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Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2017 12:53 pm
by Lianachan
October 6th, 1992 - death of Denholm Elliot. As well as appearing in some of my mostest favouritist films, like Trading Places and the Indiana Jones ones, he was a radio operator in Halifax bombers during WW2. In 1942 he was one of three, from a total of seven, crew who survived ditching in the sea off the German coast having been damaged by flak - spending the rest of the war in a POW camp developing a taste, and discovering a talent, for the stage.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Sat Oct 07, 2017 10:23 pm
by Arneb
Oct. 7, 1949. Founding of the GDR.

She was an ugly girl, her demise at 41 years minus 4 days coming none to soon. She was deepöy mourned by far too many.

I think it was one of the cruel but altogether appropriate ironies of history that she celebrated her 40th with all the bells and whistles of communist dictatorships (military parade, fraternity kisses, people being ordered to line the streets in fake excitement) but went out less than a year later with a whimper, declaring herself to be joining the area of applicability of the fundamental law of the Federal Republic of Germany on Oct. 3. Period.

Also, Heid the Ba' had to find himself a new area of study. And didn't that turn out well?

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 10:10 am
by Heid the Ba
Yes it did, but history was only ever a stepping stone to law. It did mean that instead of trying to keep up with an ever changing patchwork I learned of the splendours of Byzantium.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:33 am
by Lianachan
October 9th, every year since 1929. Happy Leif Erikson day everybody!

Although not the first European to have reached Merka (take a bow Bjarni Herjólfsson, or the two unnamed ship wrecked men he rescued from there), it's good that Leifr Eiríksson gets increased recognition for leading the first documented voyages there and building the first European settlements. He and I have some things in common - not the least of which is having a wife from the Isle of Lewis.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 10:38 am
by Heid the Ba
Huzzah! Well done Leifr, and to a lesser extent Lianachan.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 11:18 pm
by MM_Dandy
7 years ago today, the whole world (give or take a time zone) agreed that the date was 10/10/10.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2017 12:10 pm
by Arneb
Yeah, as long as the software didn't require them to enter four-digit years...

10 October, 2017, will or will not be remembered as the day when Catalan Independence did or did not begin.
11 October, 2017 will be or will not be remembered as the day when a declaration of independece, or non-declaration of not-so-much-anymore-not-independence, or something, was greeted by a befuddled "whaddaya'll mean?" by, well. pretty much everyone else, including Catalunya.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 12:36 pm
by Arneb
100 years ago today in Paris, Mata Hari was executed as a German spy. She didn't betray much more than what you could reay in the papers, but by 1917, all warring parties could use a bit of salacious success stories.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2017 12:18 pm
by Lianachan
Arneb wrote:Yeah, as long as the software didn't require them to enter four-digit years...


Reminds me of a joke that was doing the rounds at the time, about Y2KY Jelly - which allowed you to insert four digits into your date instead of two.

17th October, 1346: Death of John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray, at the Battle of Neville's Cross.
17th October, 1346: Death of Maurice de Moravia, Earl of Strathearn, at the Battle of Neville's Cross.
17th October, 1346: David II, King of Scots, is wounded and captured at the Battle of Neville's Cross - spending the next 11 years as a prisoner in England.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2017 12:36 pm
by Heid the Ba
Lianachan wrote:Reminds me of a joke that was doing the rounds at the time, about Y2KY Jelly - which allowed you to insert four digits into your date instead of two.

Boom boom! Not being a Fifer I still refer to this side of the Forth as "the Jelly Postcodes" which rarely goes down well. For those outside Scotland: Fife postcodes begin KY for Kirkcaldy.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 8:58 am
by Lianachan
Heid the Ba' wrote:Boom boom! Not being a Fifer I still refer to this side of the Forth as "the Jelly Postcodes" which rarely goes down well. For those outside Scotland: Fife postcodes begin KY for Kirkcaldy.

Ha! I approve.

18th October, 1016: English defeated by Knútr inn ríki at the Battle of Assandun.
Knýtlinga saga, by Óláfr Þórðarson wrote:Skjöldúngr vantu und skildi
skœru verk enn sterki
fékk blóðtrani bráðir
brúnar Assatúnum;
váttu en valfall þótti
verðúng jöfurr sverði
nær norðan fyrir stóru
nafngnóg Danaskóga.


Translation:
Spoiler:
At Ashington, you worked well
in the shield-war, warrior-king;
brown was the flesh of bodies
served to the blood-bird:
in the slaughter, you won,
sire, with your sword
enough of a name there,
north of the Danes' Woods.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 10:44 am
by Lianachan
19th October, 1745: Butcher Cumberland arrives in London from Flanders.

9th - 19th October, 1745: Four ships from France landed at Montrose and Stonehaven, with artillery and stores, bringing over among others Du Boyer and James Grant, the engineer. These stores were escorted to Edinburgh by the Duke of Atholl's men and the MacPhersons. They were ferried across the Forth at Alloa, where batteries were erected on both sides of the river to secure the passage against British cruisers

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 8:49 am
by Lianachan
20th October 1972: Sydney Opera House is opened.

