Today Calls (March)

(2017)

Daily feed at the dedicated project site Today Calls.Website.

Related works: Dial 9 (for NSCAD), Dial 40 (for Art Metropole), Publick, SeptSixUn-QuatreHuitQuatreUn, Stéréophonie, Tue, un jeudi téléphonique.

Texts by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, Christof Migone, and Jordan Scott.

Kathryn and Jordan were invited to pick a historical event for every day of the year (from the events that Wikipedia lists for every day). They wrote a response, and in turn, I wrote a response to theirs (plus took account of the prompts they chose).

Today Calls You. Do you answer the call? If so, how and when? Today.

Each day another X appears (January 1: 1, December 31: 365/366).

On the right you see the third month, the links below get you to the other months:
– JANUARY
– FEBRUARY
– MARCH
– APRIL
– MAY
– JUNE
– JULY
– AUGUST
– SEPTEMBER
– OCTOBER
– NOVEMBER
– DECEMBER

The installation version with telephones features the voices of Lauren Cullen, Amy Fung, Francisco-Fernando Granados, Marla Hlady, Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, Christof Migone, and Niloufar Salimi.

Project made possible thanks to funding provided by the Ontario Arts Council.

March 1:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 2015 – At least 34 miners die in a suspected gas explosion at the Zasyadko coal mine in rebel-held Donetsk region of Ukraine.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1692 – Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba are brought before local magistrates in Salem Village, Massachusetts, beginning what would become known as the Salem witch trials.

March 2:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1956 – Morocco gains its independence from France.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1903 – In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women.

March 3:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1924 – The Free State of Fiume is annexed by the Kingdom of Italy.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1913 – Thousands of women march in a suffrage parade in Washington, D.C.

March 4:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1977 – The 1977 Vrancea earthquake in eastern and southern Europe kills more than 1,500, mostly in the seriously damaged city of Bucharest, Romania.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1983 – Bertha Wilson is appointed the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court of Canada.

March 5:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 2003 – In Haifa, 17 Israeli civilians are killed by in the Haifa bus 37 suicide bombing.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1836 – Samuel Colt patents the first production-model revolver, the .34-caliber.

March 6:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1834 – York, Upper Canada, is incorporated as Toronto.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1899 – Bayer registers “Aspirin” as a trademark.

March 7:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 2009 – The Kepler space observatory, designed to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars, is launched.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1827 – Shrigley abduction: Ellen Turner is abducted by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a future politician in colonial New Zealand.

March 8:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1983 – While addressing a convention of Evangelicals, U.S. President Ronald Reagan labels the Soviet Union an “evil empire”.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem Shahnameh. 1949 – Mildred Gillars (“Axis Sally”) is condemned to prison for treason.

March 9:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 2012 – At least 130 rockets are fired into Israel from Gaza, and 12 Palestinians militants are killed as part of the latest escalation in violence in the region.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1959 – The Barbie doll makes its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York.

March 10:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1959 – Tibetan uprising: Fearing an abduction attempt by China, 300,000 Tibetans surround the Dalai Lama’s palace to prevent his removal.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1977 – Rings of Uranus: Astronomers discover rings around Uranus.

March 11:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1864 – The Great Sheffield Flood kills 238 people in Sheffield, England.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1932 – Booming Ben, the last heath hen was seen for the final time.

March 12:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1961 – First winter ascent of the North Face of the Eiger.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1912 – The Girl Guides (later renamed the Girl Scouts of the USA) are founded in the United States.

March 13:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1930 – The news of the discovery of Pluto is telegraphed to the Harvard College Observatory.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1964 – American Kitty Genovese is murdered, the media erroneously report that many of the victim’s neighbours witnessed the crime yet failed to help, prompting research into the bystander effect.

March 14:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1592 – Ultimate Pi Day: the largest correspondence between calendar dates and significant digits of pi since the introduction of the Julian calendar.
Text by Christof Migone (left). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1489 – The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice.

