September 3: The day of tribute to labor
There’s no better way to honor labor than by not doing any. At least that was the idea of Peter McGuire, a labor organizer and leader who came up with the…
Category: Seasonal
National Immunization Month The legendary benefits of vaccines
Few public initiatives have improved health like vaccines, scientists say. According to the Centers for Disease Control, during the last two decades,…
National Dollar Day: A dollar by any other name . . .
Clams, dough, bacon, bread, lettuce. If you’re talking food, you could also be talking dollars. On August 8, 1786, Congress adopted the monetary system of…
The Dog Days of Summer: Heroic hounds
In honor of the Dog Days of Summer, here is a selection of dogs, famous and less so, who have made headlines, saved lives, and licked the competition.
Togo, the unrequited hero of sled dogs
Courage, leadership, loyalty–Togo the Siberian Husky had them all, though he started his life as a sickly pup and was then repeatedly rejected for the…
Willow, the last of the royal corgis
Although Buckingham Palace refused comment, word went out in April 2018 that the last of the line of royal corgis, Willow, had died. Willow was believed…
Salty and Roselle, the 911 wonder dogs
Widely honored for their life-saving work at the World Trade Center, Salty and Roselle were yellow labs whose work saved the lives of many people during…
Bobbie, the determined dog
Bobbie the Scottish Collie gained fame after 1923 for his breathtaking 3,000-mile trip to find his family. Bobbie’s family, from Oregon, was visiting…
Barry der Menschenretter (people rescuer)
In the treacherous Swiss Alps, the tradition of rescue dogs began as early as the 1700s. Though many dogs were known for their rescue of humans, none was…
Chewable sunscreen
Sunscreen that you don’t have to lather on? Maybe. New chewable and even drinkable sunscreens are under development using the fern extract polypodium…