It couldn't possibly be the Chicken Man!*
Yes, while I wasn't there myself to witness this event, I have been advised and do verily believe that 61 years ago today, this man, who we like to call either "Pierre" or "Dad", was born. Let me repeat that: 61 years ago today.
I did a quick Wikipedia search and have learned that February 5th is the 36th day in the Gregorian calendar. OK, I could have figured that one out on my own by counting from January 1, but it sounds really cool anyway. I also learned, amongst other things:
February 5th is Constitution Day in Mexico. Also on this day, Pakistan observes the public holiday called Kashmir Day. The national poet of Finland, Johan Ludvig Runeberg, was born on this day in 1804 (so a bit older than my dad). Also born on this day were Sanjo, a former Emperor of Japan, in 976, writer William S. Burroughs in 1914, and, in 1934, the most important Canadian ever, Don Cherry!!! As if that wasn't enough, February 5th is also the feast day of Saint Agatha of Sicily, the patron saint of firework makers and glass blowers (cool! partay!!!), and also of Saint Bertolf, whoever he was.
For political junkies, in 1963, Diefenbaker's minority government was defeated on this day over its nuclear weapons policy (that was a good thing, for sure). For sports fans, Gordie Howe played his last all-star NHL game on this day in 1980. For music junkies, Joni Mitchell was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame on this day in 1981. For monarchists, on February 5th, 1811, the Prince of Wales became Prince Regent after his father George III was declared insane. He later (the Prince, not the King) became George IV (and I guess Victoria's father?).
Finally, since my dad likes weather information, the coldest day in the province of Quebec in recorded history happened on this day in 1923 in Doucet (I'm not even sure where that is), when the temperature dipped to -54.4 degrees Celsius. I don't know if that's including windchill or not.
Anyway, Dad, have a good one!
* Yes, I grew up with a chicken coop in our backyard. I hated having to go collect the eggs - invariably, the nastiest hen of all would be sitting on 'em, and she would snap at me. No, I did not grow up on a farm. We lived about 30 minutes outside Halifax, N.S., in dear old Cole Harbour, and we had a large yard with a lot of woods around us, and one year, after a neighbour gave my brother and I baby chicks for Easter (what kind of a present is that???), my dad decided to get a whole brood of 'em. Yikes. It was kinda cool.
2 comments:
Hey! Don't pick on the Chief! Contrary to what you might assume, Dief was against having nukes on Canadian soil. It was Pearson who eventually acquiesced to a weird compromise whereby we'd have the weapons and the US would hold on to the warheads for us.
That has nothing whatsoever to do with the content of your post, but I find myself unable to think of what to say about your previous agrarian pursuits. I can say you're doing nothing for my efforts to portray Cole Harbour as a sophisticated metropolis though.
LOL - I stand duly corrected by the history buff in my readership. And, since I always think of you as a Haligonian who likes to live in French parts of the world (Montreal, Strasbourg) despite your inability to speak much French, I forgot you were also from the Land Beyond Darkness. Besides, you were in thriving downtown Cole Harbour (Colby Village, man, Colby Village!); I lived practically in Lawrencetown.
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