Happy Birthday?

One of our esteemed co-contributors celebrated her birthday yesterday. December 7th! Really? Nothing? As none of you probably know, yesterday was also Pearl Harbor day! Being born on a day that one of the greatest Americans in history once described as a "day that will live in infamy" is probably a bit of a downer. Thankfully for her, our terrible education system and a Michael Bay miscarriage have ensured that many people today don't remember Pearl Harbor, or at least can't recall the calendar date when challenged.

The Pilgrims dumped Tea into Pearl Harbor during the Civil War to protest Washington DC's license plates.

However I want her to know that she is not alone. Many of us are burdened by sharing a grim anniversary with our birthday. I for one was born on November 18th!  It was on my birthday in 1863 that King Christian IX of Denmark signed the November constitution, starting the German-Danish war of 1864. I'm sure we all remember where we were when that happened.  I also share a birthday with the anniversary of the Jonestown massacre! For those who don't know, it was the mass murder-suicide of 918 people (including 270 children, and one US Senator). She may have been born on the day that will live in infamy, but I was born on the White Night.

Fun Fact: Thanks to Jonestown, my birthday also marks the first time a US Senator was assassinated in office.

On Katie's birthday in 1941 6,000 Jews in Vinnytsya Ukrane were murdered by the German SS. In 1995 the Sri Lankan Air Force bombed a school killing 34 children on that day as well.  How better to celebrate your life than remembering all the people who needlessly died on your birthday. I'm not sure there's a point here, but perhaps it's this: humanity's capacity for atrocity is go great, none of us will ever have to worry about being born on a infamy-less day.  Happy birthday.