Waitangi Day is the national day of New Zealand and the anniversary of the 1840 signing of Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding Document. I should just leave it at that because I am so vastly ignorant of the matter, but my cursory reading in a feeble attempt to understand the whole thing left me wondering why, after the Maori had written and transmitted a formal declaration of independence, they would then sign a treaty giving the British control over their islands, their lands, and their persons. Of course, being of largely Hibernian descent, I readily understand why Britain, having received a document declaring the official independence of an actually independent populace would immediately send somebody aboard an armed vessel to take control of it. At any rate, Waitangi is where the treaty was signed, hence Waitangi Day and all the celebrations, including such things as traditional feasts and the use of the waka and, of course, planty of haka.
It is also International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation. Should not be an isolated day, but a permanent mindset and lifestyle, imho, but that's just me it seems.
On this day in history:
1819 -- Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founded Singapore. Slings were presumably slung. 1820 -- 86 African Americans left New York to colonize what is today Liberia. 1840 -- New Zealand became a British colony. 1899 -- The US Senate ratified the Treaty of Paris between the US and Spain 1900 – The Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague was created 1918 -- British women over 30 who met minimum property qualifications got the right to vote, the rest remained serfs. 1919 – The five-day Seattle General Strike began 1922 -- The Washington Naval Treaty was signed limiting the naval armaments of the US, Britain, Japan, France, and Italy. 1952 -- Elizabeth II became queen 1959 -- Jack Kilby filed for the first patent of an integrated circuit. 1973 – The Ms 7.6 Luhuo earthquake struck Sichuan Province 1976 – Lockheed Corporation admitted paying $3 million in bribes to the office of Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka. 1978 – The Blizzard of 1978, began 1981 -- The National Resistance Army of Uganda started the Ugandan Bush War 1987 -- Justice Mary Gaudron became the first woman appointed to the Australian High Court 2012 -- A 6.9 magnitude earthquake in the Philippines 2013 -- A 8.0 magnitude earthquake in the Solomon Islands 2016 -- A 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan
Some people who were born on this day:
In times of peace, the war party insists on making preparation for war. As soon as prepared for, it insists on making war.
~~ Robert La Follette Jr. 1465 – Scipione del Ferro, mathematician, solved the morose depressed cubic equation 1695 – Nicolaus II Bernoulli, mathematician and theorist 1726 – Patrick Russell, surgeon and zoologist 1802 – Charles Wheatstone, physicist and cryptographer 1811 – Henry Liddell, priest, author, and academic; Alice's Dad 1879 -- Othon Friesz, Fauvist painter 1890 – Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, activist and politician 1895 – María Teresa Vera, singer, guitarist and composer 1895 - Robert La Follette Jr., politician, co-founder of the progressive party 1898 -- Harry Haywood, politician, activist, CPUSA member 1902 -- George Brunies, trombonist 1903 -- Claudio Arrau, pianist and composer 1913 -- Mary Leakey, archaeologist and anthropologist 1927 – Gerard K. O'Neill, physicist and astronomer 1932 -- François Truffaut, actor, director, producer, and screenwriter 1939 – Jair Rodrigues, Brazilian singer 1940 -- Tom Brokaw, journalist and author 1941 – Stephen Albert, pianist and composer 1942 -- Sarah Brady, gun control activist and author 1943 – Fabian Forte, pop singer and actor 1944 -- Willie Tee, singer, songwriter, keyboard player, and producer 1945 -- Bob Marley, singer, songwriter and guitarist 1946 -- Richie Hayward, drummer and songwriter 1946 -- Kate McGarrigle, musician and singer-songwriter 1947 -- Bill Staines, singer, songwriter and guitarist 1949 -- Mike Batt, singer, songwriter and producer 1950 -- Natalie Cole, singer, songwriter and actress 1950 – Punky Meadows, rock guitarist and songwriter 1956 – Jerry Marotta, drummer (orleans/still the one) 1957 -- Simon Phillips, drummer and producer 1962 -- Axl Rose, singer, songwriter and producer 1964 -- Gordon Downie, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor 1966 -- Rick Astley, singer, songwriter, nothing to see here 1967 -- Anita Cochran, country singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer 1967 – Izumi Sakai, singer and songwriter 1975 – Tomoko Kawase, singer, songwriter, and producer
Some people who died on this day:
Art is a line around your thoughts.
~~ Gustav Klimt 1378 -- Joanna of Bourbon, not to be confused with Joanna of Rye or Scotch 1804 -- Joseph Priestley, chemist and theologian 1918 -- Gustav Klimt, painter and illustrator 1976 -- Vince Guaraldi, singer, songwriter and pianist 1981 -- Hugo Montenegro, composer and conductor 1990 -- Jimmy Van Heusen, pianist and composer 2007 -- Frankie Laine, singer, songwriter and actor 2011 -- Gary Moore, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer 2016 -- Dan Hicks, singer, songwriter and guitarist 2022 – Lata Mangeshkar, singer and music composer
Some Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such: International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (United Nations) Waitangi Day, celebrates the founding of New Zealand in 1840.
Today's Tunes
María Teresa Vera
George Brunies
Jair Rodrigues
Claudio Arrau
Willie Tee
Bob Marley
Richie Hayward
Kate McGarrigle
Bill Staines
Mike Batt
Natalie Cole (Gives erroneous song history, actually by Moe Kaufman, as an instrumental, Tito covered it on Swinging Shepherd Blues (Goes Latin) then Ella added vocals )
Simon Phillips
Axl Rose
Gordon Downie
Rick Astley
Anita Cochran
Vince Guaraldi
Hugo Montenegro
Jimmy Van Heusen
Frankie Laine
Gary Moore
Dan Hicks
Lata Mangeshkar
Bonus: Moe Kaufman
Tito Puente
Ella Fitzgerald added vocals
Ok, it's an open thread, so it's up to you folks now. So what's on your mind?
Cross posted from http://caucus99percent.com