“But traces of bigotry still mar America. So, each year on Martin Luther King Day, let us not only recall Dr. King, but rededicate ourselves to the commandments he believed in and sought to live every day: Thou shall love thy God with all thy heart, and thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.”

– President Ronald Reagan in a 1983 speech before he signed the bill making the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. a national holiday. The holiday was first observed in 1986 and not officially observed in all 50 states until 2000.

George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Cesar Chavez are the only other Americans to have had their birthdays observed as a national holiday.

A few other notables:

Birth name

King was born Michael King Jr. on Jan. 15, 1929. In 1934, his father, a pastor, traveled to Germany and became inspired by Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther. As a result, King Sr. changed his own name as well as that of his 5-year-old son.

First attempt on his life

On Sept. 20, 1958, King was in Harlem signing copies of his new book, “Stride Toward Freedom,” in Blumstein’s department store when he was approached by Izola Ware Curry. The woman asked if he was Martin Luther King Jr. After he said yes, Curry said, “I’ve been looking for you for five years,” and she plunged a 7-inch letter opener into his chest. Surgeons later told King that just one sneeze could have punctured the aorta and killed him. King issued a statement affirming his nonviolent principles saying he felt no ill will toward his mentally ill attacker.

Worker’s rights

King had come to Memphis in April 1968 to support the strike of the city’s Black garbage workers, and in a speech on the night before his assassination, he told an audience at Mason Temple Church: “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life.”

His mother was assassinated, too

On June 30, 1974, as 69-year-old Alberta Williams King played the organ at a Sunday service inside Ebenezer Baptist Church, Marcus Wayne Chenault Jr. rose from the front pew, drew two pistols and began to fire shots. One of the bullets struck and killed King, who died steps from where her son had preached nonviolence.

National Civil Rights Museum

The Lorraine Motel where James Earl Ray assassinated King on April 4, 1968, is a complex of museums that trace the civil rights movement in the U.S. from the 17th century to the present.

You can learn more about the National Civil Rights Museum here.

The King Center in Atlanta, founded in 1968 has many online resources here.

Building the National Monument

You can learn more about the MLK National Monument here.

U.S. views on racism

An October 2021 survey by the Pew Research Center shows that overall, about two-thirds of U.S. adults (65%) say that when it comes to racism against Black people in our country today, racism by individual people is a bigger problem than racism in our laws.

Percentage who say that, when it comes to racism against Black people in our country today, the bigger problem is …

You can find the August 2022, Pew Research Center story “Black Americans Have a Clear Vision for Reducing Racism but Little Hope It Will Happen” here.

Sources: History.com,The Pew Research Center, The Associated Press, Gallup, CNN, Time, The American Presidency Project, UCSB, The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University

Since Christmas is Monday, we look at toys inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame and some of the most dangerous toys kids are getting these days.

The National Toy Hall of Fame is part of the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. The Hall of Fame accepts nominations from the public year-round, but to be inducted, the nominees must be approved by historians and educators with backgrounds in learning and play.

Toys are rated in four categories, though they don’t have to rate highly in all categories to get in:

Icon status: Toys that are widely recognized and respected.

Longevity: Toys that are not a fad and have had popularity over several generations.

Discovery: Toys that foster creativity and learning.

Innovation: Toys that change the ways we play or have ground-breaking design.

A list of each toy to be inducted is below.

You can nominate a toy here.

Help my campaign

I nominated the beach ball for induction this month.

Fun at the beach, pool or stadium, the beloved colorful ball has been snubbed long enough.

According to Time Magazine’s collection of the 100 greatest toys, the inflatable beach ball is believed to have been invented by Jonathon DeLonge in 1938. The original beach balls are thought to have been about the size of a hand.

Now the inflatable toys are sold in many different sizes, including unbelievably large. The ball is in the Hall, and so is sand.

It’s time to induct this great toy that’s fun for all ages.

Trends in toys

E-scooters, E-bikes and hoverboards might be all the rage this holiday season, but their safety is cause for concern.

A report released in October by the Consumer Product Safety Commission says injuries from what they call micromobility products have increased 21% in 2022 from 2021 and have increased 23% each year since 2017.

