History of the Day: 10/17

On this day in 1814 at a brewery in London, a huge vat containing over 135,000 gallons of beer ruptured, causing other vats in the same building to succumb in a domino effect. As a result, more than 323,000 gallons of beer burst out and gushed into the streets. The wave of beer destroyed two homes and crumbled the wall of the Tavistock Arms pub, trapping the barmaid under the rubble. 9 people died, 8 from drowning and 1 from alcohol poisoning. It is believed they all died happy. In England, this came to be known as the "London Beer Flood." In Ireland, they know it as "Breakfast." And in the U.S., we know it as "Wall Street."

Speaking of liquidity causing great devastation, today is also the day that, in 1973, OPEC began an oil embargo against a number of Western countries considered to have helped Israel in its war against Syria.

And speaking of relations between Israel and the Middle East, on this day in 539, Cyrus the Great of Persia (ancient Iran) marched into Babylon and released the Hebrew people from almost 70 years of exile with the first declaration of human rights (more or less). Today, the current president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has continued that tradition. Just as Cyrus removed them from Babylon so they could go home, Ahmadinejad has promised to "wipe Israel of the face of the earth," presumably so they could go home ... permanently. Ain't that sweet?

I must apologize, for I totally missed National Grouch Day on the 15th. But that's OK, 'cause some of us like to celebrate all year 'round! Remember, keep the spirit of Grouch Day in your heart and you can always have that special feeling that the world has somehow treated you more unfairly than, say, an orphaned child from Darfur. While we're on the subject of those less fortunate, today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Tennessee Ernie Ford, who died on this day in 1991, sang what might be the theme song for the poor, 16 Tons.

There have always been those who have penned tunes that lifted up the plight of the oppressed. Julia Ward Howe died on this day in 1910. Her Battle Hymn of the Republic became the rallying cry of a nation at war and made it seem like we were fighting against slavery rather than to preserve the Union. It's a powerful hymn, especially the line:

As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free ...

My favorite version of the hymn was performed by Elvis Pressley, who sang it as
part of An American Trilogy, which combines it with Dixieland and a haunting slave song from the Bahamas, All My Trials:

Hush little baby don't you cry
You know your mama was born to die.
All my trials Lord soon be over

If religion were a thing that money could buy
You know the rich would live and the poor would die.
All my trials Lord soon be over

What's interesting about the song is that it was based on an older song, John Brown's Body Lies a'Molderin' in the Grave. Here are two stanzas:

Old John Brown's body lies moldering in the grave,
While weep the sons of bondage whom he ventured all to save;
But tho he lost his life while struggling for the slave,
His soul is marching on.

John Brown was John the Baptist of the Christ we are to see,
Christ who of the bondmen shall the Liberator be,
And soon thruout the Sunny South the slaves shall all be free,
For his soul is marching on.

What's even more interesting is that Howe herself was a pacifist. She was the first to call for a celebration of Mother's Day. But it wasn't a time for long-distance phone calls (or telegraphs) and Hallmark cards. She said:

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the bosum of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -

In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

She was also kind of scary-lookin'.

Derek Bell, once harpist for the Irish band The Chieftans, died on this day in 2002. Here is playing Sí Bheag, Sí Mhor (pronounced "Sheebeg, Sheemore") written by Turlough O'Carolan. What does this have to do with oppression? Well, it tells the story of rival queens, one from a small hill (Sí Bheag) and the other from a larger one (Sí Mhor), arguing over which is superior:

You were never as noble as us,
in degree conferred in tribe or church;
Take your talk away from us, it makes no sense,
Remove your foot and hand from us!

How Marxist! Thus begin an epic battle which only abates when they are both attacked by a faerie army. Thus, a truce is made and they fight together. In the U.S., this is called "politics."

Frédéric Chopin died on this day in 1849. I don't know that he did any particularly poignant songs regarding the poor and downtrodden (although he was Polish), but he was a master of the Nocturne. You can still visit his heart, which was placed inside a pillar at Holy Cross Church in Warsaw.

Speaking of hearts, today is the feastday of St. Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who popularized devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Hmmm ... must have been a liberal. (Get it?
Bleeding hearts?)

And today is the feastday of another saint, Ignatius of Antioch. He's primarily cool for the awesome icon of his martyrdom. Of his impending death, he wrote to the Romans:

Allow me to be eaten by the beasts, which are my way of reaching to God.
I am God's wheat, and I am to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts,
so that I may become the pure bread of Christ.

Sigh. How did Christians get so wimpy? Somehow, an icon of not being allowed to pray in school doesn't seem to pack the same punch. I just can't imagine celebrating "The Feastday of That Time When They Made St. Bertha Say 'Happy Holidays' When She Really Wanted To Say 'Merry Christmas,' 'Cause You Know Jesus Really Wants Us To Hear 'Merry Christmas' When We Spend $1,500.00 At Wal Mart For Presents." Just doesn't have quite the same oomph, ya know?

Finally, today is the Sweetest Day, a made-up holiday concocted by confectioners which, in their words, is an

occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the
sick, aged and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose
helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.

Ah, well, it's an excuse for candy, right?