It's
time for another Tuesday Timeline entry - and given what has
been happening in my area as of late, this edition seems timely. And here's another small clue. The accent colour I've chosen for today is
related to today's subject. That's all
I'll leave you with for the time being.
But
for now, let's have a look at some of the other happenings that took place on
the 9th day of August.
48 B.C. - Julius Caesar defeats Pompey at Pharsalus
and flees to Egypt
1173 - Construction begins on the Leaning Tower
of Pisa
1483 - The Sistine Chapel in Rome opens to the
public
1842 - The Webster-Ashburton Treaty is signed;
thus establishing the border between the United States and Canada at the Rocky
Mountains
1892 - The patent for the two-way telegraph is
granted to Thomas Edison
1930 - Cartoon character Betty Boop makes her
official debut in "Dizzy Dishes"
1935 - Soap opera actress Beverlee McKinsey (d.
2008) is born in McAlester, Oklahoma
1942 - The Quit India Movement is launched
following the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi by British forces in Bombay
1945 - An atomic bomb is dropped in Nagasaki,
Japan during World War II, killing at least 35,000 people instantly
1963 - Singer/actress Whitney Houston (d. 2012)
is born in Newark, New Jersey
1965 - Singapore becomes the first and only
country to become an independent nation unwillingly following its expulsion
from Malaysia
1969 - Actress Sharon Tate, heiress Abigail
Folger, actor Wojciech Frykowski, hairstylist Jay Sebring, and teenager Steven
Parent are murdered by followers of Charles Manson
1974 - Richard Nixon resigns as President of the
United States following the Watergate Scandal; Gerald Ford immediately takes
over the presidency
1995 - Grateful Dead lead singer Jerry Garcia dies
at the age of 53
2003 - Actor/choreographer Gregory Hines passes
away at age 57
2008 - Actor/comedian Bernie Mac dies of a heart
attack at the age of 50
2012 - Actor/director Al Freeman Jr. dies at the
age of 78
2014 - African-American teenager Michael Brown is
shot and killed in Ferguson, Missouri by a police officer, leading to months of
tension and frustration within the community
2015 - Football player and sportscaster Frank
Gifford passes away a week before his 85th birthday
And,
celebrating a birthday today are the following people; Shirlee Busbee, David Steinberg, Sam Elliott, Barbara Delinsky, John Varley, Jonathan Kellerman, James Naughtie, Roberta Tovey, Melanie Griffith, Kurtis Blow, Michael Kors, Brad Gilbert, Hoda Kotb, Deion Sanders, McG,
Gillian Anderson, Eric Bana, Chris Cuomo, Thomas Lennon, Derek Fisher, Jessica Capshaw, Aled Haydn Jones, Rhona Mitra, Audrey Tautou, Charlie David, Ashley Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Lucy Dixon, and Alice Barlow.
Okay,
so what date have we chosen for today?
Well,
we're going to go back 72 years in time to August 9,
1944.
Now,
I did mention that this blog entry is rather timely. The reason why this is the case is because of the fact that my
area is experiencing a drought at this time.
I
don't know how dry it is in your neck of the woods, but the last heavy rainfall
that my area had was exactly one month ago on July 9. Since then, it's been dry as a bone.
This
unfortunately has caused my area to be on a water conservation notice, which
means that we are only allowed to use water as we need it. In case you're wondering why the lawns in my
area are a sickly shade of brown, that's the reason why. Though I'll admit that my lawn doesn't look
nearly as bad as some of the ones in towns further away than me.
Now, some of the dangers that are associated with droughts include crops failing, food prices going up, and water levels plummeting. But perhaps the most dangerous concern to worry about are wildfires.
Now, some of the dangers that are associated with droughts include crops failing, food prices going up, and water levels plummeting. But perhaps the most dangerous concern to worry about are wildfires.
I
don't believe that my area is under a burn ban notice yet, but if this dry weather
continues, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before we are. When it comes down to wildfires, you can't
be too careful. All you would need to
do is look up the devastating effects wildfires have had on California and
Australia to see how dangerous they can be.
In some cases, these wildfires start by way of nature - usually from lightning striking in a dry area, and in most cases, you can't really stop those fires from happening. But we also know that fires can start by way of careless campers forgetting to put out campfires, or people deliberately setting fires for kicks, or people throwing lit cigarette butts in an area. Those fires can be prevented.
In some cases, these wildfires start by way of nature - usually from lightning striking in a dry area, and in most cases, you can't really stop those fires from happening. But we also know that fires can start by way of careless campers forgetting to put out campfires, or people deliberately setting fires for kicks, or people throwing lit cigarette butts in an area. Those fires can be prevented.
And
in 1944, a popular mascot began appearing on posters to let us know that forest
fires could be prevented. A mascot that
was predominately brown.
How
many of you remember seeing those commercials starring Smokey the Bear? We've all seen at least one
or two. He's the friendly bear with the
ranger hat who is very diligent on fire safety. I still remember the slogan he used to utter with his big,
booming voice.
ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT FOREST FIRES!
It's
a message that has been going strong for the last 72 years - though the slogan
was later changed to "ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT WILDFIRES!" in the new
millennium.
And
it was on this date in 1944 that the very first poster starring Smokey the Bear
first made its appearance! Check out
the artwork for this poster! It's
simple, but it gets the point across.
But
I bet you didn't know how Smokey the Bear first became the mascot, or why a
mascot was even needed in the first place.
Well, you have to keep in mind the time period in which Smokey the Bear was first introduced. 1944 was at the tail end of World War II, and as we well know, it was a war that became more intense and deadlier with each passing year. With more and more men being deployed to various nations all over Europe and Asia during the war, it meant less and less manpower back in Canada and the United States.
As
a result of this, wildfires that had sprouted up all along the West Coast of
North America burned out of control and caused hundreds of acres to become
destroyed. Several people were also
forced out of their homes due to the heat of the flames and the thickness of
the smoke. As if that wasn't bad
enough, Japan actually tried to use fire balloons as a weapon to set several
acres of forest in Washington, Oregon, and California ablaze to further wreak
havoc - though only 10% of the balloons they released actually made it into the
United States.
Initially,
the United States government used characters from the Disney motion picture
"Bambi" - with permission from Walt Disney - to promote the cause of
preventing forest fires, but Disney had only granted use of the characters for
one year, meaning that the government had to come up with a new spokesanimal to
lead the charge.
Hence
the reason for the creation of Smokey the Bear. And here's some trivia for you.
The name "Smokey" came from the name of a fireman named
"Smokey" Joe Martin, who was burned so badly in a fire in New York
City in 1922 that he actually lost his sight.
The
first Smokey poster was illustrated by Albert Staehle, and in 1947, Smokey's
official slogan debuted.
Smokey
the Bear certainly made an impact on the world. The same year he was introduced in print media, toy company
Knickerbocker Bears began manufacturing stuffed toys which proved to be a big
hit.
And in 1950, the living embodiment of Smokey the Bear was introduced to the
world. Originally named Hotfoot Teddy,
the bear was rescued after being caught in the Capitan Gap fire - a wildfire
that burned 17,000 acres in the Lincoln National Forest. The bear cub tried to climb up a tree to
safety but suffered burns on his paws and hind legs. He would spend the next 26 years at the National Zoo in
Washington D.C. until November 9, 1976, when he passed away. But it's interesting to note the impact that
the Smokey the Bear image had on people.
When the real life Smokey the Bear was still alive, he reportedly received
up to 13,000 fan letters a week! He
received so much mail that the United States Postal Service gave him his own
zip code! Now that's how you know
you've made it in this world!
No comments:
Post a Comment