Day Tripping: February 12

Genius, generational change, and grand jury

Welcome to my daily feature where each day on the calendar marks a part of our shared history.

We Were Warned Before

Albert Einstein is filmed making a public plea in 1950 for the “peaceful coexistence of nations”, warning the world against the use of the hydrogen bomb.

Now, why would anyone listen to a scientific genius? Some things never change.

A Beginning For Human Rights

On this day in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded. Dedicated to the advancement of civil rights for all people of colour in the United States, the NAACP has grown exponentially over the years to become a powerful lobbying voice in government, and a champion for the betterment of black lives.

Key elements to the organization's mandate are education, equal employment opportunity, and voting rights.

War Crimes Tribunal

In 2002, the United Nations begins trying Slobodan Milošević, former Serbian and Yugoslavian President for war crimes. His campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide during the late 1990s left hundreds of thousands of Bosnians dead and millions more homeless, as well as nearly a million Albanians.

After the Berlin wall fell in 1989, Milošević was considered the most dangerous man in the post-cold war, and the first European leader to be tried for war crimes. Four years into his prosecution at the Hague, Milošević died.

Musical Milestones

1967 — Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones are caught in a setup sting initiated by the British press, and are busted along with a naked Marianne Faithful for possession of “various substances of a suspicious nature”. To be fair, Faithful was wrapped in a rug.

1989 — Tiny Tim declares his candidacy to run for mayor of New York City. In retrospect, it doesn't seem any weirder than Rudy.

2016 — Kanye West did something, but I don’t actually care what.

Narratives

Norway’s National Gallery was broken into and burglars made off with Edvard Munch’s painting, The Scream.

Remembrance

German philosopher and proponent of enlightenment and ethics, Immanuel Kant died in 1804.

Anyone who ever grew up loving the Peanuts cartoon will know the mane, Charles M. Schulz who died on this day in 2000.

Notable Births

1809 — Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. There’s a joke in there somewhere, but two more influential figures in modern history would be difficult to match.

1939 — Keyboard player and co-founder of The Doors with his close friend Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek was a driving force behind the band’s sound and image.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article dedicated to the days of our history. I hope to see you tomorrow for another instalment.

Katie Wallace Maria Rattray Joseph M. Learned Maryam Merchant Dr Mehmet Yildiz Tree Langdon Myriam Ben Salem Phil Truman Chelsea Mandler MAT Terry Mansfield Hollie Petit, PhD.