— The crowd started piling into Gobbler's Knob at 3 a.m happy to wait more than four hours in freezing cold to see the celebrity groundhog Punxsutawney Phil emerge from his tree trunk on Groundhog Day Phil!" they chanted as the moment finally drew near members of the Inner Circle — the top-hatted leaders of the Groundhog Club — huddled around the tree trunk standing in the middle of the wide stage Inner Circle President Tom Dunkel used a wooden cane to rap on Phil's door The groundhog was brought out and held up to the sky for any hint of his prediction — and then it came: Phil saw his shadow predicting winter weather will stick around for six more weeks "There's a shadow up here — get ready for six more weeks of winter this year!" Inner Circle Vice President Dan "Moonshine" McGinley says reciting from a scroll containing the groundhog's message The news sparks a round of cheers from the crowd Dunkel says the animal communicates his wishes in "groundhog-ese," which he's able to decipher thanks to his presidential cane I joined the multitudes streaming across the hillside to fill a large clearing at the edge of the woods The 20-degree cold would — we hoped — be blunted by the excitement of watching a tradition dating to 1887 Groundhog Day enthusiasts employ a range of strategies for coping with the cold and handling an early wakeup call Have a heated scarf," Danielle Nola says of her preparations "So I'll probably have two or three [layers of clothes] plus that." adding that she will wear at least two layers of socks "One year it was zero degrees," says Brian Lutgens of Blacksburg "We had the heat packs on our necks and chest and shoes And we were surprisingly comfortable the whole time adds that the energy of the crowd helps: "Everybody's dancing and they just have great entertainment The guys who are up there on the on the stage just keep us all energized." Saturday was a full-on party in Punxsutawney as visitors welcomed Groundhog Day falling on a Sunday "We're expecting that 40,000 people will flock to Punxsutawney this weekend," Anne Ryan Pennsylvania's deputy secretary of tourism Many of those visitors flocked to Punxsy Pizza "We've been planning for months for this day" because of the weekend timing "Since we opened the doors [Saturday] morning We have people standing and eating and a lot of action here at the bar." people lined up to get an early peek at Phil in his burrow habitat "It was really exciting," a young visitor named Emily tells me She and her family traveled from Pittsburgh local breweries and distillers did brisk business some visitors seek to extend their revelry well into the night — perhaps even until 3 a.m. when Gobbler's Knob opens on Groundhog Day And then people just have to hang loose until the buses start at 3 a.m His bar will "probably go through about six kegs," he says "I'm going to stay up all night and then I'm gonna go see Phil," Rene Leonard of Springfield adding that her group has a designated driver But not everyone in Punxsutawney goes up to Gobbler's Knob for Groundhog Day: For locals it's more of an optional activity rather than a bucket-list item I found Mindy Grose and Tracy McCoy selling adorable felt and needlepoint groundhogs The women say they've met visitors from Germany Australia and other countries who come to this borough to see a ground hog in his burrow "Some of these people have come every year for Both women say they routinely skip the main event because they prefer to visit Gobbler's Knob and see Phil without the crowds and early wakeup call An official website of the United States government In honor of Groundhog Day and in the spirit of fun, we pitted groundhogs from all over the United States against each other — and data from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information — to see who’s the most accurate A groundhog raises its paw and squints its eyes in the bright sunlight Groundhog Day has been celebrated in the United States since at least February 2 There are also other weather-predicting animals (and stuffed toys) These furry critters are usually looked to for fun rather than real forecasts. If you’re looking for the real deal, you can find the National Weather Service’s expected long-term forecast here Nineteen groundhogs and alternative groundhogs have been selected to participate in this competition here are the United States’ most accurate groundhogs to date Staten Island Chuck lives in New York City Staten Island Zoo Despite being so reliable at foretelling the weather He once bit the hand of the Mayor of New York City As Georgia's Official Weather Prognosticator General Beauregard Lee lives in Weathering Heights his groundhog-sized mansion at Dauset Trails Nature Center in Jackson but a bronze statue of a prairie dog residing in Lander She was modeled after a real live prairie dog who lived in that area Lander Lil was stolen and a search party was organized to find her She was later found at the town dump and returned home *Note that some groundhogs did not make predictions every year in the past 20 years Although he is not the most accurate seasonal prognosticator we would be remiss not to honor the longest-running weather-forecasting groundhog in the United States legend has it that he has been prophesying when spring would arrive from his burrow on Gobler’s Knob since 1887 The answer is simple… the “groundhog nog” fed to him each fall at Punxsutawney’s annual Groundhog Picnic That rounds up our groundhog accuracy rankings for 2024. You can find more interesting and useful NCEI data here and their temperature data here This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page and I was walking on a road in rural Pennsylvania — it began in a Walmart parking lot and ended 1.5 miles later in a desolate clearing 50,000 other people were on a similar exodus I had the immense honor of celebrating Groundhog Day with Punxsutawney Phil himself as well as recommend it as a mandatory event for Cornell students in their time here or buy expensive tickets or parking passes it was never practical to make that journey to see him but it’s only a four-hour drive from Ithaca pulling into Punxsutawney at around 1:30 a.m We felt a bit tired but were fueled by our mission visited a few of the 40 giant Phil statues scattered around and said good morning to Phil his wife Phyllis and their two new children We suddenly realized that there was already an absurd amount of people around and hustled to the local Walmart Since there is no parking at Gobbler’s Knob — the bottom of a hill where Phil makes his annual proclamation — there are shuttles to deliver the guests from assorted large parking lots around the city icy road with no sidewalk and minimal lighting made for an adventure but there weren’t many cars at that time anyway The situation was such that we had somehow beat all the buses on foot and were part of a loyal crowd waiting for the gate to open at 3 a.m everyone began sprinting down the hill to the stage Surprised but not averse to a bit of sport my friend and I sprinted along with the mob and managed to get front-row seats I think having those seats was a game-changer It would’ve been pretty miserable being in the middle of that crowd It was definitely worth the extra hour of waiting outside as opposed to sitting in our car a bit longer the shuttles arrived and thousands of people packed in behind us and our sense of victory was slightly dimmed with the