Father Frances Xavier came back from two years in Japan today in 1551. He was the first Westerner to live among the Japanese and said of them '... no finer people will be found.'
That's because he wasn't building the Burma-Thailand Railway.
In other news ...
Today in 1906 a man died in Glasgow when 300,000 gallons of whisky burst out of vats. He had to get out three times to go to the loo.
What do you mean, you've heard it before? It was pretty new in 1906.
Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Tuesday, 20 November 2012
20th November
Sir Anthony Blunt, Surveyor of the Queen's paintings, was stripped of his knighthood today in 1979 when it emerged that he was the 'fourth man' spying for the Russians along with Philby, Burgess and Maclean. And I was reminded of other notables whose titles had been removed over the years: -
In other news ...
Casimir Funk died today in 1967. Never heard of him? He was apparently the chappie who coined the word 'vitamin'. What a waste. With a fantastic name like his we could have had phrases like 'The disease is caused by a casimir deficiency' and 'Funk B12'. It's too late now.
- Screaming Lord Sutch
- all of Lord Rockingham's Eleven
- Duke John Wayne
- Sirhan Sirhan
In other news ...
Casimir Funk died today in 1967. Never heard of him? He was apparently the chappie who coined the word 'vitamin'. What a waste. With a fantastic name like his we could have had phrases like 'The disease is caused by a casimir deficiency' and 'Funk B12'. It's too late now.
Monday, 19 November 2012
19th November
President Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most brilliant speeches in History today in 1863. It was also one of the shortest and has come to be known as the Gettysburg Address. It's so brilliant it is worth quoting in full.
'Ladies and Gentlemen, my address is 339B John Wilkes Booth Road, Gettysburg.'
Absolutely brilliant.
In other news ...
Today in 1908 a court in St Petersburg had to be adjourned because the prosecuting counsel refused to proceed against Russia's first female barrister. Tcha! I am forced to cry. They'll be demanding women bishops in the Church of England next ...
Wait a minute ...
'Ladies and Gentlemen, my address is 339B John Wilkes Booth Road, Gettysburg.'
Absolutely brilliant.
In other news ...
Today in 1908 a court in St Petersburg had to be adjourned because the prosecuting counsel refused to proceed against Russia's first female barrister. Tcha! I am forced to cry. They'll be demanding women bishops in the Church of England next ...
Wait a minute ...
18th November
In honour of National Doo Dah Day there is no blog for this Sunday.
We have been out to the Christmas shop, Heaven help us, and I have a strange time warp thing going on which is making History hard to fathom. Surely, Christmas 2011 was only last week? I know I keep finding bits of tinsel all over the house every time I move anything. So, either Christmas 2011 was last week or Metternich is moonlighting as one of Santa's elves.
We have been out to the Christmas shop, Heaven help us, and I have a strange time warp thing going on which is making History hard to fathom. Surely, Christmas 2011 was only last week? I know I keep finding bits of tinsel all over the house every time I move anything. So, either Christmas 2011 was last week or Metternich is moonlighting as one of Santa's elves.
Saturday, 17 November 2012
17th November
Richard Nixon said today in 1973, 'I am not a crook' and that sent me in search of other serial deniers in History, e.g. -
In other news ...
The first successful British submarine voyage took place today in 1904 from Southampton to the Isle of Wight. The two principal ferry companies that serve the Island were both interested in acquiring the passenger franchise. But then they couldn't be arsed.
Further to this, Wightlink, or so my old mate M J Trow tells me, have axed umpteen sailings from their schedule, meaning that getting home after even the most modest evening out on the mainland is, for Islanders, darned near impossible. As a ferry is the only option they have, the uptake of theatre tickets and other treats will be markedly reduced in all the towns along the South Coast will see a knock-on effect as they hunker down and watch paint dry at home instead of sallying forth to enjoy a night out. Well done, Wightlink, for trying to return a whole county to the Dark Ages. And come along, ferry entrepreneurs - you must be out there somewhere.
- 'I am not, therefore I am' - Jean Paul Satre
- 'I am not for turning' - Margaret Thatcher
- 'I am not going to invade Poland' - Adolf Hitler (1938)
- 'Oh, yes I am' - Adolf Hitler (1939)
- I am a knot garden' - Capability Brown
In other news ...
The first successful British submarine voyage took place today in 1904 from Southampton to the Isle of Wight. The two principal ferry companies that serve the Island were both interested in acquiring the passenger franchise. But then they couldn't be arsed.
Further to this, Wightlink, or so my old mate M J Trow tells me, have axed umpteen sailings from their schedule, meaning that getting home after even the most modest evening out on the mainland is, for Islanders, darned near impossible. As a ferry is the only option they have, the uptake of theatre tickets and other treats will be markedly reduced in all the towns along the South Coast will see a knock-on effect as they hunker down and watch paint dry at home instead of sallying forth to enjoy a night out. Well done, Wightlink, for trying to return a whole county to the Dark Ages. And come along, ferry entrepreneurs - you must be out there somewhere.
Friday, 16 November 2012
16th November
A crowd of 200,000 watched today in 1724 as Jack Sheppard, safebreaker and highwayman was 'turned off' at Tyburn. Remember that odd little film Where's Jack? with Tommy Steele in the title role? Well, the real Jack was nearly that cute, apparently, with large, Johnny Depp style eyes and a slight stammer. He escaped twice from the condemned cell at Newgate and nobody knows quite how he did it. They just don't make rogues like him any more.
In other news ...
'It is beginning to be hinted that we are a nation of amateurs,' said Lord Rosebery today in 1900. The only annoying thing is that it took him so long to realize that.
In other news ...
'It is beginning to be hinted that we are a nation of amateurs,' said Lord Rosebery today in 1900. The only annoying thing is that it took him so long to realize that.
Thursday, 15 November 2012
15th November
The Deutschmark was introduced in Weimar Germany today in 1923. Inflation was so galloping that a loaf of bread cost 200,000,000 marks. Anybody having a coffee in the Alexanderplatz in Berlin paid for it before they sat down. By the time they got up, it might cost ten time the starting price.
In other news ...
William Pitt the Elder, the Earl of Chatham, was born today in 1708. Because of his relatively humble birth, he was sometimes called the Great Commoner. There were those who believed they didn't come any greater. And there were those who believed you couldn't be any commoner. Well done to his parents though, for their foresight in actually calling him William Pitt The Elder Earl Of Chatham. A bit of a mouthful at the font, perhaps, but it no doubt helped him in his early parliamentary days.
In other news ...
William Pitt the Elder, the Earl of Chatham, was born today in 1708. Because of his relatively humble birth, he was sometimes called the Great Commoner. There were those who believed they didn't come any greater. And there were those who believed you couldn't be any commoner. Well done to his parents though, for their foresight in actually calling him William Pitt The Elder Earl Of Chatham. A bit of a mouthful at the font, perhaps, but it no doubt helped him in his early parliamentary days.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)