#national veteran's memorial and museum

[rabbitcruiser]

Japan accepted the Allied terms of surrender in World War II and the Emperor records the Imperial Rescript on Surrender on August 14, 1945 (August 15 in Japan Standard Time).  

[uniqueartisanconnoisseur]

History in my Backyard -Springfield, IL

Illinois’ capital city is full of reasons to visit. There are the Route 66 stops, plus all the government draws, but for me, the biggest pull in this Land of Lincoln is the history! While I have lived outside the city all of my adult life, I have learned I have not done, and seen it all! Hosted by Visit Springfield the last weekend in June, my husband Keith and I enjoyed a visit downtown and…

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

You might have seen me mentioning before the Palestinian Authority's "Pay for Slay" policy, where they pay Palestinian terrorists based on how deadly their attacks have been. Let me share something even worse: based on the Oslo peace accords from the 1990's, Israel collects the Palestinian tax money, and then passes it along to the PA. Which means, when Israel became aware of the "Pay for Slay" law (yes, turns out that it's a LAW, not just a program, that the Palestinian Authority pays terrorists... the same PA that now has the audacity to claim at the International court in Hague that Israel is committing a genocide, meaning the intentional destruction of, or a part of, a nation... I think a LAW that financially incentivizes terrorists to kill members of the Israeli nation fits), it also realized that Israeli authorities, paying with Israeli tax payer money for the work done by Israeli clerks tasked with doing this, has been collecting and passing along money that goes to pay Palestinian terrorists for having attacked, injured and murdered Israelis. In what world is that right? In what world is it moral to make a victim, through a "peace accord" participate in the payment to its victimizer? As part of the money collected by Israel and given to the PA, an annual 278 million dollars (!) are then passed by it to Palestinian terrorists for hurting and killing Israelis. The PA has already added Oct 7 terrorists, most of them Hamas members, to the list of those being paid thanks to the "Pay for Slay" law.

The annual payment was revealed thanks to a lawsuit by the parents of 26 years old Dalia Lemkus, who was stabbed to death in Nov 2014 by a Palestinian terrorist (he also injured 2 others. Dalia herself had survived a previous terrorist attack in 2006. On the day she was murdered, another Israeli was killed in a separate terrorist attack. I don't think most people realize just how intense Palestinian terrorism is). The lawsuit was filed against the PA, which has been paying him 3,300 dollars a month. This is Dalia, may her memory be a blessing:

I'm not gonna lie, I'm thinking about the fact that coincidentally, I've been at our Holocaust museum and education center since Nov 2014, with the purpose of helping to educate against antisemitism, racism, homophobia, every other type of generalized hatred that humans are capable of, and against genocide, which is the possible consequence of that type of hate. And a part of what's wrong with this world, is that even with me being a "veteran," I get paid less money a month than that Palestinian terrorist does for having murdered a Jewish woman based on that kind of generalized hatred. My income depends on how many tours, lectures or workshops I did that month, but in almost 10 years of working there, I have never had a month where I got a salary of 3,300 dollars, most months I don't make it to half of that, and I have had many months where my salary was zero (during Covid, and whenever the security situation is bad enough that no one comes to our museum). Don't get me wrong, I consciously made a choice to do this work, where my salary would be very low, because I wanted to do something meaningful, I'm not complaining, but I can't help thinking about the fact that a part of why antisemitism thrives, is because it IS socially and financially rewarded, clearly more so than fighting it. That was true before and during the Holocaust, and sadly has been true since as well.

I would love to understand how the evacuation of civilian Gazans out of the war zone is described as "ethnic cleansing" or worse, but not the evacuation of Ukrainian civilians out of those war zones, and not the evacuation of a Hamas-affiliated Al Jazeera "journalist" (who documented himself in southern Israel during Hamas' massacre), taken out of Gaza to Egypt, to be flown from there to Qatar, one of the two great financiers of Hamas (along with Iran). Qatar has not opened up its gates to wounded Gazan civilians. It's clear Ismail Abu Omar was given this special treatment precisely because he is a Hamas terrorist. What's scary about this possibility is that the IDF didn't know he was smuggled out of Gaza, begging the question, who else is Hamas smuggling out? Also, this is Hamas' middle finger to anyone claiming Gaza is closed off, and an open air prison or concentration camp...

Speaking of Qatar, it is currently hosting the swimming world championship. Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko won a silver medal, a huge Israeli achievement, but she got repeatedly booed by the crowd, including during the medals ceremony. Anastasia has a childhood classmate who is currently held hostage in Gaza. She dedicated her medal to him.

A TV report by an Israeli journalist (source in Hebrew) is about a Hamas document dated May 2023, which the IDF found, the summary of a Hamas leaders meeting. It details some of the considerations for the timing of "the big project," listing 4 Jewish holidays as possibilities for the massacre (including Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish year, and Simchat Torah, when the massacre actually took place), so it's clear Hamas was always going to use our holy days against us. Another thing mentioned is that Hamas must strike before Israel deploys Magen Or (literally: shield of light, but most publications in English refer to it as Iron Beam), the laser-based defense system meant to complement Iron Dome. The system has been making a lot of progress, enough that by Oct 2023 there have been reports on it becoming operational soon. The document mentions making Israel used to Hamas conducting large scale exercises close to the border, so that the commotion ahead of the massacre wouldn't look abnormal, and it also mentions making use of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second biggest Palestinian terrorist organization in Gaza. It wasn't included in the plans, but was being relied on. In recent years, all of Israel's operations in Gaza have been against PIJ, and Hamas chose not to join them, the document indicates that this was done in order to reinforce the idea in Israel that Hamas is more interested in the wellfare of Gazans, than in killing Israelis. At the same time, the document warns not to let PIJ fuck up Hamas' planned operation.

I did not write about the private initiative of family members to send medications through international mediators to Hamas, meant for the hostages, for the simple reason that I did not for a second believe Hamas would give the hostages these meds. I didn't wanna get my hopes up, when logically, I was sure such initiatives were futile. Now, thanks to the IDF's operation in the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, we have confirmation that these meds were found in its pharmacy, with the names of the hostages on the unopened boxes, meaning the kidnapped Israelis never got them. We can assume the meds were kept in the hospital pharmacy, either to serve Hamas terrorists, or to be sold, with the money going to Hamas.

This is Matan ben Ari, the last Israeli injured on Oct 7 (out of thousands) to be discharged from the hospital on Dec 1, almost two full months after Hamas' massacre. People spontaneously gathered around to applaud him as he was making his way out:

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[aimeedaisies]

The Princess Royal’s Official Engagements in May 2024

01/05 On behalf of The King, held an Investiture at Buckingham Palace. 🎖️

As President of the City and Guilds of London Institute, attended The Princess Royal Training Awards Alumni Skills Summit at Guildhall. 🏆

With Sir Tim As Patron of the Whitley Fund for Nature, attended the Annual Whitley Awards Ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society. 🦋

02/05 With Sir Tim Named a Great Western Railway Intercity Express Train ‘HRH The Princess Royal’ at Paddington Railway Station. 🚉

Unofficial With Sir Tim Attended day two of the Royal Windsor Horse Show. 🐎

03/05 With Sir Tim Departed the UK from Stansted Airport for Canada and arrived at Vancouver International Airport

HRH, as Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Navy (Pacific Fleet), with Sir Tim, carried out engagements in Vancouver;

Attended the Commissioning Ceremony for HMCS MAX BERNAYS at North Vancouver Burrard Drydock, before attending a Reception onboard. ⛴️ 🇨🇦

Attended a Dinner onboard HMCS MAX BERNAYS at sea. 🍽️

04/05 HRH, as Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Navy (Pacific Fleet), with Sir Tim, carried out engagements in Victoria;

