We will refer to this day as December 14, 2023. It will be a good one for me. I will make some memories today which I will put in my mind’s library to be enjoyed into the future. Fact time: the adult human brain weighs around 3 pounds and scientists are still trying to figure out how we store memories. How did the billions of atoms, created within long dead stars, organize themselves inside my head to achieve consciousness? Life is amazing. Moving on: It’s Alabama Day, Free Shipping Day, Monkey Day, National Bouillabaisse Day, and Roast Chestnuts Day. We’re also still in Lager Beer Week until the 17th. Now some history: On this day in 1287 the Zuiderzee seawall in Northwest Netherlands collapsed during the St. Lucia’s flood killing over 50,000 people. On this day in 1542 Princess Mary Stuart succeeded her father, James V, to become Queen Mary I of Scotland at the age of 6 days old. On this day in 1812 the French invasion of Russia, lead by Napoleon, ended. The French lost 530,000 soldiers. On this day in 1819, Alabama was admitted to the Union as the 22nd state. On this day in 1903 the Wright brothers attempted to fly their plane for the first time at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. On this day in 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act to regulate opiates and coca products where were legal then. On this day in 1969 Peter, Paul and Mary’s single “Leaving on a Jet Plane” which was written by John Denver went to #1. On this day in 1980 at 2PM there was 10 minutes of silence in memory of John Lennon. On this day in 2008 President George W. Bush made his fourth and last trip to Iraq and was almost struck by two shoes thrown at him by an Iraqi journalist. On this day in 1799 George Washington died at the age of 67. George said, “A pack of jackasses led by a lion is superior to a pack of lions led by a jackass.” “Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation.” “Happiness depends more upon the internal frame of a person’s own mind, than on the externals in the world.” Enough for today. Abide.
