June 5, 2020
Day 157 of 366

 

June 5th is the 157th day of the year. It is Arbor Day in New Zealand.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Gingerbread Day, National Moonshine Day, National Veggie Burger Day, and National Doughnut Day (which is typically observed on the first Friday in June).

 

Historical items of note:

• In 1832, the June Rebellion broke out in Paris in an attempt to overthrow the monarchy of Louis Philippe. It was memorialized by Victor Hugo in his novel Les Misérables and figures largely in the stage musical and films that are based on the book.
• In 1849, Denmark became a constitutional monarchy by the signing of a new constitution.
• In 1916, Louis Brandeis was sworn in as a Justice of the United States Supreme Court. That made him the first American Jew to hold such a position.
• In 1919, author and illustrator Richard Scarry was born.
• In 1934, American journalist and 13th White House Press Secretary Bill Moyers was born.
• In 1953, film producer, co-founder of Amblin Entertainment, and president of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy was born.
• In 1956, Elvis Presley introduced his new single, “Hound Dog”, on The Milton Berle Show. The audience was scandalized with his suggestive hip movements.
• Also in 1956, saxophonist, songwriter, and producer Kenny G was born.
• In 1964, the deep-sea research vehicle DSV Alvin is commissioned.
• In 1971, model, actor, producer, and rapper Mark Wahlberg was born.
• In 1977, actress Liza Weil was born.
• In 1989, the Tank Man halted the progress of a column of advancing tanks for over half an hour after the Tiananmen Square protests.
• In 1995, the Bose–Einstein condensate was first created. It is a state of matter, sometimes known as the fifth state of matter, which is formed when a gas of bosons at low densities is cooled to temperatures very close to absolute zero (-273.15 °C).

 

June 5th is World Environment Day.

The day is the United Nations’ principal event for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of our environment. First held in 1974, it has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness about environmental issues such as marine pollution, human overpopulation, global warming/climate change, sustainable consumption, and wildlife crime.

World Environment Day is a global event with participation from over 143 countries annually.

 

The Thing About Today is an effort to look at each day of 2020 with respect to its historical context.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.