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Pip Wilson

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... in the lexicon of the political class, the word 'sacrifice' means that the citizens are supposed to mail even more of their income to Washington so that the political class will not have to sacrifice the pleasure of spending it.
George Will, Newsweek, February 22, 1993

February 22 is the 53^rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 312 days remaining (313 in leap years).
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Festival of Perpendicular Sun

Illumination the Inner Sanctum of Ramses II, Abu Simbel Temple, Egypt (also October 22)

"The archaeological complex of Abu Simbel comprises two massive rock temples in southern Egypt on the western bank of the Nile. It is a part of the Nubian Monuments UNESCO World Heritage Site, which runs from Abu Simbel downriver as far as Philae.

"The twin temples were carved out of the mountainside by Pharaoh Ramses II in the 13^th Century BCE to intimidate his Nubian neighbors and as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari.

"Relocation

"Between 1964 and 1968, the entire site was dismantled and reassembled in a new location – 65 m higher and 200 m back from the river – to save the temples from the rising water levels caused by the construction of the Aswan High Dam."

Source: Wikipedia

"Ramses II, in a fit of precision and despotic architectural egotism, carefully angled his temple at Abu Simbel so that the inner sanctum would light up twice a year: once on the anniversary of his rise to the throne, and once on his birthday. The combination of human endeavour and natural phenomena provides what must be one of the most spectacular sights in the world.

"Crowds pack in to the temple before sunrise and watch the shafts of light slowly creeping through the stone. Eventually, statues of Ramses, Ra and Amun are illuminated in the inner sanctum (the statute of Ptah – the god of darkness – remains in the shadows). When they have recovered their breath, spectators can join celebrations outside, including a fair and music demonstrations. However, nothing can really impress you immediately after witnessing such a sight.

"The Abu Simbel temple was built by Ramses II (1279-1213 BC) to demonstrate his political clout and divine backing to the ancient Nubians. On each side of the temple, which was carved into a sandstone cliff overlooking the Second Cataract of the Nile, sit a pair of colossal statues of him, more than 65 feet tall. Though the statues have been damaged in earthquakes since their construction, they remain an awe-inspiring, tremendous sight. The temple is aligned to face the east, and above the entrance sits a niche with a representation of Re-Horakhty, an aspect of the sun-god.

"In the early 1960s the entire temple was moved to higher ground, a task requiring considerable international engineering resources, when the Aswan Dam caused the Nasser lake to rise and inundate the area. For this reason, the sun now strikes a day later than Ramses had originally planned, though the event itself is no less stunning."   Source

"The most remarkable feature of the site is that the temple is precisely oriented so that twice every year, on 22 February and 22 October, the first rays of the morning sun shine down the entire length of the temple-cave to illuminate the back wall of the innermost shrine and the statues of the four gods seated there ... Precisely this same effect was apparently also fundamental to the design of the artificial cave of Newgrange in Ireland."   Source

"Abu Simbel was first reported by J. L. Burckhardt in 1813, when he came over the mountain and only saw the facade of the great temple as he was preparing to leave that area via the Nile. The two temples, that of Ramesses II primarily dedicated to Re-Harakhte, and that of his wife, Nefertari dedicated to Hathor, became a must see for Victorians visiting Egypt, even though it required a trip up the Nile, and often they were covered deeply in sand, as they were when Burckhardt found them."  Source

"The main temple was dedicated to Ramesses II and to the four universal gods Ptah, Re-Harakhte, Amun-Re, and to Ramesses II himself. Of the seven temples he built, Abu Simbel is considered to be the most impressive …

"Above the doorway in a niche stands the sun god, a falcon headed representation of Ramesses, holding a war-scepter which shows the head and neck of an animal which is read as User, in his right and a figure of Ma'at in his left. This cleverly creates the Kings throne name of User-Ma'at-Re. At the top of the facade is a row of baboons which are thought to be greeting the morning sun and indeed the monument looks best at that time …

"A Solstices [sic] occurs twice a year on or about February 20-22nd and October 20-22nd when the rays from the sun enter the front of the temple and bathe the statues of the Gods 200 feet inside the temple with light. Interestingly enough, all but Ptah, the source of Chthonian life."   Source

Feast of Concordia, known as Caristia or Cara Cognatio, Roman Empire

Following the solemnity of the Parentalia (February 13 - 21) came the Caristia. From the Latin word, cara ('dear'), this was the feast of favour or goodwill. People reconciled their differences; this is the counterpart of yesterday's Feralia, which accorded similar rites to the dead rather than the living. Families and friends dined together and buried the hatchet. 