realization we would be standing in the same spot for almost five hours The Punxsutawney Groundclub Club put on a very impressive pre-show local politicians and Miss Pennsylvania wielding a fire stick all made appearances and worked hard to keep the crowd engaged in cloud-patterned suits and kept the energy high for hours Josh Shapiro attended the event and put on a tough front giving a speech to the roaring crowd with more than a few digs at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ attempt to replace Phil with a robot they’re going to have to go through me,” Shapiro boomed to the masses roaring with approval I really enjoyed the many original songs written about Phil based on popular pop culture songs praise the groundhog,” were belted to the tune of “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy).” My favorite part by far was the sheer energy and enthusiasm for Phil: Many guests wore elaborate Phil costumes there was an impressive fireworks show accompanied by dramatic music that instilled a sense of solemn reverence in the audience for what was to come and Phil emerged from his burrow along with the sun The creature’s stomach fat gushed over the sides of his handlers' leather-gloved hands I could only watch in awe at such a majestic His snout turned to the sky, he squinted and sniffed, then conferred with the president of the Groundhog Club. His prognostication, seeing his shadow (six more weeks of winter!) his rolls of fat and fur smoothing beneath the touch He appeared alert and calm — dare I say smug — despite the estimated 50,000 people screaming in front of him and fireworks exploding behind him As soon as the show ended the crowd quickly dispersed The drive back was by far the hardest part of the adventure I would have planned to nap somewhere either in Punxsutawney or on the way and I’ve succumbed to whatever disease that one gets after spending a winter night outside waiting to hear the will of the groundhog although the bodily experience of seeing Phil is somewhat hellish Cornellians must make the pilgrimage to see Phil — may he enjoy his additional six weeks of napping Aurora Weirens is a fourth year student in the College of Arts & Sciences Her fortnightly column The Northern Light illuminates student life She can be reached at aweirens@cornellsun.com The Cornell Daily Sun is interested in publishing a broad and diverse set of content from the Cornell and greater Ithaca community. We want to hear what you have to say about this topic or any of our pieces. Here are some guidelines on how to submit And here’s our email: opinion@cornellsun.com Link IconCopy linkFacebook LogoShare on FacebookXShare on XEmailShare via EmailLink copied to clipboardWhat happened to Punxsutawney Phil’s Philly wife and burrowed secrets.When Phil appears on Gobbler’s Knob Sunday to predict if we’ll have an early spring he’ll leave behind a dark secret buried in his burrow Punxsutawney Phil’s legend as the world’s foremost weather prognosticating groundhog is unparalleled so it seems unlikely he woodchuck his reputation away for anything But when Phil emerges on Gobbler’s Knob on Sunday to predict if we’ll have an early spring one this raving lothario would probably rather keep in the shadows I stumbled upon the skeletons in Phil’s closet when I started asking questions about what happened to Philomena one of the world’s biggest Groundhog Day fans reached out to me in October as we were “rapidly” approaching this Groundhog Day and told me that in the course of his ongoing research he discovered that the Philadelphia Zoo sent a groundhog named Philomena to Punxsutawney to be mated with Phil in 1984 While Venos found several mentions of Philomena in subsequent newspaper articles throughout the ’90s he said it was unclear if she continued living with Phil or was sent back to Philadelphia “Groundhog reporting wasn’t always as accurate as it should be,” he wrote to me This was the first I’d heard of Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog having a wife from Philly I recalled reports from March 2024 that Phil fathered two babies for the first time with his current wife Here’s the thing, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club He drinks a special “elixir of life” every summer So if Phil has access to a fountain-of-youth beverage Did she run out for smokes and never came back February 1984 reports in The Inquirer and Daily News confirmed that Philomena a 4-year-old groundhog and “charming lass” from the Philadelphia Zoo was flown to Punxsutawney aboard a plane chartered by Philly radio station WIOQ-FM which did a live broadcast from Gobbler’s Knob that Groundhog Day The promotions director at the radio station at the time held Philomena up as Jefferson County Judge Ed Snyder presided over the wedding between her and Phil “She was screaming all these little groundhog screams,” Roberts told former Inquirer columnist Clark DeLeon adding that the groundhog “went wild” biting her hand this was a shotgun wedding our girl from Philly wanted no part of Philomena wasn’t in some Hallmarmot movie where she fell in love and realized small-town life is where it’s at and she didn’t want to play second fiddle to some blowhard whistle-pig with an oversize ego Finding no further information in our archives on what happened to Philomena after her forced marriage I contacted Philadelphia Zoo spokesperson Maria Bryant to see if she could provide insight The zoo’s archives team was able to track down a short write-up about Philomena’s marriage to Phil in the summer 1984 edition of its member magazine The article says Philomena was 11 pounds and was sent to Punxsutawney after the zoo’s staff learned Phil needed a new mate because his previous partner Phil had a mate before Philomena and her name was Phyllis too Bryant said the zoo doesn’t typically track animals once they leave the facility so she couldn’t tell me what ultimately happened to Philomena though the staff hopes she “enjoyed her time in the country air out west!” (note the past tense) But I didn’t give up hope that Philomena could still be alive The zoo’s article also lists Phil’s age as 10 at the time To learn more about Phil’s immortality and his love life and in a final attempt to find answers about Philomena president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club and boss hog of Phil’s Inner Circle The Inner Circle are the members of the club’s board who host the Groundhog Day ceremonies on Gobbler’s Knob in tuxedos and top hats Dunkel — whose nickname is “Shingle Shaker” — has a cane that gives him “the ability to speak Groundhogese,” but only to Phil Dunkel told me the club didn’t have a whole lot of information about Philomena but it’s what he told me next that shook me: Phil does not share his “elixir of life” with his wives “Phil drinks the elixir of life at a summertime picnic we have at Punxsutawney,” Dunkel said “We have this super secret elixir mixed up by his handler made with ingredients “from the wilds of Pennsylvania,” is designed specifically for Phil and only works on him and given that groundhogs typically live between 10 to 14 years in captivity Phil has cycled through somewhere between 10 and 14 wives “Philomena [from Philly] and Phil probably had a wonderful relationship and beautiful marriage but I’m afraid she’s since passed and Phyllis is his new wife.” inherited their father’s magic and will receive the elixir They are going