Birthday Connections

Today is my dad’s birthday. After a brief internet search, it was interesting to discover the variety of people who have the honour of sharing their date of birth with my father.

Of the many individuals who were born on March 6th, those pictured above struck me as having had the greatest impact on those alive today. Alan Greenspan was Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 until 2006 and hence had a significant influence on the world economy that most of us benefit from today. John Noakes (and Shep) undoubtedly brought joy to the childhood of many who were fortunate enough to have been born in the late 1960s and early 1970s. And any visit to the Sistine Chapel must leave one in awe of the artistic skill of Michelangelo.

I must say though, the person who struck me as the one who should be remembered by at least 50% of the world’s population was Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova, the cosmonaut who became the first woman in space. In 1963, she was blasted into orbit aboard Vostok 6. Today, she remains a Russian hero. Putting her Communist beliefs to one side, no one can doubt her bravery. To my mind, her achievement ranks along side any other in the battle to win equality for women.