sixties and seventies

02
Aug
2024

First FRIDAY in August!

The Day of Our Lady of the Angels (Virgen de los Angeles) is a public holiday in Costa Rica observed on August 2nd each year. This important religious holiday honors the patron saint of Costa Rica, the Virgin Mary. It is not unusual for a country to venerate Mary, what is different in Costa Rica is that the holiday specifically honors a small statue of Mary.

The ‘La Negrita’ is a small statue of the Virgin Mary carved from dark wood, that was found on August 2nd 1635 by a native woman called Juana Pereira.

When Juana naturally picked up this statue to take it home. It then vanished, only to reappear at the same spot she originally found it. This happened again before the townspeople saw this as a sign of divine intervention and built a shrine around it. 

The Basilica Virgen de Los Angeles in Cartago was built over the shrine in 1639, but this was partially destroyed in an earthquake. A restored structure was completed in 1722.

In 1824, the Virgin was declared Costa Rica’s patron saint.

La Negrita is kept in the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles in Cartago. Each year, the anniversary of the statue’s discovery is a popular pilgrimage, with thousands making the 22 km journey from San José to the basilica. Some will make the walk barefoot and many will complete the last few hundred meters to see La Negrita on their knees. 

When you skip anatomy class but still go to marketing class…

Today is the birthday, in 1937, of Canadian multi-instrumentalist and a master of the Lowrey organ, Garth Hudson, The The Hawks (Ronnie Hawkins’s backing group), who then became known as The Band and also backed Bob Dylan on his US tour in 1965 and world tour in 1966. The Band had the 1969 US No.25 single ‘Up On Cripple Creek’, 1970 UK No.16 single ‘Rag Mama Rag’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-w9OclUnns

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
01
Aug
2024

THURSDAY is hot, hot, hot…

Today is Independence Day in Benin, a public holiday and Benin’s National Day. This day commemorates full independence from France on August 1st 1960.

The region of modern day Benin first came to the attention of the Europeans as a source of slaves with the shores of the region earning the name ‘the Slave Coast’.

Local warlords made agreements with the Portuguese to supply slaves from captured prisoners. One important local kingdom at the time was the Dahomey, known for their military discipline, who grew to be the dominant power in the region.

With the abolition of the slave trade, the control of the Dahomey was weakened, allowing the French to take over the region at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1904, the colony of French Dahomey was incorporated within French West Africa.

In 1946 with the establishment of the Fourth French Republic, Dahomey became an overseas territory of France with its own parliament and representation in the French national assembly.

On December 4th 1958, it became the Republic of Dahomey (République du Dahomey), a self-governing autonomous republic within the French Community. On July 11th 1960 France agreed to Dahomey becoming fully independent. Dahomey gained its full independence on August 1st 1960, with Hubert Maga becoming Dahomey’s first president.

In 1975, the country changed its name to Benin, after the Bight of Benin, a large bay in the Gulf of Guinea.

Benin has one of the youngest populations in the world. With a median age of just 17, Benin has one of the youngest populations in the world. In fact, almost 65% of the country’s population is under 25 years old.

Today is the birthday, in 1951, of Canadian guitarist and vocalist Tim Bachman best known as a member of Bachman–Turner Overdrive (BTO). Bachman was one of the four founding members of BTO, a group that have sold nearly 30 million albums worldwide and also featured his brothers Randy (guitar/vocals) and Robbie (drums). He died on 28 April 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cia_v4vxfE

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
26
Jul
2024

Did you say FRIDAY??!?

Today is Independence Day in Liberia. This is the National Day of Liberia and commemorates Liberia’s Independence from the USA and adoption of the constitution on July 26th 1847.

The Republic of Liberia began as a settlement of the American Colonization Society (ACS), who believed black people would face better chances for freedom in Africa than in the United States.

Between 1822 and 1861, thousands of free blacks were relocated to the settlement at Cape Mesurado on the Pepper Coast of West Africa. In 1824 the colony was named Liberia, and the main settlement was named Monrovia, which remains the present-day capital.

The settlers faced immense hardships in the initial years with atrocious mortality rates due to disease and conflict with the indigenous peoples. Within twenty years, the colony had grown and established economic stability.

On July 26th 1847, the settlers issued a Declaration of Independence and promulgated a constitution. The constitution was heavily based on the United States Constitution and established the independent Republic of Liberia. The United Kingdom was the first country to recognize Liberia’s independence, the United States only recognized Liberia’s independence in 1862 during the American Civil War.

Liberia was the first African republic to proclaim its independence, and is Africa’s first and oldest modern republic, maintaining independence despite the colonial expansion in Africa in the late nineteenth century.

Today is the birthday, in 1943, of Mick Jagger, singer, songwriter with The Rolling Stones, (1969 UK & US No.1 single ‘Honky Tonk Women’, and over 35 UK & US Top 40 singles and albums). Solo (1985 UK No.1 single with David Bowie ‘Dancing In The Street’). 1985 UK No. 6 solo album ‘She’s The Boss.’ In 2003 he was knighted for his services to popular music and in early 2009 he joined the electric supergroup SuperHeavy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef9QnZVpVd8

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
25
Jul
2024

THURSDAYs just keep on comin’

Today is Republic Day, a public holiday in Tunisia. It commemorates the anniversary of the vote to abolish the monarchy and found the republic on July 25th 1957.

Tunisia came under French control in 1881 and became a French protectorate in 1883.

The movement for independence had begun in 1920 with the creation of the political party, Destour. In 1934, the fervor for independence was increased with the formation of a new party called Neo Destour, led by Habib Bourguiba.

In March 1956 Bourguiba led Tunisia to independence, as a constitutional monarchy with Muhammad VIII al-Amin as King and Bourguiba as Prime Minister. The constitutional monarchy was seen as a French decision and many thought the king was pro-France, so the National Assembly moved to change the political structure of the country from a constitutional monarchy to a republic.

On July 25th 1957, the monarchy was abolished, the king abdicated and the Republic of Tunisia was proclaimed with Habib Bourguiba as its first president. President Bourguiba went on to rule Tunisia for 31 years, finally being deposed in a medical coup d’état.

Air Loom

Today is the birthday, in 1942, of Bruce Woodley, from Australian folk-influenced pop quartet The Seekers who scored the 1965 UK No.1 single ‘I’ll Never Find Another You’. They were the first Australian group to achieve major chart and sales success in the UK and the US. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZf41UudAbI

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
24
Jul
2024

WEDNESDAY in the middle

Today is Children’s Day, also called Pikinini Day, in Vanuatu, a public holiday. This is a day to promote the welfare and well-being of children and also to celebrate children and what they contribute to society. The theme of the day changes from year to year, though the topic of fighting child abuse remains a perennial theme of the day.

As a public holiday, it’s a day for families to spend extra time together.

Children’s Day takes place a week before Independence Day and the parades, concerts, public speeches, sports events, and other celebratory activities held to mark Children’s Day are seen as marking the start of Vanuatu’s national Independence week.

Ink…

SIGNZ

On this day in 1965, The Byrds were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their version of the Bob Dylan song ‘Mr Tambourine Man’. The first Bob Dylan song to reach No.1. The Byrds’ recording of the song was influential in initiating the musical subgenre of folk rock, leading many contemporary bands to mimic its fusion of jangly guitars and intellectual lyrics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnstCrL1_e0

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies