05/03 is "The Third of May"

Today is day 123 of the Gregorian Calendar year, Pungenday, Discord 50, 3187 YOLD (discordian) And let us not forget 113.0.8.8.15 mlc (the Mayan Long Count)

The Third of May 1808 is a painting by Francisco de Goya which memorializes the execution of hundreds of Madrileños by French occupying forces on that date. This was the aftermath of a popular uprising by Madrid's citizenry against the French forces on May 2, 1808 ( El Dos De Mayo ), now a holiday in Madrid, which was one of the events that set off The Peninsular War. The Dos de Mayo Uprising wasn't an organized unified event, but numerous ad hoc rebellions that broke out across Madrid, including an attack on The Mamelukes of the French Imperial Guard , a french cavalry unit that had been sent to clear the streets, by the citizenry. That particular piece of the uprising was also memorialized by Francisco de Goya, as, what else, The Second of May 1808 aka The Charge of the Mamelukes.

The two paintings shown are hung in Madrid's Prado as part of a very good collection of Goya's works there.

Memo to Julian Assange

Today is "World Press Freedom Day". Much will be made of this by assorted politicians and governments and the petty, sycophantic stenographers who feed the world recycled government and corporate press releases under the guise of "News" while you languish in prison for the crime of real journalism, for having had the audacity to expose US war crimes and report other unwelcome truths. Know that you are appreciated. Know that many see through this sham of a holiday with its mind numbing irony and support you, but not the hordes of stenographers who are quite happy to see you imprisoned and tortured for doing what they, for whatever reasons, cannot bring themselves to do.

On this day in history:

1616 – The Treaty of Loudun ended the French civil war. 1715 – A total solar eclipse predicted by Edmond Halley was visible across northern Europe, and northern Asia 1802 – Washington, D.C. was incorporated as a city. 1808 – The Madrid rebels were executed near Príncipe Pío hill. 1855 – Brigand William Walker departed San Francisco with about 60 men to conquer Nicaragua. 1867 – The Hudson's Bay Company gave up all claims to Vancouver Island. 1928 – The Jinan incident began, leading to huge losses for Chiang Kai-shek's NRA 1945 – German prison ships Cap Arcona, Thielbek and Deutschland were bombed and sunk by the RAF. 1947 – New post-war Japanese constitution went into effect. 1948 – The Supremes held that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks and other minorities are legally unenforceable (Shelley v. Kraemer ). 1952 – Lieutenant Colonels Joseph O. Fletcher and William P. Benedict of the US landed a plane at the North Pole. 1963 – The cops in Birmingham, Alabama began using violence against "Birmingham campaign" protesters. 1978 – The first unsolicited bulk commercial email (spam) was sent by Digital Equipment Corporation to every ARPANET address on the west coast of the US 1979 – Margaret Thatcher won the UK general election 2001 – The US lost its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission

Born this day in:

Politics have no relation to morals.

~~ Niccolò Machiavelli

1469 – Niccolò Machiavelli, historian and philosopher 1678 – Amaro Pargo, corsair 1695 – Henri Pitot, physicist and engineer who invented the Pitot tube 1768 – Charles Tennant, chemist and businessman 1844 – Richard D'Oyly Carte, talent agent and composer 1860 – Vito Volterra, mathematician and physicist 1892 – George Paget Thomson, physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate 1898 – Septima Poinsette Clark, educator and activist 1902 – Alfred Kastler, physicist and poet, Nobel Prize laureate 1903 – Bing Crosby, singer and actor 1905 – Werner Fenchel, mathematician and academic 1912 – May Sarton, poet, novelist and memoirist 1913 – William Inge, playwright and novelist 1919 – Pete Seeger, singer, songwriter, musician, and activist 1920 – John Lewis, pianist and composer 1928 – Dave Dudley, singer and songwriter 1928 – Jacques-Louis Lions, mathematician 1929 – Denise Lor, singer and actress 1933 – James Brown, singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, and actor 1933 – Steven Weinberg, physicist and academic 1934 – Frankie Valli, singer and actor 1938 – Napoleon XIV, singer, songwriter and record producer 1944 – Pete Staples, bass player 1950 – Mary Hopkin, singer and songwriter 1950 – Dag Arnesen, pianist and composer 1951 – Alan Clayson, Esinger, singer, songwriter, and journalist 1951 – Christopher Cross, singer, songwriter, and producer 1953 – Bruce Hall, singer, songwriter, bass player, and producer 1953 – Jake Hooker, guitarist and songwriter 1954 – Angela Bofill, singer and songwriter 1959 – David Ball, keyboard player and producer 1964 – Sterling Campbell, drummer and songwriter 1977 – Maryam Mirzakhani, mathematician 1978 – Paul Banks, singer, songwriter, and guitarist

Died this day in:

No one is 100 percent male or female. We all have elements of both male and female in our bodies. I just am more of a woman than I am a man.

~~ Christine Jorgensen

1779 – John Winthrop, mathematician, physicist, and astronomer 1910 – Howard Taylor Ricketts, pathologist 1916 – Tom Clarke, rebel executed by occupation troops 1916 – Thomas MacDonagh, poet and rebel executed by occupation troops 1916 – Pádraic Pearse, teacher and rebel leader executed by occupation troops 1989 – Christine Jorgensen, trans rights advocate

Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such: Public Radio Day Sun Day (International) World Press Freedom Day

Music goes here, iirc, well, With apologies ;-)

Richard D'Oyly Carte

Der Bingle

Pete Seeger

John Lewis

Dave Dudley