2009: Day 179It's right on the tip of your tongue, I know... Today was Pierre Paul Broca's birthday back in 1824.
Are you not amused? Why, this must be the 171st (1838) anniversary of Victoria's ascension to the throne of the United Kingdom.
Today in 1894, Labor Day became an official U.S. holiday.
Composer of more than 900 songs and 40 musicals, composer Richard Rodgers was born today in 1902.
Uh-oh, Franz! In 1914 the Archduke & duchess of Austria are assassinated by a Serbian nationalist, kicking over the first domino of what would become World War I... and five years later, to the day, the Treaty of Versailles is signed in Paris, formally ending the war... which included horrifically unendurable reparation payments from Germany, which helped set the stage for the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party, leading to World War II.
Turning 83 today is Mel Brooks, born Melvin Kaminsky on this date in 1926.
Whether it's as Arnold or Mr. Miyagi, you likely know Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (1932) from somewhere.
Hopefully not your biggest fan, actress Kathy Bates turns 61 today, you dirty bird.
Broncos fans (and, presumably, Stanford alums) all know that today John Elway turns 49.
In 1964, the Organization of Afro-American Unity is formed by Malcolm X.
Actress Mary Stuart Masterson turns 43 today... as does John Cusack.
The Stonewall Riots (1969) kicked off today, as in response to a police raid of the Stonewall Inn, in Greenwich Village, NY, turned to violence as gays and lesbians fought back.
The sun'll come out somewhere... it's Aileen Quinn's 38th birthday today.
Fancy a nibble? Well, Mike Tyson did during his second fight with Evander Holyfield, biting a piece from Holyfield's ear. (1997)
Today in 2000 the Supreme Court refused to review a decision and Elian Gonzalez was returned to Cuba.
Four years ago today Canada became the third country to legalize same-sex marriage.
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Comments
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_Law_Amendment_Act,_1968-69
I definitely appreciate the link, as I was wholly unaware of such a bold, profound package of amendments (decriminalizing homosexualty, contraception and abortion, relaxation of gambling laws, along with increased laws regarding guns and drunk driving) being pushed through at one time up in Canada. In 1967 and '68 we were consumed with our own upheavals as a nation down here, and my only being 6 and 7 at the time, obviously, shrunk my view of even that in a contemporary context. Fantastic Four and Spider-man cartoons being added to Saturday morning lineups were more in the line of pressing media matters for me at the time. ;)
Trying to address so many issues at once would almost seem to be a deal-killer, though I suppose in function it was the opposite. By tying them artfully together (with an eye on the make-up of government at the time) Trudeau apparently had good reason to believe that the particular interests of the majority of Parliamentarians in their own pet issues would see them voting in favor of the overall package. It's especially noteworthy that this slogged its way through almost five months of parliamentary and public debate, including heaping invective and smear campaigns from religious and right-wing groups.
All of this - a day-by-day push to educate myself about a wide variety of matters - is why I started doing this daily piece on the blog starting back on the 19th. By trying to take a quick look at things that happened on a given date I remind myself of people and matters I'd forgotten over the years, and take a look at others I had no idea about before.
Thanks for adding a significant chunk to the process, Dwight!
http://archives.cbc.ca/on_this_day/06/28/
RIP Terry Fox. Your Marathon Goes On.
Being perfectly honest, I only barely, vaguely recalled Terry Fox until I clicked on the link you sent.
I'm going to think over your comments on the Trudeau-era stuff for a bit...