Three famous, medieval figures from history and literature died on this day. In 778, Hruodland (also known as Roland or Orlando) died at the Battle of Roncevaux pass. His life inspired the French epic poem Chanson de Roland, the English epic poem Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came and the Childe Rowland fairy tales. So, everybody run widdershins in his memory.
Duncan I of Scotland was killed by his cousin Macbeth in 1040. This event, and the aftermath, was immortalized in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth. In a Shakespeare worthy twist of fate, he was killed by the Máel Coluim mac Donnchada of Scotland. Máel was known as "Big Head," immortalized in So I Married an Axe Murderer.
Construction of Cologne Cathedral began in 1248 with the laying of the foundation stone, containing the relics of the Three Wise Men. Construction was completed 632 years later.
In 1534, St. Ignatius of Loyala and six classmates took vows which, eventually led to the creation of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, 16 years later.
In 1824, freed American slaves founded Liberia. Here's a brief history.
In 1914, the Panama Canal opened for business, as the Ancon pass from the Caribbean to the Pacific. Everybody was very excited and sang this song.
While the Ancon was making it's historic passage, a male servant of Frank Lloyd Wright killed seven people with an axe in Taliesin, Wright's Wisconsin home. He then set fire to the house. I'm not sure why he did this or why this story is important, but isn't this a great song!
- 1935 – Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed after their aircraft develops engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Rogers#Quotes_and_one-liners)
This day in 1945 is V-J (Victory over Japan) Day and, in Korea, Gwangbokjeol (Restoration of Light Day). Korea decided to commemorate their suffering by dividing at the 38th parallel on this day three years later, preserving the misery and oppression and darkness they had suffered for so many years under the Japanese rule, in the North. Tensions between the two countries are always ... well ... tense, especially at the border/DMZ.
In other liberation history, India celebrates her independence from England in 1947. Pakistan also recalls the swearing in of Muhammad Ali Jinnah as the first Governor General of Pakistan on the same day. He didn't know where Bin Ladin was hiding, either. Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained ever since. If you haven't seen the border ceremony between the two countries, you should.
In music history, the Beatles played midwife to stadium rock on this day in 1965 as they played for nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in NYC. Four years later, the first Woodstock Music and Art Festival opened. Here is some riveting commentary on some of the bands who appeared.
President Richard Nixon completed the break from the gold standard on this day in 1971. Why is it that all the most revered Republican presidents did the things Republicans rail about the most today?
- 1995 – In South Carolina, Shannon Faulkner becomes the first female cadet matriculated at The Citadel (she drops out less than a week later).(http://etymonline.com/?search=matriculated)
- 1998 – Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles
- 1717 – Blind Jack, English roadbuilder (d. 1810)
- 1769 – Napoleon Bonaparte, Corsican-born French military officer and dictator (d. 1821)
- 1771 – Sir Walter Scott, Scottish novelist and poet (d. 1832)
- Dormition of Mary
- V-J Day (and Gwangbokjeol)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Republic of the Congo from France in 1960.
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of India from the United Kingdom in 1947.
- Earliest day on which Day of Hearts can fall, while August 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in August. (area around Haarlem and Amsterdam)
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
June 24th
On this day in 109 AD, the Roman aqueduct Aqua Traiana was opened for bidness. Apparently, the locals were tired of tap water, so they started piping it in from 25 miles away.
In 637, Ireland had it's biggest battle, the week-long Battle of Moira. The only winners were the Uí Néill (O'Neils or "sons of Neil") who found themselves the only clan in their area large enough to exert any influence, which they did ever after.
Almost 500 years later, another battle was fought in São Mamede, the first step in establishing Portugal as an independent kingdom. Apparently, the battle was fought over the right to put the tilde (~) over vowels, thus confusing the rest of the Romance speaking peoples. It occurs to me that, with a little work, one could make one's mustache into a tilde. And then, one could be a villain who said "nyuh" a lot. Maybe?
Continuing in the military vein, the Battle of Bannockburn was fought on this day in 1314. Although official independence didn't come 'till later, this is considered the beginning of Scottish independence from England. If you've seen Braveheart, it's the last battle, the one led by Robert the Bruce after William Wallace had been killed. Robert the Burns, Scotland's most beloved poet, wrote the unofficial national anthem of Scotland using the same battle. Scots Wha Hae is Robert the Bruce's speech just before Bannockburn. The lyrics are wonderful. I wish our national anthem were that cool. I was fortunate to go to Scotland several years ago. There was a live band performing in a pub I was visiting. The last song they played was Scots Wha Hae. EVERYONE knew it and EVERYONE sang along. I was so happy I'd learned it before I went so I could join in. Very cool.
While I was in Scotland, I got to visit Bannockburn. There's a huge statue of Robert the Bruce which I loved because his horse looks absolutely insane. If that horse could talk, he would talk like Samuel L. Jackson. I know it. It is so. It must be. As an aside, not all of the statues associated with that era are as badass. When I went to the Wallace memorial, I was confronted with (shudder), MEL GIBSON!
