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Almanac - Monday 2/22/21

Ishmael Reed at Litquake Barbary Coast Award to Lawrence Ferlinghetti & City Lights 2010, by flickr user

Today is Ishmael Reed's birthday...

Today is Monday, the 22nd of February of 2021...

It is the 53rd day of the year.

312 days remain until the end of the year

27 days until spring begins

The sun rises at 6:49 am

and the sun sets at 5:58 pm.

We will have 11 hours and 9 minutes of daylight today.

The solar transit will be at 12:23 pm.

The first low tide will be at 12:45 am at 3.31 feet

The first high tide will be at 6:16 am at 5.57 feet

The next low tide at 1:52 pm at zero point 13 feet

and the final high tide at Ocean Beach in San Francisco at 9:06 pm at 4.47 feet.

Be Humble Day

European Day for Victims of Crime

George Washington's Birthday

National Cook a Sweet Potato Day

National Margarita Day

National Wildlife Day

Play More Cards Day

Recreational Sports & Fitness Day

Scouts Founder's Day

Walking the Dog Day

World Thinking Day

Today is also...

On this day in Black History...

Feb 22, 1841 Grafton Tyler Brown, lithographer and painter, born

The athlete and boxer Abe Attell , byname the Little Champ was born February 22, 1884, San Francisco, California

– On this day in 1888, legendary painter Horace Pippin was born

Feb 22, 1898
Black postmaster lynched and his wife and three daughters shot and maimed for life in Lake City, S.C.

– On this day in 1911, poet, activist, and social reformer Frances Ellis Watkins Harper died

Robert Smalls died in Beaufort, Texas on February 22, 1915 and is buried there with his family.
Robert Smalls (April 5, 1839 – February 23, 1915) was an American politician, publisher, businessman, and naval pilot. Born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina, he freed himself, his crew, and their families during the American Civil War by commandeering a Confederate transport ship, CSS Planter, in Charleston harbor, on May 13, 1862, and sailing it from Confederate-controlled waters of the harbor to the U.S. blockade that surrounded it. He then piloted the ship to the Union-controlled enclave in Beaufort-Port Royal-Hilton Head area, where it became a Union warship. His example and persuasion helped convince President Abraham Lincoln to accept African-American soldiers into the Union Army.

    1933 – Ernie K-Doe, American R&B singer (d. 2001)

Feb 22, 1937
Washington State politician George Fleming was born February 22, 1937, in Dallas, Texas,
In the early 60s, George Fleming was a professional football player, who played for a number of teams including the Oakland Raiders.  In 1968, George Fleming was elected to the Washington House of Representatives.  Two years later in 1970 he was the first African American to be elected to the Washington State Senate.  While in the Senate he g was an advocate for the underprivileged, a state Martin Luther King Day holiday, control of illicit drugs, improvements in the quality of education, small business and economic development, and civil rights.  He also fought to improve the quality of nursing homes for senior citizens and was an advocate of low income housing and emergency meals and shelter for the homeless.  George Fleming retired in 1990 after twenty two years of service in the state legislature.

– On this day in 1938, poet Ishmael Reed was born

– On this day in 1950, legendary basketball player Julius “Dr J” Erving was born

– On this day in 1989, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince won the first rap Grammy for their single “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”

Also on this day in history...

    1856 – The United States Republican Party opens its first national convention in Pittsburgh.

    1878 – In Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many of five-and-dime Woolworth stores.

    1973 – Cold War: Following President Richard Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China, the two countries agree to establish liaison offices.

    1997 – In Roslin, Midlothian, British scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly has been successfully cloned.

And if today is your birthday, Happy Birthday To You!  You share this special day with...

    1732 – George Washington, American general and politician, 1st President of the United States (d. 1799)

    1788 – Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher and author (d. 1860)

    1857 – Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, English general, co-founded The Scout Association (d. 1941)

    1857 – Heinrich Hertz, German physicist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1894)

    1889 – Olave Baden-Powell, English scout leader, first World Chief Guide (d. 1977)

    1892 – Edna St. Vincent Millay, American poet and playwright (d. 1950)

    1900 – Luis Buñuel, Spanish-Mexican director and producer (d. 1983)

    1907 – Sheldon Leonard, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1997)

    1918 – Don Pardo, American radio and television announcer (d. 2014)

    1925 – Edward Gorey, American illustrator and poet (d. 2000)

    1930 – Marni Nixon, American soprano and actress (d. 2016)

    1932 – Ted Kennedy, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (d. 2009)

    1933 – Ernie K-Doe, American R&B singer (d. 2001)

    1938 – Ishmael Reed, American poet, novelist, essayist

    1942 – Christine Keeler, English model and dancer (d. 2017)

    1943 – Terry Eagleton, English philosopher and critic

    1955 – David Axelrod, American journalist and political adviser

    1962 – Steve Irwin, Australian zoologist and television host (d. 2006)

    1975 – Drew Barrymore, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter