#FunFactFriday – Fighting June Gloom
Even though your summer activities may look different this year, there is still much to look forward to. Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer, but the actual first day of summer doesn’t happen until June 20. As the days get longer and the nights get hotter, it will be hard not to focus on the fun events and vacations that have been cancelled or postponed. But rather than dwelling on those cancelled plans, think about some of positives things that will happen in the upcoming month
June is a great time to remember and celebrate American history. Congress passed the 19th Amendment on June 4, 1919 and women were finally equal in the eyes of the law with their ability to vote.
Robert F. Kennedy, the brother of President John F. Kennedy, served as his brother’s close confidant. He became a New York senator, served as attorney general and ran for president himself in 1968. The nation mourned when Senator Kennedy was fatally shot on June 5, 1968, shortly after claiming victory in the California state primary in the 1968 presidential election.
On June 6, we remember the fallen soldiers who fought to end WWII at the beaches in Normandy in 1944. We also celebrate our country pride by hanging the American flag on Flag Day, June 14. Juneteenth, June 19, recognizes the day slavery was abolished in 1865.
Before the extreme sports athletes of today, there was a classic French tightrope walker who risked his life to wow a crowd with death-defying stunts. On June 30, 1859, daredevil Jean-Francois Gravelet traversed a tightrope 160 feet over Niagara Falls in front of 5,000 spectators.
June kicks off eclipse season. During the summer months, most solar and lunar eclipses take place, making it a great time to go stargazing.
The month of June also celebrates different cultures by bringing attention to the rhythms of African-American music, the LGBTQ+ community and Caribbean-American Heritage all throughout the month.
As the 6th month in the year, June is also known as midsummer. If you have picked up gardening during your time in quarantine, you also know that midsummer is the time in between harvesting and planting.
Several health and wellness campaigns occur during the month of June, bringing awareness to such things as Alzheimer’s disease, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), infertility and hunger.
