Day Tripping: June 15

Intentions, Inventions, and Interrements

Original Agreement

At Runnymede in England near Windsor, King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215. The Great Charter of Freedoms written by the Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton, is widely recognized as the original template for rights and freedoms, and an introduction to the rule of law. Its history stems from the time of William the Conqueror who ruled with virtual impunity, causing the barons who helped him gain the throne in 1066 to revolt and declare civil war.

Though it was amended over several decades, the Magna Carta is the first document to make Kings and leaders subject to the same laws as ordinary people. It is still considered one of the greatest constitutional documents in history.

When It Hit The Road

When he accidentally dropped a piece of India rubber mixed with sulfur on a hot stove, Charles Goodyear had discovered the process of vulcanization. In 1844, he patented his vulcanized rubber process and changed more than just the automobile industry. Still, after being granted a US patent, Goodyear was forced to defend his invention against others who claimed to create the process independently.

In Britain, Thomas Hancock applied for a British patent a year earlier, but the application was challenged when it was claimed he had copied Goodyear. With Charles in attendance at the trial in Europe, Hancock won the patent, and Goodyear was shut out of the Brish market.

A Fitting Tribute

The ashes of the physicist, scientific genius, and humanitarian Stephen Hawking were laid to rest between two other giants of science at Westminster Abbey in 2018. Buried beneath a stone etched with his ‘black hole’ equation, Hawking’s remains are bookended by Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Twenty-seven thousand people applied for sets at the ceremony, including special-needs school children from around the world. Only one thousand invitations were available.

Among the eulogizers, Benedict Cumberbatch read a biblical passage from the Great Lectern of the iconic London Abbey. Fellow astronomer and long-time friend Lord Rees spoke of Hawking’s agnosticism while being interested in “learning the mind of God”. Professor Kip Thorne perhaps summed the great scientist’s influence best, saying, “We remember Isaac Newton for answers. We remember Hawking for questions”.

Musical Milestones

Guitarist Peter Green departed from John Mayall’s band The Bluesbreakers in 1967. He formed his new band, Fleetwood Mac, named for his drummer Mick Fleetwood and fellow Bluesbreaker, John McVie, but it took four more months for McVie to leave the old band.

Narratives

The two journalists who broke the Watergate story, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward published their tell-all account, All The President’s Men in 1974

Remembrance

Working with greats like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington just to name two, Ella Fitzgerald earned the title Queen of Jazz with impeccable performances on famous songs like It Don’t Mean A Thing, If it Ain’t Got That Swing. The First Lady of Song died in 1996 at 79 after a sixty-year career at the top of Jazz.

Notable Births

1941 — Songwriter for many artists from the Monkees to Three Dog Night, Harry Nilsson

1963 —Academy Award-winning actress and Medium member, Helen Hunt

1964 — Actress from Friends fame, Courteney Cox

K. Barrett Katie Wallace Maria Rattray 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 James G Brennan ScienceDuuude Marcus Liam Ireland Claire Kelly Noorain Hassan, BMS Amy Pierovich David Acaster Nora Thewriteyard David Perlmutter Joe Luca

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