Toured HMCS Max Bernays at sea. 🌊

Visited Esquimalt Military Family Resource Centre at the Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt. 👪🪖

As President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, visited God’s Acre Cemetery and laid a wreath at the Memorial. 🌹

Visited the Maritime Museum of British Columbia Archive. 📜⚓️

Her Royal Highness afterwards visited Fed Urban Agriculture Society Urban Farm, 395 Harbour Road. 🌾

Attended a Reception given by the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (the Hon Janet Austin) at Government House. 🥂

Attended a Dinner given by the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia at Government House. 🍽️

05/05 HRH, as Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Navy (Pacific Fleet), with Sir Tim, carried out engagements in Victoria;

Visited Government House Gardens. 🪴⛲️

Attended the Battle of the Atlantic Memorial Parade at the Parliament Building and laid a wreath at the Cenotaph before taking the salute at the march past of Canadian Armed Forces Veterans, Serving Personnel and Cadets. 🫡

Attended a Royal Victoria Yacht Club Youth Dinghy Regatta. 🛥️

As Patron of the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association, visited Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association. 🐎

Departed Vancouver International Airport for the United Kingdom. 🇨🇦✈️🇬🇧

06/05 Arrived at Heathrow Airport from Canada 🇨🇦✈️🇬🇧

08/05 Hosted a garden party at Buckingham Palace alongside The King and Queen, The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. 🍃☀️🪴

As Patron of the Woolf Institute, attended a Reception, followed by a Dinner, to launch the Randeree End of Life Programme. 🥂🍽️

09/05 As Patron of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, visited the Headquarters at HMS Excellent in Portsmouth. ⚓️

As Patron of the Women’s Royal Naval Service Benevolent Trust, attended the Annual Presentation and Reception at the National Museum of the Royal Navy. 🏛️

As Patron of the Association of Wrens, opened the new Headquarters Building at Lanyard House, HM Naval Base. 🫡

With Sir Tim As Patron of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, visited the HMS Victory Conservation Project at HM Naval Base ⚓️

With Sir Tim As Patron of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, attended the HMS Victory Conservation Project Dinner onboard HMS Victory at HM Naval Base. ⚓️🍽️

10/05 As Patron of Catch22, visited Greater Manchester Victims’ Services at Greater Manchester Police Headquarters. 👮

Visited the East Manchester Community Boat Project at Portland Basin Museum Marina in Ashton-Under-Lyne to mark its 30th Anniversary. 🛥️🎂

11/05 unofficial With Sir Tim Went to Badminton Horse Trials to cheer on Zara Tindall in her Cross Country stage of the three day event. 🏇🏼

13/05 Visited Stonehaven Open Air Swimming Pool to mark its 90th Anniversary. 🏊‍♀️🍾🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

As Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps and Marine Society and Sea Cadets, opened Stonehaven and District New Headquarters. ⚓️🫡 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

14/05 With Sir Tim As Patron of the United Kingdom Sailing Academy held a Founders’ Club Luncheon at St James’s Palace. ⛵️

As Chancellor of the University of London, attended the King’s Centre for Military Health Research Conference. 👩‍⚕️

With Sir Tim As Patron of the Wellington Trust, attended a Dinner onboard HMS WELLINGTON (mto mark the Ship’s Ninetieth Anniversary. ⚓️🥂

15/05 As Court Member of the Fishmongers’ Company, visited Glenarm Organic Salmon Fish Farm, off Glenarm Harbour in Ballymena. 🍣🚤

As Court Member of the Fishmongers’ Company, attended a Luncheon at Glenarm Castle. 🐟🍽️🏰

16/05 As Royal Patron of the National Coastwatch Institution, visited Bembridge Station, followed by a Reception at Brading Haven Yacht Club in Ryde, Isle of Wight. 🔍🌊

As President, Royal Yachting Association, opened the Sea View Yacht Club's Training Centre in Seaview, Isle of Wight. 🛥️

17/05 With Sir Tim Hosted the annual Not Forgotten Association garden party at Buckingham Palace. 🫖🍰☀️

20/05 unofficial Departed from RAF Brize Norton for Norway and landed at Oslo Gardermoen Airport. 🇬🇧✈️🇳🇴

21/05 As Patron of the Anglo-Norwegian Resistance Commemoration Project, visited the Norwegian Industrial Workers Museum in Vemork, Norway. 🔨⚙️🇳🇴

As Patron of the Anglo-Norwegian Resistance Commemoration Project, received a briefing on the sinking of DF Hydro at Mael Station in Telemark, Norway. 🏭🇳🇴

Attended a Reception given by His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway at the Residence in Oslo. 🥂🇳🇴🇬🇧

22/05 As President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, visited Vestre Gravlund Cemetery and laid a wreath on the memorial. 🪦

As Patron of the Anglo-Norwegian Resistance Commemoration Project, visited the Linge Club and attended a Reception at Akershus Fortress, Oslo. 🇳🇴🇬🇧

As Patron of the Anglo-Norwegian Resistance Commemoration Project, visited the Norwegian Shipowners’ Mutual War Risks Insurance Association. 🪖🇳🇴

As Patron of the Anglo-Norwegian Resistance Commemoration Project, with The Crown Prince of Norway, visited the Norwegian Resistance Museum, Akershus Fortress. 🏰 🇳🇴

unofficial Departed from Oslo Gardermoen Airport and landed at RAF Brize Norton . 🇬🇧✈️🇳🇴

23/05 As Patron of the Hornet Services Sailing Club, visited the club for their 60th anniversary. ⛵️🎂

Opened the Army Sailing Association Offshore Centre in Gosport. ⛵️

With Sir Tim & Duke of Kent Held a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's 200th anniversary. 🛟☕️

With Sir Tim Visited the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. 🌸🌺🌼💐

24/05 Opened the Admiral Lord Cochrane Room at the Royal United Services Institute in Whitehall, London. 🔐

Sometime in May unofficial Sir Tim, as Chair of Trustees, attended the Science Museum Groups annual dinner

Total official engagements for Anne in May: 53

2024 total so far: 224

Total official engagements accompanied by Tim in May: 23

2024 total so far: 55

FYI - due to certain royal family members being off ill/in recovery I won't be posting everyone's engagement counts out of respect, I am continuing to count them and release the totals at the end of the year.

[uss-edsall]

I suspect that Nick’s sign, for most drivers, constructs a simple narrative—a soldier dies; he is memorialized on a highway; we remind ourselves of said soldier as we pass. The sign, like any memorial, contributes to the construction of American identity. The sign implicitly praises militarism, nationalism, and blanket reverence for the American dead, no matter the efficacy of the war. The sign means to remind drivers—or impose upon them—on the way to work or a football game or the mall, that we Americans value our war dead. The sign hopes to strengthen the social fabric between self and nation. The sign, if I want to defend it, does push, perhaps in a productive way, Nick’s ghost into the present. Does the sign fight complacency, albeit weakly, by informing countless individuals passing in their vehicles of one more dead veteran’s name? Does the sign, juxtaposed against corporate logos for hotels and fast food and gasoline, diminish or ironize Nick? Does the sign just say, Here, think about the war, briefly—but keep your eyes on the road?

Our Highways are an Ever-Expanding Museum of America’s Wars, by Hugh Martin

[richardnixonlibrary]

November is Native American Heritage Month. Today, we are spotlighting Native American artist and Army veteran Michael Naranjo.

In September 1971, Michael Naranjo presented a bronze sculpture entitled “Dance of the Eagle” to President Nixon. The sculpture is in our museum public gifts collection.

Mr. Naranjo of the Tewa people was born 1944 in Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico to noted ceramicist Rose Naranjo. In January 1968, he was blinded by a grenade while fighting in Vietnam; he also lost almost all use of his right hand. After a stay at a Veterans Administration center for the blind in California, he moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico to work as a sculptor.

