Nature & weather
89 stories through the year, in calendar order. Tap one to visit its day.
January
- 2 Jan 1900 The Chicago canal opens and makes a river flow backwardsThe Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal opened in Illinois, in the United States. The canal is about 51 kilometres long and links the Chicago River to th…
- 5 Jan 1993 The oil tanker Braer runs aground off ShetlandThe oil tanker MV Braer ran aground during a storm off Shetland, the most northerly part of the United Kingdom. More than 80,000 tons of crude oil, a…
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6 Jan
1912 Alfred Wegener presents his idea that the continents driftGerman scientist Alfred Wegener presented his theory of continental drift, the idea that continents slowly move, to the German Geological Society. It…
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
- 7 Jan 1925 Born: Gerald DurrellGerald Durrell was a British naturalist, writer, zookeeper and conservationist. He travelled the world on animal-collecting trips and wrote many book…
- 8 Jan 1823 Born: Alfred Russel WallaceAlfred Russel Wallace was a naturalist, explorer and illustrator. He worked out the theory of evolution by natural selection on his own. His paper on…
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11 Jan
1908 Theodore Roosevelt makes the Grand Canyon a national monumentUS President Theodore Roosevelt made the Grand Canyon in Arizona a national monument, to help protect it. This huge, deep gorge of the Colorado River…
Photo: Murray Foubister, CC BY-SA 2.0
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12 Jan
1808 Reculver's leaders vote to pull down their ancient churchSt Mary's Church in Reculver, Kent, was founded in the 7th century inside an old Roman fort. By 1808 the sea was wearing away the cliff it stood on, …
Photo: PhilipJSchadenfreude, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 12 Jan 1895 The National Trust is founded to protect special placesThe National Trust was officially registered, with the aim of protecting beautiful and historic places for the nation. Its founders were social refor…
- 12 Jan 1899 Lynmouth's lifeboat crew begin hauling their boat over ExmoorIn a fierce storm, a big sailing ship called the Forrest Hall got into trouble off the Devon coast. The sea was too rough to launch Lynmouth's lifebo…
- 15 Jan 1885 Wilson Bentley takes the first known photo of a snowflakeWilson Bentley, a 19-year-old from a farm in Jericho, Vermont, in the USA, took the first known photograph of a snowflake. After much experimenting, …
- 16 Jan 1932 Born: Dian FosseyDian Fossey was an American scientist who studied mountain gorillas in the forests of Rwanda for nearly 20 years. She watched the gorillas almost eve…
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17 Jan
1903 Puerto Rico's El Yunque rainforest becomes a forest reserveEl Yunque, a tropical rainforest in the mountains of Puerto Rico, was protected as the Luquillo Forest Reserve. By then, most of Puerto Rico's origin…
Photo: Jami430, CC BY-SA 4.0
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19 Jan
1995 Everyone is rescued after lightning strikes a North Sea helicopterA helicopter flying from Aberdeen to an oil platform in the North Sea was struck by lightning, which badly damaged its tail rotor. The pilots made a …
Photo: Chennell Productions, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 24 Jan 1848 Gold is found at Sutter's Mill, starting the California Gold RushJames W. Marshall, a carpenter building a sawmill for John Sutter at Coloma, California, found gold. His discovery set off the California Gold Rush, …
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24 Jan
1908 Robert Baden-Powell organises the first Boy Scout troopRobert Baden-Powell, a British Army officer, organised the first Boy Scout troop in England. His handbook Scouting for Boys came out in parts from Ja…
Photo: James Russell & Sons, Public domain
- 24 Jan 1928 Born: Desmond MorrisDesmond Morris was an English zoologist who studied animal behaviour, a science called ethology. He presented television programmes such as Zoo Time.…
- 26 Jan 1905 The Cullinan Diamond, the biggest gem diamond ever, is foundThe Cullinan Diamond, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, was discovered at a mine in South Africa. It weighed 3,106 carats, which is a…
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26 Jan