The Roman poet, Ovid, wrote of this festival,

Sweet it is, no doubt, to recall our thoughts to the living after they have dwelt upon the grave and on the dear ones departed from us; sweet, too, after so many departed, to look upon those of our blood who are left, and to count kin with them.
Ovid, Fasti

Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter at Antioch

To replace the pagan festivals of the Concordia, the Roman Catholic Church made this day the feast of St Peter's Chair at Antioch. (The feast of St Peter's Chair in the Vatican is held on January 18.) However, as late as the Christian church's Council of Tours in 567, it was mentioned that Christians were leaving out food for the dead on this feast day – a hangover from the Feast of the Feralia.

In Europe, some plants that blossom about now are named after St Peter, such as England's cowslip (sometimes called 'Peterwort'), and daffodils in Wales which may be called called 'Peter's leeks'.

Ice figures in many legends about St Peter's Chair Day. German tradition has it that if water is frozen on this day it won't melt for a fortnight. To the Norwegians, this is extended to 60 days. 

The Norwegians also traditionally say that St Peter threw hot rocks at the ice to melt it, or that if there is no ice on this day, he will make it. Traditionally they also believe that the weather experienced today will last four weeks, or forty days, or all of spring. However, if there is sufficient sunlight by which to saddle a horse, or enough moisture on a roof to satisfy a hen's thirst, then there will be a bountiful harvest.

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

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Al Hijra ('id Al-Adhha; Eid Ul-Adhha; Eid Al-Adha),  Islamic New Year (2004) Also known as: Rabi Al-Awwal A note about the dating of items in Wilson's Almanac The first day of the month of Muharram, this Muslim holy day is rather a low-key event in the Muslim world, celebrated less than the two major festivals of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. The Qur'an uses the word Hijra to mean moving from a bad place or state of affairs to a good one. It marks the Hijra (or Hegira) in 622 CE when the Prophet Muhammad moved from Mecca to Medina, and set up the first Islamic state. The Muslim calendar counts dates from the Hijra, therefore Muslim dates have the suffix AH (After Hijra). " … not generally celebrated as an official Islamic holiday, although many Muslim communities have devised or revived some kind of new year ritual celebration. This celebration is frowned upon by fundamentalists."   Source: Wikipedia There is no specific religious ritual required on this day, though Muslims will think about the general meaning of the Hijra, and possibly make New Year resolutions. "On Feb 22nd 2004, the new year will be 1425. The Muslim calendar, based on the moon, alternates between months of 29 and 30 days. This results in the 354 day year shifting constantly on in a 30 year cycle. Its starting point remembered the flight from Mecca of Mohammed (622 CE).  "The Islamic New Year's Day is celebrated by telling stories of the prophet's life and giving extra time during the night for prayer. This day celebrates the anniversary of Mohammed and his followers' migration from Mecca where he was opposed. People from a different city heard Mohammed preach at a fair and returned to their city, now called al-Medina, with the new faith to heal local civil strife. Mohammed went their [sic] a year later and became their guide and leader until his death ten years later."   Source More on Muslim holidays     Powamu, Pueblo/Hopi purification ceremony, (Feb 12 - 28) Sounkyo Ice Festival, Sounkyo Onsen (spa), Hokkaido, Japan (Jan 29 - Mar 5) Lesser Eleusinia, ancient Greece (Feb 20 - 23) Festivals in ancient Greece Feast day of St Abilius Feast day of St Baradates He lived in a trellis-hut, exposed to the elements, and dressed in animal skins.   Feast day of the Chair of Saint Peter (Cathedra Petri) "The feast of the Chair of Saint Peter commemorates the establishment of the see of Rome by Saint Peter the Apostle … The celebration was held in Vatican Basilica, and in a cemetery on the Via Salaria. At each place a chair (cathedra) was venerated which the Apostle had used while presiding at Mass. "One of the chairs is referred to about 600 by an Abbot Johannes who had been commissioned by Pope Gregory the Great to collect in oil from the lamps which burned at the graves of the Roman martyrs. One of these phials, preserved in the cathedral treasury of Monza, Italy, had a label reading, 'oleo de sede ubi prius sedit sanctus Petrus' (oils from the chair where Saint Peter first sat). The feast of the Cathedra Petri was therefore celebrated on the Via Salaria on 18 January; in the Vatican Basilica it was observed on 22 February."   Source Saint Peter (died c. 67) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. His original name was Simon, but he was given the nickname of Peter, which means rock or stone in Greek (Petros). Saint Paul generally called him Cephas or Kephas, which is the Aramaic equivalent of the nickname. His patronage includes against frenzy, bakers, bridge builders, butchers, clock makers, cobblers, feet problems, fever, fishermen, foot problems, harvesters, locksmiths, longevity, masons, net makers, the papacy, Rome, ship builders, shipwrights, shoemakers, stone masons and watch makers. Feast day of the Chair of Peter at Antioch "A second feast is known to have taken place on 22 February, traditionally the day when Peter bore witness, by the Sea of Tiberias, to the Divinity of Christ and was again appointed by Christ to be the Rock of His Church, and the day Peter was chosen first pope, but this was in Antioch, not Rome."   Source Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City    See also Feast day of Ss Peter and Paul   Feast day of St John the Saxon Feast day of St Margaret of Cortona (Herb Margaret, Bellis perennis, is today's plant, dedicated to this saint.) Margaret was a penitent who, with a rope around her neck, asked public pardon for her sins, punished her flesh and worked miracles. She prophesied the date of her own death. Her patronage includes against temptations, falsely accused people, hoboes, homeless people, insanity, loss of parents, mental illness, mentally ill people, midwives, penitent women, people ridiculed for their piety, reformed prostitutes, sexual temptation, single laywomen and tramps.   