On this day in 1559, Queen Elizabeth I was crowned and anointed as Queen of England and Ireland. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history and culture, gave name to the Elizabethan era. One of her first actions as queen was the establishment of an English Protestant church, of which she became the supreme governor. This arrangement would evolve into the Church of England.
In government, Elizabeth was more moderate than her father and siblings had been.[3] One of her mottoes was video et taceo (“I see and keep silent”).[4] In religion, she was relatively tolerant and avoided systematic persecution. After the pope declared her illegitimate in 1570, which in theory released English Catholics from allegiance to her, several conspiracies threatened her life, all of which were defeated with the help of her ministers’ secret service.
As she grew older, Elizabeth became celebrated for her virginity. A cult of personality grew around her which was celebrated in the portraits, pageants, and literature of the day. The Elizabethan era is famous for the flourishing of English drama, led by playwrights such as William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, the prowess of English maritime adventurers, such as Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh, and for the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
Elizabeth is acknowledged as a charismatic performer and a dogged survivor in an era when government was ramshackle and limited, and when monarchs in neighboring countries faced internal problems and religious civil wars that jeopardized their thrones. After the short, disastrous reigns of her half-siblings, her 44 years on the throne provided welcome stability for the kingdom and helped to forge a sense of national identity.
Portrait commemorating the defeat of the Spanish Armada, depicted in the background. Elizabeth’s hand rests on the globe, symbolizing her international power.
Today is the birthday, in 1948, of Ronnie Van Zant, vocalist with Lynyrd Skynyrd who had the 1974 US No. 8 single ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and the 1982 UK No. 21 single ‘Freebird’. Van Zant died in a plane crash between shows from Greenville, South Carolina to Baton Rouge, Louisiana on October 20th 1977 along with bandmates Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines. Remaining band members survived, although all were seriously injured. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GxWmSVv-cY
This day in 1967 was the date of the Human Be-In. It was an event held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park Polo Fields. It was a prelude to the Summer of Love, which made the Haight-Ashbury district a symbol of American counterculture and introduced the word “psychedelic” to suburbia.
The Human Be-In focused the key ideas of the 1960s counterculture: personal empowerment, cultural and political decentralization, communal living, ecological awareness, higher consciousness (with the aid of psychedelic drugs), acceptance of illicit psychedelics use, and radical New Left political consciousness. The playful name combined humanist values with the scores of sit-ins that had been reforming college and university practices and eroding the vestiges of entrenched segregation, starting with the lunch counter sit-ins of 1960 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee. The first major teach-in had been organized by Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Michigan.
The speakers at the rally were all invited by Bowen, the main organizer. They included Timothy Leary in his first San Francisco appearance, who set the tone that afternoon with his famous phrase “Turn on, tune in, drop out”[8] and Richard Alpert (soon to be known as “Ram Dass”), and poets like Allen Ginsberg, who chanted mantras. Other counterculture gurus included comedian Dick Gregory, Lenore Kandel, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jerry Rubin, and Alan Watts. Music was provided by Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and others. “Underground chemist” Owsley Stanley provided massive amounts of his “White Lightning” LSD, specially produced for the event.
The counterculture that surfaced at the “Human Be-In” encouraged people to “question authority” with regard to civil rights, women’s rights, and consumer rights. Underground newspapers and radio stations served as its alternative media.
SIGNSSSSSSS
Today is the birthday, in 1948, of Tim Harris, drummer from British soul band The Foundations who scored the 1967 UK No.1 single ‘Baby Now That I’ve Found You’ and the 1969 US No.3 single ‘Build Me Up A Buttercup’. The group was the first multi-racial group to have a No.1 hit in the UK in the 1960s. Harris died in 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klNean7JJdA
On this day in 1842, Dr. William Brydon arrived at the British garrison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, the sole survivor of the British army retreating from Kabul. In January 1842, following the killing of the two British representatives there, it was decided to withdraw the British force in Kabul. The nearest British garrison was in Jalalabad, 90 miles (140 km) away, and the army would need to go through mountain passes with the January snow hindering them.
