Tag: Today In History

May 24 Today in History and a Pagan Word for Today

Today’s Important Historical Events

1595 Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library

1738 John Wesley is converted, launching the Methodist movement; celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day

1844 Samuel Morse taps out “What hath God wrought” in the world’s first telegraph message

1941 German battleship Bismarck sinks the British battle cruiser HMS Hood; 1,416 die, 3 survive

1988 Section 28 passed as law by Parliament in the United Kingdom prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality. Repealed 2001/2004

Today’s Historical Events

1086 Abbott Dauferio/Desiderius becomes Pope Victor III

1153 Malcolm IV becomes King of Scots

1218 The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt

1276 Magnus Ladulås is crowned King of Sweden in Uppsala Cathedral

1300 King Philip IV occupies Flanders, Earl Gwijde captured

1370 Hanzesteden signs peace treaty with Danish king Waldemar IV

1487 Imposter Lambert Simnel ceremony crowned as King Edward VI in Dublin

1595 Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1895 Henry Irving becomes the first actor to receive a knighthood

1963 Barbra Streisand performs “Happy Days Are Here Again” at White House Press Correspondents Dinner, and meets US President John F. Kennedy

1964 The Beatles’ 4th appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show”, features an interview and pre-recorded performance of “You Can’t Do That”

1966 Jerry Herman’s musical “Mame”, starring Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur, opens at Winter Garden Theater, NYC; runs for 1508 performances, wins 3 Tony Awards

1974 “The Dean Martin Show” last airs on NBC-TV

1974 27th Cannes Film Festival: “The Conversation” directed by Francis Ford Coppola wins the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film

1979 32nd Cannes Film Festival: “Apocalypse Now” directed by Francis Ford Coppola and “Die Biechtrommel” directed by Volker Schlondorff jointly awarded the Palme d’Or

1988 Porntip Nakhirunkanok, 19, of Thailand, crowned 37th Miss Universe

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1873 Leo Delibes’ opera “Le Roi l’a Dit” (“The King Has Spoken”) premieres at the Opéra-Comique in Paris

1873 Alexandra Palace opens on Queen Victoria‘s 54th birthday with a grand celebration including concerts, recitals and fireworks

1933 Dmitri Shostakovich‘s Preludes premieres in Moscow

1948 Benjamin Britten‘s “Beggar’s Opera” premieres at Arts Theatre, Cambridge, England

1956 1st Eurovision Song Contest: Lys Assia for Switzerland wins singing “Refrain” in Lugano

1958 “New Girl in Town” closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 432 performances

1968 Mick Jagger & Marianne Faithfull arrested for drug possession in England

1969 Beatles’ “Get Back” single goes #1 and stays #1 for 5 weeks

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1877 5th Preakness: C Holloway aboard Cloverbrook wins in 2:45.5

1879 7th Preakness: L Hughes aboard Harold wins in 2:40.5

1900 34th Belmont: Nash Turner aboard Ildrim wins in 2:21¼

1905 39th Belmont: Eugene Hildebrand aboard Tanya wins in 2:08

1918 Cleveland Indians Stan Coveleski sets club record for most innings pitched (19) as the Indians beat the Yankees 3-2

1926 Paavo Nurmi runs world record 3000 m (8:25.4)

1928 Record 12 future Hall of Famers take the field, as Yanks beat A’s 9-7

1929 Detroit Tigers beats Chicago White Sox, 6-5, in 21 innings

Pagan & Magickal Terms and Definitions

From moonlitpriestess.com

Some terms listed on this page may seem like common-sense words; however, they’re defined here as most often used in Wicca, Witchcraft, and general Paganism. Some terms have a different meaning in general society, other religions, and other sub-cultures.

Please keep this in mind when learning the terms as they’re listed here.

Did you come across a term on this site or another Wiccan/Pagan source that you’re unfamiliar with or uncertain of and can’t find it on this page? Please send us a message so we can add it to this page for you!

If you already know what term you’re looking for, you can use Ctrl-F (Windows) or Cmd-F (Mac) to search. Likewise, if you’re using a tablet or smartphone, you may use your browser’s “Find” setting to search this page.

Today’s Word is

Aisling

a dream vision

May 23 Today in History and a Pagan Word for Today

Today’s Important Historical Events

1618 Second Defenestration of Prague: Two Catholic Lords Regent and their secretary are thrown out of a window and amazingly are not seriously injured by the 70 foot (21m) fall. Triggers the Thirty Years’ War.

1785 Benjamin Franklin announces his invention of bifocals

1813 South American independence leader Simón Bolívar enters Mérida, leading the invasion of Venezuela, and is proclaimed El Libertador (“The Liberator”)

1949 Federal Republic of [West] Germany created out of the American, British and French occupation zones

1958 Mao Zedong starts the “Great Leap Forward” movement in China

1998 The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with 75% voting yes.

Today’s Historical Events

1040 Battle of Dandanaqan: Tughril‘s Seljuk army defeats Ghaznavid force, near Merv (present-day Turkmenistan), brings about the fall of the Ghaznavid Empire

1059 Henri I crowns his son King Philip I (called the Amorous) of France

1275 King Edward I of England orders cessation of persecution of French Jews

1420 Jews of Syria and Austria expelled

1421 Jews of Austria imprisoned & expelled

1430 Joan of Arc is captured at Compiegne and sold to the English

1493 King Charles VIII & Maximilian I of Austria sign Peace of Senlis

1536 Pope Paul III installs Portuguese inquisition

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1922 Walt Disney incorporates his 1st film company Laugh-O-Gram Films

1953 WHIZ TV channel 18 in Zanesville, OH (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting

1960 WGTV TV channel 8 in Athens-Atlanta, GA (PBS) begins broadcasting

1960 WRCA radio changes call letters back to WNBC (NYC)

1962 15th Cannes Film Festival: “Keeper of Promises” directed by Anselmo Duarte wins the Palme d’Or

1963 NBC purchases 1963 AFL championship game TV rights for $926,000

1963 16th Cannes Film Festival: “The Leopard” directed by Luchino Visconti wins the Palme d’Or

1969 BBC orders 13 episodes of Monty Python‘s Flying Circus

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1921 Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake’s musical “Shuffle Along” premieres on Broadway at Daly’s 63rd Street Theatre, New York City [1]

1922 Comedic play “Abie’s Irish Rose” premieres at Fulton Theatre, NYC; runs for 2,327 performances (longest run at the time)

1939 Dmitri Shostakovich appointed professor at conservatory of Leningrad

1959 “Party with Comden & Green” closes at John Golden NYC after 44 performances

1960 “Finian’s Rainbow” opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 12 performances

1960 “Got A Girl” by The Four Preps hits #24

1968 Beatles open 2nd Apple Boutique at 161 New Kings Road, London

1969 The Who release rock opera “Tommy”

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1873 1st Preakness Stakes: G. Barbee aboard Survivor wins in 2:43 at Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Maryland

1883 9th Kentucky Derby: William Donohue aboard Leonatus wins in 2:43

1884 12th Preakness: S Fisher aboard Knight of Ellerslie wins in 2:39.5

1901 35th Belmont: H Spencer aboard Commando wins in 2:21

1922 Future World Heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney suffers his only professional defeat in 15-round unanimous points decision against Harry Greb at Madison Square Garden, NY

1926 Chicago Cub’s Hack Wilson is 1st to hit a home run off Wrigley Field scoreboard

1932 Australian cyclist Hubert Opperman sets paced world records 1,384km in 24 hours, and 1,609km (1,000 miles) in 28 hours, 55 minutes, 39 seconds at Melbourne Motordrome

1941 In his 20th World Heavyweight Boxing title defence Joe Louis knocks out Buddy Baer in round 1 at New York’s Madison Square Garden

Pagan & Magickal Terms and Definitions

From moonlitpriestess.com

Some terms listed on this page may seem like common-sense words; however, they’re defined here as most often used in Wicca, Witchcraft, and general Paganism. Some terms have a different meaning in general society, other religions, and other sub-cultures.

Please keep this in mind when learning the terms as they’re listed here.

Did you come across a term on this site or another Wiccan/Pagan source that you’re unfamiliar with or uncertain of and can’t find it on this page? Please send us a message so we can add it to this page for you!

If you already know what term you’re looking for, you can use Ctrl-F (Windows) or Cmd-F (Mac) to search. Likewise, if you’re using a tablet or smartphone, you may use your browser’s “Find” setting to search this page.

Today’s Word is

Acolyte:

a novice; person in training or apprenticeship.