In 1999, he was the first artist to be honored as the Disabled American Veterans’ Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year. A quote by Mr. Naranjo is inscribed on the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial on the National Mall, Washington, DC. (Image: WHPO-7353-04A)

[reasoningdaily]

February is Black History Month The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.

Cultural Expressions

Culture shapes lives. It’s in the food people eat, the languages they speak, the art they create, and many other ways they express themselves. These traditions reflect the history and creative spirit of African American and other cultures of the African diaspora. Cultural Expressions is a circular, experiential, introductory space to African American and African diaspora culture.

16 Black Artists to Know

Are you a fan of Glenn Ligon, Alma Thomas, or Gordon Parks? The National Gallery of Art paired eight Black artists you might know with eight others to discover.

Image Credit: Sam Gilliam, Wissahickon, 1975, color screenprint on wove paper, Gift of Funds from the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2023.22.17

Your Park Story: Black History and Heritage

More than 400 years of Black history and heritage are preserved in national parks and communities around the country. Discover stories shared by people who formed powerful connections with these places of history, nature, and enjoyment. Inspire others by sharing your “park story”!

Image credit: Girl takes photo in front of the “We Can Do It” sign at Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park (NPS)

Beginning Feb. 10, 2023, the museum will present a second group of portraits from Brian Lanker’s 1989 book project “I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America.”

Image credit: “Althea Gibson” by Brian Lanker. Gelatin silver print, 1988. National Portrait Gallery.

For Teachers

Put the power of primary sources to work in the classroom. Browse ready-to-use lesson plans, student activities, collection guides and research aids.

Image credit: “Frederick Douglass appealing to President Lincoln and his cabinet to enlist Negroes,” mural by William Edouard Scott, at the Recorder of Deeds building, built in 1943. 515 D St., NW, Washington, D.C. (Library of Congress)

Veterans History

African Americans serving in the military service throughout U.S. history have often fought on two fronts. fighting the actual enemy and fighting a system of segregation and exclusion.

Image credit: Violet Hill Gordon, 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, Women's Army Corps (Library of Congress)

[demospectator]

The then newly-restored plaque in St. Mary’s Square honoring the “Americans of Chinese Ancestry” who gave their lives for America in its world wars, November 10, 2018. Photograph by Doug Chan.

The Last Full Measure: St. Mary’s Square Monument to the Fallen of Chinese America

In his book San Francisco Chinatown: A Guide to its History & Architecture, historian Philip P. Choy, shared his observations about the monuments in St. Mary’s Square as follows:

“Across from the statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen is a less imposing but more significant monument, with 97 names of Chinese American soldiers of our community, who made the supreme sacrifice in World War I and II. Every year on Veterans Day, the Cathay Post No. 384 and the VFW Chinatown Post march to the square to honor those who died for us, that they never be forgotten. This commemorative plaque and day of remembrance are more symbolic of Chinese America than Sun Yat-sen’s statue and the “Ten Ten” celebration.”

During the Second World War, thousands of young men and women enlisted or were drafted from Chinatowns, Japantowns (and concentration camps), Manilatowns, and other small communities across the country.

According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and researchers at the Oakland Museum, 13,499 Chinese American men fought in the armed forces. (Community estimates range as high as 20,000.) Approximately 75 percent served in the US Army, with ground units such as the 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions in Europe and the 6th, 32nd and 77th Infantry Divisions in the Pacific. A quarter of the total Chinese American personnel under arms served in the Navy. Still others served in specialized units, such as the all-Chinese American 1157th Signal Corps -- part of 14th Air Service Group that would join the fight against Imperial Japan in the China Burma India theatre of operations.

Group of Chinese recruits for the U. S. Navy taking their oath on top of a captured Japanese submarine, on Navy Day in San Francisco Chinatown, October 27, 1942. Associated Press photographer unknown (from the collection of the San Francisco Public Library). As written on the verso: ""A two-man Jap submarine, captured after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, T.H. [Territory of Hawaii], began its nation-wide tour in San Francisco Oct. 27. In Chinatown, Chinese recruits for the U.S. Navy lined up on the vessel and took their oath. It was part of Navy Day ceremonies."

The Chinese American men who served in the armed forces during WW II comprised 20 percent of all such men in the continental U.S. As historian Iris Chang would write decades later, “ethnic Chinese men gave their lives disproportionate to their presence in the country.”

As in many cities, the public spaces in San Francisco had included memorials to the fallen in America’s wars. On Memorial Day on May 30, 1919, city officials and thousands of spectators dedicated a 15-acre plot as the “Grove of Heroes,” in remembrance of the US dead and wounded in the First World War. In 1930, a sculpture originally created by M. Earl Cummings for the Pan Pacific International Exposition was acquired and installed in the meadow adjacent to the grove. The bronze figure holding a laurel wreath became known as the “Doughboy Statue,” and it is readily noticeable from the park’s John F. Kennedy drive and promenade. On Armistice Day (now known as Veterans Day), November 13, 1932, public officials assembled again to dedicate an 18-ton granite boulder (reportedly quarried from Twin Peaks) to commemorate US war dead. The monument, which was sponsored by the Native Sons of the Golden West, was inscribed with the names of 748 men and 13 women, all local soldiers and volunteers who died during the Great War.

The Doughboy Statue in the “Grove of Heroes” in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. The plaque, sponsored by the Native Sons of the Golden West and inscribed with the names of US dead in two world wars, omits the names of non-white military personnel killed in the line of duty.

Although Chinese Americans had served and died in WW I, no Chinese names had ever been inscribed in any of San Francisco’s war memorial monuments from that era. Their omission was hardly surprising. The Native Sons of the Golden West had been founded in July 1875 as a fraternal organization "embracing only the sons of those sturdy pioneers who arrived on this coast prior to the admission of California as a state." In the 1920s, the Native Sons adopted a white nativist stance on public policy issues. President William P. Canbu of the Native Sons wrote that “California was given by God to a white people, and with God’s strength we want to keep it as He gave it to us.” The Native Sons openly opposed Chinese, Mexican, and Japanese immigration. At the outset of the Second World War, the organization waged an unsuccessful legal battle for Japanese Americans to be disenfranchised.

The size of the returning cohort of Chinese American men (and the few women) from the Second World War had been unprecedented, and they produced a transformative generation of determined civic activists in the postwar era. As was the case with many other communities of color in the country, Chinese Americans had to struggle for acceptance and civil rights. Community activists such as John C. Young, a retired colonel from the United States Army and World War II veteran, made it their mission to join the struggle for Chinese Americans’ civil rights and participation in mainstream society. Young’s family led that effort by example as one of the first Chinese families to buy a home in defiance of racially-restrictive covenants against homeownership in San Francisco’s Richmond District (See the story here: https://www.outsidelands.org/chinese-in-the-richmond-alfred-john-young-and-connie-young-yu.php)

Left to right: Janey Young Cheu, Connie Young Yu, Mary Lee Young, Lt. Col. John C. Young, and Alfred John Young in the Young family house at 674 37th Avenue, circa 1952. (Courtesy of Al Young)

With the onset of the Cold War and actual armed conflict on the Korean peninsula, Chinese American leaders sensed that the path toward progress and acceptance of Chinese Americans had been jeopardized by the People’s Republic of China’s deploying troops to support North Korea’s military against UN forces.

As a commander of the American Legion Post #384 (Cathay Post), John Young and his fellow veterans spearheaded a proposal to erect a war memorial to the fallen Chinese American Veterans of World War I and World War II.

In 1951, the same year in which the Native Sons added the names of 16 white members who had died in World War II to the plaque on the rock pedestal of the Doughboy Statue, Chinese American veterans’ proposal to honor their fallen comrades in Chinatown gained acceptance.

