On This Day November 13th

 OTD

November 13th is the 317th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 48 days remain until the end of the year.

 Events

1002 – English king Æthelred II orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St. Brice's Day massacre.

1715 – Jacobite rising in Scotland: Battle of Sheriff Muir: The forces of the Kingdom of Great Britain halt the Jacobite advance, although the action is inconclusive.

1841 – James Braid first sees a demonstration of animal magnetism by Charles Lafontaine, which leads to his study of the subject he eventually calls hypnotism.

1887 – Bloody Sunday clashes in central London.

1918 – World War I: Allied troops occupy Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

1927 – The Holland Tunnel opens to traffic as the first Hudson River vehicle tunnel linking New Jersey to New York City.

1940 – Walt Disney's animated musical film Fantasia is first released at New York's Broadway Theatre on the first night of a roadshow.

1956 – The United States Supreme Court declared Alabama laws requiring segregated buses illegal, thus ending the Montgomery bus boycott.

1985 – The volcano Nevado del Ruiz erupts and melts a glacier, causing a lahar (volcanic mudslide) that buries Armero, Colombia, killing approximately 23,000 people.

2012 – A total solar eclipse occurs in Australia and the South Pacific.

 Birthdays

354 – Augustine of Hippo, Roman bishop and theologian (d. 430)

1715 – Dorothea Erxleben, German first female medical doctor (d. 1762)

1814 – Joseph Hooker, American general (d. 1879)

1850 – Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish novelist, poet, and essayist (d. 1894)

1881 – Jesús García, Mexican railroad brakeman (d. 1907)

1911 – Buck O'Neil, American baseball player and manager (d. 2006)

1924 – Motoo Kimura, Japanese biologist and geneticist (d. 1994)

1941 – David Green, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Hobby Lobby

1946 – Ray Wylie Hubbard, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist

1963 – Vinny Testaverde, American football player

1979 – Metta Sandiford-Artest, an American basketball player

 Holiday Spotlight

Fasching

Fasching originated in the German cities of Mainz and Speyer during the early 13th Century. By 1234, the festival had already become established in Cologne. In the past, Fasching was often characterized by extravagant and frivolous traditions, including handing the city's keys to a council of fools. Activities involved noisy parades, plays, masked balls, satirical plays, and excessive or impertinent behavior. As a result of the Protestant Reformation in Europe during the 16th Century, most of these elaborate traditions died down.

 However, Fasching's fun nature has been restored recently, as it is marked by spectacular parades and parties worldwide. The women’s carnival is the first day of the street carnivals, known as ‘Weiberfastnacht.’ Today, women parade the streets in costumes and engage in harmless but mischievous behavior, such as cutting off men’s ties to leave only the knot. This is followed by an apologetic peck on their cheek. Rose Monday is another festival day, where a four-mile parade is held, with members of local carnival clubs dressing up as witches, clowns, or wizards. People line the streets to watch the procession and participate in the fun.

 The height of the Fasching celebrations is called Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday. In Germany, the day is celebrated on a small scale. Still, in other parts of the world, the day is spent spectacularly as people attend and participate in parades in cities such as Venice, Rio de Janeiro, and New Orleans. On Ash Wednesday, the festival ends, and the 40-day fasting season begins.

 

 Other Include

Angola Independence Day

Metal Day

National Education Day

National Indiana Day

National Origami Day

National Saddle Hunting Day

Pocky Day

Puerto Princesa Underground River Day

Saint Martin’s Day

Singles Day

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

In This Day December 3rd

The Lightning Mind of Benjamin Franklin: Innovator, Statesman, and Sage

On This Day January 13th