May 6

In a rather extreme example of an aggressive marketing campaign, on the 6th in 1937 the dirigible Hindenburg burst into flames while attempting a landing in Lakehurst, New Jersey. This was done so that Led Zeppelin could have a striking cover for their debut album.

May 5

Kublai Khan was an over-achiever of the most obnoxious sort. On the 5th in 1260, he became ruler of the Mongol Empire. Immediately upon assuming the post, in Xanadu he decreed a stately pleasure-dome, thus breathing new life into Coleridge’s rather disappointing career.

May 4

On the 4th in 1865, Abraham Lincoln was buried in Springfield, Missouri. Taking into consideration that Honest Abe was assassinated on the 15th of April, in an era that pre-dates reliable refrigeration, my guess is that he was just a little ripe at the time of the service.

May 3

Whatever else he may have been, Lord Byron must have been quite a swimmer, because on the 3rd in 1810 while touring Asia Minor he successfully swam the Hellespont, from Sestos to Abydos. A remarkable accomplishment, even if you are mad, bad and dangerous to know.

May 2

When I look at the current state of affairs in the ethical constitutions of the people currently heading sensitive government agencies, I find myself troubled by our president’s high turnover rate among his appointments. I also find myself troubled by the revolving door in the offices of high-level appointees. I would feel much more comfortable if there was at least the appearance of stability. You might say that I am yearning for the safety and assurances that accompany things that could only have happened in a world long before the advent of the post-9/11 disaster. Consider if you will, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, that happy breeding ground of extreme paranoia. John Edgar Hoover became that newly created bureau’s first director with his appointment on the 10th in 1924. Hoover remained steadfastly at the helm until he finally died on the 2nd in 1972. While there have long been rumors of Hoover’s fondness for wearing women’s clothing I am less troubled by those then other hallmarks of his time in the directorship because he certainly had the legs for it.

May 1

Happily, it is only on very rare occasions that I find myself carousing in the surprisingly exotic world of entomology. In those moments when I do find myself there, it is even rarer that I consider my time among the little, rather creepy, buggers that invariably inhabit that shockingly small and consistently dismal world worthwhile or anything other than uncomfortably bizarre. There are, however, instances when I find myself pleasantly surprised to discover some little treat which makes me grateful that an inadvertent step has led me there. For instance; on the 1st of May in 1830, the first cricket match was held in the United States. I must confess that I had absolutely no idea that the cousins of both the grasshoppers and the katydids had such an interest in athletics.

May

The May issue of the Symzonia Review is now available. It contains, as expected, an entry for each day of the month. To receive a copy just send $4.50 to Dean Perchik
7103 Third Avenue #315
Brooklyn, New York 11209

April 30

Paul Eugen Bleuler, a notable Swiss psychiatrist, was born on the 30th in 1857. He is perhaps best known for his contributions to the understanding of mental illness and for the naming of schizophrenia. Bleuler also introduced the term ambivalence. I have read some of his work and personally, I can take it or leave it.