Today we recognize and honor all the Boy Scouts out there because it is National Boy Scout Day. This day is observed annually on the 2nd Saturday of February.
Boys Scouts Day commemorates the birth anniversary of Scouting in America. In 1909, William Dickson Boyce, a Chicago publisher, was lost in thick fog in London when a boy came up to him and helped him find his way. The boy, who became known as the “Unknown Scout,” refused a tip and told Boyce he was a Scout doing a good turn. It was this good deed that influenced Boyce to bring Scouts to the United States. He thought boys in the United States should have the same type of training that the boy who helped him had received. On February 8, 1910, Boyce filed incorporation papers in the District of Columbia for the creation of Boy Scouts of America (BSA).
BSA is one of the largest scouting and youth organizations in the United States. Since its inception in 1910, over 110 million Americans have participated in BSA. It is part of the international Scout Movement and is a founding member organization of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.
Their goals are to “train youth in responsible citizenship, character development, and self-reliance through participation in a wide range of outdoor activities, educational programs, and, at older age levels, career-oriented programs in partnership with community organizations.” The BSA age levels are as follows: those in kindergarten through 5th grade take part in Cub Scouts, members between the ages of 11 and 17 take part in Scouts BSA, and those between the ages of 14 (or 13 if 8th grade has been completed) and 20 may take part in Venturing and Sea Scouting.
Boy Scouts have had a profound impact on the United States. Many presidents and other dignitaries have been Boy Scouts. A total of 181 Astronauts have also been a part of the Boy Scout program.
So, today, let us honor all the Boy Scouts across the nation. Learn more about their history and its purpose why we continue to let our children follow the footstep of our ancestors. Share on social media if you have a little Boy Scout in your family using #BoyScoutsDay.
1978 New England digs out after the blizzard
A classic “Nor’ easter” storm that brought a severe blizzard to New England finally subsides on February 8, 1978, and the region begins to dig out from under several feet of snow. Over the previous 72 hours, some areas of Rhode Island and Massachusetts had received as many as 55 inches of snow.
Three major weather systems all converged near the Atlantic Coast on February 5, and New York City was the first to be hit with a snowstorm. As the storm moved northeast, it stalled over Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, catching many of the region’s residents by surprise. It is estimated that 3,500 cars were abandoned on Massachusetts streets and highways and several people died in their vehicles on Interstate 93 when they became trapped. A college hockey playoff was played at the Boston Garden despite the weather, and many of the spectators were unable to return home.
On February 6, the blizzard whipped up powerful sustained winds of up to 50 miles per hour with gusts of nearly 100 mph. Fifty-foot waves on the Massachusetts coast wiped out seaside homes, while further north, in Maine, waves destroyed three lighthouses and an amusement pier.
(excerpted from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/new-england-digs-out-after-blizzard)
