It was 20 years ago today, Sergeant Pepper taught the band to—
No. That’s not what happened. What happened 20 years ago today is that a duck died, in spectacular fashion, and a scientist noticed how it happened, and took notes and photos to commemorate the discovery.
Today, Friday June 5th, 2015 is the 20th edition of Dead Duck Day, arriving precisely one year after last year’s Dead Duck Day. At exactly 17:55 h [Rotterdam time] we will honor the mallard duck that became known to science as the first (documented) ‘victim’ of homosexual necrophilia in that species, and earned its discoverer the 2003 Ig Nobel Biology Prize.
Please join the free, short open-air ceremony next to the new wing of the Natural History Museum Rotterdam (the Netherlands), right below the new Dead Duck Memorial Plaque— the very spot where that duck (now museum specimen NMR 9989-00232) met his dramatic end.
For a detailed history of Dead Duck Day, and details about what will happen at the celebration/commemoration, see the official Dead Duck Day website: www.deadduckday.com
Here’s video of the scientist, Kees Moeliker, telling all in a TED Talk:
And here are the Beatles, celebrating the passage of 20 years:
BONUS: Hayley Campbell’s tribute to Dead Duck Day, on Buzzfeed: “5 June Is Dead Duck Day – Please Observe A Moment Of Silence”
BONUS: Someone (we are not sure who) made this musical tribute to Dead Duck Day.