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The past screams to us, but will we listen ???
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Tour de France -- 2012 -- A Paris Page -- Some Mountains in Southern France -- Austrian Wines -- German wine growing areas: Rheingau Wine region -- Ahr Wines -- Bad Schussenried
Le roi est fait pour ses sujets et non les sujets pour le roi; Le despotisme est une faute grave; La tyrannie est un crime; Il est une trahison votre nation à appauvrir le pays et dépouiller sa monnaie.
"If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that use, the one who turns back soonest is the most progressive." -- C.S. Lewis
Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason? For if it prosper, none dare call it treason - Sir John Harington
…men are so simple, and governed so absolutely by their present needs, that he who wishes to deceive will never fail in finding willing dupes -- il Principe (Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli -- 1513); Whoever organizes a state and establishes its laws must assume that all men are wicked and will act wickedly whenever they have the chance to do so -- I Discorsi e parole per questo giorno (1519).
“Truth is heavy; therefore, few wear it.” -- Midrash Shmuel on Avot: 4
http://dunwoody.patch.com/
What I would say
gleams out of my reach
like pawned silver.Det enda jag vill säga
glimmar utom räckhâll
som silvret
hos pantlânaren.
Haiku by Tomas Tranströmer
(Nobelpriset i litteratur 2011)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5zugQz1880 -- http://www.au-chateau.com/auChateauNews63.htm
May 19, 804: Alcuin (Alhwin) of Northumbria (schooled in York), an English scholar, dies at Tours, France. As an adviser to Charlemagne, he became a prominent figure in the Carolingian Renaissance (the rebirth of classical learning begun during Charlemagne's rule). Alcuin established a library and first led the school in Aachen (Acquisgrana in Latin), which was attended by members of the royal court, as well as, the sons of the noble families of the empire.
Alcuin's enlightenment affects us today. He devised a handwriting system using both small and capital letters for easier reading. BEFORE THEN EVERYTHING LOOKED THE SAME OR EVERYONE WAS YELLING AT AN UNPUNCTUATED RATE NON STOP WITHOUT BREAK OR PAUSE DEPENDING ON YOUR POINT OF VIEW Of his life he states:In the morning, at the height of my powers, I sowed the seed in Britain, now in the evening when my blood is growing cold I am still sowing in France, hoping both {crops] will grow, by the Grace of God, giving some the honey of the Holy Scriptures, making others drunk on the old wine of ancient learning . . . . http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Alcuin.html
Church scholars today classify Alcuin's theological works as exegetical -- biblical, moral and dogmatic. Their driving motif is that of conservation rather than originality. His nine Scriptural commentaries {Genesis, The Psalms, The Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Hebrew Names, St. John's Gospel, the Epistles to Titus, Philemon and the Hebrews, The Sayings of St. Paul and the Apocalypse} consist mostly of sentences strung together as taken from the Church Fathers. He collected into convenient form the observations on the more important Scriptural passages from the best commentators who had preceded him. Another important Biblical undertaking, by Alcuin, was his revision of the text of the Latin Vulgate. Besides being an premier educator and a classical theologian, he became the principle agent in the great work of liturgical reform of his time. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01276a.htm
I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh:
May 19, 1382: The Earthquake Synod of London (so named because a quake interrupted the proceedings on the 19th), led by Archbishop Courtenay, condemns as heretical 24 theses from the writings of John Wycliffe. Wycliffe later claimed that God had sent the earthquake because the friars had put heresy upon Christ. The earth trembled, as it did when Christ was damned to bodily death. The same year, Wycliffe finish his translation of the Bible into English. For these actions, the Catholic Church expelled Wycliffe from his teaching position at Oxford, and 44 years after he died, the Pope ordered his bones exhumed and burned. But like Columbus' tale, there is so much more to this story.
Wycliffe had stated that the Church did not need a pope; that the bread and wine of the Eucharist actually did not turn into Christ's blood and body; and that the Roman Catholic mass, as it then was practiced, was not instituted by Christ. He had thought of other reforms at a time when the Western portion of the Universal Church was not open to self-examination and reflection. Wycliffe based his claims directly on the literal text of the Bible, instead of tradition. AND, worse, Wycliffe sent for teachers who taught people in English instead of Latin.
Wycliffe's words had resonated with the peasant class of his Nation. As in Germany, many already were in a state akin to revolt, because of the economic and social effects of the Plague. The Catholic Church and the ruling class united to put down this first attempt in reformation within the Church in England. Strangely enough, even Saint Joan of Arc's death half of a century later can be related to English legislation to combat the political implications of Wycliff's views.
Reported May 19, 2005: At Peter Point near St. Marys, Georgia, archæologists have found extensive remains of a 200-plus-year-old fort in the coastal marshes of southeastern Georgia. Researchers have retrieved over 67,000 pieces of artifacts. The bulk of the structure still lies submerged in mud. The site is the scene of the last battle in the War of 1812 and last invasion of the United States (1815). The siege occurred after the conflict had ended (Treaty of Ghent) and after the American victory at New Orleans. The fort, built in 1776 on orders of General George Washington, was overrun by British troops, slow to get word about the end of the hostilities, and perhaps upset over the poor mardi gras reception they had experienced. The fort fell to disuse after the Spanish and American governments signed a treaty transferring Florida (1821).
May 19, 2012: My maternal Grandmother would have been 114 years old today. She was named for a child who died in the War between the States. Her Grandfather (father's side) walked home from Appomattox Courthouse (VA to GA). Her mother's father spent some time in a POW Camp during the same conflict. All now rest in the same Graveyard today. More Here.
May 20th is the 12th Kalends (or calends) of June (an old way of counting dates based on the Roman calendar): The Græco-Roman world had already known Gallic peoples for hundreds of years in both warfare and trade, before Rome established Narbonne first as a colonial outpost. The earliest known settlement in the area was the oppidum (a defended Iron Age village) at Montlaurès, about 4km north-west of the present city centre (of Narbonne). More HERE
May 20, 1506: A forgotten, impoverished Italian, died in Spain at age 55. Known to us by his English name, Christopher Columbus was interred within the monastery at Valladolid. Three years later, his remains went to another monastery (La Cartuja). In 1537, Maria de Rojas y Toledo, widow of Columbus' son Diego, sent the bones of her husband and his father to the new world Cathedral in Santo Domingo. They lay undisturbed until 1795. Spain ceded the Island of Hispaniola to France and determined that Columbus' remains should slip not into the hands of éstrangers. A set of bones, thought to be his, were shipped to a cathedral in Havana, Cuba where they remained for another 100 years. Upon the Spanish-American War (1898), Spain once again transported those Cuban-based bones to Seville. End of story ?
No, it still goes on ! In 1877, workers digging inside the Santo Domingo cathedral had unearthed a leaden box containing large and small bone fragments. It was inscribed Illustrious and distinguished male, don Cristobal Colon. Are these were the real remains of Columbus and did the Spanish remove the wrong ones in 1795 ? The story, based on evidence gathered in 2003 is here: Une énigme policière. We can report no happy ending, yet. On May 19th 2006 Spanish officials reported that DNA tests on the bones in Seville were positive, confirming that at least a portion of Columbus' remains are in Spain. Officials in Santo Domingo have refused access for similar tests, although the Spanish announcement may open the door to new entreaties.
May 20, 1932: Esploratore del mondo, Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland, bound for Ireland. She would become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Earhart landed near Londonderry, Ireland, after 13 ½ hours of flight. Her departure occurred 5 years to the day after that of Charles Lindbergh's solo flight from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, N.Y. aboard the [es]Spirit of St. Louis, on route to Paris France. Flying much further, it took him 33 hours and 30 minutes to achieve his goal. Seven years (to the day) after Earhart's flight, regular trans-Atlantic air service began as a Pan American Airways Yankee Clipper took off from Port Washington, N.Y. bound for Marseille, France.
May 21, 1172: The Compromise of Avranches in September 1172, marked the reconciliation of Henry II Plantagenêt of Normandy and England with the Catholic Church, after the murder in 1170 of Thomas Becket. Henry was relieved of any guilt in Becket's murder, but he agreed that the secular courts had no jurisdiction over the clergy, with the exceptions of high treason, highway robbery and arson. This is the origin of the Benefit of Clergy provision in modern English law, although it had a tradition before. The compromise grew out of a dispute between the King and the Church in England that had resulted in the Archbishop of Canterbury's death (December 29, 1170) at the hands of some rogue knights, for which murder the King was deemed responsible. The final stage setting for the agreement was a public humiliation of the King (a whipping, his request for forgiveness and the ceremony of reconciliation) on May 21, 1172, at the alter of the Cathedral of Avranches. Revolutionary zealots destroyed this structure in 1794. Today a paving stone marks the spot where apostolic absolution took place (La Plate-Forme) in the gardens of the Sous-Préfecture, Place Daniel Huet (17th century church scholar). The Abbot of Mont-Saint-Michel presided, which Abbey and the estuary of the Sée and the Baie rivers are visible from this spot today. Avranches, in the southwestern part of the region Manche (Cotentin Peninsula), also marks the spot from which General George Patton began his lightening fast advance east across France (July 31, 1944). Saint-Gaudens, Haute-Garonne, (since the autumn of 1944), has been a twin city, when that town fraternally assisted Avranches by furnishing clothing and food to it. The major church Notre Dame des Champs was constructed in a Gothic-revival style (in the 19th century) to restore the religious life of the town after the destruction of the cathedral. The Basilica of Saint-Gervais (Dagobert fonde l'église en 637) houses a treasury, best known for the skull of Saint Aubert (mourut en 725) featuring a hole where the Archangel Michael's finger pierced it when the messenger was prodding Aubert to finish construction of the Abbey in a timely manner.
May 21, 1690: Throughout the last nearly 2000 years we have had a tradition of Apostleship -- that is the premier person to bring the Gospel to a region or people. Such examples include the Apostle to the Irish from England (Patrick); various Apostles to the Scots and English tribes; the Apostle to the Germans from Northumbria, England (Bishop Boniface); Remigius of Rheims, Bishop and Apostle to the Franks; and, those who brought the Faith to the Gauloise, Hungarians and the Russ.
In America we have our own, John Eliot. Born in England (1604) Eliot graduated from a college at Cambridge. He converted to the Puritain sect, immigrated and became a preacher to the colonists in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Eliot learned the native language and preached to the Algonquin People. He translated the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer. Eliot later published a catechism, Bible and a metrical version of the Psalms of David. Indeed, his was the first Bible published in North America. He trained native people to become missionaries to their own. http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/john-eliot.html -- http://www.jesus.cam.ac.uk/ The date of his death in 1690 is celebrated by the Anglican Church. http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/164.html
May 22, 337: Today is the death date of Constantine the Great. Constantine was the emperor of the Roman Empire. He had started his political career path as one of the four Roman Emperors at the time of a division of power. He ruled the Western Empire from the city of Trier (now in Germany). He later waged battle against the other emperors and emerged finally as the sole emperor. It was Constantine who first tolerated Christianity: in hoc signo vinces. Later he made it the official religion of his Empire. His basilica still stands in Trier, as do several other structures from the time of his rule from there. The present day Cathedral of Trier rests upon the remains of the home of Constantine's mother, Sainte Helena.
May 22, 1915: Mount Lassen, a volcano in California, east of Redding, erupted on this day (one of a series of eruptions over 7 year period), resulting in a seven mile high ash cloud. Only one other mountain in the lower 48 has erupted during the 20th century -- Mount St. Helens in 1980. Nestled within Lassen’s peaceful forests and untouched wilderness, hissing fumaroles and boiling mud pots still shape and change the land, evidence of Lassen’s long fiery and active past. Lassen Peak, the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range has an official Website: Lassen Volcanic National Park. More HERE.
May 22, 2006: Montenegro had been one of six countries within Yugoslavia before the federation's violent unraveling, which began in in 1991. In 2003, after nearly a decade of war and political upheaval, Serbia and Montenegro replaced what remained of the Yugoslavia with a looser union. Once an independent kingdom (Montenegro after World War I) this nation merged into the newly formed Yugoslavia. Many resisted. A a seven-year guerrilla war followed. After World War II, the six-republic Yugoslavia became a communist-run state. During the breakup in the 1990s, Montenegro's leaders sided with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic -- who would later stand trial for war crimes, during which he died. Voters in Montenegro narrowly decided to sever the country's union with Serbia. http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/05/22/montenegro.independence/ On Monday morning (22 May 2006) unofficial results showed that 55.3% (percent) voted in favor and 44.6% voted against leaving Serbia. At 55.3 %, the results just meet the threshold for being legitimate, according to EU standards. http://euobserver.com/9/21665 voi aussi http://permanent.nouvelobs.com/europe/20060522.OBS8629.html and our writings about Kosovo in February and March 2008: Please begin HERE.
May 23, 1430: The Burgundians captured Joan of Arc (age 18), near Compiègne. They sold her to the English for 10,000 gold coins (instead of 40 pieces of argent). She would be held by the English for about a year. After a fair trial, the English executed the maid. She died by fire in the marketplace behind the gray city walls of Rouen, Normandy (May 30, 1431). Her execution was to serve as a lesson for others who would challenge English claims to lands in France; but, she already had reversed the momentum of her enemy's victories during the Hundred Years War. Moreover, Sainte Jeanne d'Arc (http://www.stejeannedarc.net/), by her hideous death transformed what really was a barbaric clash of avaricious feuding clans into a holy war for national liberation from English tyranny. Perhaps there is a lesson for us today in this sad tale of youth ended so early, since her image transcends time.
Ironically, divorce caused this pain. In 1152, the Poitou region in France came under English control through the marriage of a divorced Eleanor d'Aquitaine to Henry II Plantagenêt. Poitou already had been reunited with the French crown in 1416, when Sainte Joan died. It stayed a province of France until the Revolution (1789-95), when it was divided into three departments, Vienne, Deux-Sevres, and Vendee. The region's first known inhabitants were the Pictavi, a Celtic tribe conquered in 56 BC by the Romans -- who incorporated the area into Gaul as part of the province of Aquitania. The Visigoths seized the region in AD 418, but it passed to the Franks in 507. In 732 and 733, Mayor Charles Martel CAROLINGIAN d'Austrasia ended the Saracen Moslem’s invasion of western Europe by, inter alia, his victories at Poitiers, capital of the historic region of Poitou. From the 10th to the mid-12th century, the Comtes du Poitou were also the Ducs d'Aquitaine. Charles Martel was the grandfather of King of France, Charles, Emperor Charlemagne CAROLINGIAN of Holy Roman Empire and King Carloman CAROLINGIAN of Burgundy, among others.
After Guillaume's return from the first Crusade, this duc d'Aquitaine participe à un épisode de la Reconquista. So, Aquitaine assists Aragon -- Alphonse, King of all Castille and León (le Batailleur), who had married Guillaume VIII's sister Béatrice. In the Moslem world, during the next three centuries, the name of Cutanda will become the synonym of catastrophe. At sunrise a small force headed by Aquitaine ambushes the moslem army with the cry Dieu le veut ! La victoire est totale. http://svowebmaster.free.fr/Histoire_Cutanda.htm
The tents of the Emir are ransacked, his trunks broken, the spoils -- enormous! The Comte William (Guillaume VIII de Poitiers, duc d'Aquitaine, le Troubadour) permits his troops to benefit -- gold, rare stones and delicate silk trade goods. William eyes an enormous vase in the shape of drop, cut in a block of rock crystal. It measures approximately a foot and its size makes it precious. This vase will become the symbol of the Picto-Aquitaine power, handed down from Count to comte, until Eleanor takes its possession. She will offer it to Louis VII at the time of their marriage, as a sign of Aquitaine's allegiance. After their unhappy divorce, Louis VII will keep the vase and Aquitaine. Encircled later by a frame out of horn, encrusted with invaluable stones, the Sacracen vase now sits atop a pedestal of gold on which is engraved the history of its origin. The object is currently visible in the musée du Louvre. But who of its visitors knows that this object comes from the tent of an enemy, overcome by a Count of Poitou, at the time of the battle of Cutanda (May 18, 1120) ?
