February 9 - Stream a Slice of Rebellion

 In 1775 those Brits saw what was happening in their colonies and decided, enough is enough - Massachusetts is in a 'state of rebellion'.

This starts off probably the real 'action' by allowing the soldiers in the colony to engage (read "shoot") rebels on sight.

Different times eh?

Let's just sit back and watch some Netflix and have a bit of 'za.

Which is good, that country that eventually formed after this rebellion now has a national "pizza day" and a national "cut the cord day".

It's also the love of my life's birthday today:

February 8 - Be safe and don't lose your head over what the crew proposes

 It was on this day in 1587 that the rival of the Queen of England:  Mary, Queen of Scots had been beheaded for treason.  

She had been arrested and sent for isolation since August of the previous year; then sentenced to death in October.  Yet, Elizabeth didn't sign the death warrant until a couple of days ago and this was the day she died.

In the picture, what's interesting is that they have fire going and they put Mary's clothes and anything from the scene in the fire after so that nobody could have any 'trinkets' to sell later.  16 years later when Elizabeth died, James (VI), Mary's son, became king of Scotland, England and Ireland.

All on a day that in India is known as "Propose Day".

In India it's apparently Valentine Week, where it's a week long display of your affections and this day is the day to propose.

Whether you're sending letters about a plot that eventually could get you executed or you're going to plan a proposal, you'll probably want to be safe on the internet and today is Safer Internet Day.

A day designed to help promote using our devices safely and respectfully.

Imagine if these devices were around during the Crue years... Today is Vince Neil's 61st birthday.

I imagine he had to have to had some crazy birthday parties.

Feb 7 - Tiptoe on a saddled deer

 If you see green and yellow on any sort of thing with an engine, chances are you'll recognize it as a Deere.  John Deere, the man who found the company, was born on this day in 1804.

That's a long time running for a company!

Almost the other end of working in the fields are the baleet dancers on the stage but they deserve a day too and it's the unofficial World Ballet Day.

The day seems to move around (pliet around?) but I found it according to one site.

One movie that didn't do a lot of tiptoeting around some awkward topics, but rather leaned in with humour:  Blazing Saddles.

I really liked that movie.

It came out in 1974 on this day.

February 4 - A shock that everybody hates cancer

 Yeah... F*ck Cancer man.

Today is World Cancer Day

Declared in 2008 and observed by the UN it's to raise awareness and reduce stigma for those affected by cancer..

The theme this year is "Close the Care Gap".

Definitely something we all can agree on, and that's important too as today is the International Day of Human Fraternity, which was only just first observed by the UN last year.

The day is set to promote the idea that we're all one people and we should have worldwide tolerance and just... get along.  Shocking idea.

The 'god of shock rock' was once known as Alice Cooper.

That brings me back to some 80s rock nostalgia.  The Rocker is 74 today.

February 3 - Spring Music

 There was this song.  American Pie - and a line in it about 'the day the music died'.  I thought it was just some line.

But, Don McLean was really referencing a point in history when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper went in an airplane ride together and they crashed.

3 big names in music at the time in 1959 was a big loss.

It's also the celebration of Setsubun in Japan - their division day between winter and spring.  

So officially it's the day before the first day of Spring.  So a time to clean out the evil spirits (by scattering beans) for a new year.  Apparently you can have a family member dress as an oni (a demon) and throw beans at them symbolically. 

Fun.

February 2nd - Wet Table Dog Hog

 Famously this day is known for the fact that we wait outside some hole and hope that some rodent doesn't see his shadow.

Known as Groundhog Day, the idea is that the groundhog can emerge from its winter slumber and if it sees its shadow, meaning no clouds, chances are that winter will keep happening for 6 more weeks.  If he does see his shadow, meaning there are clouds out, chances are spring will come early.

We've all probably seen the movie and the most famous being Punxsutawny Phil.  In studying this guy's powers of prognostication - they're lower than random chance.  I mean the first time they used him was 1887, so he's 135 years old.

Someone who did a lot of predicting was Dmitri Medeleev; who looked at the idea of what elements we knew, saw some patterns and predicted what ones we hadn't found yet would be like.  And then he arranged those in a table, now known as the Periodic Table of the Elements.

He died on this day in 1907 at the age of 72.

It's also World Wetlands Day.

Created in 1971 to help bring awareness to the protection of wetlands and their importance to our ecology and environment.

Not exactly a 'wetland', but it was on this day in 1925 that a series of dog sled runners finished a relay and were able to transport important medicine to Nome, Alaska.  This fast run/relay eventually turned itself into the Iditarod run; so some people celebrate today as Sled Dog Day.

Dean's always loved Husky dogs, maybe that's why today is his birthday.

Happy birthday bud.

February 1 - Force Scottish Spring

 It must be a drastically different part of the world over in Ireland, as they celebrate Imbolc, or Brigid's Day (St. Brigid that is) today as the 'beginning of Spring'...

Say whut?  Doesn't feel much like the start of spring yet.  It's a mixture, or a "Christianization" of the gaelic/pagan celebration.

Keeping with the Gaels and women, it was on this day in 1587 that Queen Elizabeth I had signed a death warrant for her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots.

Oh family.

Speaking of some strife, it was on this day that Canada moved to unify the 3 'branches' of the military: Navy, Army, Air into just "Canadian Forces".

Oddly enough, within the "Canadian Forces" there are still the branches called the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force (the original names of the divisions, but were changed to Land Force, Air Command and Maritime Command, but changed back in 2011) ... so ... I guess just having one group overseeing all kinda simplifies things for a government end?