This day in history...

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Religious History
1530 The Augsburg Confession was read publicly at the Diet of Worms. Written principally by Philip Melanchthon, the document comprised the first official summary of the Lutheran faith.
1792 Birth of John Keble, English clergyman and poet. Credited with having founded the Oxford Movement in 1833, Keble also authored the hymn, "Sun of My Soul, Thou Savior Dear" (1820).
1800 Death of William Cowper, 69, English poet. A lifelong victim of depression, Cowper nevertheless left a great spiritual literary legacy, including three enduring hymns: "God Moves in a Mysterious Way," "Oh, For a Closer Walk with God" and "There is a Fountain."
1929 The Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America was organized in Detroit, partly in response to the insurgence of Communism in Eastern Europe. Previously, its parishes were under jurisdiction of the Patriarchate in Bucharest, Hungary.
1982 Captured in 1967, the Sinai Peninsula was returned by Israel to Egypt, as part of the 1979 Camp David Accord.

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Religious History
1518 German reformer Martin Luther stated in his Disputation at Heidelberg: 'Grace is given to heal the spiritually sick, not to decorate spiritual heroes.'
1834 Birth of Horatio R. Palmer, American Congregational clergyman. From his books of religious verse came two hymns which are still sung today: "Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts" and "My Faith Looks Up to Thee."
1877 The residents of Minnesota observed a statewide day of prayer, asking for deliverance from a plague of grasshoppers that had been ravishing their farm crops this year. (The plague ended soon after, in the summer.)
1955 The Roman Catholic religious program "Life is Worth Living" aired for the last time over Dumont television. Premiering in 1952, it was hosted by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, who won an Emmy during its first year of broadcast for being "the most outstanding personality" on television.
1956 English apologist C.S. Lewis wrote in "Letters to an American Lady": 'One of the many reasons for wishing to be a better Christian is that, if one were, one's prayers for others might be more effectual.'

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Birthdates which occurred on April 26:
0121 Antonius Marcus Aurelius [Marcus A Verus], Emperor of Rome (161-180)
1319 Jean II the Good, king of France (1350-64)
1538 Giovanni P Lomazzo Italian writer/poet (Trattato)
1567 Nicolas Forme composer
1573 Marie de'Medici Queen of France
1603 Francesco Nigetti composer
1637 Philip J van Lichtenbergh Governor of Suriname, baptized
1648 Pedro II King of Portugal (1683-1706)
1711 David Hume England, empiricist/philosopher (Treatise of Human Nature)
1718 Esek Hopkins US, 1st commander-in-chief (US Navy)
1726 Pasquale Paoli Corsican freedom fighter
1776 Joan M Kemper Dutch lawyer (designed civil code law book)
1782 Maria Amalia of Bourbon-Sicily wife of Louis Phillip of Austria
1785 John James Audubon Haiti, bird watcher/artist
1787 Ludwig Uhland writer
1796 Auguste-Matthieu Panseron composer
1798 Ferdinand Eugène Delacroix French painter/lithograph/etcher (Journal)
1806 Ludwig Friedrich Hetsch composer

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Friday, April 27, 2007
WOODY WOODPECKER DAY


On this, his birthday, we pay tribute to the man who created the fun-loving, slightly manic bird he called, Woody Woodpecker. Cartoonist Walter Lantz was born on this day in 1900 in New Rochelle, New York.

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Birthdays
April 28
1758 - James Monroe
5th U.S. President [1817-1825]; married to Elizabeth Kortright [one son, two daughters]; nickname: The Last Cocked Hat; died July 4, 1831
1871 - Louise Homer
opera singer: contralto: NY Metropolitan Opera House [1900-1919]; died May 6, 1947

1874 - Sidney Toler
actor: Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum, Charlie Chan in Rio, The Jade Mask, The Scarlet Clue, The Shanghai Cobra, Terror by Night, Meeting at Midnight; died Feb 12, 1947

