Birthday Musings

First up, Happy Birthday to jhitchin (today), Don (6/27), djbp and mokatiki (6/29).

Second, thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes yesterday. Despite having to work (with a server down in the morning and an important meeting in the afternoon, I couldn’t take the day off), I had a good day. kitanzi and I went out for dinner, then came home to watch TV and cuddle. I got a phone call from my mom, and called and made a phone date to talk to someone else tonight, and then went to bed early. 🙂

I often get amused at looking at what other things happened on my birthday, so I went and looked a few of them up. Some I was aware of, and some I wasn’t, but here’s a run down of the more interesting things:

• June 25th is the birthday of Eric Blair, better known to the world as Animal Farm author George Orwell. 2003 was his 100th Birthday, in fact. It’s interesting to see that nearly 20 years after the events of his seminal work 1984, our government is still actively exploring the type of future he envisioned.
• June 25th is also the Birthday of Lord Louis Mountbatten, Broadway directory George Abbott, King Crimson guitarist Ian McDonald,
• On this day in 1967, the Beatles recorded the song All You Need Is Love in front of 400 million people during a worldwide television broadcast. This was one I hadn’t known about, and I think it’s really, really cool.
• In 841, Charles the Bald and Louis the German defeated Lothar at Fontenay. (I have no idea what this is about, but it just sounds cool – reminds me of the Star Trek episode Dharmok)
• On this day in 1178, five monks reported seeing something explode on the moon. (I had nothing to do with it. I was elsewhere at the time, and there are witnesses to prove that.)
• On this day in 1638, a lunar eclipse occurred, the first astronomical event recorded in America. (Again, I had nothing to do with it.)
• In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, beginning the Korean War. (No really, I was at lunch with my girlfriend. I was nowhere near Asia.)
• In 1951, the first commercial color TV program was a show presented on CBS using the FCC-approved CBS Color System. The public did not own color TV’s at the time.
• In 1966, the tv show Dark Shadows premiered on ABC.
• In 1989, 1st US postmark dedicated to Lesbian & Gay Pride (Stonewall, NYC) is issued.
• In 1993, Canada elected Kim Campbell as its first woman prime minister. (I know nothing about her politics or how good a job she did, but I’m impressed she was elected.)
• And finally, June 25th marks the anniversary of the passage of 1910’s Mann Act. From this day forth, I will encourage every one to celebrate my birthday by transporting a girl across state lines for immoral purposes.