Amber pages
Dr. Ludwik L. Zamenhof, the Polish inventor of Esperanto, born today in 1859 (see also August 14 and July 26)
John Henry Hammond Jr, recording company executive, born today in 1910 - the man who discovered... most of the serious talent in 20th century American music: Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Dylan... Interesting background too: son of a megamillionaire, upper east side New York, corporations executive family, but spent most of his youth in Harlem which drove him into serious civil rights campaigning. I shall enjoy writing this.
Edna O'Brien, Irish author, born today in 1930. Philip Roth idolised her.
The American Bill of Rights, now regarded by many as the American Bill of Narcissistic Self-Entitlements, became effective, today in 1791. "Effective" is a complicated term.
And speaking of the Rights bestowed on every native American... Sitting Bull, Tatanka Iyotake, shot, today in 1890 - by one of his own people too, Tacankpe Luta, "Red Tomahawk" in English. The full tale, to save me the trouble, is told here. Dozens of gorgeous Sioux shields and signatures, an alternative History of Art waiting for someone to write it, here
I would never have included the next item, despite my love of good quality ice cream, rum&raisin by preference, otherwise mango, or vanilla if it's real cream. But how can I ignore this prime candidate for the prize for "the world's least significant historical event that someone actually went to the trouble of recording", ever? Today in 1903, Italo Marchiony took out a patent for ... wait for it... trumpet alarum in C Major (I wish there were a Y major and then I could do this as a cartoon)... the ice cream cone (I think I have the colour right)
I would never have included the next one either, had it not been for the coincidence of dates, because frankly I find his music formulaic, manufactured, superficial, dull. But today, in 1944, Alton Glenn Miller disappeared over the English Channel, remains of the airplane never found. Not one of John Hammond's discoveries. But maybe the story of the two of them sums up why not, for them and so many others. Hammond once wrote a very negative review of the Miller band (he said pretty much what I have borrowed from him at the start of this paragraph), to which Miller responded: "Why do you judge me as a musician, John? All I'm interested in is making money." He probably wasn't being sarcastic either.
Footnote to item 1. Amongst the duties taken on by everyparent, though not stated in any official parenting manual or legal code, is the requirement to embarrass one's children by doing things that no one else's parent would ever do, such as lying on your back, on the dirty concrete, at the feet of the Eiffel Tower, your digital camera pressed to your eye and the scars in your back from a recent operation audibly groaning, to take the photo that adorns the summit of this page. Sorry, kids, but it was worth it. (I have a similar one of the London Gherkin, which I absolutely had to take, to show it growing like a pickled cucumber, in what, fifty years previously, had been the back garden of my Uncle Max's clinic - the Max whose name I bear - in Leadenhall Street. You'll find that one on my blog "Prashker's London" when I finally finish this blog and get around to publishing that one)
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