The Know Daily - Tuesday 5 March 2024

_{Read in 5m 20s ∙ Listening to Charli XCX ∙}

We know that solar power is one of the renewable energy sources that might save the planet - but did you know that the technology was pioneered by a woman? Mária Telkes (1900-1995) was a Hungarian-American physicist who dedicated her career to studying solar energy, ultimately registering more than 20 patents. Oh, and she also became known as the “Sun Queen”. 👑 

With thanks to Wild Nutrition for keeping news that's conscious of your wellbeing free and available to all. Wild Nutrition is B Corp pioneering naturally-sourced, scientifically studied Food-Grown supplements.

🇺🇸 What is Super Tuesday?

Today, voters in 15 US states and one US territory decide on who they think should be their candidates for president.

Why is it called “Super” Tuesday?
It’s an “important new phase” of the presidential primaries, said CNN, given that multiple states vote on the same day. Both Democrats and Republicans will have a say on who they want to see on the ballot in November. 

Super Tuesday is important, “even though neither Democratic President Joe Biden nor former President Donald Trump has had to sweat the competition this year”, added CNN.

How does the voting work?
Based on the outcome of each contest, party officials known as delegates are allocated to the top candidates - and a certain number of delegates is needed to officially select the presidential nominee at each party's convention this summer, BBC News explained. Associated Press has this handy guide to the delegate system.

Approximately one-third of the total delegates - 865 Republican and at least 1,420 Democratic - are up for grabs on Super Tuesday.

Who’s likely to win?
In short, Trump and Biden. The Trump campaign anticipates winning at least 773 delegates on the day and securing the Republican nomination later in March, said the BBC. The former president currently holds an estimated 244 delegates, while his Republican competitor Nikki Haley has 43.

And for the Democrats, current president Joe Biden is the presumed candidate and it’s “highly unlikely” anything will change that, said Sky News’ US correspondent Mark Stone.

But there are still some key moments to watch out for. Even though Haley is unlikely to win, she is still in the race - and Super Tuesday could be her last opportunity to slow down Trump's progress.