Words 2.13

 Words Twice a Week        2.13

A little light, maybe.  The Olympics are still going on.  And there was the Super Bowl, and it’s Valentines Day.  But here’s what I got -

Some days from the church calendar -

Feb 15 – Thomas Bray  He was born in Shropshire, England, in either 1656 or 1658.  He was a clergy and abolitionist.  He was instrumental in establishing the church of England in Maryland.  He spoke out against slavery and the oppression of Native Americans.  He was also instrumental in establishing The Society for the propagation of  Christian Knowledge (kind of like the American Bible Society in the United States) and had a vision for a library in each parish.

Feb 18  Martin Luther – well, he was Martin Luther!  He died on this day in 1546.  (Hug a Lutheran today?)

Feb 20  Frederick Douglass  He was born into slavery, but became a leader in the abolitionist movement.  It really is worth reading the story of his early life, either in the Wikipedia entry (above) or in one of his three autobiographies - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845), which became a bestseller and was influential in promoting the cause of abolition; My Bondage and My Freedom (1855); Life and Times of Frederick Douglass.  (Available in several formats at PWPL.)  Without his permission, Douglass became the first African American nominated for Vice President of the United States as the running mate and Vice Presidential nominee of Victoria Woodhull, on the Equal Rights Party ticket.

Some days from the world/earth calendar -

Feb 14 

+ Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day.  Probably too late to do anything but pick up some flowers or a chocolate heart.  Or, Garrison Keillor suggests writing a love poem, or copying one of his!  He said, “Copy it, but put your name on it – your wife doesn’t want a love poem from me!”  Or – pick up a “HeartBaker Pizza from Papa Murphy’s!  That’s what we’re going to do, although after the free 20 chicken wings from Applebee’s yesterday, we are not completely sure that’s a good idea!!

+ There is some indication that Frederick Douglass (see above!) may have been born on this day – apparently his mother, who he never saw in the daylight, she was only there to get him to bed at night, called him her “little Valentine”.

+ Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone in 1876.  He and somebody names Grey both filed on the same day.  Bell won.  A good thing?  Anyway, a major event in the development of communication technology!

Feb 15

+ world’s largest peace demonstration – 30 million people in 600 cities against the Iraq War.

+ The United Kingdom and Ireland decimalized their currency in 1971.  Before that a pound was 240 pence or 20 shillings.  If they could do that, it would seem like we could do it to our weights and measurements – how many ounces in a pound? How many in a quart?  Does that system make any sense at all?

+ Birthday of Ernest Shackleton.  I keep bring him up – can’t help it, it’s just too fantastic a story!  Also the birthday of Susan B Anthony – another fantastic story.

Feb 16

+ The Kyoto Protocol went into effect in 2005.  Solving the climate change issue?  (That was sarcasm.)

+ the burial chamber of Tutankhamun was opened in 1923 – and the “Curse of Tutankhamun”?

+ Harold Arlen was born on this day.  If you listen to Sounds of the American Musical you probably have heard him mentioned.  He wrote or collaborated on many of the Songs of the American Songbook – Somewhere over the Rainbow, Stormy Weather, Lydia the Tattooed Lady, Get Happy, Let’s Fall in Love, and many more.  In the 1940s, he teamed up with lyricist Johnny Mercer, and continued to write hit songs like "Blues in the Night", "Out of this World", "That Old Black Magic", "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive", "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home", "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)".

Feb 18

+ Pluto was discovered in 1930.  I’m looking, but I still don’t see it!

+ Michelangelo died in 1564.  Well, he was Michelangelo!

+ John Batterson Stetson died in 1906.  You can learn about his mansion here.  Hey, Tripadvisor says it’s one of the top 5 things to do in Florida!  I’d say do it before you wrestle the aligator!

Feb 19

+ FDR signed the executive order 9066 in 1942, sending people of Japanese ancestry to internment camps.  This was in the United States.

+ Friedensreich Hundertwasser died in 2000.  Check him out!  And he wore unmatching socks!

Feb 20

+ Ansel Adams was born in 1902.  Apparently he was an unruly child, hyper, possibly dyslexic.  For his twelfth birthday, his family gave him a camera and a trip to Yosemite.  You know the rest of the story!

+ Swan Lake premiered in 1877.  (Ok, this is one of those things where there are two different calendars – it was today in the old system, it was Mar 4 in the new system!)  Kanopy at the Library has the Ekman production – it is on a stage covered with water.  We watched it several years ago – kind of weird.  I don’t know about other streaming services or dvd’s.  I don’t think PWPL has a video of it – if you search their catalog for Swan Lake video you get Star Wars.  Apparently Obi-Wan-Keno-be is what triggers it!  So – watch Star Wars instead?  I don’t think so.  (Ok – try to get yourself into the 20th century at least, Charlie – you can probably stream it on YouTube.)

+ the Post Office was established in 1792.  No snarky remarks from me.  They are delivering our four covid home tests today – Monday.  And I did mail a couple of Valentines out of state – not sure if they made it or not.  Hope so.  Anyway – I like the Post Office.

That’s what I got for now…..

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