Members of the VFW Chinatown post and Cathay Post no. 384 of the American Legion huddle and review conceptual drawings for a St. Mary’s Square monument with San Francisco Mayor Elmer Robinson in the Mayor’s office in City Hall, c. 1951. Standing (left to right): Lim P. Lee, Peter H. Wong (unidentified veteran), Shaw Pange, Charles Leong, and Joseph Quan. Sitting: John C. Young, Mayor Elmer Robinson, and James Hall. Photographer unknown (from the collection of the late Col. John C. Young and his daughter Connie Young Yu).

Before 1951, a large and dramatic stainless steel statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, designed local sculptor Benny Bufano, represented the principal statuary in St. Mary's Square.

St. Mary's Square Nov 12, 1943. In this view of St. Mary's Square, looking north toward Old St. Mary's Church, members of San Francisco’s Chinese community bow before the statue of Sun Yat Sen on the occasion of Dr. Sun’s birthday. Among those attending the ceremony was Tse Kiong Sun, grandson of Sun Yat Sen. Photographer unknown (Courtesy of a private collector).

According to historian Phil Choy, the statue had been commissioned by the Chinese Six Companies to commemorate October 10, 1911, the day Dr. Sun's revolutionary party overthrew the Manchu government and established the Republic of China. As Choy wrote in 2012:

“For almost a century, October 10th, known by the Chinese as “Ten Ten,” was a major day of celebration in the community. Banners stretched across Grant Avenue. Organized by the Chinese Six Companies, drum & bugle corps and pupils from every Chinese language school dutifully paraded through the streets. Today the celebration no longer has 100% community support. Members of the Chinese Six Companies are divided; some still embrace the Kuomintang (KMT) Party of the former Republic of China (now the Taiwanese Government), while others support the People’s Republic of China.”

The efforts by the Chinese community’s veterans and supporters to honor the fallen of two world wars culminated in 1951 with the installation of the memorial plaque still seen today in St. Mary's Square. (A recounting of the memorial's dedication and other recollections by the daughter of one of the leaders in the effort to establish the monument, historian Connie Young Yu, may be heard here. (https://chiamgi.substack.com/p/col-john-c-young-profile?triedRedirect=true)

“Soldiers firing salute at dedication of memorial to deceased Chinese-American veterans at St. Mary's Square,” May 28, 1951. Mayor Elmer Robinson stands at center in dark suit. Photographer Unknown (Examiner Negative Collection / courtesy of a private collector)

A large crowd attended the dedication ceremonies for the Chinese veterans memorial at St Mary’s Square on May 28, 1951. An Army band is seated with musical instruments, and members of the Chinatown Boy Scouts troop appear in the right foreground. Photographer unknown (form a private collection).

Civic leader and president of the Wing Nien Soy Sauce Co. Col. John C. Young (ret.) speaks to the crowd assembled on May 28, 1951, for the dedication of the memorial to Chinese American service personnel killed during the First and Second World Wars. His speech to the crowd occurred in the presence of his former commanding officer, General Albert Wedemeyer, under whom Young served as a heavy weapons officer in the China-Burma-India theater of operations.

If the irony of Chinese Americans' entering the US armed forces during wartime was apparent, it was never expressed publicly by those who had served honorably. Native-born, as well immigrants ineligible to naturalize as citizens by punitive immigration laws, had answered the call to service for an America that had, for most of the previous century, robbed, murdered, burned, lynched, taxed, and excluded the pioneer generations, while building much of the political economy of the American West on the strength of Asian labor.

Veterans from Chinatown's American Legion Cathay Post 384 and VFW Chinatown Post 4618 assembled on Memorial Day 2016 in front of the WW I and II memorial plaque in St. Mary’s Square to commemorate the Chinese American fallen in all the nation’s conflicts and wars. Photograph by Doug Chan.

The numbers of Chinese Americans KIA and MIA from the world wars remain imprecise. The honored dead, including Medal of Honor recipient Capt. Francis B. Wai are, and will be, remembered in perpetuity for their extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty. For others, such as Lt. Kenneth Kai-Kee, the memories, grief and loss of those he left behind have already faded with the passing of family, friends, and loved ones.

The passage of time confers on community historians the duty to impart to each new generation the mission to remember the wartime sacrifices of Chinese America's sons and daughters. The debt to those who gave the last full measure of devotion must be honored in perpetuity.

Photograph by Doug Chan.

[plangentia]

as someone who lives about an hour from DC - I will always recommend the Smithsonian Natural Museum, and the Air and Space museum.

There's also the Holocaust Memorial Museum is amazing (and also I think it's free now?? I vaguely remember my grandparents paying for us to go in when it first opened but it's been years since then). If you reserve tickets ahead of time, it's like, a $1 transaction fee.

The lincoln memorial is AWESOME by the way.

There's also the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. We've gone a few times to that (great uncle's name is on it, so, yeah that's why) and it's amazing to see it.

there's also the national zoo! I'm unsure of the hours during the winter though. If you're able to go to Baltimore (which isn't a long drive considering America's size), I recommend the National Aquarium and the zoo there! (Just stay close to the Inner Harbor and try to stay during daylight hours)

have fun! -transwicky

ooooh interesting!! thank you so much!! i've added this stuff to the list!

[longlistshort]

“Bryson Funmaker”, 2020, Inkjet print and beadwork

The Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg is currently showing an impressive collection of work from photographer Tom Jones. The photos, in multiple series, focus on Native American identity, history, cultural appropriation, and the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin, of which Jones is a member. The work engages visually while also being informative.

From the museum’s press release for Tom Jones: Here We Stand–

For over twenty years, Tom Jones has created a visual record and exploration of his Ho-Chunk community. Born in North Carolina and raised in Orlando after a short stint in Minneapolis, Jones returned to the Midwest, moving to Wisconsin at age 15. He then made his way to Chicago for graduate school at Columbia College. Jones’s father worked with Kodak and owned a photography lab, helping shape the artist’s understanding of the practical aspects of photography from an early age. During graduate school, Jones began an ongoing photographic essay on the contemporary life of his Ho-Chunk community, beginning first with the elders.

The show comprises over a dozen series, ranging from the documentary to the conceptual. Of his series on Veterans’ memorials at the annual Black River Falls Pow-Wow, Jones says, “I was interested in the way families made very conscious decisions about how they want their loved ones memorialized.” Other series include the emotionally intimate, though larger than life, beaded portraits. “Beading is a metaphor for our ancestors watching over us. I am also referencing an experience I had when I was about 8 or 9 years old. My mother took me to see a Sioux medicine man named Robert Stead. He led the call to the spirits, the women began to sing, and the ancestors appeared as orbs of light. This event inspired the series Strong Unrelenting Spirits.“

Jones’s photographs examine identity and geographic place with an emphasis on the experience of Native American communities. He is interested in how American Indian material culture is portrayed through commodification and popular culture. Much of his work counteracts and corrects decades of misinformation and misrepresentation of American Indians, particularly targeting the field of U.S. history. Jones’s critical assessment of the romanticized representation of Native peoples in photography re-examines historic pictures taken by white photographers. This reassessment questions the assumptions about identity within the American Indian culture by non-natives and natives alike. “While each of Jones’s series is distinctly different, the message remains consistent: the Ho-Chunk are not vanishing or frozen in time,” said Dr. Jane Aspinwall, Senior Curator of Photography. “Jones’s photographs emphasize a solid, generational commitment to family, tribal community, and land. His photographs reclaim appropriated images and set the historical record straight.”

Below are some selections from a few of the series in the exhibition.

"Trenton and Roger Littlegeorge", 2011

"Dorothy Crowfeather", 1999

"Dear America" series

About the Dear America series pictured above-

Using each line from the first two verses of the song, America ("My Country Tis of Thee") as the title of fourteen of the works in the Dear America series, Jones questions whose history is being propagated here. With dry wit and an unfailing commitment to truth, Jones exposes atrocities like the massive effort by the U.S. government to assimilate Native American children to non-Native culture, the merciless seizing of Native lands, and the mass hanging of thirty-eight Sioux and Ho-Chunk men under President Lincoln in 1862. He also highlights Native American identity in relation to cowboy culture, the thoughtless misappropriation of Native American customs, and the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the U. S. Constitution. Jones's aim is to broaden the "traditional" historical American narrative to be more representative of all people, especially the original inhabitants of this land.

About the Ho-Chunk Veterans Memorials, pictured above-

“I wanted to do this photographic essay to honor our veterans… One in four American Indian males is a United States veteran. Ho-Chunks have fought in every war for the United States except for the War of 1812. The Ho-Chunks did this even though they were not granted the right to vote until 1924, and during the Indian Removal Act, were removed at least seven times from Wisconsin by the United States government. This is the conviction we have as a people… I honor these people who give of themselves freely to protect this land. Traditionally, Ho-Chunks are taught to live their lives for the betterment of others. The veterans have done this.’ -Tom Jones

About the “Native” Commodity” series (pictured above)-

The Wisconsin Dells, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state, is home to spectacular natural scenery and the largest concentration of waterparks. Located on Ho-Chunk ancestral land, the area is now highly commercialized, with much of its identity resting on the appropriation of Native American stereotypical tropes. In this series, Jones documented this unabashed use of Native American symbols, images, and place names in advertising and popular culture. The sale of “Native American” crafts made in China, the liberal use of names of historically important figures like Black Hawk, and the indiscriminate mix of tribal communities into one conglomerate-tipis from the Plains next to totem poles from the Pacific Northwest next to Pueblo pottery. The Dells serve as a microcosm for how images of Native Americans are reproduced and reframed into a collective memory that is often distorted. Jones wryly noted that none of the Native American objects feature anything specifically attributable to the Ho-Chunk Nation.

This exhibition has been extended until 9/10/23.

[intelligentchristianlady]

It's Tomorrow

"March 2​9 is National Vietnam War Veterans Day....You can honor them by watching the National Veterans Memorial and Museum’s Welcome Home Ceremony at 1​0 a.m. EDT.

"The keynote speaker will be Capt. J. Charles “Charlie” Plumb (USN, Ret.), a naval aviator who was shot down and held prisoner in Vietnam for six years. He’s legendary for his story Who Packs Your Parachute?

"The 50th National Vietnam War Veterans Day is a national opportunity to share our appreciation for the sacrifices made by a generation of veterans. Thank you, Vietnam veterans, for your courage in war and service to our nation, both in and out of uniform."

– Wayne Peacock

[rabbitcruiser]

Japan accepted the Allied terms of surrender in World War II and the Emperor records the Imperial Rescript on Surrender on August 14, 1945 (August 15 in Japan Standard Time).  

[seabreeze2022]

Port Stanley, East Falkland Islands. Dec. 23, 2024. Part 3.

We disembarked at the Government dock outside of Port Stanley. Temperature was around 50F. No need for our heavy coats or boots. Above Nancy is standing under 4 whale bones made into an arch. These are jaw bones from Blue Whales. The 21 foot arch was built in 1933. Realize that another 3 feet of the bones are buried in the ground.

We have several friends who have been here. Never thought we would. So cool to see this British outpost in person.

We get dropped off at the community dock by the bus. The seals on the dock are the first seals we have seen.

The Christ Church Cathedral is the largest church in town built in 1892. It is the world’s most southerly Angelican church. With the whale bone arch to the right.

It was simple but beautiful church inside complete with two organs built in Ireland.

The walls were covered with memorials to Falkland Islanders lost in wars or at sea.

Across the harbor are the names of British Warships that spent time in the harbor. The list includes: Beagle, Endurance, Protector, Barracouta and Dumbarton Castle. I must say this is probably the most pro-British colony in the world. Most establishments and several homes would have a small British flag in the window, or a full size flag flying in the yard. One house high on the hill had an entire flag painted on the roof. No other British colony has been invaded in recent memory, then saved by the motherland.

This is in the square in front of the Falkland Islands Museum and National trust. We had a nice chat with a gentleman who elected to stay during the Argentine Invasion. He was a math teacher and wanted to experience history in the making.

This is a beast of a Harpoon gun at the museum.

Nancy in one of the museum sheds. The large shovel is a “peat shovel.” Port Stanley has had two peat avalanches in the past. One avalanche killed two people and cut the city in half. They had to use boats to get from one part of the city to the other.

This is a skull from a Leopard Seal.

I found the side molars very interesting. They remind me more of sharks teeth. The Leopard seals do eat krill and can filter the water out of their mouth through the teeth and keep the krill in.

This is inside the Post Office. Mail is not delivered to houses, everyone has a PO Box.

Cute town.

The local newspaper, Penguin News, is published weekly.

We enjoyed strolling up and down the few streets in town. About 3,600 people live in the Falklands. The majority in Port Stanley. Range Rovers are the most common vehicles. Not wearing the obvious Cruise coats, the locals all waved to us when they drove by. I do believe it is a love/hate relationship when the cruise ships are in town and people are gawking.

Pensioners house.

One of several war memorials in town. The war in 1982 lasted 10 weeks. There are still mines on the island. 255 British servicemen were killed and 3 Falklanders.

Before leaving town we had “Fish and Chips” in the Victory Bar, paying with British pounds left over from Wales. Receiving Falkland pounds in return, which we donated to the Falklands Veterans fund.

Fish and Chips in the Victory bar.

Then it was back to the bus for the two mile ride to the ship. Here is Wei “David” Chen and Nancy in front of the national flag of the Falklands. David was the social butterfly of the cruise.

Before coming to shore and again leaving, we walked through a spongy mat full of an anti-viral solution. This is part of the bio-security process. Next stop South Georgia Island.

[unvindiaannouncements]

INDIAN ARMY DAY - Ideas for celebration in Educational Institutions - January 15, 2025

In 2025, as we celebrate the 77th Indian Army Day, let's take this opportunity to express gratitude and inspire patriotism.

🔘DATE OF INDIAN ARMY DAY 2025

Indian Army Day is observed every year on January 15. In 2025, it falls on a Wednesday, marking the 77th anniversary of the day when the first Indian Commander-in-Chief took charge of the Indian Army.

🔘THEME OF INDIAN ARMY DAY 2025

The theme for Indian Army Day 2025 is:

“Honoring Legacy, Inspiring Patriotism, Safeguarding the Future.”

🔘HISTORY OF INDIAN ARMY DAY

Indian Army Day commemorates the historical moment on January 15, 1949, when General K. M. Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, succeeding General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief. This pivotal transition marked a significant milestone in India's journey toward sovereignty and self-reliance.

🔘SIGNIFICANCE OF INDIAN ARMY DAY

Indian Army Day is a moment to honor the courage, discipline, and sacrifices of our brave soldiers who protect the nation's borders. It signifies patriotism, unity, and the spirit of selfless service that defines the Indian Army.

🔹Honoring Bravery: Indian Army Day is dedicated to acknowledging the courage and valor of the soldiers who protect the nation's borders.

🔹National Security: It highlights the critical role the Indian Army plays in maintaining peace and stability.

🔹Patriotism and Unity: The day fosters a sense of national pride and unity among citizens.

🔹Recognition of Sacrifices: It is a moment to remember the sacrifices made by soldiers and their families for the country.

🔘IDEAS FOR INDIAN ARMY DAY CELEBRATION

Make Indian Army Day special by organizing flag hoisting ceremonies, hosting patriotic events, and sharing inspiring stories about the Indian Army's heroic acts. Encourage your community to participate in these activities.

🔹Attend Parades: Witness the grand parades organized in military cantonments across India.

