On This Day August 13th

  OTD

August 13th is the two-hundredth-twenty-fifth day of the year, and there are 140 days remaining until the end of the year.

 

Events

 29 B.C. – Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes.

1521 – After an extended siege, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés forces captured Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc and conquered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.

1553 – John Calvin arrests Michael Servetus in Geneva, Switzerland, as a heretic.

1650 – Colonel George Monck of the English Army formed Monck's Regiment of Foot, which later became the Coldstream Guards.

1792 – King Louis XVI of France was formally arrested by the National Tribunal and declared an enemy of the people.

1889 – William Gray of Hartford, Connecticut, is granted United States Patent Number 408,709 for "Coin-controlled apparatus for telephones."

1913 – First production of stainless steel by Harry Brearley in the U.K.

1918 – Women enlist in the United States Marine Corps for the first time. Opha May Johnson is the first woman to enlist.

1961—Cold War: East Germany closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin to thwart its inhabitants' attempts to escape to the West, and construction of the Berlin Wall starts. The day is known as Barbed Wire Sunday.

1969 – The Apollo 11 astronauts enjoy a ticker tape parade in New York City. That evening, at a state dinner in Los Angeles, they are awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Richard Nixon.

 

Birthdays

  1567 – Samuel de Champlain, French explorer (d. 1635)

1666 – William Wotton, English linguist and scholar (d. 1727)

1790 – William Wentworth, Australian journalist, explorer, and politician (d. 1872)

1842 – Charles Wells, the English brewer, founded Charles Wells Ltd (d. 1914)

1860 – Annie Oakley, American target shooter (d. 1926)

1899 – Alfred Hitchcock, English American director and producer (d. 1980)

1912 – Ben Hogan, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 1997)

1951 – Dan Fogelberg, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2007)

1970 – Will Clarke, American author

1992 – Lucas Moura, Brazilian footballer

  

Holiday Spotlight

 Obon Festival

Obon is a 500-year-old Buddhist custom observed to honor one’s ancestors. It is sometimes referred to as the festival of souls. It’s believed that spirits descend to earth to reunite with their living family. There’s a legend associated with the history of Obon. A Buddhist monk named Mogallana, who could see into the afterlife, prevented his dead mother from going to hell by making offerings to other monks. Having attained redemption on behalf of his mother, Mogallana started dancing in joy, and the others joined him, forming a big circle. This dance form came to be known as the Bon Odori dance.

Although Obon has some parallels with Halloween, it doesn’t intend to ward off spirits. Rather, the Japanese seek to welcome the souls of their ancestors by preparing delicacies and performing Bon Odori. Many also visit the tombstones of their family members and polish the surfaces. They donate flowers, candles, incense sticks, and fruits to local temples and altars. On the last day of Obon, one is supposed to see off their ancestors by releasing sky lanterns or by burning a bonfire.

Kyoto organizes the biggest bonfires over the Daimonji Mountain. Huge effigies of kanji characters, measuring a width of 5.2 feet, are lit by Buddhist monks. The Japanese believe that the light from the fire guides the spirits back to the afterlife. If you want to experience it in Japan, the most popular spots to visit are Shikoku, Kyoto, Hokkaido, and Nagasaki. Outside of Japan, Obon is celebrated with great fervor in the U.S. and Brazil. These celebrations occur mostly in homes and Buddhist temples. Cultural and food bazaars are also held.

 

Holidays And Observance.

 International Lefthander's Day

National Filet Mignon Day 

National Prosecco Day