May 21 Today in History and the Word of the Day

Today’s Important Historical Events

1792 Mount Unzen on Japan’s Shimabara Peninsula, erupts creating a tsunami, killing about 15,000; Japan’s deadliest volcanic eruption

1832 1st US Democratic National Convention held in Baltimore

1871 -July 28] French regular troops attack Commune of Paris; 17,000 die

1927 Aviator Charles Lindbergh, in the Spirit of St Louis, lands in Paris after the first solo air crossing of Atlantic

1932 After flying for 17 hours from Newfoundland, Amelia Earhart lands near Londonderry, Northern Ireland, becoming the 1st transatlantic solo flight by a woman

Today’s Historical Events

878 Syracuse is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily

879 Pope John VIII gives blessings to duke Branimir and to Croatian people, considered to be international recognition of the Croatian state

996 Pope Gregory V crowns his cousin Otto III as Holy Roman Emperor in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome

1040 King Henry III gives Utrecht the Groninger currency

1216 French crown prince Louis enters England, having been invited by barons at war with King John

1260 Hao Jing, envoy of Mongol leader Kublai Khan imprisoned by order of the high Chancellor of China, Jia Sidao at the Song Dynasty court of Emperor Lizong while attempting to negotiate with the Song

1281 Kublai Khan‘s second invasion of Japan begins with an attack on Tsushima Island but meets fierce resistance; his troops are forced to withdraw

1382 Earthquake centered on Dover Straits with estimated magnitude of 6.0 causes widespread damage, including to Canterbury Cathedral

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1908 1st American horror movie silent film “Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde” premieres in Chicago

1922 Rollin Kirby’s “On the Road to Moscow” is the 1st cartoon to receive a Pulitzer Prize

1955 WFRV TV channel 5 in Green Bay, Wisconsin (ABC/NBC) begins broadcasting

1956 WITI TV channel 6 in Milwaukee, WI (CBS/ABC) begins broadcasting

1968 Paul McCartney and girlfriend Jane Asher attend an Andy Williams concert

1968 WEKW TV channel 52 in Keene, NH (PBS) begins broadcasting

1980 “Star Wars Episode V – Empire Strikes Back”, produced by George Lucas opens in cinemas in UK and North America

1981 Kim Seelbrede, (Ohio), crowned 30th Miss USA

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1892 Ruggero Leoncavallo’s opera “I Pagliacci” premieres in Milan

1941 Singer Johan Heesters visits Dachau concentration camp

1955 Harold Arlen and Truman Capote‘ musical “House of Flowers” closes at Alvin Theater, NYC, after 165 performances

1959 “Gypsy” opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 702 performances

1960 Leontyne Price becomes the first African American to sing the lead at Teatro alla Scala in Milan in “Aida”

1966 “Downtown” by Mrs Miller hits #82

1966 “Time for Singing” opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 41 performances

1966 Louie Louie by The Kingsmen reentered the chart & hits #97

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1819 1st bicycles (swift walkers) in US introduced in NYC

1866 1st-class debut of cricketer Fred Grace aged 15 years 159 days at the Magdalen Ground, Oxford

1878 4th Kentucky Derby: Jimmy Carter aboard Day Star wins in 2:37.25

1881 US National Lawn Tennis Association is established in NYC, New York

1886 14th Preakness: S Fisher aboard Bard wins in 2:45

1891 Australian boxer Peter Jackson and future world heavyweight champion Jim Corbett fight a No Contest in 61 rounds at California Athletic Club, San Francisco

1904 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) forms in Paris

1907 32nd Preakness: G Mountain aboard Don Enrique wins in 1:45.4

Today’s Word is

Namby-pamby

Brought to you by wordoftheday.net

Namby-pamby / adjective / nam·by-pam·by

Namby-pamby is the word we use to describe people believed to be lacking in strength or courage. We see someone described as “namby-pamby” as feeble or spineless in response to situations that call for a stronger behavior response.

People often associate the word “namby-pamby” with a male who is behaving in an “effeminate” fashion. Being called a “namby-pamby” is not a compliment. It is a sign that whomever is doing the name-calling lacks respect for the person who is the subject of their verbal attacks.

Etymology

The English word namby-pamby entered language in the mid-1700s around 1745. We derived it from early Ambrose and adopted it into popular use in the mid-18th century. Etymologists say the word was initially used to describe the characteristics of an English writer ridiculed by the public and leading officials of the time. We use namby-pamby as both an adjective and a noun with its original meaning.

In a Sentence

The namby-pamby just stood by and watched while his family was in danger.

The employees all secretly called their boss a namby-pamby behind his back.

Stop acting like such a namby-pamby and step up to the plate!

Synonym

Effeminate, Spineless

Antonym

Backboned, Strong

May 20 Today in History and the Word of the Day

Today’s Important Historical Events

1498 Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrives at Calicut, India becoming the first European to reach India by sea

1609 Shakespeare‘s Sonnets are first published in London, perhaps illicitly, by publisher Thomas Thorpe

1862 US President Abraham Lincoln signs into law the Homestead Act to provide cheap land for the settlement of the American West (80 million acres by 1900)

1864 Spotsylvania campaign in US Civil War ends after 10,920 killed or injured

1927 At 7:40 AM, Charles Lindbergh takes off from New York to cross the Atlantic for Paris, aboard Spirit of St Louis in the 1st solo nonstop transatlantic flight

1927 Treaty of Jeddah is signed between the United Kingdom and Ibn Saud recognizing the independence of the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd

1990 Hubble Space Telescope sends its 1st photographs from space

Today’s Historical Events

325 First Council of Nicaea – 1st ecumenical council of Christian bishops at Nicaea, Asia Minor

685 Battle of Nechtansmere/Dun Nechtain: Picts led by Brude MacBeli beat Northumbrians led by their king Ecgfrith in Scotland

1217 Second Battle of Lincoln fought near Lincoln, England, resulting in the defeat of Prince Louis of France by William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke

1293 Earthquake strikes Kamakura Japan, 30,000 killed

1293 King Sancho IV of Castile creates the Study of General Schools of Alcalá

1303 Treaty of Paris restores Gascony to the English and arranges marriage of English Prince Edward to French Princess Isabella

1310 Shoes were made for both right & left feet

1347 Rienzo calls Rome for people’s tribunal

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1891 1st public display of Thomas Edison‘s prototype kinetoscope to members of the National Federation of Women’s Club

1895 1st commercial movie performance (153 Broadway, NYC)

1926 Thomas Edison says Americans prefer silent movies over talkies

1960 13th Cannes Film Festival: “The Sweet Life” directed by Federico Fellini wins the Palme d’Or

1966 19th Cannes Film Festival: “A Man and a Woman” directed by Claude Lelouch and “The Birds, the Bees and the Italians” directed by Pietro Germi jointly awarded the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film

1967 BBC bans the Beatles’ “A Day in the Life” because of drug references

1970 Beatles’ “Let it Be” movie premieres in UK

1973 25th Emmy Awards: Waltons, All in the Family & Mary Tyler Moore win

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1896 The six ton chandelier of the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris falls on the crowd resulting in the death of one and the injury of many others

1961 Henzes opera “Elegy for Young Lovers,” premieres in Schwetzingen

1972 “Different Times” closes at ANTA Theater NYC after 24 performances

1972 “Hard Job Being God” closes at Edison Theater NYC after 6 performances

1973 “2 Gentlemen of Verona” closes at St James Theater NYC after 613 performances

1979 “I Love My Wife” closes at Barrymore Theater NYC after 864 performances

1979 Elton John is the 1st western pop star to tour USSR

1980 Drummer Peter Criss quits rock band Kiss

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1734 1st Jockey Club forms in South Carolina

1879 5th Kentucky Derby: Charlie Shauer aboard Lord Murphy wins in 2:37

1897 British Open Men’s Golf, Royal Liverpool GC: English amateur Harold Hilton wins 2nd Open title by 1 stroke from Scot James Braid

1900 Second modern Summer Olympics (Games of the II Olympiad) opens in Paris and continues for 5 months

1913 38th Preakness: James Butwell aboard Buskin wins in 1:53.4

1920 Policemen raid the Cubs’ bleachers & arrest 24 fans for gambling

1922 Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel, previously suspended by Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, return to the NY lineup and go hitless

1930 University of California dedicates $1,500 to research on prevention & cure of athlete’s foot

Today’s Word is

Hygge

Brought to you by wordoftheday.net

Hygge / noun/ hyoo·guh

Danish speakers use the word “hygge” to represent a relaxed, laid-back, and comfortable vibe created by enjoying the simpler things in life. We use hygge to represent the feeling invoked by engaging in simple activities that relieve stress and provide opportunities for having pleasing conversations and making genuine connections with others. Hygge relates to comfort, well-being, coziness, and contentment, with a warm atmosphere filled with pleasant people.

In a Sentence

The woman felt an incredible sense of hygge upon entering the sacred temple.

Denmark is famous for spreading the love and hygge for visitors and countrymen.

Doing yoga within a group gives some people a pleasurable sense of hygge.

Etymology

Although we most recognize “hygge” in the Danish language, the word actually entered the language as Norwegian. “Hygge” entered the language carrying the same meaning as ‘well-being.’ Danish adopted the word into their language system around the end of the 18th century. They’ve been using “hygge” to represent contentment, well-being, and the best of Denmark for residents and tourists since the late 1800s.

Synonyms

Comfortable, Comfy

Antonyms

Rude, Hard

May 19 Today in History and the Word of the Day

Today’s Important Historical Events

1536 Anne Boleyn, second wife of English King Henry VIII, is beheaded at the Tower of London on charges of adultery, incest and treason

1643 Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut and New Harbor form the United Colonies of New England

1649 England is declared a Commonwealth by an act of the Rump Parliament making England a republic for the next 11 years

1885 German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck takes possession of Cameroon and Togoland

1898 US Congress passes the Private Mailing Card Act, allowing private publishers and printers to produce postcards, had to be labelled “Private Mailing Cards” until 1901, known as “souvenir cards”

1919 Mustafa Kemal Atatürk lands at Samsun on the Black Sea coast, beginning the Turkish War of Independence

Today’s Historical Events

715 St Gregory II begins his reign as Catholic Pope

1182 The high altar of Paris cathedral Notre Dame is consecrated by Cardinal Henri de Château-Marçay and Maurice de Sully

1506 Christopher Columbus selects his son Diego Columbus as sole heir

1515 George van Saksen-Meissen sells Friesland for 100,000 gold guilders to arch duke Charles

1517 Philip van Bourgondie installed as bishop of Utrecht

1518 Public unveiling of Titian’s masterpiece “Assumption of the Virgin” a painted altarpiece in the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice

1536 Anne Boleyn, second wife of English King Henry VIII, is beheaded at the Tower of London on charges of adultery, incest and treason

1547 Monarch Johan Frederik surrenders to Karel

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1968 20th Emmy Awards: “Get Smart”, “Mission Impossible” & Barbara Bain win

1972 WMAV TV channel 18 in Oxford, MS (PBS) begins broadcasting

1972 25th Cannes Film Festival: “The Working Class Goes to Heaven” directed by Elio Petri and “The Mattei Affair” directed by Francesco Rosi jointly awarded the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film

