I hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe celebration of July 4. Find a big place (like a stadium) to watch all the fireworks. Don’t get cocky like my cousin about 60 years ago; he bought firecrackers in Chinatown and put some into my mother’s flower pot with dirt. When the pot exploded and sent pieces all over the yard, he wondered why!
If you would like information about what AARP state liaison officers are discussing with our reps in Sacramento, please let me know. The information I have received from Antoine Cook indicates that the major issues are prescription drug costs, internet and voice-over privacy, and long-term care support and services.
Information will be forthcoming about the yearly AARP Service Day, which usually occurs in August.
Other notable dates in July:
- July 1, 1863 — the beginning of the battle of Gettysburg;
- July 2, 1776 — the Continental Congress issues a proclamation declaring the colonies independent of Great Britain;
- July 4, 1863 — Vicksburg, the last Confederate stronghold, surrenders to the Union army;
- July 4, 1872 — Calvin Coolidge is born in Plymouth, Vermont;
- July 15, 1606 — Dutch painter Rembrandt is born in Leiden, Holland;
- July 16, 1969 — Apollo lunar landing mission begins;
- July 20, 1954 — a conference in Geneva, Switzerland, ends hostilities between the French forces in Vietnam and the People’s Army of Vietnam.
- July 31, 1790 — U.S.Patent Office opens its doors.