John Stuart Mill ~ May 20, 1806 ~ May 8, 1873

John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 8 May 1873) was a British philosopher and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of utilitarianism, an ethical theory developed by Jeremy Bentham, although his conception of it was very different from Bentham's. Hoping to remedy the problems found in an inductive approach to science, such as confirmation bias, he clearly set forth the premises of falsification as the key component in the scientific method. Mill was also a Member of Parliament and an important figure in liberal political philosophy.

Image & text:wikipedia.com

JOHANNES BRAHMS ~ May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897

Photo:wvcommunityorchestra.com

One of my all-time favorite composers. As a young man he showed an uncanny resemblance to Bob Bruner, my college roommate, who is now Dean of the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. You can understand how Clara Schumann was smitten. I guess it really was the other way around. Still, he was then quite the catch.

PREMIERE OF BEETHOVEN'S NINTH SYMPHONY ~ May 7, 1824

Image: wikipedia.com

Ludwig van Beethoven was completely deaf when he composed his ninth symphony.

The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral" is the last complete symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the choral Ninth Symphony is one of the best known works of the Western repertoire, considered both an icon and a forefather of Romantic music, and one of Beethoven's greatest masterpieces.

Symphony No. 9 incorporates part of An die Freude ("Ode to Joy"), a poem by Friedrich Schiller written in 1785 (first published in 1786 in the poet's own literary journal, Thalia), with text sung by soloists and a chorus in the last movement. It is the first example of a major composer using the human voice on the same level with instruments in a symphony, creating a work of a grand scope that set the tone for the Romantic symphonic form.

Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 plays a prominent cultural role in the world today. In particular, the music from the fourth movement (Ode to Joy) was rearranged by Herbert von Karajan into what is now called the Anthem of Europe. Further testament to its prominence is that an original manuscript of this work sold in 2003 for $3.3 million USD at Sotheby's, London. Stephen Roe, the head of Sotheby's manuscripts department, described the symphony as "one of the highest achievements of man, ranking alongside Shakespeare’s Hamlet and King Lear."

Text courtesy: wikipedia.com

La Tour EIFFEL~ Official Opening May 6, 1889

Photo: Rudiger Wolk, Munster, Germany

The Eiffel Tower (French: Tour Eiffel, [tuʁ ɛfɛl]) is a 19th century iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris that has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The Eiffel Tower, which is the tallest building in Paris, is the single most visited paid monument in the world; millions of people ascend it every year. Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was built as the entrance arch for the 1889 World's Fair.

The tower stands 324 m (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-story building. It was the tallest man-made structure in the world from its completion until 1930, when it was eclipsed by the Chrysler Building in New York City. Not including broadcast antennas, it is the second-tallest structure in France, behind the Millau Viaduct, completed in 2004.

The tower has three levels for visitors. Tickets can be purchased to ascend either on stair or lift to the first and second levels. The walk to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the walk from the first to the second level. The third and highest level is accessible only by lift. Both the first and second levels feature restaurants.

The tower has become the most prominent symbol of both Paris and France, often in the establishing shot of films set in the city.

Image & text:wikipedia.com

CINCO de MAYO

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "Fifth of May") is a regional holiday in Mexico, primarily celebrated in the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.

The Battle was significant for at least two reasons. First, while outnumbered almost two-to-one, the Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army that had known no defeat for almost 50 years. Second, this battle was important because it would be "the last time that an army from another continent invaded the Americas. While significant, however, Cinco de Mayo is not an obligatory federal holiday in Mexico.

While Cinco de Mayo has limited or no significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. However, a common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day. Mexico's Independence Day is actually September 16 (dieciséis de septiembre in Spanish), which is the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.

Courtesy:wikipedia .com

BOYS' DAY in JAPAN ~ MAY 5th

Photo: wikipedia.com

Koinobori (The large carp at the top represents the father, the second carp represents the eldest son, and additional carp are added to represent each subsequent son with color and position denoting their relative age.)

Kodomo no Hi (こどもの日, meaning "Children's Day") is a Japanese national holiday which takes place annually on May 5, the fifth day of the fifth month, and is part of the Golden Week. It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness. It was designated a National holiday by the Japanese government in 1948.

The day was originally called Tango no Sekku (端午の節句 ), and was celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th moon in the lunar calendar or Chinese calendar. After Japan's switch to the Gregorian calendar, the date was moved to May 5th on the Gregorian calendar. The festival is still celebrated in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as the Duanwu Festival or Duen Ng Festival (Cantonese), in Korea as the Dano Festival, and Vietnam as the Tt Đoan Ng on the traditional lunar calendar date.

Sekku means a season's festival (there are five sekku per year). Tango no Sekku marks the beginning of summer or the rainy season.　Tan means "edge" or "first" and go means "noon."(It also means 5) In Chinese culture, the fifth month of the Chinese calendar was said to be a month for purification, and many rites that were said to drive away evil spirits were performed.

Until recently, Tango no Sekku was known as Boys' Day (also known as Feast of Banners) while Girls' Day (Hinamatsuri) was celebrated on March 3. In 1948, the government decreed this day to be a national holiday to celebrate the happiness of all children and to express gratitude toward mothers. It was renamed Kodomo no Hi. There is some concern that, despite its renaming, it is still Boys' Day and it is inappropriate that Boys' Day is a national holiday, while Girls' Day is not.

Before this day, families raise the carp-shaped koinobori flags (carp because of the Chinese legend that a carp that swims upstream becomes a dragon, and the way the flags blow in the wind looks like they are swimming), one for each boy (or child), display a Kintarō doll usually riding on a large carp, and the traditional Japanese military helmet, kabuto. Kintarō and the kabuto are symbols of a strong and healthy boy.

Text:wikipedia.com

KENT STATE MASSACRE ~ MAY 4, 1970

Photo: wikipedia.com

Description: Mary Ann Vecchio gestures and screams as she kneels by the body of a student, Jeffrey Miller, lying face down on the campus of Kent State University, in Kent, Ohio. On publication, the image was retouched to remove the fencepost above Vecchio's head.

Source: © 1970 Valley News-Dispatch
Date: 1970-05-04

Forty-three years ago, I had dropped out of college for a semester and was working in a small family grocery store next to the Yale Co-op. Yale was already on strike in support of the Black Panthers on trial at the courthouse by the New Haven Green. It was a strange time. I had a completely different perspective on things now that I wasn't living on campus. I was staying with a seventy-eight year old widow, Marie Bronson, Mrs. Clarence Bronson, whose husband had been Yale Class of 1900. Two of Mrs. B's daughters had been friends of my father when he was at Yale Divinity in the 1930's. Marie became one of my best friends.

On May 1st, President Nixon ordered the invasion of Cambodia (which ended up completely destabilizing that country). There were demonstrations and strikes on campuses all around the U.S. On May 4th the Ohio National Guard overreacted to demonstrations at Kent State University. The result is shown in the photograph above.