Category: Our Universe

The Thing About Today – June 8

Michael Falkner1 Comment

June 8, 2020
Day 160 of 366

 

June 8th is the 160th day of the year. It is World Brain Tumor Day, an international commemoration of brain tumor patients and their families.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Best Friends Day, National Name Your Poison Day, and National Upsy Daisy Day.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1783, the Laki volcano in Iceland began an eight-month eruption that killed over 9,000 people and started a seven-year famine.
  • In 1789, James Madison introduced twelve proposed amendments to the United States Constitution in Congress. Of those proposed amendments, ten were ratified as the Bill of Rights on December 15, 1791. Another became the Twenty-Seventh Amendment (dealing with Congressional salary changes) on May 5, 1992. The last one, concerning Congressional apportionment, is still pending before the states with an indefinite time limit.
  • In 1860, Irish-English mathematician and theorist Alicia Boole Stott was born.
  • In 1867, architect Frank Lloyd Wright was born. He designed the Price Tower and Fallingwater.
  • In 1887, Herman Hollerith applied for United States patent #395,781 for the “Art of Compiling Statistics”, which was his punched card calculator.
  • In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law. This authorized the President to restrict the use of certain parcels of public land with historical or conservation value.
  • In 1912, Carl Laemmle incorporated Universal Pictures.
  • In 1918, Air Force captain, actor, and singer Robert Preston was born.
  • In 1933, comedian, actress, and television host Joan Rivers was born.
  • In 1936, actor and singer James Darren was born.
  • In 1940, singer and actor Nancy Sinatra was born.
  • In 1943, Sixth Doctor (Doctor Who) Colin Baker was born.
  • In 1949, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four was published.
  • In 1953, the United States Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. John R. Thompson Co. that restaurants in Washington, D.C., cannot refuse to serve black patrons.
  • In 1959, USS Barbero (SS-317) and the United States Postal Service attempted the delivery of mail via Missile Mail. The cost of continued service could not be justified.
  • In 1966, an F-104 Starfighter collided with XB-70 Valkyrie prototype number 2, destroying both aircraft during a photo shoot near Edwards Air Force Base. Joseph A. Walker, a NASA test pilot, and Carl Cross, a United States Air Force test pilot, were both killed.
  • Also in 1966, actress Julianna Margulies was born.
  • In 1972, nine-year-old Phan Thị Kim Phúc was burned by napalm, an event captured by Associated Press photographer Nick Ut moments later while the young girl was seen running down a road. The resulting photograph would become an iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winner.
  • In 1973, model and actress Lexa Doig was born.
  • In 1984, homosexuality was declared legal in the Australian state of New South Wales.
  • Also in 1984, the original Ghostbusters was released.
  • Also in 1984, Gremlins was released.

 

In 1992, the first World Oceans Day was celebrated. It coincided with the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

World Oceans Day was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008. The international day supports the implementation of worldwide Sustainability Development Goals and fosters public interest in the management of the ocean and its resources. The day is marked in a variety of ways, including information campaigns and initiatives, special events at aquariums and zoos, outdoor explorations, aquatic and beach cleanups, educational and conservation action programs, art contests, film festivals, and sustainable seafood events.

 

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 – June 7

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

June 7, 2020
Day 159 of 366

 

