Day Tripping: February 23
Accusations, Agreements, and Antibodies
Welcome to my daily feature where each day on the calendar marks a part of our shared history.
Damning Them With Words
In his “J’accuse” letter to the President of France in 1898, novelist Emile Zola exposed anti-Semitism as the catalyst for arresting and wrongly jailing Alfred Dreyfus, a French officer charged with giving military secrets to Germany. Dreyfus is eventually exonerated for all charges of treason and spying in what became known as the Dreyfus Affair. It took eight years to clear his name.
Zola’s open letter scandalizing the French judicial system for trying a decorated military officer with no evidence sees Zola himself tried and found guilty for libel on this day, for which he was immediately imprisoned.
Doing The Deal
In accordance with the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty and the newly established Republic of Panama, the United States is granted control of the Panama Canal Zone. The U.S. Government pays Panama $10 million in 1904 to acquire these rights and begins work on the project that will bridge the shipping line between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The United States would return control of the canal to Panama at the end of 1999.
Destroying A Disease
Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh is the sight of the first test inoculations of Dr. Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine in 1954. Students of the school where Salk ran his lab are the first group mass vaccinations after the doctor had previously tested the serum on his family and himself.
Rather than protests of any kind from ani-vaccers, the American public’s only concern was how quickly every child in America could be inoculated. Thanks to Jonas Salk and his team’s work, Polio is a disease that has been eradicated for those with access to the vaccine.
Musical Milestones
Carlos Santana wins eight Grammy awards for the album, Supernatural. After twenty-eight years as a premier rock group, it’s the first record od his band to reach the top of the Billboard chart.
Narratives
The London Times newspaper, the first to use the ‘Times’ name published the first classified advertisement in 1884. So, if you want someone to blame for Craigslist and Kijiji, there ya go.
Remembrance
One half of the much-loved comedic duo Laurel & Hardy, English funnyman Stan Laurel passed away in 1965. An accomplished film director before meeting his comedic partner, he joined Hardy on screen at first as a fill in. Laurel refused to appear in films or television again after Oliver Hardy died eight years earlier, too distraught by the loss of his friend.
Notable Births
1940 —Easy Rider producer and costar, son of Henry and brother of Jane, Peter Fonda was born.
1944 — Born with albinism, Johnny Winter overcame his impediment to becoming one of Rolling Stone’s 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Winter also worked as a producer for blues great Muddy Waters.
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.
K. Barrett 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. Terry Trueman Dr Preeti Singh John Gruber Bill Abbate