to live out normal groundhog lives,” Dunkel said Oh Phil, say it ain’t so! I don’t want Gus to be my first-favorite groundhog in Pennsylvania Venos, who started a petition in 2022 to give Phil’s wife the elixir of life agrees that it should be given to Phil’s children “The Groundhog Club can just take a little extra time and pick a few extra dandelions to make the potion,” he said “Keeping his family together will make for a happier Phil and allow him to perform his Groundhog Day duties to the best of his abilities.” While I had Dunkel on the phone I had to ask him one last important question for the people of Philadelphia: Does Phil make Super Bowl predictions We like to say there’s a lot of big important things happening in the world today and Groundhog Day is not one of them,” Dunkel said “Phil does not have an opinion on any of the issues that face our world today.” It shares its name with a classic film in which a single day is stuck on repeat — but Groundhog Day is a day like no other That's especially true for a small town in Pennsylvania where celebrity groundhog Punxsutawney Phil delivers his annual weather prediction on Feb Here's a quick guide to the famous festival in Punxsutawney The event is headed by the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle The group has been around almost as long as the tradition and currently consists of 15 men who live in the small town about 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh they wear top hats and tuxedos and use nicknames like "Moonshine" and "Frostbite." They also have a secret handbook The Inner Circle's president is Tom Dunkel whose father also spent decades in the group (it's a lifetime commitment) Groundhog Day and Phil were never far away Dunkel uses the same cane his father once held to rouse Phil from his burrow we say — you've got to have the groundhog gene," Dereume says When Phil sits on a stump to predict the weather it's Groundhog Day — not Groundhogs Day — for a reason," Dereume says "There's only one. And there's only ever been one," Dunkel agrees. "There's only ever been one Punxsutawney Phil. Our Phil is like, probably 139 years old." (Under normal circumstances, groundhogs in captivity reportedly live up to 14 years.) Dunkel says that at the club's summer picnic Phil drinks a secret concoction dubbed "The Elixir of Life." "Every sip gives him seven years of longevity," he says Many Groundhog Day visitors also do their share of sipping and restaurants stay open late on Groundhog Day Eve — but no alcohol is allowed at Gobbler's Knob Punxsutawney's Groundhog Day was steadily gaining popularity before the eponymous film came out in 1993 playing TV weatherman Phil to Andie MacDowell's producer Rita took audiences through a Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney that was stuck on repeat The film was shot mostly in Woodstock, Ill. "Groundhog Day was really off to the races at that point," Dereume says The event exploded, he says, from crowds of 3,000 to 5,000 people to 30,000 to 40,000 — a massive influx for Punxsutawney, where the U.S. Census Bureau lists a population of about 5,600 and they noticed something odd at Gobbler's Knob: Visitors kept coming to see the small stage in a field prompting the group to add amenities like a welcome center that is open all year "He went to the White House to meet Ronald Reagan admirers look for Phil at Gobbler's Knob and at special events "We'll do probably six or seven parades a year," Dunkel says "We have what's called a Phil-mobile" — a bus that plays groundhog-centered music Many visitors come to Punxsutawney's Groundhog Day for fun Groundhog Day "changed a lot of the reasons why people come," Dunkel says He notes that the story depicts a jaded man who struggles to break free from a rut of bad habits and impulses "We get a lot of people that come to Groundhog Day for a fresh start and to start over" because of what they got out of the movie "And their stories are pretty cool to listen to." It's free to attend the big gathering at Gobbler's Knob although many spectators opt to pay $5 for a bus ride rather than deal with parking Hotels in the area sell out; people who need rest can pay $10 to nap in a community center the Groundhog Club decided their honor and respect for Phil required them to wear top hats and tuxedos If you were to meet the king or queen of England But there was a scramble for top hats a few years ago after the club's longtime supplier in the U.S They found a new top hatter in England — but "then Queen Elizabeth passed away and all of a sudden there was a top hat shortage," Dunkel says and a free one is the only perk you get for joining the Inner Circle Groundhog Day rituals are a unique blend of formality and folksiness When else do grown men in fancy dress bend their ears toward a woodchuck — as groundhogs are also known — as thousands look on But the timing has been important for centuries as ancient Celts and then Christians celebrated the halfway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox Our modern Groundhog Day evolved from the Christian holiday Candlemas, which in turn came from the Celtic festival of Imbolc the traditions celebrate the return of the sun and spring The observances also prompted a question: When will winter end When Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants thought about that they recalled the German practice of consulting a European badger for weather predictions — and in North America Neither Doppler radar nor pesky statistics seem to dent interest in Phil's weather predictions experts say that if you really want to predict the end of winter Become an NPR sponsor according to the weather prognosticating groundhog Punxsutawney Phil was back at it again celebrating Groundhog Day to help decided it we'll have an early spring or six more weeks of winter Here's what Phil said and past predictions: The great weather-predicting groundhog could not be stopped forecasting six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow during the annual spectacle at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney Phil's first official shadow sighting came in 1887 followed by several years of no official recordings The first front page coverage came in 1908 John Frampton was the first to grab a photo for the newspaper of Phil spotting his shadow His longest stretch of seeing his shadow is 21 years His longest streak of not seeing his shadow — two years between 2019 and 2020 The only time he did not make an appearance came in 1943 during the middle of World War II as he has predicted a longer winter 109 times following the 2025 prediction Groundhog Day 2025 prediction: See if Punxsutawney Phil says more winter or early spring a huge crowd will be led by about a dozen members of Phil's "Inner Circle," a group of men in top hats who organize the event each year at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney the event is held in the borough in Jefferson County — some 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh hosted their 24th annual Groundhog Day celebration by welcoming residents from the VA Hospital in Butler Since its inception in 1999 — only canceled twice during the COVID-19 pandemic — Post 2076 has welcomed veterans from the VA treating them to tours of the Punxsutawney Area Historical and Genealogical Society and then back to the VFW for a lunch featuring beef stew and a visit with Punxsutawney Phil