A day of science -- May 24rd: In 1543 Copernicus died, a man whose scientific observations underpin the modern assumptions about the world. Earth was no longer the center of God's creation, but a small weather-beaten rock circling some unremarkable sun in some obscure part of one galaxy -- a galaxy with just an unremarkable collection of stars, one among billions of other collections. Congratulations, an age of enlightenment was just around the corner. At the urging of a local bishop, scientists began searching in 2004 for the astronomer's remains and eventually discovered a skull and bones of a 70 year old male - the age of Copernicus when he passed away. On May 22, 2010, Copernicus was given a second burial with a Mass led by Jozef Kowalczyk, the former papal nuncio to Poland (newly named Primate of Poland). Copernicus' remains were interred in the same place within Frombork Cathedral where part of his skull and other bones had been found (confirmed by DNA testing that matched remains with that from hairs found in one of his books). A black granite tombstone now identifies him as the founder of the heliocentric theory and also as a church canon, at that time a cleric ranking below a priest. The tombstone bears a representation of Copernicus' model of the solar system, a golden sun encircled by six of the planets. Wojciech Ziemba, the archbishop of the region surrounding Frombork, said the Catholic Church is proud that Copernicus left the region a legacy of "his hard work, devotion and above all of his scientific genius."
In contrast to the cold reception that Copernicus has received until now, it was on May 24, 1686, that the German physicist, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit was born in Danzig, East Prussia (now in Poland). Fahrenheit, the inventor of the alcohol thermometer and the mercury thermometer (1714), as his name may suggest, also developed the Fahrenheit temperature scale (now out-of-favor in most of the world, but still in use in the United States) Fahrenheit also discovered that water can remain in its liquid state below its normal freezing point (32 degrees F) and the boiling temperature of water will vary, depending on air pressure. Interestingly, Frombork (Copernicus' hometown) was also part of Germany. When Russian troops occupied the rubble that was once Frombork, they expelled all the German people and sent them to the worker's paradise that was called East Germany. The region was then resettled by Polish citizens, many of whom came from the Polish lands that the Soviets had annexed. Beginning in 1966 the Boy Scouts began clearing the rubble and rebuilding the town (one supposes this was mainly the city-centre). A monument to this effort is there today.
In a somewhat similar vein, Alexander Graham Bell would utter some famous words into his telephone, ushering into being the modern analog communications age; but, before he did, Mr. Morse had invented the telegraph, a digital device. The first telegram was sent by Sam between Washington DC (still the centre of the universe known and unknown for some), and Baltimore MD, on May 24, 1844. The City of New York could be said to have invented modern transportation infrastructure for the commuting public. A keystone was its bridges (and later tunnels), the most famous (and most resold) being the Brooklyn Bridge. This modern marvel of science was dedicated on May 24, 1883. It took 14 years to build and, unfortunately, construction took many lives, including even it's designer / engineer. John Röbling of Mühlhausen, Thuringia (located in central Germany not in Elaß) was born in 1806. Roebling died in New York in July 1869 of injuries sustained on the site of the Brooklyn Bridge construction project. This noble river crossing was finished by his son.
Finally the noble Science of War advanced this day in 1941 when the German Battleship Bismark fired a salvo which disintegrated a somewhat older, but still powerful, H.M.S. Hood. Thereafter, a rather small, old and aged plane crippled the steering of the Bismark. This event coupled with events that would soon occur in the Pacific ended modern naval warfare with its reliance on big guns on big ship platforms. In the post-modern world we rely on smarter more scientific weapons.
You may also remember that the Hood participated in the destruction of much of the French Fleet in Africa (Mers-el-Kébir-Algeria). Elsewhere, England appropriated French ships without much problem (some damage to a ship in Dakar and a few deaths in a submarine at a port in England), but on July 03, 1940, a Royal Navy taskforce destroyed a number of vessels to keep them out of Nazi hands. The French planned to sink the ships if the Germans approached, but would not accede to British demands to transfer the ships. Almost 1300 French mariners died. As retaliation for the actions at Mers-el-Kébir and Dakar, French bomber raids were made on Gibraltar. The ships Dunkerque, Provence and Mogador were partially repaired and sailed back to Toulon. The Strasbourg (and several others) escaped without harm. The action remains controversial today, but it convinced Roosevelt the British were serious about fighting to the last man. The Vichy government (or at least loyal French sailors) scuttled the rest of the fleet at Toulon a year later when German and Italian troops surrounded that port-city. The ships Dunkerque and Strasbourg were among those sunk at Toulon.
Speaking of Great River Crossings -- May 24, 1816: Emanuel Leutze was born in Schwäbisch-Gmünd, Germany. Leutze came to America with his family when young. In 1841 he returned to Germany to study at the art academy in Düsseldorf. He remained in Germany for 20 years, but was dedicated to painting a series of works on American history. His most known painting is Washington Crossing the Delaware. He returned to the United States in 1859 and in 1860 was commissioned to decorate a stairway in the Capitol Building. The name of his composition there is Westward the Course of Empire Takes its Way.
May 25, 735: Bede (The Venerable), father of English history, dies. In addition to his Ecclesiastical History of the English People (731), biographies of abbots and Scriptural commentaries, Bede wrote the primary source document about how Celtic and Roman Christianity clashed at the Synod of Whitby in 664. For the full story in context of the times -- Go HERE to read more. His feast day is celebrated by some on the 27th of May, but for most in the English Church it is today the 25th. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Thus he prayed on the floor, and when he had named the Holy Ghost, he breathed out his soul. All declared that they had never seen any one die with such great devotion and tranquillity -- reported by Cuthbert, soon to be a Saint, too.
May 26th -- day known most for tolerance: May 26, 1232 -- Pope Gregory IX sends the first Inquisition team to Aragon, Spain. 1328 -- William of Ockham was forced to flee from Avignon by Pope John XXII. 1521 -- Martin Luther was banned by the first Edict of Worms because of his religious beliefs and writings. eventually, he had to flee this part of Germany in order to save his life. 1538 -- The City State of Geneva threw out John Calvin and his followers, whom were deemed zealots. Calvin was exiled from Geneva for three years and lived in Strasbourg. http://www.herodote.net/histoire05213.htm
The great reformer, Martin Luther, preached in Leipzig on Pentecost Sunday in 1539. On Pentecost Sunday, May 26, 1539, explorer Hernando DeSoto sailed up Old Tampa Bay and named the springs he found there ”Espiritu Santo” (Holy Spirit) in honor of the religious holiday. http://www.espiritusanto.cc/es/cms/core/AboutEspirituSanto Archbishop Cranmer had insight into this; his 1539 translation of Acts 2:1 is as follows -- “When the fifty days had come to an end, they were all with one accord in one place.” But, as usual, I digreß.
1637 -- The first Battle of Pequot at New Haven, CT. Some 500 Natives died. 1647 -- A new law banned Catholic priests from the Colony of Massachusetts. The penalty for a second offense was death . 1691 -- Jacob Leiser and co-conspirator Jacob Milborne were hanged for Treason on orders of Governor Henry Sloughter of Colonial New York. They led a popular non-English (Dutch) uprising (1688) in support of William and Mary’s accession to the English Crown (against James II). 1797 -- Gracchus Babeuf et un acolyte, Darthé, sont guillotinés à Vendôme. Leur mort met un point final à la «Conjuration des Égaux». http://www.herodote.net/histoire05262.htm 1798 -- The British killed about 500 Irish insurgents at the Battle of Tara.19th Century tolerance -- May 26, 1831 -- Death of Georg Hermes in Bonn, Germany: Georg Hermes was a Roman Catholic theologian who was a follower of the systems of Immanuel Kant. He originated a theological system called Hermesianism by which he sought to prove the rational necessity of Christianity: Einleitung in die christkatholische Theologie (1819-29). He was ordained a priest in 1799 and became a professor of dogmatic theology at the Universities of Münster and Bonn. After his death he fell out of favor and his writings were listed on the Roman Catholic Index of Forbidden books. Pope Gregory XVI and the first Vatican Council condemned his theology. Compare René Descartes' Cogito, ergo sum with Credo, in unum Deo. May 26, 1868: Michael Barrett, Irish nationalist, was executed in the last British public execution. Some believe that his martyrdom was unnecessary.
