The sign says 01.23.2023. That might make a nice, easy to remember pin number. It’s a brand-new day. A good one to put our differences aside and just enjoy it. It will come only once. You can fill it with whatever you want, or you can let others fill it with what they want. I’d rather do it myself. January 23 is Better Business Communications Day, Community Manager Appreciation Day, Measure Your Feet Day, National Handwriting Day, National Pie Day, National Rhubarb Pie Day, and Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day. I do love pie. Now let’s see what mischief our ancestors got in on this date. On this day in 971 the first War Elephant corps in China (Han dynasty) was defeated by the crossbow fire from the Song Dynasty. That battle would have been something special. On this day in 1556 the Shaanxi earthquake took place in China killing 830,000. It is the deadliest ever recorded. On this day in 1795 the French cavalry captured 14 Dutch ships with 850 cannons at low tide. One of the rare times in history that a cavalry captured a fleet of ships. On this day in 1812 a 7.8 earthquake shook New Madrid, Missouri. On this day in 1855 the 1st bridge over the Mississippi River opened in what is now, Minneapolis, MN. On this day in 1870 the US Army committed the Marias Massacre when they killed 200 Piegan Blackfeet Indians, mostly women, children, and elderly men. On this day in 1932 the El Salvador army began “The Massacre” killing 30,000, mostly indigenous farmers for protesting their living conditions. On a brighter note, on this day in 1961 the Supreme Court ruled that cities and states have the right to censor films. Time for some quotes because this day’s history is just too damn depressing. Today’s wisdom comes from the late Alexander Woollcott who wrote for the New Yorker magazine until he stopped living at the age of 56 in 1943. He said, “There is no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.” “All the things I really like to do are either immoral, illegal or fattening.” “Many of us spend half or our time wishing for things we could have if we didn’t spend half our time wishing.” That’s sufficient for January 23rd. Abide.