June 7th is the 159th day of the year. It is National Cancer Survivor’s Day in the United States, celebrated on the first Sunday in June.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Boone Day, National Chocolate Ice Cream Day, National VCR Day, and National Oklahoma Day.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1776, Richard Henry Lee presented the “Lee Resolution” to the Continental Congress. The motion was seconded by John Adams and would lead to the United States Declaration of Independence.
  • In 1862, the United States and the United Kingdom agreed in the Lyons–Seward Treaty to suppress the African slave trade.
  • In 1896, physicist, chemist, and Nobel Prize laureate Robert S. Mulliken was born.
  • In 1909, actress Jessica Tandy was born.
  • In 1911, engineer and designer Brooks Stevens was born. He designed the Wienermobile.
  • In 1917, singer, actor, and producer Dean Martin was born.
  • In 1946, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) returned to broadcasting its television service, which had been off the air for seven years because of World War II.
  • In 1950, actor Gary Graham was born.
  • In 1952, actor Liam Neeson was born.
  • In 1955, Lux Radio Theatre signed off the air permanently. The show launched in New York in 1934 and featured radio adaptations of Broadway shows and popular films.
  • In 1958, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor Prince was born.
  • In 1960, screenwriter and producer Bill Brady was born.
  • In 1965, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, prohibiting the states from criminalizing the use of contraception by married couples.
  • In 1971, the United States Supreme Court overturned the conviction of Paul Cohen for disturbing the peace, setting the precedent that vulgar writing is protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
  • In 1972, actor Karl Urban was born.
  • In 1979, actress Anna Torv was born.
  • In 1982, Priscilla Presley opened Graceland to the public, however, the bathroom where Elvis Presley died five years earlier was kept off-limits.

 

June 7th is Journalist Day in Argentina.

The Gazeta de Buenos Ayres – translated, the Buenos Aires Gazette – was a newspaper originating in Buenos Aires, United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, in 1810. Initially, it was used to give publicity to the actions of Primera Junta, the first post-colonial Argentine government.

The Gazeta provided information about new laws, the development of the Peninsular War and the Argentine War of Independence, and served as a medium for political thought. The government ordered that the newspaper be read aloud at chapels after mass celebrations, because of the high illiteracy rate among the population.

It was closed by Bernardino Rivadavia, the minister of government to Buenos Aires, in 1821.

The paper was organized on June 2, 1810, and the first issue was released on June 7th with each issue following on a weekly basis. The observance of Journalist Day started in 1938.

 

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 – June 6

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

June 6, 2020
Day 158 of 366

 

June 6th is the 158th day of the year. It is National Huntington’s Disease Awareness Day in the United States, designed to bring awareness to the inherited disorder that results in the death of brain cells and the quest for a cure.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Eyewear Day, National Higher Education Day, National Gardening Exercise Day, National Yo-Yo Day, National Drive In Movie Day, and National Applesauce Cake Day. It’s also the first Saturday in June, which means that it’s National Black Bear Day, National Bubbly Day, National Prairie Day, and National Trails Day.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1844, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was founded in London. The Village People  would tell us all about it 134 years later.
  • Also in 1844, the Glaciarium opened in London. It was the world’s first mechanically frozen ice rink.
  • In 1859, Queensland was established as a separate Australian colony from New South Wales. The date is commemorated as Queensland Day.
  • In 1892, the Chicago “L” elevated rail system began operation.
  • In 1912, the eruption of Novarupta in Alaska began. It was the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century.
  • In 1918, biochemist, academic, and Nobel Prize laureate Edwin G. Krebs was born.
  • In 1923, author, illustrator, and painter V.C. Andrews was born.
  • In 1932, the Revenue Act of 1932 was enacted. It created the first gas tax in the United States, at a rate of 1 cent per US gallon.
  • In 1933, the first drive-in theater opened in Camden, New Jersey.
  • In 1934, United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 into law, establishing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  • In 1947, actor Robert Englund was born.
  • In 1963, actor Jason Isaacs was born.
  • In 1971, Soyuz 11 was launched.
  • In 1987, actor Daniel Logan was born.
  • In 2002, a near-Earth asteroid estimated at ten meters in diameter exploded over the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Libya. The explosion was estimated to have a force of 26 kilotons, slightly more powerful than the Nagasaki atomic bomb.

 

In 1944, the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II – codenamed Operation Overlord – began with Operation Neptune, commonly referred to as D-Day.

The largest seaborne invasion in history, the operation began the liberation of German-occupied France (and later western Europe) and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front. 155,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy in France. The Allied soldiers quickly broke through the Atlantic Wall and pushed inland.

Planning began in 1943. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted Operation Bodyguard to mislead the Germans regarding the date and location of the main Allied landings. The landings were conducted in poor weather and were actually postponed one day from their intended assault. If the weather was any worse for June 6th, a further postponement would have meant a delay of at least two weeks due to the phase of the moon, the tides, and the time of day.

