3/20 - Vernal Equinox, Ostara, Mabon

The Vernal Equinox is the astronomical beginning of spring, when the hours of daylight and the hours of night are approximately equal. The wiccan holiday Ostara celebrates the Vernal (or spring) Equinox. Because the seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere, the wiccan holiday Mabon which celebrates the Autumnal Equinox applies south of the equator.

The FDA approved the drug AZT to combat AIDS on March 20, 1987. It took them 6 years to approve something that would neither cure nor prevent the disease, but simply ameliorate it some. Meanwhile, assorted religious bodies were able to outlaw to their adherents the use of condoms to actually prevent the spread of the disease in a matter of days. Some anti-condom warriors were elevated to somewhat high status. Since then tens of millions have died of AIDS related causes and some 38 million people have HIV. Something to think about.

Heh, it is Atheist Pride Day. That's just so sick I can't think of anything to do with it. "One Atheist, under god ...", wait! that's not how that goes at all, or shouldn't be, at any rate. Every time I try to attend some government meeting, committee, or hearing it turns out that it starts with a revival meeting. I'm not sitting through that. I just can't figure out what we're supposed to be proud of, national prayer day? Nah, that can't be it. Ah, I got it, only seven states clearly, expressly prohibit us from holding office, only 14%, W00t. /RANT

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On this day in history:

1815 -- Napoleon Bonaparte's "Hundred Days" rule began. 1852 -- Uncle Tom's Cabin was published 1883 -- The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property was signed 1896 – The Qing dynasty post office opened, marking the beginning of a postal service in China. 1915 -- Einstein's general theory of relativity was published. 1923 -- Pablo Picasso's first US showing took place 1926 – Chiang Kai-shek initiated a purge of communist elements within the National Revolutionary Army in Guangzhou (The Canton Coup) 1948 – The first telecasts of classical music in the United States, (under Eugene Ormandy and Arturo Toscanini), are given on CBS and NBC. 1952 -- The US Senate ratified a peace treaty with Japan 1956 -- Tunisia gained its freedom from France 1985 -- Libby Riddles was the first woman to win the Iditarod 1987 -- The FDA approved AZT to fight AIDS 1995 -- The Aum Shinrikyo cult staged a sarin gas attack in Tokyo 2003 -- Shrub's coalition of the witless invaded Iraq on false pretenses

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Some people who were born on this day:

Happy is the man who has broken the chains which hurt the mind, and has given up worrying once and for all.

~~ Ovid

43 BCE -- Ovid, poet 1612 -- Anne Bradstreet, Puritan poet, first woman published in England's American colonies 1811 -- George Caleb Bingham, luminist painter 1821 -- Ned Buntline, journalist, author, publisher, and know-nothing leader 1824 – Theodor von Heuglin, explorer and ornithologist 1828 -- Henrik Ibsen, poet, playwright, and director 1840 -- Illarion Pryanishnikov, painter 1856 -- John Lavery, painter 1884 -- Philipp Frank, physicist, mathematician, and philosopher, Vienna Circle member, Philosophy of Science 1879 – Maud Menten, physician and biochemist 1890 -- Beniamino Gigli, tenor and actor 1904 -- B. F. Skinner, psychologist and author, pigeon fancier 1906 -- Ozzie Nelson, actor and bandleader 1915 -- Sister Rosetta Tharpe, singer, songwriter and guitarist 1917 -- Vera Lynn, singer 1918 -- Marian McPartland, pianist and composer, Jazz Master, founded Halcyon Records 1922 -- Larry Elgart, saxophonist and bandleader 1925 -- John Ehrlichman, lawyer, criminal, Nixonian scumbag 1928 -- James P. Gordon, physicist and engineer, designed & built first maser. 1928 -- Fred Rogers, Mister Rogers. 1934 -- Willie Brown, lawyer, and politician 1935 – Bettye Washington Greene, chemist 1936 – Lee "Scratch" Perry, singer, songwriter, music producer, and inventor 1936 -- Harold Mabern, jazz pianist and composer 1937 -- Jerry Reed, singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actor 1939 -- Don Edwards, guitarist, singer, and songwriter 1939 -- Walter Jakob Gehring, biologist and academic 1948 -- Nikos Papazoglou, singer and songwriter, formed band named oblique order 1949 – Marcia Ball, blues singer-songwriter and pianist 1950 -- Carl Palmer, drummer and songwriter 1951 – Jimmie Vaughan, blues-rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist 1955 -- Ian Moss, guitarist, singer, & songwriter 1955 – Mariya Takeuchi, singer and songwriter 1964 – Natacha Atlas, singer and songwriter 1968 – Ultra Naté, singer, songwriter, record producer, DJ, and promoter 1976 – Chester Bennington, singer-songwriter, producer, and actor 1995 – Kei, singer

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Some people who died on this day:

It's not that the Irish are cynical. It's rather that they have a wonderful lack of respect for everything and everybody.

~~ Brendan Behan

1726 -- Isaac Newton, physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher 1878 – Julius Robert von Mayer, physician and physicist 1964 -- Brendan Behan, Irish republican, poet, novelist, short story author and playwright 1983 – Ivan Matveyevich Vinogradov, mathematician and academic 1993 – Polykarp Kusch, physicist and academic, 2018 – C. K. Mann, a Highlife musician and producer 2020 – Kenny Rogers, singer

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Some Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days, Days of Recognition, and such: Ostara (Northern Hemishpere) Mabon (Southern Hemishpere) Vernal Equinox Atheist Pride Day Extraterrestrial Abduction Day National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day International Day of Happiness coincides with Act Happy Day New Year (Thelema) Feast of the Supreme Ritual (Thelema) That does it, 2, count them, 2 Thelemic Holidays. This calls for

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Today's Tunes

Beniamino Gigli

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