June 22

is the day we all take a sigh of relief that the Earth has maintained its orbit, or begin our journey towards oblivion.

is School Teachers' Day in El Salvador. As a tribute to school teachers, the general population finishes work at 3.30 pm, and takes three-month holidays, occasionally writing letters to newspapers complaining about their work conditions.

is the anniversary of both the 1812 day Napoleon declared war on Russia, and the 1941 day that Germany began its Russian invasion. Neither initiative turned out so well.

Tchaikovsky was commissioned to write the 1812 Overture to commemorate the defence of Russia by an organisation that developed into the modern day Red Cross. Tchaikovsky complained that he was "not a concocter of festival pieces," and that the Overture would be "very loud and noisy, but [without] artistic merit, because I wrote it without warmth and without love."