The sun is now rising on June 17, 2021. I understand how humans once believed that the sun rotated around the earth and that they were the center of the universe. How opposite the truth is. We are one of 21.6 sextillion (21,600,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) planets in the observable universe. And so far, the only 1 we know of that can support life. How incredibly lucky are we? Wow. Now let’s see what we can throw a party for today. This is Global Garbage Man Day, National Apple Strudel Day (this is my pick), National Eat Your Vegetables Day, Stewart’s Root Beer Day and World Crocodile Day. Now lets find out why June 17 was important. On this day in 1631 Mumtaz Mahal died during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, spends more than 20 years building her tomb, the Taj Mahal. This is the day in 1863 that the 1st accident insurance company, Travelers Insurance Co of Hartford was established. On this day in 1939 was the last public guillotining in France. Eugen Weidmann, a convicted murderer, was guillotined in Versailles outside the prison Saint-Pierre. The guillotine is associated with revolutionary France, but it may have claimed just as many lives in Germany during the Third Reich. Adolf Hitler made the guillotine a state method of execution in the 1930s, and ordered that 20 of the machines be placed in cities across Germany. I didn’t know that. I’m going to end this post with some quotes from Joseph Addison who was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician who stopped living in 1719. He said, “Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.” “No one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of another.” “The most skillful flattery is to let a person talk on, and be a listener.” Joseph was a very smart person and we should listen to his advice. Abide.
