The Thing About Today – October 12

October 12, 2020October 9, 2020 Michael FalknerLeave a comment

October 12, 2020
Day 286 of 366

October 12th is the 286th day of the year. It is Freethought Day, an annual observance by freethinkers and secularists of the anniversary of the effective end of the Salem Witch Trials.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Savings Day, National Vermont Day, National Farmer’s Day, National Gumbo Day, National Online Bank Day (typically observed on the second Monday in October), and National Kick Butt Day (typically observed on the second Monday in October).

Historical items of note:

In 1692, the Salem witch trials were ended by a letter from Province of Massachusetts Bay Governor William Phips.
In 1773, Eastern State Hospital opened in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was the first psychiatric hospital in what would become the United States.
In 1799, Jeanne Geneviève Labrosse became the first woman to jump from a balloon with a parachute.
In 1810, the citizens of Munich held the first Oktoberfest.
In 1847, Werner von Siemens founded Siemens & Halske, which later became Siemens AG.
In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt officially renamed the “Executive Mansion” to the White House.
In 1928, an iron lung respirator was used for the first time at Boston Children’s Hospital.
In 1933, the military Alcatraz Citadel became the civilian Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.
In 1945, Desmond Doss became the first conscientious objector to receive the United States Medal of Honor.
In 1964, the Soviet Union launched the Voskhod 1 spacecraft into Earth orbit. It was the first spacecraft with a multi-person crew, and the first flight without pressure suits.
In 1968, Australian actor, singer, and producer Hugh Jackman was born.
In 1971, the 2,500 year celebration of the Persian Empire began.
In 1984, the Provisional Irish Republican Army attempted and failed to assassinate Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet. The bomb killed five people and wounded 31.
In 1992, actor Josh Hutcherson was born.
In 1994, the Magellan spacecraft burned up in the atmosphere of Venus.
In 2000, the USS Cole (DDG-67), a United States Navy destroyer, was badly damaged by two suicide bombers. Seventeen crew members were killed and thirty-nine were wounded.
In 2005, the second Chinese human spaceflight, Shenzhou 6, was launched. It carried two cosmonauts in orbit for five days.

The second Monday in October is observed as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a holiday that celebrates and honors Native American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures.

An official city and state holiday in various localities, it began as a counter-celebration held on the same day as the United States federal holiday of Columbus Day, which honors Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. Many reject celebrating him, saying that he represents “the violent history of the colonization in the Western Hemisphere”, and that Columbus Day is a sanitation or covering-up of Christopher Columbus’ actions such as enslaving Native Americans.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day began in 1989 in South Dakota, where Lynn Hart and then Governor Mr. George S. Mickelson backed a resolution to celebrate Native American day on the second Monday of October, marking the beginning of the year of reconciliation in 1990. It was instituted in Berkeley, California, in 1992, to coincide with the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas. Two years later, Santa Cruz, California, instituted the holiday, and in the 2010s, various other cities and states took it up as well.

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 11

October 11, 2020October 9, 2020 Michael FalknerLeave a comment

October 11, 2020
Day 285 of 366

October 11th is the 285th day of the year. It is National Coming Out Day, an LGBT awareness day to support members of the LGBT community if they choose to “come out of the closet”.

It’s a personal choice with a lot of factors involved, but if you choose today, know that you are seen, loved, and supported.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Sausage Pizza Day, General Pulaski Memorial Day, and Clergy Appreciation Day (also known as Pastor Appreciation Day or Ministry Appreciation Day, and typically observed on the second Sunday in October).

