Month: October 2020

Timestamp #SJA16: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith

Michael Falkner9 Comments

Sarah Jane Adventures: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith
(2 episodes, s03e03, 2009)

 

Till death do they part.

Sarah Jane sneaks out of the house for a “traffic report meeting”. It’s the fifth time this month that she’s made an odd excuse like that, so Luke summons the gang and uses Mr. Smith to track her whereabouts.

She stops at a house and freshens her lipstick, nearly using her sonic instead. The gang follows her while K9 is left to verbally banter with Mr. Smith. What they find is a date in progress, but as they leave, they hear the straining engines of the TARDIS.

Sarah Jane returns home to find the gang acting strangely. Mr. Smith and K9 spill the beans and Sarah Jane is angry at first, but happily explains that she’s seeing Peter Dalton. She forgives the gang as she ushers out of the attic, briefly consulting K9 before saying goodnight to Luke. She jokes that she might have to tell Peter about aliens and her adventures, which was her barrier to finding love before.

As the lights go out, Luke hears the TARDIS engines again, but has no idea what it means.

Three days later, Peter stops by to meet Luke. Rani, Clyde, and Gita spy on the meeting as the gang saves her from an awkward parcel. The parcel opens to reveal a mischievous multi-eyed creature, and as K9 runs to wrangle the alien, Luke passes if off as a toy.

Sarah Jane, Luke, and Peter head to dinner. Rani and Clyde call for help with the alien – a Travast Polong – and Sarah Jane directs them on how to have Mr. Smith transmat the being home before returning to the table. Luke and Peter bond quickly.

Two days later, Clyde and Rani investigate Peter and find his home virtually deserted. Meanwhile, Peter proposes to Sarah Jane in a restaurant and she accepts. As the patrons applaud, the engagement ring glows red.

Clyde and Rani try to convince Sarah Jane that something is wrong, but the ring glows as Sarah rationalizes the information. She places Mr. Smith into shutdown as the computer detects an anomaly. She placates the gang as she starts planning. After all, the wedding is only two weeks away.

She shuts the door on the attic, perhaps for the final time, as a sinister laugh echoes.

The wedding day arrives and the guests assemble except for Maria, Carla Langer, and the Brigadier. Luke wonders why none of Peter’s family is in attendance, but Peter says that he has no living relatives. Sarah Jane arrives in a white limousine, bridesmaid Rani as her escort, and Luke walks her inside as the TARDIS chitters around them.

Clyde asks K9 to scan the area, which angers Luke because the robot dog should not be there. As the wedding commences, the officiant asks if anyone objects.

As the TARDIS lands, the door bursts open and the Doctor yells, “Stop this wedding now!”

The room shakes and spins as the Trickster arrives in angelic robes. As the Doctor protests, Sarah Jane, Peter, and the Trickster dematerialize. The assembled guests vanish moments later.

Luke, Clyde, and Rani regain consciousness and meet the Doctor. Along with K9, they are the only people left in the hotel. They have been left in a temporal bubble at precisely 15:23:23, with that one second repeating over and over again. They rush to the TARDIS, which is trapped between universes in a temporal schism and unable to materialize.

They’ve been left there to stop them from helping Sarah Jane. To use them to leverage against her.

The Doctor explains that the Trickster is the personification of the Pantheon of Discord, a group of aliens from a different universe thriving on chaos and trying to break into this universe. He starts following temporal traces as his sonic screwdriver starts blipping.

Sarah Jane wakes up with Peter, who asks her to say, “I do” so they can be together. She quickly realizes that the engagement ring has been controlling her and tosses it aside. She searches for the Doctor and discovers that the temporal bubble is split into two seconds. Sarah Jane and Peter are trapped in the other half.

As the inhabitants of both seconds run in search of each other, Peter explains that the Trickster came to him as an angel when he had been fatally injured after falling down the stairs at home. The Trickster offered him his life and the love he never had, but it was a ploy to capture Sarah Jane. If she marries Peter, she’ll forget her entire life in exchange for a life of paradise. If she doesn’t, she and her allies will remain in the void forever.

The Trickster shifts seconds to confront the Doctor. He speaks of ice and fire and the Key to Time. He also remarks that “the Gate” is waiting for the last of the Time Lords.

The Trickster returns to the other second. Shortly after, the TARDIS partially materializes and the Doctor is able to get aboard before it vanishes again. In that moment, Clyde is charged with artron energy, which the Doctor explained can be used to fight the Trickster.

