Ancient History, Number 67!

By “ancient history,” I will be referencing events from April 28th that occurred pre-1491 (i.e., before “Columbus sailed the ocean blue”).  Note: most of these will be from the medieval world (476 AD – 1491 AD) as many earlier events don’t always have specific dates.

• Magnus II, King of Norway, dies. He is succeeded by his brother Olaf III, who has been joint king since 1067. (1069 AD)
• Svein Estrirthson, King of Denmark, dies; his sone Harald III succeeds him after a short war of succession. (1074 AD)
• Conrad, Marquis of Montferrat and King of Jerusalem, is murdered by Assassins (members of a militant offshoot of the Islamic Ismaili sect) sent by Rashid ad-Din Sinan, the “Old Man of the Mountain;” Henry of Champagne is elected as king of Jerusalem at Acre (present-day Akko, Israel). (1192 AD)
• Pope Clement VI makes peace with Giovanni Visconti, Lord of Milan, granting him the vicariate of Bologna, Italy. (1352 AD)
• Duke John IV of Brittany flees to England following a pro-French revolt by his subjects, leaving only the town of Brest, Brittany, remaining in English Hands. (1373 AD)
• Alberico da Barbiano, leader of the condottieri Company of St. George serving Pope Urban VI, defeats the Breton force of Pope Clement VII at Marino. (1379 AD)
• Edward IV, King of England 1461-1470 and 1471-83, a leading participant in the Wars of the Roses (1455-83) born in Rouen, France. (1442 AD)
• a rioting mob kills Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland and chief supporter of the Tudor regime, while he is collecting taxes in Yorkshire, England. King Henry VII of England goes north to suppress and punish the insurgents. (1489 AD)

Source: Volume 1 of the Chronology of World History: Prehistory — AD 1491: The Ancient and Medieval World.

Cardinal McCloskey!

On April 27th, 1875, John McCloskey, archbishop of the archdiocese of New York, was elevated to the rank of cardinal by his Holyness, Pope Pius IX. McCloskey was the first priest from the United States to have achieved this elevation.

Some other famous “firsts” that occurred on April 27th throughout history include:

• the first American flag flown over conquered hostile territory (Tripolitan forces at Derma, North Africa 1805)
• the first tariff passed by Congress for protection (act to regulate the duties on imports and tonnage, 1816)
• the first patent on an electrical hearing aid (Miller Reese Hutchinson, Acousticon, 1880)
• the first tuberculosis hospital established by Congress (Fort Stanton, NM, 1899)
• the first woman to appear on television (Edna Mae Horner, telephone operator, 1927)
• the first woman of American ancestry to become a queen (Countess Geraldine Apponyi of Hungary, 1938)
• the first bank to be automated (Civic Center branch of the Surety National Bank, Los Angeles, CA, 1970)
• the first criminal convicted on the evidence of DNA matching (Timothy W. Spencer, Greensville, VA, 1994)
• the first popular vote on a national emblem (National Tree Election, National Arbor Day Foundation, 2001)

Source: Famous First Facts, by Joseph Nathan Kane, Steven Anzovin, and Janet Podell.

Ancient History, Number 66!

By “ancient history,” I will be referencing events from March 30th that occurred pre-1491 (i.e., before “Columbus sailed the ocean blue”).  Note: most of these will be from the medieval world (476 AD – 1491 AD) as many earlier events don’t always have specific dates.

• Moses ben Maimone (or Maimonides), celebrated Jewish philosopher, jurist, and physician, born in Cordoba, Spain. (1135 AD)
• Pope Clement III (Pailo Scolari) dies. (1191 AD)
• Cardinal Hyacinth Bob is elected as Pope Celestine III following the death of Pope Clement III. (1191 AD)
• Pope Innocent III again excommunicates the Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV, who has returned to Germany to defeat the rebellion against him there. (1211 AD)
• the French garrison in Palermo, Sicily, is massacred by the local inhabitants in the “Sicilian Vespers.” The revolt spread, leading to Charles of Anjou, King of Sicily, losing the island and the people offering the crown to King Pedro III of Aragon, as Manfred of Sicily’s heir. (1282 AD)
• King Edward I of England takes the town of Berwick as he begins his campaign to subdue Scotland. (1296 AD)
• James, heir to the throne of Scotland and later James I, is captured by the English at sea while on his way to France. (1406 AD)
• Mehmed II the Conqueror, Ottoman sultan 1444-46 and 1451-81, an outstanding military commander, son of Murad II, who captured Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey) in 1453 and expanded the empire in Anatolia and the Balkans, born in Edirne, Persia. (1432 AD)

Source: Volume 1 of the Chronology of World History: Prehistory — AD 1491: The Ancient and Medieval World.

Presidential Censure!

On March 28th, 1834, then President, Andrew Jackson, became the first President to be censured by Congress for his handling of the Bank of the United States matter.

Some other famous “firsts” that occurred on March 28th throughout history include:

• the first Federal dry docks (Boston, MA, and Norfolk, VA, 1827)
• the first Supreme Court Justice who was Catholic (Roger Brooke Taney, 1836)
• the first child labor law enacted by a state that restricted the age of the worker (Pennsylvania, 1848)
• the first environmental protection law enacted by a state in connection with advertising (New York, 1865)
• the first radio fax patents (Cornelius D. Ehret, 1905)
• the first microfilm reading device (Bradley Allen Fiske, Fiskeoscope, 1922)
• the first photographer to receive the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation award (Edward Weston, 1937)
• the first national curling championship (Hibbing Curling Club, Hibbing, Minnesota, 1957)
• the first bilingual report of a congressional committee (Needs of the Hispanic Elderly, hearing before the Select Committee on Aging, House of Representatives, Ninety-Fifth Congress, second session, 1978)
• the first nuclear power plant to sustain a major accident (Three Mile Island, Middleton, PA, 1979)

Source: Famous First Facts, by Joseph Nathan Kane, Steven Anzovin, and Janet Podell.

