Possum Philosophy: A significant day in history

By ROBERT CAHILL/Columnist

As usual, though this column is being written on Thursday, Oct. 30, it will be published (officially at least) on Saturday, Nov. 1. The date, Nov. 1, has seen its fair share of events which have been remembered, or at least should be, in history.
According to information from the search engine Answers.com, in the year 996 A.D., the name of the European nation of Austria was used for the first time in a deed issued by German Emperor Otto III. In 1512, Michelangelo’s magnificent mural on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican in Rome was displayed for the public for the first time.
Eight years later, on Nov. 1, 1520, explorer Magellan navigated his ship around the bottom of South America and into the Pacific Ocean. This was the first time the connection between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans had been officially documented. This area would be named the Strait of Magellan in his honor.
On Nov. 1, 1604, William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Othello” was performed for the first time at the White Hall Palace in London. Shakespeare must have been happy with his work’s success. On the same date and at the same place in 1611, Shakespeare’s comedy the “Tempest” saw its first performance.
In 1683, the British Crown Colony of New York was subdivided into 12 counties. In 1765, with trouble brewing as they say, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act. The act, aimed specifically at the colonies in North America, required a tax stamp (which showed taxes had been paid) appear on all documents, wills, permits of any kind, any type business contracts, all newspapers, pamphlets (which were a big part of the publishing business in the early years) and, of all things, playing cards. Officially, this was to offset the cost of the French and Indian War (also known as the Seven Years War).
Though it was thanks to the Colonial troops and their fighting skills, never embraced by the British, that the French and Indian War was finally won, the British decided they needed to keep a presence here and the American colonies, whose troops actually did the majority of the fighting and were responsible for the success, should pay to keep an unwanted military and what was rapidly being perceived as a foreign military, here in what would, just a few years later, become the United States. In 1800, the second U.S. President John Adams, became the first president to live in the just completed Executive Mansion, a home which would soon be known as the White House. 
Nov. 1, 1848 brought about another memorable occasion. The Boston Female Medical School opened. It was the first medical school for women. The school later merged with the Boston University School of Medicine.
In 1870, the Weather Bureau made its first official forecast. It is now known as the National Weather Service. (Yes, I am skipping the Civil War years. After all, I am a Southern boy born and reared.)
1911 brought a first for mankind. Actually, I guess I should refer to it as man-unkind, since on this date the first bomb was dropped from an airplane. It targeted soldiers fighting in the Italo-Turkish War. This was one of several smaller conflicts that eventually led to World War I.
Now friends and neighbors, this is one that surprised me. It seems that on Nov. 1, 1914, during the early days of WWI, the British Navy suffered its first defeat at the hands of the German Navy. Why the surprise? Because it did not take place in the North Sea or in the English Channel. It actually happened just off the western coast of Chile (yes, the South American country) and in the Pacific Ocean.
In the next World War, in 1943, on Nov. 1, the U.S. Marines landed at Bougainville in the Solomon Islands during the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay. Shortly after, the Marines made the famous landing on Guadalcanal and a nearly six-month long continuous battle ensued. This was some of the bloodiest and most difficult fighting of the war.
Speaking of the military, on Nov. 1, 1951, U.S. soldiers at Desert Rock, Nevada, were exposed to an atomic blast, for training purposes. No, participation in this little exercise was not done on a voluntary basis.
Nov. 1 is also a holiday for many people of Mexican descent. It is the Dias de los Muertes, or Day of the Dead. Despite its name, it is not a day to frighten children or such. It is a day to honor the deceased. According to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia (en.wikipedia.org), it is celebrated primarily by Mexican citizens and people of Mexican heritage who live in the United States and Canada.
On this day and the next (Nov. 2), family and friends gather to remember those who are deceased. This is in connection with the religious holidays, All Saints Day and All Souls Day, celebrated by the Catholic Church. However, according to historians, its origins trace back thousands of years to various practices by indigenous peoples such as the Aztec, Mayan and others. Most Mexicans honor deceased infants and children on Nov. 1 and deceased adults on Nov. 2.  The celebrations include prayers for the dead, creating altars to honor them and visiting the graves with gifts of flowers and favorite foods and beverages.
One thing I want to remind everyone, though with the current media blitz I can’t imagine anyone older that 1 and not in some coma that isn’t already aware, but Tuesday, Nov. 4, is the day of our Presidential election. The right to vote is one of the most important ones we have. This year is particularly important due to the numerous problems we, as a nation, currently face. So vote. It is not hard to do. It doesn’t cost anything and it only takes a few minutes. In my opinion, those who are eligible and do not vote have no right whatsoever to complain about the government they get.
Oh and there are two more things that took place on Nov. 1 that I just cannot pass up the opportunity to mention! On Nov. 1, 1896, for the first time in its history, National Geographic magazine published a photograph of a woman with her breasts bare. I can just imagine the uproar in some circles when that happened.
And on Nov. 1 (I’ll not mention the year, but trust me it was a long, long time ago), my like-another-brother friend Gregg Harris was born. Happy birthday!
A freelance journalist, Robert “Rocky” Cahill writes regularly for the News & Messenger. His Possum Philosophy column appears in each Saturday edition.