🔹Organize School Events: Conduct speeches, debates, and patriotic song competitions to educate students about the Indian Army.

🔹Charity Drives: Support organizations that work for the welfare of soldiers and their families.

🔹Social Media Campaigns: Share stories, facts, and posters honoring the Indian Army on social media platforms.

🔹Visit War Memorials: Pay homage to the fallen heroes by visiting war memorials and museums.

🔹Community March: Organize a march to honor the Indian Army with slogans and banners.

🔹Documentary Screenings: Showcase documentaries about the Indian Army's contributions and operations.

🔹Essay Writing Competitions: Engage students in writing about the role of the Indian Army.

🔹Patriotic Workshops: Conduct workshops on Indian Army history and achievements.

🔹Cultural Programs: Celebrate with patriotic dances, plays, and songs.

🔹Army-Themed Exhibitions: Host exhibitions featuring army gear, uniforms, and historical events.

🔹Donation Drives: Collect funds or resources for the welfare of soldiers and their families.

🔹Local Recognition: Honor retired army personnel in your community.

🔹Lighting Displays: Light up public spaces with patriotic colors.

🔹Thematic Crafts: Encourage children to create Indian Army-inspired art and crafts.

🔹Poster-Making Competitions: Create posters reflecting the valor of the Indian Army.

Patriotic Movies Screening: Watch films like 🔹Border and Uri: The Surgical Strike.

🔹Flag Hoisting Ceremonies: Organize community events to hoist the national flag and sing the national anthem.

🔹Interactive Sessions: Invite army veterans to share their experiences and inspire the younger generation.

🔹Storytelling Sessions: Share inspiring stories of Indian Army heroes.

🔹Flag Relay Events: Organize a relay race with participants carrying the Indian flag.

🔹Army Day Quiz: Host a quiz competition focusing on Indian Army history and operations.

🔹Photography Competitions: Capture moments that reflect patriotism and military pride.

🔹Military Tribute Run: Arrange a community run in honor of the Indian Army.

🔹Letters to Soldiers: Encourage people to write thank-you letters to soldiers posted at the borders.

🔘POSTER IDEAS FOR INDIAN ARMY DAY

🔹Design creative posters featuring soldiers, the Indian tricolor, and powerful slogans to honor the Indian Army. Use visuals that showcase bravery, unity, and patriotism to inspire and engage audiences.

🔹Theme-Based Designs: Include elements like soldiers saluting, tanks, and the tricolor flag.

Inspirational Quotes: Highlight motivational quotes alongside images of the army in action.

🔹Minimalistic Posters: Use symbols like the Ashoka Chakra and camouflage patterns for a modern look.

🔹Child-Friendly Posters: Depict cartoon illustrations of soldiers to engage younger audiences.

🔹Tribute Posters: Showcase silhouettes of soldiers saluting the flag with a sunrise backdrop.

🔹Patriotic Themes: Use elements like the tricolor flag, Ashoka Chakra, and national landmarks.

🔹Illustrated Soldiers: Include artistic depictions of soldiers in action.

🔹Women in the Army: Highlight female soldiers to inspire inclusivity.

🔹Battlefield Illustrations: Depict tanks, helicopters, and army vehicles.

🔹Custom Messages: Personalize posters with your logo and heartfelt messages using the Postive Festival Poster Maker App.

🔹Peacekeepers: Highlight the Indian Army's role in UN peacekeeping missions.

🔹Historical Milestones: Incorporate iconic moments from Indian Army history.

CONCLUSION

Indian Army Day is not just a celebration but a solemn reminder of the sacrifices and dedication of our soldiers. Whether through parades, posters, or heartfelt messages, let's honor our heroes and ensure their legacy inspires generations to come.

(Follow usual proceedings of our team. Share your events in the school (Photos/Video clips) at 9944313953 for global circulation. And avail appreciation certificates for schools and individual participants)

[brookston]

Holidays 1.12

Holidays

American Museum Day

Batman Day

Bikini Appreciation Day

Daniel Fast Day

Eat Crackers and Try to Whistle Day

Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day

HAL Day (Activation of HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey)

International Shape Tape Day

Iron Day (French Republic)

Kiss a Ginger Day

Leda Asteroid Day

Lift Every Voice and Sing Day

Little League Girls Baseball Day

Memorial Day (Turkmenistan)

National Breakdown Day

National Handwriting Day

National Kettlebell Day

National Pharmacist Day

National Youth Day (India)

Night of the Balloons (Austria)

Ovank’a (Elder Scrolls)

Political Prisoners Day (Ukraine)

Prosecutor General’s Day (Russia)

Public Museum Day

Public Prosecutor Office Professionals Day (Russia)

Remembrance Day (Haiti)

Roller Skating Day

Royal Aeronautical Society Day (UK)

Rubber Band Veteran Day

Stick To Your New Years' Resolutions Day

Stroke Prevention Day (UK)

Two-Point Conversion Day (NCAA)

Work Harder Day

Working Woman's Appreciation Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Curried Chicken Day

French Onion Soup Day

National Glazed Doughnut Day

National Hot Tea Day

National Marzipan Day

Nature Celebrations

Sweet Alyssum Day (Outstanding Beauty; Korean Flower Days)

Independence, Flag & Related Days

New Canada (a.k.a. New States of Canada; Confederated; 2012) [unrecognized]

Valencia City Charter Day (Philippines)

Zanzibar Revolutionary Day (Tanzania; 1964)

New Year’s Days

Amenzu n Yennayer (Amazigh New Year; Algeria)

Hen Galan (Welsh New Year)

Yennayer (Berber New Year)

2nd Sunday in January

Baptism of the Lord [Sunday after Epiphany]

Blessing of the Sea (Margate, UK) [Sunday after 6th]

Meitlisunntig (Switzerland) [2nd Sunday]

National Sunday Supper Day [2nd Sunday]

No Pants Subway Ride [2nd Sunday]

Sandwich Sunday [2nd Sunday of Each Month]

Seven For Sunday [Every Sunday]

Sleepy Sunday [2nd Sunday of Each Month]

Sundae Sunday [Every Sunday]

Sunday Funday [Every Sunday]

Survey Sunday [2nd Sunday of Each Month]

Unknown Citizens’ Day (Philippines) [2nd Sunday]

Volunteer Fireman's Day [2nd Sunday]

Yamayaki (Grass Burning on Mount Wakakasuyama & Fireworks; Japan)

Weekly Holidays beginning January 12 (2nd Full Week of January)

Energy Saving Week [UK] (thru 1.12)

Home Office Safety and Security Week (thru 1.18) [2nd Full Week]

National Mocktail Week (thru 1.18) [2nd Full Week]

National Pizza Week (thru 1.18) [2nd Full Week]

Sugar Awareness Week (thru 1.18) [3rd Work Week]

Universal Letter Writing Week (thru 1.18) [2nd Full Week]

Festivals Beginning January 12, 2025

Carnival of Vevčani (Vevčani, North Macedonia) [thru 1.14]

Sandy Beaches Cruise (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) [thru 1.18]

New Year’s Days

Yennayer (a.k.a. Amenzu n Yennayer or Aseggwas Amaziɣ, ⴰⵙⴳⴳⴰⵙ ⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖ or Amazigh New Year observed; Algeria)

Feast Days

Aelred of Rievaulx (Christian; Saint)

Allied (Christian; Saint)

Anthesteria (Festival to Dionysus, Greek God of Intoxication)

Arcadius (Christian; Martyr)

Arianrhod (Welsh Goddess of Destiny & Initiation; Celtic Book of Days)

Benedict Biscop (Christian; Saint)

Bernard of Corleone (Christian; Saint)

Caesaria (Christian; Saint)

Ciwarartri (a.k.a. Siwarratriis; Night of the gof Shiva; Bali)