Love, Love American Style -- May 26, 1930: The United States Supreme Court ruled that buying liquor did not violate the Constitution. 1959 - Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, Harvey Haddix, threw a no-hitter for 12 innings; but still recorded a loss to the Braves 1-0 in the 13th inning. Milwaukee Braves slugger Joe Adcock whacked in a run to win the game; however, one must remember that an error had let the game continue to this point. The Pirates tolerated this failure, so Haddix won game seven in the 1960 World Series in Pittsburgh, giving the Pirates a World title, the first in a long, long time.
Pentecost -- 50 days later: Pentecôte {Année B} -- le 27 mai 2012 -- http://missel.free.fr/Annee_B/paques/pentecote.html -- Psaume 103 -- Bénis le Seigneur, ô mon âme; Seigneur mon Dieu, tu es si grand !. "I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them. Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God." from Ezekiel 11:20 -- Year A Reading (June 12, 2011).
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
And your young men shall see visions,
And your old men shall dream dreams:
Yea and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days
Will I pour forth of my Spirit; and they {all} shall prophesy.
Joel 2 -- http://www.orlutheran.com/mlsepent.htmlWhen the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability -- from Acts 2. Le Saint-Esprit est la source de la liberté des chrétiens : par sa présence intérieure.
May 27, 1819: Julia Ward Howe, writer of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, arrivée. JW was born on the feast day of Augustine of Canterbury, first English Archbishop and the Apostle to the Anglo-Saxons. En 596, ce moine bénédictin fut envoyé en Angleterre par le pape, Grégoire 1er (le Grand), afin de convertir les Anglo-Saxons. Il débarqua sur l'île avec une quarantaine de moines et il prêcha l'Évangile sans violenter les cultes païens. Il baptisa Éthelbert, le roi saxon du Kent, et créa ensuite l'évêché de Cantorbéry. Augustin est considéré comme le fondateur de l'Église anglaise. The tomb of Gregory's envoy bears this epitaph: Here rests Augustine, first archbishop of Canterbury, who being sent hither by {Pope} Gregory {the Great}, Bishop of Rome, reduced King Ethelbert and the {English} nation from the worship of idols to the faith of Christ.
Better than Reality TV -- May 27, 1873: Survivor won the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico race track in Baltimore, Maryland. This event concluded the first Run for the Black-Eyed Susans. Today the horse race continues as the second jewel in racing’s Triple Crown, two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and before the Belmont Stakes (New York). The Black-Eyed Susan is the state flower, however it normally does not flower until June. The coverlet (or blanket) of Susans that the victorious received was made from daisies with the centers painted black. In 2006 the 131st race was run on May 20th at about 6:10pm local time (EDT).
Bernardini captured the 131st Preakness Stakes by 51/4 lengths over Sweetnorthernsaint. As with the 1995 Donn, the overarching story wasn't who won but the life-threatening breakdown of a standout horse -- in this case unbeaten Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, who fractured his right hind leg just over an eighth-mile into the 13/16-mile race. http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060522/SPORTS08/605220395
In 1957 (May 27th), Brunswick Records released That’ll be the Day, by The Crickets (featuring Buddy Holly). On September 14th, the tune became the most popular record in the U.S. It was their first hit. Two previous releases had gone nowhere on Decca Records in 1956. Just a day later, the Dodgers and Giants (U.S. Baseball teams) were permitted to move from New York City to California -- that was the day we said goodbye, and for some the day baseball died. Finally, four years and a day later, in 1961, Ricky Nelson reached the top spot on Billboard's pop-singles chart with Travelin’ Man.
May 28, 1660: Today marks the birth of George I in Osnabrück, (Kingdom of Hanover) Germany, first Elector of Hannover. The English Parliament's Act of Settlement (1701), in an attempt to ensure a Protestant succession to the British throne, named George (then the Elector of Hanover in the Holy Roman Empire) third in line to the crown in opposition to the Roman Catholic claimant, James Edward. At the death of Queen Anne in 1714, the Whig party which had just gained control of government, urged him to the crown. At that time George did not know how to speak English. Because his new ministers did not know German, he was forced to deal with his government in French. George remained the ruler of Hanover, in addition to being the British King, which realm he visited frequently. It was while on such a visit that he died in Osnabrück (Osnabrueck) in 1727. George the First was followed on the throne by his son, George II and great-grandson, George III.
Le 29 mai 1453: Ce figure traditionnellement parmi les dates clé de l'Histoire occidentale. Ce jour-là, la ville de Constantinople tombe aux mains du sultan ottoman Mehmet II. http://www.herodote.net/14530529.htm Constantinople, capital of Eastern Christianity since Constantine founded it in 324AD, falls and this event ends the Byzantine Empire. Muslim rulers began referring to the city as Istanbul, turned its lavishly decorated Christian cathedral, named Hagia Sophia, into a mosque and changed the course of history.
Le 29 mai 2005: The French have had a chance to vote in a new European Union constitution, which if it had been approved by all 25 European Union member-states, would have created a political United Europe. French voter exit-poll sources indicated that the constitution would be rejected by a 55-45 margin. Approximately 70% or over 30 million voters took part in the choice. After the polls closed, the final numbers showed the margin at nearly 57-43.
Background -- The French referendum on the EU constitution kicked off at 8:00a.m. local time on Sunday in metropolitan France, and the polling stations remain open until 8:00 pm. Residents of Paris and Lyon were given an extra two hours until 10:00 pm (local time) to cast their ballots. Results were not known until after then, in time for the East Coast US TV news.
A substantial majority of French have voted non. The loss of sovereignty and high unemployment are given as reasons for voting no. Some have suggested it was really a referendum on the Chirac government. No revote is expected; however, some are still trying to unite the Union into one government.
While it is perhaps too simple to state that jobs are the issue, the labor costs in ten (10) of the members are about 14% of those in western Germany (which has comparable costs to those in urbanized France). France's President Chirac has warned that a no vote will be a victory for the anglo-saxon world, particularly the USA. For those of you who are Francophones try to chew on this blog: http://etienne.chouard.free.fr/Europe/Index.htm Stephen's site has been called (fondly) a low-tech French Drudge Report, full of simple republican sentiments {French not American}.Une mauvaise constitution qui révèle un secret cancer de notre démocratie -- Chers collègues et amis, Après six mois de réflexion intense, se cristallise une argumentation autour du "traité constitutionnel", à partir de lui mais au-delà de lui, une argumentation qui n’est ni de droite ni de gauche, et qui montre un danger historique pour nous tous, au-dessus de la politique. Pour ces raisons, cette courte argumentation devrait intéresser les citoyens de tous bords.
Huit pays sur 25 (Lituanie, Hongrie, Slovénie, Italie, Grèce, Autriche, Slovaquie) ont déjà ratifié le traité constitutionnel européen. La ratification grecque, où le vote du Parlement remontait au mois dernier, a été validée jeudi par le rejet d'une motion de l'opposition socialiste en faveur d'un référendum. L'Autriche et la Slovaquie avaient ratifié le texte mercredi par voie parlementaire. Le Parlement allemand a entamé jeudi la ratification de la Constitution européenne, massivement approuvée par la chambre basse comme par une majorité d'Allemands, si l'on en croit les sondages. L'adoption définitive à la chambre haute est prévue pour le 27 mai, deux jours avant le référendum en France. http://permanent.nouvelobs.com/etranger/20050512.FAP4315.html?1803 Germany became the ninth country to ratify the EU constitution when the upper house of parliament voted Friday (27th) in favor of the treaty that embodies it. One may think that if Madame Merkel had been in charge the matter would have come to a public vote.
