Yesterday marked the 954th anniversary of the epic Battle of Hastings. Norman invaders made hash of the Saxon army of England, eventually bringing us the modern English language as the two groups tried to get used to living with each other. 

Furthermore, if I mistake not, tomorrow is the 70th anniversary for a certain bookseries...

Apparently October 28 is National Chocolate Day in the US. Excuse me while I celebrate... 🙂

I think every day is National Chocolate Day at my house.  

Remember, remember ye 5th of November, 

Ye Gunpowder Treafon and Plotte, 

For I fee no reafon that gunpowder treafon

Should ever be forgott. 

A happy Guy Fawkes day to all!

(Hope my attempt at archaic spelling didn't throw anyone off).

@the-mad-poet It was already the 6th over here in the UK when you posted, but never mind, it's the thought that counts. (Quite a few fireworks being let off around here, even tonight as well as yesterday, despite us being in lockdown again.)

45 years ago tonight, the ore freighter Edmund Fitzgerald was lost with all 29 hands on Lake Superior when "the gales of November came early."

No doubt Gordon Lightfoot's ballad has introduced many people to this event over the years.

Some lighthouses along the Superior shore hold commemorative events each year, including Split Rock Lighthouse on Minnesota's North Shore (it's shown in my current avatar). The names are read and a ship's bell rung, and the beacon is lit. I attended this event with friends back in 2000 for the 25th anniversary. As you might imagine, the weather can be cold and raw - today, snow is expected here and along the North Shore.

14 November is the birthday of the heir to the British throne. Prince Charles was born in 1948  and became heir aged 3 in 1952 when his grandfather King George VI died, and his mother Queen Elizabeth II became monarch. So from then he has been learning, working and waiting. He is now 72.

Apollo 17, the last lunar landing mission, launched December 7, 1972, in a spectacular night liftoff.

RIP Chuck Yeager, the first man to exceed the speed of sound, who died yesterday at age 97.

Mark your calendars. Three years from today (April 8, 2024), a total solar eclipse crosses North America from central Mexico through the US to Toronto, Canada.

I am so excited about that solar eclipse. My oldest two kiddos STILL talk about the eclipse in 2017. And by the time we get to 2024, ALL of my kids should be old enough for it to be quite memorable.  

Ditto the excitement for this solar eclipse. I remember reading about it a few years ago and thinking how long away 2024 seemed. Now it doesn't! And it is wonderfully cool that this astronomical event falls on your birthday, stargazer!

It was so much fun watching totality with everyone in 2017, and I remember how excited your kids were. Here's to clear skies in 3 years!

On this date (April 12) in 1961, the Soviet Union's Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit the earth.

Happy fall, y'all!  

A day late, but yesterday was national coffee day. I might have had a couple cups of coffee to celebrate.  

Posted by: @snowangel

A day late, but yesterday was national coffee day.

Yep, got a free cup of coffee from my favorite location.