On This Day November 23rd

 OTD

November 23rd is the three hundredth twenty-seventh day of the year, and there are 38 days remaining until the end of the year.

 

Events

534 BC – Thespis of Icaria becomes the first recorded actor to portray a character on stage.

1644 – John Milton publishes Areopagitica, a pamphlet decrying censorship.

1876 – Corrupt Tammany Hall leader William Magear Tweed (better known as Boss Tweed) is delivered to authorities in New York City after being captured in Spain.

1910 – Johan Alfred Ander becomes the last person to be executed in Sweden.

1924 – Edwin Hubble's discovery that the Andromeda "nebula" is another island galaxy far outside our Milky Way was first published in The New York Times.

1955 – The Cocos Islands are transferred from the control of the United Kingdom to that of Australia.

1963 – The BBC broadcasts An Unearthly Child (starring William Hartnell), the first episode of the first story from the first series of Doctor Who, which is now the world's longest-running science fiction drama.

1991 – Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury announces in a statement that he is HIV-positive. He dies the following day.

2015—Blue Origin's New Shepard space vehicle became the first rocket to successfully fly into space and then return to Earth for a controlled, vertical landing.

 

Birthdays

870 – Alexander, Byzantine emperor (d. 913)

1715 – Pierre Charles Le Monnier, French astronomer and author (d. 1799)

1803 – Theodore Dwight Weld, American author and activist (d. 1895)

1864 – Henry Bourne Joy, American businessman (d. 1936)

1887 – Boris Karloff, English actor (d. 1969)

1888 – Harpo Marx, American comedian and musician (d. 1964)

1915 – Anne Burns, British aeronautical engineer and glider pilot (d. 2001)

1945 – Tony Pond, English racing driver (d. 2002)

1954 – Bruce Hornsby, American singer-songwriter and pianist

1992 – Miley Cyrus, American singer-songwriter and actress  

  

 

Holiday Highlight

Old Clem's Night

 Pope Clement I is known for refining iron from ore and creating horseshoes, earning him the title of protector of blacksmiths. His feast day may have replaced the Saxon god Wayland the Smith, which is linked to metalworking traditions.

A highlight of Old Clem's Night is the "firing of the anvil." Blacksmiths pack gunpowder into an anvil and strike it with a hammer, producing a loud explosion celebrating craftsmanship. If the anvil shatters, it is considered weak and needs to be recast.

Participants dress as "Old Clem," donning wigs and masks. They lead processions through towns, singing traditional songs and requesting food and drink donations, often playfully asking for apples or beer.

Children join in by going door-to-door, singing for treats, echoing modern Halloween traditions. Their requests for fruits and nuts foster community connections and reinforce local customs.

Old Clem's Night blends historical reverence with festive celebration, highlighting community bonds through traditions related to craftsmanship and seasonal change. It offers a fascinating glimpse into how folklore shapes communal identities.

 

Holidays And Observance

Dr. Who Day

Eat a Cranberry Day

Family Volunteer Day

Fibonacci Day

International Aura Awareness Day

National Adoption Day

National Cashew Day

National Espresso Day

National Survivors of Suicide Day

Wolfenoot  

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