Winslow Homer’s Birthday Ignites Artistic Joy

Quick Smiles:

• U.S. hockey team clinched Olympic gold with Miracle on Ice in 1980.
• First Mardi Gras floats paraded in New Orleans back in 1868.
• Thailand launched National Artist Day honoring peaceful King Rama II in 1985.

190 years ago today, renowned American painter Winslow Homer was born in Boston, shaped by his mother’s watercolor talents.

He thrived in Maine, vividly portraying fishing life in masterpieces like The Gulf Stream, The Fog Warning, and Breezing Up.

A critic early on marveled, “Winslow Homer is one of those few young artists who make a decided impression of their power with their very first contributions to the Academy … He at this moment wields a better pencil, models better, colors better, than many whom, were it not improper, we could mention as regular contributors to the Academy.”

58 years ago, Jocelyn Bell Burnell spotted the first pulsar signal, revealing fast-spinning magnetized neutron stars.

Though her supervisor shared the Nobel, she supported it gracefully: “it would demean Nobel Prizes if they were awarded to research students, except in very exceptional cases, and I do not believe this is one of them.”

205 years ago, the Plan of Iguala united leaders for Mexico’s independence, promising Catholicism, monarchy, and equality for all.

Agustín de Iturbide and Vicente Guerrero formed the Army of the Three Guarantees, securing victory six months later.

Congress rightly condemned WWII Japanese-American internment as grave injustice in 1983.

Led Zeppelin unveiled epic double album Physical Graffiti in 1975.

Embrace these tales of creativity and resilience to brighten your day!

Source