September 5, 2020
Day 249 of 366

 

September 5th is the 249th day of the year. It is the flag-flying day for Denmark’s deployed personnel, during which the country expresses their gratitude for Danish service members.

 

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Cheese Pizza Day, National Be Late For Something Day, National Tailgating Day, and World Beard Day. The last two are typically observed on the first Saturday in September.

 

Historical items of note:

• In 1661, Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Île, vicomte de Melun et Vaux was arrested. He was Superintendent of Finances under Louis XIV, and was arrested in Nantes, France by D’Artagnan, captain of the king’s musketeers.
• In 1698, in an effort to Westernize his nobility, Tsar Peter I of Russia imposed a tax on beards for all men except the clergy and peasantry.
• In 1774, the First Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• In 1914, make-up artist Stuart Freeborn was born. The “grandfather of modern make-up design”, he was responsible for the design and fabrication of Yoda in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
• In 1927, the first Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon, Trolley Troubles, was released. It was produced by Walt Disney and distributed by Universal Pictures.
• In 1929, comedian and actor Bob Newhart was born.
• In 1939, Australian actor George Lazenby was born. He was the second official James Bond.
• In 1940, actress and singer Raquel Welch was born.
• In 1942, German actor, director, producer, and screenwriter Werner Herzog was born.
• In 1951, actor Michael Keaton was born.
• In 1960, Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) won the gold medal in the light heavyweight boxing competition at the Olympic Games in Rome.
• In 1976, Jim Henson’s The Muppet Show premiered. Mia Farrow was the first guest star.
• In 1977, NASA launched the Voyager 1 spacecraft.

 

September 5th is the International Day of Charity.

The observance is an international day and was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012. The prime purpose of the International Day of Charity is to raise awareness and provide a common platform for charity related activities all over the world for individuals, charitable, philanthropic, and volunteer organizations for their own purposes on the local, national, regional, and international level.

 

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.