Nearly half (46%) of all estimated e-bike injuries from 2017 to 2022 occurred in 2022 alone.

The report included the following:

• There were 233 deaths associated with micromobility devices from 2017 through 2022, although reporting is ongoing and incomplete.

• Children 14 years and younger accounted for about 36% of micromobility injuries from 2017 to 2022, double their 18% proportion of the U.S. population.

• May through October had the largest percentages of both E-scooter and E-bike-related injuries. December and January had the largest percentages of hoverboard-related injuries.

• There were an estimated 360,800 emergency department visits related to all micromobility devices from 2017 through 2022.

• Fractures, followed by contusions/abrasions, are the two most common injuries. The most frequently injured body areas are the upper and lower limbs, as well as the head and neck.

• Fires were a significant hazard with all micromobility devices. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is aware of 19 deaths associated with micromobility device fires from Jan. 1, 2021, through Nov. 28, 2022.

The best way to avoid injuries when using micromobility products:

• Always wear a helmet.

• Before riding an E-scooter, make sure to check it for any damage, which includes examining the handlebars, brakes, throttle, bell, lights, tires, cables and frame. Damage to the E-scooter can cause loss of control and lead to a crash.

• Always be present when charging micromobility products and only use the supplied charger. Never charge the device while sleeping.

• Only use an approved replacement battery pack.

• Never throw lithium batteries in the trash or general recycling. Instead, take them to your local battery recyclers or hazardous waste collection center.

Sources: The Strong National Museum of Play, National Toy Hall of Fame, American Journal of Play, Consumer Product Safety Commission

The number of Americans struggling to get by has increased in the past few years.

The U.S. Census Bureau produces annual poverty estimates to measure the economic well-being of households, families and individuals.

The report offers the official poverty measure and the supplemental poverty measure. The official figure, produced since the 1960s, defines poverty by comparing pretax income to a national threshold adjusted by family composition. This is used to determine eligibility for several government programs and has been used as a benchmark of economic well-being since its adoption.

The official poverty rate in 2022 was 11.5%, applying to 37.9 million people.

All comparative statements have undergone statistical testing and are statistically significant at the 90% confidence level unless otherwise noted.

• The official poverty rate for African Americans decreased from 2021 to 2022. The 2022 rate was the lowest on record.

• Official poverty rates increased from 2021 to 2022 for the White and non-Hispanic White populations. Poverty rates were not statistically different for the Asian, American Indian and Alaska Native, two or more races, or Hispanic (any race) populations.

The USDA Economic Research Service Poverty Area Measures identify counties and census tracts with high (20% or more) and extreme (40% or more) poverty rates over various periods from 1960 to 2021. This information is used to derive persistent and enduring poverty area measures for the same levels of geography.

In 1960, 78% — or 2,412 of all counties for which poverty status was determined (3,110 out of a total of 3,142) — had poverty rates of 20% or more. Among them, 680 (28%) continued to have high poverty through 1980.

High-poverty counties over time

These first five maps show the number of consecutive decades counties have had high poverty from 1960 to about 2019 (using five-year estimates for 2015–19).

Most recent figures

Differences in poverty rates by state using the official and supplemental poverty measures: three-year average 2020 to 2022.

California’s poverty rate climbed in the first quarter of this year, the latest quarter measured by the Public Policy Institute of California. Poverty increased from 11.7% in 2021 to 13.2%, the institute said, with 5 million people struggling.

Higher rates may occur for many reasons. Housing costs, as well as different mixes of housing tenure, may result in higher thresholds.

Higher nondiscretionary expenses, such as taxes or medical expenses, may also drive rates higher.

Sources: Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Public Policy Institute of California

1798: Robert Willan, the father of modern dermatology, describes a skin condition called eczema solare, or skin sensitivity to light.

1820: English physician Sir Everard Home first proposes that skin pigmentation has protective effects against the sun and that a component of sunlight other than heat affects the skin.

1878: Otto Veiel of Austria describes tannins as a form of sun protection. However, the darkening effect of tannins on the skin prevents them from being commercialized as a sunscreen.

