This Thursday 25th April will be Anzac Day, which is the day Australia and New Zealand remember their war dead and all those who served in conflicts.

It is the date of the Gallipoli battle, which the combined troops (the ANZACs) were an important part of. It is a public holiday - and if it falls on a weekend, the following Monday is a holiday.

(We don't observe Remembrance Day on 11 November).

This Friday, June 7th, is one of my favorites. National Donut Day! Woohoo! We actually have a place here in town that gives away a free donut.

YES!! I'm pretty sure Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts are both doing something like that. So that means MORE SUGAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also, June 6 marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Fly the flags!

Oooh, I looked it up! Dunkin Donuts is, indeed, giving out a free donut with a beverage purchase! What a good excuse for an after-work donut date! Thank you, National Donut Day!

This has already been mentioned, but I thought I'd mention it again today:
75 years ago, the Allied British and American forces crossed over the English Channel to liberate France and defend the freedom of the rest of the world. They crossed in unstable landing craft, some of which capsized, and came under heavy fire from the Germans on the shore. They dropped out of planes while being shot at from below as they parachuted down. Over 9,000 men- some in their teens, with their whole lives ahead of them- gave their lives in the invasion of Normandy. And ahead of them lay months of bitter, miserable fighting in freezing weather and constant danger, before the war would be over.
And they did this for us. I genuinely feel so unworthy to talk about what they went through- I may never know all the horrors they saw, and I will at least in part owe that to these men, many of whose lives were ruined or taken away so that we today could be free. I literally have tears in my eyes writing this. Think about this and see if you don't cry.
If you meet a veteran, especially a WWII veteran, please make sure to thank them. Today is their day, and we won't have too many of these men (and women) of the Greatest Generation with us much longer.

Thanks, Cleander. Yes, it's been very special over here in UK too.
The veterans of WW2 are now in their 90s, and not many are still with us.

(My own dad was called up in early 1943 aged 18, but served in a different part of the world, in the British Army)

My great uncle actually lied about his age (at 17) to get into the US army. He was among the replacements that followed the invasion force, and fought in the battle of the Bulge. During the battle he and his patrol were ambushed by German tanks hidden in haystacks, and he was critically wounded, losing two fingers and part of his stomach. He went back to a hospital in Britain before returning to America, and lived into his 90s.
He never spoke to the family much about the war, and the story was really known only when my grandmother unearthed a military record of his service.

My father served in the Navy in the Pacific Theatre in WWII, and like many of his generation he didn't like to talk about it much when we tried to hear war stories from him.

Speaking of the Pacific, today (June 7) marks the 77th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Midway, considered an important Allied victory just months after the devastation of Pearl Harbor.

(Side note: the date and time of the D-Day invasion was influenced greatly by the phase of the Moon, its rising and setting times, and its effects on the tides. The Allies wanted enough light to see by and a low enough tide to remove some of the beach obstacles. Read more about it here).

Today June 21st is summer solstice for the Northern Hemisphere. Hello, summer! In my opinion the first day of summer should be celebrated with ice cream preferably with fudge sauce.

SnowAngel

Welcome to summer! (or winter, depending on your hemisphere).

Overhead on a local TV weathercast: "Today is the longest day of the year," followed by the length of daylight down to the second. Then he added, "We lose two seconds of daylight Saturday. Better warm up the snowblowers."

The other anchors groaned. "Too soon," one said, especially since we had snow into May.

June 22 is a date remembered in my country. Germany invaded the fortress of Brest in Belarus and WWII started in Russia. Not the happiest of dates, but to me it's still an important one.

Well, "This Day in History" informs me that on this date in 1498 the Chinese invented the toothbrush using boar bristles.
Truly a turning point in history!
Also looks like us Americans have a national holiday coming up. Yes, the time has come once more to celebrate our independence from China. (Just kidding. I know we broke away from Canada. )
Seriously, there are a lot of people in the U.S. who don't have any idea what the 4th of July is all about. Check out this video for some hilarious examples: https://www.inquisitr.com/1333254/there ... oves-this/
Sad, but funny.

On this day in 1863, the largest battle of the American Civil War was begun near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The decisive Union victory after a three-day struggle ended the final attempt by the Confederates to invade the North. The war would continue for two more years, but this battle was the turning point after which the North began making progress toward eventual victory.
Gotta watch Gettysburg some time...

Happy Independence Day, ya'll!

Saturday is the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing! Anyone here who watched it live? (Or shortly thereafter?)