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reetings from Australia. 

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Carpe diem! (Seize the day!)

Pip Wilson

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Today is

Cesario, by the Roses of the Spring
By maidenhead, honour, truth ..& everything.
I love thee so that, mauger all my pride,
Nor wit, nor reason can my passion hide.
William Shakespeare; Twelfth Night, Act III, Scene 1; Today is Primrose Day in England; "the Roses of the Spring" are primroses.

Will you buy my sweet primroses,
Two bunches a-penny?
All a-growing, all a-blowing,
Who will buy my sweet primroses,
Two bunches a-penny.
London flower-seller's rhyme from Cries of London, c. 1790   Source

Upon this primrose hill
Where, if Heav’n would distil
A shower of raine. Each several drop might goe
To his owne primrose, and grow manna so.
John Donne (1572 - 1631)

For some reasons, best known to the English government, in March 1622 the King of England had to remind King Powhatan of the articles of the treaty of peace existing between them, in answer to which King Powhatan said that he would prefer seeing the country turned upside down rather than break a single article of the treaty, but, as will be proved later on, this conduct of the savages was nothing but hypocrisy and deceit, they only awaiting a favorable opportunity to kill out the English. 
  Several days before this bloodthirsty people put their plan into execution, they led some of our people through very dangerous woods into a place from which they could not extricate themselves without the aid of a guide, others of us who were among them to learn their language were in a friendly way persuaded to return to our colony, while new comers were treated in an exceedingly friendly manner. 
  On Friday before the day appointed by them for the attack they visited, entirely unarmed, some of our people in their dwellings, offering to exchange skins, fish and other things, while our people entirely ignorant of their plans received them in a friendly manner. 
  When the day appointed for the massacre had arrived, a number of the savages visited many of our people in their dwellings, and while partaking with them of their meal the savages, at a given signal, drew their weapons and fell upon us murdering and killing everybody they could reach sparing neither women nor children, as well inside as outside the dwellings. In this attack 347 of the English of both sexes and all ages were killed. Simply killing our people did not satisfy their inhuman nature, they dragged the dead bodies all over the country, tearing them limb from limb, and carrying the pieces in triumph around. 
Anthony Chester (1707) on the James River massacre of April 19, 1622   Source

Such was (God be thanked for it) the good fruit of an Indian converted to Christianity; for though three hundred more of ours died by many of these Pagen infidels, yet Thousands of ours were saved by the means of one of them alone which was made a Christian: blessed be God forever whose mercy endureth forever; blessed be God whose mercy is above his justice and farre above All his works; who wrought this deliverance whereby their soules escaped even as a bird out of the snare of the Fowler.
Settler Purchas, writing of the James River massacre

CHAPTER 8. EXPLORATION OF EAST COAST OF AUSTRALIA. [April 1770.] THURSDAY, 19th. In the P.M. had fresh Gales at South-South-West and Cloudy Squally weather, with a large Southerly Sea; at 6 took in the Topsails, and at 1 A.M. brought too and Sounded, but had no ground with 130 fathoms of line. At 5, set the Topsails close reef'd, and 6, saw land* (* The south-east coast of Australia. See chart.) extending from North-East to West, distance 5 or 6 Leagues, having 80 fathoms, fine sandy bottom. We continued standing to the Westward with the Wind at South-South-West until 8, at which time we got Topgallant Yards a Cross, made all sail, and bore away along shore North-East for the Eastermost land we had in sight, being at this time in the Latitude of 37 degrees 58 minutes South, and Longitude of 210 degrees 39 minutes West. The Southermost point of land we had in sight, which bore from us West 1/4 South, I judged to lay in the Latitude of 38 degrees 0 minutes South and in the Longitude of 211 degrees 7 minutes West from the Meridian of Greenwich. I have named it Point Hicks, because Lieutenant Hicks was the first who discover'd this Land. To the Southward of this point we could see no land, and yet it was clear in that Quarter, and by our Longitude compared with that of Tasman's, the body of Van Diemen's land ought to have bore due South from us, and from the soon falling of the Sea after the wind abated I had reason to think it did; but as we did not see it, and finding the Coast to trend North-East and South-West, or rather more to the Westward, makes me Doubtfull whether they are one land or no.* (* Had not the gale on the day before forced Cook to run to the northward, he would have made the north end of the Furneaux Group, and probably have discovered Bass Strait, which would have cleared up the doubt, which he evidently felt, as to whether Tasmania was an island or not. The fact was not positively known until Dr. Bass sailed through the Strait in a whale-boat in 1797. Point Hicks was merely a rise in the coast-line, where it dipped below the horizon to the westward, and the name of Point Hicks Hill is now borne by an elevation that seems to agree with the position.) However, every one who compares this Journal with that of Tasman's will be as good a judge as I am; but it is necessary to observe that I do not take the Situation of Vandiemen's from the Printed Charts, but from the extract of Tasman's Journal, published by Dirk Rembrantse. At Noon we were in the Latitude of 37 degrees 50 minutes and Longitude of 210 degrees 29 minutes West. The extreams of the Land extending from North-West to East-North-East, a remarkable point, bore North 20 degrees East, distant 4 Leagues. This point rises to a round hillock very much like the Ramhead going into Plymouth sound, on which account I called it by the same name; Latitude 37 degrees 39 minutes, Longitude 210 degrees 22 minutes West. The Variation by an Azimuth taken this morning was 8 degrees 7 minutes East. What we have as yet seen of this land appears rather low, and not very hilly, the face of the Country green and Woody, but the Sea shore is all a white Sand.
Captain James Cook on the discovery of the east coast of Australia; Journal During the First Voyage Round the World, April 19, 1770