March 15:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 2011 – Beginning of the Syrian Civil War.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 493 – Odoacer, the first barbarian King of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, is slain by Theoderic the Great, king of the Ostrogoths, while the two kings were feasting together. 1956 – My Fair Lady debuts on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theatre.

March 16:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 2016 – Two female suicide bombers detonate their explosives at a mosque during morning prayer on the outskirts of Maiduguri, Nigeria, killing 22 and injuring 18.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 2016 – Two female suicide bombers detonate their explosives at a mosque during morning prayer on the outskirts of Maiduguri, Nigeria, killing 22 and injuring 18.

March 17:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1973 – The Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph Burst of Joy is taken, depicting a former prisoner of war being reunited with his family, which came to symbolize the end of United States involvement in the Vietnam War.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1968 – As a result of nerve gas testing in Skull Valley, Utah, over 6,000 sheep are found dead.

March 18:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1990 – In the largest art theft in US history, 12 paintings, collectively worth around $300 million, are stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1990 – In the largest art theft in US history, 12 paintings, collectively worth around $300 million, are stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

March 19:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1885 – Louis Riel declares a provisional government in Saskatchewan, beginning the North-West Rebellion.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 2008 – GRB 080319B: A cosmic burst that is the farthest object visible to the naked eye is briefly observed.

March 20:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 2003 – Invasion of Iraq: In the early hours of the morning, the United States and three other countries (the UK, Australia and Poland) begin military operations in Iraq.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (left). Prompt: 1852 – Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is published.

March 21:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1871 – Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his trek to find the missionary and explorer David Livingstone.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1986 – Debi Thomas became the first African American to win the World Figure Skating Championships.

March 22:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1871 – Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his trek to find the missionary and explorer David Livingstone.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1986 – Debi Thomas became the first African American to win the World Figure Skating Championships.

March 23:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1965 – The first issue of The Vigilant is published from Khartoum.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1857 – Elisha Otis’s first elevator is installed at 488 Broadway New York City.

March 24:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1989 – Exxon Valdez oil spill: In Prince William Sound in Alaska, the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (38,000 m3) of crude oil after running aground.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1944 – Ardeatine massacre: German troops murder 335 Italian civilians in Rome.

March 25:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 421 – Venice is founded at twelve o’clock noon, according to legend.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1911 – In New York City, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 garment workers.

March 26:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1954 – Nuclear weapons testing: The Romeo shot of Operation Castle is detonated at Bikini Atoll. Yield: 11 megatons.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1997 – Thirty-nine bodies are found in the Heaven’s Gate mass suicides.

March 27:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1884 – A mob in Cincinnati, Ohio, attacks members of a jury who had returned a verdict of manslaughter in a clear case of murder, and then over the next few days would riot and destroy the courthouse.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1915 – Typhoid Mary, the first healthy carrier of disease ever identified in the United States, is put in quarantine, where she would remain for the rest of her life.

March 28:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1920 – Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1920 affects the Great Lakes region and Deep South states.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1889 – The Yngsjö murder in Yngsjö, Sweden: Anna Månsdotter is arrested along with her son.

March 29:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1974 – Local farmers in Lintong District, Xi’an, Shaanxi province, China, discover the Terracotta Army that was buried with Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, in the third century BCE.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1867 – Queen Victoria gives Royal Assent to the British North America Act which establishes the Dominion of Canada on July 1.

March 30:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 1954 – The Yonge Street subway line opens in Toronto. It is the first subway in Canada.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1954 – The Yonge Street subway line opens in Toronto. It is the first subway in Canada.

March 31:

Text by Jordan Scott (left). Prompt: 2004 – Iraq War in Anbar Province: In Fallujah, Iraq, four American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed after being ambushed.
Text by Christof Migone (center). Prompts: texts by Jordan and Kathryn plus the prompts they chose.
Text by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer (right). Prompt: 1492 – Queen Isabella of Castille issues the Alhambra Decree, ordering her 150,000 Jewish and Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.

JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE