Today is Independence Day in the Solomon Islands, a public holiday. This holiday is the National Day of the country and marks independence from Britain on this day in 1978.
Accidental Renaissance
We all take lots of photos with our phones but sometimes, when we look at the photos, the composition, style, lighting and so forth remind of of classical art.
Today is the birthday, in 1940, of Ringo Starr – drummer for The Beatles. While mostly in the background, he was lead vocalist on at least one song on each album. Here is rare footage of him signing lead on one of their most popular songs.
Today is Jan Hus Day, a public holiday in the Czech Republic. This holiday commemorates the martyrdom of Jan Hus in 1415. Hus is seen as a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. He was an advocate of church reforms, such as using Czech as the liturgical language, aligning the church’s practices with teachings contained in the Bible, limiting the power of the church to spiritual matters, and stopping the sale of indulgences. His followers became known as Hussites.
He was excommunicated from the Catholic Church in 1412 for insubordination and burned at the stake on July 6, 1415.
FAIL…
Bada Bing!
My grandfather had a radio and he had 9 kids. My dad had a TV and he had 3 kids. I have the Internet and I guess the family ends here.
Being 20 in the seventies was a lot more fun than being 70 in the twenties.
It’s interesting growing up and learning that most adults are not smart. I had my suspicions as a kid but I didn’t think the situation was this dire.
As a kid, I used to watch Wizard of Oz and wondered how someone could talk without a brain. Then I got social media.
“Please arrive to your doctor’s appointment 15 minutes early so our receptionist can explain why we’re running 45 minutes late.”
In the old west, a lantern was often mounted on a horse for nighttime travel. It was thought to be the first generation of “saddle light navigation”
Today is the birthday, in 1945, of Rick Elswit, guitarist with the rock band Dr Hook.
Today is Tynwald Day on the Isle of Man. It is a public holiday and marks the annual outdoor sitting of the Manx Parliament – the Tynwald. There is no representation from the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom parliament and UK laws do not automatically apply in the Isle of Man. Tynwald makes the laws which are given final approval by the Queen. Tynwald meets regularly during the year, with an outdoor session held on July 5th at St. John’s. The main event on Tynwald day is the promulgation of acts as each act of Tynwald must be promulgated on Tynwald Hill within 18 months of enactment. On Tynwald Day any person may approach Tynwald Hill and present a Petition for Redress. The Petitions can be taken up by members of Tynwald and put to the parliament. Many pieces of legislation in the Isle of Man have been passed using this process.
What could go wrong…
Today is the birthday, in 1943, of Robbie Robertson, Canadian musician, songwriter, film composer, producer and actor. He was lead guitarist for The Band and as a songwriter, Robertson is credited for writing ‘The Weight’, ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’, ‘Up on Cripple Creek’, ‘Broken Arrow’ and ‘Somewhere Down the Crazy River’.
Today is Sir Seretse Khama Day in Botwsana (a wonderful country!) This holiday commemorates the first President of Botswana on the anniversary of his birth on this day in 1921. Khama was training as a barrister in London after the Second World War, where he met and married Ruth Williams, a white English commoner. The story of Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams was depicted in the 2016 film, ‘A United Kingdom’.
His marriage caused great difficulties for him at home and he was exiled in 1951. The apartheid government of South Africa put pressure on Britain to remove Khama’s chieftainship. A judicial inquiry declared him to be perfectly fit for the job, but this was hushed up to appease the South Africans. Khama returned to Bechuanaland (now Botwsana) in 1956 as a private citizen. He formed the Bechuanaland Democratic Party, won the elections and led the way to independence, becoming his country’s first President. He remained in the post until his death, aged only 59, in 1980. He created a multiracial democratic society and is considered as one of the great successes of this era of African politics.
I always though it was something like that…
Not sure about this…
Today is the birthday, in 1945, of Deborah Harry, American singer, songwriter, and actress with Blondie who scored five UK No.1 singles including the 1979 UK & US No.1 single ‘Heart Of Glass’ and the 1978 world-wide No.1 album Parallel Lines. As a solo artists she scored the 1986 UK No. 8 single ‘French Kissing In The USA’. A former Playboy Bunny, her acting career spans over thirty film roles and numerous television appearances.
Today is Independence Day in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a public holiday. It marks 62 years since the country gained independence from Belgium under the leadership of Patrice Lumumba, one of the most prominent voices in Africa’s anti-colonial movement. Two months later he was assassinated under Belgian direction.
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