Every day Google's search page honors someone born that day who impacted the world we live in, but I can't for the life of me understand why today's is a collector of plants rather than a giant of 19th-century American literature or the 27th president of the United States.
Today's tribute is to Ynes Mexia, a Mexican-American botanist, who was arguably the most accomplished plant collector of her time, according to Wikipedia. Of course, "arguably" means you could argue the point, right?
Of course we don't seek to denigrate the "green" contributions of Ms. Mexia, only to understand why Google would choose her for us to recognize today over two great Americans.
James Fenimore Cooper authored classic and iconic novels like The Deerslayer and Last of the Mohicans, novels I thrilled to reading and rereading as a boy.
The two novels feature thrilling tales of American Indians life in the early days of this country and their interaction with white settlers.
Btw, is it OK to say white settlers, or should I say "undocumented immigrants!" Oh well, I digress.
Meanwhile, William Howard Taft served just one term as president (1909-13), losing his second term after former president and Rough Rider Teddy Roosevelt split the Republican vote with a third-party ticket in 1912.
Interestingly, it was legal for Roosevelt to attempt another term since his first term began following the assassination of President William McKinley, and he was only elected once, in 1904.
And yes the word "Bully" is synonymous with Teddy Roosevelt, who bust is chiseled on Mt. Rushmore, along with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.
Roosevelt coined the phrase to explain his "Bully Pulpit" as the president of the United States and later used it as a synonym for "superb" or "wonderful."
Isn't that a lot more interesting than watching the plants grow?