Back to history! On this day in 1347, a sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance caused people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapsed from exhaustion. Witnesses observing this phenomenon wrote,
88 years later, in 1597, Dutch explorers reached the island of Java. They were immediately thronged by eager natives attempting to sell them coffee for £4.oo. This caught on quickly and became a global chain known as "Fourbucks" which survives today as Starbucks.
In 1957, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment in Roth v. United States. Those bastards! Your word for the day is grawlix. That's the symbol or symbols used by comic artists to represent obscenity. Speaking of that, I got Josiah an interesting book which traces the etymology of various taboo words. This one has a particularly fascinating history.
In 1985, the first Arab or Muslim in space (سلطان بن سلمان بن عبد العزيز آل سعو, Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ... no, I'm not kidding) landed with his crew aboard the space shuttle Discovery. He is best remembered both for no one remembering his name and just resorting to calling him "Al" and slapping him on the shoulder, and being the only crew member ever to be frisked before boarding the shuttle.
On this day in 238 AD, Roman Emperor Maximinus Thrax died. He is remembered for never having set foot in Rome, for having a name which sounds either like a thrash metal band or a disease, and for having a somewhat bi-polar first name. That reminds me of a joke.
Hi. I'm bi-polar. Are you? I'm not.
Another emperor, Hongwu (the founder of the Ming Dynasty of China) died on this day in 1398. If you want to know about the other dynasties of China, let me teach you.
Grover Cleveland, the only president to serve non-consecutive terms (22nd and 24th), died on this day in 1908. And, while he was not the only president to marry while in office, he was the only one to marry in the White House. He was 49 and his wife, Frances Folsom, was 21 at the time of their wedding. If you think that's creepy, listen to this. Oscar Folsom, Frances' father, was Grover Cleveland's friend. They were born in the same year. Cleveland was there for his future wife's birth. He bought her a baby carriage and other toys as she grew. When Frances was 11, her father died in a traffic accident. Cleveland was declared the executor of Oscar Folsom's estate and responsible for Frances' upbringing and education from then on out.
Blech.
There are several important birthdays, today. Ambrose Bierce was born in 1842. He fought in the Civil War, which gave him a generally gloomy, pessimistic outlook on the world. This outlook inspired the creation of the Devil's Dictionary, a truly hilarious compendium of definitions for common words. Here is his entry for Birth:
In 637, Ireland had it's biggest battle, the week-long Battle of Moira. The only winners were the Uí Néill (O'Neils or "sons of Neil") who found themselves the only clan in their area large enough to exert any influence, which they did ever after.
Almost 500 years later, another battle was fought in São Mamede, the first step in establishing Portugal as an independent kingdom. Apparently, the battle was fought over the right to put the tilde (~) over vowels, thus confusing the rest of the Romance speaking peoples. It occurs to me that, with a little work, one could make one's mustache into a tilde. And then, one could be a villain who said "nyuh" a lot. Maybe?
Continuing in the military vein, the Battle of Bannockburn was fought on this day in 1314. Although official independence didn't come 'till later, this is considered the beginning of Scottish independence from England. If you've seen Braveheart, it's the last battle, the one led by Robert the Bruce after William Wallace had been killed. Robert the Burns, Scotland's most beloved poet, wrote the unofficial national anthem of Scotland using the same battle. Scots Wha Hae is Robert the Bruce's speech just before Bannockburn. The lyrics are wonderful. I wish our national anthem were that cool. I was fortunate to go to Scotland several years ago. There was a live band performing in a pub I was visiting. The last song they played was Scots Wha Hae. EVERYONE knew it and EVERYONE sang along. I was so happy I'd learned it before I went so I could join in. Very cool.
While I was in Scotland, I got to visit Bannockburn. There's a huge statue of Robert the Bruce which I loved because his horse looks absolutely insane. If that horse could talk, he would talk like Samuel L. Jackson. I know it. It is so. It must be. As an aside, not all of the statues associated with that era are as badass. When I went to the Wallace memorial, I was confronted with (shudder), MEL GIBSON!
Back to history! On this day in 1347, a sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance caused people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapsed from exhaustion. Witnesses observing this phenomenon wrote,
ICH SHLIEBEN SCNELL ZVIY WELTERSCHNETTER!!which, roughly translated means
They were waving their hands in the air like they just didn't care.In 1509, Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon (his first wife and mother of Bloody Mary) were crowned King and Queen of England. Their coronation song was truly inspiring.
88 years later, in 1597, Dutch explorers reached the island of Java. They were immediately thronged by eager natives attempting to sell them coffee for £4.oo. This caught on quickly and became a global chain known as "Fourbucks" which survives today as Starbucks.
In 1957, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment in Roth v. United States. Those bastards! Your word for the day is grawlix. That's the symbol or symbols used by comic artists to represent obscenity. Speaking of that, I got Josiah an interesting book which traces the etymology of various taboo words. This one has a particularly fascinating history.
In 1985, the first Arab or Muslim in space (سلطان بن سلمان بن عبد العزيز آل سعو, Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ... no, I'm not kidding) landed with his crew aboard the space shuttle Discovery. He is best remembered both for no one remembering his name and just resorting to calling him "Al" and slapping him on the shoulder, and being the only crew member ever to be frisked before boarding the shuttle.
