Fiesta Friday: Welcome to Friday, innovadoras y innovadores, and not just any workweek-wrapping Friday but May 5 – Spring’s mathematical midpoint and Cinco de Mayo, of course, which celebrates Mexico’s victory over the French in 1862’s Battle of Puebla (and is actually a bigger deal in America than Mexico).
Now you know-gie: Taste Atlas breaks down a classic.
Sandwich Island: If salsa and chimichangas don’t enciende tu fuego, have a hoagie, or hero, or grinder, or sub, or whatever you call it in your hometown – all good on National Hoagie Day. (And if you can’t find a great sandwich on Long Island, you’re not trying.)
It’s also International Tuba Day, National No Pants Day and Revenge of the Fifth (a dark-side response to yesterday’s May-the-fourth-be-with-you Star Wars Day observance), so, you know … find your way.
Doctor. Doctor. Doctor. Doctor: Finding their way to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia on this date in 1847 were the 250-plus medical doctors who created the American Medical Association – officially, the first U.S. medical society.
Ink inc.: Also finding his way into the history books was cartoonist Richard Outcault, whose “At the Circus in Hogan’s Alley” graced the May 5, 1895, edition of the New York World – officially, the first newspaper comic strip.
What … no funnies?: Nothing but the truth, comrades.
True that: Speaking of newspaper firsts, Pravda newspaper – the official voice of the Soviet Union Communist Party until the USSR’s 1991 collapse – debuted on this date in 1918.
New twist: Capping off an otherwise middling inventor career, Illinois tinkerer Edward Ravenscroft changed bottling forever when he patented the “screw-top bottle mouth” 87 years ago today.
Ups and downs: And 23 long days after Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first (known) human in space, American hero Alan Shepard rode the Freedom 7 capsule into the void – 115 miles straight up, basically – on May 5, 1961.
The first (known) American spaceman enjoyed a 15-minute flight – and one spectacular view – before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean, about 302 miles from his Cape Canaveral launch site.
With a Kapital M: German philosopher Karl Heinrich Marx (1818-1883) – an economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist and all-around socialist revolutionary whose name lives on as a noun, an adjective and an entire school of social theory – would be 205 years old today.
Super-buff: Cavill, de-caped.
Also born on May 5 were American electrical engineer Peter Cooper Hewitt (1861-1921), inventor of the mercury-vapor lamp; American journalist Nellie Bly (born Elizabeth Cochran Seaman, 1864-1922), known for her daring exposés, unique inventions and global adventures; pioneering Spanish neuroscientist Pio del Rio Hortega (1882-1945), who discovered brain microglia; English archeologist Dorothy Garrod (1892-1968), the first woman to hold a Cambridge University chair; and English singer-songwriter Adele (born Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, 1988), already a 16-time Grammy-winner.
Hero type: And take a bow, Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill! The British actor – who’s already checked off Superman and Sherlock Holmes and is the odds-on favorite to become the next James Bond – turns 40 today.
Give the dashing Brit your best at editor@innovateli.com, where you don’t need superpowers, a 190 IQ or a license to kill to get our attention – news tips and calendar events work just fine.
About our sponsor: Presberg Law P.C. is Long Island’s premier “IDA” and business-law firm for businesses locating, relocating and expanding on Long Island. Founded in 1984, this multi-generational practice focuses on the purchase, sale, leasing and financing of commercial and industrial real estate, SBA and other loan transactions, construction projects and business sales and acquisitions.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Healthy fun: Hot on the heels of Cinco de Mayo comes a seis de Mayo health-and-wellness fair with a decidedly Hispanic flair.
The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County and 100 Hispanic Women National – a New York City-based watchdog promoting education and empowerment among Hispanic women – have scheduled the third-annual Bloom Wellness event for Saturday at the Suffolk County Farm and Education Center in Yaphank. Featuring farm animals, hayrides, food trucks and family activities focused on nutrition, breast cancer prevention, stress management and diabetes education (plus on-site mammograms), the free-admission fair is all-in on community health, with “expanded offerings from Spanish-speaking resources and vendors,” according to the CCE.
In addition to culinary and health-related vendors, multiple elected lawmakers are slated to attend the habla español 10 a.m.-2 p.m. event, including Assistant Deputy County Executive Olga El Sehamy and several Suffolk County legislators. More information for attendees, nonprofit exhibitors and food vendors available here.
Omedetō: Canon USA Senior VP Junichi Furuyama congratulates the winners of the 18th annual Japan Center Essay Competition.
Turning Japanese: One of Long Island’s largest corporations and the region’s most progressive Asian-studies hub have teamed up, once again.
Deepening a longstanding affiliation, representatives of Melville-based Canon USA joined Stony Brook University’s Japan Center at Stony Brook last week to honor the winners of the 18th Annual Japan Center Essay Competition. Essays submitted by 206 regional high school and college students were whittled down to third-, second-, first-place and Uchida Memorial Award winners, with each essayist demonstrating a deep understanding of Japanese culture – and snagging a new Canon camera, among other accolades.
The annual essay contest, which culminated in a live ceremony after three COVID-era virtual installments, is just part of the Japan Center’s intercultural-awareness mission. “I was very impressed by the students’ work,” noted Canon USA Senior Vice President Junichi Furuyama, who attended the April 29 in-person event. “It is important for all of us to understand and appreciate the differences in the various cultures around the world … [it] is not always easy, but it is worth the effort.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Submarine stipend: A $2 million grant will help Suffolk County Community College train the specialized workforce needed to build and maintain America’s next-gen nuclear subs.
Look, up in the sky: Cutting-edge aircraft and a fleet of old favorites are scheduled to fly in the 2023 Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach.
Previously, on…: Season 4 is now in production – but Seasons 1-3 of Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast are ready to roll, filled with innovative insights, peerless perspectives and lotsa laughs. Catch up quick.
ICYMI
Sands New York cooks up a dazzling dining experience in Uniondale; the newest L.A. Ram continues an amazing NFL streak for Nassau Community College.
BEST OF THE WEST (AND SOMETIMES NORTH/SOUTH)
Innovate LI’s inbox overrunneth with inspirational innovations from all North American corners. This week’s brightest out-of-towners:
From Kentucky: Lexington-based professional-development program MentorVet and the American Veterinary Medical Association unleash structured mentorship program.
From Wisconsin: Stevens Point-based workers-comp insurer Sentry spots chronic conditions and promotes recoveries with Injured Employee Complexity Factor Models.
From Washington State: Seattle-based real estate revolutionary Zillow refines residential searches with new ChatGPT-powered plugin.
ON THE MOVE
Joanne Corbin
+ Joanne Corbin has been named dean of the Adelphi University School of Social Work, beginning July 17. She is currently the associate dean for academic affairs and a professor at the University of Connecticut’s School of Social Work.
+ Bret McCabe has joined Uniondale-based Forchelli Deegan Terrana as a partner in the Construction Practice Group. He was general counsel for Fleet Financial Group Inc.
+ Mason Olds has been promoted to executive vice president, Business Information Communications Group, at Melville-based Canon USA and has been appointed to the Executive Committee of Canon Americas. He served previously as a senior vice president.
+ Franz Gritsch has joined Valley Bank as first vice president and commercial loan officer. He was treasurer at Manhattan-based Rosenthal & Rosenthal.
+ Diana Lattanzio has been promoted to partner at the Garden City-based Russo Law Group. She served previously as an associate.
+ Yukinari “Ritchie’’ Kaneta has been promoted to senior vice president and general manager of information technology at Melville-based Canon USA and has been appointed to the executive leadership team of Canon Americas. He served previously as executive director and general manager of the Corporate IT Group.
Like this newsletter? Innovate Long Island newsletter, website and podcast sponsorships are a prime opportunity to reach the inventors, investors, entrepreneurs and executives you need to know (just ask Presberg Law). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Quick Stop at 7-Eleven Edition)
Come back soon: Customer loyalty is a fickle beast in the convenience game.
Oh thank heaven: Building customer loyalty in a convenience-first world.
G’day, opportunity! Hundreds of 7-Eleven stores are up for sale in Australia.
Big Gulp: A star swallowed a planet whole – and it will definitely happen to Earth, too.
One-stop real estate law: Please continue supporting the incredible firms that support Innovate Long Island, including Presberg Law, where decades of professional experience fuel quick, convenient and well-informed land-use transactions. Check them out.
