Lavon ...

This entry was posted on April 10, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on August 4, 2026)

John Leslie — April 10 is John Leslie’s birthday. Leslie was a Scottish mathematician and physicist best known for his work on heat transfer and heat radiation. One of the most striking demonstrations he created is known as a Leslie cube. He constructed a cube made with metallic sides. One side was a […]

Today in Science History – April 10 – John Leslie ...

This entry was posted on April 9, 2018 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on July 14, 2026)