1889: Erik Johan Widmark of Stockholm publishes a landmark study that experimentally proves UV radiation can cause skin erythema and burns.

1891: Dr. Hammer of Stuttgart, Germany, is the first to specifically recommend the use of chemical sunscreens to prevent UV radiation from causing erythema solare of the skin; he uses quinine prepared in an ointment as the first human sunscreen.

1896: Dr. Paul Unna, a German physician, first describes an association between sun exposure and skin cancer: he explains precursor skin cancer changes, such as hyperkeratosis, on sun-exposed skin.

1910: Dr. Unna develops a sunscreen from chestnut extract, sold under the names “Zeozon” and “Ultrazeozon.”

1920s: Coco Chanel popularizes the idea of tanning after photographs of her are taken following a Mediterranean cruise. Her friend, Prince Jean-Louis de Faucigny-Lucigne, says: “I think she may have invented sunbathing.” Tanned skin becomes a sign of a healthy, leisurely, and privileged way of life in Western culture.

1928: Dr. G. M. Findlay publishes a paper with the first experimental proof of the association between UV radiation and skin cancer in an animal study (mice).

1935: Eugene Schueler, founder of today’s L’Oréal, develops the first tanning oil with UV radiation-filtering properties; the active ingredient is benzyl salicylate.

1938: Swiss chemist Franz Greiter gets sunburned while climbing Mt. Piz Buin — an event that will inspire him to create the first modern sunscreen a decade later.

1942: Stephen Rothman and Jack Rubin first describe para-aminobenzoic acid, active ingredients that will become the most popular in sunscreens in the U.S. for many years.

1942: The Army Air Force approaches the American Medical Association Council of Pharmacy and Chemistry for a “top secret experiment” to study the most effective protective substances to prevent sunburn of men stranded in the desert or on life rafts. They find that dark red veterinary petroleum is waterproof, inexpensive and free of toxicity.

1944: Pharmacist Benjamin Green, who served as an airman during World War II and used red veterinary petroleum, develops a more pleasing, consumer-friendly version of the product by adding cocoa butter and coconut oil, a combination that eventually becomes the Coppertone suntan lotion.

1946: Swiss chemist Franz Greiter develops and commercializes the first modern sunscreen, known as “Gletscher Crème,” or Glacier Cream. He names his brand Piz Buin in honor of the mountain he climbed.

1962: Greiter is credited with inventing the sun protection factor (SPF) rating; the original Gletscher Crème has an SPF rating of 2.

1967: Water-resistant sunscreens are developed.

1978: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration begins to regulate the booming sunscreen market. UV tanning beds also start to appear in the U.S.

1980s: Australia, followed by other countries, accepts the definition of SPF as “the ratio of UV energy needed to produce a minimal erythemal dose on protected to unprotected skin.” SPF becomes the standard in testing sunscreen formulations.

1990s: Most sunscreen products in the market have SPFs ranging from 15 to 30; avobenzone (with octyl triazone added to increase photostability) is the most common ingredient for UVA protection, whereas octyl methoxycinnamate is the most common ingredient for UVB protection.

2007: The International Agency for Research on Cancer publishes a landmark study confirming the association between tanning beds and melanoma.

2008: Marine scientist Roberto Danovaro and colleagues publish the first study describing the potential role of sunscreen ingredients causing coral bleaching in areas with high levels of human recreational use.

2018: Following ecotoxicologist Craig Downs and colleagues’ paper raising concern for potential harm of two sunscreen ingredients — oxybenzone and octinoxate — on coral bleaching and underwater ecosystems, Hawaii becomes the first state to pass a bill banning the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate, active ingredients found in most major sunscreen brands.

2019: The FDA‘s Muraili Matta and colleagues’ study in the Journal of the American Medical Association details the application of four commonly available sunscreens on healthy volunteers that resulted in plasma concentrations above the exceeded level established by the FDA for waiving nonclinical toxicology studies for sunscreen. The active ingredients included in the study are avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, and ecamsule. This study has served as a catapult for the need for further studies to determine the significance of these findings as the chemicals were being absorbed by the body.

