The road sign we just passed reads 06.22.2022 for the 1.6 million miles Earth will travel today. We should all be glad that space, for the most part, is empty. I’ve reached the conclusion that we, mankind, are alone in the universe. Even if life exists somewhere else, it’s too far away. The closest habitable planet is too far away for us to every get there. We probably should follow Koko’s advice (quote from a few days ago) and save Earth because it’s the only place we’ve got. Moving on. Today has a short list of celebratory events: National Chocolate Éclair Day, National HVAC Tech Day, National Onion Ring Day, World Rainforest Day, and Stupid Guy Thing Day, which I probably celebrate every day without thinking about it. Now some history. On this day in 1535 Cardinal John Fisher was beheaded for refusing to acknowledge Henry VIII as the head of the Church of England. On this day in 1611 English explorer Henry Hudson, his son and 7 others were set adrift in Hudson Bay by mutineers. They were never seen again. This is the day in 1633 that Galileo Galilei was forced to recant his view that the Earth orbits the Sun. The Vatican admitted it was wrong on Oct. 1992. In 1848 on this day the June Days Uprising began in Paris. This event was a riot by the working class that started when the conservative government announced plans to close the National Workshops that had been established to provide work for the poor. The riot was put down. 10,000 people were killed or wounded and 4,000 deported to colonies in Algeria and North Africa. Enough history for today. Now to the dead. George Carlin died on this day in 2008. George said, “Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.” “If work is so terrific, how come they have to pay you to do it?” “We are a nation of sheep, and someone else owns the grass.” “There are three kinds of people: those who can count, and those who cannot.” “Every day I beat my own previous record for the number of consecutive days I’ve stayed alive.” The End. Abide.