1878 - Lionel Barrymore (Blythe)
Academy Award-winning actor: A Free Soul [1930-31]; Camille, Captains Courageous, Duel in the Sun, It’s a Wonderful Life, Key Largo, The Little Colonel; died Nov 15, 1954

1902 - Red (Charles Frederick) Lucas
‘The Nashville Narcissus’: baseball: pitcher: NY Giants, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates; died July 9, 1986

1917 - Robert Anderson
playwright: Tea and Sympathy, Sand Pebbles, I Never Sang for My Father, The Nun’s Story

1926 - Blossom Dearie
singer: group: Blue Stars: French version of Lullaby in Birdland; own record label: Daffodil Records

1926 - (Nelle) Harper Lee
author: To Kill a Mockingbird

1929 - Carolyn Jones
actress: The Tender Trap, The Seven Year Itch, Marjorie Morningstar, King Creole, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, House of Wax, How the West was Won, The Addams Family; died Aug 3, 1983

1934 - Jackie (John George) Brandt
baseball: NY Giants, SL Cardinals, SF Giants, Baltimore Orioles [all-star: 1961], Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros

1938 - Madge Sinclair
Emmy Award-winning actress: Gabriel’s Fire [1990-91], Trapper John M.D., Roots, Ohara, Me and the Boys, Grandpa Goes to Washington, A Century of Women, The End of Innocence, Coming to America, Convoy, Conrack; died Dec 20, 1995

1941 - Ann-Margret (Olsson)
actress: Carnal Knowledge, Tommy, Viva Las Vegas, Grumpy Old Men, Grumpier Old Men, Bye, Bye, Birdie, Scarlett; singer: I Just Don’t Understand

1945 - John Wolters
musician: drums: group: Dr. Hook

1948 - Marcia Strassman
actress: Welcome Back Kotter, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Honey I Blew Up the Kids, Another Stakeout; singer

1948 - Pablo (Arnoldo) Torrealba
baseball: pitcher: Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox

1949 - Bruno Kirby
actor: The Basketball Diaries, Fallen Angels 2, City Slickers, When Harry Met Sally, Good Morning, Vietnam, This is Spinal Tap, Birdy, The Godfather, Part 2, The Harrad Experiment, The Super; died Aug 14, 2006

1950 - Jay Leno
comedian, TV talk show host: The Tonight Show

1950 - Jim Wiley
hockey: NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks; head coach: Kansas City Blades, Kentucky Thoroughblades

1953 - Tony Peters
football: Washington Redskins safety: Super Bowl XVII

1971 - Chris Young

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Sunday, April 29, 2007
SIR DUKE DAY


The man who became one of the twentieth century’s finest composers, Edward Kennedy Ellington, was born on this day in 1899 in Washington, D.C. Right from the git-go, the handsome, sharply dressed teenager (that’s where he got the nickname, Duke) was headed for success.
At first it was art. He won a poster-design contest and an art scholarship, left school and started a sign-painting business.

But it was his natural piano-playing ability that attracted the young women, so Duke Ellington headed in that direction. He played with Elmer Snowden’s band and took over leadership in 1925. They played and stayed at New York’s Cotton Club from 1927 through 1931, broadcasting shows live on the radio. From then on it was tours, recordings, and history in the making. Ellington would be one of the founders of big band jazz.

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On April 29, 1992, deadly rioting that claimed 54 lives and caused $1 billion in damage erupted in Los Angeles after a jury in Simi Valley acquitted four Los Angeles police officers of almost all state charges in the videotaped beating of Rodney King. (Go to article.)

On April 29, 1901, Hirohito, ruler of Japan during World War II and Japan's longest-reigning monarch, was born. Following his death on Jan. 7, 1989, his obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)



On April 29, 1882, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about Congress and British-American relations. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)

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On this date in:


1429 Joan of Arc entered the besieged city of Orleans to lead a victory over the English.


1861 Maryland's House of Delegates voted against seceding from the Union.


1862 New Orleans fell to Union forces during the Civil War.


1899 Jazz musician Duke Ellington was born in Washington D.C.


1916 The Easter uprising in Dublin collapsed as Irish nationalists surrendered to British authorities.

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On April 30, 1789, George Washington delivered his first inaugural address to a joint session of Congress, assembled in Federal Hall in the nation's new capital, New York City. The newly-elected president delivered the speech in a deep, low voice that betrayed what one observer called "manifest embarrassment." Washington had not sought the office of president and was humbled by the nation's request for him to serve.

