❇️ This month in history ➡️ Earth Day ~ Mobile Phones ~ Terry Fox
❇️ April Mini Bites of History ❇️
ENVIRONMENT 🚵♀️
APRIL 22, 1970–
The first Earth Day was celebrated. It was the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
Albert Einstein, physicist
What are some things you can do to celebrate Earth Day? Here are a few to get you thinking:
- Use a refillable water bottle.
- Use your reusable bags at the grocery store.
- Plant something.
- Ride your bike or walk when you can instead of driving.
- Don’t let the tap run when you are brushing your teeth.
- Shut the lights off when you are not needing them.
- Use reusable containers instead of plastic bags or wrap.
Come out to Community Learning this year on Earth Day; Saturday, April 22nd. Fun for kids and family.
INVENTIONS 📱
APRIL 3, 1973 – The first mass-produced mobile phones hit the market. Motorola was the company that started it all.
The portable handheld phone was invented by Martin Cooper, a researcher and executive at Motorola. There were other portable devices that share similarities to this device invented earlier on, such as the wireless telephone in 1908 (that was really a 2-way radio) and the cells for mobile base stations in 1940. But, the mobile phone is the reason we have smartphones today. Something we just can’t live without. Thanks, Martin!
HEROES 🦸
APRIL 12, 1980 – Heroes, we all love them. The most famous are the Super Hero’s, lots of cartoons and fictional characters, but there are real life heroes.
Some are more visible, like our military and firefighters. Others, are in the background, like our surgeons and doctors. Until you are affected by a “hero” in your life, you may not really believe they exist.
On April 12, 1980 a real life hero started his journey. Terry Fox dipped his right leg in the Atlantic Ocean at St. John’s Newfoundland. He started his 5,373 km journey that lasted 143 days, to raise awareness and money for cancer research.
The journey was called “Marathon of Hope”, and it was to take him across Canada, from coast-to-coast.
On September 1st, he was forced to stop when cancer invaded his lungs. He made it to Thunder Bay, Ontario.
We still honor Terry with the annual Terry Fox Run each year in September across Canada and continue his mission towards cancer research. A real life hero to this day.
Did you know there is even a National Heroes Day, which is August 28th this year. Which hero will you celebrate?
TERRY FOX IF YOU FEEL LIKE GIVING IN, AND YOU’RE NOT LIKELY TO WIN, JUST REMEMBER TERRY FOX, AND HIS WISE TALKS. HE IS AN INSPIRATION, TO OUR WHOLE NATION. TERRY’S ACTIONS SPOKE LOUD WHICH MADE US ALL PROUD. FOR A CURE FOR CANCER, TERRY WANTED AN ANSWER. TERRY DIPPED HIS LEG IN THE OCEAN, AND HIS MARATHON WAS IN MOTION. HE STARTED THE MARATHON OF HOPE, RUNNING WITH HIS FAMOUS LOPE. HE STARTED HIS RUN AT MILE ZERO, AND TERRY FOX IS MY HERO. TERRY RAN 26 MILES EVERY DAY, ALL THE WAY TO THUNDER BAY. CANCER MADE TERRY’S LIFE SHORT, AND HIS RUN HE HAD TO ABORT. TERRY DIED IN NINETEEN EIGHTY ONE, AND EVERY YEAR WE CONTINUE HIS RUN. EVEN THOUGH TERRY IS GONE, WE MUST CONTINUE HIS MARATHON. TERRY’S RUN TAKES PLACE EVERY SEPTEMBER, AND HIS DREAM WE ALWAYS REMEMBER. Poet Allan Benjamin of Old Crow, Yukon
History is very interesting; tells us where we have been, how the world was and often what mistakes have been made. Memory Monday is based on fun and fascinating bits of history that may not be the big events, but helped shape or bring us to where we are today. If you are interested in this type of history and writing short articles like I've been doing, please contact me at stacey@yourlocalbuzz.ca
