::Umm. Well. That’s an oddly specific date::
I suspect most of you are scratching your heads wondering the same thing. But it’s very simple, really. There are very few days in my life that I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. June 18, 1998 is one such day. I was in a Boston hospital with Mr. Brillig and at 2:08pm, my amazing, wonderful eldest child K1 was born. And life was never the same! I have no idea how these past twenty one years flew by in the blink of an eye, but here I am with an officially Legal To Purchase Mood-Altering Substances adult child. So I thought that tonight would be an excellent opportunity to look back on the Olden Days of her birth. Grab a beverage (and K1, YOU TOO CAN GO PURCHASE ONE NOW!) and hop below the story break for a peek back a mere 7670 days ago…
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Five minutes before K1 arrived on scene that Thursday afternoon, the weather was cloudy and 70F, just a little warmer than the historical average of 65F. There was a light SW breeze.
Musically, here were a few the chart toppers the week of June 13th according to Billboard:
- The Hot 100: The Boy Is Mine, by Brandy & Monica
- Adult Pop: Torn, by Natalie Imbruglia
-Album Sales: City of Angels soundtrack
We didn’t get to see Mulan on its release date because, well… hospital stay. If Mr. Brillig hadn’t needed emergency surgery in late May we could have seen the Truman Show, which came out on June 4 and which we eventually saw at home later that year.
Throughout history, June 18 is notable for:
In 1264 the Parliament of Ireland meets at Castledermot in County Kildare, the first definitively known meeting of this Irish legislature.
In 1778 the British troops abandoned Philadelphia in the American Revolutionary War. (We’ll go check up on the city in a few weeks, for Netroots Nation!)
In 1873 Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 Presidential election. That’s equivalent to ~$2130 in 2019 dollars.
Exactly 100 years prior in 1898, Atlantic City’s Steel Pier Amusement Park opened.
In 1981 SCOTUS Justice Potter Stewart announced his retirement, paving the way for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to become the first female Supreme Court Justice.
K1 shares her birthday with many people, but the one most meaningful is most definitely Paul McCartney (1942). Try Guy Keith (1987) would likely be the second most recognizeable to most folks.
What did stuff COST back then?
A 1st-class postage stamp was $0.32 ($0.50 in 2019 dollars) — it’ll cost $0.55 today.
Regular gas was just a little over $1/gal (~1.57 in 2019 dollars) — quite a bit lower than today’s $2.68.
Tuition at her University (alma mater to her parents as well) was $21981/yr ($33942 adjusted for inflation), significantly less than last year’s $53926. Thank you, financial scholarship award!
Thank you for indulging me in a trip down nostalgia lane. I hope you’ll reminisce on whatever inspires you after perusing the Top Comments, Mojo and Pictures, brought tonight by my dear friend in ANY year, BeninSC!
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
Note: Please remember that comment inclusion in Top Comments does not constitute support or endorsement by diarist, formatter, Top Comments writers or DailyKos. Questions, complaints or comments? Contact brillig.
From ZenTrainer:
I am submitting this comment from Ambular for its fine insights into evolving past Republicanism. In BeninSC’s TC diary on the subject last night. Please read.
From siab:
I realize this is not quite the usual recommendation, this comment by Ian Reifowitz, in Walter Einenkel’s diary on Liz Cheney and AOC, is not what I am submitting as a Top Comment! Answers it stimulated ARE, however, in my opinion. (Ed. note: the composition of this submission was edited by me and should not reflect on siab in any way. _b)
Highlighted by karmsy:
Is this comment by lcork, on outrageous police treatment of non-verbal citizens, as described by clinical12 in this rec-list diary about the incident.
Highlighted by davekro:
Is this comment by TrueBlueMajority punctuating just how much of a lightweight Pence is.
Highlighted by Tarby:
In the thread submitted by siab, above, we find this very reasonable pushback comment by pcn8229.
TOP MOJO
Top Mojo for yesterday, June 17th, 2019, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary on FAQing Top Mojo.
TOP PICTURES
Top Pictures for June 18, 2019! Thanks so much, jotter!