2 October is the International Day of Non-Violence, building upon Mahatma Ghandi’s birth day in 1869. On the one hand, 2 October marks the birth of two military titans from the Great War, Marshall Foch and Field Marshal von Hindenburg. On the other, 2 October marks the birth of Cordell Hull, the US Secretary of… Continue reading #OTD 2 October
Month: September 2022
#OTD 1 October
Cannabis arrived in Mexico from Spain, this much is agreed. Whence sprang the Mexican word marijuana / marihuana, is not. One narrative calls on mallihuan, the Nahuatl word for prisoner. This explanation, clearly enough, may be a useful piece of propaganda for opponents of the drug; the self-imprisonment afforded by misuse was widely publicised by Harry… Continue reading #OTD 1 October
#OTD 4 September
When we invent something, we go to the patent office. When we work out how to sell it, we go to the trademark office. We may even do the second, first. Not so George Eastman. On 4 September 1888, he made two applications. The first was to patent his camera. The second was to trademark… Continue reading #OTD 4 September
#OTD 3 September
3 September offers something for the republic and something for the realm. While Richard the Lionheart had been crowned on 3 September 1189, Oliver Cromwell had major victories at the Battles of Dunbar and Worcester, on, respectively, 3 September 1650 and 3 September 1651. Sic gloria; on 3 September 1658, Oliver died and son Richard… Continue reading #OTD 3 September