1915 Rocky Mountain National Park is created in the USAThe US Congress created Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The park lies in the Rocky Mountains, about 55 miles north-west of the city of Denv…
Photo: Daniel Mayer (Mav), CC BY-SA 3.0
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31 Jan
1961 Ham the chimpanzee is launched into spaceA chimpanzee named Ham was launched into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida, inside a Mercury spacecraft. He was the first great ape in space. The fl…
Photo: NASA, Public domain
February
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1 Feb
Every year Imbolc (Saint Brigid's Day)Imbolc, also called Saint Brigid's Day, is a traditional Gaelic festival held on 1 February. It marks the beginning of spring and falls about halfway…
Photo: Culnacreann, CC BY 3.0
- 2 Feb Every year Groundhog DayGroundhog Day is a tradition in the United States and Canada. An old belief says that if a groundhog leaves its burrow and sees its shadow, winter wi…
- 2 Feb 1814 London's last frost fair is held on the frozen River ThamesThe last ever frost fair was held on the frozen River Thames in London. It began on 1 February and lasted four days, and an elephant was even led acr…
- 2 Feb 1925 Sled dogs race medicine to Nome in the Great Race of MercyTeams of sled dogs reached the town of Nome, Alaska, carrying medicine to stop an outbreak of diphtheria, a dangerous disease. The medicine was passe…
- 2 Feb 1971 Countries sign the Ramsar Convention to protect wetlandsAn international agreement to protect the world's wetlands was signed in the city of Ramsar, in Iran. Wetlands are places where the ground is flooded…
- 3 Feb 1637 Tulip mania collapses in the Dutch RepublicIn the Dutch Republic, prices for some tulip bulbs had climbed to amazingly high levels. Tulips were new and fashionable, and prices shot up from 163…
- 4 Feb 2008 London's Low Emission Zone starts to tackle air pollutionLondon's Low Emission Zone came into operation to cut harmful exhaust fumes from diesel vehicles. Commercial vehicles that broke its pollution standa…
- 5 Feb AD 62 An earthquake shakes the Roman town of PompeiiA strong earthquake struck the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy, badly damaging them. It may have been an early warning sign of the er…
- 5 Feb 1869 Gold hunters find the giant Welcome Stranger nugget in AustraliaGold prospectors at Moliagul, in Australia, found the largest alluvial gold nugget ever discovered. It became known as the Welcome Stranger. A nugget…
- 8 Feb 1910 The Boy Scouts of America is foundedWilliam D. Boyce founded the Boy Scouts of America, bringing the Scout Movement to the United States. Boyce was a newspaper owner and explorer who ha…
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9 Feb
1855 Mysterious 'Devil's Footprints' appear in the snow in DevonAfter a heavy snowfall in Devon, people discovered trails of strange hoof-like marks in the snow. The tracks had appeared overnight around the Exe Es…
Photo: English Papers 1855, Public domain
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10 Feb
Every year Arabian Leopard DayArabian Leopard Day draws attention to the Arabian leopard, the smallest kind of leopard. It is native to the Arabian Peninsula, where it once lived …
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12 Feb
1809 Born: Charles DarwinCharles Darwin was an English naturalist, geologist and biologist. From 1831 to 1836 he went on a five-year voyage aboard HMS Beagle, collecting wild…
Photo: Charles_Darwin_seated.jpg: Henry Maull (1829–1914) and John Fox (1832–1907) (Maull & Fox) derivative work: Beao, Public domain
- 12 Feb 1832 Ecuador makes the Galápagos Islands part of its countryEcuador annexed the Galápagos Islands, which means it officially made them part of the country. These volcanic islands lie in the Pacific Ocean, arou…
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16 Feb
1900 Explorers make the first landing on Antarctica's Great Ice BarrierThe Southern Cross Expedition, also called the British Antarctic Expedition, made the first ever landing on the Great Ice Barrier. This huge sheet of…
Photo: William Colbeck [Attributed], Public domain
- 16 Feb 2005 The Kyoto Protocol on climate change comes into forceThe Kyoto Protocol came into force after Russia agreed to it. It is an international treaty in which countries committed to cutting the greenhouse ga…
