One Day at a Time

from Camille, who is overwhelmed by big chunks of time.

Sorry, but a whole season is too big for me to handle.

But I do have 366 favorite days. Today, for instance—June 29, is the birthday of astronomer George Ellery Hale, who would be 143 today.

George invented the spectroheliograph. No, it doesn't come in red and not every kitchen has one, but at the time it provided breakthrough studies of sunspots and other celestial phenomena.

Happy birthday, George!

I'll have a cupcake for you. (Oops, a cupcake a day. Could this be why I've never been able to wear a bikini?)

Back in the eighties, I created and sold a calendar, "Great Dates in Science and Engineering," with a different birthday or invention to celebrate every day. September 5? Irene Joliot-Curie, discovered artificial radioactivity. October 21? Edison started the first light bulb burning (1879). November 20? Birthday of an esteemed LadyKiller AND astronomer Edwin Hubble.

My pre-internet calendar took many months to produce, as I acquired data from books, encyclo- (not wiki-)pedias, and other specialized calendars and biographies. I actually hired a graphics designer to cut and paste (in the physical sense) each entry onto a calendar template.

Today, anyone could produce a calendar like this in one afternoon, even taking a long coffee break.

I also had to sell the calendar by mail order and more or less door-to-door, walking into bookstores wherever I was, with a pile of calendars under my arm.

(Hey, wait. I'm still doing that, only with books!)

Back to the calendar, it was a fun project. My biggest success was having them in the gift shops of a few museums, including the Smithsonian.

I still remember the message on my answering machine:

"Hi, this is Amy from the Smithsonian. We'd like to carry your calendars. Please call me back."

HA. Which of my insensitive friends was pulling a prank? Amy from the Smithsonian? Come on.

But I called back the Washington DC number and indeed, Amy was their grown-up buyer. It was a nice moment.

Eventually my "company" went under, even though I diversified into other products: a baby's bib with a quote from Marie Curie, a Frisbee with a quote from Marconi, and other fun stuff.

I still have the calendar database posted on my bulletin board and I check it every day.

Tell me your birthday and, while we raise a cupcake, I'll tell you who shares it.

 

 

Comments

[Liz V.]

Susan Wittig Albert's newsletter on herbs inspired me to research the birth dates of my nieces, nephews, and their children, to commemorate their special day. How helpful your calendar would be.

Have recently discovered your series and read most of the books. Enjoyed immensely. Now you have two new elements, but could you find snappy titles based on ununquadium and ununhexium?

Have you read The Periodic Table by Primo Levi?

[Staci]

What a great story about the Smithsonian! And that calendar was a very impressive undertaking. I often forget how laborious and time-consuming research could be back in the pre-internet days. Now, everything takes approximately five seconds to look up!

[Camille Minichino]

I did read the very intense Levi. Also there's a new spurt of periodic table books -- now reading "The Disappearing Spoon and Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements," by San Kean. It's very rich in great stories!

[Ann]

I still have a Marie Curie cup from your previous business, and I think there's an E.O. Lawrence one as well! :-D Just curious: What year was the photo of Hale taken? Looks close to my timeframe, and I'm always curious about such things, you know.

[Mysti]

Dec 17--Kitty Hawk Day!

You were ahead of your time, Camille. Now geek chic is everywhere...

[Janet Dawson]

It's Halloween - October 31, and I share it with Dick Francis!

[Priscilla]

If I had had kids, I would have bought the bib with the Curie quote for sure! That call from The Smithsonian must have been a thrill. Hurrah for you! Did they keep one for their collection? Want to go there, point to it, and loudly announce: "I know her!"
As for birthdays, I share mine with few. Queen Juliana of the Netherlands was one--in honor of the Dutch part of my ancestry, I guess. However I was pleased to learn that Hitler committed suicide on my first birthday. What a present that was!

[Camille Minichino]

On the Hale photo - here's where I got it: http://www.mwoa.org/hale.html (Mt. Wilson Observatory site) but don't know how to date it!

I envy all of you with key birthdays, from novelists to aviation to a welcome parting! Mine is singularly without note!

[Margaret Lucke]

August 15 here -- shared with Napoleon, Julia Child, Sir Walter Scott, Edna Ferber, and Gerty Theresa Cori, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. (Oh, the joys of Wikipedia!)

Camille, you share yours with my dad, which makes it very significant in my book. And you have at least four Nobel laureates.

[Camille Minichino]

Sharing with your Dad definitely makes me proud; thanks for letting me know, Peggy!

And August 15 is a high feast day -- feast of the Assumption, when Mary was assumed into heaven. Every Catholic goes to church on your birthday!

[Margaret Lucke]

I was in Paris on my 21st birthday and most of the city was shut down for Feast of the Assumption. Even the sewers -- my friends and I planned celebrate by taking the Jean Valjean tour but couldn't. We made up for the disappointment by going to the famous Lido caberet that night. Paris wants its drinks and dancing girls even on religious holidays. :-)

[Priscilla]

You don't need to share your birthday with anyone, Camille. Someone as special as you needs her own day.

[Camille Minichino]

Great story, Peggy! And thanks for the vote of confidence, Priscilla!