Fun Fact Friday, Number 377!

The category for today’s trivial imponderable is “American history.”  Do you know . . . what was the usual method of executing witches in Salem, Massachusetts?

Contrary to popular belief, witches were not burned at the stake in Salem. The usual method was hanging. During the witch hunts, 14 women and 5 men were hanged and 1 man was pressed to death under heavy stones. Many more were imprisoned as well.

Source: Sorry, Wrong Answer: Trivia Questions That Even Know-It-Alls Get Wrong, by Dr. Rod L. Evans.

Ancient History, Number 65!

By “ancient history,” I will be referencing events from February 28th that occurred pre-1491 (i.e., before “Columbus sailed the ocean blue”).  Note: most of these will be from the medieval world (476 AD – 1491 AD) as many earlier events don’t always have specific dates.

• John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, returns to Paris, France, and defends his murder of Louis, Duke of Orleans. (1408 AD)

Source: Volume 1 of the Chronology of World History: Prehistory — AD 1491: The Ancient and Medieval World.

Monkey Business!

On February 25th, 1751, a monkey (called a Japanese: approximately two feet tall and closely resembling a human body except for the feet and tail) was trained to perform. Admission was charged for the performance during which the monkey walked a tightrope, exercised a gun, and danced.

Some other famous “firsts” that occurred on February 25th throughout history include:

• the first corporate body chartered by a special act of Congress (Bank of the United States, 1791)
• the first bank of the United States (Bank of the United States, 1791)
• the first shipbuilding law enacted by Congress (1799)
• the first quarantine law enacted by Congress (1799)
• the first Congressional caucus to meet openly (Democratic-Republicans, 1804)
• the first presidential candidate nominated at a caucus (Thomas Jefferson, 1804)
• the first revolver pistol (Samuel Colt, 1836)
• the first temporary insanity defense in a criminal case (Daniel Sickles, 1859)
• the first national bank (First National Bank, Davenport, Iowa, 1863)
• the first corporation with a capitalization of $1 billion (United States Steel Corporation, 1901)
• the first gasoline tax levied by a state (Oregon, 1919)
• the first television station (Charles Francis Jenkins Laboratories, 1928)
• the first check photographing device (Checkograph, 1930)
• the first hockey game to be shown on television (NY Rangers and Montreal Canadiens, 1940)
• the first copyright registered for a choreographic score (Hanya Holm, Kiss Me Kate, 1952)

Source: Famous First Facts, by Joseph Nathan Kane, Steven Anzovin, and Janet Podell.

It’s Black History Month!

Today marks the start of Black History Month (also called African-American History Month) which is an annual observation for the month that allows us to commemorate and remember important African-American people and events in history. This event has been observed for 53 years and is recognized by the United States, Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom.

In addition, here is a list of the other “holidays” that are observed in the United States during the month of February:

• Feb 1, National Freedom Day
• Feb 2, Groundhog Day
• Feb 4, Rosa Parks Day
• Feb 6, Ronald Reagan Day
• Feb 7, Isra and Mi’raj
• Feb 10, Lunar New Year
• Feb 11, Super Bowl
• Feb 12, Lincoln’s Birthday
• Feb 13, Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras
• Feb 14, Ash Wednesday
• Feb 15, Susan B. Anthony’s Birthday
• Feb 16, Elizabeth Peratrovich Day
• Feb 19, Presidents’ Day
• Feb 25, African-American Scientist and Inventor Day
• Feb 28, Linus Pauling Day

Source: https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/first-day-of-black-history-month

Ancient History, Number 64!

By “ancient history,” I will be referencing events from January 25th that occurred pre-1491 (i.e., before “Columbus sailed the ocean blue”).  Note: most of these will be from the medieval world (476 AD – 1491 AD) as many earlier events don’t always have specific dates.

• Leo IV, Byzantine Emperor from 775-780 was born. (749 AD)
• Charles, King of Provence, dies without issue. His brothers, Louis II and Lothair II, share his lands. (863 AD)
• the anitpope Anacletus II dies. At the instigation of King Roger II of Sicily, Victor IV is elected to succeed him. (1138 AD)
• King Frederick II of Sicily dies and is succeeded by his son Peter II. (1337 AD)
• King Edward III of England assumes the title of king of France at Ghent, Flanders, and is recognized as such by the Flemings. (1340 AD)
• Polish-Lithuanian forces under Jan Olbracht, son of King Casimir (Kazimierz) IV of Poland, decisively defat the Kazan Tartars at Zaslaw, Poland, gaining respite from their raids. (1491 AD)

Source: Volume 1 of the Chronology of World History: Prehistory — AD 1491: The Ancient and Medieval World.

Ancient History, Number 63!

By “ancient history,” I will be referencing events from December 30th that occurred pre-1491 (i.e., before “Columbus sailed the ocean blue”).  Note: most of these will be from the medieval world (476 AD – 1491 AD) as many earlier events don’t always have specific dates.

• Titus, Roman Emperor AD 79 – AD 81, son of Vespasian, born in Rome. (41 AD)
• Pierre Roger de Beaufort is elected Pope Gregory XI following the death of Pope Urban V. (1370 AD)
• Richard, Duke of York, besieged in Sandal Castle in Yorkshire, England, following grievous Lancastrian attacks throughout his journey to pacify Yorkshire, is killed while breaking the siege in the Battle of Wakefield. His head, along with that of the Earl of Salisbury, is impaled on the city gates of York, England. (1460 AD)

Source: Volume 1 of the Chronology of World History: Prehistory — AD 1491: The Ancient and Medieval World