- 17 Feb 2003 London starts charging drivers to enter the city centreLondon's congestion charge began, so drivers had to pay to drive most vehicles into the city centre. The idea came from a similar road-charging syste…
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19 Feb
1819 William Smith discovers the South Shetland Islands near AntarcticaEnglish sea captain William Smith, from Blyth in Northumberland, discovered the South Shetland Islands. These islands lie off Graham Land in Antarcti…
Photo: Apcbg, CC BY-SA 4.0
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20 Feb
1824 William Buckland names Megalosaurus, the first dinosaur to get a nameEnglish geologist William Buckland announced the name Megalosaurus, which means 'great lizard'. It became the first dinosaur to be properly given a s…
Photo: Mary Morland (later Buckland; 1797–1857), Public domain
- 20 Feb 1943 A brand-new volcano, Parícutin, appears in a Mexican cornfieldA crack opened in the ground in a farmer's cornfield in Michoacán, Mexico, and began to erupt. It kept erupting for nine years, building up a new con…
- 22 Feb 1857 Born: Robert Baden-PowellRobert Baden-Powell was a British Army officer and writer who started the Scout movement. He was the first Chief Scout of The Boy Scouts Association …
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22 Feb
1997 Scientists reveal Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammalScientists at the Roslin Institute in Midlothian, Scotland, announced Dolly, a Finn-Dorset sheep born the summer before. She was the first mammal to …
Photo: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0
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22 Feb
1998 A bird thought to be extinct is rediscovered in BrazilA cherry-throated tanager was rediscovered on a farm in Espírito Santo, Brazil. Scientists first described this bird in 1870, but there had been no c…
Photo: Sue Wright, CC BY-SA 2.0
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24 Feb
1743 Born: Joseph BanksJoseph Banks was an English naturalist and botanist, an expert on plants. He sailed with Captain James Cook on his first great voyage (1768–1771), vi…
Photo: Joshua Reynolds, Public domain
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26 Feb
1919 Grand Canyon National Park is createdUS President Woodrow Wilson signed a law creating Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. The park's main feature is the Grand Canyon, a huge gorge of…
Photo: Murray Foubister, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 26 Feb 1971 The United Nations proclaims Earth DayUN Secretary-General U Thant signed a proclamation making the March equinox, the first day of spring in the northern half of the world, Earth Day. Th…
September
October
- 3 Oct 1916 Born: James HerriotJames Herriot was the pen name of James Alfred Wight, a vet and author born in Sunderland. He worked as a vet in Yorkshire for almost 50 years. His b…
- 4 Oct Every year World Animal DayWorld Animal Day is an international day of action for animal welfare, which means the care and wellbeing of animals. It is held every year on the fe…
- 7 Oct 1988 Three grey whales are found trapped in sea ice in AlaskaA local Iñupiat hunter discovered three grey whales trapped in thick sea ice near Point Barrow, Alaska. Point Barrow is the most northerly point of t…
- 12 Oct 1979 Typhoon Tip sets a world record for the lowest air pressureTyphoon Tip, a huge storm in the western Pacific Ocean, reached the lowest air pressure ever recorded at sea level anywhere in the world: 870 milliba…
- 17 Oct 1091 A powerful tornado strikes the heart of LondonA powerful tornado struck the heart of London. It is the earliest reported tornado in England. Experts think it may have been a T8 on the TORRO scale…
- 20 Oct Every year Arbor DayIn the Czech Republic, 20 October is Arbor Day. Arbor Day is a special day when people are encouraged to plant trees. Many countries have one, and it…
- 20 Oct 1967 Two men film a mystery figure they say is BigfootRoger Patterson and Robert Gimlin filmed an unidentified figure in a forest in northern California. They said it was Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch…
- 23 Oct 1942 Born: Anita RoddickThe businesswoman and campaigner Anita Roddick was born. In 1976 she opened her first shop in Brighton, starting The Body Shop, which sells natural b…
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24 Oct
