School's Out

Thank the Lord it's (Thursday, Veer-waar, Panjshanbeh, yawm-al-khamis, Istijlal, Prickle-Prickle). For some lucky people, today is the last day of school. God, I would give anything to have the summer off and be able to just do whatever it is that I wanted. Unfortunately adults do not have this option available to them, unless of course you work in the education field. And, I do not. Maybe I should look into that. One thing I know right now is that there is not enough time in the day...any day.

In 363 the Roman Emperor Julian defeated the Sassanids. In 1176 the Lombard League defeated Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa's army at the Battle of Legano. Those pesky Lombards were always messing up his attempts to conquer Italy. In 1453 the Byzantine Empire fell when the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople. In 1790 Rhode Island became a state. Rhode Island was first spotted by the Italian Giovanni da Verrazzano and was originally called Roodt Eylandt by the Dutch. It was the first colony to actually practice freedom of religion upon the urging of people such as Roger Williams (no relation) and Anne Hutchinson. Rhode Island is the smallest state and is called the Ocean State. One thing I didn't know is that the official name of the state is Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Weird. In 1848 Wisconsin became a state. The name is derived from the Ojibwe Miskwasiniing which the French turned to Ouisconsin. 42.6% of the Badger State's residents are of German ancestry. Wisconsin is actually quite beautiful and is known for its beer, brats, and cheese. And who can argue with that? In 1913 Stravinsky's ballet, "The Rite of Spring," premiered in Paris. The following year the RMS Empress of Ireland sunk killing 1024. In 1953 Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. In 1972 three Japanese gunmen opened fire at Tel Aviv Airport killing 26. I have no idea why Japanese gunmen would do this. And in 1982 Pope John Paul II became the first pope to set foot in Canterbury Cathedral.

Today is Democracy Day in Nigeria. It is also Oak Apple Day, of Shick-Shack Day, in the UK, to celebrate the Restoration of the Monarchy. Whoo-ha!!

Happy Birthday: Patrick Henry, US patriot; Bob Hope; LaToya Jackson, famous for F$#K all; Melissa Etheridge, lesbian; and crybaby Noel Gallagher.

Enjoy the day thinking about the lost days of youth and how you spent your summer vacations.