April 4 - Happy Birthday to Dorothea Dix and Senegal! Also: Happy Easter!

Posted on April 4, 2021

Key Points

This is an update of my post published on April 4, 2010:

Happy Birthday, Dorothea Dix

Born on this day in 1802, Dix was a vigorous reformer who worked on bettering the treatment of people with mental disorders. She was shocked by the horrible conditions in which people lived in mental so-called hospitals, and she worked on getting governmental investigations of the treatment of patients with mental illness, public mental hospitals, and elimination of the abuses that had been routine and expected.

During the Civil War, Dix served as Superintendent of Union Army Nurses. She didn’t feel very capable of management duties, but she was known for treating Union and Confederate soldiers equally, and under her leadership, most of the Union Army nurses did the same.

Also on this day… Independence Day in Senegal

Senegal is a country in Western Africa. It celebrates its independence from French colonial rule today.

One of the oddest things about Senegal is its shape. There is a long, skinny “scoop” taken out of the country—which is a river (the Gambia) and a 10- to 15-mile strip of land on either side. That narrow patch of land and river is its own separate nation, called (not surprisingly) The Gambia.

See also Sloss Furnaces: A Living Hell

Why is The Gambia a separate nation?

Well, a long time ago, Portugal was establishing its power in Africa, and in 1588, Antonio of Portugal sold “exclusive trade rights” on the Gambia River to England. Later, when France was establishing its control over the area, it fought with England for the Gambia, but ended up acknowledging England’s “ownership” in 1783.

So the Gambia was a British colony, and Senegal was a French colony. In some ways it makes no sense for the two to remain different countries now, but language and custom and history are important!

Above and below, Senegal

Above and below, The Gambia

A loose confederation (not union) was tried in the 1980s. This confederation was called Senegambia. Senegal dissolved the confederation in 1989 when The Gambia made it clear that it was not interested in actual union.

So they remain lock-and-key shaped nations.

Also on this date… Easter Sunday!

According to Christian teachings, Jesus was resurrected from the dead on the third day after he died, and Easter is the holiday that celebrates renewal of life.

Because Jesus was a Jew, and because he was celebrating the Jewish Passover in Jerusalem at the time of his death, Easter is linked with Passover week on the Jewish calendar.

Symbols of renewal of life during spring—flowers, bunnies, and eggs—are also linked with Easter. In Russian, Polish, and Ukranian traditions, elaborate batik eggs are made with deep dyes and wax.

In many modern cultures, children use more pastel vegetable dyes to color eggs, and on Easter Sunday itself many kids hunt for hidden eggs. Often the eggs are plastic and filled with candy! Fun!