I have a great mind to believe in Christianity for the mere pleasure of fancying I may be damned.
Lord Byron, British romantic poet, who died on April 19, 1824

There is something Pagan in me that I cannot shake off. In short, I deny nothing, but doubt everything.
Lord Byron  

The reason that adulation is not displeasing is that, though untrue, it shows one to be of consequence enough, in one way or other, to induce people to lie.
Lord Byron

I am sure of nothing so little as my own intentions.
Lord Byron

I only go out to get me a fresh appetite for being alone.
Lord Byron

Women hate everything which strips off the tinsel of sentiment, and they are right, or it would rob them of their weapons.
Lord Byron

What is the end of fame? 'Tis but to fill
A certain portion of uncertain paper:
Some liken it to climbing up a hill,
Whose summit, like all hills, is lost in vapour;
For this men write, speak, preach, and heroes kill,
And bards burn what they call their "midnight taper,"
To have, when the original is dust,
A name, a wretched picture, and worse bust.
Lord Byron; from Don Juan, Canto 1, stanza 217

Now, I shall go to sleep.
Lord Byron, British romantic poet, who died on April 19, 1824; last words

Poor Greece! – poor town! – My poor servants! my hour is come! – I do not care for death – but why did I not go home? – There are things that make the world dear to me: for the rest I am content to die.
Lord Byron, on his deathbed

I have given [Greece] my time, my means, my health – and now I give her my life! What could I do more?
Lord Byron

A little space was allowed him to show at least an heroic purpose, and attest a high design; then, with all things unfinished before him and behind, he fell asleep after many troubles and triumphs. Few can have ever gone wearier to the grave: none with less fear.
Swinburne on Lord Byron; Preface (p. 28) to A Selection from Byron's Poems, 1865

A death-bed is a matter of nerves and constitution, not of religion.
Lord Byron; letter to John Murray, June 7, 1820

… at 2 a.m. on the 19^th, accompanied by a detail of twenty men of my company and Lt. Keley, with Jose Chico as guide, I left camp, and at dawn surrounded the camp ten miles from Keysville, upon the right bank of the Kern River, I had the bucks collected together, and informed Jose Chico and the citizens who had arrived that they might choose out those whom they knew to have been friendly. This was soon done. The boys and old men I sent back to their camps, and the others, to the number of 35, for whom no one could vouch, were either shot or sabered. Their only chance for life being their fleetness, but none escaped, thought many of them fought well with knives, sticks, stones, and clubs. This extreme punishment, though I regret it, was necessary, and I feel certain that a few such examples will soon crush the Indians and finish the war in this and adjacent valleys. It is now a well-established fact that no treaty can be entered into with these Indians. They care northing for pledges given, and have imagined that they could live better by war than peace.
Capt. MA McLaughlin, Second Cav. California Volunteers, Comdg, Camp Independence, on the Keysville Massacre, April 19, 1863; The War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 50, Part 2, p. 3?6, part 1, pp. 208-210   Source

I am not in the least afraid to die.
Last words of Charles Darwin, who died on April 19, 1882

No, she will only ask me to take a message to Albert.
British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, on his deathbed on April 19, 1881, declining a visit by Queen Victoria

Nagging is the repetition of unpalatable truths.
Edith Clara Summerskill, English politician, physician, author, born on April 19, 1901
 
Prize-fighting is still accepted as a display worthy of a civilized people despite the fact that all those connected with it are fully aware it caters to the latent sadistic instincts.
Edith Clara Summerskill

I can't imagine not having music in my life, playing for myself or for other people. If I was asked, "Which would you give up", I'd have to say acting.
Dudley Moore, born on April 19, 1935, in an interview with The Associated Press in 1988

For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world.
Eighth century Buddhist saint Shantideva; favourite text of the 14^th Dalai Lama, who received sanctuary in India on April 19, 1959, after fleeing the communist invasion of Tibet

April 19 is the 109^th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (110^th in leap years), with 256 days remaining.
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Cerealia, for the goddess Ceres, ancient Rome  (Apr 12 - 19), final day

Ceres, in Roman Mythology, is equivalent to the Greek Demeter, daughter of Saturn and Rhea, wife-sister of Jupiter, mother of Proserpina (Persephone), and patron of Sicily. According to Virgil, her name was derived from the word creare, 'to create'. She is the goddess of growing plants (particularly grain) and of motherly love. She was personified and celebrated by women in secret rituals at the festival of Ambarvalia, held during May. There was a temple to Ceres on the Aventine Hill. She was depicted in art with a sceptre, a basket of flowers and fruit, and a garland made of wheat ears. The Romans had a common expression, 'fit for Ceres', which meant splendid. The asteroid 1 Ceres is named after this goddess.

It was a festival celebrated at Rome in honour of the goddess whose wanderings in search of her lost daughter Proserpine (Persephone) were represented by women clothed in white, running about with lighted torches (Ovid, Fasti. IV. 494). Games were celebrated in the Circus Maximus (Tacitus Ann. xv.53), the spectators of which appeared in white (Ovid, Fasti. IV. 620); but on any occasion of public mourning the games and festivals were not celebrated at all, as the matrons could not appear at them except in white (Liv. XXII. 56; XXXIV. 6).

On this, the last day of the week-long festival, people visited friends, and foxes with firebrands tied to their tails were let loose in the Circus Maximus in the Vallis Murcia, where the Romans also worshipped other ancient agrarian deities.

"HERE is the yearly festival of Ceres come round again: and my lady has to sleep in a lonely bed. Golden-tressèd Ceres, with thy fine hair adorned with ears of corn, wherefore, on thy feast day, dost thou deny us our pleasure? All the world over, the nations laud thy generosity and no other divinity looks upon us mortals with more favouring eye.

