Category: Our Universe

The Thing About Today – June 27

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

June 27, 2020
Day 179 of 366

 

June 27th is the 179th day of the year. It is National PTSD Day in the United States, which is dedicated to raising awareness regarding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The day was officially designated in 2010, but the United States Senate expanded the observance to the entire month of June in 2014, creating PTSD Awareness Month.

It is also National HIV Testing Day in the United States. If you’re at risk of contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, please get tested.

 

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Onion Day, National Ice Cream Cake Day, National Sunglasses Day, National Orange Blossom Day, and Summersgiving (which is typically observed on the Saturday after the Summer Solstice).

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1760, Cherokee warriors defeated British forces at the Battle of Echoee near present-day Otto, North Carolina. This was during the Anglo-Cherokee War.
  • In 1880, author, academic, and activist Helen Keller was born.
  • In 1895, the inaugural run of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Royal Blue was conducted from Washington, D.C., to New York City. It was the first U.S. passenger train to use electric locomotives.
  • In 1898, the first solo circumnavigation of the globe was completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia.
  • In 1941, Romanian authorities launched one of the most violent pogroms in Jewish history in the city of Iași, resulting in the murder of at least 13,266 Jews.
  • In 1950, the United States decided to send troops to fight in the Korean War.
  • In 1954, the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant, the Soviet Union’s first nuclear power station, opened in Obninsk, near Moscow.
  • In 1966, director, producer, and screenwriter J.J. Abrams was born. (Brilliant idea man, but he loves the “mystery box” to a fault and really has trouble sticking the landing.)
  • Also in 1966, the American Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows premiered.
  • In 1975, actor Tobey Maguire was born.
  • In 1982, Space Shuttle Columbia was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on STS-4, the final research and development flight mission.
  • In 1989, actor Matthew Lewis was born. Was Neville Longbottom really the Chosen One?
  • In 1999, actor Chandler Riggs was born. We all know him best as Carl (or Corrrrrrral) from The Walking Dead.

 

June 27th is Seven Sleepers’ Day – Siebenschläfertag in German – the feast day commemorating the legend of the Seven Sleepers as well as one of the best-known bits of traditional weather lore (expressed as a proverb) remaining in German-speaking Europe.

Basically, the atmospheric conditions on that day are supposed to determine or predict the average summer weather of the next seven weeks.

In Christian and Islamic tradition, the Seven Sleepers – اصحاب الکهف‎, literally People of the Cave – is the story of a group of youths who hid inside a cave outside the city of Ephesus around 250 CE to escape religious persecution and emerged some 300 years later.

The earliest version of this story comes from the Syrian bishop Jacob of Serugh around 500 AD, which was derived from an earlier (now lost) Greek source. It was later popularized by Gregory of Tours and in Paul the Deacon’s History of the Lombards. The best-known Western version of the story appears in Jacobus da Varagine’s Golden Legend, circa 1260.

The cult became common during the Crusades of the High and Late Middle Ages, and June 27th was declared a commemoration day in most of the Catholic dioceses.  The story appears in the Qur’an (Surah al-Kahf 18:9-26), including more details such as the mention of a dog who accompanied the youths into the cave and appears to keep watch. The Quran version mentions that these people slept for approximately 300 years.

Oh, and contrary to popular belief, the name of the day does not refer to the edible dormouse, a rodent known as Siebenschläfer in German for its seven-months hibernation.

 

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, Episodes IX and X

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Culture on My Mind
Quarantine Con, Episodes IX and X
June 26, 2020

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

Well, really, two panels. And a bonus feature.

Still broadcasting from their respective socially distant quarantine bunkers, the Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics Track panelists have returned. First, the panelists put their suits back on and swear under oath that Krull, Lost in Space, Doom, and Starship Troopers are okay to watch and enjoy. This week’s avocados at law are Sherman Burris, Kevin Eldridge, and Darin Bush.

As an added bonus feature, Classics Track co-directors Joe Crowe and Gary Mitchel offer a blooper reel of sorts with the lost thirteen minutes from a crossed wire. This is what happens when you think you’re streaming live to Facebook, but the panel is broadcasting to YouTube instead.

Here are thirteen minutes of fun that were had when the panel thought everyone was watching.

