On This Day February 9th

 OTD

February 9th is the Fortieth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 325 days remain until the end of the year.

 

Events

474 – Zeno is crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.

1098 – The First Crusade army under Bohemond of Taranto's leadership wins a battle against Seljuq emir Ridwan of Aleppo during the siege of Antioch.

1539 – The first recorded race is held on Chester Racecourse, known as the Roodee.

1775 – American Revolutionary War: The British Parliament declares Massachusetts in rebellion.

1822 – Haiti attacks the newly established Dominican Republic on the other side of the island of Hispaniola.

1825 – After no candidate received a majority of electoral votes in the U.S. presidential election of 1824, the United States House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams as the sixth President of the United States in a contingent election.

1870 – U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signed a joint congressional resolution establishing the U.S. Weather Bureau.

1893 – Verdi's last opera, Falstaff, premiered at La Scala, Milan.

1913 – A group of meteors is visible across much of the eastern seaboard of the Americas, leading astronomers to conclude the source had been a small, short-lived natural satellite of the Earth.

1941 – World War II: Bombing of Genoa: The Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Genoa, Italy, is struck by a bomb that fails to detonate.

1964 – The Beatles make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing before a record-setting audience of 73 million viewers across the United States.

1971 – Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro league player to be voted into the USA's Baseball Hall of Fame.

1986 – Halley's Comet last appeared in the inner Solar System.

 

Birthdays

1441 – Ali-Shir Nava'i, Turkic poet, linguist, and painter (d. 1501)

1737 – Thomas Paine, English American philosopher, author, and activist (d. 1809)

1775 – Farkas Bolyai, Hungarian mathematician and academic (d. 1856)

1781 – Johann Baptist von Spix, German biologist and explorer (d. 1826)

1815 – Federico de Madrazo, Spanish painter (d. 1894)

1846 – Wilhelm Maybach, German engineer and businessman, founded Maybach (d. 1929)

1898 – Jūkichi Yagi, Japanese poet and educator (d. 1927)

1914 – Ernest Tubb, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1984)

1940 – J. M. Coetzee, South African-Australian novelist, essayist, and linguist, Nobel Prize laureate

1961 – John Kruk, American baseball player and sportscaster

1975 – Vladimir Guerrero, Dominican-American baseball player

1987 – Michael B. Jordan, American actor

 

Holiday Spotlight

Gwyl Mabsant

Gŵyl Mabsant is a unique rural festival observed every year in Wales. Gŵylmabsantau appears in historical writing as early as 1470. Several activities take place during the festival. Competitions can range from running races to old women’s grinning matches. There is also cockfighting, blindfolded wheelbarrow driving, betting, feasting, eating hot pudding, and alcohol consumption. Cockfighting requires birds to be trained specifically for the contest. The owner of the winning cockerel is held in high esteem. Large amounts of money are usually bet on the outcome of the cock fights. People also play Bando, a team sport like modern field hockey. The teams strike a ball towards a goal using clubs. The game of fives is also played during the festival. The game is like a primitive form of squash. It often takes place against the church walls.

The unlicensed revelry and alcoholic over-indulgence commonly occurring at the festivals have raised some concerns. Some people have doubted the benefits of the games themselves. These concerns have been voiced since the 18th century, mainly by religious leaders.

Before 1752, the fair was reckoned as Saint’s Day according to tradition or the official Catholic or Anglican Calendar of Saints. By the nineteenth century, the fair lasted three days a week. The rural nature of the fairs led to many variations in the rules of the contests. This usually started disagreements between parishes.

 

Other Include

International Winter Bike to Workday

National Bagels and Lox Day

National Cut the Cord Day

National Develop Alternative Vices Day

National Pizza Day

National Stop Bullying Day

National Toothache Day

No One Eats Alone Day

Pizza Pie Day

Read in the Bathtub Day

The Inbox Day 

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