July 18 - Gonzo covers Mandela

 On this day in 1937, a man was born who would become known as the 'gonzo journalist' is born.

You may know Hunter S Thompson because of the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas movie... did you know that he was a real person?

Then in 2009, the UN decided to honour Nelson Mandela with his own day... today.

Which is also Nelson's birthday.

February 11 - Surely a Science Graph is Freedom

 It was on this day that Nelson Mandela was released from his prison after 27 years.

After visiting the Museum of Human Rights and seeing the Mandela you really gain new appreciation for the suffering he went through.  

Another person who brought a lot of smiles was Leslie Nielsen.  Canadian actor you may remember from The Naked Gun or Airplane... he was born today in 1926.

Sadly, he passed in 2010.

This day in 1650 Rene Descartes passed away.  

He was a very well known mathematician and philosopher (in those days you tended to be both) and came up with the idea of how to plot integers on a plane - what we now call a cartesian plane.

He also coined the phrase "Cogito ergo sum" - I think therefore I am.

Speaking of some math and science, it's International Day of Women and Girls in Science.