1975 27th Emmy Awards: “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, Robert Blake & Jean Marsh win

1977 Film “Smokey & the Bandit” starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field and Jackie Gleason premieres in NYC

1980 Ringo & Barbara Bach are involved in a car crash

1982 Sophia Loren jailed in Naples, Italy for tax evasion

1983 Weird Al Yankovic gives live performance at Wax Museum in Washington, D.C.

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1886 Camille Saint-Saëns’ 3rd Symphony in C premieres at St. James Hall, London, with the composer conducting

1911 Maurice Ravel‘s opera “L’Heure Espagnole” premieres at the Opéra-Comique, Paris, France

1958 “South Pacific” soundtrack album goes #1 & stays #1 for 31 weeks

1962 “Bravo, Giovanni” opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 76 performances

1962 “John Birch Society” by Chad Mitchell Trio hits #99

1973 “Daisy A Day” by Jud Strunk hits #14

1973 “Smith” opens at Eden Theater, NYC: runs for 17 performances

1976 Columbia Records releases “Turnstiles”, singer-songwriter Billy Joel‘s fourth studio album

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1905 Tom Jenkins beats Frank Gotcha for heavyweight wrestling champ

1909 In his first title defence Jack Johnson fights “Philadelphia” Jack O’Brien to a no decision in 6 rounds in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to retain his world heavyweight crown

1912 AL President Ban Johnson tells Tigers if they continue protest of Ty Cobb‘s suspension, they will be banned from baseball

1923 49th Kentucky Derby: Earl Sande wins aboard Zev for his first Derby success

1928 54th Kentucky Derby: Chick Lang aboard Reigh Count wins in 2:10.4

1929 Cloudburst causes stampede in Yankee Stadium, crushes 2 people to death

1935 NFL adopts an annual college draft to begin in 1936

1941 Germany occupiers in Holland forbid bicycle taxis

Today’s Word is

Merry Andrew

Brought to you by wordoftheday.net

Merry Andrew / noun / mer·ry an·drew

“Merry Andrew” is an archaic definition we use to describe people who behave in a clownish or buffoonish fashion. This early 16th-century noun represents the silly antics or behavior of a person who others consider as being foolish and “jester-like.” Being called a “Merry Andrew” is not a compliment. Someone being called a “Merry Andrew” is being insulted and described as a fool. Merry Andrew is also the name of the 1958 American musical film directed by Michael Kidd and starring famed actor Danny Kaye.

In a Sentence

Look out, here comes that unfunny Merry Andrew from last night’s performance.

A court jester and a Merry Andrew are one and the same.

The king and queen demanded to be entertained by the local Merry Andrew.

Etymology

We saw the first use of Merry Andrew around the late 16th-century in 1670. Etymologists say the term was used to represent people who were kept around because of their entertaining qualities that regularly included them making foolish jokes and public spectacles of themselves.

Synonyms

Comedian, Jester

Antonyms

Wise, Humorless

 

May 15 Today in History and the Word of the Day

Today’s Important Historical Events

1252 Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad exstirpanda, which authorizes, but also limits, the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition

1618 German astronomer Johannes Kepler discovers the third of his three planetary laws his “harmonics law”

1869 National Woman Suffrage Association forms in New York, founded by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton

1940 Richard and Maurice McDonald open the 1st McDonald’s restaurant in San Bernardino, California

1951 AT&T becomes the 1st US corporation to have a million stockholders after young car salesman Brady Denton purchases 7 shares worth $1,078

1988 USSR begins withdrawing its 115,000 troops from Afghanistan

Today’s Historical Events

756 Abd-al-Rahman I becomes emir of Cordova, Spain

884 Marinus I ends his reign as Catholic Pope

1004 Henry II the Saint crowned King of Italy

1213 King John of England names Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury

1222 Mongolian leader Genghis Khan meets the leader of the Taoist Dragon Gate sect Chang Chun at his camp in Parwan (Afghanistan)

1248 Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden lays cornerstone for Cologne Cathedral

1252 Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad exstirpanda, which authorizes, but also limits, the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition

1492 Cheese & Bread rebellion: German mercenaries kill 232 residents of Alkmaar, Netherlands

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1928 Mickey Mouse makes his 1st ever appearance in silent film “Plane Crazy”

1954 KGLO (now KIMT) TV channel 3 in Mason City, IA (CBS) 1st broadcast

1955 KPUA (now KGMD) TV channel 9 in Hilo, HI (CBS) begins broadcasting

1958 “Gigi” based on the story by Colette, directed by Vincent Minnelli and starring Leslie Caron and Maurice Chevalier premieres in New York (Best Picture 1959)

1959 12th Cannes Film Festival: “Black Orpheus” directed by Marcel Camus wins the Palme d’Or

1960 KHVO TV channel 13 in Hilo, HI (ABC) begins broadcasting

1960 “L’Avventura”, Italian film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, starring Gabriele Ferzetti, Monica Vitti. premieres at Cannes

1961 “Bonanza” by Al Caiola Orchestra hits #19

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1858 Royal Italian Opera opens in Covent Garden, London

1891 Jules Massenet‘s opera “Grisélidis” premieres in Paris

1914 Henri Rabaud’s opera “Marouf, savetier de Caire” premieres in Paris

1941 Nazi occupiers in Netherlands forbid Jewish music

1960 Dmitri Shostakovich‘s 7th String quartet premieres in Leningrad

1967 Paul McCartney meets his future wife Linda Eastman

1971 “70, Girls, 70” closes at Broadhurst Theater, NYC, after 35 performances

1972 “Hard Job Being God” opens at Edison Theater, NYC; runs for 6 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1862 First baseball enclosure opens at Union Grounds, Brooklyn

1876 2nd Kentucky Derby: Bobby Swim aboard Vagrant wins in 2:38.25

1894 20th Kentucky Derby: Frank Goodale aboard Chant wins in 2:41

1906 NY Giants’ Hooks Wiltse strikes out 4 batters in 1 inning

1912 37th Preakness: Clarnence Turner on Colonel Holloway wins in 1:56.6

1912 Ty Cobb rushes a heckler at a NY Highlander game & is suspended

1918 43rd Preakness: Johnny Loftus aboard War Cloud wins in 1:53.6

1918 Washington Senator Walter Johnson pitches 1-0, 18 inning game

Today’s Word is

Majestic

Brought to you by wordoftheday.net

Majestic / adjective / muh·jeh·stuhk

We use the word “majestic” in the English language to represent people, places, and things that have an elegant or stately quality. “Majestic” is a term that describes otherworldly greatness, grace, style, and outstanding beauty or form. English speakers often use the word “majestic” to describe things related to royalty and regality. Familiar terminology uses the word “majestic” to address royal kings and Queens as his or her “majesty.”

In a Sentence

It surprised them to see the “majestic” looking yacht emerge from the ocean.

The King and Queen of the palace always dress in a “majestic” fashion.

The Taj Mahal is one of the most “majestic” buildings in existence.

Etymology

English-speakers find the first instance of the word “majestic” showing up around the end of the late-15th century. Etymologists say the word “majestic” has Latin origins and first entered language around 1570. The original definition of “majestic” refers to outstanding and out-of-this world characteristics or behavior synonymous with exceptionality, dignity, and grace. “Majestic” still carries the original definition assigned in the 1500s.

Synonym

Classy, Courtly

Antonym

Dowdy, Graceless

May 14 Today in History and the Word of the Day

Today’s Important Historical Events

1787 Delegates gather in Philadelphia to draw up US Constitution

1796 English country doctor Edward Jenner administers his revolutionary cowpox-based vaccine for smallpox, in Berkeley, Gloucestershire

1804 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark‘s expedition commissioned by Thomas Jefferson sets out from St Louis for Pacific Coast

1948 Israel declares independence from British administration

Today’s Historical Events

649 Theodore I ends his reign as Catholic Pope

1027 Robert II of France names his son Henry I as junior King of the Franks

1264 Battle of Lewes, 2nd Barons’ War: Simon de Montfort the younger, Earl of Leicester, defeats English King Henry III

1483 Coronation of Charles VIII of France (“Charles the Affable”)

1509 Battle of Agnadello, French forces under Louis XII defeat the Venetians in Northern Italy

1576 Dutch Council of State replaced by Council of Beroerten

1607 English colonists establish the 1st permanent English settlement in America at Jamestown. Unknown to them they have landed amidst the worst drought in 800 years.

1608 The Protestant Union is founded in Auhausen.

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1897 Oldest continuously operating movie theater in the world, the State Theatre first opens in Washington, Iowa (Guinness World Records)

1938 “The Adventures of Robin Hood”, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland premieres

1948 WBEN (now WIVB) TV channel 4 in Buffalo, NY (CBS) begins broadcasting

1951 Ernie Kovacs Show, TV Variety debut on NBC

1964 17th Cannes Film Festival: “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” directed by Jacques Demy wins the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film

1972 24th Emmy Awards: “All in the Family”, Carrol O’Conner & Jean Stapleton win

1973 French film “Day for Night” written and directed by François Truffaut, starring Jacqueline Bisset and Jean-Pierre Léaud premieres at Cannes (Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film)

1975 Cult feminist film “Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” written and directed by Chantal Ackerman and starring Delphine Seyrig premieres at Cannes

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1832 Felix Mendelssohn‘s concert overture “Hebrides” premieres in London

1902 Italian tenor Enrico Caruso makes his Covent Garden debut opposite Nellie Melba in Verdi’s opera “Rigoletto” in London

1927 “Ain’t She Sweet?” hits #1 on the singles chart by Ben Bernie

1942 World premiere performance of Aaron Copland‘s “Lincoln Portrait” with: Andre Kostelanetz conducting the Cincinnati Symphony in Cincinnati, Ohio

1946 Paul Hindemith‘s “For Those We Love” premieres

1949 “Love Life” closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 252 performances

1951 Sammy Fain and Yip Harburg’s musical “Flahooley” opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 40 performances

1957 Bob Merrill’s musical “New Girl in Town” opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 432 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1885 11th Kentucky Derby: Babe Henderson aboard Joe Cotton wins in 2:37.25

1886 12th Kentucky Derby: Paul Duffy aboard Ben Ali wins in 2:36.50

1888 14th Kentucky Derby: George Covington aboard MacBeth II wins in 2:38.00

1890 16th Kentucky Derby: Isaac Murphy aboard Riley wins in 2:45

1906 Flagpole at the White Sox ballpark breaks during pennant-raising

1913 Washington Senator Walter Johnson ends MLB record scoreless streak at 56 innings

1918 Sunday baseball is made legal in Washington, D.C.

1919 44th Preakness: Johnny Loftus aboard Sir Barton wins in 1:53 on way to first Triple Crown

Today’s Word is

Spiffy

Brought to you by wordoftheday.net

 

Spiffy / adjective / ˈspi-fē

“Spiffy” is an adjective we use in the English language to describe a person’s clothing and outer appearance. Someone said to be looking “spiffy” is well-dressed and sharp looking in their appearance. While the word doesn’t always apply to high fashion, when we think of the word “spiffy,” we think of elegant, well-dressed partygoers or business persons who have put on their most stunning outfits.