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Rally ’round the Maypole, as we gather this information for you to start this, the merry merry month of May!
May Day has been a traditional holiday celebration since ancient times. On this day, spring festivals and Maypoles are common. The Maypole is a tall pole that is covered with streamers, flowers and other decorations of spring. People grab hold of a streamer and dance around the pole to ward off ol’ man Winter for good. It is a way to shake the dreary winter blues once and for all.

Since the 1880s, May Day has been celebrated in some countries, particularly socialist nations, as a labor holiday.

In Hawaii, May Day is Lei Day. It’s a day when friends, lovers, bosses, relatives ... just about anyone and everyone ... gives the gift of a lei to another, putting it around the receiver’s neck and accompanying it with the traditional kiss. This custom of sharing the aloha spirit with a beautiful floral lei on Lei Day began in 1928. There are many celebrations throughout the Hawaiian islands; some complete with pageants, a Lei Queen and her court, Hawaiian music and hula dances.

Lei Day, May Day or any day, giving a lei is a beautiful way to say, “Aloha.”

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Religious History
1507 Two years after entering the Augustinian monastery at Erfurt, future German reformer Martin Luther, 23, was consecrated a priest. (Luther remained in the order until 1521, when he was excommunicated from the Catholic Church.)
1872 A lectureship was established at Yale Divinity School in memory of American clergyman Lyman Beecher (1775-1863). The lectures were to cover topics on preaching and the work of the Christian ministry.
1922 Birth of missions pioneer Bob Finley. In 1953 he chartered the Christian Aid Mission in Washington, D.C. Today, this evangelical group works in over 40 countries, and is headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia.
1949 American missionary and martyr Jim Elliot wrote in his journal: 'The man who will not act until he knows all will never act at all.'
1956 The General Conference of the Methodist Church, held in Minneapolis, demanded abolishment of racial segregation in all Methodist churches.

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This Day in History 1931: Empire State Building dedicated

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Religious History
1512 The Fifth Lateran Council opened under Pope Julius II. Its twelve sessions lasting through 1517, the council continued under Leo X, following Julius' death in 1513.
1675 A Massachusetts law was enacted requiring church doors to be locked during the worship service. (Too many people were leaving before the long sermons were completed.)
1738 English revivalist George Whitefield, 23, first arrived in America. In all, Whitefield crossed the Atlantic thirteen times, and died in Massachusetts in 1770, during his seventh visit.
1850 Sixteen year old Charles H. Spurgeon made his public profession of faith in Jesus Christ in a Primitive Methodist Chapel, in Colchester, England. Spurgeon began a preaching career the following year which did not end until his death in 1892.
1878 Death of William Whiting, 53, Anglican poet and music instructor. He is known to have written only one hymn during his life, but its popularity has endured: "Eternal Father, Strong to Save."

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Religious History
1256 Pope Alexander IV founded the Roman Catholic religious order of the Augustine Hermits.
1493 Pope Alexander VI issued "Inter caeterea II," which divided possession of the New World discoveries by Spain and Portugal along a longitudinal line running 250 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands.
1746 The Moravians in Pennsylvania established the Moravian Women's Seminary at Bethlehem. It was the first educational institution of its kind established by the "Unitas Fratrum" in (colonial) America.
1784 Birth of Carl G. Glaser, German music teacher. Of his many choral pieces, Glaser is primarily remembered today for his hymn tune AZMON, to which the Church today sings: "O For a Thousand Tongues."
1970 In deciding the legal case "Walz v. Tax Commission of New York," the United States Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a New York statute exempting church-owned property from taxation