at Gobbler’s Knob Butler VA Medical Center’s recreational and creative arts therapist praised Post 2076 as a prime example of a resource in the community that can be used without the aid of alcohol Punxsy Groundhog Club Inner Circle members Iceman Butch Philliber and Storm Builder Rob Gemmell brought Punxsy Phil to VFW Post 2076 on Sunday and entertain the veterans from the Butler VA Hospital “There are no temptations or triggers there to set off those who are being treated for addiction,” Conti said adding that he appreciates the Post does not sell liquor at their canteen the highly anticipated therapeutic trip provides education and camaraderie for VA residents who find that they can have a good time while remaining sober which will be about a week before Groundhog Day Brought over by German settlers in the 1700s believed that clear skies on Candlemas Day meant a long winter Groundhog Day weekend is officially upon us. Although Punxsutawney Phil hasn’t given us his prediction yet, the National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh has provided their weather forecast for the weekend Anyone who is planning to make the trip to Punxsutawney to partake in the Groundhog Day traditions and celebrations should plan to dress warm and brace for windy conditions An odd tradition: Groundhog Day predictions depend on the morning sky. Here's why Here is a look at what the weekend forecast looks like for Punxsutawney: the National Weather Service projects a day filled with sunshine and low winds reaching from 3 to 8 miles per hour The high temperature is predicted to reach near 32 degrees in Punxsutawney there will be some increasing clouds with a low temperature around 21 degrees ranging from 5 to 8 miles an hour just after midnight but gusts could reach as high as 20 miles per hour Groundhog Day forecastPunxsutawney Phil is expected to emerge around sunrise Sunday, which is projected at 7:25 a.m. Groundhog goers will arrive to Gobbler's Knob much earlier Punxsutawney is expected to be cloudy in the morning and see a 20% chance of snow showers just after 1 p.m. Those snow showers will mix in with some rain showers after 4 p.m The rest of Sunday will be cloudy with a high near 42 degrees Winds will range from 9 to 11 miles per hour with gusts reaching 24 mph Punxsutawney is looking at a mostly cloudy night with a low temperature of 36 degrees Stay tuned for more weather updatesKeep in mind the forecasts are subject to change as we get closer to Groundhog Day Get the latest weather forecast and radar for your ZIP code at goerie.com/weather. Download the GoErie app for a mobile-friendly forecast page Contact Nicholas Sorensen at nsorensen@gnannett.com Watch live from Pennsylvania as the handlers of Punxsutawney Phil disclose whether the groundhog has seen his shadow and predict six more weeks of winter or an early spring Groundhog Day predictions about the coming of spring put the spotlight on Punxsutawney Phil every Feb but celebrating the midpoint between the shortest and darkest day of the year and the spring equinox has ancient roots in European agricultural life Punxsutawney Phil is far from the only groundhog whose human handlers make annual announcements about whether they’ve seen their own shadows and are predicting six more weeks of winter or an early spring where people of German descent have been watching the groundhog’s annual emergence from hibernation for centuries there’s a tradition of groundhog clubs and celebrations that are independent of Phil during the 137th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney “We know this is silly; we know this is fun,” said Marcy Galando executive director of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club “We want people to come here with a sense of humor.” Here are some things to know about the holiday: Celtic people across Europe marked the four days that are midway between the winter solstice What the Celts called Imbolc is also around when Christians celebrate Candlemas timed to Joseph and Mary’s presentation of Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem stars and animal behavior to guide farming practices and other decisions and the practice of watching an animal’s emergence from winter hibernation to forecast weather has roots in a similar German tradition involving badgers or bears Pennsylvania Germans apparently substituted the groundhog endemic to the eastern and midwestern United States Historians have found a reference in an 1841 diary to groundhog weather forecasts in early February among families of German descent in Morgantown a University of Pennsylvania professor whose 2003 book about Groundhog Day explored the Celtic connection Yoder concluded the festival has roots in “ancient Ashley Johnson of Dallas watches entertainment while waiting for Punxsutawney Phil to come out and make his prediction during the 136th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney they started celebrating the holiday by picnicking care for Phil and his woodchuck family at a customized space beside Punxsutawney Memorial Library where there’s a window with a view into the creature’s burrow The Punxsutawney groundhog makes predictions The designated groundhog emerged before sunrise in 1929 and didn’t come out until late afternoon in 1941 The 1993 Bill Murray movie “Groundhog Day” caused such a resurgence of interest that two years after it came out event organizers voiced concern about rowdy crowds drinking all night people climbing trees and others stripping to their underwear a groundhog club leader wearing a $4,000 groundhog suit reported being assaulted by a half-dozen young men Alcohol is now prohibited at Gobbler’s Knob Phil’s spot some 80 miles (123 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh The early festivities in Punxsutawney were followed in 1907 by folks in Quarryville a farming area in Lancaster County in Pennsylvania’s southeastern corner The roughly 240 members of the Slumbering Groundhog Lodge there report the winter forecast from Octoraro Orphie watches the festivities while waiting for Punxsutawney Phil The groundhog is a member of the squirrel family and related to chipmunks and prairie dogs a whistle pig — or in the parlance of Pennsylvania Dutch Groundhogs are herbivores that are themselves edible to humans Their lifespan in the wild is typically two or three years Some cooks advise groundhogs are best taken when they are young and after clover is in bloom since a clover diet is thought to improve the meat’s taste groundhog lodges opened in eastern Pennsylvania They were social clubs with similarities to Freemasonry Intended to preserve Pennsylvania German culture and traditions clubs would sometimes fine those who were caught speaking anything but their Pennsylvania Dutch language at meetings They were traditionally all-male groups and several of the clubs remain active They all share the unifying feature of a groundhog’s weather prognostication a Kutztown University anthropology professor and author of “Serious Nonsense,” a book about the lodges and other efforts to preserve German heritage “I think it’s just one of these traditional rituals that people enjoy participating in that maybe take them away from modern life for 15 minutes,” Donner said during the 133rd celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s .J.Knob in Punxsutawney Some well-meaning efforts have sought to determine Phil’s accuracy but what “six weeks of winter” means is debatable Claims that a groundhog has or has not seen its shadow — and that it’s able to communicate that to a human — are also fair territory for skeptics and the humor impaired Phil predicts more winter far more often than he predicts an early spring Groundhogs are mostly solitary creatures who start to emerge in midwinter to find a mate The science behind whether they can make any accurate weather predictions is problematic at best The non-profit animal rights group commonly known as PETA says in a news release that they've made an "irresistible offer" to Tom Dunkel president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club PETA offered to deliver a vegan cake to Punxsutawney Phil's home of Gobbler's Knob in Pennsylvania each Groundhog Day That's if Dunkel agrees to the let the groundhog and his family live out the rest of their days at a reputable sanctuary The "weather dessert" cake is a play on the gender reveal cake except blue on the inside of the cake would signify six more weeks of winter and pink would indicate an early spring create intricate networks of underground burrows but poor Phil is denied all of that for a tired old gimmick,” PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement "PETA is urging The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club to sprinkle some happiness into Phil’s life by retiring him and giving Groundhog Day a much-needed ‘cake makeover.’” The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on Tuesday afternoon. Read PETA's letter to the club here. Last year PETA suggested the groundhog be replaced with a giant gold coin and in 2022, they suggested officials predict the weather with persimmon seeds, KTLA5 reported. Although few expect Gobbler's Knob to take PETA up on any of the offers anytime soon the group still tries to draw attention to what they view as animal mistreatment and flashing lights against all his natural instincts," reads Newkirk's letter to Dunkel not volunteer to live year-round in captivity unable to do anything that’s natural and important to him like hibernate or burrow − just to be a town’s once-a-year fake meteorologist She added: "We know that locals and tourists who genuinely respect Phil want him to live his life doing what’s natural to him." has predicted the weather in "Groundhogese" since 1886 including Phil's highly anticipated prediction As if he weren't famous enough, he was further immortalized in the 1993 film "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell and set in Gobbler's Knob People far and wide travel to Gobbler’s Knob to witness Phil's prediction Festivities are held on multiple days over the course of the week but Phil usually makes his prediction by Monday morning According to the Old Farmer's Almanac the holiday stems from a centuries-old Pagan and Christian tradition known as St German settlers were the ones who brought the tradition to the U.S. but they used a hedgehog and not a groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, shared his prediction with the only man who can understand him - the president of Punxsutawney Groundhog club. 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'We barricaded both doors': Fear and chaos at Florida State UniversityAs alarms blared across campus, students hid under tables and barricaded themselves in classrooms. Watch: Key moments from Canada's general election debateFour party leaders faced off on Donald Trump, tariffs and security in the only English debate before Election Day. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Sunday and predicted six more weeks of wintry weather his top-hatted handlers announced to a raucus record-sized crowd at Gobbler’s Knob in Pennsylvania The handlers for Staten Island Chuck say the groundhog has predicted an early spring during the 139th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney The crowd watches the festivities while waiting for Punxsutawney Phil to come out and make his prediction during the 139th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney sits in his carrier following the 139th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney Shubenacadie Sam emerges from her burrow at a Groundhog Day event at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park in Nova Scotia on Sunday Sam saw her shadow and predicts six more weeks of winter (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press via AP) Revelers display signs while waiting for Shubenacadie Sam to emerge from her burrow at a Groundhog Day event at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park in Nova Scotia on Sunday Jim Means holds up Punxsutawney Phil at daybreak during the 138th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney the weather prognosticating groundhog,sits in his carrier following the 139th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney Phil’s handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter Groundhog Club member Butch Philliber displays a sign following the forecast by Punxsutawney Phil the groundhog whose handlers claim has predicted an early spring is at the Staten Island Zoo in New York on Sunday Staten Island District Attorney Michael Mcmahon holds a Spring is Coming sign in front of Staten Island Chuck whose handlers say has predicted an early spring at the Staten Island Zoo in New York on Sunday A child holds a toy groundhog as a crowd gathers to witness Shubenacadie Sam emerge from her burrow at a Groundhog Day event at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park in Nova Scotia on Sunday (AP) — Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Sunday and predicted six more weeks of wintry weather Phil,” and pulled from a hatch on his tree stump shortly after sunrise before a member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club read from a scroll in which he boasted: “Only I know — you can’t trust A.I.” When Phil is deemed to have not seen his shadow confetti and live music that ranged from the Ramones to “Pennsylvania Polka” as they awaited sunrise and Phil’s emergence local and state elected officials and a pair of pageant winners were among the dignitaries at the scene Self-employed New York gingerbread artist Jon Lovitch has attended the event for 33 years and this is probably the best and biggest midwinter party in the entire world,” Lovitch said in Punxsutawney says there are two types of people who make the trek to Gobbler’s Knob: the faithful seeking to validate their beliefs and the doubters who want to confirm their skepticism Phil communicated his forecast to Dunkel through “Groundhog-ese” with the help of a special cane that Dunkel has inherited as the club’s leader Attendance is free but it cost $5 to take a bus and avoid a 1 mile (1.6 kilometer) trek from the middle of town to the stage where the prediction was made some 80 miles (123 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh The need for so many buses is why the local schools close when Groundhog Day falls on a weekday his wife and a friend have watched the “Groundhog Day” movie in each of the past five years and decided this was the time to make the trip from Ohio to witness the event “We booked rooms almost a year in advance and we’re here,” Post said A new welcome center opened four years ago and the club is working on an elaborate second living space for Phil and family so they can split time between Gobbler’s Knob and