Paracultural Calendar for Feb 11

[Mark Thibodeau]

This day in *660 BC* is traditionally regarded as the foundation date of
Japan, led at the time by *Emperor Jimmu*.

***

On this day in *1531*, England's *King Henry VIII* is officially recognized
as supreme "head" of the Church in England, which is kind of ironic when
you consider the fate that befell most of his wives… not to mention their
heads.

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On this day in *1626*, *Emperor Susenyos I* of Ethiopia and Patriarch *Afonso
Mendes* declare the primacy of the Roman See over the Ethiopian Church, and
Roman Catholicism the state religion of Ethiopia.

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On this day in *1752*, Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital in the
United States, is opened by *Benjamin Franklin*.

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On this day in *1916*, trouble-maker extraordinaire *Emma Goldman* is
arrested for lecturing on birth control.

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On this day in *1929*, Fascist Italy and the Vatican sign the Lateran Treaty
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateran_Treaty>, which is still in effect to
this very day.

***

On this day in *1937*, a sit-down strike ends when *General Motors *recognizes
the *United Auto Workers*.

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On this day in *1938*, *BBC Television* produces the world's first ever
science fiction television program, an adaptation of a section of the *Karel
Čapek* play *R.U.R.*, that coined the term "robot". The show was aired
live, and only a few stills from the production survive.

***

On this day in *1942*, *Archie* and his gang make their comic book debut.
In their first adventure, *Betty* and *Veronica* vie for Archie's
affections, *Jughead* eats a lot, and *Reggie* hatches an unsuccessful
scheme. In other words, the publishers of Archie Comics have been
reprinting the *exact same story* over and over again for over half a
century.

***

On this day in *1953*, US President *Dwight D. Eisenhower* refuses a
clemency appeal for *Julius and Ethel Rosenberg*. They would soon fry for
passing on nuclear secrets to the Ruskies.

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On this day in *1978*, China lifts a ban on works by *Aristotle*, *William
Shakespeare* and *Charles Dickens*.

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On this day in *1979*, ABC airs *Elvis!* The wildly successful telefilm
starred *Kurt Russell* as the King of Rock and Roll, and was directed,
oddly enough, by horror movie master *John Carpenter*, better known for
such gruesome fare as *Halloween*, *The Thing* and *They Live*. 43 million
people watch the premiere airing of Elvis!, making it one of the most
popular films of the seventies, despite the fact that it was never shown in
theaters. Meanwhile, in Iran, an Islamic theocracy begins under the
leadership of *Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini*.

***

On this day in *1990*, after spending 27 years behind bars for his efforts
to end South African apartheid, freedom fighter *Nelson Mandela* is freed
from prison, finally allowing *Bono*, *Peter Gabriel* and *Sting* to move
on with their lives.

***

Also on this day in *1990*, mere days after the death of his mother (to
whom he dedicated the fight), *Buster Douglas* becomes the heavyweight
champion of the world when he beats the supposedly-unbeatable
cannibal/rapist *Iron Mike Tyson* with a stunning knock-out combination in
the tenth. This totally unexpected defeat leads to a complete breakdown for
the former champ, culminating exactly two years later (to the day), when
Iron Mike is convicted of raping beauty queen *Desiree Washington*. Yer old
pal Jerky doesn't care what anybody says, that was one of the greatest
heavyweight fights of all time.

***

On this day in *2011*, the first wave of the Egyptian revolution culminates
in the resignation of*Hosni Mubarak* and the transfer of power to the
Supreme Military Council after 18 days of protests. Things don't get much
better, sadly. Let's hope we can work things out at some point.
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