"In the earliest times the rude inhabitants of the countryside never baked their bread, and the threshing floor was for them a name unknown. But upon the oaks, the earliest oracles, grew acorns; these and the tender shoots of grass were the food of man. It was Ceres who first taught him how to plant the seed in the earth so that it should swell and, with the sickle, to reap the golden corn; she it was who first compelled the bulls to bear the yoke and clove, with the plough's sharp tooth, the ground that too long had been lying fallow. Can anyone believe that she delights in the tears of lovers, and that the way to her favour is to lie in lonely misery? Nay, though she takes pleasure in the labour of the fields, she is not coy and awkward, nor is her heart impervious to love. I call the Cretans to witness, and 'tis not all fable that you hear in Crete, so proud of having nurtured mighty Jove. There was reared the Sovereign of the starry realms; 'twas there that with his baby lips he sucked the sweet milk. Here the witnesses are worthy of credence; their foster-child will vouch for the truth of what they tell and Ceres, I think, will confess to a frailty of which the whole world knows.

"At the foot of Mount Ida the goddess had perceived the youthful Iasius, who, with unerring aim, was slaying the wild beasts. She saw, and suddenly she felt her marrow on fire with a secret flame. On one side shame, on the other love, were striving to possess her heart. Love triumphed over shame. Thenceforth you might have seen the furrows grow dry, and the earth produced scarcely as many grains of corn as had been sown. When, with the mattock, he had thoroughly turned over the soil and with the plough had broken the stubborn glebe, when he had scattered the seed evenly over his wide fields, the hopes of the husbandman were brought to nought.

"The goddess who watches over the crops was dallying in the deep forests. The wreaths of corn had fallen from her long tresses. Only in Crete was the year fruitful and the harvests abundant. Wheresoever the goddess had passed, the earth was thick with crops. Ida, so rich in trees, grew white with corn and the wild boat cropped the corn in the woodlands. Minos, the lawgiver, wished for many such years and longed for the love of Ceres to endure.

"The pain thou wouldst have endured, O fair-tressed goddess, if thou hadst been compelled to sleep away from thy lover, I am forced to undergo on this day that is hallowed to thy mysteries. Wherefore must I be sad, when thou hast found again a daughter, a queen only less exalted than Juno herself? Such a holiday invites to Love, to Song and to Wine. Such are the offerings it behoves us to make to the gods that rule the world." 
Ovid; Elegy X (He Complains to Ceres that, During Her Festival, He is Not Allowed to Share His Lady's Couch)  Source

Ovid, Fasti    Roman calendar    See also Jejunum Cereris, the Fast of Ceres, in the Book of Days    CERES Community Environment Park

HH Scullard, Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic    The Roman Festival Calendar of Numa Pompilius

Roman festivals and notable days in the Book of Days    Deities of many cultures in the Book of Days

Passover begins (2008)

(Passover is a moveable holiday; that is, its date in the Gregorian calendar changes each year.)

Passover (Hebrew, Yiddish: פֶּסַח, Pesach; Israeli: Pesah, Pesakh) is a Jewish festival commemorating the Exodus from Egypt and the liberation of the Israelites from slavery. It is also known as Festival of the Unleavened Bread (Chag/Khag Hamatzot/s).

Passover begins on the 15^th day of the month of Nisan, the first month of the Hebrew calendar, in accordance with the Hebrew Bible ...

Read on

Union for Reform Judaism: Pesach

"Pesach, known as Passover in English, is a major Jewish spring festival, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt over 3,000 years ago. The ritual observance of this holiday centers around a special home service called the seder (meaning 'order') and a festive meal; the prohibition of chametz (leaven); and the eating of matzah (an unleavened bread)." This site provides background about Passover, recipes, and related material. From the Union for Reform Judaism.
 

You Shall Tell Your Children: The Passover Haggadah in the Yale University Library Collection

