December 22 is a special day to honor history, science, military, cars, and some oddities. This post starts in 1962.
On December 22, 1962
- First British band reaches #1 on US single’s chart: Telstar by the The Tornados
- USSR performs a nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
- 1,000,000th NBA point scored
- Ralph Fiennes (actor) and John Erickson (blogger) born as twins from different mothers
- All knitted out with new khakis and a rucksack, John Erickson voted cutest baby in nursery
December 22, 1963: Official 30-day mourning period for President John F Kennedy ends so people can celebrate John Erickson’s first birthday
December 22, 1964: Comedian Lenny Bruce is convicted of obscenity while celebrating John Erickson’s second birthday
December 22, 1965: Vowing to never let John Erickson speed, Great Britain sets maximum speed at 70 MPH
December 22, 1966: WCVW-TV channel 57 in Richmond, Virginia (PBS) goes live by broadcasting John Erickson’s 4th birthday celebration
December 22, 1968: Julie Nixon weds Dwight David Eisenhower to celebrate John Erickson’s 6th birthday
December 22, 1970: SS Commander Franz Stangl of Treblinka, sentenced to life in prison to celebrate John Erickson’s 8th birthday
December 22, 1978: Deng Xiaoping reverses Mao-era policies to allow Chinese to celebrate John Erickson’s 16th birthday
December 22, 1980: So its crew can celebrate John Erickson’s 18th birthday, USS Eisenhower returned to Norfolk, Virginia after a 251-day deployment
December 22, 1982: Having memorized all three seasons of Star Trek, John sends a fan letter to William Shatner at his new T.J. Hooker TV show, promising to adore him forever. Bill returns a heartfelt letter saying, “Go ‘way kid, yah bother me! Why don’t you go bug Yeoman Janice?”
December 22, 1984: Board of Elections discovers John Erickson voted for Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley three times, despite the fact Daley died in 1976
December 22, 1985: To honor a Star Trek enthusiast’s 23rd birthday, NASA moves STS 51-L (space shuttle) to Launch Pad 39B
December 22, 1988: To celebrate his 26th birthday, John Erickson orders 2 robbers wearing police uniforms to rob armored truck in NJ of $3 million
December 22, 1989: Romanians celebrate John Erickson’s 27th birthday by ousting Nicolea Ceausescu
December 22, 1989: To honor John Erickson’s 27th birthday, Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate re-opens after nearly 30 years, effectively ending the division of East and West Germany.
December 22, 1990: Poles celebrate John Erickson’s 28th birthday by swearing-in their first popularly elected president, Lech Walesa
December 22, 1997: To help John Erickson, FDA approves Merck’s baldness pill for men
December 22, 1998: Courts order Microsoft to stop blocking Blue Mountain Arts so John Erickson can receive birthday cards
December 22, 2005: To honor John Erickson’s 41st birthday, astronomers hail his proctologist by announcing the discovery of two more rings encircling the planet Uranus
December 22, 2007: Medically induced financial exile forces John and his long-suffering wife to move to eastern Ohio – Local Amish organize strong protest
December 22, 2010: For nothing to do with John Erickson besides his 48th birthday, President Barack Obama signed a law allowing gays for the first time in history to serve openly in America’s military – thus repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy
December 22, 2012: John Erickson – blogger; Trekkie; enthusiast of WW II, anything military, certain cars, and general nonsense; Clutch Cargo fan, and friend of many bloggers – turns 50
Other Sharing John Erickson’s Birthday
Diocletian, Roman Emperor (244)
Roger II, King of Sicily (1095)
James Oglethorpe (1696) English founder of Georgia (US)
Giacomo Puccini, composer (1858)
Minor Watson, Guadalcanal Diary actor, (1889)
Grote Reber, first radio astronomer (1911)
Lady Bird Johnson, American First Lady (1912)
Barbara Billingsley, actor (1915)
Gene Rayburn, game show host (1917)
Diane Sawyer, broadcast journalist (1945)
Brothers Gibb, Robin and Maurice, Bee Gees (1949)
Coco, first gorilla bred in captivity (1956)
Yuri Malenchenko, Russian astronaut (1961)
Dina Meyer, Starship Troppers actor (1968)
Greg Biffle, NASCAR driver, (1969)
Many people have a soft spot for animals. As strays come to doors, some shoo them away, others offer temporary help, and some even take them in. In late 2010/early, someone saw my comment about being in Ohio – and shortly thereafter I received a visit. The best I can determine, John Erickson first commented here on January 3, 2011 – and he’s been not only hanging around here ever since, but he has also worked his way into many of your lives.
John always provides an interesting quip, and at times, I admit writing 
something to set up his comment. Most of us got to know John through his visits because he didn’t host a blog as he does now. To John, I present the Commentator Award.
I’ve never met (in person) any bloggers, but this past October I drove 3.5 hours to meet John – and I had a wonderful day with hopes that I return in the spring. Happy birthday John … and a video for you below.
Visit these other birthday tributes: Fasab, Elyse, Guapo, Weebs, Doggy, Jamie, Brainrants, Benzeknees, Archon, The Idiot Speaketh, WhiteLadyInTheHood
A Frank Angle 