Just saying the number brings many
thoughts to the minds of a lot of people.
It’s like having someone say 9/11 and instantly people have thoughts of
what that means, where they were, and how the world has changed since that
time. The same is true with 4/20.
If you are an avid sports historian
perhaps what comes to your mind is April 20, 1910. This was when Addie Joss of the Cleveland
Indians pitched his 2nd no hitter against Chicago (his first was in
1908 against the White Sox) and they won 1-0. He was born in 1880 and started his “big
league” career in April, 1902. He died
in 1911. Addie Joss has been named as
one of the 100 Greatest Cleveland Indian Players EVER!
Or you might consider this date,
April 20, 1912: the day Tiger Stadium opened in Detroit (and the same day
Fenway Park debuted in Boston.) It
witnessed 11,111 home runs, six World Series, three memorable All-Star games,
NFL Championship games, and championship boxing fights. Along the way it served as scenes for movies
as well as a plethora of public events ranging from a KISS concert to a speech
by Nelson Mandela. Many fans were deeply
saddened in September, 1999 when the stadium closed. And they were devastated in June, 2008 when
the demolition of the stadium began.
Even after efforts to preserve a portion of the stadium failed, final
demolition was slated for June, 2009.
Perhaps you are more into astronomy
and recall that April 20, 1910 is the date that Halley’s Comet reached
perihelion (according to Miriam-Webster “the point in the path of a celestial
body that is nearest to the Sun).
Another interesting piece of information about Halley’s Comet has to do
with the famous American writer Mark Twain (born Samuel Langhorne Clements.) Twain was born on November 30, 1835, and the
perihelion of Halley’s Comet was November 10, 1835. Seventy-four years later the perihelion of
Halley’s Comet was April 20, 1910 (as I have previously stated.) Mark Twain said about himself, as recorded in
“Mark Twain, a Biography,” “I came in
with Halley’s comet in 1835. It is
coming again next year (1910), and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my
life if I don’t go out with Halley’s Comet.
The Almighty has said, no doubt: “Now here are these two unaccountable
freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.”” Mark Twain died on April 21, 1910!
Some of you may even relate 4/20 to
infamous times in our history. Born in
Austria on April 20, 1889, Adolf Hitler rose to power in German politics as
leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party, also known as the Nazi
Party. Hitler was chancellor of Germany
from 1933 to 1945, serving as dictator for the bulk of his time in power. His policies precipitated World War II and
led to the genocide known as the Holocaust, which resulted in the deaths of
some 6 million Jews and another 5 million noncombatants. With defeat on the horizon, Hitler committed
suicide with his wife (Eva Braun) on April 30, 1945, in his Berlin bunker (or
so it is believed.)
And living in Colorado for the past
40+ years I cannot forget to mention the infamous tragedy of the Columbine High
School massacre on April 20, 1999. In
the small, suburban town of Littleton, Colorado, two high school seniors, Dylan
Klebold and Eric Harris, enacted an all-out assault during the middle of the
school day. It has been reported that the boys’ plan was to kill hundreds of
their fellow school mates. With guns,
knives, and a multitude of bombs, the two boys walked the hallways and killed indiscriminately. When the day was over, twelve students, one
teacher, and the two murderers themselves were dead; plus 21 more injured.
There will also be others who will
remember 4/20 for a much “higher” reason.
In the fall of 1977 a handful of scholar athletes, at San Rafael High
School in northern California, gathered daily against a favorite wall outside
their school to smoke cannabis. This
earned them the nickname, the “Waldos.”
They came into possession of “a treasure map to a patch of weed on the
Point Reyes Peninsula.” The patch
belonged to a U.S. Coast Guard member who had gotten paranoid that he would get
caught. So, through his brother, he
urged the Waldos to help themselves to the crop.
After they had talked it over, the
Waldos agreed to meet at the high school’s statue of Louis Pasteur at twenty
minutes past 4 o’clock (4:20). They met,
got stoned, and drove out to find the weed farm. They never found it, but they started the 420
code to call meetings to smoke. It didn’t
matter if they met and smoked exactly at 4:20; it was just a signal to get
together for a smoke. Today, 4/20, April
20th, is “celebrated” by pot smokers around the country. Across this nation and in many other cities
of the world, teenagers, college students, and others earnestly get “high”,
extolling their love of cannabis.
However; these points, and probably
many others, relating to 4/20 (April 20th) have really nothing to do
with my personal appreciation of the date.
And although my association with this date goes back almost half a
century, there are probably some historical points that I have mentioned here
(and others) that go back much further.
My connection to 4/20 is related to
the fact that this is the date that I joined my life together with the most
beautiful woman in the world. It was
actually a pleasant day as far as the weather was concerned. At 11:00 am (local time) in a church ceremony
in our nation’s capitol, Washington, DC, we exchanged our vows.
Since that day, some forty-nine
years ago now, there have been both ups and downs in our relationship. I think there
have been more ups than downs and I hope she feels the same way. I’m always telling her: “When we got married
it was for better or for worse. Just
hang in there; it’s got to get better soon!”
She has been my friend, my lover, my
closest confidante. There is NOTHING that we can’t get
through together. And as the years have
passed it seems that now she has become more my nurse and my care giver. But, she has shouldered both these responsibilities
as she has cared for me at all other times.
Yes, to me, 4/20 has a very special
meaning. It was the day that my life
became complete. As I look back on all
those days, if there could be anything that I might consider going back and
changing: it would be to go back and marry
her sooner than I did!
THOUGHTFUL GEM
"Many people with NOTHING are
much RICHER than those who have much."
Had some catching up to do on your posts today! You're quite a busy blogger, bro!
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary! I remember that day well, and love ❤️ you both!!