Sources: National Library of Medicine, American Academy of Dermatology, American Cancer Society, Cancernet.org, Melanoma Research Foundation

A place of remembrance

In 1866, Henry Welles of Waterloo, New York, suggested the town’s shops should close May 5 to commemorate the soldiers who had died during the Civil War.

Two years later in Waterloo, Gen. John Logan issued a declaration that Decoration Day should be observed nationwide. The declaration said that May 30 would be designated as a day to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers.

In 1882, the name of the holiday was changed from Decoration Day to Memorial Day. After World War I, the holiday was expanded to remember soldiers from all American wars.

In 1971, Richard Nixon made Memorial Day a national holiday that was to be celebrated on the last Monday in May.

When the Army constructed the first memorial amphitheater at the cemetery in 1873 (now called the Tanner Amphitheater), an average of 25,000 individuals participated in Decoration Day commemorations.

The Memorial Amphitheater is turning 150 years old this year. The amphitheater is named in honor of James R. Tanner. Tanner was a corporal in the 87th New York Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, who suffered a gruesome wound from Confederate cannon fire at the Second Battle of Bull Run in August 1862. It resulted in the loss of both legs below the knees.

He learned to walk on artificial limbs and after the war, Tanner became a stenographer and was present both at Abraham Lincoln’s deathbed and during the trial of the Lincoln conspirators. He was an advocate for veterans’ rights and served for a time as the Commissioner of Pensions, and later became the commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic. Tanner is now buried a few yards from the structure that bears his name.

The public is encouraged to view the ceremony and observance program live at: www.dvidshub.net/webcast/32025.

It’s scheduled from 10:50 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST on Monday, May 29.

Guarding the tomb

Soldiers were first assigned to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in 1926, to discourage visitors from climbing or stepping on it. In 1937, the guards became a 24/7 presence, standing watch over the Unknown Soldier at all times.

The military guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is changed in a ceremony every hour on the hour from Oct. 1 through March 31, and every half hour from April 1 through Sept. 30.

The Unknown Soldiers represent all missing and unknown service members who served and made the ultimate sacrifice — they not only gave their lives, but also their identities to protect these freedoms.

The 3rd U.S. Infantry, traditionally known as “The Old Guard,” is the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army, serving our nation since 1784. The Old Guard is the Army’s official ceremonial unit and escort to the president, and it also provides security for Washington, D.C., in time of national emergency or civil disturbance.

Soldiers who volunteer to become Tomb Guards undergo a strict selection process and intensive training. A fully qualified Tomb Guard identification badge is one of the rarest badges in the U.S. Army. Only about 10% of the applicants qualify.

The first female Tomb Guard earned the prestigious identification badge in 1996.

The Sentinel’s Creed

“My dedication to this sacred duty is total and whole-hearted. In the responsibility bestowed on me never will I falter. And with dignity and perseverance my standard will remain perfection. Through the years of diligence and praise and the discomfort of the elements, I will walk my tour in humble reverence to the best of my ability. It is he who commands the respect I protect, his bravery that made us so proud. Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day, alone in the thoughtful peace of night, this soldier will in honored glory rest under my eternal vigilance.”

Sources: The Memorial Day Foundation, Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Department of Defense, Center for Military Readiness, National Park Service, Arlington National Cemetery Photos from the Department of Defense and National Park Service

Here are 10 questions to test your knowledge of the planet.

1. A day on Earth is 24 hours but it always hasn’t been that way. Are the days getting longer or shorter?

Answer: Longer. According to NASA, the length of Earth’s day is increasing. When Earth was formed 4.6 billion years ago, its day would have been roughly six hours long. By 620 million years ago, this had increased to 21.9 hours. Today, the average day is 24 hours long, but is increasing by about 1.7 milliseconds every century.

The reason? The moon is slowing down Earth’s rotation through the tides that it helps create.

2. What country has the driest place on Earth?

A) U.S.

