11 th March

1302 Romeo and Juliet’s wedding day, according to Shakespeare. (See April 23rd entry.)

1779 U. S. Army Corps of Engineers first established. (See June 14th entry.) 1888 The Blizzard of 1888.

1922 Jack Kerouac was born.

1941 Lend-Lease Law was signed.

1942 General Douglas MacArthur left the Philippines for Australia, vowing: “I shall return.” (See January 26th, April 11th, April 19th, and October 20th entries.)

1950 Bobby McFerrin was born.

1986 One million days since the traditional founding of Rome (April 21,753 bc). (See April 21st entry.)

Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. Ask anyone what subject makes news more often than any other. Chances are the answer will be sports or crime. But the truth is that the weather makes news daily. It definitely was on everyone’s mind back in 1888. On this day, a blizzard started in the north-eastern United States. The storm lasted for three days, piling up mountains of snow recorded as high

As five feet with drifts towering over twenty feet tall in some areas. Four hundred people perished and damages were estimated at $20 million at the time. The people who lived through the Blizzard of 1888 talked about it for the rest of their lives.

This is the anniversary of the Lend-Lease Law. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an act that authorized the shipping of war supplies to England and other nations fighting Nazi Germany during the Second World War without physically involving ourselves.

Perseverance. Determination. Commitment. These qualities are equally necessary in times of war and times of peace. We should not forget these three words lest we forget our present, mutual goal: perseverance, determination, and commitment. It was on this day in 1942, as Japanese forces continued to advance in the Pacific, that General Douglas MacArthur embodied these attributes as he left the Philippines for Australia, vowing: “I shall return.”

Since today is singer and composer Bobby McFerrin’s birthday, it’s time to begin the day on a lighter note by quoting the lyrics of one of Mister McFerrin’s most popular songs: “Don’t worry, be happy.”

American novelist and poet Jack Kerouac was born on this day in 1922. He epitomized the Beat Generation of New York and San Francisco during the 1950s. His work introduced beatniks to Zen Buddhism in The Dharma Bums. He revealed America as seen through his eyes in his classic novel—On The Road—which he wrote in less than a month. Surprisingly, English was this acclaimed author’s second language. His parents were French-Canadian.