Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 September 1892 — Where Abraham Was Born. [ARTICLE]

Where Abraham Was Born.

Not far from Aleppo Is situated the little town of Orfah, the ancient Ur of the Chaldeans, which is of great historical interest, having been the birthplace of Abraham, the patriarch. There are but few Jews in the place. The Arabs point out a small stone structure, lying jiAt outside of the town, which they declare is the identical house where old Abraham first saw the light. On account of this fact the building is called Beit el Chalti (the house of the friend of God). How the “Zero" Originated. With the mercury close to the nineties it is interesting to recall the origin of the thermometric “zero." A Prussian merchant named Fahrenheit was what we would call a weather sharp; be watched the weather closely. One day by accidentally mingling snow and salt he perceived that a degree of cold equal to that of the coldest day in his experience had been produced at once. He called Ihat diegrce “zero'—nothing.