Category: history

USA: Patriot Day

In the USA, today is Patriot’s Day, a time when we pause and reflect on the many thousands of lives lost and the tens of thousands of lives impacted by the terrorist attacks from the air on The Pentagon and the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Although not an official holiday (governments, banks and businesses remain open), it is a time for everyone to dedicate a moment out of the day and remember those who were killed and injured doing the most ordinary task and routine: living.

Naked hugs!

Roger/ReNude Pride

Diana, Princess of Wales

July 1, 1961 – August 31, 1997

To be honest, I didn’t watch the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer on the television nor was I a guest for the service in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. I was too busy with my undergraduate pursuits at university to be bothered with such frivolity and had only a passing interest (if even that much) in the doings of the British Royal Family. They had no impact on my bare life nor my educational goals at that time.

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The Stonewall Riots: March to Freedom

“The door of the Stonewall had wrought-iron bars across this little peephole, a little wooden thing that slid open. And the man inside would look at you and, if you looked like you belonged there, would let you in.” ~ Chris Babick,  describing the entrance to The Stonewall Inn

The Stonewall Inn, a small bar located in New York City’s Greenwich Village neighborhood, was the unlikely site for the birthplace of the modern gay right’s movement. On the night of June 28, 1969, it became a battlefield between homosexual (gay, same gender loving) patrons and local police. This battle was the first of many that were fought throughout the world in the struggle for the dignity and equality of homosexuals everywhere. “Gay Liberation” was born here on this night.

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USA: Memorial Day

Today, Monday, May 29, 2017, is the Memorial Day holiday in the USA. This is the date, officially observed on the last Monday in May, annually, where all the men and women who sacrificed their lives in the defense of this country are honored and remembered. It is tradition to decorate the graves of the fallen with an American flag that symbolizes a grateful nation saluting all heroes.

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Greek Independence Day

Tomorrow, March 25, is Greek Independence Day. This celebration marks the date in 1821, when the peoples who live in what is now Greece, rose up in revolt against the Turkish occupiers of their homeland. A protracted war ensued that culminated in the eventual establishment of the modern state of Greece. I am posting this brief history in anticipation of the religious feast day and the national holiday. 

This day (March 25) is the Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary, Mother of God) in the Greek Orthodox Church. This feast commemorates the Archangel Gabriel appearing to the Virgin Mary and announcing to her that she will bear the son of God. The organizers of the early Greek revolt selected this feast day to begin the insurrection.

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USA: February is Black History Month

Every February in the USA is observed as Black History Month. This month is set-aside for the country to celebrate the many contributions made by African-Americans towards the betterment of this nation, specifically, and  to the improvement of the quality of life for all humanity, in general. It is a time of reflection, contemplation and jubilation. However, it wasn’t always the case.

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