The celestial clock has moved another notch to August 11, 2022. The world continues to be in a state of chaos and as far as I can tell, that’s the way it’s always been. Gore Vidal said, “At any given moment, public opinion is a chaos of superstition, misinformation and prejudice.” I agree with him. I’ll do my best to ignore it. On this day we can celebrate Annual Medical Checkup Day, National Raspberry Bombe Day, National Raspberry Tart Day, Play in the Sand Day, Son and Daughter Day, and Presidential Joke Day. Now to the history of this day. This is the oldest footnote I’ve found: On this day in 3114 BC the Mesoamerican (Mayan) Long Count calendar began. On this day in 1866 the worlds first roller rink opened in Newport, Rhode Island. In 1885 on this day donations hit $100,000 to build the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. On this day in 1896 Harvey Hubbell patented the electric light bulb socket with a pull chain. On this day in 1914 the Jews of Mitchenick Poland were expelled. This is the day in 1934 that the first federal prisoner arrived at Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay. This is the day in 1951 of the first televised baseball game in color. Boston Braves beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 8 – 1. This is the day in 1968 that 62-year-old pitcher Satchel Paige was signed by the Atlanta Braves. Satchel needed 158 more days on a MLB payroll to qualify for a pension. He didn’t pitch for the Braves but became a pitching coach. This is the day in 1919 that Andrew Carnegie died. He said, “As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.” This is also the date that Robin Williams died in 2015. Robin said, “Please, don’t worry so much. Because in the end, none of us have very long on this Earth. Life is fleeting.” The last dead person for today is Eunice Kennedy Shriver who said, “Looks fade. Brains don’t” and “Do the best you can, and then to hell with it.” Abide.
