Been There Done That

14 Mar 2016

M.Kirby, D.Adams, Penicillin, Plebiscite, Patrick, Ides, Swordman

Book, Gay, History, Icons, Inventions, Science

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M.Kirby, D.Adams, Penicillin, Plebiscite, Patrick, Ides, Swordman

This week Chris is away for the weekend so Gordon and Phil are holding the fort.

March is a big month for LGBTI folk– Rudolf Nureyev and Boyzone lead singer Stephen Gately both born on 17 March in 1938 and 1976 respectively, with Stephen dying way too early at the age of 33. A great Australian was born on 18/3/1939–Justice Michael Kirby who served on The High Court and has always been a great advocate for human rights and LGBTI issues.

Other luminaries are writer Douglas Adams of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy fame, born 11/3/1952; penicillin ‘discoverer’, Alexander Fleming who died on the same date in 1955 and genius physicist Albert Einstein born 14/3/1879.

Gordon and Phil discuss the real cost of the plebiscite on equal marriage which could be better spent on schools, hospitals etc and also the harm it could cause to our community. It is essentially a very expensive way of finding out public opinion.

Amazingly, this week in March is when a lot of famous people have met their end over the centuries. St Patrick died in AD 471 on 17 March ; Julius Caesar was stabbed by his senators in 44 BC on 15 March (the Ides of March); and the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II was deposed on 15 March 1917.

Other historical events this week include– the first free elections for East Germany on 18/3/1990 where they decided to rejoin West Germany; Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened, unofficially at first, by a sworded man on a horse on 19/3/1932; and the modern London Bridge (not to be confused with the Tower Bridge) was opened on 17/3/1973 by the Queen.

Sadly, there were no Simpsons’ references this week…