Clyde summons the Trickster and promises to join him. It’s a ploy, of course, which enables Clyde to attack the Trickster with his new power.

The TARDIS partially materializes in Sarah Jane’s second, and the Doctor confers with her. He reminds her that there is only one way to end the deal, and tells Peter that he is a good man. And that he’s sorry.

The Trickster and Clyde appear, and Sarah Jane takes advantage of her weakened enemy to plead with Peter. Although it will cost him his second chance at life, he needs to break the deal to save them all. It’s the same thing that happened with Andrea Yates.

Peter withdraws his agreement, throwing the ring at the Trickster and vanishing in a shimmer of light. As the temporal schism merges with the normal timeline, the Doctor vanishes as Sarah Jane and the Bannerman Road Gang return to the exact moment that they left. With Peter gone, Sarah Jane cancels the wedding with tears in her eyes.

The gang assembles in the attic to console Sarah Jane. The Doctor joins them, allowing everyone a look around the TARDIS, as he reminds Sarah Jane just how important she is to the universe.

She asks if this is the last time that she will see him. He doesn’t know, but asks her not to forget him.

She says that no one ever will.

 

This story was beautiful. It was fantastic to see Sarah Jane in love, even if it was all a dirty trick. While the gang tried their best to save her from yet another Trickster temptation, when it comes to temporal traps, you call in the Doctor.

The teenagers were still instrumental in saving the day, which is good because the last thing you want is the guest star sucking all the oxygen out of the room and dominating the story.

Of course, this being a story from 2009, it’s part of David Tennant’s farewell tour, so it lays hints about the road ahead while questioning if this is the last time that Sarah Jane and the Doctor will cross paths. The reflection on their first parting was beautiful.

Sure, the solution was a re-use of the first Trickster story, but the story itself more than made up for it.

The other nods to history aside, we also had a mention of Metebelis III and the return of the football rattle.

 

Rating: 5/5 – “Fantastic!”

 

UP NEXT – Sarah Jane Adventures: The Eternity Trap

 

The Timestamps Project is an adventure through the televised universe of Doctor Who, story by story, from the beginning of the franchise. For more reviews like this one, please visit the project’s page at Creative Criticality.

The Thing About Today – October 7

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October 7, 2020
Day 281 of 366

October 7th is the 281st day of the year. It is Teachers’ Day in Laos.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Chocolate Covered Pretzel Day, National LED Light Day, National Frappe Day, National Inner Beauty Day, National Walk to School Day, National Pumpkin Seed Day, and National Coffee with a Cop Day. The last three are typically observed on the first Wednesday in October.

Historical items of note:

  • Today in 3761 BC marks the epoch reference date, or origin, of the modern Hebrew calendar.
  • In 1826, the Granite Railway began operations as the first chartered railway in the United States.
  • In 1868, Cornell University held opening day ceremonies. Initial student enrollment was 412, the highest at any American university to that date.
  • In 1885, Danish physicist and philosopher Niels Bohr was born. He made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922.
  • In 1912, the Helsinki Stock Exchange saw its first transaction.
  • In 1919, KLM was founded. It is the flag carrier of the Netherlands, and is the oldest airline still operating under its original name.
  • In 1931, South African archbishop and activist Desmond Tutu was born.
  • In 1933, Air France was inaugurated after being formed by a merger of five French airlines.
  • In 1944, during an uprising at the Birkenau concentration camp, Jewish prisoners burned down Crematorium IV.
  • In 1949, the communist German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was formed.
  • In 1951, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor John Mellencamp was born.
  • In 1955, French-American cellist and educator Yo-Yo Ma was born.
  • In 1958, the United States manned space-flight project was renamed Project Mercury.
  • In 1959, the Soviet probe Luna 3 transmitted the first-ever photographs of the far side of the Moon.
  • In 1966, Italian-American composer and conductor Marco Beltrami was born.
  • In 1967, singer-songwriter, producer, and actress Toni Braxton was born.
  • In 1971, The French Connection premiered.
  • In 1979, twin actors Aaron and Shawn Ashmore were born.
  • In 1998, Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, was found tied to a fence after being savagely beaten by two young adults in Laramie, Wyoming. He died five days later. Both of his murderers were convicted and each of them received two consecutive life sentences.
  • In 2002, the Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on STS-112 to continue assembly of the International Space Station.
  • In 2008, the music, podcast, and video streaming service Spotify was launched.
  • In 2018, Jodie Whittaker debuted in her first full episode as the Thirteenth and first female Doctor on Doctor Who.

