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Clara Bow, no matter how great her popularity, was a low-life and disgrace to the community.
Budd Schulberg, Paramount producer BP Schulberg's son; American actress Clara Bow was born on July 29, 1905

The more I see of men, the more I like dogs.
Clara Bow

It? Hell, she had Those!
Dorothy Parker; on 'It' girl, Clara Bow

Of all the men I've known, there was a man.
Clara Bow on director Victor Fleming

Tarasque

Highly recommended:
Folklore of World Holidays
by Margaret Read MacDonald

Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth

The Universe Is a Green Dragon: A Cosmic Creation Story

 

The Celtic Dragon Tarot

 

Dragonology

 

St. George and the Dragon and the Quest for the Holy Grail

 

Dragons and Dragon Lore

 

The Book of Dragons & Other Mythical Beasts

 

Dragons and Unicorns : A Natural History

 

Wonder Beasts : Tales and Lore of the Phoenix, the Griffin, the Unicorn, and the Dragon

 

The Book of Dragons: Tales and Legends from Many Lands

Pattern Recognition
By William Gibson

Reading Lolita in Tehran

Internet Sacred Text Archive CD-ROM

The Elements of Ritual

The Spiral Dance
By Starhawk
20th Anniversary Edition

Medieval Celebrations

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Search by keywords for books, music, computers, software, home and family products and much more.

Women's Activism and Globalization

The Atlas of Holy Places and Sacred Sites

Secrets and Lies

The Clash of Civilizations

Imperial Crusades

The Medieval Cookbook

The Spiritual Traveler

The Murray Bookchin Reader

Astro pic of the day

American Folklore

Permaculture

African Folklore

Daily Everything

A Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend, and Folklore

The Edible Asian Garden

The Secret Language of Birthdays


More books, calendars, T-shirts, mugs, music, posters, etc at  
Cafe Diem!

Celtic Daily Prayer

Hidden Agendas

Photo of the day

Wheel of the Year

Dream A Little Dream: The Cass Elliot Collection

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable

The Survival of the Pagan Gods

Feast day of St Olaf (Olaus; Olav II; Olave), king of Norway

Olaf (995 - July 29, 1030; king from 1015 - 1028) is regarded by most Norwegians as the great hero of national independence. He brought missionaries to Norway to evangelize his people and tried to force Christianity on them, but they revolted in 1029, and drove him to Russia. Today is commemorated as Õlavsøka, St Olav or Olaf's holiday, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands (Jul 28 is Õlavsøka Eve), opening of the Løgting (parliament) session.

Olaf's patronage includes carvers, difficult marriages, kings and Norway. St Olave Hart Street in the City of London is the burial place of Samuel Pepys and his wife.

Time of Thorn/Feast day of King Olaf II

Around this time, ancient Northern Tradition honours the god whom the Anglo-Saxons called Thunor and the Norse, Thor. The time of Thorn, as it is known, is a period of proper order and higher powers. This day also honours the sainted Norwegian king, Olaf, murdered around Lammas Day (an ancient festival on August 1, a time when other European kings of old were allegedly murdered, but in fact relates to harvest magic). Traditionally it was portrayed on calendars with the sign of the axe.

Today in the Old Icelandic Calendar

Java applet © Tim Stridmann, http://norse.ulver.com

Metageitnion Noumenia, ancient Greece
A festival honouring all gods and goddesses, is celebrated from sundown to sundown.
Source: Earth, Moon and Sky

Dog Days, ancient Rome (Jul 3 - Aug 11)

First Thursday after July 25, Oyster season, UK
"The oyster season begins, and the oyster-fishing boats are blessed on the first Thursday after the 25th at Whitstable, Kent, a town famous for its oysters. People say that if you eat oysters today, you'll have plenty of money during the year to come."   Source

Feast day of St Callinicus

Feast day of St John Baptist Lo

Feast day of St Joseph Tshang

Feast day of St Kilian

Feast day of St Lazarus of Bethany
Lazarus of Bethany or Lazarus of the Four Days was a believer of Jesus Christ who was resurrected by Jesus.

Feast day of St Louis Bertran

Feast day of St Lucilla and Companions

Feast day of St Lupus

Feast day of St Mancius of the Holy Cross

Feast day of St Olaus, king of Sweden
He was murdered c. 950 at Birca, Sweden (near modern Stockholm) because he would not sacrifice to the Viking deities.

