February 20, 2019
Dearest Readers,
The end of Prohibition and John Glenn are featured in On This Date and Top of the Charts as the top songs and album from this date in 1965. Philosophy 101 uses a quote from J.C. Watts to talk about the American dream.
Thank you for stopping by, and have a reasonably good day.
xoxoxo
Kaitlyn
THE ALMANAC
On This Date:
In 1933 – Realizing it didn’t really stop anyone who wanted to from having a drink or three or four, the United States Congress approves the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, known as the Blaine Act, which would repeal the 18th Amendment, which prohibited the manufacture, sale or transportation of booze in the US. The 21st Amendment was ratified by the several states in December.
In 1962 – John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the earth, piloting the Mercury-Atlas spacecraft known as Friendship 7. Glenn spent a little less than five mostly uncomfortable hours in space and orbited the earth three times before splashing down in the North Atlantic Ocean. Friendship 7 is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Glenn would not return to space until a space shuttle mission in 1998, when he was 77.
Top of the Charts
#1 songs on this date in 1965:
Hot 100 – This Diamond Ring…Gary Lewis and the Playboys (1st of two weeks)
Soul Chart – My Girl…The Temptations (4th of six weeks)
Country Chart – I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail…Buck Owen (1st of five weeks)
Album Chart – Beatles ’65…The Beatles (7th of nine weeks)
– Chart data courtesy of Billboard.
Numbers Racket
10,652: the continuous number of days the US has been at war.
22.027: the number of dollars, in trillions, of America’s national debt. – Source: usdebtclock.org
629: days until Election Day 2020.
Philosophy 101
The American dream is not about money. It is about using your abilities and being the best you can be.
J.C. Watts
Republican National Convention
August 13, 1996
It’s easy to get caught up in money’s lure. Every day we are inundated with ways to make and spend money. People on TV are rich and we are led to believe that the accumulation of wealth is the only element to a good and successful life.
In reality, though, the dreams we American’s dream are not different than the dreams anyone anywhere dreams: we want to pass a happy life. We want to be free to live our lives as we see fit. Of course, some financial stability is nice because too little money causes problems just like too much money causes problems, but those who make the wholesale accumulation of wealth the primary objective of their life usually are not all that happy because money cannot buy one necessity of the soul.
Using our abilities and being the best we can be is not only a dream but an obligation: an obligation to ourselves and to others to make our time serve us by getting the most out of the talents we were issued at birth. When we do this, when we cultivate our talents with diligence and courage, we ensure we are being the most use to ourselves and everyone else. We ensure we are living the life we are meant to live, life’s great prize.
J.C. Watts was a United States Representative from Oklahoma’s 4th District from 1999-2003. He initially gained notoriety as the quarterback for the University of Oklahoma football team.