June 12 - Loving Day

On this day in history, Richard and Mildred Loving won their right to marry. Mildred Loving, a black woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, had been sentenced to a year in prison in Virginia for marrying each other, a violation of the state's anti-miscegenation statute, the Racial Integrity Act of 1924. Marriage between people classified as "white" and people classified as "coloured" had been prohibited up to that point.

In 1967, their case made history when, by unanimous decision, the Supreme Court determined the prohibition to be unconstitutional, overturning Pace v. Alabama (1883) and ending all race-based legal restrictions on marriage - at least in the United States.

In honour of their victory, on June 12th of every year we celebrate Loving Day.

The Loving Day project is organized and maintained by dedicated volunteers who work hard every day to encourage celebrations, plan events, provide resources, and make Loving Day a new tradition. The core team meets in New York City, and also collaborate with volunteers all over the globe.

On February 14th, 2012, H.B.O. released "The Loving Story", a documentary about Richard and Mildred Loving, and their life together.

Today is also Crowded Nest Awareness Day, National Jerky Day, and National Peanut Butter Cookie Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- The HBC granted an area of about 185 000 km² to Lord Selkirk for formation of a colony at Red River in 1811. His first settlers arrived in the summer of 1812. Despite tribulations the settlement grew into the first European colony in the North-West.

- Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812.
- A roof collapsed during a murder trial in France in 1885, killing 30.
- Niagara Falls, Ontario was incorporated as a city in 1903.

- CBC president Joseph-Alphonse Ouimet, under whose leadership the national television service was established from coast to coast and in both languages, was born in Montréal in 1908.
- Soldier Jean Allard, the first French Canadian to be appointed Chief of Defence staff, was born in Saint-Monique-de- Nicolet, Québec in 1913. Also in 1913, "Dachshund", an early animated cartoon by Pathe Freres, was released.
- The Canadian General Council of the Boy Scout Association incorporated in 1914.
- Harry Houdini freed himself from a straight jacket while suspended upside down, 40 feet (12 m) above ground in New York City in 1923.

- Al Capone was indicted on 5,000 counts of prohibition and perjury in 1931.
- Shooting began on Paramount Pictures' Dr. Cyclops in 1939, the first horror film photographed in three-strip Technicolor.
- Anne Frank received her diary as a birthday present in 1942.

- Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" was released in 1954.
- "Make Me Laugh," a TV Game Show, last aired on ABC-TV in 1958, gaining syndication in 1979.
- Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison in South Africa in 1964.
- Sonny & Cher made their 1st TV appearance with "American Bandstand" in 1965. Also in 1965,  the Big Bang theory of creation of universe was supported by announcement of discovery of new celestial bodies know as blue galaxies.
- 17 present or past members of the RCMP were charged with a total of 44 offences following the Keable Report in 1981. The offences were connected to illegal operations conducted after the October Crisis.

- Also in 1981, "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" starring Harrison Ford premiered.
- The chemical compound NOTT-202, which is capable of selectively absorbing carbon dioxide, was created in 2012. Also in 2012, an Australian coroner's report finally ruled that a dingo was responsible for the death of a baby in 1980. And again in 2012, the World Health Organization concluded that diesel exhaust causes cancer.

Stay tuned for our next, "On This Day in History"!

June 11 - Corn on the Cob Day

Corn on the cob may not be in season yet, but we're going to celebrate this delicious, buttery treat!

People tend to fall on one side or the other with corn on the cob - they love it, or they hate it! Where do you fall?

Check out some of these great corn on the cob recipes to get you in the mood: http://bbq.about.com/od/vegetablerecipes/tp/Top-10-Grilled-Corn-Recipes.htm

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- Trojan War: Troy was sacked and burned in the Trojan War, according to calculations by Eratosthenes, in 1184 BC.
- In 631 AD, Emperor Taizong of Tang, the Emperor of China, sent envoys to the Xueyantuo bearing gold and silk in order to persuade the release of enslaved Chinese prisoners, who were captured during the transition from Sui to Tang from the northern frontier; this embassy succeeded in freeing 80,000 Chinese men and women who were then returned to China.
- Samuel de Champlain travelled nearly 60 km up the Saguenay River, and learned from the Montagnais tribe that a large saltwater body existed to the north (the Hudson Bay) in 1603.

