In the aether

In the aether’s Moon Day . . .

On this day in 1843, Charles Dickens’ classic story “A Christmas Carol” was published.

The BBC World Service — went on the air in 1932, as a shortwave service to send news and messages to the outposts of the British Empire. King George V initiated the broadcast with a Christmas message, which became a tradition in 1939 as WWII loomed and has carried on to this day by George V’s granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II with televised presentations beginning in 1957. King Charles III is scheduled to continue the tradition this year, amid speculation that he may comment on the current Harry/Megan controversies.

Today is the 107th anniversary of Édith Piaf's birth (1915) in Belleville, just outside of Paris. "La Vie en rose" (French for 'Life in pink') written in 1945 became her signature song. While I suspect the song was aired by the BBC sometime after that date, I couldn't confirm it with my meager research efforts.

And the Apollo lunar-landing program ended today in 1972, when the last three astronauts to travel to the moon splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean. Apollo 17 was the last of the lunar missions began in 1969. We've not been back since, but NASA has plans for future visits. Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions, now under way, that seeks to enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars.