The Day Warming Began

摘要

Upminster Church stood 15 miles east of London, among a hodgepodge of farms and pastures. When William Derham ventured outside at 8 a.m. on Jan. 4, 1699, the first fingers of sunlight were still stretching over the horizon, throwing long shadows behind the church's bell tower and trees. A breeze blew from the southwest, and clouds crept over the sky. Derham ducked into the cool shade to examine an object that hung there. The local Anglican rector, Derham was better known for his observations of Jupiter and his collections of wasps and grubs than for his talents in the pulpit.