- Benjamin Franklin invented his Franklin stove in 1742.
- Captain James Cook discovered the Great Barrier Reef off Australia in 1770.

- Continental Congress created a committee (Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston) to draft a Declaration of Independence in 1776.
- The first elections were held in Lower Canada in 1792. Anyone over 21, including women, who owned property and had not been convicted of a criminal offence could vote.
- The Broad Street Riot occurred in Boston in 1837, fueled by ethnic tensions between English-Americans and Irish-Americans.
- Soldier Leif Crozier, who bravely but impetuously led a party of NWMP into the opening engagement of the North-West Rebellion, was born in Newry, Ireland in 1846.
- Coal miner William Davis was killed in the culmination of a long Cape Breton strike in 1925.
- Alfred Hitchcock's 1st film, "Case Of Jonathan Drew," was released in 1928.

- Football player John Bright, the first black person to win a major football award in Canada, was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1931.
- Miners in Flin Flon, Manitoba went on strike in 1934, which lasted until July 14th.
- The King & Queen of England tasted their 1st "hot dogs" at FDR's party in 1939.
- The Postmaster General banned D. H. Lawrence's book, Lady Chatterley's Lover in 1959. It was later overruled by a US Court of Appeals in March of 1960.
- Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin become the only prisoners to successfully escape from the prison on Alcatraz Island in 1962.
- "The Ballad Of John & Yoko", by The Beatles hit #1 on the charts in 1969.
- "Grease", starring John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John opened in 1978.
- "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" was released in 1982.

- Margaret Thatcher became the 1st British PM in 160 years to win a 3rd consecutive term in 1987.
- The UN appointed Olivia Newton-John as an environmental ambassador in 1990.
- Kenneth Oppel won the inaugural Canadian Booksellers' Association Libris Children's Author of the Year Award for his book Skybreaker in 2006.

- In 2008, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made an official historic apology to Canada's First Nations in regard to a residential school abuse in which children were isolated from their homes, families and cultures for a century.
- A Texas mother was hit by lightning while standing in her kitchen inside her Texas home in 2009. Witnesses stated the lightning came through a light fixture and struck her chest, exiting her foot. Her 9-year-old son frantically called 9-1-1 to save her life. She had to spend three days in the hospital, but was able to return home - alive.

Stay tuned for our next, "On This Day in History"!

June 10 - Happy Birthday, Maurice Sendak

On this day in 1928, Maurice Bernard Sendak was born.

Maurice Sendak was an American author and illustrator, perhaps best known for his book, Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963. He is also known for such works as In the Night Kitchenand Outside Over There, while also illustrating Little Bear

His love of books began as a child, after developing health problems causing him to be confined to his bed. His decision to become an illustrator occurred after watching Walt Disney's Fantasia at the age of 12. At the beginning of his career, he created window displays for the well-known toy store, F.A.O. Schwartz.

 

Some of Sendak's work was of concern to parents when it was first published, as his characters (from Where the Wild Things Are) were somewhat grotesque in appearance (a big difference from Little Bear). Yet there were others who absolutely adored the work.

Sendak once recounted a tale of a gift he'd received from a young boy, with a small drawing on the card. He sent a card back with a picture of a Wild Thing on it. After a while he got a letter back from the boy's mother, relaying that the boy "loved your card so much he ate it". Sendak found it to be one of the highest compliments he'd ever received.

Sendak passed away May 8, 2012, after suffering a stroke. He will always be remembered for the wonderful stories he brought to the world, for parents and children alike.

Today is also Alcoholics Anonymous Founders Day, Ball Point Pen Day, and Iced Tea Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- Valse Dimitri was crowned Russian Tsar for 1st time in 1605.
- Benjamin Franklin's kite was struck by lightning in 1752 - what a shock!
- The Constitutional Act was enacted by the British Parliament in 1791, dividing the Province of Canada into two parts, Upper and Lower Canada.