Feast day of St Paul Tcheng

Feast day of St Peter of the Holy Mother of God

Feast day of St Seraphina

Feast day of St Serapia

Feast day of Ss Simplicius and Faustinus, brothers, and Beatrix (Beatrice), their sister, martyrs
Christian martyrs and saints at Rome during the Diocletian persecution (302 or 303). Little is known about them. In Christian art, Simplicius is depicted with a pennant, on the shield of which (called 'the crest of Simplicius') are three lilies, symbols of purity of heart; St Beatrix has a cord in her hand, because she was strangled.

More

Feast day of St Urban II

Feast day of St William, Bishop of St-Brieuc

Click for Eastern Orthodox liturgical days    Shop saints

Late July, Umotomboko (Umutomboko), Luapula Province, Zambia
The Umotomboko festival is held by the chief of the Kazanbe kingdom once a year. Many ceremonial speeches are made, and people dance to drums and xylophones and wear traditional tribal costumes. Since 1971 it has been an annual ceremony, held during the last weekend of every July in the Eastern Lunda capital, Mwansabombwe, by order of Mwata Kazembe XVI Paul Kanyembo.

"Legend has it the Mighty Chief Mwata Yamva ordered his people to build a tower that would reach the sky, so that they could bring him the sun and the moon.

"Unfortunately the tower collapsed in useless attempts to build it, and many of the families fled in terror from the chief, led by Kazembe. The refugee tribe travelled south across the river conquering nearly all the tribes they came across.

"Every time they won a battle and conquered a tribe they celebrated a victory they called Umotomboko. The two day ceremony is a very grand affair involving ritual performances, pounding drums, and lots of eating and drinking. 

"The chief, smeared with white powder, and wearing brightly coloured cotton skirts with a western suit jacket goes to pay homage to his ancestral spirits."   Source

The Fiesta of the Near Death Experience, As Neves, Spain (annual)

"Every year the small parish town of As Neves, lying south of the ferocious Río Miño (Minho) that marks the border between Portugal and Spain, sees thousands converge on the town's streets for the Fiesta de Santa Marta de Ribarteme, or the Fiesta of the Near-Death Experience.

"The throngs of devotees of Santa Marta, the town's patron saint, known as the 'saint of death', besiege the church and surrounding area for a day to pay their respects. All these people hold one thing in common - they have all nearly died.

"One of the main festival highlights sees all manner of people being carried in their coffins by friends and relatives, in a procession that follows the effigy of Santa Marta around the church. It is not uncommon even to see the odd loner having to carry his own."   Source

Ranggeln at Mt Hundstein, Germany
Ranggeln is an ancient style of wrestling (the Wrangler brand of jeans owes its name to it) still practised in Austria. The St Jacob's Day (July 29) Ranggeln festival at the summit of Mt Hundstein harks back to pre-Christian Celtic Lughnasadh (August 1) festivities which often contained athletic events.

Maîtresse Silvérine, Voudon
Maîtresse Silvérine, who only very slightly tastes of food offered to her. Maîtresse Lorvana, who smells flowers for her nourishment, Voudon (Voodoo).

"Voudun: Festival honoring Maîtresse Silvérine, who only very slightly tastes of food offered to her; and Maîtresse Lorvana, who smells flowers for her nourishment."   
Source: Earth, Moon and Sky

Gion Matsuri, Kyoto, Japan (all of July)

National Anthem Day, Romania

On which day of the week were you born? Find out here

1166 Henry II of Champagne (d. 1197)

1255 Albert I of Habsburg (d. May 1, 1308), Emperor of Germany, found in the William Tell and apple legend

1801 George Bradshaw (d. 1853), English publisher

1805 Alexis de Tocqueville (d. 1859), French political scientist who wrote Démocratie en Amérique after visiting America and observing its new political institutions

1843 Johannes Schmidt (d. 1901), German linguist

1849 Max Nordau (d. 1923), author, philosopher and Zionist leader

1869 Booth Tarkington (d. 1946), author 

1874 James Shaver Woodsworth (d. 1942), Methodist minister, social worker, politician

1876 Maria Ouspenskaya (d. 1949), actress

1878 Don Marquis (d. 1937), author

1883 Benito Mussolini (d. 1945), Italian dictator

1887 Sigmund Romberg (d. 1951), Hungarian-born composer (The Student Prince; Desert Song)

1892 William Powell (d. 1984), actor

1905 Clara Bow (d. 1965), American actress known as the 'It' girl, from the movie It

"Later to become the personification of the flaming Roaring Twenties, Clara Bow was born and brought up in near poverty in Brooklyn, New York. She won a photo beauty contest which started a movie career of some 56 feature films. Best known as the uninhibited flapper, she reached the top as the 'It Girl' in 1927. With the advent of sound and the Depression's disfavorable [sic] attitude towards Jazz-age extravagances, her popularity faded. Also. adding to her problems, were gambing debts, unpaid taxes and several sensational public court battles involving alienation of affections and embezzlement (by her secretary.) She then married cowboy star Rex Bell and retired from the screen at age 26. Plagued by personal crises, a weight problem and mental instability, she never made another film. She died in 1965."   Source  

