Dr. Daniel Rolph, historian and head of reference services at HSP, was recently featured on the National Geographic Channel. Rolph was interviewed as part of a show titled "Blood Rain and Star Jelly." The show first aired on June 7 and will be rebroadcast.

A description of the show from the National Geographic Channel Web site reads: "Every year, planet earth is bombarded with tons of material from outer space. This amazing fact is most evident during spectacular displays of "falling stars," but most of the time it goes unnoticed. However, there have been accounts throughout history of strange discoveries after meteor showers. Some report a blood red rain; others have discovered blobs of an unknown gelatinous substance where the meteors supposedly fell. Stories and superstition have grown around these mysterious events. Today, scientists investigate the mystery using the latest tools and knowledge, and what they're discovering might prove some of the superstitions to be true."

Rolph showed the filmmakers clips of old newspapers that reported incidents of so-called "blood rain and star jelly." To learn more about the show and airtimes, visit: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/blood-rain-and-star-jelly-4555/Overview#ixzz0qqCJkIzG

Rolph has worked at HSP since 1985. He received his BA in History with a minor in Anthropology from the University of Utah, an MS in History from the University of Kentucky, and a Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania. Rolph has designed and taught many college level courses including “The American Civil War: 1861–65,” “Classical Mythology,” “Minorities in American History,” and “Your Family in History." In 1992 Rolph published To Shoot Burn and Hang—Folk-History from a KentuckyMountain Family and Community. In 2002 he published My Brother’s Keeper: Union & Confederate Soldiers’ Acts of Mercy during the Civil War. Both books were well received and are still readily available through outlets such as Amazon.com. He has presented at numerous conferences and lectures and even appeared on C-Span and BookTV to promote his books.