In a Sentence

The new army recruits were looking very “spiffy” in their uniforms.

The groom was looking spiffy in his tuxedo as he awaited the arrival of his bride.

That is quite a spiffy-looking vehicle you’re driving!

Etymology

Spiffy first entered the English language as an adjective. Etymologists say that “spiffy” was used to describe snappy dressers in the mid-18th century. We first see the word recorded toward the latter end of the 18th century in 1877. Other words derived from “spiffy” include ‘spiffier’ and ‘spifiest.’ All iterations of the word carry the same meaning intending to describe well-dressed people and people wearing high fashion or trending items of their time. “Spiffy” hasn’t changed its definition since its first introduction into the language.

Synonym

Stylish, Chic

Antonym

Unfashionable, Old Fashioned

May 13 Today in History and Introducing the Word of the Day

Today’s Important Historical Events

1787 Arthur Phillip sets sails with 11 ships of criminals to Botany Bay, Australia

1830 Republic of Ecuador is founded, with Juan Jose Flores as president

1934 Great dustbowl storm sweeps across US prairies

1940 Winston Churchill says “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat” in his first speech as Prime Minister to British House of Commons

1981 Pope John Paul II is shot and critically wounded by Turkish gunman Mehemet Ali Agca in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City

1989 Approx 2,000 students begin hunger strike in Tiananmen Square, China

Today’s Historical Events

535 St Agapitus I begins his reign as Catholic Pope

609 Pope Boniface I turns the Pantheon in Rome into a Catholic church

641 Eligius (Saint Eloy) becomes bishop of Doornik-Noyon

1106 Henry I of Limburg loses the duchy of Lower Lorraine to Godfrey of Louvain

1110 Crusaders march into Beirut causing a bloodbath

1277 As Vizier Mehmet I of Karaman issues a firman (decree) ordering only the Turkish language to be used, not Arabic or Persian

1364 Peter Coutherel banished from Leuven

1497 Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Italian Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola (urged the expulsion of the Medici’s from Florence)

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1878 Danvers State Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts, opens—later serves as inspiration for Arkham Sanitorium in the work of H.P. Lovecraft, which in turn inspired Arkham Asylum of the D.C. Batman universe

1959 Kraft Music Hall with Milton Berle last airs on NBC-TV

1960 WOLE TV channel 12 in Aguadillo, PR

1970 Beatles movie “Let it Be” premieres

1982 Terri Lea Utley, 20 (Arkansas) crowned 31st Miss USA

1985 Laura Elena Martinez-Herring, 21, (Texas), crowned 34th Miss USA

1992 Frank Stallone beats Geraldo Rivera in boxing on Howard Stern Show

1993 Arsenio Hall‘s 1,000th show retrospective seen in Netherlands

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1767 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart‘s first opera “Apollo et Hyacinthus”, written when he was 11 years old, premieres in Salzburg

1848 First performance of Finland’s national anthem “Maamme”, composed by Fredrik Pacius, Swedish words by Johan Ludvig Runeberg

1941 Willy Lewis’ US jazz band performs in Switzerland

1954 “Pajama Game” opens at St James Theater NYC for 1063 performances

1965 The Rolling Stones record “Satisfaction”

1966 The Rolling Stones release “Paint it Black” in the UK

1973 “Cyrano” opens at Palace Theater NYC for 49 performances

1975 “Rodgers & Hart” opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC for 108 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1887 15th Preakness: William Donohue aboard Dunboyne wins in 2:39.25

1890 18th Preakness: W Martin aboard Montague wins in 2:36.75

1891 17th Kentucky Derby: Isaac Murphy aboard Kingman wins in 2:52.25

1905 World heavyweight boxing champion James J. Jeffries retires undefeated after 7 title defences; returns in 1910 to be beaten by Jack Johnson

1909 First Giro d’Italia takes place in Milan – Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna is the winner

1911 37th Kentucky Derby: George Archibald aboard Meridian wins in 2:05

1916 42nd Kentucky Derby: Johnny Loftus aboard George Smith wins in 2:04

1922 48th Kentucky Derby: Albert Johnson aboard Morvich wins in 2:04.6

Today’s Word is

We use the word frou-frou to describe the sound made by a woman’s clothing. In most cases, the frou-frou sound refers to the sound a ruffling dress makes as a woman is walking. As a noun, we also use frou-frou to describe frilly ornamentation and embellishments added to clothing.

We see a person wearing frou-frou clothing as annoyingly overdressed and unnecessarily flamboyant. Their over-the-top clothing style makes frou-frou dressers the butt of many fashion-related jokes.

In a Sentence

She disturbed the church service by walking in late wearing a frou-frou dress.

Please dress casually. None of that “frou-frou” excess is required for the occasion.

Her ruffled “frou-frou” dress made a loud swooshing sound when she walked by.

Etymology

We see the first use of the word “frou-frou” introduced in the late 18th-century. “Frou-frou” is a French word that came about in a …

Click here to read about the rest of today’s word brought to you by wordoftheday.net

May 12 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1789 William Wilberforce makes his first major speech on abolition in the UK House of Commons, reasoning the slave trade morally reprehensible and an issue of natural justice

1940 Nazi blitzkrieg and conquest of France begins with the crossing of the Muese River

1943 Axis forces in North Africa surrender

2002 Former US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro becoming first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro’s 1959 revolution.

2008 Wenchuan earthquake, measuring 7.8 in magnitude occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 87,000, injuring 374,643 and leaving homeless between 4.8 million and 11 million people

Today’s Historical Events

254 Stephan I succeeds Lucius I as Catholic Pope

919 Duke Henry of Saxony becomes King Henry I of Oostfrankischreich

1057 The Ostromir Gospel, now the oldest surviving Russian manuscript is recorded completed by its scribe Deacon Grigory [1]

1082 Battle at Mailberg: Vratislav II of Bohemia beats Leopold II of Austr

1215 English barons serve ultimatum on King John which eventually leads to the creation and signing of the Magna Carta

1294 Construction of Santa Croce begins in Florence, the largest Franciscan church in the world (consecrated 1442)

1328 Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV and assembly of priests select Pietro Rainalducc as anti-Pope Nicolas V; consecrated in Rome by the Bishop of Venice

1459 Jodhpur, Sun City, founded by Rao Jodhpur in India

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1953 KUHT TV channel 8 (PBS) in Houston, TX, begins broadcasting

1960 Elvis Presley appears on a Frank Sinatra television special; Elvis sings Sinatra’s 1957 Cy Coleman hit “Witchcraft”, and Frank performs Presley’s 1956 classic “Love Me Tender”

1963 Bob Dylan walks out of “The Ed Sullivan Show” over a dispute about his song choice

1967 20th Cannes Film Festival: “Blowup” directed by Michelangelo Antonioni wins the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film

1968 WSKG TV channel 46 (PBS) in Binghamton, NY, begins broadcasting

1970 KTVM TV channel 6 in Butte, MT (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting

1977 Emmy 4th Daytime Award presentation: “Ryan’s Hope” and “Family Feud” win

1983 Julie Lynne Hayek, (California), crowned 32nd Miss USA

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1832 Gaetano Donizetti’s opera “L’elisir d’amore” premieres in Milan

1894 Ludwig Englander’s musical “Passing Show” premieres in NYC

1926 Dmitri Shostakovich‘s 1st Symphony premieres in Leningrad

1934 “Cocktails For Two” by Duke Ellington hits #1

1936 Ralph Vaughan Williams’ opera “Poisoned Kiss” premieres in London

1938 Arthur Honegger and Paul Claudel’s oratorio “Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher” (Joan of Arc at the Stake) premieres in Basel, Switzerland

1950 Darius Milhaud‘s opera “Bolivar” premieres in Paris

1958 “Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu” by Dicky Doo & The Don’ts hits #40

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1890 First official County Cricket Championship match begins; Yorkshire beats Gloucestershire by 8 wickets at Bristol; James Cranston scores first century (101) in the competition

1909 34th Preakness: Willie Doyle aboard Effendi wins in 1:39.8

1910 Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Charles “Chief” Bender no-hits Cleveland Naps, 4-0

1913 English runner Harry Green runs world record marathon 2:38:16.2 in the Polytechnic Marathon in London, England

1917 42nd Preakness: E Haynes aboard Kalitan wins in 1:54.4

1917 43rd Kentucky Derby: Charles Borel on Omar Khayyam wins in 2:04.6

1919 New York Yankees and Washington Senators play second straight extra inning tie, 4-4 in 15 innings at the Polo Grounds; 0-0 in 12 the previous day