... Chez moi, on m’appelait Jeannette .... Quel âge avez-vous ?
Constitution opponents chanting We won ! gathered at Place de la Bastille, in Paris, the site of a symbol of French rebellion. Cars blared their horns and non campaigners thrust their arms into the air. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-05/30/content_3018693.htm -- Rêve de grand soir place de la Bastille à Paris
As a final thought, the Dutch had a referendum on the new EU constitution on June 1, 2005. One day before the vote, the preference was „Nr -- zullen wij niet ja stemmen.” This rejection by the Dutch, along with the French vote of May 29th, have caused pan-European leaders to rethink the strategies for achieving political, as well as, economic union. The proposed EU constitution envisions that the ratification process would continue until November 2006. To date, 10 countries have made a decision -- the French and Dutch having cast negative votes, one may well think the matter is dead for now. Once all have spoken, a special summit would then be called to discuss what to do next, but only if 20 of the 25 members had approved the treaty ... but, already in June 2005, some are beginning to talk about a revote in France. More HERE But all that was before the anarchy of the summer and fall months, the problems with Iran and protests against illegal images, so what to do now may well be up in the air for the foreseeable future.
After a year -- Le 30 mai 1431: Ste. Jeanne d'Arc est brûlée vive à Rouen, Normandie, sur la place du Vieux-Marché, après avoir été abandonnée par son roi. http://www.herodote.net/histoire05301 It is a traditional feast day for the French, and not much recognized by the English, who once questioned her:A peu près dix-neuf ans. J’ai été baptisée en l’église de Domrémy [Domrémy-la-Pucelle, Vosges, Lorraine] par maître Jean Minzet, à ce que je crois. C’est de ma mère que j’ai appris Pater noster, Ave Maria, Credo. Je n’ai appris ma créance d’ailleurs que de ma mère. Quand je fus grande, après l’âge de raison, en général je ne gardais pas les bêtes, mais j’aidais à les mener au pré. Je ne suis venue en France que sur l’ordre de Dieu. Puisque Dieu le commandait, il le convenait faire. Si j’eusse eu cent pères et cent mères, et si j’eusse été fille de roi, je serais partie. http://missel.free.fr/Sanctoral/05/30.php
May 30, 1922: The Lincoln Memorial (carved from Georgia marble by Daniel Chester French, who earlier created the monument of James Oglethorpe in Savannah) was dedicated on Memorial Day in Washington, D.C. from http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/tdgh-may/may30.htm The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated by Chief Justice William Howard Taft. The Memorial has 48 sculptured festoons above the columns representing the number of states in the Union at the time of its dedication. The 36 Doric columns in the Lincoln Memorial represent the number of stars in the Flag at the time of Lincoln’s death on April 15, 1865. The limestone and marble edifice, which is situated at the western end of the Mall, was designed by Henry Bacon in the style of a Greek temple. On May 18, 1923, the Gold Medal of Honor of the American Institute of Architects was awarded to Bacon by then President Warren Harding. The presentation was made on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial he had begun planning in 1915 during the Wilson administration.
«Tu es bénie entre toutes les femmes et le fruit de ton sein est béni . . . .»
Memorial Day in the United States (since 1968) is now set for the last Monday in May; the traditional date is May 30th. Memorial Day in 2005 was remembered on the 30th. In 2006 the government holiday fell on the 29th -- returned to the 30th in 2011. Two More -- Links -- Send a Memorial Day e-card: http://www.usmemorialday.com/
May 31, 1578: Italian archæologist Antonio Bosio is credited with discovering the catacombs in Rome, once used by Christians. Some have called them places of refuge or worship, but the faithful appear to have used them chiefly for burial, worship mainly connected with burial rites. Today most of the catacombs are controlled by the Roman Catholic Church, some open to the public. A Jewish presence in Rome dates to the second century before Christ. The Jewish catacombs closely resemble the better known Christian ones, except for two differences in style. The corridors in the Christian sepulchers are very narrow, where the corridors in the Jewish catacombs are broader. The other difference is that the so-called Kokim-tombs, more closely resemble the chamber-type tombs found in Judæa, which the Mishna describes in detail. The Kokim-tombs are closed to public viewing. http://www.livius.org/di-dn/diaspora/rome.html
Le 31 mai -- C'est la fête de la Visitation de Marie: Cette fête catholique rappelle la visite de la Vierge Marie à sa cousine Élizabeth. Celle-ci, bien que très âgée, portait en son sein, depuis cinq mois un enfant qui fut plus tard connu sous le nom de Jean-Baptiste car il baptisa les Juifs dans le Jourdain. Marie venait d'apprendre qu'elle était elle-même enceinte de Jésus et sa cousine la salua par les mots célèbres (Évangile selon Saint Luc, I, 42):Ces paroles sont entrées dans la deuxième partie de la prière:
«Je vous salue Marie».Marie y répondit par le cantique du Magnificat:
Mon âme exalte le Seigneur
et mon esprit s'est rempli d'allégresse
A cause de Dieu, mon Sauveur,
parce qu'il a porté son regard sur son humble
servante . . . .My soul exalts in the Lord
and my spirit overflows with joy
Because of God, my Savior,
for his regard for his humble
maidservant . . . . [Luke 1:46-48]Mais, tout en reconnaissant l’importance de cet arrière-plan de l’Ancien Testament dans le Magnificat, il est également essentiel de noter que le Cantique de Marie est écrit à partir d’une perspective post-Résurrection. C’est une hymne de la communauté du Nouveau Testament. Luc l’a incorporée dans son évangile, probablement avec quelques légers changements, autour des années 80-90. Elle manifeste la foi de la communauté qui se répandait déjà rapidement à travers le monde, la plupart de ses membres venaient des couches les plus pauvres de la société. http://www.secretariadojmv.org/inter/frances/temas_de_formacion/la_spiritualite_du_maginificat.htm
Ce dialogue plein de tendresse a inspiré les artistes, les peintres et les compositeurs au cours des siècles. http://missel.free.fr/Sanctoral/05/31.phpNew England Rocks -- June 1, 1638: The first damaging earthquake recorded in the american colonies occurs at the Plimoth settlement (Plymouth, Massachusetts). Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, mentioned (in a letter to John Winthrop) that the 1638 earthquake was the fifth that the natives (probably of the Narraganset tribe) had felt in eighty years. Williams goes on to state that the natives had a word for earthquakes. The Abnaki's of northern New England, who speak the Algonquin language, as do the Narraganset, say that this word is NANAMKIPODA. When translated it simply means "when the earth shakes." The very fact that the Native Americans of New England have a word for earthquake shows that, if not a common occurrence, earthquakes do occur there from time to time. http://www.bc.edu/research/westonobservatory/ Just 19 years later -- to the day -- the first Quakers arrived in New Amsterdam (later called New York), beginning the tradition of making NYC a stopping place for movers and shakers.
June 1, 1959: The Battle Of New Orleans, as sung by Johnny Horton, peaked at the number one position on the pop music singles charts in the U.S.A. There it stayed for six weeks.
... Remember New Orleans I say,
Where Jackson show'd them Yankee play,
And beat them off and gain'd the day,
And then we heard the people say
"Huzza !" for Gen'ral Jackson, ["oho-ray"]We fired our guns and the British kept a coming
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnning
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico! {hut tut trey 4 ....}Chorus from "The Battle of New Orleans" by Jimmy (James Morris)
Driftwood, voted as one of the 10 most popular American songs.Jimmy Driftwood started work as a high school teacher. His songs taught his classes. The ballad entitled "The Battle of New Orleans" was written years before it became famous in order to show his history students that the Battle of New Orleans was fought at the end of the War of 1812, and not during the Revolutionary War. After he achieved fame as a noted songwriter and performer, Mr. Driftwood used his influence to help the rest of America and the world discover the wonder and beauty that is Arkansas Folk Culture. There are many differences in the Driftwood and Horton versions. http://www.menziesera.com/singalong/battle_of_new_orleans.htm.