Feast day of the Martyrs of Arabia Feast day of St Pedicule of the Hairshirt Feast day of St Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski Feast day of St Telesphorus Feast day of Ss Thalasius and Limneus St Thalasius lived in a cavern, extraordinary gifts, "but was a treasure unknown to the world". St Limneus was his disciple, famous for miraculous cures of the sick. Click for Eastern Orthodox liturgical days    Shop saints Washington's Birthday, United States (traditionally) Independence Day (1979), Saint Lucia     The Sunday before Lent A note about the dating of items in Wilson's Almanac Hall Sunday (moveable feast, February 22 in 2004)   The Sunday before Shrove Tuesday (February 24 in 2004), followed by Hall Monday or Hall Night. A contraction of 'hallow', meaning 'holy'. Hall Monday also known as Collop Monday from the custom of celebrating with a dish of collops (steaks).    After Shrove Tuesday follows Lent, the forty days' fast preceding Easter.   Calculator for Easter Date     Thursday before Lent, Fettiger Donnerstag, Swabia, Germany Fettiger Donnerstag ('greasy Thursday'), is so called because of the greasy cakes and pastries, or Küchli that are traditionally baked on this day in preparation for the dietary restrictions of the Lent fast. Sunday before Lent, Forgiveness Sunday, Ohrid, Yugoslav Macedonia Oprostenjedan. Families eat a fish supper together. Afterwards, the father chooses a boiled egg from a dishful on table, threads it on a string which is fastened to a stick. He holds this over own mouth then over that of each family member. Each must take turn at getting it to his own lips without using the hands. Then father dissects and distributes the egg. Using shell-halves as cups he proposes a toast: Fleas and bugs keep away from our homes And remain in the mountains afar!   Venetia Newall, An Egg at Easter: A Folklore Study, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1971, p. 252   Sunday before Lent, Cheese Sunday, Greece People spread egg-shell in the streets and cry, "Out with fleas and bugs!" A spring-cleaning fest.  Sunday and Monday before Lent, Lisbon, Portugal In Lisbon, on the Sunday and Monday preceding Lent, they played April Fools' jokes: water is thrown on people, or powder thrown on their face. Before Lent, Albania Garlic must be eaten before Lent as a charm against witchcraft. But the protective will not take effect if there is an egg in the house, which presumably could be used to cast a spell. There are various ways in which a spell might be cast: an unsuspecting victim might eat an egg with a hex on it. Newall; ibid, p. 89   Last days before Lent; Poland; girl auction Young man bargained for his sweetheart. Taken to the byre, set in a manger full of hay, and careful physical examination given, including her teeth. The successful bidder was rewarded at Easter with a gift of exquisitely decorated coloured eggs, up to 100, in a hand-embroidered hankie.  Newall; ibid, p. 125   B-P Day (Founder's Day; Thinking Day), Scouting movement The Scouting movement celebrates this day, as as it is the shared birthday of the Scouts' founder Sir Robert Baden-Powell and his wife, Lady Olave Baden-Powell, the World Chief Guide.       10000 BCE Pebbles Flintstone, the red-haired daughter of Fred and Wilma Flintstone, all fictional characters in the animated series The Flintstones 1440 Ladislaus Posthumus of Bohemia and Hungary 1732 George Washington (d. 1799), first President of the United States (Note: February 11 in the Julian Calendar that was then still in use). Washington and the Stars 'n' Stripes The Washington family coat of arms contained three five-pointed stars ('mullets') and four horizontal bars. It is possible that the Stars and Stripes was modelled on this. The Apotheosis of George Washington – man becomes deity The image recapitulated   1778 Rembrandt Peale, artist 1788 Arthur Schopenhauer (d. 1860), German philosopher who considered true philosophy as art, and accessible for only a few heads of the first order 1796 Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet (d. 1874), mathematician 1817 Carl Wilhelm Borchardt, mathematician 1819 James Russell Lowell, (d. 1891) American poet, author and diplomat 1839 Francis Pharcellus Church (d. 1906), American editor and publisher 1840 August Bebel (d. 1913), politician 1849 Nikolay Yakovlevich Sonin (d. 1915), Russian mathematician 1857 Sir Robert Baden-Powell (d. 1941), British hero of the Boer War and founder of the Scouting movement 1857 Heinrich Hertz, (d. 1894) German physicist 1864 Jules Renard, French writer in the vein of La Fontaine and La Bruyère. His prose, stripped of superfluous words, influenced later French writers. Best known for his childhood memoirs, Carrots. 1872 Eric Gill, British sculptor, typographer and engraver who designed the typefaces Perpetua and Gill Sans   1879 Norman Lindsay (d. November 21, 1969), prolific Australian artist, sculptor and author who scandalised many in his nation by his passion for the human form, but today is widely acknowledged as possibly Australia's greatest artist.  Much of his work was published in The Bulletin, and he also executed book cover illustrations for works by Bulletin author and poet, Henry Lawson. Lindsay's vast output of etchings, painting, cartoons, sculptures and so on often incorporated pagan European themes of gods, goddesses satyrs and nymphs, often in an Australian bushland setting. His book, The Magic Pudding, remains a classic of children's literature.   "In 1912 he moved to Springwood in the Blue Mountain region of New South Wales. Except for a short hiatus in the late 30's, he would live there until he died. If you've seen the movie, Sirens, you've seen the actual house and grounds. It's now The Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum and is open to the public. Lindsay created cement statuary, carved and decorated the furniture, designed and built chairs and most of all he drew. One of his pen drawings, The Crucified Venus, actually did create the stir depicted in the film and was even removed from a Melbourne art show until the president of the Society of Artists threatened to remove ALL the paintings from the exhibit unless Lindsay's drawing was reinstated. It was."   Source Shop Norman Lindsay    Lindsay chronology Lawson & Co: associations with Henry and Louisa Lawson   1878 Walter Ritz (d. 1909), Swiss physicist 1880 Frigyes Riesz, mathematician   1886 Hugo Ball (pictured; d. September 14, 1927), Dada poet and author (Flametti; Zur Kritik der deutschen Intelligenz), born at Pirmasens, Germany. A staunch pacifist, he left Germany during World War I for neutral Switzerland in 1916. Way ahead of his time, in Zurich on February 5, 1916 he founded Cabaret Voltaire, frequented by such luminaries as Tristan Tzara, Jean Arp, Guillaume Apollinaire, Marcel Janco, Vassily Kandinsky, Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso, Max Oppenheimer, Jules Laforgue and Vladimir Lenin. His intentions with regard to Cabaret Voltaire (the club) he defined as follows: "It is necessary to clarify the intentions of this cabaret. It is its aim to remind the world that there are people of independent minds – beyond war and nationalism – who live for different ideals." This he wrote in 'Lorsque je fondis le Cabaret Voltaire' ('Why I founded the Cabaret Voltaire'), in Cabaret Voltaire, the eponymous magazine he founded on June 15, 1916.   "Everybody their own football."   Dada: "hobby horse" in French, "father" in English, "yes, yes" in Romania, a "cube" and a "wet-nurse" in Italian, or nothing: a phonetic babble on the threshold of meaning. "DADA DOES NOT MEAN ANYTHING" – Tristan Tzara "Dada lends itself easily to puns. That is why we selected it." – Andre Breton   Dada art    Dadaists, mini-biographies    International Dada Archive    More on Dadaism   1889 Lady Olave Baden-Powell GBE (née Soames; d. 1977), Chief Girl Guide 1892 Edna St Vincent Millay (d. 1950), writer 1899 Dwight Frye (d. 1943), actor 1899 Dechko Uzunov (d. 1986), painter 1900 Luis Buñuel (d. 1983), Spanish surrealist film director (Le Chien Andalou; The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie) 1901 Ken G Hall (Kenneth George Hall; d. February 8, 1994), pioneer Australian film writer, producer and director (The Exploits of the Emden; On Our Selection; Dad and Dave Come to Town) 1903 Morley Callaghan, (d. 1990) Canadian writer 1903 Frank Plumpton Ramsey (d. 1903), mathematician 1907 Sheldon Leonard, actor, writer, director, producer 1907 Robert Young (d. 1998), actor 1908 Sir John Mills (d. April 23, 2005), Academy Award winning English actor whose career spanned seventy years and more than 120 films; he was knighted in 1976 The indefatigable John Mills Although he lost his eyesight in 1990, till the end of his life Sir John still played both blind and seeing characters. Sir John was the father of actresses Juliet Mills and Hayley Mills, and grandfather of Crispian Mills, lead singer of Kula Shaker, whose second single went straight to Number 2 in the UK. "Unprepossessing and slight of stature, Mills played mild-mannered but iron-willed leads early in his career, instead of callow juveniles. He built on this foundation to become one of England's most reliable and enormously popular stars. A teacher's son, he gravitated to the stage as a youth, and was already an accomplished song-and-dance man in his early 20s (a skill he put to good use in an early starring vehicle, 1937's Four Dark Hours aka The Green Cockatoo."   Source   1926 Kenneth Williams (d. 1988), actor 1927 Guy Mitchell, singer 1932 Edward Kennedy, politician and brother of John F Kennedy and Robert F Kennedy 1941 Hipólito Mejía, former President of the Dominican Republic (2000 - '04) 1944 Jonathan Demme, director 1944 Robert Kardashian, lawyer for OJ Simpson 1950 Miou-Miou, actress 1950 Julie Walters, actress 1959 Kyle MacLachlan, actor 1962 Steve Irwin (d. September 4, 2006), Australian herpetologist and TV personality (The Crocodile Hunter) 1967 Alf Poier, Austrian comedian 1968 Jeri Ryan, actress 1975 Drew Barrymore, American actress 1982 Jenna Haze, erotic actress   Phew!! Have a rest before the big This day in history section Send free e-cards to friends & family for celebrations & any topic Do you forget birthdays and anniversaries? Schedule your cards to be sent during the coming year. Zodiac birthday Free astrology e-cards Keep In Touch Birthdays Quotes And Poetry Islam Varies Full Moon Day Varies Friday the 13th Varies Buddhist e-cards Varies Christian e-cards Varies Hindu e-cards Varies Jewish e-cards Varies Muslim e-cards Varies Pagan e-cards Varies Peace e-cards Varies Friendship e-cards Varies Chinese New Year Varies Vasant Panchami Varies Maha Shivaratri Varies Mardi Gras Varies Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) Varies Ash Wednesday / Lent Varies Holi February 20 Love Your Pet Day 20 Cherry Pie Day 21 Directory Day 22 George Washington Day (USA) 22 Teddy Bear Day 22 World Thinking Day 23 Tennis Day 23 Banana Bread Day 24 Calendar Day 24 Obnoxious Day 24 Children's Day 25 Cuddle Day 27 Polar Bear