This day’s name is March 21, 2023. Soon it will slip into history and become part of the past. Until that happens, it’s ours to do with as we will. I intend to enjoy it, teat it with the respect it deserves and then let it go and move onto what comes after. It’s been designated as the International Day of Forests, Memory Day, National Agriculture Day, National California Strawberry Day, National Common Courtesy Day, National Countdown Day, National Crunchy Taco Day, National Flower Day, National French Bread Day, World poetry Day, and World Tattoo Day. There’s more but that’s enough. Could have stopped at Crunchy Tacos. Now to our history: On this day in 1349 up to 3,000 Jews were killed in the Black Death riots in Erfurt, Germany. This was a terrible year to be Jewish in Europe. This is the day in 1788 that a fire destroyed 856 buildings in New Orleans. This day in 1844 was predicted by William Miller to be the day that Christ returned and the end of the world. Miller was a Massachusetts Baptist preacher. His followers became the Seventh Day Adventists. On this day in 1907 the US invaded Honduras to halt the Nicaraguan army from taking over and to protect the American banana trade. On this day in 1925 Tennessee passed the “Butler Act” making it a crime to teach the theory of evolution. This law wasn’t repealed until 1967. On this day in 1935, Persia was officially renamed Iran. On this day in 1951 the US had 2.9 million soldiers in Korea. This is the day of the Beatles 1st appearance at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. Today we have the observations of Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian poet, critic and author who died in 2013 at the age of 82. Chinua said, “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” “Nobody can teach me who I am. You can describe parts of me, but who I am – and what I need – is something I have to find out myself.” “If you only hear one side of the story, you have no understanding at all.” I’ll end with “an angry man is always a stupid man.” There’s a lot of wisdom in his quotes.