The tenth entry in Quarantine Con is a celebration. It was Joe Crowe’s birthday, so Gary Mitchel and Dr. Scott Viguie arranged an Ask Me Anything party where the Classics Track’s fans could ask Joe… well… anything.

There’s even a surprise phone call from Joe’s mom! “Lord have mercy,” she says.

That’s a lot of content for a week, but if there’s one thing that a track dedicated to the entirety of science fiction media greater than ten years old understands, it’s an embarrassment of riches.

They have a lot more fun discussions planned in the coming weeks, 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.
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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 26

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

June 26, 2020
Day 178 of 366

 

June 26th is the 178th day of the year. It is Independence Day in Madagascar and Somalia, both of whom declared their independence in 1960 (from France and Britain, respectively).

It is also World Refrigeration Day, which is designed to awareness about the importance of refrigeration technologies in everyday life and to raise the profile of the refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat-pump sector. The day was chosen to celebrate the birth date of Lord Kelvin on June 26, 1824

 

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Coconut Day, National Beautician’s Day, National Chocolate Pudding Day, and Take Your Dog to Work Day (which is typically observed on the friday after Father’s Day).

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1824, Irish-Scottish physicist and engineer William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, was born. At the University of Glasgow, he did important work in the mathematical analysis of electricity and formulation of the first and second laws of thermodynamics, and did much to unify the emerging discipline of physics in its modern form. The absolute temperature scale is named in his honor.
  • In 1870, the Christian holiday of Christmas was declared a federal holiday in the United States. The holiday was not always widely accepted in the colonies, but gradually gained acceptance through the short stories of Washington Irving. In December 1999, the Western Division of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, in the case Ganulin vs. United States, denied the charge that Christmas Day’s federal status violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, ruling that “the Christmas holiday has become largely secularized”, and that “by giving federal employees a paid vacation day on Christmas, the government is doing no more than recognizing the cultural significance of the holiday”.
  • In 1886, Henri Moissan isolated elemental Fluorine for the first time.
  • In 1934, United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Federal Credit Union Act, which established credit unions.
  • In 1936, the initial flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 marked the debut of the practical helicopter.
  • In 1945, the United Nations Charter was signed by 50 Allied nations in San Francisco, California.
  • In 1948, Shirley Jackson’s short story The Lottery was published in The New Yorker magazine.
  • In 1970, director, producer, and screenwriter Paul Thomas Anderson was born.
  • Also in 1970, actor Chris O’Donnell was born.
  • In 1974, the Universal Product Code (UPC) was scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley’s chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
  • In 1993, singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress Ariana Grande was born.
  • In 2000, the Human Genome Project announced the completion of a “rough draft” sequence.
  • In 2003, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Lawrence v. Texas that gender-based sodomy laws were unconstitutional.
  • In 2013, the United States Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision (United States v. Windsor) that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional and in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
  • In 2015, The United States Supreme Court ruled in a 5–4 decision (Obergefell v. Hodges) that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.

—Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy

 

June 26th is International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, a United Nations International Day against drug abuse and the illegal drug trade. The date is to commemorate Lin Zexu’s dismantling of the opium trade in Humen, Guangdong just before the First Opium War in China.

June 26th is also the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, a day to speak out against the crime of torture and to honor and support victims and survivors throughout the world.

 

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 25

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

June 25, 2020
Day 177 of 366

 

June 25th is the 177th day of the year. It is Teacher’s Day in Guatemala, Arbor Day in the Philippines, and Independence Day in Mozambique.

 