1923 48th Preakness: Benny Marinelli aboard Vigil wins in 1:53.6

May 11 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

330 Constantinople (Byzantium) becomes the capital of the Roman Empire

1189 Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and 100,000 crusaders depart Regensburg for the Third Crusade

1751 Pennsylvania Hospital founded by Dr. Thomas Bond and Benjamin Franklin, in Philadelphia

1995 More than 170 countries agree to extend the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty indefinitely and without conditions to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons [1]

2000 India’s population officially reaches 1 billion – Astha Arora named India’s billionth baby

Today’s Historical Events

330 Constantinople (Byzantium) becomes the capital of the Roman Empire

868 “The Diamond Sutra”, the world’s oldest surviving and dated printed book is printed in Chinese and made into a scroll

1068 Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror, is crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey, London

1189 Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and 100,000 crusaders depart Regensburg for the Third Crusade

1310 Fifty-four members of the Knights Templar are burned at the stake in France for being heretics

1421 Jews are expelled from Styria Austria

1502 Christopher Columbus begins 4th & last trip to the “Indies”

1625 Peasants besiege Frankenburg estate in Upper Austria

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1918 44th Kentucky Derby: William Knapp on Exterminator wins in 2:10.8

1929 1st regularly scheduled TV broadcasts (3 nights per week)

1931 “M” Fritz Lang’s first sound film starring Peter Lorre premieres in Berlin

1956 Pinky Lee Show last airs on NBC-TV

1959 Mary Rodgers & Marshall Barer’s musical “Once Upon A Mattress”, starring Carol Burnett and directed by George Abbott, opens at Phoenix Theatre, NYC; runs for 244 performances

1968 Richard Harris releases “MacArthur Park”

1969 British comedy troupe Monty Python forms, made up of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin

1973 Ground-breaking Indian crime film “Zanjeer” directed by Prakash Mehra and starring “The Angry Young Man” Amitabh Bachchan released

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1812 Waltz introduced into English ballrooms. Some observers consider it disgusting and immoral.

1881 Bedřich Smetana’s opera “Libuše” premieres iat the Natonal Theater, in Prague

1956 Elvis Presley‘s 1st entry on UK charts with “Heartbreak Hotel”

1959 “Kookie, Kookie Lend Me Your Comb” by Byrnes & Connie Stevens hits #4

1963 “Puff (The Magic Dragon)” by Peter, Paul & Mary hits #2

1965 “Flora, the Red Menace” opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 87 performances

1967 “Sing, Israel Sing” opens at Brooks Atkinson Theatre NYC for 14 performances

1970 “The Long and Winding Road” becomes Beatles’ last American single release

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1887 13th Kentucky Derby: Isaac Lewis aboard Montrose wins in 2:39.25

1888 16th Preakness: F Littlefield aboard Refund wins in 2:49

1892 18th Kentucky Derby: Lonnie Clayton aboard Azra wins in 2:41½

1893 Henri Desgrange establishes world’s 1st bicycle world record, travelling 35.325 km (21.95 miles) an hour

1897 Washington Senator catcher Charlie Farrell throws out 8 attempted stealers

1900 James J. Jeffries KOs James J Corbett in 23 for heavyweight boxing title

1912 38th Kentucky Derby: Carol H Shilling aboard Worth wins in 2:09.4

1918 44th Kentucky Derby: William Knapp on Exterminator wins in 2:10.8

May 10 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1497 Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci leaves for his first voyage to the New World (disputed)

1775 Second Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and issues paper currency for 1st time

1801 First Barbary War: The Barbary pirates of Tripoli declare war on the United States of America (1st US foreign war)

1857 Indian mutiny against rule by the British East India Company begins with the revolt of the Sepoy soldiers in Meerut

1940 Winston Churchill succeeds Neville Chamberlain as British Prime Minister

1960 US atomic submarine USS Triton completes 1st submerged circumnavigation of the globe

1994 Nelson Mandela sworn in as South Africa’s 1st black president

Today’s Historical Events

1267 Vienna’s church orders all Jews to wear a distinctive garb

1278 Jews of England imprisoned on charges of coining

1291 Scottish nobles recognize authority of English King Edward I

1294 Temür Khan declared Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty

1427 Jews are expelled from Bern, Switzerland

1497 Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci leaves for his first voyage to the New World (disputed)

1503 Christopher Columbus discovers the Cayman Islands

1525 Church reformer John Pistorius caught in the Hague

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1928 WGY, Schenectady begins regular TV programming

1952 5th Cannes Film Festival: “The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice” directed by Orson Welles and “Two Cents Worth of Hope” directed by Renato Castellani jointly awarded the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film

1953 KCBD TV channel 11 in Lubbock, TX (NBC) begins broadcasting

1955 8th Cannes Film Festival: “Marty” directed by Delbert Mann wins Palme d’Or

1956 KFSN TV channel 30 in Fresno, CA (ABC/CBS) begins broadcasting

1956 9th Cannes Film Festival: “The Silent World” directed by Jacques Cousteau and Louis Malle wins the Palme d’Or

1973 Bruce Lee collapses in Golden Harvest studios in Hong Kong and is rushed to Hong Kong Baptist Hospital where doctors diagnose him with cerebral edema

1982 WABC radio (NYC) plays its last record – John Lennon‘s “Imagine” – and switches to all-talk format

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1849 Astor Place Riot: Backers of American actor and working class hero Edwin Forrest attempt to disrupt British actor William McReady’s performance at Astor Place Opera House in NYC; Military troops supporting police shoot at the crowd, killing between 22 and 31 [1]

1907 Paul Dukas’ opera “Ariane et Barbe Bleue” premieres in Paris

1932 Government declares “Wilhelmus” as the Netherlands’ national anthem

1947 “Chocolate Soldier” closes at Century Theater NYC after 69 performances

1952 Revival of Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle’s musical “Shuffle Along” closes at Broadway Theater, NYC, after 4 performances

1957 Dmitri Shostakovich‘s 2nd Piano concerto premieres in Moscow

1963 Decca signs Rolling Stones on advice of Beatle George Harrison

1967 Rolling Stones Keith Richards, Brian Jones & Mick Jagger arrested on drug charges

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1870 Jem Mace & defends his heavyweight crown against Irish champ Joe Coburn, it lasts 1 hr & 17 minutes, & neither is struck by a punch

1889 17th Preakness: W Anderson aboard Buddhist wins in 2:17.5

1893 19th Kentucky Derby: Eddie Kunze aboard Lookout wins in 2:39.25

1902 Dutch soccer club FC Blauw-Wit (Blue-White) is formed in the Kinkerbuurt area of Amsterdam; merge with VV De Beursbengels in 2015

1905 31st Kentucky Derby: Jack Martin aboard Agile wins in 2:100.75

1910 36th Kentucky Derby: Fred Herbert aboard Donau wins in 2:06.4

1913 39th Kentucky Derby: Roscoe Goose aboard Donerail wins in 2:04.8

1913 Yanks commit 8 errors & still beat Tigers 10-9 in 10 innings

May 8 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1660 English parliament declares Charles Stuart to be King Charles II of England

1835 1st installment of Hans Christian Andersen “Fairy Tales” published by C. A. Reitzel in Copenhagen, Denmark

1895 China cedes Taiwan to Japan under Treaty of Shimonoseki

1902 Mount Pelée on the French overseas island of Martinique erupts, wiping out the city of Saint-Pierre, killing 30,000 and leaving only two survivors

1945 V-E Day: World War II ends in Europe after Germany signs an unconditional surrender

1980 World Health Organization announces smallpox has been eradicated

2007 A new Northern Ireland Executive is formed with Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party) as First Minister and Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin) as Deputy First Minister

Today’s Historical Events

535 John II’s reign as Catholic Pope ends

589 Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo

615 St Boniface IV’s reign as Catholic Pope ends

685 St Benedict II’s as Catholic Pope ends after 11 months with his death

1254 University of Salamanca granted a royal charter by Alfonso IX. Third oldest university still operating and the oldest Hispanic.

1348 Ship from Bordeaux carrying the plague, lands in Melcombe Regis (now Weymouth), Dorset. The beginning of the Terrible Pestilence (Black Death) in England.

1360 Treaty of Brétigny signed by English & French, ending the first phase of the Hundred Years’ War

1450 Jack Cade’s Rebellion: Kentishmen revolt begins against King Henry VI and they march towards London

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1912 Film and television production and distribution studio Paramount Pictures is founded

1952 5th British Film and Television Awards (BAFTAS): “La Ronde” Best Film

1953 WIPB TV channel 49 in Muncie, IN (PBS) begins broadcasting

1958 Classic Hammer horror film “Dracula” film starring Christopher Lee as the eponymous vampire alongside Peter Cushing, directed by Terence Fisher released

1963 1st James Bond film, “Dr. No”, starring Sean Connery, premieres in US

1970 Beatles release 12th, and final, studio album, “Let It Be”, in conjunction with the film of the same name

1978 ABC TV airs “Stars Salute Israel at 30”

1993 ABC Masters Bowling Tournament won by Phil Ware

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1823 “Home! Sweet Home!” by John Howard Payne is 1st sung in London

1924 Arthur Honegger‘s orchestral tribute to steam locomotives “Pacifica 231” premieres

1952 Revival of George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin’s musical “Of Thee I Sing” opens at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC; runs for 72 performances

1952 Revival of Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle’s musical “Shuffle Along” opens at Broadway Theater, NYC; runs for 4 performances

1960 1st performance of Ferde Grofé’s “San Francisco Suite”, with Grofé conducting, in San Francisco

1962 Stephen Sondheim‘s musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” starring Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford, and directed by George Abbott, opens at Alvin Theater, NYC; runs for 965 performances, and wins 6 Tony Awards

1971 Courtney, Courtney, and Link’s musical “Earl of Ruston” closes at Billy Rose Theater, NYC, after 5 performances

1976 Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner’s musical “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue” closes at Mark Hellinger, NYC, after 7 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1878 1st unassisted triple play in organized baseball, by Paul Hines