B) Saudi Arabia

C) Chile

Answer C: The driest place in the world — the Atacama Desert in northern Chile — is next to the biggest body of water — the Pacific Ocean. Average annual rainfall in Arica, Chile, is just 0.03 inches. It is believed that Atacama’s Calama city saw no rain for 400 years until a sudden storm in 1972. Unlike most deserts, the Atacama is relatively cold and, in its most arid parts, does not even host cyanobacteria — green photosynthetic microorganisms that live in rocks or under stones.

3. The sun is about 93 million miles from Earth. How long does it take light from the sun to reach Earth?

A) About 20 minutes

B) About 8 minutes

C) About 1 day

Answer B: The light of the Sun takes 8.25 minutes to reach us.

4. If the Sun were as tall as an average door front, about what size would Earth be?

A) A nickel

B) A tennis ball

C) A basketball

Answer A

5. Is the snow-covered continent Antarctica (pictured above) a desert?

1) Yes

2) No

Answer: Yes. Antarctica is the southernmost continent, located primarily south of the Antarctic Circle (66°S). Antarctica is considered a desert because it receives very little rain or snowfall, and the small amount of snow it does receive builds up over hundreds and thousands of years to form large, thick ice sheets. The continent’s terrain is made up of glaciers, ice shelves and icebergs. The only plants that can survive the extreme cold are lichens, mosses and algae. Antarctica ranks only fifth in size (larger than Europe and Australia) and it is large enough that the entire U.S. could fit within its 5.4 million-square-mile size.

6. Of the eight planets (dwarf planet Pluto not included) in our solar system, where does Earth rank in terms of being the largest?

A) Third

B) Fourth

C) Fifth

Answer B: The Earth’s diameter (distance straight through the middle) measures 7,917.5 miles, making it the fourth-largest planet in the solar system. Jupiter, the largest planet, is 11 times the size of Earth.

7. What is the upper limit of our atmosphere called?

A) Stratosphere

B) Thermosphere

C) Exosphere

Answer C: There are six layers in our atmosphere. The exosphere extends from the top of the thermosphere up to 6,200 miles.

8. What percentage of the Earth is covered by water?

A) 71%

B) 81%

C) 91%

Answer A: About 71% of the Earth’s surface is water-covered, and the oceans hold about 96.5% of all Earth’s water. Water also exists in the air as water vapor, in rivers and lakes, in icecaps and glaciers, in the ground as soil moisture and in aquifers, and even in you and your dog. Water is never sitting still.

This image above shows blue spheres representing relative amounts of Earth’s water in comparison to the size of the Earth. Each sphere represents volume. They show that in comparison to the volume of the globe, the amount of water on the planet is very small. Oceans account for only a thin film of water on the surface.

The largest sphere represents all of Earth’s water. Its diameter is about 860 miles (the distance from Salt Lake City to Topeka, Kansas) and has a volume of about 332,500,000 cubic miles. If all of the world’s water were poured on the contiguous United States, it would cover the land to a depth of about 107 miles.

You can learn more at the USGS site here.

9. What county is the world’s tallest waterfall in?

A) Denmark

B) Venezuela

C) U.S.

Answer A: The world’s largest waterfall is in the ocean in the Denmark Strait, between Greenland and Iceland. The height of the Denmark Strait cataract is approximately 11,500 feet. By comparison, the largest waterfall on land is Angel Falls in Venezuela and is 3,212 feet.

This infographic illustrates how a large underwater cataract (waterfall) naturally forms underneath the waves within the Denmark Strait.

10. How many miles per hour do winds need to be for a storm to be classified as a hurricane?

A) 55 mph

B) 74 mph

C) 84 mph

Answer B: A tropical storm becomes a hurricane if its winds reach 74 mph.

Bonus question: How many miles per hour is the Earth moving on its orbit around the sun?

A) 6,700 mph

B) 67,000 mph

Answer B: The rate is faster at the equator and slower at the poles. In addition to this daily rotation, Earth orbits the Sun at an average speed of 67,000 mph, or 18.5 miles a second.

Score:

• 5-10 correct: Earth science whiz
• Four or less: Martian

Sources: NASA, Space.com, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey (All images from respective agencies are public domain)