NetNacs! WebBits March 2005

WebBits

March 2005

March Through Time
by JJ Oakley

I was sitting at the desk about 3:30 AM this morning for no good purpose that a reasonable person would understand,
when it occurred to me that March was upon us. I was actually studying some information on the fall of the Alamo, which occurred on March 6, 1836.

Now lets see.

March 1st in History
1780: Pennsylvania becomes the first American state to abolish slavery
1932: The baby son of Charles Lindbergh is kidnapped
1954: First American hydrogen bomb test on the island of Bikini
1966: First ever (crash) landing on Venus took place by the soviet probe Venus 3
1978: Coffin of Charles Chaplin stolen, only months after being buried

March 1st birthdays
1810: Frederic Chopin, Polish composer
1902: Langston Hughes, American poet
1904: Glenn Miller, American bandleader
1910: David Niven, Scottish actor
1927: Harry Belafonte, American singer
1954: Ron Howard, American director

If you happen to live in Alaska then you might want to look to the sky, March is one of the better months to go outside to see the northern lights. The sky is often clear and yet it can be warm enough to enjoy staying out more than a few minutes.

There is a tendency for better auroras in fall and spring. Though the aurora occurs year round over Fairbanks, by mid-April the sky is too light to see the aurora. The best times to watch are between 9:00 pm and 2:00 am, but the aurora can appear anytime during the nights.

Now, the flower of the month is Daffodils are a sunny promise of spring. And I always think of the Roger's & Hammerstein song from the musical Carousel... 'March went out like a Lion whipping up the water in the bay.'

If one were into mythology, then we know that March is named after Mars, the god of war. He was the father of those two boys Romulus and Ramous, you know the ones who were supposed to have been suckled at birth by a wolf, and later found Rome on its seven hills. Oh yeah, March is also the first month on the Roman Calendar.

This month is National Woman's History Month, and that should not be forgotten. The 2005, Women's History Month theme, "Women Change America," honors and recognizes the role of American women in transforming culture, history and politics as leaders, writers, scientists, educators, politicians, artists, historians, and informed citizens.

March is designated... National Nutrition Month . . . so be aware of what you are eating, which should be every month.

Now, a personal note...

I received a call from my son-in-law around 1:30PM (10:30PM in Ramadi, Iraq). He is serving with the 10th Marine Division there. Tim lives in a tent outside the Palace of Saddam's two deceased son's. He is spending this month driving convoys of Marines through the countryside looking for IED's (Improvise Explosive Devices). Whatever your thoughts on the politics of our occupation of this area, we must remember that the American troops are not politicians. They are defenders of the United States and her allies. We should all take a moment and be thankful for the many blessings that we have, and for our men and women of the armed forces. So, this writer declares the month of March to be Soldier Awareness Month.

John Oakley (JJ)
WebBits Editor

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