1896 Yorkshire Cricket all out for 887 against Warwickshire

1897 22nd Preakness: T. Thorpe aboard Paul Kauvar wins in 1:51¼

1906 Philadelphia A’s pitcher Chief Benders plays outfield & hits 2 HRs

1907 Boston’s Big Jeff Pfeffer no-hits Cincinnati Reds, 6-0

1907 Canadian Tommy Burns retains his world heavyweight boxing title after beating “Philadelphia” Jack O’Brien on points in 20 rounds in Los Angeles, California

1909 American Albert Raines runs world record marathon (2:46:04.6) in NYC

1909 British runner Henry Barrett runs world record marathon (2:42:31) in the Polytechnic Marathon in London

May 7 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1429 English siege of Orleans broken by Joan of Arc and the French army

1867 Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel Patents Dynamite in England, the first of three patents he would receive for the explosive material

1912 Columbia University approves plans for awarding the Pulitzer Prize in several categories, after established by Joseph Pulitzer

1915 RMS Lusitania sunk by German submarine off the southern coast of Ireland; 1198 lives lost

1939 Germany and Italy announce an alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis

1945 World War II: Unconditional German surrender to the Allies signed by General Alfred Jodl at Rheims

1952 The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by G

eoffrey Dummer

2017 Emmanuel Macron wins France’s presidential election defeating Marine Le Pen

Today’s Historical Events

558 In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses. Justinian I immediately orders the dome rebuilt.

1274 2nd Council of Lyons (14th ecumenical council) opens, convened by Pope Gregory X

1355 1,200 Jews of Toledo, Spain killed by Count Henry of Trastamara

1416 Monk Nicolaas Serrurier arrested because of heresy at Tournay

1429 English siege of Orleans broken by Joan of Arc and the French army

1579 Congress of Cologne forms in Netherlands

1624 Admiral Hermites conquering fleet reaches Callao the Lima, Peru

1638 Cornelis S Goyer takes possession of Mauritius (uninhabited)

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1947 “Kraft Television Theater” premieres on NBC

1965 WAOW TV channel 9 in Wausau, WI (ABC) begins broadcasting

1987 Diane Chambers’ (Shelley Long) final episode on TV comedy “Cheers”

1996 Comedian Martin Lawrence suffers a nervous breakdown

1997 Science fiction film “The Fifth Element” written and directed by Luc Besson, starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich is released. Then the most expensive European film ever made.

2006 52nd British Academy Television Awards: “Help” Best Comedy, “Doctor Who” Best Drama

2011 “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”, directed by Rob Marshall, starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz, premieres in – opening weekend makes $350.6m

2017 MTV becomes 1st major awards show to adopt gender-neutral categories – Emma Watson best film actor, Millie Bobby Brown best TV actor

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1824 Ludwig van Beethoven‘s 9th (Choral) Symphony, often regarded as his greatest work, premieres in Vienna

1888 Édouard Lalo’s opera “Le roi d’Ys” premieres in Paris

1941 Glenn Miller records “Chattanooga Choo Choo” for RCA, it becomes 1st record to be designated “gold”

1953 Cole Porter‘s musical “Can-Can” opens at the Shubert Theatre, NYC; runs for 892 performances

1960 Webster and Fain’s musical “Christine”, based on Hilda Wernher’s novel “My Indian Family”, closes at 46th St Theater, NYC, after 12 performances

1960 Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical “Flower Drum Song” closes at St James Theater. NYC, after 602 performances and 1 Tony Award

1960 Musical review “From A to Z” closes at Plymouth Theater, NYC, after 21 performances

1961 “Young Abe Lincoln” closes at Eugene O’Neill NYC after 27 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1910 35th Preakness: R Estep aboard Layminster wins in 1:40.6

1917 In a testament to his pitching ability, future Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Babe Ruth leads Boston Red Sox to a 1-0 victory against Washington Senators legend Walter Johnson

1921 47th Kentucky Derby: Charles Thompson on Behave Yourself wins 2:04.2

1922 Belgian soccer team defeats Netherlands: 1-2

1922 NY Giant Jesse Barnes no-hits Phillies, 2-0

1925 Phillies have their 8th game postponed in a row

1925 MBA Pittsburgh Pirate shortstop Glenn Wright makes an unassisted triple play

1932 58th Kentucky Derby: Eugene James aboard Burgoo King wins in 2:05.2

May 6 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1626 Dutch colonist Peter Minuit organizes the purchase of Manhattan Island from Native Americans for 60 guilders worth of goods, believed to have been Canarsee Indians of the Lenape

1840 World’s first adhesive postage stamp, the “Penny Black“, is first used in Great Britain

1889 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) in Paris opens with the recently completed Eiffel Tower serving as the entrance arch

1937 German airship Hindenburg explodes in flames at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 of the 97 on board and 1 on the ground

1941 Joseph Stalin becomes Premier of the Soviet Union, replacing his foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov

Today’s Historical Events

878 Battle of Edington: Alfred the Great and his West Saxon army defeat Viking army of Guthrum the Old [earliest possible date]

1312 Pope Clement V closes Council of Vienna

1432 Renaissance masterpiece The Ghent Altarpiece by Hubert and Jan van Eyck is consecrated at St Bravo’s Cathedral, Belgium, commissioned by wealthy merchants

1527 Spanish and German Imperial troops sack Rome, ending the Renaissance

1529 Battle at Gogra: Mughal Emperor Babur beats Afghans and Bengals

1541 King Henry VIII orders a bible in English be placed in every church in England

1542 Francis Xavier reaches Old Goa, then capital of Portuguese India

1598 Archduke Albrecht & Isabella become rulers of the Southern Netherlands

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1935 KTM-AM in Los Angeles California changes call letters to KEHE (now KABC)

1941 At California’s March Field, Bob Hope performs his first USO show

1956 WRCB TV channel 3 in Chattanooga, TN (NBC) begins broadcasting

1957 Last broadcast of “I Love Lucy” on CBS-TV

1977 “Beatles at Hollywood Bowl” released in UK

1990 Tom Cruise is ticketed for careless operation of a vehicle in South Carolina

1994 Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait sets fire to the couch on The Tonight Show

1995 Classic Sports Network begins on cable TV

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1948 Revival of Jerome Kerns and Clifford Grey’s rags-to-riches musical “Sally” opens at Martin Beck Theater, NYC; runs for 36 performances

1950 “Great to Be Alive” closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 52 performances

1966 The Rolling Stones release “Paint it Black” in the US

1974 Stolen “Guitar Player” painting by Jan Vermeer found in London

1974 American composer Roger Sessions receives special Pulitzer Prize for his life’s work in music

1981 “Inacent Black” opens at Biltmore Theater NYC for 14 performances

1989 34th Eurovision Song Contest: Riva for Yugoslavia wins singing “Rock Me” in Lausanne

1997 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Bee Gees; Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills and Nash; The Jackson Five; Joni Mitchell; Parliament-Funkadelic; The (Young) Rascals; Mahalia Jackson; Bill Monroe; and Syd Nathan

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1733 First international boxing match: Local fighter Bob Whittaker beats “The Venetian Gondolier”, Tito di Carni at James Figg’s academy amphitheatre in Marylebone, London

1895 21st Kentucky Derby: James “Soup” Perkins aboard Halma wins last KD run over a distance of 1.5 miles (2.4km)

1896 22nd Kentucky Derby: Willie Simms aboard Ben Brush wins first Derby held at the current distance of 1.25 miles (2.0km)

1903 Chicago White Sox commit 11 errors against Detroit Tigers but win 10-9 at South Side Park. Chicago

1907 33rd Kentucky Derby: In muddy conditions and against a reduced field Andy Minder aboard Pink Star wins in a slow 2:12.6

1915 Future Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Babe Ruth hits his first MLB home run; pitches 12 frames in Boston Red Sox 4-3 extra innings loss to New York Yankees

1917 St Louis Browns pitcher Bob Groom no-hits Chicago White Sox, 3-0 at Sportsman’s Park, St. Louis

1921 Teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League merge to form the American Soccer League (ASL); collapses 1933

May 5 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1260 Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire

1941 Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa

1955 West Germany is granted full sovereignty by its three occupying powers

1965 First large-scale US Army ground units arrive in South Vietnam

1980 Siege at Iranian Embassy in London ends as the SAS and police storm the building

1981 After 66 days on hunger strike, 26 year old Provisional IRA member and British MP Bobby Sands dies in the Maze Prision. Nine more hunger strikers die in the next 3 months.