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Strawberry Parfait Day, National Catfish Day, National Leon Day, National Bomb Pop Day, and National Handshake Day. The last two are typically observed on the last Thursday in June.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1848, a photograph of the June Days uprising, a revolt staged by underpaid French workers, became the first known instance of photojournalism.
  • In 1876, the Battle of the Little Bighorn occurred. Known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and commonly referred to as Custer’s Last Stand, it was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes and the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. The battle was the most significant action of the Great Sioux War of 1876 and resulted in the death of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer when the American forces were defeated.
  • In 1900, Taoist monk Wang Yuanlu discovered the Dunhuang manuscripts, a cache of ancient texts that are of great historical and religious significance, in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, China.
  • In 1903, British novelist, essayist, and critic George Orwell was born.
  • In 1910, the United States Congress passed the Mann Act, which prohibited interstate transport of women or girls for “immoral purposes”.  Its primary stated intent was to address prostitution, immorality, and human trafficking, particularly where trafficking was for the purposes of prostitution. It was one of several acts of protective legislation aimed at moral reform during the Progressive Era. In practice, its ambiguous language about “immorality” resulted in it being used to criminalize even consensual sexual behavior between adults. It was amended by Congress in 1978 and again in 1986 to limit its application to transport for the purpose of prostitution or other illegal sexual acts.
  • Also in 1910, Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird premiered in Paris. The performance brought him to prominence as a composer.
  • In 1913, American Civil War veterans arrived at the Great Reunion of 1913, commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. All honorably discharged veterans in the Grand Army of the Republic and the United Confederate Veterans were invited. 53,407 veterans attended, including approximately 8,750 Confederate soldiers. President Woodrow Wilson summarized the peaceful spirit of the reunion: “We have found one another again as brothers and comrades in arms, enemies no longer, generous friends rather, our battles long past, the quarrel forgotten—except that we shall not forget the splendid valor.”
  • In 1923, Captain Lowell H. Smith and Lieutenant John P. Richter performed the first-ever aerial refueling in a DH.4B biplane.
  • In 1925, actress June Lockhart was born.
  • In 1945, singer-songwriter Carly Simon was born.
  • In 1947, The Diary of a Young Girl (better known as The Diary of Anne Frank) was published.
  • In 1950, the Korean War began with the invasion of South Korea by North Korea.
  • In 1976, Missouri Governor Kit Bond issued an executive order rescinding the Extermination Order, formally apologizing on behalf of the state of Missouri for the suffering it had caused to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Missouri Executive Order 44 was issued on October 27, 1838, by Governor Lilburn Boggs in the aftermath of the Battle of Crooked River. The battle took place between Mormons and a unit of the Missouri State Militia in northern Ray County, Missouri, during the 1838 Mormon War, the first of the three Mormon Wars. Governor Boggs, claiming that the Mormons had committed open and avowed defiance of the law and had made war upon the people of Missouri, directed that “the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace—their outrages are beyond all description”.
  • In 1978, the rainbow flag representing gay pride was flown for the first time during the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade.
  • In 1982, Blade Runner was released.
  • In 1996, Independence Day premiered.
  • In 1997, an unmanned Progress spacecraft collided with the Russian space station Mir.

 

June 25th is World Vitiligo Day.

Vitiligo occurs in one to two percent of the population worldwide. It is a loss of color in the skin creating a variety of patterns on the skin from loss of pigment. Vitiligo is often called a disease instead of a disorder and that can have a significant negative social and/or psychological impact on patients, in part because of numerous misconceptions still present in large parts of the world.

The idea of a World Vitiligo Day was first nursed by Steve Haragadon, the founder of the Vitiligo Friends network, and then developed and finalized by Ogo Maduewesi, a Nigerian vitiligo patient who is the founder and Executive Director of the Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation (VITSAF).

 

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 24

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

June 24, 2020
Day 176 of 366

 

June 24th is the 176th day of the year. It is Inti Raymi’rata, which is a traditional religious ceremony of the Inca Empire in honor of the god Inti (which is Quechua for “sun”), the most venerated deity in Inca religion. It correlates to the celebration of the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in terms of the time between sunrise and sunset, and the Inca New Year, when the hours of light would begin to lengthen again.

 

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Pralines Day and National Parchment Day (which is typically observed on the last Wednesday in June).