Day March 1 Pig Day 1 Share A Smile Day 1 St David's Day 1 Peanut Butter Lovers' Day 2 Banana Cream Pie Day 2 Give Up Easily Day 3 I Want You To Be Happy Day 3 Employee Appreciation Day 3 National Anthem Day (USA) 3 Hina Matsuri (Japan) 4 Tavern Day 5 Say Hi To Mom Day 5 Multiple Personality Day 6 Chocolate Cheesecake Day 6 Dentists' Day 7 Cereal Day 8 International Women's Day 8 No Smoking Day 9 Telephone Day 10 Money Day 11 Dream Day 11 Frankenstein's Birthday 12 Plant A Flower Day 12 Alfred Hitchcock Day 12 Department Store Day 13 Uranus Day 14 Pi Day 14 Potato Chip Day 14 Genius Day 14 White Day 15 Ides Of March 15 Buzzard Day 16 Everything You Do Is Right Day ... More Events Visit the Blogmanac, where today's Almanac is 'live' And I hope you will sign my GuestMap Your family and friends will get a kick when they hear their own name being sung in 'Happy Birthday'!! You can schedule your singing cards in advance, and even add your own face to funny animations. (Pay cards)         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   1290s BCE Egypt: The coronation of Ramses II, on whose face the sun's rays fall each year in Abu Simbel temple. Ramses II (the Great) was an Egyptian pharaoh (lived c. 1320 BCE - 1224 BCE, reigned 1290 BCE - 1224 BCE). His name is sometimes spelled Rameses, and was known to the Ancient Greeks as Sesostris. His mummy was found at Deir-al-Bahari in 1881 and five years later placed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where it is still exhibited. 965 Death of Odo, Duke of Burgundy. 1281 Martin IV became Pope. 1288 Nicholas IV became Pope. 1495 King Charles VIII of France, aged 24, entered Naples to claim the city's throne. 1512 Amerigo Vespucci (b. 1454), Genoan merchant, navigator and sea explorer, died.  It's generally believed that the Americas were named for him, but there is some conjecture that the continents might derive their name from Amorica, the fabled continent of Greek mythology, rather than after the explorer. 1630 Popcorn was allegedly invented by Native American Quadquina, Massachusetts Bay Colony, America. What quite likely happened was that European colonists were first offered popcorn on this day at their first Thanksgiving dinner. 1632 Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems was published. 1681 Captain Richard Dudley, companion of the highwayman James Nevison ('Swiftnicks'), was executed. "A Companion of the HighwayMan whom King Charles 11. dubbed Swiftnicks for his Ride to York. Executed 22nd of February, 1681."   Source Highwaymen, outlaws, bushrangers, pirates, gangsters, etc in the Book of Days 1744 The Battle of Toulon began. 1790 French soldiers landed in Britain at Fishguard but were quickly captured. 1791 The first land grant in Australia was made to a freed convict: land at Parramatta was granted to James Ruse. "James RUSE has been called Australia's first farmer. He was a convict sentenced to seven years transportation for breaking and entering in 1782, and arrived in the colony of New South Wales on the First Fleet in 1788. In 1789, Ruse was given 12 hectares of land near Parramatta, which he turned into the colony's first proper farm, growing grain and vegetables. After his sentence expired in 1792, the title of the land was deeded to him, the first land grant in the colony. He died in 1837."   Source 1808 The Chase Vault Mystery: One of Thomas Chase's daughters, Mary Anna Maria, died at the age of two. She was placed inside a lead coffin and interred within the vault at Christ Church alongside Thomasina Goddard. Once again the pallbearers sealed it with a marble slab ... That's where the spooky stuff began. The Chase Vault is a burial vault on the cemetery of the Christ Church Parish Church in Oistins, Christ Church Parish, Barbados. It is best known for a series of unexplained incidents in the early 19th century involving the coffins within the vault. "In the coastal fishing port of Oistins on the island of Barbados is Christ Church Parish Church. Just inside the entrance to its cemetary [sic] is an open vault belonging to a wealthy family who have not placed their dead within its walls for the better part of one hundred and eighty two years, ever since some macabre events in the early nineteenth century ..." Source: The strange case of the Barbados vault 1819 By the Adams-Onís Treaty, Spain sold Florida to the United States for five million US dollars, in a treaty signed by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams.   1838 Spring Heeled Jack strikes again Spring Heeled Jack (also Springheel Jack, Spring-heel Jack, etc) is a character from English folklore said to have existed during the Victorian era. "Jane Alsop (18) was in her home on Bearhind Lane in the district of Bow, when she heard a wrapping on the door.  Answering the door, a black cloaked man exclaimed "I'm a policeman. For Gods sake, bring me a light, for we have caught Spring-heeled Jack in the lane" (a black cloak was traditional uniform attire for policemen of this era).  Jane, who lived with her father and two sisters, went to fetch a light for the man.  She returned with a candle and as she was handing the light to the man, it shone on his face and she noticed that it was Spring Heeled Jack.  He immediately spat a blue and white 'gas' into her face.  