The amphibious landings were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and an airborne assault consisting of 24,000 American, British, and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight. Allied infantry and armored divisions began landing on the coast of France at 6:30am.

The target 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast was divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. The landing was treacherous: The beaches were under heavy fire from gun emplacements, and the shore was mined and covered with obstacles such as wooden stakes, metal tripods, and barbed wire. Due to the high cliffs at Omaha, the casualties were heaviest there. At Gold, Juno, and Sword, several fortified towns were cleared in house-to-house fighting, and two major gun emplacements at Gold were disabled using specialized tanks.

Despite all of this, the Allies failed to achieve any of their goals on the first day. The five beachheads were not connected until June 12th, but the operation gained a foothold that the Allies gradually expanded over the coming months. Allied casualties were documented for at least 10,000. Between 4,000 to 9,000 German soldiers died during the assault.

 

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.

 

 

Culture on My Mind – The Floor is Lava?

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Culture on My Mind
The Floor is Lava?
June 5, 2020

This week’s “can’t let it go” is a childhood game.

Last month, game designed, curator, and writer Holly Gramazio published an essay on her blog about the game The Floor is Lava. It’s really a fascinating read.

The game is pretty simple: Players chase each other around while never touching the floor or the ground. It’s usually played indoors, much to the chagrin of parents as kids are trouncing all over the furniture.

When Holly Gramazio was growing up, though, the floor was never lava. Quicksand, maybe, but never lava. So when she heard the general version of the game was about molten earth, she ran a social media poll of 3500 people and got some interesting results.

Especially regarding what the game is called and how it works in other countries.

Seriously, check it out: “The Floor” by Holly Gramazio
cc-break

Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

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

The Thing About Today – June 5

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

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.

 

 

The Thing About Today – June 4

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

June 4, 2020
Day 156 of 366

 

June 4th is the 156th day of the year. It is the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, a United Nations observance that was established on August 19, 1982. Originally focused on victims of the 1982 Lebanon War, its purpose expanded to “acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental, and emotional abuse.” The day affirms the UN’s commitment to protect the rights of children.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Clean Beauty Day, National Old Maids Day, National Cheese Day, and National Cognac Day. IT is also recognized as National SAFE Day, which is an event that brings awareness to gun safety and responsible storage of firearms.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1783, the Montgolfier brothers publicly demonstrated their montgolfière. It is better known as the hot air balloon.
  • In 1784, Élisabeth Thible became the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon. Her flight covered four kilometers in 45 minutes, reaching 1,500 meters altitude.
  • In 1855, Major Henry C. Wayne departed New York aboard the USS Supply to procure camels to establish the U.S. Camel Corps.
  • In 1876, the Transcontinental Express arrived in San Francisco after traveling 83 hours and 39 minutes from New York City via the First Transcontinental Railroad.
  • In 1907, actress Rosalind Russell was born.
  • In 1912, Massachusetts became the first state of the United States to set a minimum wage.
  • In 1917, the first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded. Laura E. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence Hall received the first Pulitzer for biography (for Julia Ward Howe), Jean Jules Jusserand received the first Pulitzer for history for his work With Americans of Past and Present Days, and Herbert B. Swope received the first Pulitzer for journalism for his work for the New York World.
  • In 1919, the United States Congress approved the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees suffrage to women, and sent it to the states for ratification.
  • In 1928, German-American therapist and author Ruth Westheimer was born.
  • In 1939, the Motorschiff St. Louis was denied permission to land in Florida. Carrying 963 Jewish refugees, the ship had previously been turned away from Cuba. Forced to return to Europe, more than 200 of its passengers later died in Nazi concentration camps.
  • In 1940, British forces completed the evacuation of 338,000 troops from Dunkirk in France. To rally the morale of the country, Winston Churchill delivered his famous “We shall fight on the beaches” speech to the House of Commons.
  • In 1944, Rome became the first Axis capital to fall to Allied forces in World War II.
  • In 1960, author Kristine Kathryn Rusch was born.
  • Also in 1960, English television presenter, comedian, singer, former footballer, and Doctor Who companion Bradley Walsh was born.
  • In 1961, singer-songwriter and producer El DeBarge was born.
  • In 1964, actor Sean Pertwee was born.
  • In 1970, Polish-Swedish actress, model, and Bond Girl Izabella Scorupco was born.
  • In 1971, actor and producer Noah Wyle was born.
  • Also in 1971, actor James Callis was born.
  • In 1975, actress, filmmaker, humanitarian, and activist Angelina Jolie was born.
  • In 1982, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was released.
  • In 1986, Jonathan Pollard pled guilty to espionage for selling top secret United States military intelligence to Israel.
  • In 2010, the maiden flight of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, named Falcon 9 Flight 1, launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40.

