Yellowstone Park
Image by David Mark from Pixabay
Here’s another one for next year, so you have plenty of time to research it, pitch it, write it, and submit it.
One hundred and fifty years ago next year, on 1 March 1872, Yellowstone National Park was established by President Ulysses S Grant.
What can you find out about this park? What is it known for? What wildlife can be found there? What else is there of interest?
Following a very quick search, here are 3 things that I found out:
- There is a very well-known geyser there (Old Faithful), but how many geysers are there in total? What kind of market would be interested in geothermal features such as these?
- Apparently, there’s a subalpine forest at Yellowstone that’s part of the Rockies. Where else can these forests be found? Perhaps a woodland market might be interested in this topic.
- Yellowstone was the first national park in the United States, and many believe it was the first in the world. How about Ten Top National Parks in the World?
My own personal favourite is the fact that Yogi Bear lives in ‘Jellystone Park’. Is there a connection?
Could you set a story here, or have a character visit?
St Oswald of Worcester’s Day
Sunday 28 March is St Oswald of Worcester’s Day.
St Oswald was born in Denmark in 925 and he died in Worcester, England, in 992. He was Archbishop of York … (sorry, archbishop of York – they really don’t like those capitals these days for the archbishop!) from 972 until his death.
That means that, aside from being an evergreen, happening on the same date each year, if you wanted to do a topical anniversary piece and don’t care too much about round numbers, it will be 1,050 years ago next year when he became archbishop, or 1,030 years ago when he died.
Worcester (pronounced Wuss-ter) in England is a beautiful and historic place. (My dad was born in Worcestershire – pronounced Wuss-ter-sheer.)
What can you find out about the history of Worcester? Are there any other spiritual or religious connections to the city? Could you set a story here, or have a character visit?
Spike Milligan
This is another one for next year, so again, you have plenty of time to research it, pitch it, write it, and submit it.
Twenty years ago next year, on 27 February 2002, Spike Milligan, co-founder of The Goon Show, died, aged 83. He was apparently the first born and the last survivor of the Goons. But what else did he do?
I knew that he was born in India, but I didn’t know that he played the cornet and enjoyed jazz. Yet throughout the 1930s and 1940s, he played trumpet and performed as a jazz vocalist.
I knew that he was called up and fought during the Second World War, but I didn’t know that he wrote comedy sketches for the concert parties and entertained his fellow troops. (Can you think of another war-time concert party?)
I knew that he had applied, without success, for a British passport, but I didn’t know that he was bipolar.
There are so many facets to this man and his life that someone could dedicate their life to researching and writing about him.
Over to you …
… and don’t forget to come back and let me know if and what you did, and how it fared.
