Helen Keller is an American author and political activist. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The story of how Keller’s teacher broke through the isolation and helped her learn to communicate is the basis for the play and film The Miracle Worker. A prolific author, Keller was outspoken in her opposition to war and campaigned for women’s suffrage, workers’ rights and socialism.
Helen Keller is one of a trio of American women activists (along with Clara Barton and Harriet Tubman) that recently appeared to my girlfriend in a dream.
Clara Barton was a pioneer American teacher, patent clerk, nurse and humanitarian. During the American Civil War and many subsequent international wars, Barton tended to wounded soldiers. In 1881, she founded and became the first president of the American Red Cross, a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization.
Clara Barton is one of a trio of American women activists (along with Harriet Tubman and Helen Keller) that recently appeared to my girlfriend in a dream.
Harriet Tubman is one of a trio of American women activists (along with Clara Barton and Helen Keller) that recently appeared to my girlfriend in a dream.
A prominent American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women’s rights movement to introduce women’s suffrage into the United States. She was one of the important advocates in leading the way for women’s rights to be acknowledged and instituted in the American government. She died on this day in 1906 at age 86.
An American martial artist and actor. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, he rose to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do. As a result of his “tough guy” image, an Internet phenomenon began in 2005 known as Chuck Norris facts, ascribing various implausible or even impossible feats to Norris. He was born tomorrow in 1940.
The leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain (Wallowa) band of Nez Perce (or Niimíipu) during General Oliver O. Howard’s attempt to forcibly remove “non-treaty” Nez Perce from the Wallowa Valley of northeastern Oregon to a reservation in Idaho during the late 1800s. For his principled resistance to the removal, Chief Joseph became renowned as a humanitarian and peacemaker. He was born yesterday in 1840.
With apologies to Kurt Vonnegut: This is I. This is me. This is the author of this site. Today I am celebrating 365 days of pixel art with my most self-indulgent 8-bit character of all. I was born on this day in 1979. This year on 3/3 I celebrate 33 revolutions around the sun. For many years I called Pennsylvania home, but I’ve lived in Oregon since 2001. My three cats are Eli, Tanuki and The King.
Theodor Seuss Geisel is an American writer, poet and cartoonist known for his children’s books written under the pen name Dr. Seuss. His children’s books include Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and 43 more. His picture books are often characterized by imaginative characters, rhyme and frequent use of trisyllabic meter. Geisel was born on this day in 1904.
Note: Geisel’s birthday has been adopted as the annual date for National Read Across America Day, an initiative on reading created by the National Education Association. “Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living,” said Dr. Seuss.
Happy Leap Year! This special occasion deserves a purple squirrel. These rare creatures show up in the media about once every four years. There was a sighting in Pennsylvania earlier this month, in southern England in 2008 and in Minnesota in 1997. Most guesses about how a gray squirrel ends up colored purple involve exposure to dye, ink or paint.
Note: There is a more terrifying hypothesis posed by Krish Pillai, a Pennsylvania computer science professor. He suggests bromine-contaminated groundwater from fracking operations: “That color looks very much like Tyrian purple. It is a natural organobromide compound seen in molluscs and rarely found in land animals. The squirrel has too much bromide in its system possibly from all the bromide laced frack water its been drinking.”
Linus Pauling was an American chemist, biochemist, peace activist and author. He ranks among the most important scientists of the 20th century. Pauling was one of the first scientists to work in the fields of quantum chemistry and molecular biology. A graduate of Oregon State University and winner of two Nobel Prizes, he was born on this day in 1901 in Portland, Oregon.
P.S. “Do unto others 20% better than you would expect them to do unto you, to correct for subjective error.” – Linus Pauling
Mister Rogers was an American educator, Presbyterian minister, songwriter, author and television host. Rogers created and hosted Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (1968-2001), which featured his gentle, soft-spoken personality and directness to his audiences. As a kid in the 1980s, I watched countless episodes of his show on PBS. He died on this day in 2003.
P.S. “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.” – Fred Rogers
An artificial intelligence in Arthur C. Clarke’s science fiction Space Odyssey saga and the primary antagonist in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. HAL (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) is visually represented as a red television-camera eye located on equipment panels throughout the Discovery One spaceship.
The fictional protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials. The character first appeared in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Jones, most famously played by Harrison Ford, is notable for his knowledge of ancient civilizations and languages, his iconic fedora and his fear of snakes.
This character is dedicated to a friend’s future goblin, who will be named Indiana Jones regardless of gender.
A controversial artist and leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. Warhol’s works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture and advertisement. His studio (The Factory) was a famous gathering place that brought together distinguished intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, Bohemian street people, Hollywood celebrities and wealthy patrons. He died on this day in 1987.
Happy Presidents Day! I think we’re supposed to be observing George Washington’s birthday today. Though some say the holiday is meant to commemorate all U.S. Presidents, or at least honor Washington and Abraham Lincoln and/or Thomas Jefferson. Whatever. I still have to go to work today. As the Good Doctor would say, “Mahalo.”
Pon de Lion is the most popular mascot of the Mister Donut fast food franchise, which is owned by the same parent company as Dunkin’ Donuts. This character, a lion with a mane shaped like a “pon de ring” doughnut, is one of a set of doughnut-based mascots (marketed as “Pon de Lion & His Sweet Friends”). In Japan, Pon de Lion has become more recognizable than the actual Misdo logo (a moustachioed chef).
The Bride from the two-part Kill Bill action/thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Played by Uma Thurman, Kiddo is a former member of an elite, shadowy group of assassins. Codenamed “Black Mamba,” she is a master of the tiger-crane style of kung fu and has learned the deadly Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique.
An American film actor and cultural icon. He is best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which he starred as a troubled Los Angeles teenager. Dean’s enduring fame is due to his performances in just three films. His death in a car crash at age 24 cemented his legendary status. He was born on this day in 1931.
The little boy in the red snowsuit from the 1962 children’s picture book The Snowy Day by American author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats. In the story, a boy named Peter explores his New York neighborhood after the first snowfall. Keats’s inspiration for Peter came from photos of a little black boy published in a Life magazine photo article from 1940.
Helen Keller – No. 376
Helen Keller is an American author and political activist. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The story of how Keller’s teacher broke through the isolation and helped her learn to communicate is the basis for the play and film The Miracle Worker. A prolific author, Keller was outspoken in her opposition to war and campaigned for women’s suffrage, workers’ rights and socialism.
Helen Keller is one of a trio of American women activists (along with Clara Barton and Harriet Tubman) that recently appeared to my girlfriend in a dream.