 

In 1989, the Tiananmen Square protests were suppressed in Beijing by the People’s Liberation Army.

The Tiananmen Square protests, also known as the Tiananmen Square Incident and the June Fourth Incident – 六四事件, literally the six-four incident – were student-led demonstrations that started on April 15th and were forcibly suppressed almost two months later when the government declared martial law.

This led to the Tiananmen Square Massacre, in which troops with assault rifles and tanks fired at the demonstrators and those trying to block the military’s advance into the square. Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundred to several thousand, with thousands more wounded.

The protests were sparked by the death of pro-reform Communist general secretary Hu Yaobang. Amid the backdrop of rapid economic development and social changes in post-Mao China, these protests reflected social anxieties about the country’s future, both among the populace and the political elite. The economic reforms of the 1980s developed a nascent market economy that helped some but not all, and the legitimacy of the single-party political system was challenged.

The country faced inflation, corruption, limited preparedness of graduates for the new economy, and restrictions on political participation. Students raised their voices, calling for greater accountability and due process. They wanted democracy, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech.

At the height of the protests, nearly 1 million people assembled in the Square.

Authorities responded with both conciliatory and hardline approaches, revealing deep divisions in the party. A student-led hunger strike galvanized support for the demonstrators around the country, spreading the protests to 400 cities, and forcing party leadership to use stronger measures. The State Council declared martial law on May 20th and mobilized approximately 300,000 troops to Beijing. In the early morning hours of June 4th, they advanced into the city and began killing both demonstrators and bystanders.

The international community, human rights organizations, and political analysts condemned the action and the government. The Chinese government responded with widespread arrests of protesters and their supporters, suppression of other protests around China, expulsion of foreign journalists, and strict control of information by stifling the media, demoting and purging officials, and authoritarian strengthening of security forces.

It is considered a watershed event in world history, but the limits established on the Chinese people have kept the Tiananmen Square event one of the most sensitive and most widely censored topics in China.

 

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 – June 3

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

June 3, 2020
Day 155 of 366

 

June 3rd is the 155th day of the year. It is Mabo Day in Australia, a celebration of Eddie Koiki Mabo. An indigenous Torres Strait Islander, his campaign for Indigenous land rights led to a landmark decision of the High Court of Australia that overturned the legal fiction of terra nullius on 3 June 3, 1992. The previous legal standing had directed the course of Australian law with regards to land and title since the voyage of James Cook in 1770.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Egg Day, National Repeat Day, National Chocolate Macaroons Day, and National Running Day. That last one is typically observed on the first Wednesday in June.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1539, Hernando de Soto claimed Florida for Spain. Does that make him the first Florida Man?
  • In 1885, Cree leader Big Bear escaped the North-West Mounted Police. It was the last military engagement fought on Canadian soil.
  • In 1889, the first long-distance electric power transmission line in the United States was completed. It spanned 14 miles between a generator at Willamette Falls and downtown Portland, Oregon.
  • In 1926, poet Allen Ginsberg was born.
  • In 1930, author and poet Marion Zimmer Bradley was born.
  • In 1947, special effects artist and producer John Dykstra was born.
  • In 1950, screenwriter Melissa Mathison was born.
  • In 1961, lawyer, academic, author, and founder of the Creative Commons Lawrence Lessig was born.
  • In 1965, Gemini 4 was launched. It was the first multi-day space mission by a NASA crew, and astronaut Ed White performed the first American spacewalk.
  • In 1967, reporter Anderson Cooper was born.
  • In 1988, the movie Big premiered.
  • In 1989, the government of China sent troops to force protesters out of Tiananmen Square after seven weeks of occupation.
  • In 2012, the pageant for the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II took place on the River Thames.