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Primrose Day, England The anniversary of the death (1881) of British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield, the season in England when primroses (Primula vulgaris) are at their best. Primroses are placed on Disraeli's statue in Parliament Square, London today. However, it's all a case of mistaken identity. There was a mistaken idea that the primrose was Lord Beaconsfield's favourite flower, since Queen Victoria sent them to his funeral with the handwritten note, "His favourite flowers: from Osborne [House]: a tribute of affectionate regard from Queen Victoria." (The conservative Primrose League was named in honour of Disraeli's presumed love of primroses.) And so the custom took root and flowers to this day. 'Primrose' is derived from the Latin primus, meaning 'first' or 'early'. Hence, the 'first rose' of the year, or the 'prime-rose'. The first sentence of Richard Adams's novel Watership Down is, "The primroses were over". "During an unsuccessful attempt to win a Sheffield seat, Tim Renton, Minister of State at the Foreign Office, looked through an open window at a burly steelworker soaking himself in the bath. Embarrassed, Renton turned to the garden and saw that it was full of primroses. "'Did you know that primroses were Disraeli's favourite flower?' he asked hopefully. 'Is that so?' the steelworker replied from his bath. 'In that case I'll dig the buggers up tomorrow.'" Source: Kenneth Rose, Sunday Telegraph, UK, December 28, 1986, via Anecdotage More Disraeli anecdotes    More on Primrose Day Primroses    Primrose Day e-cards from Wilson's Almanac Project Gutenberg e-texts of works by Benjamin Disraeli    Primrose Day, picture by Frank Bramley   Radunitsa, ancestors' day/day of dead, Slavic A note about the dating of items in Wilson's Almanac (Week beginning St Thomas's Sunday (April 18 in 2004); second Monday and Tuesday after (Orthodox calendar) Easter (Great and Holy Pascha; April 11 in 2004), alternately May 1.) The Monday of St Thomas's week in Russia called Radunitsa, 'Ancestors' Day' and the Tuesday 'Day of the Dead'. Prayers are said for the dead in churches. In the 17th century, wakes were held. A dish of porridge and honey was placed on a lectern, and pancakes were placed around it on the floor, whereupon coloured eggs were offered. At one time these were placed on graves. Venetia Newell, An Egg at Easter: A Folklore Study, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1971 "The ancient Slavic counterpart to Halloween in ancient Russia was Navy Dien' (Old Slavonic for the dead 'nav'), which was also called Radunitsa and celebrated in the spring. To supplant it, the Eastern Church attached this feast to Easter, for celebration on Tuesday of Saint Thomas' Week (second week after Easter). The Church also changed the name of the feast into Radonitsa, from Russian 'radost' – joy, of Easter and of the resurrection from the dead of the whole manhood of Jesus Christ. Gradually Radunitsa yielded to Easter's greater importance and became less popular. And many dark practices from old Russian pagan feasts (Semik, Kupalo, Rusalia and some aspects of the Maslennitsa) still survived till the beginning of our century. Now they are gone, but the atheist authorities used to try to reanimate them."   Source "This was originally called Nav Dien (Day of the Dead). Feasts are held in the cemeteries. Offerings of eggs, beer, vodka and other food are left for the dead. The name of the festival may derive from the god Rod."   Source   Lyrid meteor showers (Apr 15 - Apr 28, peaking Apr 22) Circensian games, ancient Rome  (Apr 12 - 19; Sep 4 - 19) Feast day of St St Alphege (Ælfheah; Elphege; Alfege), Archbishop of Canterbury, martyr – see On This Day in History, 1012, below. Feast day of St Emma Saint Emma (11th Century) was a German noblewoman and Christian saint due to her beneficence. She is considered to have died c. 1050. After her death, a cultus developed around her, and her tomb was opened for translation of her relics after she was canonized. When the tomb was opened, her body had crumbled to dust except for her right hand (the hand that dispensed gifts). That relic was placed in the abbey of Saint Ludger at Werden. More Feast day of St Expeditus According to legend, Expeditus was a Roman commander in Armenia who became a Christian and was beheaded because of it by Eastern Roman Emperor Diocletian in 303 CE. While he is no longer recognized as a saint by Catholic authorities, he is still worshipped in some places, most notably Réunion Island. There, the worship of St Expédit takes the form of a syncretic cult, mixing unofficial Catholicism with other beliefs (from Madagascar or India). More Feast day of St George of Antioch George of Antioch died 1151 or 1152. More Feast day of St Hermogenes Feast of Blessed James Duckett, patron of booksellers and publishers Feast day of St James Oldo Feast day of St Leo IX, Pope (Ursine garlic, Allium ursinum, is today's plant, dedicated to this saint) More Feast day of St Wernher Click for Eastern Orthodox liturgical days    Shop saints Women's Celebration, Bali, to the Goddess of fertility Source: The Phoenix and Arabeth 1992 Calendar Republic Day, Sierra Leone Nagasaki Takoage, or Kite-Flying Event, Nagasaki, Japan (Apr 3 - 29) Bunsui Oiran Dochu, or Courtesan (oiran) Parade, Nishkanbara, Niigita Prefecture, Japan (Apr 16 - 23) Snakes Return to Ireland Day Source: The Daily Bleed; another source proposes March 17 Snakes are heading back to Ireland We were kicked out long ago. Irish friends have sent this message, "Your return has been too slow." Bob Tucker, 'The Snakes Return'   Declaration of Independence Day and Day of the Indian, Venezuela (joint holiday) Boston Marathon Day John Parker Day, USA Patriots' Day, Massachusetts, Maine, and Wisconsin, USA So named because the Battles of Lexington and Concord were fought this day in 1775.   World Week for Animals in Laboratories (Apr 19 - 27) (Actual dates vary annually, usually by just a few days) Today one million animals will die in laboratories. This week protests the torture and killing of animals during 'scientific experiments'. World Week for Animals in Laboratories (WWAIL), April 19 - 27, is an annual event designed to expose the plight of animals used for testing and research. WWAIL seeks to arouse concern for animal in laboratories as well as educate the public about the scientific, moral, and economic objections to animal experimentation, also known as vivisection. This week has traditionally been a time when animal activists have organized rallies, protests, news conferences, literature tables, and other events to fight for the animals that are imprisoned in laboratories and to raise public awareness of their plight.  The Rising Tide of Animal Experimentation    British Anti-Vivisection Association What you can do to help animals    National Anti-Vivisection Society Photographic exhibition on vivisection   Links to sites about vivisection Quotable quotes on vivisection   More quotes Yet more quotes on animal rights   33 Facts to be considered about vivisection   Republic Day, Sierra Leone Landing of the 33, Uruguay Bicycle Day Swiss chemist Dr Albert Hofmann (b. 1906) conducted his first planned LSD experiment on this day in 1943 (see April 16 regarding the unplanned one). Scroll down to This day in history, 1943, for animated video.        1721 Roger Sherman (d. 1793), signer of the US Declaration of Independence 1721 Thomas McKean (d. 1817), signer of the US Declaration of Independence 1772 David Ricardo (d. 1823), economist Ricardo's Iron Law of Wages Basically, an employer should pay workers just enough to live, but not enough for them to be able to afford extras or luxuries that would make them greedy.   1806 Charles Philipon, French lithographer, caricaturist and liberal journalist. He was the director of the La Caricature and of Le Charivari (both satirical political journals). 1854 Charles Angrand (d. 1926) French impressionist, pointillist painter and anarchist illustrator 1883 Richard von Mises (d. 1953), mathematician 1892 Germaine Tailleferre (d. 1983), composer 1897 Constance Talmadge (d. 1973), actress 1900 Richard Hughes (d. 1976), novelist 1901 Edith Summerskill, English politician, physician, author, advocate of women's rights as member of the House of Commons, 1938 - '61 and chair of the Labour Party, 1954 - '55 1903 Eliot Ness (d. 1957), leader of The Untouchables 1905 Jim Mollison, Scottish aviator 1912 Glenn Seaborg (d. 1999), American chemist and Nobel Prize winner 1920 Frankie Fontaine, American comedian 1928 Alexis Korner (d. 1984), rock musician 1930 Dick Sargent, (d. 1994) actor 1930 Hugh O'Brian, American actor (Wyatt Earp) 1933 Jayne Mansfield (b. Vera Jane Palmer,), American actress, sex symbol and one-time Miss Magnesium Lamp (Dallas, TX), who died in a car crash aged 34 in 1967 "Although she occasionally appeared in films of some quality, and though she apparently aspired to respectability as an actress on occasion, her public persona was too extreme to be taken seriously, and she became a sort of poor man's Marilyn Monroe, though without the onscreen vulnerability and ability that Monroe possessed. By the 1960s, Mansfield's career had declined into one of cheesy sexploitation and jokey guest appearances. While traveling between nightclub engagements, she was killed in a highway accident in 1967, when the car in which she was riding slammed into a semi tractor trailer truck."   Source   1935 Dudley Moore, CBE, actor, musician, comedian, composer (d. 2002) "His partnership with the Peter Cook led to the creation of the classic comic characters Dud and Pete, comedy icons on both sides of the Atlantic. "Moore then went on to pursue a successful career in Hollywood, starring in a number of hit screen comedies, as well as a few less successful movies. "Most notably, he played alongside Bo Derek in the movie 10 in 1979." Source: Comedian Dudley Moore dies   1942 Frank Elstner, television producer 1944 Bernie Worrell, keyboardist (originally with P Funk) 1946 Tim Curry, British actor 1947 Murray Perahia, American pianist 1949 Paloma Picasso, French fashion designer, actress (Contes immoraux) and businesswoman, daughter of Pablo Picasso 1949 Larry Walters (d. 1993), who on July 2, 1982 floated 16,000 feet into the air on a lawn chair attached to helium-filled balloons 1953 Ruby Wax, British television personality 1965 Suge Knight, record producer 1967 Steven H Silver, science fiction editor 1968 Ashley Judd, actress 1979 Kate Hudson, actress 1981 Hayden Christensen, actor 1981 Catalina Sandino Moreno, actress   Phew!! Have a rest before the big This day in history section Send a free e-card greeting for today's celebrations to a loved one Do you forget birthdays and anniversaries? Schedule your cards to be sent during the coming year. Zodiac birthday Free astrology e-cards Earth Day [ Apr 22 ] Birthdays St George's Day [ Apr 23 ] Primrose Day [Apr 19 ] Varies Full Moon Day Varies Friday the 13th Varies Gudi Padwa Varies Palm Sunday Varies Mawlid al-Nabi Varies Passover Varies Orthodox Holy Friday Varies Good Friday Varies Orthodox Easter Varies Easter Varies Baisakhi Varies Mahavir Jayanti Varies Hanuman Jayanti Varies Arbor Day Varies Child Care Professionals Day   April 19 Primrose Day 19 Cow Chip Day 20 Lima Bean Respect Day 21 Kindergarten Day 21 Birthday Of Charlotte Bronte 22 Earth Day 22 April Showers Day 22 Hot Dog Day 22 Jelly Bean Day 22 Oklahoma Day 22 Crawfish Festival (Florida, USA) 23 Cherry Cheesecake Day 23 St George's Day 23 Shakespeare's Birthday 24 Ambivalence Day 25 Cuckoo Day 25 Anzac Day (Australia) 25 Anzac Day (New Zealand) 25 Holocaust Remembrance Day 25 Zucchini Bread Day 26 Pretzel Day 26 Bird Day 26 International Guide Dog Day 27 Morse Code Day 28 Kiss Day 29 Zipper Day 29 Spring Festival (California, USA) 29 International Dance Day 30 Oatmeal Cookie Day 30 Hairstylist Day May 1 May Day 1 Chocolate Parfait Day 1 New Homeowner's Day 1 Plant A Flower Day 1 Beltane 1 Lei Day (Hawaii, USA) 1 Bird Day (Oklahoma, USA) 1 School Principals' Day 1 Global Love Day 2 Teacher Day 2 Brothers And Sisters Day 2 Baby Day   ... More Events Visit the Blogmanac, where today's Almanac is 'live' And I hope you will sign my GuestMap           If you are enjoying this page, click to receive similar items daily with a free subscription to Wilson's Almanac ezine Webmaster, webmasters free content, or else articles at very reasonable rates Pip Wilson's articles are available for your website or publication, on application. Further details   1012 Martyrdom of St Alphege (Ælfheah; Elphege; Alfege; b. 954) in Greenwich, London. He had succeeded Ælfric of Abingdon as the 29th Archbishop of Canterbury in 1006, and was murdered by Vikings who had been ravaging the south of England, including Canterbury, to which they laid siege