Woodrow Wilson Proclaims First Mother's Day

Woodrow Wilson

Pol Light #82 is when Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the First Mother's Day Holiday on May 9, 1914. Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He also served as Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913.

The following words were issued by Woodrow Wilson on May 9, 1914 for the observance of the first Mother's Day.

“Now, Therefore, I, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the said Joint Resolution, do hereby direct the government officials to display the United States flag on all government buildings and do invite the people of the United States to display the flag at their homes or other suitable places on the second Sunday in May as a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country [Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum].”

The observance of Mother's Day continues after 100 years on the second Sunday in May of every year.

An image of the original Mother's Day proclamation can be viewed at the National Archives Website as well.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

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Photo: The photo of Woodrow Wilson is in the Public Domain.

Gaylord Nelson Founds Earth Day

Gaylord Nelson

Pol Light Moment #29 occurred on April 22, 1970, when Senator Gaylord Nelson founded the first Earth Day. Gaylord Nelson served as the 35th Governor of Wisconsin from 1959-1963.  He then served as a United States Senator for Wisconsin from 1963-1981.

Gaylord Nelson was influenced to start Earth Day by a huge oil spill in 1969 near Santa Barbara, California (See http://www.examiner.com/article/1969-santa-barbara-oil-spill-from-crisis-to-change).  Gaylord Nelson viewed Earth Day as a teach-in on the enviornment. He said this about his reason for starting Earth Day and his optimism for it's impact.

I am convinced that all we need to do to bring an overwhelming insistence of the new generation that we stem the tide of environmental disaster is to present the facts clearly and dramatically. To marshal such an effort, I am proposing a national teach-in on the crisis of the environment to be held next spring on every university campus across the Nation. The crisis is so imminent, in my opinion, that every university should set aside 1 day in the school year-the same day across the Nation-for the teach-in (Source-Congressional Record, Vol 115, No 164, October 8, 1969).

The first Earth Day in 1970 had over 20 million participants. It has continued on April 22 of each year for over 40 years. The observance is now an international effort that has over 500 million participants. For more information on Earth Day visit http://nelsonearthday.net/nelson/index.htm. You can also visit the Wikipedia page for Earth Day. Gaylord Nelson who was born in 1916 lived until 2005 and was able to see the continued growth of Earth Day through the years.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

The photo of Gaylord Nelson is in the Public Domain and is on Wikipedia.

John F. Kennedy Reads the Declaration of Independence

Pol Light Moment #15 occurred on July 4, 1957, when then Senator John F. Kennedy read the Declaration of Independence for a radio program to celebrate the Independence Day holiday. John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961-1963.

John F. Kennedy was elected to the United States Senate in 1952. On July 4, 1957, Senator Kennedy read the Declaration of Independence on a program for the Radio Station WQXR to celebrate the United States Independence Day.  A complete transcript of the text of the Declaration of Independence, as it was written on July 4, 1776, is available at the Charters of Freedom Website.

Here is the YouTube video that features the recording of John F. Kennedy reading the Declaration of Independence in 1957.

The reading of the Declaration of Independence by John F. Kennedy was also featured by the New York Times to accompany their publication of the full version of the Declaration of Independence.

John F. Kennedy has been featured on other Pol Light posts. To view all John F. Kennedy posts search with John F. Kennedy label at Pol Light.

Quote Light: John F. Kennedy has a page on the Quote Light blog.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

Photo: The photo of John F. Kennedy is in the Public Domain.

Joe Biden Shares About Losing Wife and Daughter

Pol Light Moment #11 is when Joe Biden shared about losing his wife and daughter in a car accident to encourage families of fallen soldiers for a Memorial Day 2012 observance.  Joe Biden has been the Vice President of the United States from 2009 to the present. Prior to that he served as a United States Senator for Delaware from 1973-2009.

Joe Biden lost his first wife and their 18 month daughter in a tragic car accident on December 18, 1972, while he was preparing to start his first term as a United States Senator (Source). His two sons were seriously injured in the accident as well but survived.

On Friday, May 25, 2012, Vice-President Joe Biden shared a new aspect about his loss at an event for TAPS (Tragedy Assistance for Survivors) in Virginia. In the speech for the first time Joe Biden revealed about how he understood feelings of suicide after the loss. His remarks in the speech included this:

I probably shouldn't say this with the press here, but it's more important, you're more important. For the first time in my life, I understood how someone could consciously decide to commit suicide. Not because they were deranged, not because they were nuts, because they had been to the top of the mountain, and they just knew in their heart they would never get there again (ABC News, Devin Dwyer, Joe Biden Reflects on Immense Grief after Loss of Wife, Daughter, May 25, 2012).

Joe Biden went on in the speech to encourage those who had experienced loss of someone in the armed services, saying, "There will come a day, I promise you, and your parents as well, when the thought of your son or daughter or your husband or wife brings a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye (Source)."

The following is a news feature on this moment by the Rachel Maddow show.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Joe Biden has been featured on other posts at Pol Light. To view them search the blog with the label "Joe Biden".

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

Photo: The photo of Joe Biden is in the Public Domain and is the official United States federal government photo of Joe Biden.