Under the command of Major-General William George Keith Elphinstone, the British army set out for Jalalabad on 6 January 1842, on the understanding that they had been offered safe passage. Afghan tribesmen intercepted them and proceeded to attack them during the next seven days. The final stand took place at Gandamak on the morning of 13 January 1842, in the snow. Twenty officers and forty-five British soldiers, mostly of the 44th Foot, found themselves surrounded on a hillock.
Surgeon Brydon was one of twelve mounted officers who had become separated from the remnants of the main column before the final stand at Gandamak. This small group had ridden to Futtehabad, but half had been killed there while six escaped. All but Brydon were killed, one by one, further along the road as their horses became exhausted. On the afternoon of 13 January 1842, the British troops in Jalalabad, watching for their comrades of the Kabul garrison, saw a single figure ride up to the town walls. It was Brydon. Part of his skull had been sheared off by an Afghan sword, and he survived the blow because he had stuffed a copy of Blackwood’s Magazine into his hat to fight the intense cold weather. The magazine took most of the blow, saving the doctor’s life.
‘Remnants of an Army’ by Elizabeth Butler portraying William Brydon arriving at the gates of Jalalabad as the only survivor of a 16,500 strong evacuation from Kabul in January 1842.
Best Job! Penguin Waterer
Umm…
Bada BING!!!
Owner to car salesman: “I can’t explain it. All I know is I can’t drive more than 10 miles without needing to pull over to use the restroom”. Soon after it was introduced, the Lincoln Incontinental was recalled.
She told me she’s stripping to feed her kids but gets pissed when I put seven cans of green beans on the stage.
Why do men snore when they lie in their backs? It’s because their balls fall over their asshole which causes a vapor lock.
That feeling of anger you get when your girlfriend is kissing another dude but you can’t say anything because he’s her husband.
Remember, having sex on a regular basis keeps helps your memory alive. I wish you all a great 2016.
Apparently stress balls are not supposed to be thrown at people that are stressing you out.
Q: What did 2025 teach you that you will remember for the rest of your life? A: Don’t take your side piece to a Cold Play concert.
MAGA: I didn’t vote for THIS! Me: Yes you DID!
Really starting to doubt the credibility of the FIFA Peace Prize. Just Sayin’.
Most people are assholes. Don’t believe me? Next time you see a group of people, yell out, “Hey asshole!” They’ll all turn around and look.
If you need the threat of hell to be a good person, then you’re just a bad person on a leash.
If we are serious about saving the planet, we should stop printing calendars. They’re the reason our days are numbered.
I don’t always read something mind-numbingly stupid, but when I do it’s always from a tRUMP supporter.
It’s ironic that hyphenated is not hyphenated but non-hyphenated is hyphenated.
The cruelest self-help joke is being told to “leave your comfort zone.” Sir, I haven’t even found the comfort zone yet. I’ve been living in the ‘Mild-to-Severe Anxiety Zone’ my whole life. Can you give me the coordinates?
I’ll never apollogize for my puns about Greek gods.
HELP! I’ve fallen and I can’t think of a reason to get up!
My nephew asked me where Walla Walla was located. I told him somewhere between ting tang and bing bang.
Shout out to everyone who got through the day without taking a nap. Pulled an all-dayer today. Pretty rough.
Remember when the FIFA peace prize used to mean something?
The only thing Greenland has that America desperately needs is free Universal Healthcare.
Thank you for the free 10-day trial of 2026. I’d like to unsubscribe from whatever the hell this is.
I went to Costco today to buy eggs. We usually get brown eggs, but today all they had were white ones. I guess ICE got there first.
It’s astonishing how many people seem to think that public execution is a reasonable outcome for someone driving away from an ICE agent.
Octopus with gun in each hand looking at a cat… Cat: You’re one short buddy.
