Yes, it’s HOT!! The long hot, sweaty days of summer have arrived. I know, I know, it’s still officially spring, but tell that to the weather. There is no mercy here in Vicksburg after about 11:00. June has come in with a vengeance.
Speaking of June, the month of June is probably named after Juno, the wife of Jupiter, and queen of the gods [Hera in Greek mythology]. It was held sacred to her, and was thought by the Romans to be the luckiest month for marriage, since Juno was the Goddess of Marriage. It wasn’t so lucky for either me or my husband the first time around. It’s also the month my mother-in-law died so, maybe it’s only lucky for some people. Anyway, while June is often considered a “summer month,” September is not, despite the fact that September has twice as many summer days as June. Go figure.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, did you know that the first weekend in June is National donut weekend? Thank the Good Lord I didn’t miss it. It’s also, accordian awareness month. Who knew? I guess I’ll have to break out the lederhosen and pour a frosty pint or six huh?
But, that’s just the tip of the iceberg my friends. It’s also Adopt-A-Cat Month, African-American Music Appreciation Month, Aquarium Month, Candy Month (woop), Caribbean American Heritage Month, Dairy Month, Fight The Filthy Fly Month (I’m going to research this one because it sounds like fun), Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month, Great Outdoors Month, Iced Tea Month, and Papaya Month. Goodness, so many delightful things to pay homage to.
We all know the birthstone is pearl or moonstone, the flower is rose or honeysuckle and the astrological signs are either Gemini or Cancer. We all know that it’s the month with the summer solstice, but did you know that the longest day of the year, June 21st, is also national nude day? I didn’t. No lederhosen required for that one.
There are just tons and tons of things that you probably don’t know about the month of June. Because I’m a giver, I’ll share with you just a smattering of totally useless things that all happened in the month of June. Brace yourselves, here we go:
In 1813, James Lawrence, the mortally-wounded commander of the USS Chesapeake, gave the now famous line: “Don’t give up the ship!”
The coronation of the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II happened in June of 1953.
In 1956, in Santa Cruz, California, authorities announced a total ban on rock and roll at public gatherings, calling the music “Detrimental to both the health and morals of our youth and community.” Ha. I laughed out loud at this one. I laughed because it’s probably true. I was one of the demoralized.
On June 4th, 1784, Elisabeth Thible was the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon, flying for about 45 minutes. Way to go Elisabeth!
In 1876, the Transcontinental Express arrived in San Francisco, in only 83 hours and 39 minutes after leaving New York City. Imagine the speed at which that baby was flying. Mind- boggling no? And, along those same lines, in 1883, the first regularly scheduled Orient Express left Paris. You see what I did there? Same “lines.” Rail lines? I’m so clever.
In 1956, Elvis Presley introduced his new single, ‘Hound Dog’, on The Milton Berle Show of all places.
In 1844, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was founded in London.
On June 6 1944, D-Day: the day the Allied powers crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, turning the tide of the war against Germany. Let’s all observe a moment of silence for this fact.
In 1934, Donald Duck debuted in The Wise Little Hen. You knew there had to be a Disney fact in here somewhere right?
On June 11, 323 BC, Alexander the Great died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon.
In 1963, Democrat Governor of Alabama, George Wallace stood at the door of Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama in an attempt to block two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, from attending the school. Note that he was a Democrat.
In 1979, John Wayne died after a decade-long fight with cancer.
On June 14th, in 1775, The Continental Army was established by the Continental Congress, marking the birth of the United States Army. I wanted to add another Continental in there somewhere but it would changed history and I don’t want to do that.
On June 15th, 763 BC, Assyrians recorded a solar eclipse, and that detail was later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history.
In 1844, Charles Goodyear received a patent (#3,633) for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber. I just threw this one in because I like the word “vulcanization.”
The list goes on and on, but I’ve bored you enough. Now take this newfound information and go out and impress your friends all month long. You’re welcome.
What do you do when you encounter weird facts while researching something else? Do you often slide down a rabbit hole when you find these gems? Are you a trivia buff? Come on, do tell. I like stories so tell me one.
Word of the day: Panjandrum
Fun fact about me: I never win when I play trivia games but I love to play anyway.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, June 2019. Images by Unsplash and Google Images.
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I am no panjandrum, but I do enjoy trivia. Once in a while, I even win! (Though that probably says more about my competition at the bar than about me.) I always wondered why June weddings were such a thing, since it always seems to be too hot. And yep, rabbit holes often win out over research…
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You can be on my team then because I never win. It seems like even if I get 19 out of 20 correct answers, someone will have a perfect 20. Just my luck.
Thanks for visiting today. I really enjoyed reading your blog today and seeing the progress on the Tennessee house. Cool stuff.
Patricia
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So much information that I’ll never remember! 🙂 I’m feeling accomplished, though, since I did adopt two new kitties this month…totally because I KNEW it was adopt-a-cat month. Uh-huh.
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You see, now you can justify acquiring the new “kids.” The universe knows.
Thank for visiting. Enjoy the rest of the week.
Patricia
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I’ve never paid too much attention to calendar seasons, since summer in Texas generally lasts from the 1st of May to the 1st of October.
BTW, you left off one highly significant June event: 26 years ago on the day of summer solstice, Sharon and I were married. I don’t know why it’s not a national holiday. (Haha)
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WHAT?!? How did that special day not make the top 10 at the very least? Who’s in charge of making these lists anyway? I’ll call somebody and have their people call your people and we’ll get you on the special dates calendar.
As always, thanks for your friendship and support. Have a great rest of the last week of spring.
Patricia
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Love trivia! Remember learning when John Wayne died… it was a HOT JUNE day and I was picking up yard waste for the city – it was my summer job – and saw the afternoon newspaper. No CNN news alerts for me. It’s hot here in Houston and I’ll be heading northeast on Thursday. Looking forward to Vicksburg National Battlefield and the Baer House. See ya soon!
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Clay I am so looking forward to your visit. Your last drop-in was way too short. And I know you’ll love the military park. I hope it’s not too hot when you get here. We’ve had a little cool spell blow through town. Maybe it’ll last another day or so.
Safe travels my friend. See you soon.
Patricia
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You’ve got some neat information here. One correction….EVERY month is donut month!
Regarding trivia. I once entered a pairs trivia contest at a local mall. We made it to the semi-finals. When we arrived, one of the other teams members couldn’t make it. The one who did was wearing a Harvard sweatshirt. If he was trying to get into our heads it worked perfectly. He trounced us by himself. Not exactly my shining moment on the hill.
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Al, it’s funny you mentioned that. My husband and I were on a cruise one time and we went to play trivia one evening. There were “whispers” that a former Jeopardy champion was on board. Everyone was trying to beat the Jeopardy winner. It was hysterical watching people scramble to be on his team and others quaking in their boots to play against him. Life is so funny sometimes.
Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great week.
Patricia
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