- The first Boat Race between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge took place in 1829.
- Myall Creek Massacre in Australia: 28 Aboriginal Australians were murdered in the Myall Creek Massacre in Australia in 1838.
- Georg F B Reiman proposes that space is curved in 1854.
- The Patinoire Québec (skating rink) was transformed for the summer into the Jardin Tivoli in 1901. American actors presented plays there.
- Inaugural service for the United Church of Canada, a union of Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congregationalist churches, was held in Toronto in 1925.
- Dr. Robert Smith & William Wilson of Akron formed Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935.
- Canada declared war on Italy in 1940.
- Politician Ernest Preston Manning, leader of the Reform Party, was born in Edmonton in 1942.
- Saab produced its first automobile in 1947.
- Douglas Jung was elected Conservative MP for a Vancouver riding in 1957, becoming the first Chinese Canadian to hold elected federal office.
- "Tales From The Crypt," debuted on HBO in 1989.

- Burger King began using Newman's Own Salad Dressing in 1990.
- In 1999, the Reform Party announced that 65% of its members had voted to pursue the development of a new political party, dubbed the "united alternative."
- The Spirit Rover was launched in 2003, beginning NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission.

Stay tuned for our next, "On This Day in History"!

June 9 - Donald Duck Day

On this day in history, in 1934, Donald Duck first appeared in the Silly Symphony cartoon, "The Wise Little Hen".

Watch the video here:

 

Though his birthday actually occurs on March 13th, today we wish him Happy Anniversary!

Today is also Abused Women and Children's Awareness Day, Multicultural American Child Day, World Wind Day, Race Unity Day, and World APS Day.

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- Roman Emperor Nero committed suicide in the year 68, imploring his secretary Epaphroditos to slit his throat to evade a Senate-imposed death by flogging.
- Duccio's Maestà Altarpiece, a seminal artwork of the early Italian Renaissance, was unveiled and installed in the Siena Cathedral in Siena, Italy in 1310.
- The 23rd recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet occurred in 1456.

- A fire in St. John's, Newfoundland levelled most of the city in 1846.
- The 1st US "dime novel" was published in 1860: "Malaseka, The Indian Wife of the White Hunter," by Mrs. Ann Stevens.
- Timothy O'Hea extinguished a fire in a coach filled with gunpowder, on a train en route from Montréal with passengers and troops to Fort Erie, Canada West in 1866. On January 7, 1867, he received the Victoria Cross, the only VC awarded for bravery in peacetime.

- Alexandra Palace burnt down in 1873, after being open for only 16 days.
- Fishing captain Angus Walters, who captained the Bluenose to fame on the Grand Banks and in the International Fisherman's Trophy races 1921 to 1938, was born in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia in 1882.

- Alice Huyler Ramsey, a 22-year-old housewife and mother from Hackensack, New Jersey, became the first woman to drive across the United States in 1909. With three female companions, none of whom could drive a car, in fifty-nine days she drove a Maxwell automobile the 3,800 miles from Manhattan, New York, to San Francisco, California.
- Biochemist Fernand Seguin, who received Canada's first UNESCO's Kalinga Award for scientific popularization, was born at Montréal, Québec in 1922.
- Chicago Tribune reporter Jake Lingle was killed during rush hour at the Illinois Central train station in 1930 by the Leo Vincent Brothers, allegedly over a $100 000 gambling debt owed to Al Capone.

Seen above: infamous gangster Al Capone.

- Norway surrendered to Germany in 1940.
- Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II officially opened London Gatwick Airport, (LGW), Crawley, West Sussex, United Kingdom in 1958.
- Bob Dylan was given an honorary Doctorate of Music from Princeton University in 1970.
- Secretariat became the 1st Triple Crown winner in 25 years by winning the Belmont Stakes in 1973.

- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints abolished their 148-year policy of excluding black men from priesthood in 1978.
- Donald Duck's 50th birthday was celebrated at Disneyland in 1984.
- Star Trek V: The Final Frontier premiered in 1989.
- Denise Chong was born in Vancouver in 1953. Her book The Concubine's Children won the City of Vancouver Book Award in 1994 and the Vancity Book Prize in 1995.
- Floods in Medicine Hat, Alberta in 1995 forced some 5000 people from their homes.

- Stanley Knowles, a Member of Parliament for 4 decades, died in Ottawa in 1997.
- Canada and the United States signed a border security agreement in 2000, under which the two countries would bolster security along the eastern border directed by a joint enforcement team.
- In a fierce competition with CBC, CTV successfully bid nearly $3 million for exclusive rights in perpetuity to Canada’s hockey anthem - the theme song to Hockey Night in Canada in 2008. It was written in the late 1960s by Dolores Claman.

Check out what happened last week in science:

Stay tuned for our next, "On This day in History"!

June 8 - World Oceans Day

World Ocean Day was first proposed in 1992 by the Government of Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. This day recognizes the importance of the world's oceans to generate most of the oxygen we breath, to help feed us, to regulate our climate, to clean the water we drink, to offer potential medicines, and to provide limitless inspiration.

In December of 2008, a United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution officially recognizing June 8th as World Oceans Day each year.

World Oceans Day provides an important boost to those organizations and individuals who have been deeply committed to ocean conservation. Being designated officially by the UN is just one step in helping improve the health of the world's oceans.

One major threat to the health of our oceans is plastic waste. Plastic waste kills both directly and indirectly, adding tons of harmful chemicals to the oceans. Its fouling can spread harmful algae, as well as serve as a transport media for pollutants. Plastic bags left adrift have been known to cause harm and death to the creatures living in the oceans. Other plastics can deform and even suffocate creatures like turtles or seals.

Seen above: the damage done to a turtle's shell from growing around a small piece of plastic.

A nineteen-year old Aerospace Engineering student may have found the answer. In 2012, Boyan Slat came up with the concept of an Ocean Cleanup Array combining long booms which float on the surface of the ocean, with anchored processing platforms capable of collecting and separating plastic trash for removal and recycling. The arrays could potentially remove 7 250 000 tons of plastic waste from the oceans.

It is an amazing accomplishment if successful, but the world needs to come together and prevent the build-up of plastic waste in the ocean. Take the time to appreciate the world we live in.

Today we celebrate World Oceans Day - and all the souls that live within them!

Today is also Day 2 of Banana Split Days, International Young Eagles Day, National Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Upsy Daisy Day, and Worldwide Knit in Public Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- Italy was invaded by Attila the Hun in 452.

- Laki Volcano in southern Iceland began an 8-month eruption in 1783.
- Washing machine was patented by Noah Cushing of Quebec in 1824.
- Members of the Family Compact raided the offices of William Lyon Mackenzie's newspaper, the Colonial Advocate, at York in 1826.
- The Supreme Court of British Columbia was established in 1859.
- Herman Hollerith received a patent for his punch card calculator in 1887.

- Sherlock Holmes began his adventure, "Boscombe Valley Mystery" in 1889.
- Sherlock Holmes began his "Adventure of 6 Napoleons" in 1900.
- Aboriginal leader Ralph Steinhauer, first aboriginal person to serve as Lieutenant-Governor, was born in Morley, Alberta in 1905.
- Carl Laemmle incorporated Universal Pictures in 1912.

- Walt Disney graduated from Benton High School in 1917.
- Writer Louise Maheux-Forcier, who wrote one of Québec's first poetic novels, was born in Montréal in 1929.
- 1st parking meters were invented in 1936.
- Bing Cosby recorded "Silent Night" in 1942.
- The American Heart Association became the 1st agency to campaign against cigarettes in 1963.
- The Rolling Stones released "Jumpin' Jack Flash" in 1968. The following year, Mick Taylor replaced Brian Jones as guitarist.
- "Trading Places," "Ghostbusters," and "Gremlins," premiered in 1983.