Phil’s longtime home at the town library The club also put up large video screens and more powerful speakers this year to help attendees in the back of the crowd follow the proceedings “It’s a holiday where you don’t really owe anyone anything,” said A.J who among the club’s 15-member inner circle serves as Phil’s handler and held him up to loud cheers on Sunday in something that’s just fun to believe in.” Jackie Handley agreed a year ago to visit Punxsutawney for the first time to help a friend check off an item on their bucket list They were ready for the subfreezing temperatures “It’s once in a lifetime — we’re probably not going to come back And we have tons of warm clothes,” said Handley club members and Phil posed for photos with people from the crowd although his family did not join him on stage for the big event The groundhog family eats fruits and vegetables get daily visits from Dereume and sees a veterinarian at least once a year The club’s lore is that Phil is the same woodchuck who has been issuing weather forecasts for the past century thanks to an “elixir of life” that keeps him immortal and it’s not something that can be handed down,” Dunkel said “Just like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny about 50 miles (81 kilometers) southeast of Atlanta in Jackson a groundhog named “General Beauregard Lee” saw his shadow It was said that Shubenacadie Sam at a wildlife park in Nova Scotia also saw her shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter Despite lacking formal meteorology training Punxsutawney Phil delivers one of the most anticipated weather forecasts of the year Phil will weigh in on whether there will be six more weeks of winter or if spring will get an early start he has seen his shadow 107 times compared to not seeing his shadow 22 times RELATED STORY | Tallest, fastest, longest tilt coaster in North America coming to this state Last year marked the end of a three-year streak when Phil saw his shadow Despite the pomp and circumstance around Phil when he wriggles out of his burrow Phil has been less than 50% accurate with his forecasts February 2024 marked the third-warmest in U.S Well above-average warmth persisted into March National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a high probability of warm weather in the eastern U.S Several other rodents are in the weather prognostication business including Buckeye Chuck in Ohio and Staten Island Chuck in New York RELATED STORY | Meet two of the K-9 officers selected for Super Bowl LIX With a cold, snowy winter encapsulating much of the US already in 2025, Punxsutawney Phil braved Pennsylvania's frigid morning hours to give his annual, deity-like prediction for the weather '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" Animal rights group suggested replacing the famous marmot with vegan cake to forecast the end of winter Pennsylvania’s governor, Josh Shapiro, is claws out in a dispute with animal rights organization Peta over Groundhog Day pushing back against activists who suggested that the world-famous marmot Punxsutawney Phil should be replaced with a cake Punxsutawney Phil headlines the yearly Groundhog Day festival in this small Pennsylvania town The mythos surrounding this event maintains that this woodchuck can predict whether spring will start early depending on whether he sees his shadow when exiting his nest A dispute between Shapiro and Peta started to unfold on 21 January when the organization sent a letter to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s president “In a fun play on viral gender reveal videos Peta’s tasty treat would be cut to expose one of two colors: blue indicating an early spring,” the group explained in its pun-filled note (Among Peta’s jeux de mots: “This would allow you to still make tourism dough while showing Phil a slice of decency.”) Shapiro didn’t bite. The Democrat said Peta responded to Shapiro’s taunt on Saturday, replying to his X post: “It’s wonderful that you support Phil’s rehabilitation and release to a sanctuary How would you like us to arrange pick up for him?” Shapiro’s office said that he stood firm in support of Phil “The governor is dead serious in his defense of this historic Pennsylvania tradition and remains committed to protecting Punxsutawney Phil and the inner circle and the role they play in the Groundhog Day celebration,” Manuel Bonder The defense of Punxsutawney Phil made for strange bedfellows, WCHS noted “I agree with Governor Shapiro on something,” wrote Gabriella Hoffman director of the Independent Women’s Forum Center for Energy and Conservation Groundhog Day traces its root to pre-Christian holidays feting seasonal turning points, according to the Library of Congress When western European groups such as the Celts were converted to Christianity church officials could not get them to abandon these festivals The first of February, among the days feting seasonal turning points, broadened into 2 February, transitioning into Candlemas, according to the Library of Congress. An English folk song showed that Candlemas became associated with weather prediction, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club if “the hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas Day there would be a ‘Second Winter’ or six more weeks of bad weather” German immigrants to the US brought their traditions but had to adapt to the lack of hedgehogs They picked another hibernating mammal: the groundhog Groundhog Day was on Sunday, one of our more unique holidays where we get a seasonal weather forecast from a beloved rodent The main one is Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania, but Georgia also has its own groundhog, General Beauregard Lee The Groundhog Day ceremony in Punxsutawney was one of much pomp and circumstance with members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club pumping up a crowd of thousands The club's president Tom Dunkel tapped on his burrow with a special cane and the crowd chanted "Phil!" until Punxsutawney Phil was brought forth Confirmed: Georgia Soldier was 1 of 3 on helicopter in DC crash. Here's what we know A scroll was then chosen with a message "from Phil" which was translated as follows: You always said you'd make it here one day to the place barely big enough to contain ya We're all here with the elements combined where Mother Nature meets Father Time to hear the truth It's Groundhog Day and maybe life is on a loop Get ready for six more weeks of winter this year." Did the Georgia groundhog see his shadow?In a similarly fun-filled ceremony in front of many people Beauregard Lee exited from his Antebellum-style mansion called Weathering Heights His handler announced that Lee also saw his shadow In a more intimate ceremony, North Georgia Wildlife & Safari Park in Cleveland live streamed its own groundhog Yonah who also saw his shadow All three groundhogs forecast six more weeks of winter According to the National Weather Service Groundhog Day started as a Pennsylvania German custom in the 18th and 19th centuries with origins in ancient European weather lore A badger or sacred bear was the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog It's also similar to the medieval Catholic holiday of Candlemas When the Germans came to America in the 1700s and settled in Pennsylvania including that of an animal seeing its shadow to predict the weather but a suitable replacement in America was the groundhog