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1497, John Cabot landed in North America at Newfoundland, leading the first European exploration of the region since the Vikings.
  • In 1571, Miguel López de Legazpi founded Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
  • In 1604, Samuel de Champlain discovered the mouth of the Saint John River, site of the Reversing Falls and the present-day city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
  • In 1880, O Canada was first performed at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français. The song would later become the national anthem of Canada.
  • In 1916, Mary Pickford became the first female film star to sign a million-dollar contract.
  • In 1939, Siam was renamed Thailand by Plaek Phibunsongkhram, the country’s third prime minister.
  • In 1946, economist and politician Robert Reich was born.
  • In 1947, Kenneth Arnold made the first widely reported UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington.
  • Also in 1947, actor and director Peter Weller was born.
  • In 1948, the Berlin Blockade began as the Soviet Union made overland travel between West Germany and West Berlin impossible.
  • In 1950, actress Nancy Allen was born.
  • In 2010, Julia Gillard assumed office as the first female Prime Minister of Australia.
  • In 2012, Lonesome George died. He was the last known individual of Chelonoidis nigra abingdonii, a subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise.

 

In 1314, the Battle of Bannockburn concluded with a decisive victory by Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce.

The King of Scots defeated the army of King Edward II of England in the First War of Scottish Independence, and though it did not bring overall victory in the war (which would go on for 14 more years) it was a landmark in Scottish history.

King Edward invaded Scotland after Bruce demanded in 1313 that all supporters still loyal to ousted Scottish king John Balliol acknowledge him as their king or lose their lands. Stirling Castle, a Scots royal fortress occupied by the English, was under siege by the Scottish army. King Edward assembled a formidable force of soldiers from England, Ireland and Wales to relieve it. This was the largest army ever to invade Scotland. This attempt failed when he found his path blocked by a smaller army commanded by Bruce.

After Robert Bruce killed Sir Henry de Bohun on the first day of the battle, the English were forced to withdraw for the night. Sir Alexander Seton, a Scottish noble serving in Edward’s army, defected to the Scottish side and informed them of the English camp’s position and low morale. Robert Bruce decided to launch a full-scale attack on the English forces and to use his division of schiltrons again as offensive units, a strategy his predecessor William Wallace had not used.

The English army was defeated in a pitched battle which resulted in the deaths of several prominent commanders, including the Earl of Gloucester and Sir Robert Clifford, as well as the capture of many others.

The victory against the English at Bannockburn is the most celebrated in Scottish history, and for centuries the battle has been commemorated in verse and art. The anniversary is known as Bannockburn Day.

 

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 23

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

June 23, 2020
Day 175 of 366

 

June 23rd is the 175th day of the year. In Canada, it is the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism, which commemorates the anniversary of the bombing of Air India Flight 182 off the coast of Ireland. It is International Widows Day, a United Nations ratified day of action to address the “poverty and injustice faced by millions of widows and their dependents in many countries”.

 

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Hydration Day, National Pink Day, and National Pecan Sandies Day.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1611, the mutinous crew of Henry Hudson’s fourth voyage set Henry, his son, and seven loyal crew members adrift in an open boat in what is now Hudson Bay. The Hudsons and their companions were never heard from again.
  • In 1794, Empress Catherine II of Russia granted Jews permission to settle in Kiev.
  • In 1868, Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention he called the “Type-Writer.”
  • In 1912, Alan Turing was born. The English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher, and theoretical biologist was the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence.
  • In 1926, the College Board administered the first SAT exam.
  • In 1938, the Civil Aeronautics Act was signed into law, forming the Civil Aeronautics Authority in the United States.
  • In 1957, actress Frances McDormand was born.
  • In 1960, the United States Food and Drug Administration declared Enovid to be the first officially approved combined oral contraceptive pill in the world.
  • In 1961, the Antarctic Treaty, which set aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and banned military activity on the continent, came into force 18 months after the window for signature was set.
  • In 1964, screenwriter, director, and producer Joss Whedon was born.
  • In 1969, IBM announced that it would price its software and services separately from hardware starting in January 1970. This created the modern software industry.
  • In 1972, Title IX of the United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 was amended to prohibit sexual discrimination to any educational program receiving federal funds.
  • In 1974, actor Joel Edgerton was born.
  • In 1975, Scottish singer-songwriter and musician KT Tunstall was born.
  • In 1989, Batman premiered.
  • In 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog was released to American audiences. It was released to the rest of the world a month later, thus kickstarting the successful Sonic franchise.
  • In 2013, Nik Wallenda became the first man to successfully walk across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope.

 

June 23rd is United Nations Public Service Day.

The UN Public Service Day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly’s resolution to “celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community”. The United Nations Economic and Social Council established that the United Nations Public Service Awards be bestowed on Public Service Day for contributions made to the cause of enhancing the role, prestige, and visibility of public service.