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Religious History
1432 Flemish artist Jan van Eyck, 61, finished the altarpiece for St. John's Church in Ghent, Belgium. Van Eyck's work is noted for its descriptive realism and intensive color.
1527 Forty thousand mercenaries, hired by Cardinal Pompeo Colonna, sacked the city of Rome, destroying two-thirds of the houses. They butchered clergy and laity alike, and forced Clement VII to flee, disguised as a gardener. It was the end of the golden age of the Renaissance.
1835 Birth of John T. Grape, American Methodist layman. He composed a number of hymn tunes during his life, including ALL TO HRIST, to which we sing today, "Jesus Paid It All."
1955 Responding to a letter received from a child, English pologist C. S. Lewis wrote: 'God knows quite well how hard we find t to love Him more than anyone or anything else, and He won't be Angry with us as long as we are trying. And He will help us.'
1986 The Rev. Donald E. Pelotte, 41, was ordained in Gallup, New Mexico -- the first American Indian to be made a Roman Catholic ishop in the U.S.

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1982 IBM releases PC-DOS version 1.1
1982 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1983 109th Kentucky Derby: Ed Delahoussaye on Sunny's Halo wins in 2:02.2
1983 August Hoffman perform record 29,051 consecutive sit-ups
1983 August Hoffman performs record 29,051 consecutive sit-ups
1983 Bruins 4-Isles 8-Wales Conference Championship-Isles win series 4-2
1984 $180 million out-of-court settlement reached in Agent Orange suit
1984 Sharon Barrett wins LPGA Potamkin Cadillac Golf Classic
1986 Bucharest wins 31st Europe Cup I
1986 Phillies outfielder Garry Maddox, retires
1987 105º F in Sacramento CA
1987 Diane Chambers' (Shelley Long) final episode on Cheers
1988 114th Kentucky Derby: Gary Stevens on Winning Colors wins in 2:02.2
1988 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1989 Juli Inkster wins LPGA Crestar Golf Classic
1989 Mark Merrony (Wales) cycles for 30 minutes in Nepal at 21,030 feet
1989 Panamanian voters reject dictator Manuel Noriega's bid for presidency
1991 France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island
1991 Haryana beat Bombay in the Ranji Cricket Trophy final by 2 runs
1992 5 NYC cops arrested in Hauppauge Long Island for selling cocaine
1992 Constitutional amendment barring mid-term congressional raises passes
1992 Jockey Angel Cordero retires after winning over 7,000 horse races
1992 US space shuttle STS-49 launched (maiden voyage of Endeavour)
1993 South Africa agrees to multi-racial elections
1994 120th Kentucky Derby: Chris McCarron on Go For Gin wins in 2:03.6
1994 Denver Nuggets become NBA's 1st #8 seed to beat a #1 seed (Seattle)
1994 Edvard Munchs painting "The Scream" recovered 3 months after stolen
1994 Gary Hart's girlfriend Donna Rice (36) weds Jack Hughes (42)
1994 Matlock actor Daniel Roebuck (30) weds Kelly Durst (24)
1995 "On the Waterfront" closes at Atkinson Theater NYC after 8 performances
1995 Jacques Chirac wins French presidential election
1995 Michelle McGann wins LPGA Sara Lee Golf Classic
1995 Twins beat Indians 10-9 in 17 innings, 6 hours & 36 minutes
1996 Comedian Martin Lawrence suffers a nervous breakdown
1997 Expos scores 13 in 6th at Giants
1997 Galileo, 4th Ganymede Flyby (Orbit

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Religious History
1619 In Holland, the six month long Synod of Dort ended. Confirming the authority of the "Heidelberg Catechism," the decisions of the Synod led to some 200 Arminian clergy being afterward deprived of their offices.
1828 Birth of Andrew Murray, South African Dutch Reformed clergyman and devotional writer. His most famous writing was "Abide in Christ" (1864).
1905 Birth of Merrill Dunlop, American sacred chorister and hymnwriter. He directed the Chicago Gospel Tabernacle for many years, and is author of the hymn, "My Sins Are Blotted Out, I Know."
1961 English apologist C.S. Lewis, offering an evaluation of English Bible translations, wrote in a letter: 'A modern translation is for most purposes far more useful than the Authorized [i.e., King James] Version.'
1983 John Paul II announced the reversal of the Catholic Church's 1633 condemnation of Galileo Galilei, the scientist who first espoused the Copernican (i.e., heliocentric) view of our solar system.