She attempted to run back into the house but he held on tightly to the back of her hair.  One of her sisters managed to pull her out of his grasps and drug her back into the house.  Spring Heeled Jack continued banging on the door some time before hastily leaving.  Witnesses claim that Spring Heeled Jack left quickly, dropping his coat in a field by Jane's home.  Another person was seen scooping up the coat and leaving the area leading police to believe that Spring Heeled Jack may have an accomplice.  The Lambeth police took Jane's statement: He wore a large helmet and a sort of tight-fitting costume that felt like oilskin. But the cape was just like the ones worn by the policemen. His hands were as cold as ice and like powerful claws. But the most frightening thing about him was his eyes. They shone like balls of fire. "The following day another incident occurred on Turner Street near Commercial Road.  Once again Spring Heeled Jack knocked on the resident's door.  When a servant boy answered the door, Spring Heeled Jack asked to speak to the master of the house, Mr. Ashworth.  The boy turned to call Mr. Ashworth when he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that the visitor was none other than Spring Heeled Jack.  With glowing orange eyes and clawed hands, Spring Heeled Jack waved his fist at the boy and leapt over the houses on Commercial Road.  The lad was able to supply an additional piece of evidence - under his cloak, the lad noticed that Spring Heeled Jack had an embroidered letter 'W' on his shirt.  Similar to a coat of arms, the Gold 'W' seemed to indicate someone of royalty." Source    More    More    See also February 20, 1838   1855 Australia: Thirteen gold-diggers were acquitted in Melbourne of charges of rioting and manslaughter at the Eureka Stockade. 1865 USA: Tennessee adopted a new constitution that abolished slavery. 1875 Death of Sir Charles Lyell (b. 1797), geologist. 1876 Johns Hopkins University was founded in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. 1876 Fourteen-year-old Carolina Olsson, of Mönsteras, Sweden, fell into a mysterious sleep which lasted until April 3, 1908. She then lived a normal life until April 1950, when she died, an 89-year-old woman. 1879 USA: In Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth opened the first of many ' 5 and 10-cent' Woolworth stores, which started him off in the business that made him a multi-millionaire. 1886 The London Times published the world's first classified personal column. 1889 USA President Grover Cleveland signed a bill admitting North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington as US states. 1894 Marius Monfray, French anarchist and trade unionist, died in Lyons. In November 1886, he was given eight days in prison for organizing an illegal lottery (in support for Bordat during the 'Trial of the 66'). "Vive l'anarchie!" was his response – one that got him two years in prison for "contempt of court". 1901 Death of George Francis FitzGerald, mathematician. 1917 The Russian Revolution began. 1920 In Emeryville, California, USA, the first dog race track to employ an imitation rabbit opened. 1921 A wave of strikes emerged in Petrograd, Russia, protesting factory conditions and the discipline of 'war communism'. 1923 The United States began the first transcontinental air mail route. 1924 Calvin Coolidge became the first President of the United States to deliver a radio broadcast from the White House. 1934 General Anastasio Somosa executed the charismatic Nicaraguan guerrilla leader, his rival general Augusto Sandino. 1940 Five-year-old Tenzin Gyatso was enthroned as His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama. The 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso (b. 1935), was installed in Lhasa, Tibet, as the 14th Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are believed to be the reincarnation of their predecessors, in an unbroken line stretching back nearly six centuries. Certain lamas, or Buddhist priests, set out in 1938 to find the new incarnation of the god-king of their Himalayan nation. A three-year-old boy, according to tradition, had to be found, who could pass various tests. Little Tenzin was able to do these, including choosing various objects that had belonged to his predecessors from a group of objects. Words of Truth: A prayer composed by HH The Dalai Lama   Circulating on the Net "This is what The Dalai Lama had to say on the millennium. Think of how great the world would be if everyone followed these simple rules. 1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. 2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson. 3. Follow the three Rs: Respect for self, respect for others and responsibility for all your actions. 4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. 5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly. 6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship. 7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. 8. Spend some time alone every day. 9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values. 10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. 11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time. 12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life. 13. In disagreements with loved ones deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past. 14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality. 