Today’s Historical Events

553 Second Council of Constantinople (5th ecumenical council) opens

1260 Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire

1430 Jews are expelled from Speyer, Germany

1494 On 2nd voyage to New World Christopher Columbus sights Jamaica, landing at Discovery Bay

1640 English Short Parliament rises

1646 King Charles I surrenders in Scotland

1665 Nicolaas Witsen visits patriarch Nikon in Moscow

1762 Russia & Prussia sign Treaty of Saint Petersburg ending the Seven Years’ War

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1949 KGO TV channel 7 in San Francisco, California (ABC) begins broadcasting

1952 “Lucy Does a TV Commercial” (also known as “Vitameatavegamin”) episode of “I Love Lucy” premieres, garnering 68% of US television viewers

1958 KNME TV channel 5 in Albuquerque, NM (PBS) begins broadcasting

1962 “West Side Story” soundtrack album goes #1 & stays #1 for 54 weeks which is more than 20 weeks longer than any other album

1996 Renette Cruz, Vancouver, wins Miss Canadian Universe

1997 “Married With Children” final episode on Fox TV

1999 34th Academy of Country Music Awards: Garth Brooks, Faith Hill & Tim McGraw win

2018 Childish Gambino [Donald Glover] releases the music video to new single “This is America” to wide acclaim

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1726 Marie de Camargo (16) premieres at Opera of Paris

1891 Music Hall (Carnegie Hall) opens in New York, Tchaikovsky is guest conductor

1900 “The Billboard” began weekly publication

1927 Dmitri Shostakovich‘s 1st Symphony premieres in Berlin

1951 “Out of This World” closes at New Century Theater NYC after 157 performances

1955 “Damn Yankees” opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 1022 performances

1967 The Kinks release “Waterloo Sunset” as a single; peaks at #2 on the British charts

1971 Courtney, Courtney, and Link’s musical “Earl of Ruston” opens at Billy Rose Theater, NYC, runs for 5 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1863 Irish boxer Joe Coburn KOs American Mike McCoole in the 67th round in his first defence of Heavyweight C’ship of America in Charlestown, Maryland

1904 Cy Young pitches the first perfect game in “modern” baseball as the Boston Americans beat Philadelphia Athletics, 3-0

1908 34th Kentucky Derby: Arthur Pickens aboard 66-1 chance Stone Street wins in muddy track conditions; 2:15.20 slowest Derby in history

1917 St Louis Browns pitcher Ernie Koob no-hits Chicago White Sox, 1-0 at Sportsman’s Park III

1922 After sharing the Polo Grounds with the New York Giants for 10 years construction begins on Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, NYC

1925 Detroit center fielder Ty Cobb goes 6 for 6 with 4 runs, 5 RBI and 16 TBs in Tigers’ 14-8 win over the Browns at Sportsman’s Park III, St. Louis

1925 Yankee Everett Scott is benched, ending his 1,307-game playing streak

1930 Australian cricket batting prodigy Don Bradman scores an unbeaten 185 in a tour match for Australia v Leicestershire at Aylestone Road, Leicester

May 4 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1471 Battle of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, final battle between the Houses of Lancaster and York: Prince of Wales, Edward of Westminster killed and King Edward IV restored to his throne. Re-restores political stability to England until his death in 1483.

1814 King Ferdinand VII of Spain signs the Decree of the 4th of May, returning Spain to absolutism

1904 Construction begins by the United States on the Panama Canal

1979 Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman to be elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Today’s Historical Events

1256 Augustinian monastic order constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV issues papal bull Licet ecclesiae catholicae

1303 Flemings conquers Middelburg

1415 Religious reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus are condemned as heretics at the Council of Constance

1471 Battle of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, final battle between the Houses of Lancaster and York: Prince of Wales, Edward of Westminster killed and King Edward IV restored to his throne. Re-restores political stability to England until his death in 1483.

1493 Spanish Pope Alexander VI divides America between Spain and Portugal

1535 Five Carthusian monks from London Charterhouse monastery hung, drawn and quartered at Tyburn, London, for refusing to acknowledge Henry VIII as head of the Church of England

1540 Venice and Turkey sign Treaty of Constantinople

1572 Veere sides with Geuzen

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1944 “Gaslight”, starring an 18-year-old Angela Lansbury in her film debut, is released

1959 “The 400 Blows”, French film directed by François Truffaut, starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, is released

1964 KIII TV channel 3 in Corpus Christi, TX (ABC) begins broadcasting

1975 Italian film “Seven Beauties” directed by Lina Wertmüller, starring Giancarlo Giannini, and Shirley Stoler released – first film directed by a women to be nominated for an Academy Award

1991 ABC Masters Bowling Tournament won by Doug Kent

1999 “The Mummy” film directed by Stephen Sommers starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and John Hannah premieres in the US

2008 Seth MacFarlane reaches an agreement worth $100 million with Fox to keep “Family Guy” and “American Dad” on television until 2012, making MacFarlane the world’s highest paid television writer

2010 Julia Louis-Dreyfus receives the 2,407th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, although on the original star her name is spelled incorrectly

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1728 George Frideric Handel‘s opera “Tolomeo, re di Egitto” premieres in London

1878 Thomas Edison‘s Phonograph shown for 1st time at Grand Opera House

1957 Alan Freed hosts “Rock n’ Roll Show” 1st prime-time network rock show

1959 First Grammy Awards: Perry Como & Ella Fitzgerald win

1973 Wings release “Red Rose Speedway” in UK

1976 Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner’s musical “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue” opens at Mark Hellinger, NYC; runs for 7 performances

1985 30th Eurovision Song Contest: Bobbysocks! for Norway wins singing “La det swinge” in Gothenburg

1990 Angela Bowie reveals that ex-husband David slept with Mick Jagger

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings play their 1st official baseball game, a win against the Great Western Base Ball Club, 45-9

1871 1st baseball league game (National Association of Baseball Players), (Ft Wayne 2, Cleveland 0) Deacon Jim White gets 1st hit, a double

1893 Cowboy Bill Pickett invents bulldogging, the skill of grabbing cattle by the horns and wrestling them to the ground

1897 23rd Kentucky Derby: Buttons Garner aboard Typhoon II wins in 2:12.5

1898 24th Kentucky Derby: Willie Simms aboard Plaudit wins in 2:09

1899 25th Kentucky Derby: Fred Taral aboard Manuel wins in 2:12

1919 1st legal Sunday baseball game in NYC, 35,000 watch the Phillies beat the NY Giants 4-3

1924 VIII Summer Olympic Games open at Olympic Stadium of Colombes, Paris, France

May 3 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1791 Constitution of May 3 is proclaimed by the Great Sejm (Parliament) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, becoming the 1st modern constitution in Europe

1926 Britain’s Trade Union Congress calls for the country’s first ever general strike, begins at 1 minute to midnight in support striking coal miners, lasts 9 days

1937 Margaret Mitchell wins Pulitzer Prize for “Gone With The Wind”

1945 World War II: German ship “Cap Arcona” laden with prisoners sunk by Royal Air Force in East Sea, 5,800 killed – one of largest maritime losses of life

1947 Japan’s post-war constitution goes into effect, granting universal suffrage, stripping Emperor Hirohito of all but symbolic power and outlawing Japan’s right to make war

Today’s Historical Events

1374 BC Solar eclipse (2m 07s) seen at Ugarit by Mesopotamian astronomers “On the day of the new moon, in the month of Hiyar, the Sun was put to shame, and went down in the daytime, with Mars in attendance.”

1294 John II becomes Duke of Brabant and Limburg

1342 Count Hartmann II becomes ruler of Vaduz (Liechtenstein)

1382 Battle of Beverhoutsveld near Bruges in modern-day Belgium – the army of Ghent beats a drunken Bruges militia

1491 Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries, adopting the baptismal name of João I

1512 Pope Julius II opens 5th Council of Lateran at St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome

1558 Ferdinand I officially appointed Holy Roman Emperor after his brother Charles abdicated in 1556

1616 Treaty of Loudun ends French civil war

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1944 “Going My Way”, directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby premieres in New York (Academy Award for Best Picture, 1945)

1948 1st broadcast of “CBS Evening News” – longest running network news show in the US

1953 WTVO TV channel 17 in Rockford, IL (NBC) begins broadcasting

1954 KTEN TV channel 10 in Ada-Ardmore, Oklahoma(ABC) begins broadcasting

1954 WHA TV channel 21 in Madison, Wisconsin (PBS) begins broadcasting

1965 KTCI TV channel 17 in St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN (PBS) 1st broadcast

1966 WDHO (now WNWO) TV channel 24 in Toledo, OH (ABC) begins broadcasting

1982 ABC’s All Talk network begins on radio (2 west coast stations)

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1917 1st performance of Ernest Bloch’s symphony “Israel”

1952 “Call Me Madam” closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 644 performances

1956 Frank Loesser’s musical “Most Happy Fella” opens at Imperial Theater, NYC; runs for 678 performances

1960 Musical “Fantasticks” by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, premieres in NYC (world’s longest running musical)

1969 “Trumpets of the Lord” closes at Brooks Atkinson NYC after 7 performances

1981 “Can-Can” closes at Minskoff Theater NYC after 5 performances

1986 31st Eurovision Song Contest: Sandra Kim for Belgium wins singing “J’aime la vie” in Bergen

1987 “Mikado” closes at Virginia Theater NYC after 46 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1900 26th Kentucky Derby: Jimmy Boland aboard Lieut Gibson wins in 2:06.25

1902 28th Kentucky Derby: Jimmy Winkfield on Alan-a-Dale wins in 2:08.75

1903 AVC Heracles (SC Heracles ’74) soccer team forms in Almelo

1909 35th Kentucky Derby: Vincent Powers on Wintergreen wins in 2:08.2

1910 Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States is renamed the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

1922 Mayor Hylan closes 2 streets for building of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, NYC

1936 NY Yankee Joe DiMaggio makes his major-league debut, gets 3 hits

1941 67th Kentucky Derby: Eddie Arcaro aboard Whirlaway, 1st leg of successful Triple Crown

 

April 30 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

311 Roman Emperor Galerius issues Edict of Toleration, ending persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire

711 Islamic conquest of Iberia: Moorish troops led by Tariq ibn-Ziyad land at Gibraltar to begin their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus)

1562 1st French colonists in North America: Jean Ribault & colonists arrive in Florida

1789 George Washington is inaugurated as the first President of the United States of America

1859 Charles Dickens‘ “A Tale Of Two Cities” is first published in literary periodical “All the Year Round” (weekly installments until Nov 26)

2009 Chrysler automobile company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Today’s Historical Events

311 Roman Emperor Galerius issues Edict of Toleration, ending persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire

313 Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule

711 Islamic conquest of Iberia: Moorish troops led by Tariq ibn-Ziyad land at Gibraltar to begin their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus)

1064 German King Henry IV gives away Utrecht county of West Friesland

1315 French chamberlain Enguerrand de Marigny is hanged on the public gallows at Montfaucon after being convicted of sorcery