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Birthdates which occurred on May 09:
1265 Dante Alighieri Italian poet (Divina Commedia)
1596 Abraham van Diepenbeeck painter
1738 John Pindar [Peter] physician/poet
1740 Giovanni Paisiello Italian composer (Barber of Seville)
1783 Alexander Ross Canada, pioneer/fur trader
1785 James Pollard Espy Pennsylvania, meteorologist (Philosphy of Storms)
1793 Johannes C de Jonge Dutch historian/archivist
1796 August Pauly German classicus (Real Encyclopedia)
1800 John Brown abolitionist; led attack on Harpers Ferry
1801 Samuel Cousins mezzotint engraver
1810 Louis Gallait historical painter
1810 WFLC Marianne princess of Orange-Nassau/daughter of king Willem I
1814 Adolph von Henselt composer
1824 William Edmonson "Grumble" Jones Brigadier General (Confederate Army)
1829 Ciro Pinsuti pianist/composer

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Religious History
1812 Birth of Frances Elizabeth Cox, English translator. She made 56 contributions to the 1841 publication, "Sacred Hymns from the German," including "Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above."
1828 English church leader John Henry Newman wrote in a letter: 'I wish it were possible for words to put down those indefinite, vague and withal subtle feelings which quite pierce the soul and make it sick. What a veil and curtain this world of sense is. Beautiful, but still a veil.'
1859 Birth of Wilhelm Wrede, a German Bible scholar who contended that the gospels reflected the theology of the primitive Church rather than the true history of Jesus. Wrede thus contributed his name to the title of Albert Schweitzer's 1906 theological classic: "The Quest of the Historical Jesus: From Reimarus to Wrede."
1912 The first Southern Sociological Congress closed, in Nashville. The four-day convocation met to address "social, civic and economic problems" of sixteen Southern states, and was an example of government, social agencies and the Church working together for social betterment.
1939 The Declaration of Union reunited the Methodist Episcopal Church in the U.S. after 109 years of division. (The Methodist Protestant Church had separated from the parent denomination in 1830, as had the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, later, in 1844.)

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Religious History
1621 Death of Johann Arndt, 65, German Lutheran theologian. Called the precursor of Pietism, Arndt was the greatest name in the history of German mysticism after Thomas a Kempis.
1682 The General Court of Massachusetts repealed two laws which had been passed two years earlier: one forbade the keeping of Christmas, and the second mandated capital punishment for Quakers who returned to the colony after being banished.
1824 St. Regis Seminary was opened in Florissant, Missouri. It was the first Roman Catholic institution established in America for the higher education of American Indians.
1825 The American Tract Society, the first national tract league in America, was formed in NY City by the merger of 50 smaller societies.
1888 The Woman's Missionary Union, Auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention, had its inception in Richmond, Virginia, when delegates from 15 states met to form a general women's organization within the denomination.

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Religious History
1665 A statute was enacted in Rhode Island, offering freemanship with no specifically Christian requirements, thus effectively enfranchising Jews.
1839 Birth of William P. Mackey, a Scottish physician who later in life became a Presbyterian pastor. Mackey wrote several hymns during his life, including "Revive Us Again."
1917 Near Fatima, Portugal, three shepherd children reported that Mary, the mother of Jesus, had appeared to them. Since 1930, this appearance has come to be known as Our Lady of Fatima.
1925 In Tallahassee, Florida, the State legislature passed a bill requiring daily Bible readings in all public schools.
1981 In St. Peter's Square, Rome, Turkish terrorist Mehmet Ali Agca, 23, shot and seriously wounded Pope John Paul II in an assassination attempt. Following a long convalescence, however, John Paul resumed his world travels