Monday, November 10, 2008

Citizen's Bank Day

So wait, is it not Veteran's Day? It's always on November 11th? How come Memorial Day is observed on a Monday but Veteran's Day is always November 11th or the nearest weekday? Anyway, I waited on my Bill Lee doc review until tomorrow, but I guess now it'll be Wednesday. Whoops.

Comments:
When I worked at a newspaper, I found out that there is some significance to the 11/11 date and there was a Veteran's Day celebration at 11:11am on 11/11. But, I don't know what the significance of #11 is?
 
I just looked it up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day
 
OK, first of all, it took me a few minutes, but I get it. Citizen's Bank Park = Veteran's Stadium. I literally laughed out loud when it clicked.

Now, why 11/11? Acroding to wikipedia, "Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice"

It's a bad day when you don't learn something.
 
Veterans Day was originally Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I on 11/11 in 1918. It's celebrated in other countries as well, so one can't really change the date. Memorial Day used to be 5/30 every year, but the original date was not to commemorate a specific event (I think I've read it was actually chosen because it was NOT the date of a specific major battle or event), and thus it was subject to the inexorable pull of the weekend at whatever point someone decided that was desirable.
 
Thanks sittingstill, Jeff and Kara, for the added knowlege. One never knows what one will find here, but it's all good, most of the time.
 
And Jeff, that's one of my favorite LPs...GOD ONLY KNOWS is one of the most beautiful songs ever written...sung by Carl, not Brian. What a voice he had...gone too soon.
 

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