"Clara Bowtinelli was discovered while working at a Coney Island Hot Dog stand run by Nathan Handwerker (who later found fame as the founder of Nathan's Franks."   Source

Biography and pix   More pix

1905 Dag Hammarskjöld (d. 1961), UN Secretary-General

1905 Thelma Todd (d. 1935), actress

1906 Diana Vreeland (d. 1989), fashion editor

1907 Melvin Belli (d. 1996), attorney, actor

1924 Lloyd Bochner, Canadian actor

1930 Paul Taylor, dancer, choreographer

1932 Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker, US Senator (1978 - 1996)

1938 Peter Jennings, television news anchor

1941 David Warner, actor

1942 Tony Sirico, actor (The Sopranos)

1950 Wendy Hughes, Australian actress

1953 Ken Burns, television producer and director

1953 Geddy Lee, musician (Rush)

1959 Ruud Janssen, teacher, writer, artist, active in mail art

1965 Chang-Rae Lee, author

1972 Wil Wheaton, actor (Stand By Me; Star Trek: The Next Generation)

1973 Stephen Dorff, actor

Phew!! Have a rest before the big This day in history section

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Zodiac birthday Free astrology e-cards Friendship Day [ Early August, varies ] Birthdays Rain Day [ Jul 29 ] Music e-cards

Varies Full Moon Day
Varies Friday the 13^th
Varies Hindu holidays
Varies Graduation
Varies Raksha Bandhan
Early August Friendship Day

July

29 Rain Day
30 Cheesecake Day
31 Jump For Jellybeans Day
31 Cotton Candy Day
31 Raspberry Cake Day

August

1 Respect For Parents Day
1 Girlfriends Day
2 Ice Cream Sandwich Day
3 Watermelon Day
3 Grab Some Nuts Day
4 Champagne Day
4 Coast Guard Day
4 Pie Day (Minnesota, USA)
5 Blackmail Day
5 Mustard Day
6 Halfway Point Of Summer
6 Cards For Sister
6 International Forgiveness Day
7 Lighthouse Day
8 Cheesecake Day
9 Send An Email Greeting Day
10 Lazy Day
10 Grab Some Nuts Day
11 Sons And Daughters Day
11 Chinese Valentine's Day
12 Thank You Day
12 Aloha Day
13 Left-Handers Day
14 Independence Day (Pakistan)
15 Sit Back And Relax Day
15 Independence Day (India)
16 True Love Forever Day
16 Joke Day
16 Roller Coaster Day
17 #2 Pencil Day
19 Daffodil Day

  ... More Events

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238 Death of Pupienus and Balbinus, Roman emperors, assassinated.

1014 Battle of Kleidion: Basil II inflicted not only a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, but his subsequent savage treatment of 15,000 prisoners reportedly caused Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria to die of shock.

1099 Death of Pope Urban II.

1108 Death of King Philip I of France (b. 1052).

1507 Death of Martin Behaim (b. 1459), navigator, geographer.

1565 Mary Queen of Scots married her half first-cousin, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley.

1567 James VI of Scotland (James I of England; 'Queen James') was crowned at Stirling.

1588 Battle of Gravelines: The Spanish Armada was defeated by an English naval force under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake off the coast of Gravelines, France.

Big Drake webpage    More

 

Hero or villain? Sir Francis Drake : The Queen's Pirate

1644 Death of Pope Urban VIII.

1693 The Battle of Landen.

1793 John Graves Simcoe decided to build a fort and settlement at Toronto, Canada, having sailed into the bay there.

1829 The shoemakers of Newcastle, England, held a coronation of their patron, St Crispin, conducting a procession through the streets with much merriment and drinking.

1833 Death of William Wilberforce (b. 1759), British campaigner against slavery. He died just a month before the Slavery Abolition Act was passed, giving all slaves in the British Empire their freedom.