15. Be gentle with the earth. 16. Once a year, go some place you've never been before. 17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other. 18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it. 19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon." Not so. It's a Net hoax: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/dalai.htm http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/dalailama.html The words apparently come from the best-selling Life's Little Instruction Book by Jackson Brown and H Jackson Brown, Jr. Another supposed Dalai Lama letter: http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/dalai.htm Help break the chain. Before passing on such emails, or the ones about missing children, check first with http://www.snopes.com/.   1942 World War II: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered General Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines as American defence collapsed. 1943 Members of White Rose were executed by guillotine in Nazi Germany. The White Rose (German: Die Weiße Rose) was a group of five students who formed a resistance movement in Nazi Germany from June 1942 to February 1943. Based in Munich, the group released six leaflets, calling on Germans to engage in passive resistance against the regime. A seventh leaflet, which may have been prepared, was never released because the group was captured by the Gestapo. 1944  At 7:35 pm, Kasturba, the wife of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi), Indian leader and proponent of civil disobedience, died at the age of 74 in detention at Aga Khan Palace. The saree woven from yarn spun by Gandhiji was wrapped round her body. 1946 Dr Selman Abraham Waksman announced the discovery of streptomycin, an antibiotic which can treat tuberculosis and bacterial infections. 1956 Elvis Presley entered the music charts for the first time, with 'Heartbreak Hotel'. 1965 Sam Lovejoy cut down the weather tower for a proposed nuclear plant at Montague, Massachusetts, USA. This was the first act of civil disobedience against nuclear power in the USA. 1966 "… the Soviets launched Kosmos 110, which carried the two-dog crew of Ugolyok (Little Piece of Coal) and Veterok (Breeze) into Earth orbit. It landed on March 16, 1966, after a 22-day flight. This flight still stands as a canine record; it was not surpassed by humans until 1974, when Skylab 2 carried three men into space for a total of 28 days. "Ugolyok and Veterok were not the first animals in space, nor would they be the last. In June of 1948, at White Sands, New Mexico, Dr. Harry G. Armstrong launched a Rhesus monkey named Albert into sub-orbital flight aboard a V2 rocket."    Source 1966 Barry Bondhus dumped 10 pounds of his own shit on US Army draft files. 1967 Suharto took power from Sukarno in Indonesia. 1969 Barbara Jo Rubin won a United States thoroughbred horse race, making history as the first woman to do so. 1971 A fourteen-year-old boy who stowed away in the undercarriage of a jet bound for Tokyo, fell to his death above Sydney, Australia. 1973 Cold War: Following President Richard Nixon's visit to China, the United States and the People's Republic of China agreed to establish liaison offices. 1976 Former Supreme, Florence Ballard, 32, died of coronary thrombosis in Detroit, USA. Despite having been an original member of the premiere female vocal trio (they had ten Number One pop hits in the '60s), Ballard lived on welfare her last few years after losing an $8.7 million suit against Motown Records in 1971 for back royalties. 1977 Italy: Following a trade union open meeting in Naples, Italy, luxury shops were plundered. 1979 Independence of Saint Lucia from the United Kingdom. 1983 USA: Nearly four years after the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant meltdown (March 28, 1979), the Salem-One reactor in Massachusetts almost causes another disaster when its automatic-shutdown system failed. The circuit breakers were supposed to trigger control rods that shut down the reactor. They were designed to be oiled every six months, but an investigation revealed they had been lubricated only once in the previous seven years – and the wrong lubricant was used. 1994 Aldrich Ames and his wife were charged by the United States Department of Justice with spying for the Soviet Union. Ames would later be convicted to life imprisonment and his wife would receive 5 years in prison. 1997 In Roslin, Scotland, scientists announced that an adult sheep named Dolly had been successfully cloned and had been born on July 5, 1996. 1997 Nearly 100,000 protesters marched in Paris against a new anti-immigration bill sponsored by the fascist far right. Activism & action page    Protest pictures (current) 1999 William Bronk, American poet (b. 1918) died. 2002 An MH-47E Chinook helicopter crashed into the ocean near the Philippines, killing all 10 aboard. 2006 Al Askari Mosque was bombed. 2006 Dushanbe synagogue was demolished. 2006 At least six men staged Britain's biggest ever robbery, stealing £53m (about $92.5 million or €78 million) from a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent.     Tomorrow: The man who could not be hanged    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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