1830 Born: Marianne NorthMarianne North, the English biologist and botanical artist, was born in Hastings. She travelled widely abroad, painting plants and landscapes, and ev…
Photo: Julia Margaret Cameron (1815–1879), Public domain
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26 Oct
1985 Uluru is handed back to its Aboriginal ownersThe Australian government gave ownership of Uluru back to the local Pitjantjatjara Aboriginal people. Aboriginal people were the first people to live…
Photo: Ek2030372672, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 29 Oct 1792 William Broughton spots a peak and names it Mount HoodWilliam Broughton, an officer in the Royal Navy, spotted a mountain peak in what is now the US state of Oregon. He named it Mount Hood, after the Bri…
- 31 Oct 1923 Marble Bar begins a run of 160 scorching daysThe town of Marble Bar in Western Australia began a run of 160 days in a row at 100 degrees Fahrenheit. That is about 38 degrees Celsius. The Fahrenh…
- 31 Oct 2011 The world's population reaches seven billionThe number of people in the world reached seven billion, and the United Nations marked it as the Day of Seven Billion. It took around 300,000 years f…
November
- 4 Nov 2016 The Paris Agreement on climate change comes into forceThe Paris Agreement, a worldwide treaty on climate change, came into effect. It had been worked out by 196 parties at a United Nations conference nea…
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6 Nov
AD 447 An earthquake damages the great Walls of ConstantinopleA powerful earthquake destroyed large parts of the walls of Constantinople, including 57 of their towers. These stone walls had protected the city, n…
Photo: Apaleutos25, CC BY-SA 4.0
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6 Nov
1217 Henry III issues the Charter of the ForestThe young King Henry III issued the Charter of the Forest. It gave free men back their right to use the royal forests, a right that had been worn awa…
Photo: Anonymous, Public domain
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7 Nov
1934 Scientists collect the first tufted jays to be describedThe first tufted jays to be scientifically described were collected in Mexico. The tufted jay is a large bird in the crow family that lives only in a…
Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- 8 Nov 1932 Australia's army pulls out of the ‘Emu War’The Australian army withdrew from its so-called ‘war against emus’ in Western Australia. Emus are large birds that cannot fly, and farmers blamed the…
- 10 Nov 2020 The last land mine is cleared from the Falkland IslandsThe British government announced that the last land mine had been removed from the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the South Atlant…
- 13 Nov 1833 The Great Meteor Storm lights up the night skyOn the night of 12 to 13 November, a spectacular storm of shooting stars filled the skies over North America. One estimate says more than 100,000 met…
- 13 Nov 2012 A total solar eclipse darkens skies in AustraliaA total solar eclipse could be seen in parts of Australia and the South Pacific. In a solar eclipse, the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun. In a …
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16 Nov
1855 David Livingstone sees the mighty Victoria FallsScottish explorer David Livingstone became the first European to see a huge waterfall on the Zambezi River in southern Africa. He named it Victoria F…
Photo: Thomas Annan / Adam Cuerden, Public domain
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17 Nov
Every year Feast day of St Hugh of LincolnAnglican churches remember St Hugh of Lincoln, a monk who became Bishop of Lincoln. After an earthquake badly damaged Lincoln Cathedral in 1185, Hugh…
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
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24 Nov
1859 Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species is publishedCharles Darwin's book On the Origin of Species was published, and the first copies sold out on the very first day. In it, Darwin explained his theory…
Photo: John Murray, Publisher, Public domain
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24 Nov
1877 Anna Sewell's novel Black Beauty is publishedBlack Beauty, a novel by the English writer Anna Sewell, was published. The story is told by Black Beauty himself, a horse, as if it were his autobio…
