"Describe the day you were born"

On April 22nd, 1991 at exactly 10:51pm I was born at a hospital in Aurora, Illinois about an hour west from Chicago.  At that time up north still has pretty cold weather unlike here in Texas.  I tried to ask my parents what they remember about that day besides me being born, but they couldn't remember anything besides the weather.  The day itself is an actual holiday that even to this day a lot of people I talk to about it are unaware that Earth Day even exists.  Brief Earth Day history: The idea came from Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1969, in order to bring awareness about the planet being at risk.  It became an official holiday in 1970 and went global by 1990.  This video is actually from 1970, the first official Earth Day, I thought it was pretty cool how people protested and celebrated. It was and still is a very serious day.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/67649


World News on April 22, 1991

The president, at the time George H. W. Bush, announced that "The United States would initiate what soon became the largest U.S. relief effort mounted in modern military history. Such an undertaking was made necessary by the terrible human tragedy unfolding in and around Iraq as a result of Saddam Hussein's brutal treatment of Iraqi citizens."  Of course and unfortunately this event took place longer than just one day, but there was constant breaking news throughout this time.

Many Kurds fled a Saddam onslaught in 1991.

Another tragic event that happened on this day, and earthquake with the magnitude of 7.6 hit Costa Rica killing about 80 people, injuring hundreds, and leaving thousands homeless.  The earthquake was also felt in Panama, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Colombia.  It also caused landslides and tsunamis adding even more to the damage.  Estimated cost for all the damage in Costa Rica was about 43 million U. S. dollars.

Technology News on April 22, 1991

Intel releases new 4865x processing chip and along with that IBM introduces two new personal computers priced from $8,345 to $12,695 depending on the size of the hard drive.
I don't know how "fast" that processor might have been at the time, but what I found most interesting was the actual price for a personal computer.  Nowadays you can buy laptops or desktops for as low as $200 dollars, that's pocket change compared to what they used to cost.  My generation definitely takes these things for granted, and they only care to get the best and fastest technology out there.

Another piece of technology that was being announced on this day was "VCR+" which could now help you program and record your favorite TV shows.  I thought this was pretty fancy.  Nowadays people do this very same thing, but on their DVRs rather than on a VHS cassette.


Entertainment News/Facts on April 22, 1991

In sports, White Sox player Frank Thomas is the first to hit a home run at the new Comiskey Park in Chicago.  Even though I am actually a Cubs fan, I found this interesting since I was so close to the city and I love baseball.

The top 3 shows on this very day by ratings were: Cheers, 60 Minutes, and Roseanne.
This was another fun fact I learned, because Roseanne was actually one of my favorite shows to watch later on in my middle school/high school years.

I learned that a song I actually know only because I have older friends that showed it to me randomly, was on the Top 40 Charts on this day.  The song is by Enigma and it is called "Sadness- Part 1", the video is rather creepy, but the song is odd to begin with.

Yeah... I still can't believe I've heard this on some of my friends mp3 players.


I learned a lot of cool things that happened this day, I just wish that my parents had more stories to share.  Everything I did learn, I wasn't aware of at all before doing the research.  I probably found the Earth Day history and what was going on in Iraq the most interesting, it made me want to know more about it.