from September 8 - 29, 1011, capturing the Archbishop and holding him for ransom. In 1011, the Danish invaders had shown their force at Canterbury and all the nobles had fled. However, Alphege exhorted the citizens to resist, and they did so for three weeks. Unfortunately, the city was betrayed by one Ælfmaer (Aelmaer), and the Danes commenced torturing and killing men, women, and children, although they probably said they were liberating the English so they could enjoy the Danish way of life. Alphege offered himself instead of the infants to the Danes, but they seized him and dragged him to witness the destruction by fire of his cathedral, which was filled with defenceless clerics, women and children. Alphege was taken as a prisoner for seven months and the Danes demanded a ransom of 3,000 pieces of silver, but the ransom was not met as Alphege, knowing the poverty of his people, himself opposed its payment. When Alphege was imprisoned in Greenwich, the Devil appeared to him in the likeness of an angel, and tempted him to follow him into a dark valley, through which he wearily walked, till he was in a foul swamp, and a real angel appeared and told him to go back to prison and be a martyr, which he did. He was released from jail because a mysterious epidemic had broken out amongst the Danes, and they desired his services because he had healed many of the sick through prayer and by giving them blessed bread. However, he was murdered not long after; St Alfege's Church reputedly marks the place he died. At a bacchanalian feast he was pelted with ox bones and, according to some sources, a Christian Dane named Thrum delivered the coup de grâce with a battle axe. Because of the hardships he had put himself through for religion, it was written that when he held up his hand, It was so wan, and transparent of hue, You might have seen the moon shine through. A contemporary report said that the Viking, Thorkell the Tall, was present and to have tried to bribe the mob with all his belongings and loot, except his ship, to spare Alphege, but this is not mentioned in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle. Appalled at the brutality of his fellow raiders, Thorkell is said to have switched sides to the English king, Ethelred the Unready. After his death, an old rotten stake was driven into his body, and those who drove it in said that if on the next day the stake was green and bore leaves, they would believe in his Christian faith. To their amazement, the stick grew and they gave up their pagan ways. Or, so it is said. Alphege's body was interred in St Paul's Church, London, where it wrought miracles. In 1023 his remains were translated (moved) by King Canute to Canterbury with all the ceremony of a great act of state, and the feast of his translation is commemorated on June 8. After the fire in Canterbury Cathedral in 1174, Alphege's remains were placed, along with St Dunstan, to whom he was devoted, around the high altar, where St Thomas à Becket is said to have commended his life into Alphege's care right before Becket was martyred. Alphege is sometimes represented with an axe cleaving his skull, or holding an axe, or as a shepherd defending his flock from wolves. Vikings! at the Scriptorium    More     1054 Death of Pope Leo IX (b. 1002). 1226 St Antony's bilocation. Ancient texts tell us that St Antony of Padua, while preaching in the Church of St Pierre du Queyroix at Eastertide, 1226, bilocated. Bilocation "The appearance of an individual in two places simultaneously. What exactly occurs in the phenomenon of bilocation is uncertain. The prevailing theory suggests that it is a projection of a double. In appearance to others the double may appear to be a solid physical form, or may be ghostly. Usually this double acts strangely and mechanically and does not acknowledge others when spoken to.   Although it is uncommon, bilocation is an ancient phenomenon. It is claimed to have been experienced, and even practiced by will, by mystics, ecstatics, saints, monks, holy persons, and magical adepts. Several Christian saints and monks were adapt at bilocation such as St. Anthony of Padua, St. Ambrose of Milan, St. Severus of Ravenna, and Padre Pio of Italy. In 1774, St. Alphonsus Maria de'Ligouri was seen at the bedside of the dying Pope Clement XIV, when in fact the saint was confined to his cell in a location that was a four-day journey away."   Source   1390 Death of King Robert II of Scotland (b. 1316). 1451 Alam Shah of Delhi abdicated. 1529 At the Diet of Speyer a group of rulers (German: Fürst) and independent cities (German: Reichsstadt) protested the reinstatement of the Edict of Worms, beginning the Protestant movement. "diet, parliamentary bodies in Japan, Poland, Hungary, Bohemia, the Scandinavian nations, and Germany have been called diets. In German history, the diet originated as a meeting of landholders and burghers, convoked by the ruler to discuss financial problems. The imperial diet or Reichstag of the Holy Roman Empire began as a loose assembly of ecclesiastic princes and imperial cities, meeting at irregular intervals. After 1489 three colleges representing electors, Princes, and Imperial cities arrived at decisions separately—even over war and peace—then combined them. The Emperor could ratify the whole or parts. Among the most important diets were those of Worms (1495) and Cologne (1512). "   Source   1539 The Treaty of Frankfurt was signed. 1578 Death of Uesugi Kenshin (b. 1530), Japanese samurai and warlord. 1587 Sir Francis Drake sank the Spanish fleet in Cádiz Harbour. 1600 Will Adams (the original Anjin-sama as depicted in James Clavell's bestselling novel Shogun) landed in Japan. 1622 New World: Jamestown massacre (James River massacre): On Good Friday, after sharing in the settlers' meal, Algonquian Indians killed 347 English settlers around Jamestown, Virginia, a third of the colony's population. "It was as thoroughly managed as if the natives had had telegraphic facilities and the secret was so completely kept that no suspicion entered the heart of a colonist. The Indians kept up their appearance of friendship till the moment when they had been ordered to strike. "Some of them were even sitting down at breakfast with our people at their tables" when at eight o'clock on that Good Friday morning of March, 1622, wherever they happened to be on either side of James River for a hundred and forty miles up and down, they rose up as one man and each began murdering the pale face "friends" that happened to be closest to him. Neither aged men and women nor young children were spared."   