Edward Estlin Cummings was born at Cambridge, Massachusetts on this day in 1894. Growing up in a literate and liberal home, he was writing poetry by age ten. He attended Cambridge Latin High School and received both BA and MA from Harvard. His poetry appeared in publications of both schools. … Continue reading
By order of the Canadian Parliament in 1957, today is “A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed … to be observed on the second Monday in October.” The first thanksgiving observation in English-speaking North America actually took place in … Continue reading
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born at Porbandar, Kathiawad, India on this day in 1869. From his early career in law to his assassination while preparing to pray in 1948 the Mahatma (Sanskrit for “great soul”) preached nonviolence, and to the surprise and consternation of the South African and colonial Indian … Continue reading
Something extraordinary happened at Mainz, Germany on this day in 1452. A goldsmith turned printer by the name of Johann Gutenberg started a print job. It was a big job, and took over two years to complete: The first verifiable book printed with moveable type. There are 24 letters in … Continue reading
William Safire was born at New York City on 17 December 1929 and died from pancreatic cancer last Sunday. He graduated from Bronx High School of Science, then attended Syracuse University for two years. Despite dropping out, he delivered the commencement address there in 1978 and 1990 and became a … Continue reading
If Mr. Obama has his way, students in the U.S. may be in for longer school days, a longer school year or possibly both. In a statement quoted from the Associated Press, Mr. Obama warns that American youngsters spend too little time in school, putting them at a disadvantage with … Continue reading
The birthday list today includes three actors that suggested today’s theme. Michael Douglas, son of another heroic figure, was born at New Brunswick, New Jersey on this day in 1944. Mark Hamill, Jedi knight Luke Skywalker, was born at Oakland, California in 1952. And then there is the quintessential hero, … Continue reading
It’s been colder and wetter in the last couple of weeks, and I am sure you have noticed it getting dark early. The calendar explains this phenomena, today is of course the Equinox, officially arriving at 21:18 UTC (Universal Coordinated Time), that’s 2:18 pm Pacific. So Summer will be over … Continue reading
RELEASE NUMBER: 090917-02 DATE POSTED: SEPTEMBER 17, 2009 PRESS RELEASE: Special Forces Group Soldiers killed in IED Strike U.S. Army Special Operations Command Public Affairs Office FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, Sept. 17, 2009) — Three U.S. Army Special Forces Soldiers died on Sept. 16, 2009 in Helmand Province, … Continue reading
As many of you know I don’t normally post urban legends or hoaxes on my blog; especially since there are plenty of legitimate sites that do this already (i.e. http://www.snopes.com, http://urbanlegends.about.com, etc…); however when I receive the email ten or more times in a week, I feel it is my … Continue reading