June 4 – National Trails Day

Posted on June 4, 2016


Hiking, biking, and horseback riding, paddling and bird watching, geocaching – all the fun outdoor stuff is happening today in various places all across the U.S. There are also demonstrations of hiking (etc.!) gear, and there are projects aimed at care for trails.



Did you know that America has about 200,000 miles of trails? All of this is a great resource for people's health and well-being – and we're talking about mental health as well as physical! Being outdoors is good for us, and exercising is good for us, so naturally exercising outdoors is really good for us!


Construction of trails and maintenance of trails takes a lot of planning and labor. Thousands of volunteers work on trails each year – so today is a great day to thank them.


Check out the official website to find National Trails Day events. 

National Trails Day is always the first Saturday in June. But any day can be a day to explore trails, work on trails, or thank others for their work on trails.

Don't know where to go to find local trails? Here are some ideas:
  • Google “local hiking trails” and “volunteer trail maintenance” to find nearby trails.
  • I found reviews of local trails on Yelp!
  • Check with your parks and rec department.



Also on this date:





























Clean Air Day in Canada




Queen's birthday in Niue
















Drawing Day 









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June 3 – Rose Festival in Kazanlak

Posted on June 3, 2016


You know that roses are important to Kazanlak, Bulgaria, when tourists come from all over for their harvesting.... When scads of people dress up in traditional garb and wear rose leis and headdresses... When a Queen Rose is elected and rose parades are held.


I grew up in Pasadena, California, and we had the world-famous Tournament of Roses as a New Year's tradition, with the Rose Bowl football game and the lovely Rose Parade. These traditions are so important to Pasadena that it is often called “The City of Roses.”

But there is no particular reason to link Pasadena with roses, in actuality. It has good weather, like all of Southern California, but its weather isn't particularly amazing for growing roses – Portland, Oregon, has much wetter weather that is ideal for roses.

On the other hand, Kazanlak, Bulgaria, has a very good reason for celebrating roses – it is located in the Valley of Roses, where the Rosa Damascena is grown. This rose is the source of a treasured rose oil that costs as much as gold.


The rose oil is used for aromatherapy and in perfumes and even medicines. It is used in the food industry, including as an herbal tea and as a sort of treat when it is preserved in sugar. It is used to make rose water. It is even used in the space industry as a greasing agent.

Kazanlak's roses bloom for about 25 days a year. They are harvested by hand in the morning, when their aroma is strongest. They are transported in small quantities to a distillery, where the oil is harvested.

Kazanlak has a Rose Research Institute where scientists have developed several varieties that can take best advantage of the conditions in the Valley of Roses. They send out seedlings to the rose farmers.

In addition to the ritual harvesting of roses, the parades, and the crowning of the Rose Queen, the Rose Festival has booths for rose products to be sold. And of course fun fair food that has nothing to do with roses!





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June 2 – Republic Day in Italy

Posted on June 2, 2016

During World War II, so much horrible stuff happened: so many nations were taken over by dictators; so many others invaded and occupied by enemy armies; so many people were killed!

When the war was over, some pretty big changes swept over the world. In the U.S., a new constitutional amendment stated that a president could only serve two 4-year terms. (The wartime president, F. D. Roosevelt, was elected president for four 4-year terms but died during the fourth term.) In the Middle East, the nation of Israel was created. Many colonies around the world were finally given independence or started down the path to independence. Japan's emperor became more of a figurehead, and the nation's parliament was given more power.

One thing that happened right after the war (on this date in 1946) was that Italians voted to abolish the monarchy. No more kings for Italy!

Italy's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in Rome
Many people get the day off of work, and there are some official ceremonies such as the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

I have been to “the” Tomb of the Unknown Soldier here in the U.S., at Arlington National Cemetery (near the capital, Washington, D.C.). I got to wondering how many nations have such tombs.

During a hurricane, guards remained at their post
guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the U.S.

Zimbabwe's Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier and (in the back) Eternal Fire Tower
I discovered that the idea for a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier got its start at the time of World War I. A British man had seen a grave marked by a pencil-written inscription: “An Unknown British Soldier.” He suggested that there should be a national-level monument honoring all the soldiers who die while unidentified. Both Britain and France did create monumental graves, placed in important areas in their nations' capitals. The idea spread almost immediately to the U.S., Portugal, and Italy. Now at least 47 nations have such monuments, including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Syria, and Bangladesh. Some of them include the symbolism of an “Eternal Flame.”

For more info about Italy, check out this recent post. 


Also on this date:


















Geochemist Clair Patterson's birthday



















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June 1 – Statehood Anniversaries for Kentucky and Tennessee

Posted on June 1, 2016

Kentucky used to be a part of Virginia; it was Kentucky County, Virginia. In the 1780s and early 1790s, the residents petitioned to separate from Virginia and become their own state. 


Finally, on this date in 1792, that's exactly what happened.

Kentucky is the 15th state.

Parts of Tennessee were once in the state of North Carolina, but they broke off and formed the State of Franklin. However, the residents' attempts to join the U.S. as the State of Franklin were turned down, and the various break-away counties ended up rejoining North Carolina. However, North Carolina pretty much said, “We don't want you anymore!” because it ceded the area to the U.S. government. It was then set up as the Southwest Territory. On this date in 1796, Tennessee became the 16th state of the United States.

Here is some of what makes these two states special:


Kentucky is called the bluegrass state, because it has so many pastures covered with bluegrass. 

It's also known for horse racing and bluegrass music.


It has the world's longest cave system, Mammoth Cave National Park.



It is known for Kentucky Fried Chicken!


It has more miles of navigable water than any other state, other than Alaska. “Navigable” means that the water is deep, wide, and slow enough for a vessel (a ship or boat) to pass. Some rivers have rocky sections that are too shallow, too fast, too bumpy for even kayaks to safely pass, and most vessels cannot safely traverse most waterfalls.

It features the only place in the Western Hemisphere where a moon-ow can be regularly seen: Cumberland Falls.


It features a natural sandstone arch that looks a lot like a human-built bridge.

Tennessee is partially covered by the Appalachian Mountains and features portions of the Appalachian Trail and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.



It is also known for “American music,” with Nashville and Memphis...Opryland and Dollywood...the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Memphis Rock N' Soul Museum, and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame...Ryman Auditorium (formerly Grand Ole Opry House) and Elvis Presley's Graceland. Country music is huge in Nashville, and Memphis is considered to be the birthplace or at least early shaper of blues, rock and roll, and rockabilly.




It features the largest underground lake in the U.S.


It is the birthplace of Moon Pies and cotton candy machines.




Tennessee ties with Missouri in sharing its border with the most other states. They each touch eight other states. Can you name all eight that border Tennessee?



ANSWER: Tennessee shares a border with Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri.




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