Community Corner

Five Things to Know Today, Feb. 16

Guaranteed to tell you something you didn't know yesterday.

Welcome to Thursday. Here are some things to know about today.

The weather: Rain is probable and thunderstorms are possible, the National Weather Service says, until about 3 p.m. The high will be about 64 degrees. The low tonight will be around 47.

Gas prices aren't moving. The lowest price reported to www.georgiagasprices.com for Lilburn as of early Thursday morning was $3.41 (at Shell, 3020 Five Forks Trickum Road at Oak Road, and at four other places). The highest for a gallon of regular was $3.52 (at 5355 Lawrenceville Hwy at Inland Way)

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Deep. Nuclear submarines can stay underwater for long stretches, but exactly how far can they go without surfacing? The USS Triton answered that by circling the world in three months in 1960, the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe. The Navy sub set sail from Connecticut on Feb. 16 and started the mission eight days later from a set of rocks on the Atlantic ocean floor, which also served as the end point. In the depths of the Cold War, the accomplishment was a win both in technology and prestige terms for the U.S. and the Navy. Among the honors bestowed on the Triton’s commander, Capt. Edward L. Beach, was the Magellanic Premium, the country’s oldest and most prestigious scientific award.

War. With the battle against the Union widening and dragging on, the Confederacy cast about for more troops and Georgia, among others, appealed for more volunteers in February 1862 while also dangling the prospect of a draft. GeorgiaInfo.com has a reprint of Gov. Joseph E. Brown’s proclamation that for the first time said soldiers would serve for three years, rather than the six months previously listed. The governor’s flowery language does nothingto hide the fact that he wants enough volunteers to fill three training camps or he’ll impose a draft, by golly. The bounty for volunteering: $50.

Find out what's happening in Lilburn-Mountain Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Birds. Starting Friday, you can be part of a nationwide ritual that helps keep tabs on our natural world: The Great Backyard Bird Count. Birdwatchers, whether beginners or experts, across the country spend four days recording what birds are in the vicinity and contribute to a national census. It's a project of the Audubon Socienty and the Cornell Lab of  Ornithology. There’s lots of helpful data to download, including a checklist of possible species by area codes. A fun project for the long President’s Day weekend!

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