- Homosexuality was declared "legal" in the state of New South Wales, Australia in 1984.
- Mass murderer Joe Rifkind received a sentence of 27 years in 1994.

Stay tuned for our next, "On This Day in History"!

June 7 - VCR Day

Today we celebrate VCR Day! A day to celebrate the simple elegance of analogue recording and playback. A day to look fondly back at the simpler times ... ;)

Some people see VCRs as a thing of the past, though you can still purchase them at venues such as Value Village, farmer's markets, or garage sales.

I used to have an enviable collection of VHS tapes - once our beloved VCR died, I passed them along to my brother.

Buried in some of those old VHS were movies that hadn't yet been converted to DVD. Collections of homemade videos and school functions. Fond memories, all of them.

Today is a good day to go through your old VHS tapes and see which ones are worth converting to DVD. The quality may not improve, but it won't be lost forever. Old VCR tapes will deteriorate over time and lose their colour and possibly sound quality. (We don't want that!)

So, today we reflect on VCRs and VHSs of the past!

Today is also Doughnut Day, Daniel Boone Day, and Day 1 of Banana Split Days!

Here are some interested things that happened on this day in history:

- England declared war on France in 1557.
- Daniel Boone began exploring the Bluegrass State of Kentucky in 1769.

- David Thompson reaches the mouth of the Saskatchewan River in Manitoba in 1800.
- Notre-Dame Church in Montréal was dedicated in 1829.

- Asian cholera reached Quebec in 1832, brought by Irish immigrants, killing about 6,000 people in Lower Canada.
- Over 1000 Irish Fenians crossed the Canadian border and occupied Pigeon Hill in Missisquoi County, Canada East in 1866. They were repelled back to the United States after looting and plundering around Saint-Armand and Frelighsburg.
- Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau was created the first Canadian cardinal in 1886.

- Wilfrid Laurier was chosen leader of the Liberal opposition in Parliament in 1887, succeeding Edward Blake.
- Irma Levasseur became the first woman doctor, and the first woman pediatrician, in Québec in 1900. She helped found the Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jésus in Québec City and the Hôpital Sainte-Justine in Montréal. She devoted her life to helping handicapped children; she opened her own clinic for handicapped children in the faubourg of Saint-Jean-Baptiste as well as a school for the young disabled, which later became École Cardinal-Villeneuve.

- Actress Jessica Tandy, who at the age of 80 was the oldest actor to win an Academy Award, was born in London, England in 1909. Also in 1909, Mary Pickford made her screen debut at the age of 16.
- Louise McKinney and Roberta MacAdams were the first women in Canada elected to a provincial legislature, in Alberta in 1917.

Seen above: Louise McKinney

- George Leigh-Mallory disappeared 775' from Everest's summit in 1924.

- The New York Times agreed to capitalize the n in "Negro" in 1930.
- The Canadian 50th division occupied Bayeux in 1944.
- Dr. Mary Terrell won her struggle to end segregation in 1953, after a 3-year lawsuit against the then-segregated Thompson restaurant. In 1949, she and her colleagues Clark F. King, Essie Thompson, and Arthur F. Elmer entered the Thompson restaurant, and were refused service. They immediately filed a lawsuit, and in the 3 years it took to win her case, Dr. Terrell targeted other segregated restaurants, ultimately causing the court to rule segregated eating places in Washington DC unconstitutional.

- "Thank God I'm a Country Boy," by John Denver hit #1 on the charts in 1975.
- For one second on this morning in 1989, the time read 01:23:45, 6-7-89 (my favourite random fact so far!)
- In 1993, Prince changed his name to the symbol seen below, which is a combination of the symbols for male (♂) and female (♀), later described as a "love symbol". Because the symbol had no stated pronunciation, he often became referred to as "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince".

- Marilyn Bowering won the Pat Lowther Memorial Award for her poetry collection Autobiography in 1997.
- 16th century archaeology remains of the Curtain Theatre, where some of Shakespeare's plays were first performed, were found under a pub in London in 2012.

Stay tuned for our next, "On This Day in History"!