Compitalia (Slave festival to household gods Lares and Manes; Ancient Rome)

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Christian)

Feast of the Martyrs of Iona (Christian)

Festival of Sarasyati (Hindu Goddess of Wisdom)

Makara-Sankranti (Hinduism; Everyday Wicca)

Marguerite Bourgeoys (Christian; Saint)

Niflheim Day (Pagan)

Night of Hekate Suppers (Pagan)

Noble Fraggle (Muppetism)

Penne for Your Thoughts Day (Pastafarian)

Peter Sellers Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Swami Vivekananda Jayati (West Bengal, India)

Tatiana (Christian; Saint)

Tigrius and Eutropius (Christian; Martyrs)

Traditional Day of Offering (Bhutan)

Tyrrius (Christian; Saint)

Ullr Festival (Mythical God of Winter)

Victorian (Roman Catholic)

Zoroaster (Positivist; Saint)

Secular Saints Days

Jean Béraud (Art)

Edmund Burke (Philosophy)

Rosalba Carriera (Art)

Pierre de Fermat (Mathematics)

Jusepe de Ribera (Art)

Clement Hurd (Art)

John Lasseter (Entertainment)

Jack London (Literature)

Mississippi Fred McDowell (Music)

David Mitchell (Literature)

Thomas Moran (Art)

Walter Mosley (Literature)

Haruki Murakami (Literature)

Charles Perrault (Literature)

Joe Quesada (Art)

Julia Quinn (Literature)

John Singer Sargent (Art)

Adriaen van Utrecht (Art)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [6 of 37]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [7 of 30]

Premieres

All in the Family (TV Series; 1971)

All Shook Up, recorded by Elvis Presley (Song; 1957)

As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner (Novel; 1930)

Baby One More Time, by Britney Spears (Album; 1999)

Batman (TV Series; 1966)

Batman: Soul of the Dragon (Animated Film; 2021)

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Broadway Musical; 2014)

China (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1931)

The Clockwork Girl (Animated Film; 2014)

Come and Get Your Love, by Redbone (Song; 1974)

Despacito, by Daddy Yankee (Song; 2017)

A Dog in a Mansion (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1940)

Dragnet (TV Series; 1967)

Dynasty (TV Series; 1981)

The Ed Sullivan Show (Radio Series; 1932)

The Exorcist, by William Peter Blatty (Novel; 1971)

The Flying Cat (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1952)

Fox in Socks, by Dr. Seuss (Children’s Book; 1965)

Holland Days featuring Farmer Al Alfa (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1934)

Hullabaloo! (Musical Variety TV Show; 1965)

King of the Hill (Animated TV Series; 1997)

Led Zeppelin, by Led Zeppelin (Album; 1968)

Library Society Museum, in Charleston, South Carolina (Museum; 1773) [1st US Museum]

Lifeboat (Film; 1944)

Marriage Wows (Fleischer Talkartoon Cartoon; 1930)

Mighty Mouse and the Pirates (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1945)

One Quack Mind (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1951)

Ottone, by George Frederic Handel (Opera; 1723)

Paddington 2 (Film; 2018)

Pearl, by Janis Joplin (Album; 1971)

Please Please Me, by The Beatles (Single; 1963)

Portnoy’s Complaint, by Philp Roth (Novel; 1969)

Punchy De Leon (Jolly Frolics Cartoon; 1950)

Save the Last Dance (Film; 2001)

Scrappy’s Art Gallery (Scrappy Cartoon; 1934)

Shadow of a Doubt (Film; 1943)

The Shop Around the Corner (Film; 1940)

Tao: The Watercourse Way, by Alan W. Watts (Philosophy Book; 1975)

This Perfect Day, by Ira Levin (Novel; 1970)

True Detective (TV Mini-Series; 2014)

Tweet Zoo (WB MM Cartoon; 1957)

Under the Spreading Blacksmith Shop (Andy Panda Cartoon; 1942)

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman (Novel; 1966)

Velma (Animated TV Series; 2023)

The Wallflower, by Etta James (Song; 1955)

Today’s Name Days

Ernst, Tatjana, Xenia (Austria)

Tanya, Tatyana (Bulgaria)

Bernard, Ernest, Tanja, Tatjana (Croatia)

Pravoslav (Czech Republic)

Reinhold (Denmark)

Ande, Antonia, Tooni (Estonia)

Toini (Finland)

Tatiana (France)

Ernst, Tatjana, Xenia (Germany)

Tatiane, Tatiani (Greece)

Ernő (Hungary)

Modesto, Probo, Tatiana (Italy)

Reinholds, Reinis, Ringolds (Latvia)

Cezarija, Cezarijus, Ernestas, Lingailė, Vaigedas (Lithuania)

Reinert, Reinhard (Norway)

Antoni, Arkadiusz, Arkady, Benedykt, Czech, Czechasz, Czechoń, Czesław, Czesława, Ernest, Ernestyn, Greta, Reinhold, Tycjan (Poland)

Tatiana (Romania)

Ernest (Slovakia)

Arcadio, Nazario, Tania, Tatiana (Spain)

Frideborg, Fridolf (Sweden)

Tetiana, Tania (Ukraine)

Alain, Alaina, Alan, Alana, Alanna, Alayna, Allan, Allen, Allena, Lana, Lanna (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 12 of 2025; 353 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of Week 2 of 2025

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 22 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Ding-Chou), Day 13 (Xin-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Coptic: 4 Tubah 1741

Hebrew: 12 Teveth 5785

Islamic: 12 Rajab 1446

J Cal: 12 White; Fryday [11 of 30]

Julian: 30 December 2024

Moon: 98%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 12 Moses (1st Month) [Zoroaster]

Runic Half Month:Peorth (Womb, Dice Cup) [Day 6 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 23 of 90)

Week: 2nd Full Week of January

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 22 of 30)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 1.12

Holidays

American Museum Day

Batman Day

Bikini Appreciation Day

Daniel Fast Day

Eat Crackers and Try to Whistle Day

Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day

HAL Day (Activation of HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey)

International Shape Tape Day

Iron Day (French Republic)

Kiss a Ginger Day

Leda Asteroid Day

Lift Every Voice and Sing Day

Little League Girls Baseball Day

Memorial Day (Turkmenistan)

National Breakdown Day

National Handwriting Day

National Kettlebell Day

National Pharmacist Day

National Youth Day (India)

Night of the Balloons (Austria)

Ovank’a (Elder Scrolls)

Political Prisoners Day (Ukraine)

Prosecutor General’s Day (Russia)

Public Museum Day

Public Prosecutor Office Professionals Day (Russia)

Remembrance Day (Haiti)

Roller Skating Day

Royal Aeronautical Society Day (UK)

Rubber Band Veteran Day

Stick To Your New Years' Resolutions Day

Stroke Prevention Day (UK)

Two-Point Conversion Day (NCAA)

Work Harder Day

Working Woman's Appreciation Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Curried Chicken Day

French Onion Soup Day

National Glazed Doughnut Day

National Hot Tea Day

National Marzipan Day

Nature Celebrations

Sweet Alyssum Day (Outstanding Beauty; Korean Flower Days)

Independence, Flag & Related Days

New Canada (a.k.a. New States of Canada; Confederated; 2012) [unrecognized]

Valencia City Charter Day (Philippines)

Zanzibar Revolutionary Day (Tanzania; 1964)

New Year’s Days

Amenzu n Yennayer (Amazigh New Year; Algeria)

Hen Galan (Welsh New Year)

Yennayer (Berber New Year)

2nd Sunday in January

Baptism of the Lord [Sunday after Epiphany]

Blessing of the Sea (Margate, UK) [Sunday after 6th]

Meitlisunntig (Switzerland) [2nd Sunday]

