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Author
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Topic: Why is July 20, moon day, not a federal holiday?
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model maker
Member Posts: 130
From: NEVADA , USA
Registered: May 2012
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posted 07-16-2012 04:25 PM
  
I have always wondered why is there not a federal holiday for man's first lunar landing? I read somewhere that president Nixon declared a federal holiday for July 20th but we have never seen it? |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3118
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 07-16-2012 04:35 PM
I seem to remember that President Nixon declared Monday 21st July, 1969, to be a public holiday in the United States. Others should be better placed to comment. I didn't think it was ever intended that the holiday would happen every year. But perhaps it should!The New York Daily News (and probably many other papers) dated the edition "Moonday, 21st July, 1969." |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-16-2012 07:08 PM
An act of Congress is required for a statutory federal holiday. |
Fra Mauro
Member Posts: 1586
From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted 07-17-2012 07:00 AM
Can you hear the ridicule from the media and the late-night "Comedians" when anyone formally suggests that? Kim Kardashian has a better chance of getting her birthday declared a national holiday first! |
garymilgrom
Member Posts: 1966
From: Atlanta, GA
Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 07-17-2012 08:32 AM
One word - politics. Not enough people think it's important enough. And that's a shame. |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-17-2012 08:40 AM
Also economics/productivity... cost a lot to put federal workers on stand down (they still get paid) as well as commercial economic impact which has to be weighed carefully. There are already 10 federal holidays on the books (almost 1 per month) |
Gonzo
Member Posts: 596
From: Lansing, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2012
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posted 07-17-2012 02:04 PM
As a person that works at a gov't facility, I can tell you that adding another federal holiday, making 11 per year, would be near impossible. It would be very expensive to give gov't workers another holiday. As stated, they would have to be paid for the day (to say nothing about banks and all the other civilian folks that would be affected). Second, sadly enough, there isn't enough support for this to happen either. I too think it was a momentus day in history. But not many would agree. At least not to the point of making it a national holiday. (Not today. Forty years ago, maybe. But not today.) The ONLY way I could see this happening is if one of the other holidays would be traded for this day. Anyone want to give up Thanksgiving as a holiday? How about Veteran's Day? Independence Day? To even suggest this, officially, would be political suicide. No one would risk upsetting all the people that support the other holidays. |
Fra Mauro
Member Posts: 1586
From: Bethpage, N.Y.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted 07-18-2012 06:45 AM
I'm not so sure about another federal holiday either. However, we would never get one for something that most Americans, and most politicians, have little regard for. I wonder if our two Presidential contenders would know what happened on that date. |
fredtrav
Member Posts: 1673
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 07-18-2012 09:29 AM
Maybe do what has been done with Lincoln's and Washington's birthday when they were combined to make Presidents day (officially it is still Washington's Birthday according to law) and combine it with Columbus Day to make it Exploration Day or Discovery Day or just Columbus/Moon Day. That might have a slim chance of working but as a stand alone holiday, it will not happen.
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Dave Clow
Member Posts: 236
From: South Pasadena, CA 91030
Registered: Nov 2003
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posted 07-18-2012 10:51 AM
A significant number of Americans don't believe it happened in the first place. Imagine their response. |
spaceman1953
Member Posts: 953
From: South Bend, IN
Registered: Apr 2002
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posted 07-19-2012 10:21 PM
Indeed, it WAS July 21, 1969, that President Nixon declared to be Moonday. I hung a 3x5 American flag over my street in honor of the event. I lived on a corner and the "side street" where all us kids played and rode our bikes had two poles on the corners and I strung a rope between the two and hung the flag for the day or at least a few hours. I must have had help, because I don't go higher than three steps on a ladder now or then. But then, it might not have hung much higher than a car roof back then either, since SUV's and such were not in the world. Anyway, it was a great day, July 21. But since the landing and first steps were taken on the 20th, I always chose to honor the 20th as the anniversary. |
issman1
Member Posts: 1042
From: UK
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 07-20-2012 12:10 AM
Armstrong claimed to have come in peace for all Mankind, so shouldn't July 20 have been globally recognized like United Nations International Day of Peace?But to answer your question it is probably down to apathy, ignorance and (since Apollo 11 was so long ago) relevance. |
jemmy
Member Posts: 176
From:
Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 07-20-2012 08:02 AM
I wish everybody on cS a Happy Moon Day and hope for many more to come.