Precisely 2 years later on June 1st of 1961, Surrender by Elvis Presley stood at #1 on the U.K. pop singles chart. Undaunted, the British would invade America's music scene a few years later. The Rolling Stones arrived in the U.S.A. for the first time on June 1st 1964, landing at newly renamed Kennedy Airport in New York City. The first gig was at a high school stadium in Massachusetts -- thus proving, as we said -- New England Rocks.
June 2, 575: Benedict I began his term as Catholic Pope. He led during the famine which followed upon the Lombard invasion of Italy, and died during the siege of Rome (of natural causes). His name in Latin means blessing. Today, when a Priest closes Mass, he gives a general benediction, blessing the people as they go forth to work and serve. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02427c.htm
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, elected as Pope on April 19, 2005, chose the name Benedict XVI. The last Pontiff named Benedict (XV), holding office until the end of World War I, cannonized Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) in 1920. The last German Pope ? That is a somewhat harder question to answer. It appears to be Victor II (1055-1057AD), but there are some other contenders: http://www.abc.net.au/ (Adrian not Hadrian) -- http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01514b.htm -- Adrian VI (500 years ago) claimed by some to be the last, was from today's Netherlands (Utrecht), but spent his time in Germany, when that part of Holland was allied with other German States within the Holy Roman Empire. Victor II was from Swabia, unquestionably a German-settled area 1000 years ago and today. Our page on the Pope is HERE.
June 2, 597: Augustine, Apostle to England and the first Archbishop of Canterbury, baptizes Saxon King Ethelbert, the first native Christian ruler in England. The missionary's tomb bears this epitaph: Here rests Augustine, first archbishop of Canterbury, who being sent hither by {Pope} Gregory {the Great}, Bishop of Rome, reduced King Ethelbert and the {English} nation from the worship of idols to the faith of Christ. Many would argue however, for a later date and King, Egbert, a direct descendant of the Æsgard, the rulers of Troy and back further of Adam. Egbert, born about 784 in Wessex, England (died after November 19, 838) being recognized as the first English King. He was first King of Wessex in 800; but, he made the other kingdoms dependent upon him by 829 (the first overlord of all others in England -- 828AD). Alfred (the great) was the son of Æthelwulf and the grandson of Egbert. Alfred is viewed by many as the first King of a true country named England, his direct line continued through to Edward the Confessor, who died at Christmas time.
King Edward the Confessor, another son of Anglo-Saxon King Æthelræd (the Unready), was recalled from Normandy after decades of exile, where he had secured sanctuary with his Norman Christian cousins. Not unexpectedly, Edward's reign witnessed increasing Norman-French influence, which had begun when Canute married Æthelræd's widow, Emma of Normandy, daughter of Richard the Fearless, then Duke of Normandy. Edward oversaw completion of Westminster Abbey, which he finished just in time for his burial in January 1065/66 (back then the year started in March).
Edward's unexpected death without an heir left the succession in doubt and in dispute . . . well, you know the story. Throughout history, uncertainty in sucession leads to war. Before Edward's passing, he had named a Norman heir, but the Anglo-Saxon council of electors (witenagemot) wanted a man closer to their own cultural heritage, thus leading to a dispute, hastily settled outside a small English town. The direct line from Æthelræd and Ealmund returned with Henry II, who was also a grandson of William the Norman Conqueror of Anglo-Saxon England.
June 2, 1775: Members of the Georgia patriot movement spiked cannons in Savannah, so the guns could not be fired to celebrate the ruler's 37th birthday. On June 4, 1738, at Westminster in London, Princess Augusta (wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales and son of King George II) had given birth to the couple's first son, who one day would rule over Britain, and the dissolution of its American colonies, as King George III. In 1751, Frederick died, leaving George III in line for the throne. George's grandfather, George II, died in 1760.
More About Normandy in June -- Abbaye Notre-Dame du Bec-Hellouin: English Henry II, Plantagenêt was the son of Matilda, by her second marriage. A simple enough sentence with a somewhat complicated history, because she was the daughter of a King of England, direct heir to the throne (Indeed, a direct descendant of King Egbert (mentioned Here)), Empress of an ancient empire, mother of another English King and a countess and duchess in her own right by marriage of a not inconsiderable portion of France.
On January 7, 1114, Matilda first married Heinrich V, an Emperor of the German Empire, who died on May 23, 1125, at Utrecht, Netherlands (no issue by this marriage). So, she was for a while, the Empress of the Holy Roman Empire. On April 3 or 22, 1127, she married Geoffery V Plantagenêt (Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy -- born August 24, 1113, at Anjou, France; died September 7, 1151, at Chateau, Eure-et-Loire, France). Thus, she became a duchess and countess. Also known as Maud to distinguish her from her mother (see below), she was born Adelaide, Princess of England in about 1104. Adelaide was denied the throne of England by her cousin Stephen after a brief civil war upon the death of her father. She passed away on September 10, 1167, at Abbaye Notre-Dame des Prés, near Rouen, France and was buried at Abbaye Notre-Dame du Bec[-Hellouin], Eure, France. Her son would be the King of England, vindicating her claim as a rightful heir.
Empress Maud was the daughter of another Matilda (born about 1082 in Scotland; died May 1, 1118 at Winchester, Hampshire, England), whose baptized name was Edith, a Princess of Scotland. On November 11, 1100, the Princess Edith (Matilda) married English King Henry I, BEAUCLERC (born about 1068 at Selby, Yorkshire, England; died December 1, 1135, at Angers, Maine-et-Loire, France). He was the youngest son of William I THE CONQUEROR, King of England, Duke of Normandy, one of the 12 peers of France.
On June 3, 1162, Thomas à Becket was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury. Nominated by his friend, English King Henry II, (Becket had previously served as Henri's Chancellor), Becket underwent a radical change as an archbishop. He became pious and thereafter devoted his life to the Church in England. Henry found this attitude "troublesome." When some knights heard the sovereign grumbling, they murdered the Archbishop as he prayed on December 29, 1170. The Abbey of Our Lady of the Bec at Hellouin (a bec is the crest of a hill usually made of glacial material, which resembles a beak) has been closely associated with Canterbury since its founding.