20th October 1956: Birth of Lianachan's friend, jazz guitarist Martin Taylor.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 8:49 am
by Lianachan
24th October, 1857: Sheffield F.C., the world's oldest still playing football team, are founded.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 8:52 am
by Lianachan
October 26th, 1881: Deaths of Tom McLaury, his brother Frank, and Billy Clanton at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

October 26th, 1905: Sweden recognises Norwegian independence, when their king renounced his and any of his descendants' claims to the Norwegian throne.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 4:57 pm
by MM_Dandy
My dad turns 75 today. He was named after an uncle who had died of tuberculosis a year earlier.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Mon Oct 30, 2017 9:00 am
by Heid the Ba
Congratulations MM's Dad.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 4:14 pm
by Heid the Ba
31st October 1517: German god-bothering shoutyman nails diatribe to church door, hilarity ensues . . .

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 4:28 pm
by Lianachan
Image

October 31st: Ah, Oidhche Shamhna.

Much better than the Americanised "trick or treat" pish which is taking over. I remember carving out turnips in my youth, which was bloody hard work. None of them were ever as disturbing looking as this Irish example from the early 20th C though.

Spoiler:
Image

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 9:43 pm
by Lance
Heid the Ba wrote:31st October 1517: German god-bothering shoutyman nails diatribe to church door, hilarity ensues . . .

:glp-1rof1:

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:31 pm
by MM_Dandy
Heid the Ba wrote:31st October 1517: German god-bothering shoutyman nails diatribe to church door, hilarity ensues . . .


500 years later, the hilarity continues, somewhat abated.

One of the organists at my Catholic church also is the organist at the Lutheran church (he is, in fact, a practicing Catholic, but the Lutherans pay him big bucks via contract to play there). Typically, it works for him to play for mass and then play for the Lutheran service afterwards. The Lutherans celebrate Reformation Sunday on the Sunday nearest to Halloween with an extended service and confirmation of their catechists, and, for reasons unbeknownst to me, instead of ending later, they start this service earlier. Which means that the organist can't do both, and since he's contractually obligated to play for them, that's where he plays. Anyway, since I'm the director of music liturgy at our church, I am inevitably asked where the organist was when he wasn't there. When I explain the situation, I'm typically met with glazed eyes and an 'oh.'

After we married, but before I converted, we planned to attend a vigil mass for All Saints Day. Vigil masses are held on the eve of the holy day, putting this one on Halloween, or, as some Protestants call it, 'Reformation Day.' I jokingly asked my wife if it would be alright to say 'Happy Reformation Day' to parishioners as we shook hands during the sign of peace. She shrugged and said, "I'm not sure any of them would even get the reference." As director of music, though, I have contemplated using A Mighty Fortress, but have opted instead for the much more subtle We Gather Together - a song celebrating the the Dutch (Protestant, Reformed variety) over the Spanish (Catholic, Roman variety) forces at the Battle of Turnhout (any guesses on who "the wicked oppressing" were?). Enough people know that Luther wrote A Mighty Fortress that I'd probably get some mean or at least disappointed looks and possibly even a talking-to from the priest. We Gather on the other hand, is merely considered a run-of-the-mill Thanksgiving song.

Anyway, on this day in 835 (we think), the first "authorized" All Saint's was celebrated. It is thought that Pope Gregory IV chose the day to supplant a pagan festival to celebrate their dead.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:37 pm
by Lianachan
MM_Dandy wrote: It is thought that Pope Gregory IV chose the day to supplant a pagan festival...


This was a very important aspect of the spread of christianity in Europe. Of course you don't have to stop doing <whatever>, Olaf.

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:40 pm
by Мастер
Heid the Ba wrote:31st October 1517: German god-bothering shoutyman nails diatribe to church door, hilarity ensues . . .


Hey, if he’s mentioned in a Paul McCartney song, he can’t be all bad, can he :)

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:42 pm
by Heid the Ba
MM_Dandy wrote:After we married, but before I converted, we planned to attend a vigil mass for All Saints Day. Vigil masses are held on the eve of the holy day, putting this one on Halloween, or, as some Protestants call it, 'Reformation Day.'

I hadn't heard that term, though I did explain to my Scots-Italian business partner that Celtic would lose to a German team last night because of Luther.

I have contemplated using A Mighty Fortress, but have opted instead for the much more subtle We Gather Together - a song celebrating the the Dutch (Protestant, Reformed variety) over the Spanish (Catholic, Roman variety) forces at the Battle of Turnhout (any guesses on who "the wicked oppressing" were?). Enough people know that Luther wrote A Mighty Fortress that I'd probably get some mean or at least disappointed looks and possibly even a talking-to from the priest. We Gather on the other hand, is merely considered a run-of-the-mill Thanksgiving song.

I approve!

Re: On this day in history...

PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 4:49 pm
by Мастер
To continue this thread derail, I have a sudden need to be orthodox, which would actually be believable if one were to know some (but not all) facts about my birth and early life.

So I have to decide whether to commit to the genuine route, or the fraudulent route. My friend (and the reason i am in this situation) and I polished off a bottle of King Robert II last Monday, without help. We identified a Syrian Orthodox Church nearby, but did not go, which I think is probably just as well.