the editor of the Punxsutawney Spirit Newspaper was inspired by a local tradition of hunting and barbecuing groundhogs and dubbed the participants the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club to be the one and only official weather forecasting groundhog PA every year for the Groundhog Day celebrations Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on X and Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@gannett.com as the beloved animal predicted an extra long winter during the Groundhog Day festivities This story was updated to add new information It's official: Six more weeks of winter are ahead according to Punxsutawney Phil and his shadow The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle the group that organizes the annual winter spectacle and cares for Phil brought him out of his den Sunday as the crowd watched and cameras beamed his image around the country Phil communicated in "groundhogese" that he saw his shadow meaning we'd see winter hang around for a while but the modern-day Groundhog Day began a year later But the custom doesn't always result in accurate weather forecasting Here's a look at all of Punxsutawney Phil's weather prediction record According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Phil has a 35% overall accuracy rating over 135 years Of the 129 recorded times Phil has predicted the weather he has now seen his shadow 108 times (or 84% of the time) His longest streak of seeing his shadow is 31 after he saw it every year from 1903 to 1933 Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them. It seems Phil has some competition when it comes to forecasting the weather. According to an new study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration these other furry forecasting critters in the U.S More: PETA suggests 'weather reveal' cake to replace famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil the three coldest months of the year in the U.S so winter typically has a ways to go when the groundhog comes out NOAA released it temperature outlook for February March and April and predicts warmer temperatures in the Northeast The majority of the South and East could also see above-normal temperatures But the Northwest might encounter below-normal temperatures More: Groundhog Day is almost here: What to know about the rodent, the shadow, and the weather People flock to Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney 2 every year to be a part of the celebrations revolving around Punxsutawney Phil's forecast The holiday stems from a centuries-old pagan and Christian tradition, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac German settlers brought the tradition to America according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club they checked to see if a hedgehog saw its shadow SOURCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Punxsutawney Groundhog Club and USA TODAY research In 2025 we've had temperatures in the negative degrees Among the top groundhogs in the Midwest, there's a disagreement. Here are the predictions Buckeye Chuck and Punxsutawney Phil made for Groundhog Day 2025: Ohio's most famous rodent did not see his shadow That's good news for Ohioans waiting for warm weather as Chuck predicts we'll have an early spring Punxsutawney saw his shadow predicting six more weeks of winter Groundhog Day is rooted in the Christian holiday Candlemas the midway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox Christians would light candles to predict how long winter would last The first official Groundhog Day was held Feb. 2, 1887, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to History.com we can thank newspaper editor Clymer Freas for the special day as he and a group of groundhog hunters declared a groundhog from the town the official predictor the ceremony is organized by the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club which also cares for the groundhog year-round The world's most famous groundhog has a chilly message: the legendary weather predictor Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow who lives in Gobbler’s Knob in Pennsylvania will have an early spring or six more weeks of winter based on whether or not he sees his shadow More: Did Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow? What to know about the groundhog's prediction saw his shadow and predicted the year would see an extra long winter The groundhog made his prediction on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney and delivered his meteorological prophecy in Groundhogese Though Phil's predictions are not always correct and was only right around 40% of the time between 2012 and 2021, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hopefully he's wrong about the frigid temperatures continuing What the weather means for you: Sign up for USA TODAY's Climate Point newsletter Punxsutawney Phil fans got 'fired up' as they knocked on the famous Groundhog's tree stump waiting for signs of whether winter would continue Old Man Winter is the DJThe event started off with a cover of "For the Longest Time" by Billy Joel "If you see your shadow here today," sang the band "Lights Out." "Six more weeks of come our way Fireworks shot into the sky before the sun even rose The fireworks show was synchronized to iconic songs like "Star Wars's" theme song and the "Imperial March." More musical acts performed songs inspired by the psychic rodent before Phil came out and made his prediction Sunday Finest by Sir Rosevelt and "Shout" by Otis Day and the Knights played over the event's speakers More: Groundhog Day results aside, here's what weather forecasters say about spring A huge crowd gathered before dawn with songs furry hats and rock music to party in Gobbler's Knob to await Punxsutawney Phil "It's go time!,'' as revelers sang away "Old Man Winter."Which way will it go - USA TODAY’s Saman Shafiq and Julia Gomez The origins of Groundhog Day date back to German settlers in the 1800s and the celebration of the Christian festival of Candlemas the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox Early Christians believed that a sunny Candlemas meant 40 more days of cold and snow Looking to a groundhog to predict the weather is rooted in European lore where “...a badger or sacred bear...” prognosticates the weather German immigrants brought Candlemas traditions with them but a groundhog was chosen instead of a badger Phil and Phyllis are the proud parents of two new groundhogs, a female named Sunny and a male named Shadow, born in March 2024, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club The famous groundhog emerged from his burrow on Sunday morning, looked for his shadow and made his annual spring forecast. 