Historical items of note:

In 1767, surveying for the Mason–Dixon line separating Maryland from Pennsylvania was completed. It forms part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (which was part of Virginia until 1863). It later became informally known as the border between the free (Northern) states and the slave (Southern) states during the American Civil War since the Virginia portion was the northern border of the Confederacy.
In 1852, the University of Sydney, Australia’s oldest university, was inaugurated in Sydney.
In 1865, hundreds of black men and women marched in Jamaica, starting the Morant Bay rebellion.
In 1950, CBS’s field-sequential color system for television became the first to be licensed for broadcast by the United States Federal Communications Commission.
In 1958, NASA launched Pioneer 1. It was NASA’s first space probe, but it failed to achieve a stable orbit.
In 1960, actress Nicola Bryant was born. She is known for her role as Perpugilliam “Peri” Brown, a companion to both the Fifth and Sixth Doctors in Doctor Who.
In 1966, actor and producer Luke Perry was born.
In 1968, NASA launched Apollo 7, the first successful manned Apollo mission, with astronauts Walter M. Schirra, Donn F. Eisele, and R. Walter Cunningham aboard.
In 1972, a race riot occurred on the United States Navy aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk (CV-63) off the coast of Vietnam. At the time, under the Navy’s tradition of Southern white leadership coupled with low test scores, black sailors spent more time assigned to the least desirable, most difficult and least dignified jobs, while whites were routinely promoted to the most desirable and more respected jobs, and accounted for 99% of the Navy’s officers.
Also in 1972, actress Claudia Black was born.
In 1975, Saturday Night Live debuted. The show’s first host was George Carlin.
In 1976, actress and producer Emily Deschanel was born.
In 1977, actor and producer Matt Bomer was born.
In 1984, aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger during mission STS-41-G, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan became the first American woman to perform a space walk.
In 1985, actress Michelle Trachtenberg was born.
In 1987, the AIDS Memorial Quilt was first displayed during the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
In 1991, Professor Anita Hill delivered her televised testimony concerning sexual harassment during the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination.
In 2000, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-92, marking the 100th Space Shuttle mission.
In 2001, the Polaroid Corporation filed for federal bankruptcy protection.

October 11th is International Day of the Girl Child.

Also known as the Day of the Girls and the International Day of the Girl, it is an international observance declared by the United Nations that supports more opportunity for girls and increases awareness of gender inequality faced by girls worldwide based upon their gender. This inequality includes areas such as access to education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care, and protection from discrimination, violence against women and forced child marriage.

The Day of Girls helps raise awareness not only of the issues that girls face, but also of what is likely to happen when those problems are solved. For example, educating girls helps reduce the rate of child marriage, disease and helps strengthen the economy by helping girls have access to higher paying jobs.

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 10

October 10, 2020October 8, 2020 Michael FalknerLeave a comment

October 10, 2020
Day 284 of 366

October 10th is the 284th day of the year. It is Independence Day in Cuba, commemorating the proclamation of their independence from Spain and the beginning of the Ten Years’ War in 1868.

It is also World Against the Death Penalty Day, a day to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty and to raise awareness of the conditions and the circumstances which affect prisoners with death sentences.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Angel Food Cake Day, National Cake Decorating Day, National Handbag Day, National Chess Day, National Costume Swap Day, National Motorcycle Ride Day, and I Love Yarn Day. The last four events are typically observed on the second Saturday in October.

Historical items of note:

In 1731, French-English chemist, physicist, and philosopher Henry Cavendish was born. He is noted for his discovery of hydrogen, which he termed “inflammable air”.
In 1813, Italian composer and philanthropist Giuseppe Verdi was born.
In 1845, the Naval School (later the United States Naval Academy) opened in Annapolis, Maryland with 50 students.
In 1846, Triton, the largest moon of the planet Neptune, was discovered by English astronomer William Lassell.
In 1903, the Women’s Social and Political Union was founded in support of the enfranchisement of British women.
In 1917, pianist and composer Thelonious Monk was born.
In 1927, actor and director Dana Elcar was born.
In 1941, actor, director, and screenwriter Peter Coyote was born.
In 1946, actor, singer, and dancer Ben Vereen was born.
In 1957, the Windscale fire resulted in Britain’s worst nuclear accident.
In 1959, actor and producer Bradley Whitford was born.
In 1961, voice actress Jodi Benson was born.
In 1963, From Russia With Love premiered.
In 1964, the Tokyo Summer Olympics opening ceremony became the first to be relayed live by satellites.
In 1966, The Beach Boys released one of their biggest singles, “Good Vibrations”. It is ranked as the 6th greatest song by Rolling Stone.
In 1967, the Outer Space Treaty – formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies – came into force.
Also in 1967, composer Michael Giacchino was born.
In 1973, United States Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned after being charged with evasion of federal income tax.
In 1978, model and actress Jodi Lyn O’Keefe was born.
In 1988, actress Rose McIver was born.
In 2017, Thor: Ragnarok premiered.

