On This Day May 18th

 OTD

May 18th is the one-hundred-thirty-eighth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 227 days remain until the end of the year.

 

Events

332 – Emperor Constantine the Great announces free distributions of food to the citizens in Constantinople.

1096 – First Crusade: Around 800 Jews are massacred in Worms, Germany.

1291 – Fall of Acre, the end of Crusader's presence in the Holy Land.

1593 – Playwright Thomas Kyd's accusations of heresy led to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe.

1565 – The Great Siege of Malta begins when Ottoman forces attempt and fail to conquer Malta.

1804 – The French Senate proclaimed Napoleon Bonaparte Emperor of the French.

1860 – United States presidential election: Abraham Lincoln won the Republican Party presidential nomination over William H. Seward, who later became the United States Secretary of State.

1933 – New Deal: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an act that created the Tennessee Valley Authority.

1980 – Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, United States, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage.

2005 – A second photo from the Hubble Space Telescope confirms that Pluto has two additional moons, Nix and Hydra.

2015 – At least 78 people died in a landslide caused by heavy rains in the Colombian town of Salgar.

 

Birthdays

1048 – Omar Khayyám, Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet (d. 1131)

1777 – John George Children, English chemist, mineralogist, and zoologist (d. 1852)

1822 – Mathew Brady, American photographer and journalist (d. 1896)

1897 – Frank Capra, Italian American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1991)

1911 – Big Joe Turner, American blues/R&B singer (d. 1985)

1931 – Don Martin, American cartoonist (d. 2000)

1944 – W. G. Sebald, German novelist, essayist, and poet (d. 2001)

1952 – George Strait, American singer, guitarist, and producer.

1975 – John Higgins, Scottish snooker player.

 

 

Holiday Highlight

World Fiddle Day

Let’s take a musical journey back in time! Imagine the medieval days when knights were gallant, castles stood tall, and minstrels roamed the cobblestone streets. That’s where our story begins—with the fiddle.

So, picture this: it’s the 10th century in Europe, and folks are grooving to the tunes of an ancient instrument called the lira. Yep, that’s the granddaddy of all European bowed instruments. The lira was like the OG fiddle, rocking those strings with style.

Fast forward to 900 AD, and the Persian geographer Ibn Khurradadhbih is dropping some knowledge. He spills the beans that the lira (or ‘lūrā’ in Arabic) was all the rage in Byzantine circles. And guess what? It was practically BFFs with the ‘rabāb,’ an early fiddle-ish thing played in the Islamic Empires.

Let’s crank up the time machine to the 11th and 12th centuries. European writers use terms like ‘fiddle’ and ‘lira’ like confetti. They’re basically saying, “Hey, these bowed instruments? Same-same!”

But wait, there’s more! The fiddle keeps evolving. One version—the viola da braccio—is all square-shaped and snuggled in the musician’s arms. It’s like the cool cousin of the lira, and eventually, it grows up to be the violin we know and love today.

And then there’s the other type—the viola da gamba. This bad boy sits on the player’s shoulders, with the lower part chilling between their knees. It’s like the rebellious sibling doing its own thing during the Renaissance. But guess what? The louder, rowdier Viola da Braccio family eventually steals the spotlight.

So there you have it, my friend! The fiddle’s got a wild family tree, from Byzantine lira to Renaissance violins. Next time you hear a fiddle tune, nod to those ancient vibes—it’s like dancing with history!

 

Holidays And Observance

Armed Forces Day

Astronomy Day - Spring

Culture Freedom Day

Do Dah Day (Salute to Silliness)

HIV Vaccine Awareness Day

I Love Reese's Day

International Museum Day

Jamestown Day 

Mother Whistler Day

National Cheese Souffle Day

National Learn to Swim Day

National Museum Day

National No Dirty Dishes Day

National River Cleanup Day

National Speech Pathologist Day

National Visit Your Relatives Day

Plant a Lemon Tree Day

Send an Electronic Greeting Card Day

Spring Astronomy Day

World Aids Vaccine Day

World Fiddle Day

World Whiskey Day

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