20 July 16

Today I'm wearing what I think is my most "imperial" tie, with circlets of white and red on gray and dark red diagonals, to honor the birthday of Alexander the Great, in 356 BCE. I would not agree with his militaristic politics aimed at world domination, but there can be no doubt at all that he was a "great" character. Early in life he was tutored by the great philosopher Aristotle (whose teacher was Plato, whose teacher was Socrates), but he seems to have found intellectual studies quite boring, and chose instead to conquer the known world through military force. This date is also the birthday (in 1893 CE) of Alexander, King of Greece from 1917-1920. Oh, by the way, humans first walked on the Moon on this date in 1969 CE.