June 3, 1906: Dancer, singer, Parisian nightclub owner, Freda Josephine Carson, was born in St. Louis, Missouri. A highly talented singer and dancer, Carson got her show business start locally. Later she travelled with the Dixie Steppers, changing her name and achieving international stardom by life's end. Josephine moved to France in the mid-1920's finding more acceptance for her art. She became a French citizen and was married. During World War II, she became an active underground agent for the Resistance. She also served as a sub-lieutenant in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. The French government awarded her the Medal of Resistance, named her a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor and gave her with full military honors upon her death. Josephine Baker died in Paris in 1975, three weeks shy of her birthday and several days after her last performance. More here
Le Printemps de Pékin -- le 3 juin 1989: Dans la nuit du 3 au 4 juin 1989, place Tienanmen à Pékin, les autorités chinoises répriment dans le sang le vaste mouvement populaire en faveur de la démocratie. Depuis un mois, des étudiants et des ouvriers ont investi la place Tienanmen pour demander un changement politique. Le Premier ministre, Li Peng, décrète alors la loi martiale et envoie l'armée sur la capitale. Des centaines de manifestants seront écrasés par le chars ou abattus. http://museums.cnd.org/HZ/June4th/1989.06-03.hz7.html
There is no firm figure on death toll from Communist China's crackdown freedom marches in Beijing during 1989. The government first claimed (four days after army's assault which ended June 4th) that about 300 people, mostly soldiers, had perished. Months later, it lowered the estimate to about 200, including 36 student deaths. In contrast, the foreign journalists who visited hospitals, as well as residents of the city, estimated (at the time) at least 1,000 fatalities. A Chinese student group in Germany has cited Chinese Red Cross officials as saying 3,600 died. US government documents show 2,600 were killed and 7,000 injured during what has become known as the Tiananmen {Square} Massacre. http://ebellefr.club.fr/index1.htm
June 4, 1789: Many Websites report that the Constitution of the United States of America, written and adopted sometime earlier through the approval of the 13 former colonial states, went into effect on this date in history. What actually happened on June 4th (1789) ?? In the brand-new US Senate, Vice President John Adams administered an oath to all Senators, setting a pattern that future Presiding Officers followed, without controversy, for the next 74 years. In true chicken or the egg fashion, the Oath Act was the first legislation approved by Congress and signed by the President on June 1st. The true business of the Country under the new Constitution did not begin until the 4th when Adams administered the oath of office. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r105:S07JA7-94:
June 5, 755: St. Boniface is martyred. St. Boniface (Wynfrith) was an English monk who was appointed by the Pope as Bishop in 722 and sent to christianize the Hassorum. In 745 his diocese was established in Mainz (Mayence). He died at the hands of a pagan mob. The body of Boniface was taken to Fulda, where it still rests. His bloodstained book, which he was reading when murdered, was exhibited for centuries as a relic. http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0605.htm Saint Adaler was an Irish companion of Saint Boniface, who accompanied him also into martyrdom at Dokkum, Friesland (Netherlands). Saint Adaler is said to have been the first Bishop of Erfurt, a diocese founded in 741 AD. His feast day is June 5th. He is entombed at St. Mary's Cathederal, Erfurt (Thuringia). The Cathedral structure on Erfurt's Domberg was founded by 742. In 1153, the original church on cathedral hill collapsed. Work began in the next year on a Romanesque basilica. That edifice, consecrated on June 20, 1182, has experienced many exciting architectural modifications, modifications deserving of the best location in town (Domstufen Einz).
We must not forget to explore another fact: As every post-modern person knows, a monk lived out his life in a cloistered irrelevancy, much too concerned with his inward pursuit of holiness to change the course of history -- Counter-culturist, Thomas Cahill, however, has busted that truism with his work about Irish monasticism, called How the Irish Saved Civilization. from The Pagan Buster -- a pæan to St. Boniface. Bonifatius had been revered as a saint for centuries before the formal canonization by Pope Pius IX on June 11, 1874. During his lifetime Boniface had had close ties to Charles Martel, Carloman and Pippin the Short, all famous franc-o-philes of that zeitgeist. Boniface's efforts among the eastern native tribes established a structure for the Christian empire which Karl der Große (Charlemagne) would develop in the area now known as Germany.
On June 5th of 1775: Patriots raised the first Liberty Pole in Georgia, in front of Tondee's Tavern at Georgia's first city, Savannah. This town, like others throughout the colonies, by 1775 was divided into two hostile factions, with a group in the middle who hoped for peace. Peter Tondee was known as the tavern's keeper. Georgia's roster of Revolution records him as a Son of Liberty and a member of the Provincial Congress. He referred to himself as a carpenter. As usual, there is much more to this story than first meets the eye.
In 1596, the third Protestant church was built in France at Châtillon-sur-Loire. Louis XIV ordered it destroyed in 1684 and a family surnamed TONDU family quit the area, ultimately bound for England. We know little about Pierre Tondu born in France (1684) at Châtillon-sur-Loire, one year prior to the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Sun King Louis the 14th. It is believed that Pierre lived near Leicester Square, London. His son, Peter Tondee, was born at that great City in 1723. At age 10 Peter came to the Georgia Colony, settling in Savannah. Orphaned by then, Pierre and his brother Charles lived with several families until the Reverend George Whitfield arrived. Whitfield established an orphanage called Bethesda. Peter learned the carpentry trade. In 1765, the Georgia Colonial Council employed him to build a structure for the courts of the Province of Georgia. Also in 1767, he was appointed inspector of lumber for the port of Savannah, so that he was no stranger to the power of the state. http://members.aol.com/ldsed/
Peter had acquired several land grants, and between 1766 and 1770 he built a tavern in Savannah. In time, Tondee's Tavern, located on the corner of Broughton and Whitaker Streets, became the chief rallying place for social, as well as business, activities for the last decade of the Colonial era, including the secretive but not-so-secret meetings in protest of British taxes.
On the 5th of June, 1775, Georgia patriots raised the Liberty Pole in front of Tondee's establishment. On the 21st they challenged Savannah's citizens to choose a committee to correspond with others of like mind in other places. After all the business transactions, the Liberty Flag was hoisted upon the liberty pole. Later, several of the gentlemen of the city dined in the tavern, drinking thirteen patriotic toasts, one for each colony desiring freedom. On the 4th of July, 1775, the first Provincial Congress of Georgia opened in the Tondee Tavern Long Room. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-819
The official story of the Liberty Pole begins about 1765. The Sons of Liberty, an organization started by Samuel Adams, protested unlawful British taxes. Soon, men of the Patriot movement would rally around Liberty Poles in other towns, and would fly a Liberty Flag from the pole. This banner consisted of nine vertical stripes of alternating red and white. As might be expected, rallies tended to be night-time ventures to avoid British eyes. Their goal: organize public and patriotic actions.
At first it is said that the Sons of Liberty met by large Liberty Trees, found on many village greens. A pine tree motif was used already on Colonial Flags of New England, so that a pine-shaped Liberty Tree is featured on the flags of the New England Colonies at the outset of the Revolutionary War. However, in New England towns that lacked a massive tree, and elsewhere in the Colonies, Patriots would instead raise a tall pole as a symbol of a Liberty Tree. It naturally became known as the Liberty Pole.
For a lot more information about the Liberty symbolism at the time, try: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/xf-cap.html -- http://www.coinsite.com/CoinSite-PF/PParticles/005c1793.htm -- http://www.coinsite.com/CoinSite-PF/PParticles/005cclcap.htm And, for an alternative explanation of these symbols, you may wish to try: http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/mason8.htm
June 5th: Adam Smith and John Maynard Keynes, both economists, have this day in common -- yet they could not be more different. Keynes was born on the 5th in Cambridge, England in 1883. He developed theories on the causes of prolonged unemployment and advised the use of wide-spread government expenditures to counter the widespread, worldwide deflation and depression of the 1930's. Some would call these theories progressive; others claim that they simply prolonged the misery of the era -- a debate which rages even today. Progressive theology works like a carnival trick. It is meant only to be seen once, afterwards everyone knows who is stealing the money and from whose pocket it comes.
In contrast, Adam Smith was baptized in Kirkcaldy, Scotland on this date in 1723. He was the author of An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Smith studied at the University of Glasgow, and then went to Balliol College, Oxford. He then returned to Glasgow as a professor of logic and then of moral philosophy. He promoted laissez faire, market economics. It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity, but to their self-love. He also wrote the Theory of Moral Sentiments in 1759.
Le 5 juin 1947: Le secrétaire d'État américain George Catlett Marshall propose un programme d'aide destiné à stimuler la reconstruction de l'Europe après la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Son plan sera rejeté par l'URSS et les démocraties populaires de l'Est, mais accepté par seize pays européens. Ce plan sera aussi favorable à l'économie des États-Unis et évitera que les pays de l'Europe occidentale ne deviennent communistes. He said: Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine, but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos.
Other General George Catlett Marshall quotes: We are determined that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle, our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom on the one hand and of overwhelming force on the other. -- Military power wins battles, but spiritual power wins wars.
June 6th: L'Abbaye de Prémontrés at Pont-à-Mousson was founded by Saint Norbert. Having survived the ravages of time, war and the Revolution .... wow is all one can first say at its renaissance. The Pope and Bartholomew, Bishop of Laon, requested Norbert to found a religious order in the Diocese of Laon, so that his work might be perpetuated after his death. Norbert chose a lonely, marshy valley, shaped in the form of a cross, in the Forest of Coucy (about ten miles from Laon) named Prémontré. Hugh of Fosses, Evermode of Cambray, Antony of Nivelles, seven students of the celebrated school of Anselm as well as Ralph of Laon were his first disciples. The young community at first lived in huts of wood and clay, arranged like a camp around the chapel dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, but the ordre soon built a larger church and a monastery for the religious who joined them in increasing numbers.