October 7th is National Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day.

The observance promotes research to help find a cure for trigeminal neuralgia, as well as support for improved diagnoses and treatment procedures. The observance encourages supporters to wear teal.

The trigeminal nerve is the largest of cranial nerves and consists of 12 pairs that control many functions of the face. Pressure on the nerve, aging, or deterioration of the myelin due to conditions like cerebal palsy induce severe pain in the face and jaw. The pain may be localized or spread, and it may worsen over time.

While treatments such as surgery or medications may provide relief, the condition is progressive over time.

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.

The Thing About Today – October 6

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

October 6, 2020
Day 280 of 366

October 6th is the 280th day of the year. It is German-American Day in the United States, celebrating German-American heritage and commemorating the founding of Germantown in Northwest Philadelphia in 1683.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Coaches Day, National Orange Wine Day, National Plus Size Appreciation Day, National Mad Hatter Day, National Noodle Day, and National Eat Fruit At Work Day (typically observed on the first Tuesday in October).

Historical items of note:

  • In 1600, Euridice received its première performance, beginning the Baroque period. It is the earliest surviving opera.
  • In 1729, English preacher Sarah Crosby was born. She was the first female Methodist preacher.
  • In 1903, the High Court of Australia convened for the first time.
  • Also in 1903, Irish physicist and academic Ernest Walton was born. He was a Nobel Prize laureate for his work on “atom-smashing” experiments done at Cambridge University with John Cockcroft in the early 1930s. He was the first person in history to split the atom.
  • In 1927, The Jazz Singer premiered. It was the first prominent “talkie” movie.
  • In 1942, Swedish actress and singer Britt Ekland was born.
  • In 1960, Spartacus premiered in theaters.
  • In 1963, actress Elisabeth Shue was born.
  • In 1970, actress Amy Jo Johnson was born.
  • In 1973, Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd was born.
  • In 1995, the first planet orbiting another sun, 51 Pegasi b, was discovered.
  • In 2007, Jason Lewis completed the first human-powered circumnavigation of the Earth.
  • In 2010, Instagram, a mainstream photo-sharing application, was founded.

In 1973, the Yom Kippur War – also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the Arab-Israeli War, מלחמת יום הכיפורים or מלחמת יום כיפור in Hebrew, and حرب أكتوبر or حرب تشرين in Arabic – started, fought by a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel.

The war began when the Arab coalition launched a joint surprise attack on Israeli positions, on Yom Kippur, a widely observed day of rest, fasting, and prayer in Judaism, which also occurred that year during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Egyptian and Syrian forces crossed ceasefire lines to enter the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights, respectively. Both the United States and the Soviet Union initiated massive resupply efforts to their respective allies during the war, and these efforts led to a near-confrontation between the two nuclear superpowers.

The conflict lasted for two weeks and five days, coming to an end on October 25th. The war had far-reaching implications for both sides. The Arab world had experienced humiliation in the lopsided rout of the Egyptian–Syrian–Jordanian alliance in the Six-Day War but felt psychologically vindicated by early successes in this conflict. The war led Israel to recognize that, despite impressive operational and tactical achievements on the battlefield, there was no guarantee that they would always dominate the Arab states militarily, as they had consistently through the earlier 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Suez Crisis, and the Six-Day War.

These changes paved the way for a subsequent peace process, including the 1978 Camp David Accords.

 

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.

The Thing About Today – October 5

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

October 5, 2020
Day 279 of 366

 

October 5th is the 279th day of the year. It is Teachers’ Day in both Pakistan and Russia.

 