The day also marks the anniversary of the date when the International Labour Organization adopted the Convention on Labour Relations (Public Service), 1978 (No. 151). This Convention is a framework for determining the working conditions of all civil servants across the world.

 

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 22

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

June 22, 2020
Day 174 of 366

 

June 22nd is the 174th day of the year. In Belarus, it is the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Great Patriotic War. It is a solemn remembrance of all the victims of the Second World War, and a commemoration of the heroic last stand of Brest Fortress in 1941, on the very country and city in which the Eastern Front began. In Croatia, it is Anti-Fascist Struggle Day, which marks the beginning of the uprising of Croatian anti-fascist Partisans against German and Italian occupying forces that started with the forming of the First Sisak Partisan Detachment on June 22, 1941, near Sisak, Croatia.

 

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Chocolate Eclair Day and National HVAC Tech Day.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1633, the Holy Office in Rome forced Galileo Galilei to recant his view that the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the Universe in the form he presented it in, after heated controversy.
  • In 1813, after learning of American plans for a surprise attack on Beaver Dams in Ontario, Laura Secord set out on a 30-kilometer journey on foot to warn British Lieutenant James FitzGibbon.
  • In 1839, Cherokee leaders Major Ridge, John Ridge, and Elias Boudinot were assassinated for signing the Treaty of New Echota. The treaty had resulted in the Trail of Tears.
  • In 1870, the United States Department of Justice was created by the United States Congress.
  • In 1936, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor Kris Kristofferson was born.
  • In 1942, the Pledge of Allegiance was formally adopted by the United States Congress. The words “under God” were not added until 1954.
  • In 1944, United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill.
  • In 1947, author Octavia E. Butler was born.
  • In 1949, actress Meryl Streep was born.
  • Also in 1949, actress Lindsay Wagner was born.
  • Also in 1949, academic and politician Elizabeth Warren was born.
  • In 1953, singer-songwriter, producer, and actress Cyndi Lauper was born.
  • In 1956, actor, director, and screenwriter Tim Russ was born.
  • In 1958, actor, director, producer and writer Bruce Campbell was born.
  • In 1960, lawyer and environmentalist Erin Brockovich was born.
  • In 1969, the Cuyahoga River caught fire in Cleveland, Ohio, drawing national attention to water pollution, and spurring the passing of the Clean Water Act and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.
  • In 1971, actress and comedian Mary Lynn Rajskub was born.
  • In 1974, actor Donald Faison was born.
  • In 1977, The Rescuers premiered. It was the first Disney film to get a sequel.
  • In 1978, Charon, the first of Pluto’s satellites to be discovered, was first seen at the United States Naval Observatory by James W. Christy.
  • In 1990, Checkpoint Charlie was dismantled in Berlin.
  • In 2018, comedian John Oliver was blocked on Chinese social media after parodying Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

 

June 22nd is (unofficially) National Onion Rings Day in the United States.

An onion ring is an appetizer or side dish in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and some parts of Asia, mainland Europe, and Latin America. They are made by cutting an onion into rings, dipping them in batter or bread crumbs, and then deep-frying them until golden and crispy.

On the science side of the house, the cooking process decomposes the propanethial oxide in the onion into a sweet-smelling and sweet-tasting bispropenyl disulfide, removing the bite and creating an addictive dish.

The exact origins are unknown, but there are several possibilities:

  • A recipe called “Fried Onions with Parmesan Cheese” was included in John Mollard’s 1802 cookbook The Art of Cookery Made Easy and Refined. The recipe suggests cutting onions into 1/2 inch rings, dipping them into a batter made of flour, cream, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese then deep-frying them in boiling lard. It also recommends serving them with a sauce made of melted butter and mustard.
  • Some believe that a recipe for French Fried Onions (though not claiming to be the originator of the recipe) appeared in the Middletown NY Daily Times on January 13, 1910.
  • The Pig Stand restaurant chain, established in Oak Cliff, Texas in the early 1920s, is one of the claimants to the onion rings invention.
  • A recipe for deep-fried onion rings dipped in milk then dredged in flour appeared in a 1933 Crisco advertisement in The New York Times Magazine.  
  • In the 1960s, the A&W restaurant is credited with popularizing the onion rings in fast food restaurants.

