Day Tripping: March 2

Agitators, Aircraft, and Athletes

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

Freedom Fighter

Some called him a traitor while others called him a national hero. On this day in 1872, French Canadian and Métis politician Louis Riel took voluntary exile from Manitoba to Minnesota. His absence from Canada would last fifteen years, though he would win elected seats to parliament which he never took. He bookended his exile by leading two rebellions against the Canadian Government, the Red River Rebellion of 1869, and the North-West Rebellion of 1885 which eventually led to his being hanged for treason in the same year.

Riel’s story serves as a microcosm for the continuing struggles for equality by native peoples, and between English and French-speaking Canada. In 992, Louis Riel was officially recognized as the founder of Manitoba. History remembers him just as controversial today as when he lived.

First Flight

After more than a year of delays and rising budget costs, the world’s first supersonic passenger jet, Concorde, made its maiden test flight. The combined French-British effort took off from the Toulouse Airport where the prototype was constructed. The initial test was conducted with landing gear down, a top speed of 480 miles per hour, and lasted only twenty-eight minutes.

The object of the mission was to prove the aircraft could fly. Seven more years of testing would commence before taking its maiden commercial flight, crossing the Atlantic in less than three hours. Once again, design cues are reminiscent of the Avro Arrow of 1959.

Free Throws Plus

A single-game NBA scoring record of 100 points was set by Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors in 1962. Playing one of their home games in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the seven-foot imposing figure of Wilt The Stilt was no match for the New York Knicks that night. The team needed every basket as the final score was 169 to 147.

Chamberlain scored his hundredth point with less than a minute left on the clock, and the game had to be stopped momentarily when the crowd rushed the court. The big man shattered the previous record by twenty-two points.

Musical Milestones

1964 — Filming begins for The Beatles on It’s A Hard Day’s Night and while on set, George Harrison meets Pattie Boyd for the first time. Boyd became the inspiration for eleven songs including Harrison’s Something, and later for Eric Clapton’s hit, Layla.

1983 — The compact disc player and CDs themselves go on sale for the first time in the US. What’s a CD, you ask?

Narratives

Two monsters are created on the same day but in different years. In 1933, King Kong premiered at the Radio City Music Hall in New York. An equally big monster hit The Sound of Music, gets its release in 1965.

Remembrance

Blindness never kept Jeff Healey from becoming a much-loved bluesman. Sadly, he died in 2008 of cancer at age 41 in Toronto. His licks can still be remembered in the cult classic film, Roadhouse.

Notable Births

1904 — Theodor Seuss Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss is born not on a train, and not on a plane, but perhaps with green eggs and ham.

1942 — Lou Reed took a walk on the wild side with a solo career and with Velvet Underground.

1968 — Daniel Craig is the latest to play the venerable James Bond.

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 James G Brennan ScienceDuuude