United States #1245: John Muir

John Muir was born in Scotland on 21 April 1838. Also known as “John of the Mountains” and “Father of the National Parks”,he was an influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, glaciologist, and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States of America. His letters, essays, and books describing his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada, have been read by … Continue reading United States #1245: John Muir

Mark Joseph JochimApril 21, 2020April 21, 2020Leave a comment

special days

United States #O145: Take A Leap Today!

It has been a very busy couple of months for me and I will be relieved when the Thai school year comes to an end during the first half of March. Today, I even have yet another working day rather than a holiday (of which I only had one during the entire month of February and two in January), While I have forced myself to … Continue reading United States #O145: Take A Leap Today!

Mark Joseph JochimFebruary 29, 2020February 28, 2020Leave a comment

Historic Events

The 75th Anniversary of D-Day

In the military, D-Day is the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. The earliest use of the term by the United States Army that the U.S. Army Center of Military History has been able to find was during World War I. In Field Order Number 9, First Army, American Expeditionary Forces, dated September 7, 1918: “The First Army will … Continue reading The 75th Anniversary of D-Day

Mark Joseph JochimJune 6, 2019Leave a comment

Holidays

The Origins of Mother’s Day in the U.S. and México

In México, Día de las Madres (Mother’s Day), is held every year on May 10. The first official Mothers’ Day celebration in México was held on May 10, 1922, and today the date is also Mother’s Day in El Salvador and Guatemala. Another 146 countries including the United States honor their mothers on the second Sunday in May which in 2019 occurs on May 12 … Continue reading The Origins of Mother’s Day in the U.S. and México

Mark Joseph JochimMay 10, 2019Leave a comment

Historic Places, Topicals

Lyndhurst Mansion

Lyndhurst, also known as the Jay Gould estate, is a Gothic Revival country house that sits in its own 67-acre (27 ha) park beside the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York, about a half mile south of the Tappan Zee Bridge on US 9. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. Designed in 1838 by Alexander Jackson Davis, the house was owned … Continue reading Lyndhurst Mansion

Mark Joseph JochimFebruary 28, 20191 Comment

Historic People

José de San Martín

José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras was born on Febuary 25, 1778, at Yapeyú, Corrientes, in the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata — modern-day Argentina. Known simply as José de San Martín or El Libertador of Argentina, Chile and Peru, he was a Spanish-Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern and central parts of South America’s successful struggle for independence … Continue reading José de San Martín

Mark Joseph JochimFebruary 25, 2019February 26, 20191 Comment

Historic Events

U.S.A. Wins the Gold!

On February 24, 1980, at Lake Placid in upstate New York, the United States Olympic Hockey Team defeated Finland 4–2 to win the gold medal. The U.S. team had beat the team from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) two nights previously in a game since called the “Miracle on Ice.” The final rankings were based on points accumulated in matches against the other … Continue reading U.S.A. Wins the Gold!

Mark Joseph JochimFebruary 24, 2019February 25, 20191 Comment

Historic Events

John Glenn and his Orbital Flight aboard Friendship 7

On February 20, 1962, while aboard Friendship 7, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth, making three orbits in four hours, 55 minutes. He was one of the Mercury Seven, military test pilots selected in 1959 by NASA as the nation’s first astronauts. Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An … Continue reading John Glenn and his Orbital Flight aboard Friendship 7

Mark Joseph JochimFebruary 20, 2019February 21, 20193 Comments