‘Morgue Employee Cremated By Mistake While Taking A Nap’ I guess two people got fired that day.
Let’s see if I have this correct… If I get out of my car I get taken to a concentration camp regardless of my citizenship, but if I don’t get out of my car I get shot in the head, right?
It’s weird how you never hear about the Proud Boys anymore. It’s almost like they all got jobs.
Picture at an exhibition…
Today is the birthday, in 1964, of David McClusky, from Scottish indie rock band The Bluebells who had the 1993 UK No.1 single with the re-issued Young At Heart after it was used in a Volkswagen television advertisement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7n53nIBb3g
On this day in 1915, the U.S. House of Representatives rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to give women the right to vote by a vote of 204 to 174. This vote was an important moment in the long struggle for women’s suffrage. The galleries were packed with suffragists who watched a 10-hour debate on the proposal. The defeat highlighted the challenges faced by activists who sought a federal amendment, leading many to continue their efforts at the state level as well as pushing for national action.
In 1914 the constitutional amendment proposed by Sargent, which was nicknamed the “Susan B. Anthony Amendment”, was once again considered by the Senate, where it was again rejected. In April 1917 the “Anthony Amendment”, which eventually became the Nineteenth Amendment, was reintroduced in the House and Senate. Picketing NWP members, nicknamed the “Silent Sentinels”, continued their protests on the sidewalks outside the White House. On July 4, 1917, police arrested 168 of the protesters, who were sent to prison in Lorton, Virginia. Some of these women, including Lucy Burns and Alice Paul, went on hunger strikes; some were force-fed while others were otherwise harshly treated by prison guards.
The suffrage amendment did not pass the House of Representatives until May 21, 1919, which was quickly followed by the Senate, on June 4, 1919. It was then submitted to the states for ratification, achieving the requisite 36 ratifications to secure adoption, and thereby went into effect, on August 18, 1920. The Nineteenth Amendment’s adoption was certified on August 26, 1920.
Suffragist Helena Hill looks out from her cell.
women installing an engine in a Douglas Aircraft Plant in 1942
Today is the birthday, in 1993, of Zayn Malik from English-Irish pop boy band One Direction who formed after finishing third in the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. Scored the 2011 UK No.1 single ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ and the 2013 No.1 ‘One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJO3ROT-A4E
Today is the birthday, in 1908, of Simone de Beauvoir, French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, nor was she considered one at the time of her death, she had a significant influence on both feminist existentialism and feminist theory.
She was best known for her “trailblazing work in feminist philosophy”, The Second Sex (1949), a detailed analysis of women’s oppression and a foundational tract of contemporary feminism. She was also known for her novels, the most famous of which were She Came to Stay (1943) and The Mandarins.
Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre met during her college years. Intrigued by her determination as an educator, he intended to make their relationship romantic. However, she had no interest in doing so. She later changed her mind, and in October 1929, Jean-Paul Sartre and Beauvoir became a couple for the next 51 years, until his death in 1980. She and Sartre entered into a lifelong “soul partnership”, which was sexual but not exclusive, nor did it involve living together. She chose never to marry and never had children. This gave her the time to advance her education and engage in political causes, write and teach, and take lovers.
The Second Sex, first published in 1949 in French as Le Deuxième Sexe, turns the existentialist mantra that existence precedes essence into a feminist one: “One is not born but becomes a woman” (French: “On ne naît pas femme, on le devient”). With this famous phrase, Beauvoir first articulated what has come to be known as the sex-gender distinction, that is, the distinction between biological sex and the social and historical construction of gender and its attendant stereotypes.
Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir at the Balzac Memorial
Today is the birthday, in 1941, of American folk singer, songwriter, musician, and activist Joan Baez. She scored the 1971 US No.3 & UK No.6 single with a cover of the Band’s ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’ and was one of the first major artists to record the songs of Bob Dylan in the early 1960s. Baez also performed at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFA5JgwdEy4
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