Source What was the date of Good Friday, 1622? Some sources give the date of Jamestown's Good Friday massacre as March 21, or March 22. Two calculators I have consulted, including the one in the Almanac's own pages, advise me that March 22 was a Tuesday, so I'm guessing that Good Friday was possibly March 25. However, this excellent Easter calculator says that under the Julian Calendar, Good Friday was April 19, and by the Gregorian Calendar, March 25. Therefore, since the Gregorian Calendar had not yet come into use in the Protestant New World (England adopted it in 1752), I presume April 19 to be the most likely date. More on the massacre 1632 Death of Sigismund (b. 1561), king of Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. 1689 Death of Queen Christina of Sweden (b. 1626). 1713 The Pragmatic Sanction was issued, ensuring that the Austrian throne and Habsburg lands would later be inherited by Maria Theresa (1717 - '80). 1770 Lt Zachary Hicks, on Captain James Cook's ship, HMS Bark Endeavour, sighted Australia's east coast, the first British person to do so. Fortunate Discovery: Did Cook have prior knowledge? 1775 American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Lexington and Concord – British General Thomas Gage attempted to confiscate American colonists' firearms. The British were driven back to Boston, Massachusetts, thus beginning the American Revolutionary War. Midnight rider Paul Revere, on his way to warn Concord that the British were coming, was arrested by the Redcoats and relieved of his horse. (Revere's lesser-known companion, William Dawes, succeeded in delivering the message.) 1809 The army of Austria attacked and was defeated by the forces of the Duchy of Warsaw in the Battle of Raszyn, part of the struggles of the Fifth Coalition. 1810 Venezuela achieved home rule: Emparan, Governor of the Captaincy General was removed by the people of Caracas and a junta was installed. 1813 Death of Benjamin Rush (b. 1745), physician, activist. 1822 Lord Byron's daughter Allegra died in a convent near Ravenna, Italy. In the thirteen months she was in the convent, Byron did not visit her, although he lived in Ravenna. 1824 British romantic poet George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (b. 1788), died, aged 36, of 'malarial fever'* contracted in a rainstorm in Missolonghi, Greece, where he was drilling troops seeking liberation from the Turkish Empire. His heart and lungs are buried in Greece, his body in England. The pious guardians of Westminster Abbey and its famous Poets' Corner denied the irreligious and anti-authoritarian poet repose in its holy precincts, but he found a grave at Hucknall. * "The 'bad air' agent — mal aria in Italian — was fancied to be the cause of malaria far into the nineteenth century. At that time, Ross and Grassi discovered that mosquitoes transmit these microscopic protozoa."   Source   1839 The Treaty of London established Belgium as a kingdom. 1861 American Civil War: A pro-Secession mob in Baltimore, Maryland, attacked United States Army troops marching through the city. 1863 The Keysville Massacre: a massacre of Native American men from the Tehachapi tribe in Keysville, California. 1881 Death of Benjamin Disraeli (b. 1804), former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. 1882 Charles Darwin (b. 1809), English naturalist who developed the theory of Natural Selection, died in Kent, England. Despite his agnosticism, and the animosity directed at him from some religious quarters (even to this day), Darwin was interred in Westminster Abbey. Did Darwin convert to Christianity? It is a common myth that Charles Darwin became a Christian on his death bed. This story can be traced to one Lady Hope. However, Darwin's son Francis put paid to this supposition: "Lady Hope's account of my father's views on religion is quite untrue. I have publicly accused her of falsehood, but have not seen any reply. My father's agnostic point of view is given in my 'Life and Letters of Charles Darwin,' Vol. I., pp. 304-317. You are at liberty to publish the above statement. Indeed, I shall be glad if you will do so. Yours faithfully, Francis Darwin. Brookthorpe, Gloucester. May 28, 1918."   Source   1892 The date that Charles Duryea claimed to have driven the first automobile in the United States, in Springfield, Massachusetts. 1904 Much of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was destroyed by fire. 1906 SF April 18 - 23, 1906 earthquake and fire chronology 1906 Death of Pierre Curie (b. 1859), physicist. 1909 Joan of Arc was declared a saint. Her feast day is on May 30. 1910 Halley's Comet reappeared. 1915 USA: Anarchist Emma Goldman spoke on 'The Failure of Christianity' and the movement surrounding fire-and-brimstone Presbyterian evangelist Billy Sunday in Paterson, NJ, after attending one of Sunday's revival meetings. Early progressives in the Book of Days    CounterCulture Wiki 1919 Leslie Irvin of the United States made the first successful parachute jump and free fall. 1919 Mutiny of the Sailors in the Black Sea (April 19 to 21). Several French warships around Sébastopol (brought in to aid in stopping the advances of the Red Army) were subject to mutiny. It began with the sailors on the battleship France, and spread. A delegation, made up partly of anarchist sailors, demanded suspension of the war against Russia, the return of the ships to France, and no disciplining for their actions. In Sébastopol, French officers massacred participants in a demonstration to prevent them from fraternizing with the mutineers. Despite the promises of the officers, the mutineers … were treacherously arrested and received from 10 to 20 years of prison. Source: The Daily Bleed 1927 Mae West was sentenced to 10 days in jail for obscenity for her play Sex. 1928 The final volume of the Oxford English Dictionary was published. 1933 US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt announced that the United States would be abandoning the gold standard. 1933 Britain banned all trade with the USSR. 1934 Shirley Temple debuted in Stand Up and Cheer! 1938 RCA - NBC began regular television broadcasts. 1943 World War II: German troops entered the Warsaw ghetto to round up the remaining Jews, starting the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. 