November 12: Comets, Dynamite Whales, and the Emu War

Some days history clears its throat and whispers. November 12 kicks the door open, trips over a whale, and lands triumphantly on a comet. Buckle up — this one's a ride.

Humanity Sticks the Landing (On a Comet)

In 2014, the European Space Agency's lander Philae touched down on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, becoming the first spacecraft to ever land on a comet. Let that sink in: we chased a frozen space snowball hurtling through the solar system and gently parked on it. Meanwhile, most of us struggle to parallel park on a quiet Tuesday. The comet's name alone deserves a standing ovation — try saying "Churyumov–Gerasimenko" three times fast without pulling a muscle.

The Birthday Lineup Is Stacked

November 12 produced an impressively athletic roster. In 2002, Paolo Banchero, the Italian-American basketball star, was born — a man who now dunks for a living while the rest of us celebrate reaching the top shelf. That same year gave us English footballer Tino Livramento. The class of 1998 delivered French footballer Jules Koundé and Swedish hockey player Elias Pettersson, while 1995 blessed the internet with xQc, the Canadian streamer who has personally logged more screen time than your entire family tree combined. Also arriving in 1999: South Korean singer, dancer, rapper, and actress Choi Yoo-jung, who collects job titles the way the rest of us collect unused gym memberships.

The Day Oregon Declared War on Physics

And now, the entry that launched a thousand YouTube rewatches. In 1970, the Oregon Highway Division decided the best way to deal with a rotting beached sperm whale near Florence, Oregon was — naturally — dynamite. The plan went, shall we say, exactly as spectacularly wrong as you'd imagine. It remains a masterclass in confidence vastly exceeding competence, and a reminder that sometimes the solution is worse than the problem.

Oregon wasn't alone in picking fights it couldn't win. In 1932, at the request of the Government of Western Australia, the military officially resumed the Emu War after an earlier withdrawal. Yes — a war. Against emus. The emus, for the record, had excellent morale and even better tactics.

A Holiday Worth Celebrating

If you need an excuse to raise a glass, November 12 marks the Birth of Sun Yat-Sen, also observed as Doctors' Day and Cultural Renaissance Day in the Republic of China. So thank a doctor, embrace a little cultural renaissance of your own, and absolutely do not attempt to detonate any wildlife. The history books have that part covered. Happy November 12 — may your landings be soft and your whales stay fully intact.