Photo: Unknown author, Public domain
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25 Nov
1885 Banff, Canada's first national park, is createdBanff National Park, the oldest national park in Canada, was established as the Banff Hot Springs Reserve. It lies in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta,…
Photo: Gorgo, Public domain
- 26 Nov 1970 Record-breaking rain falls in a single minute in GuadeloupeIn Basse-Terre, the capital of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, 38 millimetres of rain fell in just one minute. That is nearly 4 centimetres of water in …
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27 Nov
1703 The Great Storm of 1703 sweeps away the first Eddystone LighthouseThe Great Storm of 1703 was one of the most severe storms ever to hit southern Britain. It swept away the first Eddystone Lighthouse, a wooden tower …
Photo: Henry winstanley, Public domain
- 29 Nov 1961 Enos the chimpanzee orbits the Earth twiceNASA launched a chimpanzee called Enos into space on the Mercury-Atlas 5 mission. His spacecraft orbited the Earth twice and then splashed down in th…
December
- 1 Dec 1959 Twelve countries sign the Antarctic TreatyTwelve countries signed the Antarctic Treaty, an agreement about how Antarctica should be used. It banned military activity there and set the contine…
- 2 Dec 1759 Born: James Edward SmithSir James Edward Smith was an English botanist, a scientist who studies plants. He also studied fungi. He founded the Linnean Society of London, whic…
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3 Dec
1838 Born: Octavia HillOctavia Hill was an English social reformer and a founder of the National Trust. A social reformer works to make life better and fairer for people. S…
Photo: John Singer Sargent, Public domain
- 3 Dec 1910 Freda Du Faur becomes the first woman to climb Aoraki / Mount CookAustralian mountaineer Freda Du Faur became the first woman to climb Aoraki / Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand. It is about 3,724 metr…
- 11 Dec Every year International Mountain DayInternational Mountain Day is held every year on 11 December. The United Nations General Assembly set it up in 2003. The day encourages people to dev…
- 11 Dec 1997 The Kyoto Protocol to cut greenhouse gases is agreed in JapanCountries meeting in Kyoto, Japan, adopted the Kyoto Protocol, promising to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the …
- 12 Dec 2015 The Paris Agreement on climate change is adoptedCountries meeting near Paris, France, adopted the Paris Agreement, a treaty about climate change. It was worked out by 196 parties at a United Nation…
- 16 Dec 1707 Mount Fuji begins its last confirmed eruptionMount Fuji, Japan's highest mountain, began its last confirmed eruption, known as the Hōei eruption. It went on until February 1708. The volcano rele…
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21 Dec
1994 Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano wakes up after 47 yearsThe Popocatépetl volcano in central Mexico began erupting after 47 quiet years. Since then it has become one of the most active volcanoes in the coun…
Photo: Jakub Hejtmánek, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 22 Dec 2014 US officials rule that a monkey's selfie cannot be copyrightedThe United States Copyright Office said that a photograph taken by a monkey could not be registered for copyright. It said that only works made by hu…
- 27 Dec 1966 The Cave of Swallows, the world's largest cave shaft, is discoveredThe Cave of Swallows was discovered in Aquismón, in the state of San Luis Potosí in Mexico. It is an open-air pit cave, a giant hole in the ground, a…
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28 Dec
1907 The last confirmed sighting of New Zealand's huia birdThe last confirmed sighting of a huia took place in the Tararua Range on New Zealand's North Island. The huia was a kind of wattlebird found only on …
Photo: J. G. Keulemans, Public domain
- 28 Dec 1973 The USA passes a law to protect endangered speciesPresident Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law in the United States. It is the country's main law for protecting animals and plan…
- 30 Dec 2005 Tropical Storm Zeta forms after the hurricane season has endedA tropical depression formed in the central Atlantic Ocean and grew into Tropical Storm Zeta the next day. It formed a month after the hurricane seas…