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Get Funky Day, National Rhode Island Day, National Do Something Nice Day, National Apple Betty Day, National Consignment Day, and National Child Health Day. The last two are typically observed on the first Monday in October.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1550, the city of Concepción was founded in present-day Chile.
  • In 1857, the city of Anaheim, California was founded.
  • In 1882, physicist, engineer, and academic Robert H. Goddard was born. He is the inventor who was credited with creating and building the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket.
  • In 1911, the Kowloon–Canton Railway commenced service in Hong Kong.
  • In 1914, an aircraft successfully destroyed another aircraft with gunfire, the first event of its kind. This occurred during World War I.
  • In 1919, actor Donald Pleasance was born.
  • In 1922, American soldier and cartoonist Bil Keane was born.
  • In 1945, a six-month strike by Hollywood set decorators turned into a bloody riot at the gates of the Warner Brothers studio.
  • In 1947, United States President Truman made the first televised Oval Office address.
  • In 1951, actress Karen Allen was born.
  • In 1952, author, director, producer, and screenwriter Clive Barker was born.
  • Also in 1952, keyboard player, composer, and producer Harold Faltermeyer was born.
  • In 1958, astrophysicist, cosmologist, and author Neil deGrasse Tyson was born.
  • In 1962, the first James Bond film, Dr. No, premiered in London.
  • In 1966, a reactor at the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station near Detroit suffered a partial meltdown.
  • In 1967, English-Australian actor Guy Pearce was born.
  • In 1970, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) was founded.
  • In 1975, actress Kate Winslet was born.
  • In 1984, Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space.
  • In 2000, mass demonstrations in Serbia forced the resignation of Slobodan Milošević. He was arrested six months later on suspicion of corruption, abuse of power, and embezzlement. He died in his prison cell from a heart attack five years later.

 

October 5th is World Teachers’ Day, also known as International Teachers Day.

Established in 1994, the observance it commemorates the signing of the 1966 UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which addressed the status and situations of teachers around the world.

World Teachers’ Day aims to focus on “appreciating, assessing and improving the educators of the world” and to provide an opportunity to consider issues related to teachers and teaching.

 

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.

The Thing About Today – October 4

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

October 4, 2020
Day 278 of 366

 

October 4th is the 278th day of the year. It is Independence Day in Lesotho, formerly Basutoland, as they celebrate leaving the United Kingdom in 1966.

It is also the beginning of World Space Week, “an international celebration of science and technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition.”

 

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Cinnamon Bun Day, National Taco Day, National Golf Lover’s Day, National Vodka Day, World Smile Day, and National GOE Day (which is typically observed on the Sunday of the first full weekend in October).

What is GOE? It stands for “Growth. Overcome. Empower.” It encourages us to support safe spaces of healing and connection for those who have been victimized by abuse and trauma, and focuses on healing, recovery and providing resources that support overcoming these overwhelming obstacles in life.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1582, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII.
  • In 1824, Mexico adopted a new constitution and became a federal republic.
  • In 1883, the first run of the Orient Express occurred.
  • In 1895, film actor, director, and producer Buster Keaton was born.
  • In 1924, American soldier and author Donald J. Sobol was born. He created the Encyclopedia Brown children’s book series.
  • In 1927, Gutzon Borglum began sculpting Mount Rushmore. He is also known for Stone Mountain in Georgia, the statue of Union General Phillip Sheridan in Washington, D.C., a bust of Abraham Lincoln which was exhibited in the White House by Theodore Roosevelt, and being deeply involved with the Ku Klux Klan. Mount Rushmore, of course, was carved into Six Grandfathers, a mountain taken from the Lakota Sioux by the United States government.
  • In 1941, Norman Rockwell’s Willie Gillis character debuted on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post.
  • Also in 1941, author Anne Rice was born.
  • In 1946, actress and activist Susan Sarandon was born.
  • In 1956, Austrian-German actor Christoph Waltz was born.
  • In 1957, Sputnik 1 became the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.
  • In 1967, actor and director Liev Schreiber was born.
  • In 1976, actress, producer, and author Alicia Silverstone was born.
  • In 1980, Thundarr the Barbarian premiered on television.
  • In 1985, the Free Software Foundation was founded.
  • In 1988, actress and singer Melissa Benoist was born.
  • In 2004, SpaceShipOne won the Ansari X Prize for private spaceflight.

 

October 4th is World Animal Day, an international day of action for animal rights and welfare celebrated on the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

World Animal Day was originated by cynologist Heinrich Zimmermann. He organized the first World Animal Day on March 24, 1925, at the Sport Palace in Berlin, Germany. Over 5,000 people attended the first event, and it was only celebrated on that day because the venue was not available on October 4th. It finally made it to October 4th in 1929.

The mission of World Animal Day is “to raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards around the globe. Building the celebration of World Animal Day unites the animal welfare movement, mobilizing it into a global force to make the world a better place for all animals. It is celebrated in different ways in every country, irrespective of nationality, religion, faith or political ideology. Through increased awareness and education we can create a world where animals are always recognized as sentient beings and full regard is always paid to their welfare.”

