: News
Rebecca Sheir
D.C.'s Meridian Hill Park got its name from the Prime Meridian Thomas Jefferson proposed along 16th Street NW.
It's been nearly 130 years since Washington, D.C., hosted the International Meridian Conference, where 25 nations met to decide where the world's Prime Meridian ought to be.
The 41 delegates decided on Greenwich, England. But before the Royal Greenwich Observatory formed the natural splitting point for the globe's longitude, Washington, D.C., had a meridian of its own. Two D.C. landmarks are situated along what would have been "Washington's Meridian."
NPR
Fictional 'Mothers' Reveal Facts Of A Painful Adoption Process
After years trying to conceive, novelist Jennifer Gilmore and her husband decided to adopt. What they thought would be a relatively simple process was instead a long and painful one. In her latest novel, Gilmore channels these autobiographical experiences into fiction.NPR
In Raw Milk Case, Activists See Food Freedom On Trial
Activists say the case against Wisconsin dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger is about raw milk — and much more. His supporters have turned the case into a rallying cry for personal food freedom and the rights of farmers and consumers to enter into private contracts without government intervention.NPR
Lois Lerner's Brief And Awful Day On Capitol Hill
The IRS bureaucrat showed up long enough at a House hearing into the scandal engulfing her agency to declare her innocence and her constitutional right to say no more.NPR
How That 'Nigerian Email Scam' Got Started
You've probably seen it in your inbox before: Someone who claims to have come into a fortune needs your help. You can share in the profits — if you send along a deposit or your bank account number. Boston Globe correspondent Finn Brunton talks about the history of the "Nigerian prince" or "419" scam, which actually got its start long before email.Leave a Comment
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