May 27

Hubert Horatio Humphrey, the last Happy Warrior, and the 38th vice-president of the United States, was born in the 27th in 1911. Apparently, Humphrey was a glutton for punishment. After leaving office in 1969, he returned to the halls of academia. After teaching briefly at Macalester College and the University of Minnesota; followed by a brief stint with the Encyclopaedia Britannica, he again returned to public service as a senator and served in the 92nd, 93rd, 94th and a portion of the 95th congresses.

May 26

Darwin’s place in history is undeniably secure. His Origin of Species dramatically turned the world upside down. While today his theories seem a commonplace, when he published his work the effect was truly astounding. Did Darwin’s work spring fully formed from his pen on to the written page? I think not. In the late 1700s James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, proposed the theory that humans were evolved from primates, specifically the orangutan. Monboddo also believed that humans were born with tails but that midwives removed the appendages at birth. While in his sunset years he would disavow this theory, you have to give him credit for at least thinking it all through. Lord Monboddo died on the 26th in 1799.

May 25

On the 25th in 1961, President Kennedy convened a joint session of Congress. By itself, this would hardly be a remarkable event because for the most part, what Presidents have to say is generally neither terribly helpful nor interesting. His reason for holding the session however assured JFK’s place in the pantheon of truly great visionary presidents. During the session, he revealed his belief “that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” In documents from his administration that have only recently been de-classified, it is revealed that the man Kennedy had in mind was none other than Lyndon Baines Johnson.

May 24

If pressed, I will confess to still being an ardent Marxist. To you this might seem to be a bit out of date. That may be, but I remain steadfast in my convictions and there is little anyone can say that will shake my beliefs. Why, you may well ask. The answer is really quite simple. On the 24th in 1929 The Cocoanuts, starring the Marx Brothers was released.

May 23

Our modern political apparatus seems to be a bit plodding at times. Personally, I yearn for simpler times when a person could see immediate results from their actions. There was a time when national political agendas were dealt with in very expeditious ways. Take for example the Second Defenestration of Prague, which took place at Prague Castle on the 23rd in 1618, when two Imperial Governors, Wilhelm Graf Slavata and Jaraslav Borzita Graf von Martinicz, and their scribe Philip Fabricius were simply tossed out of the Castle’s windows. The three tumbled 50 feet on to a large pile of horse poop. This act ushered in the Thirty Years War. Apparently, the people of Prague were getting lazy with the passage of time, because in the First Defenestration of Prague, on July 30, 1419, seven of the town’s council members were tossed out windows onto the raised spears of the assembled rabble. Messy? Generally speaking, quite messy. Effective? Perhaps. There can be no denying of the fact that these tactics produce plainly observable results in a timely manner. Nevertheless, upon quiet, sober reflection, I think that I am safe in saying, without fear of contradiction, that defenestration of political rivals probably isn’t a particularly good idea. Unless, of course, someone double dares you to do it.

May 22

It should be apparent to even the most casual of observers that the world of politics can at times be just a tad contentious. I think, however, contemporary politicians have a long way to go before they surpass their predecessors. On the 22nd in 1856, Preston Brooks (pictured at right)), a congressman from South Carolina, beat Senator Charles Sumner with a cane in a hallway of the United States Senate.

May 21

Everyone needs a goal, something that gives him or her a target to shoot for. If you consider yourself among those who want desperately to get in shape (confidentially, I cannot number myself among that crew) then I think I have a goal you might want to consider. On the 21st in 2004, Sherpa Pemba Dorje reached the summit of Mount Everest in 8 hours and 10 minutes, not merely eclipsing the previous record, but shattering it. The previous record set in 2003, with a time of 18 hours and 20 minutes set by Lakpa Gelu, yet another Sherpa.