Regardless of the origin, the tasty treat is best served hot and directly from the fryer with the sauce and spices of your choice.

 

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 21

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

June 21, 2020
Day 173 of 366

 

June 21st is the 173rd day of the year. It is Father’s Day in the United States, which occurs on the third Sunday in June.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Peaches ‘N’ Cream Day, National Day of the Gong, Go Skateboarding Day, National Daylight Appreciation Day, National Selfie Day, National Arizona Day, and Turkey Lovers’ Day (which is typically observed on the third Sunday in June).

Turkey Lover’s Day and Father’s Day on the same day? Surely a coincidence.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1749, Halifax, Nova Scotia was founded.
  • In 1898, the United States captured Guam from Spain. The Capture of Guam was a bloodless engagement during the Spanish-American War. The United States Navy sent a single cruiser, USS Charleston (C-2), to capture the island of Guam. The Spanish garrison on the island had no knowledge of the war and no real ability to resist the American forces. They surrendered without resistance.
  • In 1905, French philosopher and author Jean-Paul Sartre was born.
  • In 1915, the United States Supreme Court decided Guinn v. United States, striking down Oklahoma grandfather clause legislation which had the effect of denying the right to vote to blacks.
  • In 1932, Argentinian pianist, composer, and conductor Lalo Schifrin was born. I think of him every time I hear the Mission: Impossible theme.
  • In 1944, director and producer Tony Scott was born.
  • In 1957, author and illustrator Berkeley Breathed was born. He created Bloom Country, Outland, and Opus. Bill the Cat says “Ack!”
  • In 1964, actor and director David Morrissey was born.
  • In 1965, director, producer, and screenwriter Lana Wachowski was born.
  • In 1978, the original production of Evita, the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on the life of Eva Perón, opened at the Prince Edward Theatre in London.
  • Also in 1978, actress Erica Durance was born.
  • In 1979, actor Chris Pratt was born.
  • In 1989, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Texas v. Johnson that American flag-burning was a form of political protest protected by the First Amendment.
  • In 2000, Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988, which outlawed the “promotion” of homosexuality in the United Kingdom, was repealed in Scotland with a 99 to 17 vote.
  • In 2006, Pluto’s newly discovered moons were officially named Nix and Hydra.

 

June 21st is World Humanist Day. The holiday is celebrated annually around the world at the June solstice and is used as a way of spreading awareness of Humanism as a philosophical life stance and means to effect change in the world.

Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, both individually and collectively. The meaning has fluctuated over time, but generally, it refers to a perspective that affirms some notion of human freedom and progress. It views humans as solely responsible for the promotion and development of individuals and emphasizes a concern for man in relation to the world.

In modern times, the movements are typically non-religious and aligned with secularism, centered on human agency and using science rather than revelation from a supernatural source to understand the world.

The holiday developed during the 1980s as several chapters of the American Humanist Association (AHA) began to celebrate it. From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, the AHA and IHEU passed resolutions declaring World Humanist Day to be on the northern summer solstice.

It is seen as a time for Humanists to gather socially and promote the positive values of Humanism.

 

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 20

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

June 20, 2020
Day 172 of 366

 

June 20th is the 172nd day of the year. Today is the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the official first day of summer and the longest day of the year. It is also known as estival solstice or midsummer, and it occurs when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Kouign Amann Day, American Eagle Day, International Nystagmus Day, National Hike with a Geek Day, National Vanilla Milkshake Day, National Ice Cream Soda Day, Anne and Samantha Day (typically observed on the Solstice), and National Seashell Day (typically observed on the first day of summer).

