Of Note: International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Yesterday was September 19th, 2005 -- International Talk Like a Pirate Day, Japanese Respect for the Aged day ... and my birthday. As usual, I insisted on celebrating my birthday for three days straight, which meant eating large amounts of Spanish food one night, Sushi the next, then driving into the middle of nowhere in Wexford, Pennsylvania to sit in a beautiful outdoor garden eating freshly harvested vegetables and drinking champagne mixed with fresh raspberries. All with good friends.

But September 19th isn't just my birthday. It also happens to be the day Giles Corey was killed for being a wich after the famous Salem Witch Trials (1692). Corey was "pressed" -- killed by villagers who stacked increasingly large rocks on top of him. It took two days for him to die, all while adamantly denying he was a witch.

It was the day women were finally allowed to vote (1893) and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid committed their first robbery (1900). It's the anniversary of the first underground nuclear bomb test and the Dodgers last game at Ebbets Field (1957), where they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-0 (fortunately, my father was watching the Dodgers game that day, not the nuclear bomb test). Khruschev was banned from Disneyland on September 19 (1959), 155 people died when a Boeing 747 collided with a mountain in Turkey (1976) and 171 died when their DC-10 was decimated by a terrorist's bomb over the Tunuru Desert in Niger (1989). This probably has something to do with my life-long fear of flying.

On September 19th, Scott Fahlman posted the first recorded emoticon :-) to the internet (1982), which I like, and an earthquake in Mexico killed thousands (1985), which I don't like. It's also the day hurricaine Hugo hit South Carolina (1980), the Guelb El-Kebir massacre hit Algeria (1997)., a couple German tourists discovered Otzi the Iceman, and just hours later, death took Dr. Seuss (1991). A little known fact: Dr Seuss -- otherwise known as Theodor Seuss Geisel -- drew animated insects for a bug spray company before he became Dr. Seuss the childrens book author. And September 19th isn't our only connection: Dr. Seuss was born in Springfield, MA; I was born in Springfield, IL.

Speaking of celebreties: September 19th is the day Twiggy was born, which has always made me happy (see photo above), and the day Red Fox died, which has always made me sad. This may explain why the Sanford and Sons Theme is one of my all time favorite songs.