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David Bryant
Member Posts: 986
From: Norfolk UK
Registered: Feb 2005
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posted 07-20-2012 08:06 AM
Great to see some realistic and honest posts about the level of interest and knowledge about the great achievements of the US and USSR in space....We old geezers are the torch carriers: once we're gone, it will all seem like a poorly-remembered movie. |
LM1
Member Posts: 667
From: New York, NY
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-20-2012 09:39 AM
Happy Moon Day to everyone. Today is the 43rd anniversary of the First Manned Landing on the Moon. I would guess that not one network or cable news program will mention this, partly due to the fact that there is a major news story developing in the US.Because of the bad news on TV today, I will spend the day watching "The Known Universe" on NGC and UFO Hunters on H2. At the moment, astronaut Mike Massimino is on NGC. |
LM1
Member Posts: 667
From: New York, NY
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-20-2012 07:07 PM
Shepard Smith on FOX News Channel did mention the Apollo XI 43rd Anniversary and the subsequent 5 moon landings. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3118
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 07-21-2012 01:49 PM
Does anyone really think this ignorance and apathy only apply to knowledge about space? I wouldn't be too surprised if a poll found that a majority of Americans couldn't name the previous U.S. President. I wonder what percentage of Americans would be able to name their first President, or the President who was shot in 1963. Let's face it, most people are ignorant about most things, and it's getting worse. I was being taught areas of mathematics and English grammar at the age of six which a depressingly large percentage of children never grasp before they leave school. |
LM1
Member Posts: 667
From: New York, NY
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-21-2012 02:14 PM
It isn't ignorance. It is just that people are interested in many subjects. Many probably know everyone on the New York Yankees, but do not know much about politics or geography or English grammar. It is up to people in NASA or politicians to remind us how important the Moon Landings are. |
albatron
Member Posts: 2732
From: Stuart, Florida
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 07-21-2012 10:15 PM
Interestingly no ones suggested making it a holiday but not a day off one. We have tons of holidays in the US that we don't get off. |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-21-2012 10:24 PM
By definition a holiday is a day of festivity or recreation when no work is done. |
p51
Member Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 07-22-2012 12:30 AM
Really, isn't it all a moot point anyway?Really, who gets off the majority of federal holidays anyway? That's right, government workers. Everyone else has to work and get ticked that they can't mail anything or go to the bank on that day. Most companies in the U.S. recognize only the 'big' ones: New Year's, Memorial Day (and some companies never even that), the 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and that's pretty much if, if you're lucky. Most everyone else has to work on all the other days, and many of the ones I named anyway. What would "Moon Day" do for the average American other than be another day they didn't get any mail? So, knowing that, why would anyone vote for that? |
LM1
Member Posts: 667
From: New York, NY
Registered: Oct 2010
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posted 07-22-2012 07:57 AM
One of those holidays is Columbus Day. We always had to work on Columbus Day (Oct. 12th), which is observed on Monday Oct. 8th this year. I have never had it off. I could always hear the Columbus Day Parade out my office window. If I went outside, I would see the school bands practicing on the side streets waiting to join the New York City Columbus Day Parade. I agree with the comments made up-thread that Columbus Day should be combined with Moon Landing Day to make Discovery Day, but I am sure that every Italian-American would object to this. Moon Landing Day would have to be similar to St. Patrick's Day. We never had that day off work. The first time that I ever came to New York City was to be in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in 1962 with my high school class. Unfortunately, it would take leadership to establish an honorary Moon Landing Day or Day of Discovery. There is no leadership in favor of such a day at this time. Write to your congressman and see what he/she says. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 07-22-2012 09:04 AM
Of the federal holidays, we have six of them off (I'm a journalist.) Of those six, we have to name three we're willing to work (although we usually only work one of the three, and we get holiday pay.) But still.... |
Wehaveliftoff
Member Posts: 2343
From:
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 07-22-2012 02:23 PM
We came in peace for all mankind.So it would have to be a global holiday, the world isn't always at peace, and far less in agreement about anything let alone a holiday... |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 07-22-2012 02:38 PM
The United Nations has observed World Space Week every year since 1999. "The General Assembly declares 4 to 10 October World Space Week to celebrate each year at the international level the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition" Lockheed Martin, working with a large group of space organizations, worked in the early mid-1990s to establish a National Space Day. The first few years had the support of the White House and Congress. The annual event (which continues), is held the first week of May. July 20 was considered but ruled out because the aim was to reach students, and school is out in the summer. The National Space Society used to organize annual "Moon Day" celebrations but joined the Space Day and World Space Week efforts in more recent years. |
p51
Member Posts: 1642
From: Olympia, WA
Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 07-22-2012 05:13 PM
quote:
Originally posted by LM1:
One of those holidays is Columbus Day. We always had to work on Columbus Day (Oct. 12th), which is observed on Monday Oct. 8th this year. I have never had it off.
Exactly. Just ask any veteran who has to work on November 11th when it's on a week day. He/she will tell you how annoying that is. I know it irritates me when I have to tell my friends that I can't take part in a Veteran's Day event because I can't get the day off from the office, and I am a vet... |
Cozmosis22
Member Posts: 968
From: Texas * Earth
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 07-25-2012 05:30 PM
During the 90's there was an organized SpaceWeek celebration which coincided with the Apollo 11 mission and was always held between July 16th and 24th. |
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