Welcome to Sunday, August 27, 2023. It’s the calm before the storm which is forecast to hit Florida early next week. It will fill up our lakes and ponds. The ducks and gators will be happy. Before we get there, we get to enjoy today. Avril Lavigne said, “Life is like a roller coaster, live it, be happy, enjoy life.” I agree with her. Today is Banana Lover’s Day, Just Because Day, Kiss Me Day, Lyndon Baines Johnson Day, National Pots de Crème Day, Slow Art Day, Tarzan Day, World Rock Paper Scissors Day, and Go Topless Day. I will if you will… Now onto the historical footnotes of 08/27: Between 479 BC and 1715 there were lots of battles and wars. Oh well. On this day in 1789 during the French revolution, the French National Assembly issued the “Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen” which was influential to our Declaration of Independence and our Bill of Rights. On this day in 1859 the first successful oil well was drilled near Titusville, PA. In 1881 on this day a hurricane hit Florida and Carolina killing around 700. This is the day in 1883 that the Krakatoa volcano, West of Java exploded with a force of 1,300 megatons killing about 40,000 people. On this day in 1918 the Spanish Flu arrived in Boston beginning the second deadly wave in the US. On this day in 1955 Guinness Book of World Records was first published. On this day in 1965 the Beatles spent the evening with Elvis Presley at his Los Angeles home. On this day in 1979 the Warrenpoint ambush occurred when the IRA exploded two roadside bombs as a British convoy passed killing 18 British soldiers. On this day in 2008 US Senator Barack Obama became the first African American to be nominated by a major party for President. Today’s dead person is Sam Levenson who was a humorist who died in 1980. Sam said, “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others.” “Life begins at 40, but so does arthritis.” “Learn from other people’s mistakes. Life is too short to make them all yourself.” Abide.