 

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.

The Thing About Today – October 3

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

October 3, 2020
Day 277 of 366

 
October 3rd is the 277th day of the year. It is National Day in Iraq as they celebrate their 1932 independence from the United Kingdom.

 

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Techies Day and National Boyfriend Day.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 2457 BC, Hwanung (환웅) purportedly descended from heaven. This event is observed today as Gaecheonjeol, or South Korea’s National Foundation Day.
  • In 42 BC, Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fought a decisive battle with Caesar’s assassins Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Philippi.
  • In 1283, Dafydd ap Gruffydd, prince of Gwynedd in Wales, became the first nobleman to be executed by hanging and drawing and quartering.
  • In 1789, George Washington proclaimed a Thanksgiving Day for that year.
  • In 1863, the last Thursday in November was declared as Thanksgiving Day by United States President Abraham Lincoln.
  • In 1941, singer-songwriter Chubby Checker was born.
  • In 1949, WERD, the first black-owned radio station in the United States, opened in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • In 1952, the United Kingdom successfully tested a nuclear weapon and became the world’s third nuclear power.
  • In 1955, Captain Kangaroo premiered on television.
  • In 1961, Mr. Ed premiered on television.
  • In 1962, astronaut Wally Schirra launched from Cape Canaveral in Sigma 7 for a six-orbit flight.
  • In 1964, actor Clive Owen was born.
  • In 1969, singer-songwriter, actress, and fashion designer Gwen Stefani was born.
  • In 1973, Canadian actress and producer Neve Campbell was born.
  • Also in 1973, actress Lena Headey was born.
  • In 1983, actress Tessa Thompson was born.
  • In 1984, actress Jessica Parker Kennedy was born.
  • In 1985, the Space Shuttle Atlantis made its maiden flight on mission STS-51-J.
  • In 1988, actress Alicia Vikander was born.
  • In 1994, Gary Larson announced his retirement from producing his Far Side comic.
  • In 1995, the O. J. Simpson murder case ended with a verdict of not guilty.

 

In 1990, the German Democratic Republic was abolished and became part of the Federal Republic of Germany. The day is celebrated as German Unity Day. The reunification marked the first time since 1945 that there existed a single German state.

An alternative choice would have been November 9, 1989, the day that the Berlin Wall came down – the date coincided with the anniversary of the proclamation of the German Republic in 1918, and the defeat of Hitler’s first coup in 1923 – however, it was also the anniversary of the first large-scale Nazi-led pogroms against Jews in 1938 (also known as Kristallnacht), so the day was considered inappropriate as a national holiday.

Therefore, October 3, 1990, the day of the formal reunification, was chosen instead and replaced the “Day of German Unity” on June 17th, the national holiday of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1954.

 

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.

The Thing About Today – October 2

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

October 2, 2020
Day 276 of 366

 

October 2nd is the 276th day of the year. It is Independence Day in Guinea as they celebrate their 1958 separation from France.

 

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Produce Misting Day, National Custodial Worker’s Recognition Day, National Name Your Car Day, National Fried Scallops Day, National Manufacturing Day, and National Body Language Day. The last two are typically observed on the first Friday in October.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1528, William Tyndale published The Obedience of a Christian Man, which advocated the divine right of kings.
  • In 1535, Jacques Cartier discovered the present site of Montreal.
  • In 1800, American slave and uprising leader Nat Turner was born.
  • In 1869, Indian freedom fighter, activist, and philosopher Mahatma Gandhi was born.
  • In 1870, a plebiscite held in Rome supported the annexation of the city of Rome by the Kingdom of Italy.
  • In 1890, comedian and actor Groucho Marx was born.
  • In 1895, comedian Bud Abbott was born.
  • In 1919, United States President Woodrow Wilson suffered a massive stroke, leaving him incapacitated for several weeks.
  • In 1945, singer-songwriter and guitarist Don McLean was born.
  • In 1948, actor and singer Avery Brooks was born.
  • Also in 1948, Indian model and actress Persis Khambatta was born.
  • Also in 1948, singer-songwriter and sculptor Chris LeDoux was born.
  • In 1949, photographer Annie Leibovitz was born.
  • In 1955, Alfred Hitchcock Presents premiered on television.
  • In 1957, The Bridge on the River Kwai was released to theaters.
  • In 1959, Rod Serling’s anthology series The Twilight Zone premiered on CBS. The first episode was “Where Is Everybody?”
  • In 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first African-American justice of the United States Supreme Court.