 

June 3rd is Bicycle Day.

The United Nations General Assembly declared the international celebration, recognizing “the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the Bicycle, which has been in use for two centuries, and that it is a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transport.”

The idea came from American sociology professor Leszek Sibilski, eventually gaining the support of fifty-seven other countries. The main message is that the bicycle belongs to and serves all of humanity. The bicycle serves as a symbol of human progress and advancement, and promotes “tolerance, mutual understanding, and respect.” It also facilitates social inclusion and a culture of peace.

The event also recognizes the ecological impact of bicycles, emphasizing them as a “symbol of sustainable transport” that conveys a positive message of sustainable consumption and production.

 

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 – June 2

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

June 2, 2020
Day 154 of 366

 

June 2nd is the 154th day of the year. It is International Sex Workers Day, which honors sex workers and recognizes their often exploited working conditions. The event commemorates the occupation of Église Saint-Nizier in Lyon by more than a hundred sex workers on June 2, 1975, an event that drew attention to their inhumane working conditions. It has been celebrated annually since 1976.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Rotisserie Chicken Day, National Rocky Road Day, National Bubba Day, and National Leave The Office Early Day. That last one is typically observed on June 2nd unless the date falls on a weekend, in which case it is observed on the closest working day.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 455, vandals entered Rome and plundered the city for two weeks.
  • In 1740, French philosopher and politician Marquis de Sade was born.
  • In 1774, the Quartering Act was enacted. It allowed a governor in colonial America to house British soldiers in uninhabited houses, outhouses, barns, or other buildings if suitable quarters are not provided.
  • In 1840, English novelist and poet Thomas Hardy was born.
  • In 1857, English composer and educator Edward Elgar was born.
  • In 1896, Guglielmo Marconi applied for a patent for his wireless telegraph.
  • In 1907, journalist and author Dorothy West was born.
  • In 1910, Charles Rolls, co-founder of Rolls-Royce Limited, became the first man to make a non-stop double crossing of the English Channel by plane.
  • In 1924, United States President Calvin Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act into law. It granted citizenship to all Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the United States.
  • In 1930, astronaut Pete Conrad was born.
  • In 1936, actress Sally Kellerman was born.
  • In 1944, composer and conductor Marvin Hamlisch was born.
  • In 1951, artist, gay rights activist, and designer of the rainbow flag Gilbert Baker was born.
  • In 1953, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II occurred. She was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Her Other Realms and Territories & Head of the Commonwealth, and the coronation was the first major international event to be televised.
  • In 1954, actor and producer Dennis Haysbert was born.
  • In 1966, Surveyor 1 landed in Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon, becoming the first United States spacecraft to soft-land on another world.
  • In 1977, actor and producer Zachary Quinto was born.
  • In 1978, actress Nikki Cox was born.
  • In 1979, actress Morena Baccarin was born.
  • In 1982, actress Jewel Staite was born.
  • In 2003, Europe launched its first voyage to another planet. The European Space Agency’s Mars Express probe launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.

 

June 2nd is Decoration Day in Canada.

Decoration Day recognizes veterans of Canada’s military. It began on June 2, 1890, and was originally a form of protest for veterans of the Battle of Ridgeway. They felt that their contributions to the protection of Canada during the Fenian Raids were being overlooked by the government, and they protested by placing decorations at the Canadian Volunteers Monument near Queen’s Park in Toronto on the anniversary of the battle.

It became an annual event and accumulated more participants as the ranks of Canadian veterans grew, including veterans of the Fenian Raids, the North-West Rebellion, the Second Boer War, and the First World War.