Going to Cologne to obtain relics for their church, Norbert discovered through a vision, the spot where those of Sainte Ursula and her companions (e.g. Cordula), of Saint Gereon and of other martyrs lay hidden. The Huns brutally murdered Ursula, the daughter of a British king, King Dionotus of Cornwall, along with eleven thousand others (from Britain?) in Cologne. In part as a result of Norbert's discoveries, women wanted to join the community and a separate convent was established. This convent survived the Revolution and remained a vital community on its own.
When two rival popes came to office after the death of Honorius II, Norbert helped try to heal the Church by getting his admirer the emperor to support the first of the two elected, Innocent II. At the end of his life he became an archbishop, but he died soon after (June 6, 1134) at the age of 53. On May 2, 1627, the saint's body was translated from Magdeburg, then in the hands of Protestants, to the Abbey of Strahov, a suburb of Prague in Bohemia. The Chancery of Prague preserved the abjurations of six hundred Protestants who, on the day, or during the octave, of the translation, were reconciled to the Catholic Church. On that occasion the Archbishop of Prague, at the request of the civil and ecclesiastical authorities, proclaimed Saint Norbert the Patron and Protector of Bohemia. His Feast Day is June 6th.
The oldest remains in Hirson (an hour drive or less from either Laon or Saint-Quentin) reveal the presence of Celtic camping. Conquered by Cæsar's troops who described the Nervi tribe as savages, the town now takes on a different appeal. In the 12th century that the town prospered. This was largely due to its two abbeys, one founded at Saint-Michel to house the Scottish and Irish monks who adopted the Benedictine way of life. The other is somewhat south, the aforementioned Abbaye de Prémontrés. Hirson is surrounded by some idyllic countryside including lakes, waterfalls and forests. Don't miss another nearby church dedicated to Saint Martin -- Église Saint-Martin de Wimy. All about (près Hirson) are ideal spots for fishing, cycling, riding, kayaking, countryside walks about Thiérache or simply relaxing. It's close to Belgium and in the heart of Apple-country, too.
June 6, 1885: Birth of Thomas Mann in Lübeck, Germany. Thomas Mann was certainly one of the most notable novelists of the 20th Century. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929. His novels which have gained him world-wide recognition include a variation on a German legend called Doktor Faustus. Mann acknowledged a strong influence on his work by Arthur Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, as well as the works of Richard Wagner. Mann was on vacation in Switzerland in 1933 when Hitler became chancellor. He simply refused to return to a Nazi Germany. As a consequence, in 1936 his citizenship was revoked. He stayed in Switzerland until 1938 when he immigrated to the United States. After the war he refused to return to Germany. In 1952 he left the States to live in Switzerland.
Memorial Day: http://LaRocheUSA.org/Chain.htm
June 1, 1943: A civilian flight from Lisbon to London was shot down. All those aboard died, including an actor known as Leslie Howard (b. 1893). He perished over the Bay of Biscay, when the British Overseas aircraft was attacked by Luftwaffe fighters. His last on-screen role was that of the Spitfire's designer, R. J. Mitchell, in the 1942 film The First of the Few (released in the U.S. as a trimmed version titled Spitfire in 1948). Leslie Howard perhaps is best remembered to Americans as Ashley Wilkes in Gone With The Wind (1939), which premiered in Atlanta in 1939, the screenplay of the novel written by Margaret Mitchell. A year after his death, Allied forces were in the final stages of preparation of an assault along the Normandy coast of France
June 2, 1944: Allied forces were in the final stages of preparation of an assault along the Normandy coast of France. As part of that effort, on June 2nd the provisional Free French government is established, with General DeGaulle as its recognized leader. Generals Giraud and de Gaulle reached an agreement on the new constitution (le gouvernement provisoire de la République français) on the 3rd. The role of the heavy bombers from 2-5 June in preparation for the invasion of Normandy, included the continuation of attacks against transportation and airfield targets in Northern France and the institution of a series of blows against coastal defenses, mainly located in the Pas de Calais coastal area, in order to deceive the enemy about which sector was to be invaded (Operation COVER). Operation Gambit (2-6 June 1944) was one of the smaller operations for the D-Day landings. Ten men in two British mini-submarines spent three days on the sea-floor along the Normandy beaches so that they could transmit a sonar signal to guide the DD tanks onto the beach."The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right; faith that they fought for all humanity; faith that a just God would grant them {His} mercy on this beachhead, or on the next. It was the deep knowledge -- and pray God that we have not lost it -- that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest." R. Reagan (June 6, 1984)
For more D-Day resources: http://www.ddaymuseum.org/index.html
http://www.americandday.org/
http://www.dday.org/home.html
http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/d-day/
http://www.6juin1944.com/ -- Great Pictures {click: L'Espace Historique}
http://www.Normandy1944.info/ -- A great Website that continues to attract more and more people -- voila, a new server for them in 2006
Poem by Mary E. Frye http://www.6juin1944.com/cimetier/index.html
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die. (1932)
Je me trouve là pas, je ne dors pas.
Je suis mille vents qui soufflent
Je suis le étincellement des diamants sur neige.
Je suis ce faisceau lumineux lors du blé mûri
Je suis une pluie douce d'automne.
Quand vous vous réveillez et matin se tait,
Je suis l'envol vif-argent
D'oiseaux silencieux qui tourbillonnent
Je suis l'étoile tendre qui scintille dans la nuit.
Ne venez et pleurez pas sur ma tombe
Je ne suis pas là, je ne suis pas mort.
Apparently, there is more to this poem than first meets the eye -- Absent de mon corps, présent avec Dieu.". . . we trust in the words of the Almighty God, which are inscribed in the chapel nearby: 'I give unto them eternal life, that they shall never perish . . . .' [Je leur donne la vie éternelle; et elles ne périront jamais, et personne ne les ravira de ma main. {Jean 10:28}]" http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/05/20020527-1.html
The Battle of Midway: June 4-6, 1942 -- http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/midway/midway.htm See also http://www.aspecialdayguide.com/yorktown/index.htm.The Battle of Midway was Japan’s first major defeat in World War II, it losing four aircraft carriers. The carrier USS Yorktown was hit by 3 Japanese bombs and put on tow to Pearl Harbor (June 7th). Three days later, it slipped beneath the waves in waters 16,650 feet deep, after a torpedo attack. Fifty-six years later a team led by oceanographer Robert Ballard found (May 19, 1998) it. He has also discovered the wrecks of the luxury-liner HMS Titanic and the Nazi warship Bismarck.
Our 2012 Tour de France Page is Here -- 2011 Tour de France Page -- 2010 is HERE -- 2009
Interested in more than just a brief visit to the Mediterranean ? -- Béziers Property Search: http://www.accessu2.com/
A Paris area Page -- And Another -- Paris Environs -- Mérovingiens and Metz -- Late-winter in Paris 2007 (an impression)
Art in Bercy -- Mont Saint-Michel -- Other Churches and structures -- Art -- Maclet -- Clymer --- Georgia's Golden Isles
Who Were The Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes? . . . the Essenes? -- Images of Pittsburgh -- Texas
May we also suggest for adventure: http://www.catholic-convert.com/
We have obtained ideas from a lot of places, but in particular from:
http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/tdgh-jan.htm -- http://timelines.ws/days/01_01.HTML -- http://www.herodote.net/jour0101.htm -- http://www.440.com/twtd/archives/jan01.html -- http://www.treas.gov/education/history/events/01-jan.shtml -- http://missel.free.fr/calendrier.php?mois=1&annee=2010 -- http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/features/twich/01.html -- http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/paschons/language_http/calendar/Jan1.htmlAn historical recounting for the entire months of: January -- February -- March -- April -- May -- June -- July -- August -- September -- October -- November -- December
More Flags -- Flag Day 
Search www.LaRocheUSA.org -- First Search all URLs
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