 

October 2nd is Batik Day (Hari Batik Nasional), which is an Indonesian cultural day for celebrating batik, the traditional cloth of Indonesia.

October 2nd is the anniversary of UNESCO’s 2009 recognition of batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. On that day, the map of Indonesian batik diversity by Hokky Situngkir was opened for public for the first time by the Indonesian Ministry of Research and Technology in Jakarta.

Batik is a traditional Indonesian cloth that has roots in the country’s historical artwork. In celebration of their culture, Indonesians dress head-to-toe in batik for the holiday. Now, Batik Day is celebrated across a number of platforms all over the world, particularly in Indonesian organizations ranging from universities, church groups, and communities all around the world. These Indonesian organizations usually celebrate Batik Day as well in order to create awareness of Indonesia’s traditional fabric to other cultures.

 

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.

 

 

The Thing About Today – October 1

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

October 1, 2020
Day 275 of 366

 

October 1st is the 275th day of the year. It is Independence Day in multiple locations, including Cyprus (separated from the United Kingdom in 1960), Nigeria (from the United Kingdom in 1960), Palau (from the UN Trust Territory status in 1994), and Tuvalu (from the United Kingdom in 1978).

 

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Black Dog Day, National Hair Day, Fire Pup Day, and National Homemade Cookies Day.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1507, Italian architect Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola. He designed the Church of the Gesù in Rome.
  • In 1861, Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management was published, going on to sell 60,000 copies in its first year and remaining in print until the present day.
  • In 1890, Yosemite National Park was established by the United States Congress.
  • In 1891, Stanford University opened its doors in California.
  • In 1893, Hong Kong martial artist Ip Man was born. He was a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun and had several students who later became martial arts masters in their own right, the most famous among them being Bruce Lee.
  • In 1920, actor Walter Matthau was born.
  • In 1921, actor James Whitmore was born.
  • In 1924, Naval lieutenant, politician, humanitarian, and Nobel Prize laureate Jimmy Carter was born. He was the 39th President of the United States.
  • In 1930, Irish actor Richard Harris was born.
  • In 1931, the George Washington Bridge was opened, linking New Jersey and New York.
  • In 1935, actress and singer Julie Andrews was born.
  • In 1958, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics was replaced by NASA.
  • In 1961, the United States Defense Intelligence Agency was formed, becoming the country’s first centralized military intelligence organization.
  • In 1968, Guyana nationalized the British Guiana Broadcasting Service, which would eventually become part of the National Communications Network, Guyana.
  • Also in 1968, cult zombie film Night of the Living Dead, directed by George A. Romero, was released.
  • In 1971, Walt Disney World opened near Orlando, Florida.
  • Also in 1971, the first practical CT scanner was used to diagnose a patient.
  • In 1982, Epcot opened at Walt Disney World in Florida.
  • Also in 1982, Sony and Phillips launched the compact disc in Japan. On the same day, Sony released the model CDP-101 compact disc player, the first player of its kind.
  • In 1989, Denmark introduced the world’s first legal same-sex registered partnerships.
  • Also in 1989, actress Brie Larson was born. I thought she was brilliant was Captain Marvel.

 

In 1536, the Lincolnshire Rising began.

The Lincolnshire Rising was a brief rising by Roman Catholics against the establishment of the Church of England by Henry VIII and the dissolution of the monasteries set in motion by Thomas Cromwell. Both planned to assert the nation’s religious autonomy and the king’s supremacy over religious matters. The dissolution of the monasteries resulted in much property being transferred to the Crown.

Led by a monk and a shoemaker called Nicholas Melton, some 22,000 people are estimated to have joined the rising. It quickly gained support in Horncastle, Market Rasen, Caistor, and other nearby towns, and Dr. John Raynes, the chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln, who dragged from his sick-bed and beaten to death by the mob as the commissioners’ registers were seized and burned.

The protest effectively ended on October 4th when the King sent word for the occupiers to disperse or face the forces of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. By October 14th, few occupiers remained in Lincoln. Following the rising, the vicar of Louth and Captain Cobbler, two of the main leaders, were captured and hanged at Tyburn. Most of the other local ringleaders were executed during the next twelve days.

In memory of the event, Lincolnshire Day is observed every October 1st.

 

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.