October 13, 2020
Day 287 of 366

October 13th is the 287th day of the year. On this day in 1775, the Continental Congress established the Continental Navy, which was the predecessor of the United States Navy. As a submarine veteran, I would like to wish sailors past and present a happy 245th birthday.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Train Your Brain Day, National Yorkshire Pudding Day, National Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, and National No Bra Day.

Historical items of note:

• In 1269, the present church building at Westminster Abbey was consecrated.
• In 1792, the cornerstone of the United States Executive Mansion (known as the White House since 1818) was laid in Washington, D.C.
• In 1843, B’nai B’rith was founded in New York City. It is the oldest Jewish service organization in the world.
• In 1881, the first known conversation in modern Hebrew took place between Eliezer Ben-Yehuda and friends.
• In 1884, the International Meridian Conference established the meridian of the Greenwich Observatory as the prime meridian.
• In 1885, the Georgia Institute of Technology was founded in Atlanta, Georgia. Unfortunately, Georgia Tech selected the asshole of the insect world, the yellow jacket, as their mascot.
• In 1892, Edward Emerson Barnard found the first comet discovered by photographic means.
• In 1908, Margaret Travers Symons burst into the UK parliament and became the first woman to speak there.
• In 1939, actress Melinda Dillon was born.
• In 1941, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Paul Simon was born.
• In 1956, television producer Chris Carter was born.
• In 1962, actress Kelly Preston was born.
• In 1964, actor and producer Christopher Judge was born.
• In 1976, the first electron micrograph of an Ebola virus was taken at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by Dr. F. A. Murphy.
• In 1983, Ameritech Mobile Communications launched the first United States cellular network in Chicago.

October 13th is the International Day for Disaster Reduction.

This international day encourages every citizen and government to take part in building more disaster-resilient communities and nations. In 1989, the United Nations General Assembly designated October 13th as the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction as part of its proclamation of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.

In 2002, the General Assembly decided to maintain the annual observance as a vehicle to promote a global culture of natural disaster reduction, including prevention, mitigation, and preparedness. The name and date became official in 2009.

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

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