Happy Easter Monday, friends! If you picked Catholic schools in your college basketball brackets, then you did not have a Good Friday, as they all lost. There must be a lesson here, and in the purest sense of the phrase – God only knows.
April is upon us, which means the first quarter of 2024 is in the rearview mirror. No matter what quarter we are in, I am grateful and appreciate you taking the time to read Okay History each week. God knows I do not take you for granted.
I graduated high school thirty years ago. As a child, 1994 seemed like a faraway year that would take forever to reach. Now I look back at 1994 and think how far away it is in the other direction.
Growing up, I spent most of my life listening to country music. My parents took me to concerts like Johnny Cash, Alabama, the Oak Ridge Boys, Dolly Parton, and others. Even though country music is hot garbage nowadays, I still listen to it because I have no self-respect or taste.
But my high school years saw a shift in rock and roll and for the better.
Grunge hit the scene, and Seattle was at its heart. Bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Sonic Youth gifted us with alternative rock, which had more substance than the hairband groups of the 1980s.
Nirvana was another band formed in the late 1980s. Their second studio album, Nevermind, was their breakthrough when it was released in September 1991. Smells Like Teen Spirit was the lead single and was inspired by the kid's deodorant that didn’t leave any white residue. But white people bought thirty million copies of Nevermind, and Nirvana changed music forever.
In three short years, tragedy struck in the middle of my senior year.
Kurt Cobain died on April 4, 1994. Nirvana’s lead singer, suffering from heroin addiction and depression, took his own life. He was 27.
His death wasn’t an event that I remember where I was when I heard the news, but it still pains me to think about what music he could have created.
The welcome sign in Cobain’s hometown of Aberdeen, Washington, reads Come as You Are, the second single released from Nevermind.
Okay, let's highlight what else happened this week. As a reminder, these events celebrate their anniversary, ending in 5 or 0. Here's what I got:
President George W. Bush signed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act on April 1, 2004. Laci Peterson was murdered by her husband in 2002 while she was pregnant with their child, whom they had named Conner. The husband was convicted and sentenced to death, but it was commuted to a life sentence. Laci’s Law is still on the books.
The Super Tornado Outbreak occurred on April 3-4, 1974. Within 24 hours, 148 tornadoes struck areas of 13 states. Over 300 people died, and damage was estimated to be about $5 billion in today's numbers.
The United States signed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on April 4, 1949. The military alliance formed after World War II to stop Soviet Union expansion into Europe now includes 32 members, with Finland joining in 2022 and Sweden in 2023. In case you were wondering, Ireland is not a member of NATO but does have a partnership with the organization to promote peace.
Today is April Fool’s Day—the worst day of the year. I’m not sure why people find tricking others to be fun, especially in the current environment. As an everyday occurrence, anything could be generated and passed off as false. I allow you to go ahead and not believe anything you read today outside of the Maundy Monday Newsletter.
Anonymous is leaving me again this week to head to Cleveland for a spy mission. I will be heading to the city of my birth over the weekend to join her so we can stare at the sky when the moon blots out the sun. It's good times, really.
Before I leave, I’ll be back on Friday. Not sure if it will be another election post or an ask me anything. Shoot me an email if you have a preference.
Have a great week.
Okay,
Chris