National Sunday Supper Day [2nd Sunday]

No Pants Subway Ride [2nd Sunday]

Sandwich Sunday [2nd Sunday of Each Month]

Seven For Sunday [Every Sunday]

Sleepy Sunday [2nd Sunday of Each Month]

Sundae Sunday [Every Sunday]

Sunday Funday [Every Sunday]

Survey Sunday [2nd Sunday of Each Month]

Unknown Citizens’ Day (Philippines) [2nd Sunday]

Volunteer Fireman's Day [2nd Sunday]

Yamayaki (Grass Burning on Mount Wakakasuyama & Fireworks; Japan)

Weekly Holidays beginning January 12 (2nd Full Week of January)

Energy Saving Week [UK] (thru 1.12)

Home Office Safety and Security Week (thru 1.18) [2nd Full Week]

National Mocktail Week (thru 1.18) [2nd Full Week]

National Pizza Week (thru 1.18) [2nd Full Week]

Sugar Awareness Week (thru 1.18) [3rd Work Week]

Universal Letter Writing Week (thru 1.18) [2nd Full Week]

Festivals Beginning January 12, 2025

Carnival of Vevčani (Vevčani, North Macedonia) [thru 1.14]

Sandy Beaches Cruise (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) [thru 1.18]

New Year’s Days

Yennayer (a.k.a. Amenzu n Yennayer or Aseggwas Amaziɣ, ⴰⵙⴳⴳⴰⵙ ⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖ or Amazigh New Year observed; Algeria)

Feast Days

Aelred of Rievaulx (Christian; Saint)

Allied (Christian; Saint)

Anthesteria (Festival to Dionysus, Greek God of Intoxication)

Arcadius (Christian; Martyr)

Arianrhod (Welsh Goddess of Destiny & Initiation; Celtic Book of Days)

Benedict Biscop (Christian; Saint)

Bernard of Corleone (Christian; Saint)

Caesaria (Christian; Saint)

Ciwarartri (a.k.a. Siwarratriis; Night of the gof Shiva; Bali)

Compitalia (Slave festival to household gods Lares and Manes; Ancient Rome)

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Christian)

Feast of the Martyrs of Iona (Christian)

Festival of Sarasyati (Hindu Goddess of Wisdom)

Makara-Sankranti (Hinduism; Everyday Wicca)

Marguerite Bourgeoys (Christian; Saint)

Niflheim Day (Pagan)

Night of Hekate Suppers (Pagan)

Noble Fraggle (Muppetism)

Penne for Your Thoughts Day (Pastafarian)

Peter Sellers Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Swami Vivekananda Jayati (West Bengal, India)

Tatiana (Christian; Saint)

Tigrius and Eutropius (Christian; Martyrs)

Traditional Day of Offering (Bhutan)

Tyrrius (Christian; Saint)

Ullr Festival (Mythical God of Winter)

Victorian (Roman Catholic)

Zoroaster (Positivist; Saint)

Secular Saints Days

Jean Béraud (Art)

Edmund Burke (Philosophy)

Rosalba Carriera (Art)

Pierre de Fermat (Mathematics)

Jusepe de Ribera (Art)

Clement Hurd (Art)

John Lasseter (Entertainment)

Jack London (Literature)

Mississippi Fred McDowell (Music)

David Mitchell (Literature)

Thomas Moran (Art)

Walter Mosley (Literature)

Haruki Murakami (Literature)

Charles Perrault (Literature)

Joe Quesada (Art)

Julia Quinn (Literature)

John Singer Sargent (Art)

Adriaen van Utrecht (Art)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [6 of 37]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [7 of 30]

Premieres

All in the Family (TV Series; 1971)

All Shook Up, recorded by Elvis Presley (Song; 1957)

As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner (Novel; 1930)

Baby One More Time, by Britney Spears (Album; 1999)

Batman (TV Series; 1966)

Batman: Soul of the Dragon (Animated Film; 2021)

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Broadway Musical; 2014)

China (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1931)

The Clockwork Girl (Animated Film; 2014)

Come and Get Your Love, by Redbone (Song; 1974)

Despacito, by Daddy Yankee (Song; 2017)

A Dog in a Mansion (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1940)

Dragnet (TV Series; 1967)

Dynasty (TV Series; 1981)

The Ed Sullivan Show (Radio Series; 1932)

The Exorcist, by William Peter Blatty (Novel; 1971)

The Flying Cat (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1952)

Fox in Socks, by Dr. Seuss (Children’s Book; 1965)

Holland Days featuring Farmer Al Alfa (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1934)

Hullabaloo! (Musical Variety TV Show; 1965)

King of the Hill (Animated TV Series; 1997)

Led Zeppelin, by Led Zeppelin (Album; 1968)

Library Society Museum, in Charleston, South Carolina (Museum; 1773) [1st US Museum]

Lifeboat (Film; 1944)

Marriage Wows (Fleischer Talkartoon Cartoon; 1930)

Mighty Mouse and the Pirates (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1945)

One Quack Mind (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1951)

Ottone, by George Frederic Handel (Opera; 1723)

Paddington 2 (Film; 2018)

Pearl, by Janis Joplin (Album; 1971)

Please Please Me, by The Beatles (Single; 1963)

Portnoy’s Complaint, by Philp Roth (Novel; 1969)

Punchy De Leon (Jolly Frolics Cartoon; 1950)

Save the Last Dance (Film; 2001)

Scrappy’s Art Gallery (Scrappy Cartoon; 1934)

Shadow of a Doubt (Film; 1943)

The Shop Around the Corner (Film; 1940)

Tao: The Watercourse Way, by Alan W. Watts (Philosophy Book; 1975)

This Perfect Day, by Ira Levin (Novel; 1970)

True Detective (TV Mini-Series; 2014)

Tweet Zoo (WB MM Cartoon; 1957)

Under the Spreading Blacksmith Shop (Andy Panda Cartoon; 1942)

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman (Novel; 1966)

Velma (Animated TV Series; 2023)

The Wallflower, by Etta James (Song; 1955)

Today’s Name Days

Ernst, Tatjana, Xenia (Austria)

Tanya, Tatyana (Bulgaria)

Bernard, Ernest, Tanja, Tatjana (Croatia)

Pravoslav (Czech Republic)

Reinhold (Denmark)

Ande, Antonia, Tooni (Estonia)

Toini (Finland)

Tatiana (France)

Ernst, Tatjana, Xenia (Germany)

Tatiane, Tatiani (Greece)

Ernő (Hungary)

Modesto, Probo, Tatiana (Italy)

Reinholds, Reinis, Ringolds (Latvia)

Cezarija, Cezarijus, Ernestas, Lingailė, Vaigedas (Lithuania)

Reinert, Reinhard (Norway)

Antoni, Arkadiusz, Arkady, Benedykt, Czech, Czechasz, Czechoń, Czesław, Czesława, Ernest, Ernestyn, Greta, Reinhold, Tycjan (Poland)

Tatiana (Romania)

Ernest (Slovakia)

Arcadio, Nazario, Tania, Tatiana (Spain)

Frideborg, Fridolf (Sweden)

Tetiana, Tania (Ukraine)

Alain, Alaina, Alan, Alana, Alanna, Alayna, Allan, Allen, Allena, Lana, Lanna (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 12 of 2025; 353 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of Week 2 of 2025

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 22 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Ding-Chou), Day 13 (Xin-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Coptic: 4 Tubah 1741

Hebrew: 12 Teveth 5785

Islamic: 12 Rajab 1446

J Cal: 12 White; Fryday [11 of 30]

Julian: 30 December 2024

Moon: 98%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 12 Moses (1st Month) [Zoroaster]

Runic Half Month:Peorth (Womb, Dice Cup) [Day 6 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 23 of 90)

Week: 2nd Full Week of January

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 22 of 30)