1848 Irish Potato Famine: Tipperary Revolt – In Tipperary, an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule was put down by police.

1851 Annibale de Gasparis discovered asteroid 15 Eunomia.

1856 Death of Robert Schumann (b. 1810), composer.

1858 United States and Japan signed the Harris Treaty. Japan granted trade concessions to the United States, and civil rights to American citizens in Japan.

1864 American Civil War: Confederate spy Belle Boyd was arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, DC.

1890 Death of Vincent van Gogh (b. 1853), Dutch Post-Impressionist painter, after having shot himself in the chest two days previously.

1900 In Italy, King Umberto I of Italy was assassinated by Italian-born anarchist Gaetano Bresci.

1907  Dorset, England: Sir Robert Baden-Powell founded the Boy Scouts movement with the first scout camp at Brownsea Island.

1914 The first trans-continental telephone was call made in the USA.

1914 Tsar Nicholas II of Russia mobilized 1.2 million troops after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo the previous day.

1932 Great Depression: In Washington, DC, US troops dispersed the last of the 'Bonus Army' of World War I veterans.

1942 The Japanese moved down the Kokoda Track towards Port Moresby, New Guinea.

1945 The BBC Light Programme radio station was launched, aimed at mainstream light entertainment and music.

1947 After being shut off on November 9, 1946 for a refurbishment, ENIAC, the world's first all-electronic digital computer, was turned on after a memory upgrade. It remained in continuous operation until October 2, 1955.

1952 The Alexandria Gazette reported on a wave of flying saucer sightings from Indiana to Washington, DC, USA.

1954 First ascent of K2, the second highest mountain on Earth.

1954 The first part of JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings was published in the UK.

1957 The International Atomic Energy Agency was established.

1958 The United States Congress formally created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

1965 Vietnam War: The first 4,000 101^st Airborne Division paratroopers arrived in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay.

1966 Bob Dylan was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident near his home in Woodstock, New York.

1967 Vietnam War: Off the coast of North Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin, fire swept the USS Forrestal, in the worst US naval disaster since World War II (134 American servicemen were killed, 62 injured, 21 planes were destroyed and 42 more damaged).

1968 Pope Paul VI condemned birth control.

1971 Richard Neville, Felix Dennis and Jim Anderson, the 'Oz 3', were found guilty in London's Old Bailey Court on obscenity charges related to the Schoolkids issue of Oz magazine, formerly from Sydney. It was the longest obscenity trial in British history. See July 19, 1971 for more on the Oz Trial.

1972 US: the Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional.

1974 Mama Cass (Cass Elliot; b. 1941) of The Mamas and the Papas was found dead of a heart attack.

Cass didn't choke to death on a ham sandwich

"Cass Elliot's death was initially misreported as having been caused by her choking on a sandwich. The true cause of death, a heart attack, was not determined until an autopsy was performed a week later, but by that time the 'ham sandwich' story had become entrenched in the public's mind.

"The first reports of Cass Elliot's death said that her physician had stated she 'probably choked to death on a sandwich', and the next day's post-mortem reportedly 'showed that she died as a result of choking on a sandwich while in bed and from inhaling her own vomit'. However, Dr. Keith Simpson, the pathologist who performed the autopsy on Elliot, found no traces of food blocking her trachea …"
More

Important dates in the career of the Mamas and Papas

Creeque Alley - An Analysis

Wilson's Almanac Book of Days hip list

 

1976 USA: In New York City, the 'Son of Sam' pulled a gun from a paper bag, killing one and seriously wounding another in the first of a series of attacks that terrorised the city for the next year.

1976 "In 1976 two milkmen spotted a lion near Nottingham airport. 'We both saw what certainly to us was a lion ... its head down and its long bushy tail had a bushy end. It was walking slowly away from us.' Different account put him at 15 or 50 yards. The police mounted a huge search with dogs, loudhailers, and a helicopter, but nothing was found. A local farmer at Clipston, near Cotgrave, found strange footprints on his land. There were 65 reported sightings of lions in the next eight days, one of which turned out to be a large, brown paper bag. No lion was ever found."   Source

1981 Lady Diana Spencer married Charles, Prince of Wales in St Paul's Cathedral.

1993 The Israeli Supreme Court acquitted accused Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk of all charges and he was set free.

1996 The child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act (1996) was struck down by a US federal court as too broad.

2004 At the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts, US Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts accepted the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.

2005 Astronomers discovered a 10^th planet.

 

Tomorrow: Mr Eternity, the greatest graffitist

 

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