1349 Jewish community of Radolfzell, Germany, exterminated

1396 Crusaders & Earl of Nevers depart from Dijon

1483 Orbital calculations suggest that on this day, Pluto moved inside Neptune’s orbit until July 23, 1503

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1598 1st theater performance in America (Spanish comedy-Rio Grande)

1695 William Congreve’s Restoration comedy “Love for Love” premieres in London

1938 The first televised FA Cup Final takes place between Huddersfield Town and Preston North End

1939 NBC/RCA 1st public TV demo with FDR at opening of NY World’s Fair

1943 Noël Coward‘s play “This Happy Breed” premieres in London

1945 “Arthur Godfrey Time” begins a 27 year run on CBS radio

1952 Mr Potato Head is 1st toy advertised on television

1969 WEDB TV channel 40 in Berlin, New Hampshire (PBS) begins broadcasting

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1852 Anton Rubinstein’s opera “Dmitri Donskoi” premieres in St Petersburg

1885 Henry Lee Higginson starts the “Popular Music” series with the Boston Symphony, which evolves into the Boston Pops Orchestra 1900

1902 Claude Debussy‘s only completed opera “Pelléas et Mélisande” premieres in Paris

1948 “Inside USA” opens at Century Theater NYC for 339 performances

1954 Darius Milhaud‘s 4th Concert for piano and orchestra premieres in Haifa, Israel

1955 Cuban bandleader Pérez Prado’s mambo version of “Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White” goes #1 for 10 weeks

1961 “Tossin’ and Turnin'” single released by Bobby Lewis (Billboard Song of the Year, 1961)

1973 Paul McCartney releases “Red Rose Speedway” album, including the hit single “My Love”

 

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1722 Game of Billiards is mentioned in New England Courant

1859 Paul Morphy returns from 10-month chess tour of Europe, retires

1887 1st game played at Broad & Huntingdon St Park (Baker Bowl) in Philadelphia; Phillies beat Giants 19-10

1900 Weighing in at 170 lbs British former world heavyweight boxing champion Bob Fitzsimmons KOs 270 lb American Ed Dunkhost in round 2 of a lop-sided bout in Brooklyn, New York

1903 NY Highlanders (Yankees) inaugural home opener at Hilltop Park, Manhattan; beat Washington Senators, 6-2

1905 First official soccer game between neighbouring countries Belgium-Netherlands; Dutch win, 4-1 at Olympic Stadium, Antwerp

1910 Cleveland Naps Addie Joss limits St.Louis Browns to 8 hits in 2-1 victory

1918 Orange Nassau soccer team forms in Groningen

April 29 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1862 New Orleans falls to Union forces during US Civil War

1864 Battle of Gate Pa (Pukehinahina): 1,700 British troops suffer their worst defeat of the New Zealand Wars at the hands of 230 entrenched Maori warriors in Tauranga

1916 Irish republicans abandon the post office in Dublin and surrender unconditionally, marking the end of the Easter Rising

1945 US Army liberates 31,601 people from the Dachau Nazi concentration camp in Germany

1975 Vietnam War: US begins to evacuate its citizens from Saigon in Operation Frequent Wind in response to advancing North Vietnamese forces, bringing an end to US involvement in the war

1990 Wrecking cranes began tearing down the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate

1991 Cyclone strikes the Chittagong district in Bangladesh, killing 139,000 people and leaving 10 million homeless

1997 Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 comes into force, outlaws production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons among its signatories

Today’s Historical Events

1091 Battle at Monte Levunium: Byzantium Emperor Alexius I beats Petshegene force invading from the north

1429 Joan of Arc arrives at the siege of Orleans

1522 Emperor Charles V names Frans van Holly inquisitor-general of Netherlands

1540 Emperor Charles declares all privileges of Ghent ended

1550 Emperor Charles V gives inquisiters additional authority

1553 Flemish woman introduces practice of starching linen into England

1587 English naval officer Francis Drake sails into Cadiz, Spain and sinks the Spanish fleet, thereby “Singeing the King of Spain’s Beard” and delaying the Spanish invasion by a year

1623 11 Dutch ships depart for the conquest of Peru

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1912 Frank Wedekind‘s play “Tod und Teufel” premieres in Berlin

1932 1st broadcast of “One Man’s Family” on NBC radio, longest-running dramatic serial on US radio (ends 1959)

1940 1st radio broadcast of “Young Dr Malone” on CBS

1943 Noël Coward‘s comic play “Present Laughter” premieres in London

1945 Conscientious objector Desmond Doss saves approximately 75 wounded soldiers in the Battle of Okinawa at Hacksaw Ridge. Later depicted in the Oscar-winning film “Hacksaw Ridge”.

1953 The first U.S. experimental 3D-TV broadcast showed an episode of Space Patrol on Los Angeles ABC affiliate KECA-TV

1953 6th Cannes Film Festival: “The Wages of Fear” directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot wins the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film

1956 WLUC TV channel 6 in Marquette, MI (CBS/NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1784 Premiere of Mozart‘s Violin Sonata in B flat, K.454 at Kärntnerthor Theater in Vienna; violinist Regina Strinasacchi, and Wolfgang Mozart on piano

1967 Aretha Franklin releases her single “Respect” (written by Otis Redding); Billboard Song of the Year, 1967

1968 “Hair” opens at Biltmore Theater NYC for 1750 performances

1969 “Trumpets of the Lord” opens at Brooks Atkinson NYC for 7 performances

1984 “Oliver!” opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 17 performances

1990 “Change in the Heir” opens at Edison Theater NYC for 16 performances

1991 “Our Country’s Good” opens at Nederlander Theater NYC for 48 performances

1991 “Don’t Rock the Jukebox” single released by Alan Jackson (ASCAP Award Country Song of the Year, 1992; Billboard Song of the Year, 1991)

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1751 The New York Gazette and Post Boy carries first public report of a cricket match played in America; New York XI v London XI on the site of what is today the Fulton Fish Market in Manhattan, NYC

1892 Charlie Reilly is baseball’s 1st pinch hitter

1901 27th Kentucky Derby: Jimmy Winkfield on His Eminence wins in 2:07.75

1918 Tris Speaker ties career outfield record of 4 unassisted double plays

1922 1st official International Weightlifting Federation Champ in Tallinn, Estonia

1930 123 runs are scored in 7 major league games

1931 Cleveland Indians pitcher Wes Ferrell no-hits St Louis Browns, 9-0

1934 Pittsburgh is last major league city to play a home game on a Sunday

April 26 Today in History

Today’s Important Historical Events

1478 Pazzi conspirators attack Lorenzo de’Medici and kill Giuliano de’Medici in Florence

1920 Harlow Shapley and Heber D. Curtis hold “great debate” on the nature of nebulae, galaxies and size of the universe at US National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.

1945 Marshal Philippe Pétain, leader of France’s Vichy collaborationist regime during World War II, arrested for treason

1956 First modern container ship, the Ideal X, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey for Houston, Texas

1986 World’s worst nuclear disaster: 4th reactor at Chernobyl nuclear power station in USSR explodes, 31 die, radioactive contamination reaches much of Western Europe

2005 Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of that country.

Today’s Historical Events

757 Paolo Orsini replaces his brother Pope Stephen II, as Paul I

1220 German king Frederick II grants bishops sovereign rights

1336 Italian Renaissance poet Francesco Petrarch famously climbs Mont Ventoux

1467 The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy

1478 Pazzi conspirators attack Lorenzo de’Medici and kill Giuliano de’Medici in Florence

1514 Copernicus makes his 1st observations of Saturn

1564 William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England

1607 Jamestown expedition makes first landing in America at a place named Cape Henry, in what would become Virginia, but they quickly depart for a better site

Today’s Historical Events in Film and TV

1954 “Seven Samurai”, Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune, is released

1967 KSPS TV channel 7 in Spokane, WA (PBS) begins broadcasting

1982 Rod Stewart is mugged, gunman steals his $50,000 Porsche on Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California

1991 “Dinosaurs” premieres on ABC-TV

1992 “Growing Pains” final episode on ABC TV

1992 “Who’s The Boss” final episode after 8 years on ABC TV

1993 NBC announces Conan O’Brien to replace David Letterman on “Late Night”

1994 TV series “Due South” about Canadian Mounties starring Paul Gross premieres in Canada

Today’s Historical Events in Music

1835 Frederic Chopin‘s “Grand Polonaise Brillante” premieres in Paris

1855 Composer Gioachino Rossini leaves Italy

1936 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 4th Symphony

1947 “Bless the Bride” musical opens in London

1965 Charles Ives‘ 4th Symphony premieres at Carnegie Hall, New York, 11 years after the composer’s death

1967 “Hallelujah, Baby!” opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 293 performances

1969 “Celebration” closes at Ambassador Theater NYC after 110 performances

1969 “George M!” closes at Palace Theater NYC after 435 performances

Today’s Historical Events in Sports

1900 Newly renamed American League opener in Cleveland draws 6,500 (still as a minor league, was Western League)

1901 Jimmy Collins, having left the Boston Beaneaters (NL), captains and manages his first game for the Boston Americans (loses 10-6 at Baltimore Orioles)

1905 Cubs Jack McCarthy becomes only major league player to throw out 3 runners at plate in 1 game, all were ends of a double play

1912 1st homerun hit at Fenway Park (Hugh Bradley, Red Sox)

1920 Husband and wife team Ludowika & Walter Jakobsson representing Finland, win the pairs skating gold medal at the Antwerp Olympics; Ludowika is the only German-born athlete at the Games

1920 Ice hockey makes its Olympic debut at the Antwerp Games with center Frank Fredrickson scoring 7 goals in Canada’s 12-1 drubbing of Sweden in the gold medal match

1931 Lou Gehrig hits a HR but is called out for passing a runner, mistake costs him AL home run crown; he & Babe Ruth tie for season

1935 Frank Boucher is given NHL’s Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship permanently for winning it 7 of 11 years