On this day in 238 AD, Roman Emperor Maximinus Thrax died. He is remembered for never having set foot in Rome, for having a name which sounds either like a thrash metal band or a disease, and for having a somewhat bi-polar first name. That reminds me of a joke.
Hi. I'm bi-polar. Are you? I'm not.
Another emperor, Hongwu (the founder of the Ming Dynasty of China) died on this day in 1398. If you want to know about the other dynasties of China, let me teach you.
Grover Cleveland, the only president to serve non-consecutive terms (22nd and 24th), died on this day in 1908. And, while he was not the only president to marry while in office, he was the only one to marry in the White House. He was 49 and his wife, Frances Folsom, was 21 at the time of their wedding. If you think that's creepy, listen to this. Oscar Folsom, Frances' father, was Grover Cleveland's friend. They were born in the same year. Cleveland was there for his future wife's birth. He bought her a baby carriage and other toys as she grew. When Frances was 11, her father died in a traffic accident. Cleveland was declared the executor of Oscar Folsom's estate and responsible for Frances' upbringing and education from then on out.
Blech.
There are several important birthdays, today. Ambrose Bierce was born in 1842. He fought in the Civil War, which gave him a generally gloomy, pessimistic outlook on the world. This outlook inspired the creation of the Devil's Dictionary, a truly hilarious compendium of definitions for common words. Here is his entry for Birth:
BIRTH, n. The first and direst of all disasters. As to the nature of it there appears to be no uniformity. Castor and Pollux were born from the egg. Pallas came out of a skull. Galatea was once a block of stone. Peresilis, who wrote in the tenth century, avers that he grew up out of the ground where a priest had spilled holy water. It is known that Arimaxus was derived from a hole in the earth, made by a stroke of lightning. Leucomedon was the son of a cavern in Mount Aetna, and I have myself seen a man come out of a wine cellar.
OK ... well, that one was just depressing, but most of them are funnier than that. Bierce disappeared while in Mexico researching the revolution there. No one knows what happened to him. And, I think, that's just the way he would have wanted it.
Kathy Troccoli was born on this day in 1958. I just mention her because I really like this song. And I used to play her when I was a DJ at an AM Christian radio station.
Four years later, in 1961, Curt Smith (the bassist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter for Tears for Fears) was born. Here is the literal video for Head over Heels.
Five years later, Hope Sandoval was born. She's been a member of a number of almost completely unknown bands. One of them, Mazzy Star (which was basically just her), gained some notoriety in the 90s. I mention this because I loved Mazzy Star and had a huge crush on Hope Sandoval. This is the video for Fade into You, probably the high point of her musical career.
Today is also the birthday of St. John the Forerunner (or Baptist). When St. John was born, his father (Zechariah, who had been mute for the entire pregnancy) was finally allowed to speak. His first words were a song of praise, preserved in the latter portion of the first chapter of Luke and now known as the Canticle of Zechariah (or Benedictus). In all Western churches that preserve any kind of a office of daily prayer, this canticle is sung every morning.
His life has inspired a surprising number of icons some of which are, I have to say, pretty badass. Here's a sampling:
- The Nativity of St. John the Forerunner
- The Life of St. John the Forerunner (sportin' some awesome wings!)
- Mosaic icon (more wings)
- Russian icon of the Forerunner (badass wings again and ... what's that he's holding, oh yeah, IT'S HIS HEAD!!!)
- A more recent icon (showing wings in greater detail and a nice cuppa cranium on the bottom right)
St. John's Eve is kind of a big deal and the source of all manner of traditions, literature and folklore. This largely stems from the proximity of the day to the Summer Solstice. Probably, the best known thing connected with St. John's Day/Eve is Modest Mussorgsky's St. John's Eve on the Bare Mountain which eventually came to be known as Night on Bald Mountain.
Mussorgsky was inspired by Nikolai Gogol's short story St. John's Eve. In short, a farmhand is kissing the farmer's daughter and get's caught. He's going to be killed, but the farmer's son begs for his life. So he is banished. He meets up with the devil in disguise who tells him where to get some gold. He is told that he must shed blood to get the gold, and they capture the farmer's son (the one who rescued him) for him to kill. He almost doesn't do it, but then kills the boy, falls asleep for two days, and forgets everything. Using the gold, he marries the farmer's daughter. However, the forgotten crime eats at him and he slowly goes insane. His wife goes to get a local witch to help him. Upon seeing the witch, he remembers, and throws an axe at her. She disappears and the farmer's bloody son appears instead. Then, the devil comes and carries the guy away.
You'd think that would be a plenty creepy story, but not for a Russian. Nooooo. Then, the farmer's daughter goes on a pilgrimage. While she is gone, things start happening around the town. A roast lamb comes alive. A chalice bows to an old man. A bowl starts to dance. Eventually, the town is abandoned. The end.
Jeezy Creezy! What a story! You can see how that might inspire such a song. I love Disney's version of it in Fantasia because it reflects both the revel of evil and triumph of good.
Finally and most importantly, today is the birthday of my sister Dr. Katie Gies, the best veterinarian and one of the best people I know.
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