November 1: Goalie Masks, Moonrises & a Man Still Walking

November 1 is the day the calendar sobers up after Halloween, dusts off the candy wrappers, and gets down to business. And what glorious business it is: face masks, moonrises, and one gentleman who has been walking since 1998 and somehow still isn't home.

The Mask That Launched a Thousand Save Percentages

In 1959, Montreal goaltender Jacques Plante took a hockey puck to the face ul2014 a rite of passage in those gloriously reckless days ul2014 and made a radical decision: he returned to the ice wearing a face mask and finished the game. The hockey establishment clutched its pearls. Plante shrugged and kept his teeth. Today the mask is mandatory equipment for every goaltender, and he is remembered as the man who decided his nose was worth protecting after all.

Also in 1959, a different kind of durability was unfolding. Fast-forward to 1998, when Karl Bushby set off from Punta Arenas, Chile, to walk around the world back to England. That journey remains ongoing. Let that sink in: he has been walking longer than some of today's pop stars have been alive.

Ansel Adams and the Luckiest Snapshot in History

In 1941, American photographer Ansel Adams shot "Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico," one of the most famous photographs ever taken. The man essentially pulled over, scrambled for his gear, and captured a masterpiece before the light vanished. It's proof that greatness is ninety percent talent and ten percent being in the right place when the moon shows up on time.

Speaking of being well-timed, 1824 gave us the disposable ship Columbus arriving off England ul2014 at the time the largest vessel to have crossed the Atlantic. A ship designed to be used once and scrapped, which makes it the maritime ancestor of the paper coffee cup.

Happy Birthday to the Internet and the Charts

November 1 is a stacked birthday lineup. Alex Wolff, actor and musician, arrived in 1997, as did French footballer Nordi Mukiele. The year 1996 delivered GeorgeNotFound, the English internet personality beloved by millions of Minecraft fans, alongside Jeongyeon of South Korean juggernaut TWICE. Rapper NLE Choppa rounds things out from 2002. A genuinely eclectic dinner party.

A Holiday With Double the Reasons to Celebrate

Finally, November 1 is All Saints' Day, a holy day of obligation and national holiday in many historically Catholic countries, and the opening act of Day of the Dead, or El Du00eda de los Muertos, in Mexico and Haiti. It's a day to honor those who came before ul2014 with marigolds, memories, and really excellent pastries. Some holidays ask for solemnity. This one asks for sugar skulls. We know which we prefer.