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January 30 Saints of the Day – Hippolytus of Rome and Mutien-Marie Wiaux
On this day in 1826, the world’s first modern suspension bridge, connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the Welsh mainland, was opened, primarily to make it easier to get cattle to Ireland, which is in the...
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February 5 Saints of the Day – Theodosius of Chernigov and Gonsalo Garcia
On this day in 1981, the largest Jell-o ever was made — 7,700 imperial gallons’ worth — in a pool in Brisbane. Swimmers reported the water was pink and especially buoyant that day, and tasted of...
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February 9 Saints of the Day – Nicephorus of Antioch and Miguel Febres Cordera
On this day in 1964, the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, marking the beginning of the “British Invasion.” Nobody heard them. In the east today we hail Nicephorus of Antioch (d. 260),...
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March 24 Saints of the Day – Parthenius of Constantinople and Catherine of...
On this day in 1721, Johann Sebastian Bach dedicated six concertos to Christian Ludwig, margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt. By the time he realized that Christian was a margrave and not a mangrove, it was...
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April 30 Saints of the Day – James the Apostle and Mary of the Incarnation
On this date in 1937, the Philippines held a plebiscite asking women whether they should be allowed to vote. The result (90% in favor) was sent back through a wormhole in time to allow the vote to...
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May 2 Saints of the Day – Boris of Bulgaria and José María Rubio
On this date in 1611, the King James Bible was first published by printer Robert Barker. Fortunately he had an efficient confessor and has since passed to glory. Boris (Борис-Михаил) of Bulgaria (d....
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May 11 Saints of the Day – Methodius & Cyril and Francis de Geronimo
On this date in 1720, German nobleman Baron Münchhausen was born. Fearing for his health, his mother had him baptized by proxy. Cyril and Methodius (827 – 869 and 815 – 885) are called Enlighteners of...
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June 21 Saints of the Day – Niketas of Nisyros and Aloysius Gonzaga
On this date in 1948, Columbia Records introduced the long-playing record album in a public demonstration at the Waldorf-Astor. Waldorf-Astor. Waldorf-Astor. Wal — New York. Niketas of Nisyros (1716 –...
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July 14 Saints of the Day – Nicodemus the Hagiorite and Kateri Tekakwitha
On this date in 1969, the United States $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 bills were officially withdrawn from circulation. But they didn’t get mine. (Because of course I didn’t have any.) Nicodemus the...
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July 15 Saints of the Day – Vladimir the Great and Bonaventure
On this date in 1983, the Nintendo Entertainment System, the best-selling game console of its time, was released in Japan. Glad to be free, it soon wandered to America and other countries. Vladimir the...
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July 31 Saints of the Day – Germanus of Auxerre and Ignatius of Loyola
On this date in 1971, Apollo 15 astronauts took the first ride in a lunar rover. The vehicle cost over $38 million to make; understandably, the insurance premiums were astronomical. Germanus of Auxerre...
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August 1 Feast and Saint of the Day – The Procession of the Cross and...
On this date in 1774, British scientist Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen, corroborating the earlier work of German-Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele. At last, Scheele could breathe at ease. The...
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August 12 Saints of the Day – Alexander of Comana and Pope Innocent XI
On this day in 30 BC, Cleopatra VII Philopator, the last ruler of the Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasty, committed suicide by means of a snake bite. It was a real pain in the asp. Alexander of Comana (d. ca....
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September 24 Saints of the Day – Peter the Aleut and Anton Martin Slomšek
On this day in 1990, the Great White Spot was observed on Saturn. The phenomenon was named for the discovering astronomer’s large dog. Peter the Aleut (ca. 1800 – 1815), born Cungagnaq on Kodiak, was...
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October 9 Saints of the Day – Andronicus & Athanasia and Denis
On this day in 1594, the Portuguese army was defeated by the Kingdom of Kandy, bringing an end to the Campaign of Danture (seriously). People who don’t want to lose their Dantures would do well to...
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October 30 Saints of the Day – Zenobius & Zenobia and Alphonsus Rodriguez
On this day in 1944, Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” premiered in Washington, DC. Its working title was “Appalachian Autumn,” but it took longer to write than he expected. Zenobius & Zenobia...
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November 26 Saints of the Day – Innocent of Irkutsk and Leonard of Port Maurice
On this day in 1961, the Pro Baseball Rules Committee voted 8-1 against legalizing the spitball. Quench Gum stock immediately plummeted to 1¢ a piece. Um, share. Innocent of Irkutsk, Apostle to Siberia...
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December 3 Saints of the Day – John the Silent and Francis Xavier
On this day in 1621, Galileo invented the telescope. Neighbor ladies feared the worst, but he only had eyes for the skies. Sava of Zvenigorod (d. 1406) was a disciple of Sergius of Radonezh, with whose...
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December 21 Saints of the Day – Peter of Kiev and Peter Canisius
On this day in 1937, Disney’s “Snow White,” the first feature-length color & sound cartoon motion picture, premiered. Lacking the coveted PG rating, it was a total flop. Peter of Kiev (Kyiv) (d....
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