On this day in ...... 2008 (today), is the 31st annual International Museum Day, sponsored by the International Council on Museums. This year's theme is "Museums: agents of social change and development." Events include workshops and special exhibits and, in at least 1 country, free admission to museums of all sorts and sizes.
... 1803 (205 years ago today), Catherine Flon sewed the first Haitian flag, a red and blue bicolor made from torn strips of a French tricolor (the white middle section having been cast aside by her godfather, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who'd rule Haiti after independence). After she finished, on the last day of a congress held at the Haitian coastal town of Arcahaie, those about to lead the Haitian Revolution swore "the Oath of Ancestors," by which they promised to lead
slaves "to victory and freedom." On account of Flon's contribution, commemorated on the currency at right, Haitians consider her among the heroes in the fight to end slavery.
