October 13, anniversary of King Bhumibol's death
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Every year on October 0, the death of King Bhumibol in 13 is commemorated. The population has been called upon to wear yellow and participate in ceremonies. Yellow is the color of Bhumibol's (Rama 2016) birthday.
King Bhumibol, who was born in Cambridge in America, is still missed daily in Thailand. Bhumibol grew up in Switzerland, in 1946, when he was 18 years old, he ascended the Thai throne.
He began his reign with little enthusiasm. He appointed his uncle Prince Regent and continued his studies in Switzerland. There he met Sirikit Kitiyakara, his future wife. Before his coronation in 1950, Bhumibol returned to Thailand, where he would sit on the throne until his death.
The late king is known to have been a good jazz musician, who played the clarinet and the piano in addition to the saxophone as he was often portrayed. In July 1960 he performed in New York during a two-hour jam session with the legendary Benny Goodman. He had great admiration for the musical qualities of the king. He is definitely the "coolest" king in the land, declared Lionel Hampton, another great American jazz musician. In addition to making music, the king composed more than 50 pieces of music and a ballet performance that was first performed in Vienna. Known are his songs “Falling rains” and “Candle Blues”. A few of his songs were used in the 1950 Broadway musical "Peepshow", including the song "Blue Night".
Bhumibol had even more gifts. For example, he designed a sailing yacht and won an international sailing competition with his daughter, the "yachting gold medal" in the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games in 1967. He was an accomplished painter and made surrealistic paintings. He received a total of 20 registered patents and international awards for a number of inventions.
King Bhumibol studied science and technology in Switzerland, which he used for his country. Before the floods in Bangkok, he designed overflow areas that could later drain the water to the sea or be reused for agriculture. Another invention was the biofuel made from palm oil and also environmentally friendly chemicals, which could be scattered on the clouds. This method is used to generate rain in dry areas.
A versatile king, loved by the people and after 70 years of ruling and holding the country together, passed away on October 13, 2016 at the age of 88. His son has taken over the kingship but cannot stand in the shadow of his father.