May 14, 2026 — Today is National Dance Like a Chicken Day, which somehow became a real thing and then stayed one.

Today we’re looking at beginnings that became much larger than the people involved may have expected.

From the founding of Jamestown in 1607, to the departure of Lewis and Clark just over a year after the Louisiana Purchase, to the early Olympic Games beginning to take shape in Paris.

Plus, a look at George Lucas, whose world-building changed modern filmmaking.

It’s interesting how often major systems, events, and ideas begin before anyone fully understands what they’ll eventually become.

Anyway… that’s what I ended up finding while working through May 14.