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Open navigation Close navigation Home All the major chapters in the American story from Indigenous beginnings to the present day History from countries and communities across the globe if a groundhog comes out of its hole on this day and sees its shadow it gets scared and runs back into its burrow predicting six more weeks of winter weather; no shadow means an early spring Groundhogs, also called woodchucks and whose scientific name is Marmota monax, typically weigh 12 to 15 pounds and live six to eight years. They eat vegetables and fruits, whistle when they’re frightened or looking for a mate (they’re sometimes called whistle pigs) and can climb trees and swim. They go into hibernation in the late fall; during this time, their body temperatures drop significantly, their heartbeats slow from 80 to five beats per minute and they can lose 30 percent of their body fat. In February, male groundhogs emerge from their burrows to look for a mate (not to predict the weather) before going underground again. They come out of hibernation for good in March. In 1887, a newspaper editor belonging to a group of groundhog hunters from Punxsutawney called the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club declared that Phil, the Punxsutawney groundhog, was America’s only true weather-forecasting groundhog. The line of groundhogs that have since been known as Phil might be America’s most famous groundhogs, but other towns across North America now have their own weather-predicting rodents, from Birmingham Bill to Staten Island Chuck to Shubenacadie Sam in Canada. In 1993, the movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray popularized the usage of “groundhog day” to mean something that is repeated over and over. Today, tens of thousands of people converge on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney each February 2 to witness Phil’s prediction. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club hosts a three-day celebration featuring entertainment and activities. Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on February 2nd On February 2, 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed, ending the Mexican-American War in favor of the United States. The Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo added an additional 525,000 square miles to United States territory, including the area that would become the states of Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona, as well […] On February 2, 1876, the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, which comes to be more commonly known as the National League (NL), is formed. The American League (AL) was established in 1901 and in 1903, the first World Series was held. The first official game of baseball in the United States took place in […] Novelist James Joyce is born this day in Dublin, Ireland, the eldest of 10 children. His father, a cheerful ne’er-do-well, will eventually go bankrupt. Joyce attended Catholic school and University College in Dublin. A brilliant scholar, he learned Dano-Norwegian in order to read the plays of Henrik Ibsen in the original. In college, he began […] On February 2, 1897, Black inventor and businessman Alfred Cralle patents the first ice cream scoop. His popular creation is part of a surge in patents by Black inventors after the end of the Civil War. While working as a porter at the Markell Brothers drugstore in Pittsburgh, Alfred Cralle noticed his fellow employees struggling […] On February 2, 1913, New York City’s Grand Central Terminal opens for the first time. The transportation hub as we know it today began construction in 1903, but before that 89 E 42nd was home to an older steam train station built in 1879. Even though the station had been updated to deal with an […] Police discover the body of film director William Desmond Taylor in his Los Angeles bungalow. Lieutenant Tom Ziegler responded to a call about a “natural death” at the Alvarado Street home of Taylor. When he arrived they found actors, actresses and studio executives rummaging through the director’s belongings. He also found Taylor lying on the […] The last German troops in the Soviet city of Stalingrad surrender to the Red Army, ending one of the pivotal battles of World War II. On June 22, 1941, despite the terms of the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939, Nazi Germany launched a massive invasion against the USSR. Aided by its greatly superior air force, the […] In response to Soviet leader Joseph Stalin’s proposal that President Harry S. Truman travel to Russia for a conference, Secretary of State Dean Acheson brusquely rejects the idea as a “political maneuver.” This rather curious exchange was further evidence of the diplomatic sparring between the United States and the Soviet Union that was so characteristic […] Klaus Fuchs, a German-born British scientist who helped developed the atomic bomb, is arrested in Great Britain for passing top-secret information about the bomb to the Soviet Union. The arrest of Fuchs led authorities to several other individuals involved in a spy ring, culminating with the arrest of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and their subsequent […] The first U.S. Air Force plane is lost in South Vietnam. The C-123 aircraft crashed while spraying defoliant on a Viet Cong ambush site. The aircraft was part of Operation Ranch Hand, a technological area-denial technique designed to expose the roads and trails used by the Viet Cong. U.S. personnel dumped an estimated 19 million […] One week after toppling the regime of Ugandan leader Milton Obote, Major General Idi Amin declares himself president of Uganda and chief of the armed forces. Amin, head of the Ugandan army and air force since 1966, seized power while Obote was out of the country. Ruling directly, Amin soon revealed himself as an extreme […] On February 2, 1974, a sweet, soft ballad by a 31-year-old Barbra Streisand knocks Beatle Ringo Starr down a notch on the Billboard Hot 100. Streisand’s “The Way We Were” overtakes the jaunty “You’re Sixteen” as the No. 1 song—Streisand’s first. It would spend 24 weeks total on the Hot 100 chart, three in the […] On February 2, 1979, Sid Vicious, former bassist for the notorious Sex Pistols—and the living embodiment of everything punk rock stood for and against—dies of a heroin overdose in a Greenwich Village apartment. His death likely came as a surprise to very few. To the New York City Police Department and Medical Examiner’s Office, he […] On February 2, 1980, details of ABSCAM, an FBI operation to uncover political corruption in the government, are released to the public. Thirty-one public officials were targeted for investigation, including Representative John Murphy of New York, five other representatives, and Harrison Williams, a senator from New Jersey. In the operation, FBI agents posed as representatives […] Weeks after California passed a law against cyberstalking, Gary Dellapenta is charged with using the Internet to solicit the rape of a woman who had rejected his advances. (He pleads not guilty.) Dellapenta terrorized a North Hollywood woman by placing ads in her name that claimed she had rape fantasies and provided her address and […] On February 2, 2014, Philip Seymour Hoffman, considered one of the most talented and versatile actors of his generation, dies of a drug overdose at age 46 in New York City. During his career, the prolific performer appeared in more than 50 movies, including Capote, Doubt and The Hunger Games series, and earned a reputation […] After inspecting burrs that had stuck to his dog’s fur, a Swiss engineer got an idea. While standing near a magnetron in an aerospace research facility, an engineer noticed that a chocolate bar in his pocket melted—and he got an idea. International cooperation, initiated in the late 1980s, helped heal Earth’s damaged ozone layer and steer it toward recovery. From gold rushes to guerrilla wars, dynamite’s dual legacy is one of construction and destruction. We strive for accuracy and fairness. 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