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 451, Flavius Aetius battled Attila the Hun at the Battle of Chalons. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreated. This caused the Romans to interpret it as a victory.
  • In 1782, The United States Congress adopted the Great Seal of the United States.
  • In 1837, Queen Victoria succeeded to the British throne.
  • In 1840, Samuel Morse received the patent for the telegraph.
  • In 1877, Alexander Graham Bell installed the world’s first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
  • In 1909, actor Errol Flynn was born.
  • In 1928, actor and producer Martin Landau was born.
  • In 1931, actress Olympia Dukakis was born.
  • In 1940, actor John Mahoney was born.
  • In 1942, Polish political prisoner Kazimierz Piechowski and three others, dressed as members of the SS-Totenkopfverbände, stole an SS staff car and escaped from the Auschwitz concentration camp.
  • In 1943, the Detroit race riot broke out and continued for three days. It occurred in a period of dramatic population increase and social tensions associated with the military buildup of World War II as Detroit’s automotive industry was converted to the war effort. At the time, white commissions mistakenly attributed the cause of the riot to black people and youths, but the NAACP identified deeper causes including a shortage of affordable housing, discrimination in employment, lack of minority representation in the police, and white police brutality.
  • In 1947, actress Candy Clark was born.
  • In 1949, singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor Lionel Richie was born.
  • In 1954, Israeli colonel, pilot, and astronaut Ilan Ramon was born. He was a space shuttle payload specialist on STS-107, the fatal mission of Space Shuttle Columbia, in which he and six other crew members were killed in a re-entry accident.
  • In 1963, following the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet Union and the United States signed an agreement to establish the so-called “red telephone” link between Washington and Moscow.
  • In 1967, actress Nicole Kidman was born.
  • In 1975, the film Jaws was released in the United States. It became the highest-grossing film of that time, started the trend of films known as “summer blockbusters”, and generally made people afraid to go into the water.

 

June 20th is World Refugee Day, an international observance dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.

On December 4, 2000, the United Nations General Assembly decided that this day in June would be celebrated as World Refugee Day. In the resolution, the General Assembly noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.

Each year, the United Nations, United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and countless civic groups around the world host events in order to draw the public’s attention to the millions of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons worldwide who have been forced to flee their homes due to war, conflict, and persecution.

The annual commemoration is marked by a variety of events in more than 100 countries, involving government officials, humanitarian aid workers, celebrities, civilians, and the forcibly displaced themselves.

 

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 – Lessons from Short Circuit

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Culture on My Mind
Lessons from Short Circuit
June 19, 2020

This week’s “can’t let it go” are a pair of favorite movies from my childhood.

I love the Short Circuit films.

Yeah, I said it. Both of the films are drenched in late ’80s cheese and dance around the lines between programming and life. I have no shame.

The first film, Short Circuit from 1986, focuses on a robot (designated Number 5) built for war that gets struck by lightning and develops a consciousness. Number 5 is voiced by Tim Blaney, who modern audiences would recognize as Frank the Pug from the Men in Black films and his puppeteering work over the last 35 years. The five war robots were programmed by two scientists, played by Steve Guttenberg and Fisher Stevens, and when Number 5 is struck by lightning, it inadvertently escapes the defense research facility and ends up in the care of Stephanie Speck, a food truck owner and animal lover played by Ally Sheedy.

The film also stars Austin Pendleton as the irritating president of the robotics corporation and G. W. Bailey doing what he does best as the head of security. It was directed by John Badham, who also brought us Saturday Night Fever, Dracula, Blue Thunder, and WarGames. Number 5 has a true sci-fi pedigree since he was designed by Syd Mead, the “visual futurist” famous for his work on Blade Runner and Tron.

Over the course of the film, Number 5 develops sentience and proves that he is alive, after which he chooses his own name: Johnny 5. It’s a fun and cute, but ultimately forgettable romp.

The sequel, Short Circuit 2, came out in 1988. Only Fisher Stevens and Tim Blaney made the jump to the second film, with a voice cameo from Ally Sheedy, and Kenneth Johnson – the TV sci-fi guy responsible for V, The Bionic Woman, The Incredible Hulk, and Alien Nation – picked up the directing duties.

The sequel finds the two original characters on the streets of New York City with a con-man (Michael McKean), a new love interest (Cynthia Gibb), and white-collar crime. This one is a bit more cringe-worthy in many aspects, but I enjoy the robot’s story and character a lot more, especially when he keeps two books (input) for special attention: Pinocchio and Frankenstein.

The film ends with the Be a Real Boy trope of granting the “other” American citizenship for their special efforts. It was the ’80s, gang, Cold War and all.

A third movie was developed by the studio, but there wasn’t enough interest.