This all resulted in Great Britain creating service medals recognizing participants in the pre-First World War Canadian conflicts. Commemoration of Decoration Day became less prominent in the early 1900s, although it returned to some prominence when the First World War began. A Ridgeway monument was created in 1916 and made a National Historic Battlefield in 1921.

In 1931, the Armistice Remembrance Day Act established November 11th, Remembrance Day, as the official day commemorating military service in Canada. Despite that, some recognition of Decoration Day continues each year.

 

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.

 

 

Culture on My Mind – Quarantine Con, Episode VI

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Culture on My Mind
Quarantine Con, Episode VI
June 1, 2020

This week’s “can’t let it go” is yet another panel from the Classic Track Irregulars!

Broadcasting from their socially distant quarantine bunkers, the Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics Track panelist have returned to speculate about who’s beating who.

Classics Track co-directors Joe Crowe and Gary Mitchel are joined by Deanna Toxopeus and Darin Bush in a short rounds version of Sci-Fighters! We’ve all played this game as geeks: Who would win in a battle of the Enterprise vs. the Millennium Falcon?

As before, Joe and Gary will be hosting more of these, so stay tuned to the YouTube channel and the group on Facebook. If you join in live, you can also leave comments and participate in the discussion using StreamYard connected through Facebook.
cc-break

Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

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

The Thing About Today – June 1

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

June 1, 2020
Day 153 of 366

 

June 1st is the 153rd day of the year. It is World Milk Day, an international day established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to recognize the importance of milk as a global food.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Olive Day, National Heimlich Maneuver Day, National Go Barefoot Day, National Nail Polish Day, National Say Something Nice Day, National Penpal Day, and National Hazelnut Cake Day.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1495, monk John Cor recorded the first known batch of Scotch whisky.
  • In 1779, Benedict Arnold, a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, was court-martialed for malfeasance. He would conspire and change allegiances to Great Britain soon thereafter.
  • In 1890, the United States Census Bureau began using Herman Hollerith’s tabulating machine to count census returns.
  • In 1916, Louis Brandeis became the first Jew appointed to the United States Supreme Court.
  • In 1926, actor, singer, producer, and screenwriter Andy Griffith was born.
  • Also in 1926, model and actress Marilyn Monroe was born.
  • In 1937, actor and producer Morgan Freeman was born.
  • In 1940, actor René Auberjonois was born.
  • Also in 1940, physicist, astronomer, and academic Kip Thorne was born.
  • In 1946, actor Brian Cox was born.
  • In 1947, actor Jonathan Pryce was born.
  • In 1969, actress Teri Polo was born.
  • In 1974, the Heimlich maneuver for rescuing choking victims was published in the journal Emergency Medicine.
  • Also in 1974, singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actress Alanis Morissette was born.
  • In 1977, actress Sarah Wayne Callies was born.
  • In 1978, the first international applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty were filed.
  • In 1980, Cable News Network (CNN) began broadcasting.
  • In 1988, the European Central Bank was founded in Brussels.
  • In 1996, actor Tom Holland was born.
  • In 2011, Space Shuttle Endeavour made its final landing after 25 flights.

 

June 1st is World Reef Awareness Day.

The event acts as a call to action for consumers, businesses, and organizations to reflect on the delicate ecosystem of our ocean’s coral reefs by bringing together the general public, influencers, and opinion leaders to create active change through education and engagement.

Coral reefs are living communities of individual polyps that excrete a bone-like skeleton. This skeleton forms large rock-like structures that are homes for thousands of other organisms.

In recent years, our most productive reefs have been in decline due to coral bleaching. Death of reefs stems from rising sea temperatures, industrial and plastic pollution, chemical, and unmanaged tourism.

Healthy reefs are essential to plant and fish life, building a lively fishing industry while protecting beaches and coastlines from erosion. Fish and other oceanic animals rely on the protection of the healthy, living reef for spawning season. The reefs also contribute to the viability of the ocean life cycle.

Healthy coral reefs are important for the prosperity of the entire planet.

 

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.