1943 Switzerland: Swiss chemist Dr Albert Hofmann (b. 1906) conducted his first planned LSD experiment (see April 16 regarding the unplanned one). To investigate further the psychedelic effects of the hallucinogen and psychedelic entheogen, LSD, he ingested 250 micrograms (gamma), a fairly strong dose at Sandoz lab in Basle. He had resynthesized LSD-25 in a search for a cure for migraines, and experienced visions (the first synthesis was in 1938). On this day he took 250 µg of LSD and, fearing he had made himself ill, bicycled home from his lab. He wrote about his experiments and experience on April 22, which was later put into his book LSD: My Problem Child. Today is thus known as Bicycle Day. (See also tomorrow, 420 day.) 'The Bicycle Ride' is a whimsical depiction of Dr Albert Hofmann's discovery of LSD.  You might have to click twice to activate. This cartoon was debuted at an LSD Symposium held in honour of Albert Hofmann's 100th birthday in Basel, Switzerland. Source Wilson's Almanac Book of Days hip list    CounterCulture Wiki LSD – My Problem Child, by Albert Hofmann; Ch. 5, 'From Remedy to Inebriant'    More   And more 1948 Costa Rica abolished its army. 1948 The US tested a plutonium bomb in the Marshall Islands. 1951 General Douglas MacArthur retired from the military. 1956 Actress Grace Kelly married Rainier III of Monaco. 1959 After fleeing the Chinese Communist invasion of Tibet, the Dalai Lama received sanctuary in India. More on destruction of religion in Tibet 1960 Students in South Korea held a nationwide pro-democracy protest against their president Syngman Rhee, eventually forcing him to resign. 1961 The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba ended in failure. 1966 Australian troops left Sydney in the first contingent to join USA forces in Vietnam. 1971 Sierra Leone became a republic, and Siaka Stevens the president. 1971 Vietnam War: Vietnam Veterans Against the War began a five-day demonstration in Washington, DC, USA. 1971 Charles Manson was sentenced to life in prison for the Sharon Tate murders. 1971 Launch of Salyut 1, the first space station. 1971 Yippie leader Abbie Hoffman was interviewed for the Boston Globe then hitch-hiked to New Haven. Conn. State Police arrested him for jaywalking. 1974 The Rocky Horror Show, starring Reg Livermore, premiered in Sydney, going on to become one of Australia's most popular stage musicals of all time. 1978 Lagumot Harris is elected President of Nauru. 1983 The US embassy in Beirut was destroyed by a car bomb. 1984 'Advance Australia Fair' was proclaimed Australia's national anthem. It was first performed on November 30, 1878. 1987 The Simpsons made their first appearance on television, on The Tracey Ullman Show, in the short episode called 'Good Night'. The Simpsons, live actors version 1988 A record $9,130,000 was paid for a diamond at Sotheby's in New York. 1989 A gun turret exploded on the USS Iowa, an old vessel, killing 47 crew. The explosion was initially blamed on and alleged suicide pact between gay sailors, as conjectured by Naval Investigative Service and as leaked to NBC News. Eventually, the explosion was found to have been caused by unstable gun powder. The surviving gunner's mate sued NBC and the Navy for libel and defamation of character. Source: The Daily Bleed 1989 Chinese student dissidents occupied Tien An Men Square in Beijing. 1989 Trisha Meili, the 'Central Park Jogger', was raped. 1990 Mikhail Gorbachev ordered the cutting off of 85 per cent of Lithuania's gas supply, but the rebellious republic remained defiant. 1993 Waco Siege: End of the USA government siege on cult leader David Koresh's Branch Davidian community buildings (generally called by the media his 'compound') at Waco, Texas, resulting in the deaths of 79 people. Starting at dawn, tanks rammed holes in the main building and pumped (in the FBI's words) "massive amounts" of inflammable CS gas into the besieged building, although it was known that inside were more than a dozen children. "After the February raid by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) of David Koresh's dissident religious community at Waco, Texas, the FBI and the U.S. Army took over, mounting a 51-day siege. This included such psy-war tactics as sleep deprivation of the inhabitants of the community by means of all-night broadcasts of recordings of the screams of rabbits being slaughtered. "Finally, despite David Koresh's pledge to surrender upon completion of his written explanation of the meaning of the Seven Seals, the FBI and the Army attacked. At dawn on April 19, 1993, and throughout the morning, tanks rammed holes in the main building and pumped (in the FBI's words) 'massive amounts' of CS gas into the building, despite knowing that inside were more than a dozen children. The tanks demolished parts of the compound and created tunnels for the wind to blow through. The buildings at this point were saturated with inflammable CS gas and spilled kerosene."   Source "The next phase of the war was the siege which lasted until April 19. Here, Reavis cites further uncivilized acts by the besiegers, now under the direction of the FBI. From March 9 onward, a PA system 'began blaring noise, night and day.' This noise includes 'the sounds of sirens, seagulls, bagpipes, crying babies, dying rabbits, crowing roosters, and dental drills' ..."   Source Janet Reno in the Book of Days    Waco: The Rules of Engagement Waco: Rules of Engagement video free online    Waco: A New Revelation video free online More    More    And more   1994 The Zulu-based Inkatha Freedom Party ended its boycott of South African multi-racial elections. 1995 USA: Oklahoma City bombing: A huge bomb exploded in the nine-storey Alfred P Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, half demolishing the building and causing the deaths of 168 people as well as many injured. Bomber Timothy McVeigh and the Middle East connection 1999 The German parliament returned to Berlin.   Tomorrow: Sun enters Taurus    Main calendar | Yesterday | Tomorrow | Search     Wikipedia and David Brown's prodigious Daily Bleed are both excellent resources that aid my research. I frequently make use of their generously liberal 'fair use', 'copyleft' and 'anti-copyright' policies, with much gratitude. © My own copyright policy is also liberal, but as this is my livelihood, conditions apply. Read more about today at Wilson's Blogmanac

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