All of the cheese and schmaltz aside, the biggest problem with these two films lies in cultural insensitivity. The sole human character that stars in both films – Ben Jabituya in Short Circuit, but Benjamin Jahveri in Short Circuit 2 – is a white man portraying an Indian man.

For background, the character was not intended to be Indian. Fisher Stevens initially had the role, but he was fired and replaced by Bronson Pinchot. When Perfect Strangers started, Pinchot left for the television and Stevens was rehired. When the character was changed to Indian descent, Stevens grew a beard, dyed his hair black, used contacts to change his eye color, and darken his skin with makeup.

In short, the film employed brownface to make the character work.

The effect was convincing among Indian moviegoers. As the urban legend goes, many believed that Fisher Stevens was actually Bollywood actor Javed Jaffrey. The resemblance is uncanny, particularly with the beard and round eyeglasses, but Jaffrey set the record straight soon after. Another fan who was confused, but for an entirely different reason, was comedian Aziz Ansari.

In 2015, Ansari published a piece in the New York Times discussing acting, race, and Hollywood. In it, he describes how he was amazed to see an Indian character as a film lead with a love interest.

Seeing an Indian character in a lead role had a powerful effect on me, but it was only as I got older that I realized what an anomaly it was. I rarely saw any Indians on TV or film, except for brief appearances as a cabdriver or a convenience store worker literally servicing white characters who were off to more interesting adventures. This made “Short Circuit 2” special. An Indian lead character? With a Caucasian love interest? In the 1980s? What’s going on here? A bold foray into diversity far ahead of its time?

Sadly, no.

He was devastated when he found out that Stevens used a culturally insensitive method to play a role. Brownface (and yellowface) are siblings to the practice of blackface, a practice that was popular in the 19th century. In the United States, it was used by white actors to portray blacks, and spread racial stereotypes that betrayed the true nature of slavery and society’s views on minorities. It was popular through the early 20th century, but has since become seen as offensive, disrespectful, and racist.

To that end, when Ansari found out the truth, he saw it as a mockery of his ethnicity. What amazed me, though, was how Ansari tracked down Stevens to talk with him about the role and the pain that it caused. The end result was something that we can all learn from.

After a long conversation, I can confirm Mr. Stevens is not a villain, but was, when he took the role, a well-intentioned if slightly misguided young actor who needed a job during a more culturally insensitive time.

It was 1987, Stevens needed work, and the world wasn’t nearly as culturally savvy as we are now. To his credit, as Ansari discovered, Stevens tried to make the portrayal as authentic as possible, including full immersion in the culture.

Through the discussion, Stevens grew to understand just how much the approach harmed the culture even though he put the work in to avoid playing his own minstrel show.

Go read the accounts by both Aziz Ansari and Fisher Stevens on their meeting. They’re quite enlightening.

The reason that I bring this up is because of my love for these films. I’m not Indian, but I understood where Ansari was coming from as I grew to understand the damage of blackface and similar practices. It threw my enjoyment of the movies into question. Does it make me a bad person to still love the film even though it contains these cultural misrepresentations?

Similarly, look at any of the classics that we still enjoy today, from Star Trek to the James Bond franchise. How do we square our fandom with the ideals that drove those shows, from subtle racism and jingoism to misogyny and beyond?

Ansari and Stevens came to the answer in their discussion, and it’s the same one that Sue Kisenwether, Gary Mitchel, Mike Faber and Michael Gordon, Michael Bailey, and so many others in our circles have talked about many times: It depends on the lenses that we use to analyze it. It’s okay to still enjoy classic Trek or Short Circuit as long we acknowledge the shortcomings of the time and how culture has evolved. We can still enjoy something, be critical of it, and acknowledge both the cultural impact and how we’ve evolved in the time since.

It wasn’t okay for Fisher Stevens to apply brownface for those films, but it was accepted. To that end, it is not acceptable now.

This is how we learn and grow as a human culture, and how we develop sensitivity and respect for each other.

Rumors have been about for a while about making another Short Circuit film, either as a sequel or a complete reboot. Aziz Ansari and Fisher Stevens agreed on how to make the character of Benjamin right going forward.

Without a doubt, the role should be played by someone of Indian descent.
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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.