Hellooo History Fanatics!

Today is September 8th, BUT before we begin, let’s highlight a few interesting events that happened earlier this week:

September 4th:

• 1781: Spanish settlers found Los Angeles, California.
• 1972: Mark Spitz, an Olympic swimmer, became the first Olympian to win seven gold medals.

September 5th:

• 1774: The first Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, PA.
• 1960: Muhammad Ali wins an Olympic medal in boxing.

September 6th:

• 1620: The Pilgrims set sail from England on the ship The Mayflower seeking the new world.
• 1915: The first tanks were prototyped and tested by the British Army.

September 7th:

• 1822: Portugal lost its claim to Brazil, as it declared its independence.
• 1998: The widely-used Google search engine was founded on this day.

And now… Wait for it… *Wait for it, wait for it…*

(Whoop there it is, first Ham reference of the day!)

HISTORY IS HAPPENING:  SEPTEMBER 8th

(Follow the links to get more info about each event!)

1565: First Permanent European Colony was established in the North America – St. Augustine, Florida.

• Founded by Spanish admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles, St. Augustine was named for a saint on whose feast day (August 28th) Florida was first sighted. It also served as the capital of Spanish Florida for over 200 years until territorial issues arose between Spain and Great Britain.
  • TODAY: St. Augustine was recently in the path of tropical storm Hermine, forcing civilians to take many necessary precautions to protect themselves from the storm. St. Augustine also remains the oldest city in America, and offers many tours and historical museums to visitors.
  • Relevance? Just think about it: all of the present-day inhabitants of St. Augustine are living on the very soil that, over 450 years ago, the first Spaniards designated to be their new colony’s origin. Years have passed, wars have been fought, possession has shifted several times, weather has been a constant challenge due to its geographical location, and yet, somehow, this little community has survived. And it’s not just surviving, but it’s also thriving (my name is Philip, I am a poet).

1966: The first episode of the TV show Star Trek was aired.

• An important aspect of pop culture, this sci-fi television show picked up its popularity in the 1970s, gaining numerous series, books, movies, and well, the rest is history.
  • TODAY: A new television series based on this iconic theme entitled Star Trek: Discovery is set to air thirteen episodes on CBS starting in January 2017, before later moving to CBS All Access.
  • Relevance? Personally, in my family, when Star Trek came on TV, we knew that was the show we were going to watch that night. It was no use trying to wrestle the remote from my dad – this was his show. It didn’t matter that he’s seen every episode at least three times and can quote the dialogue in his sleep – Star Trek was on, and we were all going to sit through the hour long episodes together. Every time I think of Star Trek, I immediately associate it with my father and his pure child-like joy at the content and the ability to share his amusement with the rest of my family (no matter how much we would protest). It’s interesting to think that entertainment outlets such as television can be used today to bring people closer. I have to wonder, however, if we are making it harder for ourselves to become more emotionally intimate with our friends and loved ones by putting up an unconscious sort of barrier, or associating people with shows, activities, or things, rather than just appreciating them as human beings.

Birthdays:

Happy Birthday wishes to Bernie Sanders, Mr. Moseby (Phil Lewis), Wiz Khalifa, and Pink, as well as anyone else who shares this birthday!

Quote of the Day:

“I am who I am, and what I believe in and what my spirituality is about is that we’re all in this together.”

– Bernie Sanders, Senator of Vermont

Until next time,

(I have the honour to be your obedient servant,)

(A. Burr)