News / Life / Clark County Life

Check It Out: Use Oct. 23 to learn a stack on eclectic topics

By Jan Johnston

Published: October 23, 2016, 6:02am

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I love October. Orange pumpkins, fiery-red foliage, foggy mornings and crisp nights — this home-grown desert girl digs a Northwest October. I can’t help but want to write about jack-o’-lanterns and hearty stews whenever October rolls around, but now that I’m into my fifth October of contributing to the “Check It Out” column (five years, already!), I decided it’s time to go beyond the obvious Halloween and autumn themes. Surely October is a significant month in other ways, right?

The answer is yes, of course. Let’s take today’s date, Oct. 23. It’s not just the day before Oct. 24 or a mere eight days before Halloween. For one thing, it might be your birthday, and if that’s the case, happy birthday to you, Scorpio! In a broader historical context, a number of momentous events have made their mark on Oct. 23. To help celebrate 10/23 (and to prove that October is so much more than Columbus Day and Halloween), I have selected a sample of these events and paired them with books available at the library. It is my hope that one or more of these fascinating tidbits will spark your reading interests. If nothing else, you’ll be able to dazzle your friends and family with under-appreciated facts about the 23rd of October. Trust me, not many people can do that.

• Oct. 23, 42 B.C. — Brutus commits suicide. Yes, that Brutus, of Julius Caesar fame. If ancient Rome is your thing, take a step way, way back in time and read “What Life Was Like When Rome Ruled the World: The Roman Empire 100 B.C. – A.D. 200” by Time-Life Books. Holy Roman Emperor, Batman, this is compelling stuff.

• Oct. 23, 1915 — Between 25,000-33,000 women march on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Why? They want the right to vote. Although it takes five more years to pass the 19th Amendment, the women’s suffrage movement has definitely made its point. For a unique perspective on this time in history, check out “Women’s Suffrage Memorabilia: An Illustrated Historical Study” by Kenneth Florey.

• Oct. 23, 1929 — If this date sounds ominously familiar, you’re almost right. October 29, 1929 is when the U.S. stock market collapsed. But on the 23rd signs of the impending crash began to rattle the New York Stock Exchange. There are many good reads available about the Great Depression of which the library has many in its collection. A different take on the experience of living through those troubled times is Jane Ziegelman’s “A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression.” I find the history of food and eating habits to be especially intriguing, and this book doesn’t disappoint.

• Oct. 23, 1939 — Author Zane Grey dies. Famous for writing western novels, including “Riders of the Purple Sage,” Grey was also a dentist and an avid fisherman. Now, I’m not going to recommend a book about teeth. However, a book about fishing might lure in a few readers, so let me reel you in with “Zane Grey on Fishing.” Git along, little tadpoles!

• Oct. 23, 1973 — If it’s 1973, it must be Watergate. It was on this day that President Nixon agreed to turn over audio tapes of his Oval Office conversations. Sometimes history is more engaging in a visual format, so check out the DVD “Dick Cavett’s Watergate” and watch television host Cavett interview a variety of people connected to the scandal.

• Mole Day — As much as I was hoping that Mole Day referred to the subterranean rodent, or a tasty Mexican sauce, maybe espionage, or even skin growths (although that would be kind of icky to celebrate), Oct. 23 is designated Mole Day because of chemistry. Not chemistry as in, “Dick and Jane have great chemistry together,” but chemistry as in atoms and molecules. Turns out it has everything to do with something called Avogadro’s number which relates to 10/23 in a very scientific way. Please don’t ask me to explain this to you because I can’t. But if you want to pursue the science behind Mole Day, you might want to check out a chemistry book such as “Barron’s Painless Chemistry” by Loris Chen. All I can say is that Avogadro reminds me of avocado, which reminds me of guacamole, so I think I’ll celebrate Mole Day with a plate of nachos and a margarita. Olé!

Jan Johnston is the collection development coordinator for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. Email her at readingforfun@fvrl.org.

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