2001: Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day

In the 1850’s, it was Sir David Brewster, a Scottish scientist, who came up with the term “pinhole photography” but he wasn’t the only one experimenting with this technique during that time. This type of photography was used to create photos that looked more like paintings. The technique has bounced back and forth in popularity worldwide ever since. The first Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day was held on this day in 2001 which encourages photographers from all over the world to contribute their images to the website, Pinholeday.org. The website even offers information on how to make your own camera and photography tips. (Images: Wikimedia)

1997: “The Blonde Leading the Blonde”

Though Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino played dimwitted blondes in the movie Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, they themselves are plenty smart. Kudrow attended Vassar College and Sorvino went to Harvard University. However, in this movie which was released on this day in 1997, the two 28-year-old women feel that they haven’t done much with their lives and want to impress their former friends at their 10-year high school reunion. Directed by David Mirkin, the movie also starred Janeane Garofalo, Camryn Manheim and Alan Cumming. Interestingly, the two main characters were taken from the stage play, Ladies Room by Robin Schiff and NBC had entertained the idea of a sitcom based of these characters calling it Just Temporary in 1999. In 2005, ABC Family presented a prequel to the movie called Romy and Michele: In the Beginning and Seattle’s 5^th Avenue Theatre premiered a stage version of the original story during the summer of 2017.

1953: International DNA Day

It was on this day in 1953 when scientiests James Watson, Francis Crick and company published the double helix structure of DNA in the journal Nature. In 2003, the U.S. Congress created a one-time celebration of the event, but today, it is celebrated worldwide. In fact, the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) takes the lead in organizing celebrations for the day. Universities and scientific organizations routinely jump in with their own events including scientific conferences, educational outreach, online discussions and essay competitions.

Birthdays

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