October 10th is observed as World Mental Health Day.

This international day exists to promote global mental health education, awareness, and advocacy against social stigma. It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization with members and contacts in more than 150 countries.

On this day, each October, thousands of supporters come to celebrate this annual awareness program to bring attention to mental illness and its major effects on peoples’ lives worldwide.

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.

Pop Pop Con Con

October 9, 2020March 7, 2022 Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Pop Pop Con Con
October 16 through October 18, 2020

I’ll be contributing to another genre convention this year.

With the global pandemic, so many fan conventions have been cancelled. The fun of great conversation and hanging out with friends is something that I miss. In an effort to help fill that gap, Pop Pop Con Con will be happening over the weekend of October 16-18, 2020.

Pop Pop Con Con is absolutely free, and will assemble fans of anime, movies, comics, TTRPGs, and more. We’re going to be discussing a ton of fun topics with a laid back atmosphere.

The event is being hosted by Shaun and Laura Rosado, longtime fans and owners of PopCycled Baubles. Along with putting on this show, they’re also celebrating the re-opening of their online store.

The event will be hosted online on the PopCycled Baubles Facebook page, YouTube channel, and Twitch channel.

The schedule of events can be found on the PopCycled Baubles website, and the specific panels that I am sitting are listed below.

Friday, October 16th

9:30pm – New Normal VOD
Premium Movie Rentals: COVID-19 has changed how we do a lot of things, even going to the movies. Will Premium VOD become the new normal? What does the movie industry look like after COVID?
Panelists include Nathan Laws, Gary Mitchel, and Jenna Busch

11:00pm – 1984
It’s been argued that 1984 was one of the single best years in the history of movies. Is it true? Why? Let’s find out.
Panelists include Kristen Nedopak, Eric Ratcliffe, Gary Mitchel, and Calvin Watts

Saturday, October 17th

3:00pm – Far Beyond the Stars
Deep Space Nine was a groundbreaking moment in Star Trek and in TV history. We’re going to talk about the best Star Trek series you’ve never seen and how it changed the world.
Panelists include Sue Kisenwether, Nathan Laws, Kimi Hughes, Michael Williams, and Will Nguyen

8:00pm – D&D Tips and Tricks (Player Edition)
Being a player can be tricky and sometimes it can feel overwhelming. We’re going to talk about the best tips and tricks to ensure you get the most out of your TTRPG experience (can be used for any Tabletop RPG).
Panelists include Dodger, Jeff Mueller, Nathan Laws, and Michael Williams

Sunday, October 18th

6:00pm – NuTrek
Trek has entered a new golden age of content. With Picard, Discovery, The Lower Decks and new movies on the horizon, the world of The Federation has grown by leaps and bounds. What hit? What missed? What’s next? Let’s talk.
Panelists include Sue Kisenwether, Callie Wright, Nathan Laws, Michael Williams, and Calvin Watts

7:30pm – Sci Fi Westerns
In the last 20 years, the Sci-Fi Western has become a regular staple and the cornerstone of a genre that tends to produce excellence. From The Mandalorian, Firefly, Westworld and Wynonna Earp, we’re going to talk about the Sci-Fi Western.
Panelists include Corrine Vitek, Bethany Kesler, Donald Maher and Brandy Roatsey

The Thing About Today – October 9

October 9, 2020October 8, 2020 Michael FalknerLeave a comment

October 9, 2020
Day 283 of 366

October 9th is the 283rd day of the year. It is Fire Prevention Day in the United States and Canada.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Leif Erikson Day and National Moldy Cheese Day.

