Quite a Year!
1956 was a momentous year on many fronts. It was in 1956 that the world’s first commercial nuclear power plant began operation in Calder Hall, England, leading some idealists who had no clue about human nature to assert that electric power would soon be too cheap to meter! It was also in 1956 that Play-Doh came on the market, giving millions of children a great source of fun and millions of parents a little more quiet time.
Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett won a Pulitzer prize for their play, The Diary of Anna Frank, on May 7, 1956, a detail which probably has special interest for Uncle Don and Aunt Joyce. At the same time, some insight into the tension of the Cold War may be gained in that on November 7, 1956, the Nobel Peace Prize committee announced that it had found no one worthy to be named as recipients for the peace prize for both 1955 and 1956!
We are all beneficiaries of the fact that it was in 1956 that the United States began construction of the interstate highway system, significantly reducing long-distance travel time around the United States. It was on July 30, 1956, that our 180-year-old nation officially and legally adopted “In God We Trust” as our national motto. Would that this were true today.
Quite a Day!
December 6 has seen notable historical events down through the years. It was on this day in 1648 that Pride’s Purge of the British Parliament took place, ultimately leading to the trial and execution of King Charles. December 6, 1774, is the day in which the first state education system was established—obviously not in the non-existent United States of America, but rather in the country of Austria.
Jefferson Finis Davis died in New Orleans on December 6, 1889, a fact which I just had to mention now that I have become a resident of the deep South! On the other hand, it was on this day just seven years later that Ira Gershwin was born. He is not as well-known as his brother George, but Ira was more the lyricist while George was more the composer of the musical scores.
Then, on Ira’s ninth birthday, Roald Amundsen landed at Fort Egbert, Alaska, after sailing for two and a half years along the Arctic coast of America in his 47 foot ship, the Gjøa. On December 6, 1921, Great Britain granted independence to the southern 26 states of Ireland, establishing the Irish Free State.
Fine and well, but look at what happens when you put the Year and the Day together!
Happy Birthday, Paul!