Historical items of note:

Today in 1410 marks the first known mention of the Prague astronomical clock.
In 1446, the hangul alphabet was published in Korea.
In 1604, Supernova 1604 was sighted. It was the most recent supernova to be observed within the Milky Way.
In 1701, The Collegiate School of Connecticut, later renamed as Yale University, was chartered in Old Saybrook.
In 1824, slavery was abolished in Costa Rica.
In 1825, Restauration arrived in New York Harbor from Norway. It was the first organized immigration from Norway to the United States.
In 1834, The Dublin and Kingstown Railway opened. It was the first public railway on the island of Ireland.
In 1847, slavery was abolished in Saint Barthélemy.
In 1926, the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) was formed.
In 1936, Boulder Dam (later Hoover Dam) began generating and transmitting electricity for Los Angeles, California.
Also in 1936, actor Brian Blessed was born.
In 1951, actor Robert Wuhl was born.
In 1954, actor Scott Bakula was born.
In 1964, director Guillermo del Toro was born.
In 1979, actor Brandon Routh was born.
In 1986, The Phantom of the Opera, eventually the second longest running musical in London, opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre.
In 2006, North Korea conducted its first nuclear test.
In 2017, producer Harvey Weinstein was fired from The Weinstein Company after allegations of sexual abuse. This gave birth to the #MeToo Movement against sexual abuse and sexual harassment where people publicized allegations of sex crimes committed by powerful and/or prominent men.

In 1874, the Universal Postal Union was created by the Treaty of Bern. It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system.

The Universal Postal Union was the start of the global communications revolution, introducing the ability to write letter to others all over the world. Postal systems have been in operation for many centuries, operating on foot or on horseback by special messengers. From the 1600s, the first national postage systems began springing up in many countries. International mail exchange followed, giving birth to a global postal service, but it was slow and complicated. The Universal Postal Union opened the way for the efficient postal service.

To celebrate the anniversary, World Post Day started in 1969. To celebrate, post offices in some countries hold special stamp collection exhibitions, hold workshops on postal history, and organize international letter writing competitions for young people.

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 8

October 8, 2020October 6, 2020 Michael FalknerLeave a comment

October 8, 2020
Day 282 of 366

October 8th is the 282nd day of the year. It is Arbor Day in Namibia.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Fluffernutter Day, National Pierogi Day, and American Touch Tag Day.

Historical items of note:

In 1645, Jeanne Mance opened the first lay hospital in North America.
In 1871, Slash-and-burn land management, months of drought, and the passage of a strong cold front caused the Peshtigo Fire, the Great Chicago Fire, and the Great Michigan Fires to break out.
In 1940, Australian actor, producer, and screenwriter Paul Hogan was born.
In 1941, minister and activist Jesse Jackson was born.
In 1942, comedy duo Abbott and Costello launched their weekly radio show.
In 1943, comedian, actor, and screenwriter Chevy Chase was born.
Also in 1943, author, screenwriter, and producer R. L. Stine was born.
In 1949, actress and producer Sigourney Weaver was born.
In 1956, the New York Yankees’s Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in a World Series.
Also in 1956, actress Stephanie Zimbalist was born.
In 1970, actor Matt Damon was born.
In 1979, actress Kristanna Loken was born.
In 1982, after its London premiere, Cats opened on Broadway and ran for nearly 18 years before closing on September 10, 2000.

October 8th is National Fluffernutter Day.

In 1917, Archibald Query of Somerville, Massachusetts invented one of the components in the sandwich, a sweet marshmallow-like spread called Marshmallow Creme that he sold door-to-door. After he sold the recipe, it was marketed as Toot Sweet Marshmallow Fluff.

A year later, the fluffernutter was born. The classic New England comfort food consists of marshmallow creme (fluff) mixed with peanut butter between two slices of white bread.

Marshmallow creme is also a traditional confection in Arabic cuisine, where it is commonly referred to as soapwort meringue (natef). The original recipe is based on either soapwort or roots of the marshmallow plant, but modern varieties are nearly identical to the commercial product. It was first mentioned in a tenth-century Arabic cookbook, Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ (‘The Book of Dishes’) by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq.

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.

Timestamp #SJA16: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith

October 7, 2020October 5, 2020 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

October 7, 2020October 6, 2020 Michael FalknerLeave a comment

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

October 6, 2020October 6, 2020 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

October 5, 2020October 4, 2020 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.

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