Countries forged by revolution like foundation days as they are good for creating a sense of stability. But it can be tricky. Remember John Adams’ letter to wife Abigail on 3 July: The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that… Continue reading #OTD 21 April
Author: The chronographer
#OTD 20 April
If you can look into the seeds of time,And say which grain will grow and which will not…” Banquo The earliest recorded performance of the Scottish play took place at the Globe on 20 April 1610. Or 20 April 1611. Secondary sources – including two contrary Wikipedia entries – go each way. And for good… Continue reading #OTD 20 April
#OTD 19 April
On 19 April 1770, Captain Cook’s Endeavour sighted mainland Australia. As Cook recorded in his journal: I have named it Point Hicks, because Leuit Hicks [sic] was the first who discover’d this land…” On 19 April 1984, Australia adopted Advance Australia Fair as its national anthem. The song has itself provided a national self-discovery of sorts.… Continue reading #OTD 19 April
#OTD 18 April
Not a great day for the Brits. In 1860, Longfellow wrote: Listen my child and you shall hear,Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year.” Eight years later, on 18 April 1783 from headquarters in Newburgh:… Continue reading #OTD 18 April
#OTD 17 April
“The Capitulations of Santa Fe” was not a sequel to “The Alamo”, though without it neither Hollywood nor Texas nor Mexico would have existed in its current form. “Capitulation”, like “chapter”, “capital” and “captain”, comes from “caput”, Latin for “head”. Just as “chapters” are the head or lead sections of a written work, so a… Continue reading #OTD 17 April
#OTD 16 April
On 16 April 1947, the financier and presidential adviser Bernard Baruch said “Let us not be deceived; we are today in the midst of a Cold War. Our enemies are to be found abroad and at home. Let us never forget this: Our unrest is the heart of their success.” The expression “cold war” was… Continue reading #OTD 16 April
#OTD 15 April
Behind the throne there is the power. Behind the inventor Thomas Edison sat the financier JP Morgan. In 1889, Morgan had orchestrated the merger of Edison’s business interests into Edison General Electric Company. At the time, DC man Edison was enmeshed in the costly battle of the currents with AC man George Westinghouse. In 1890,… Continue reading #OTD 15 April
#OTD 14 April
Cecil Chubb was born on 14 April 1876 in a village about four miles from Stonehenge. His father, like his father’s father, was the village saddler and harness maker. Chubb made it Cambridge, took a double first in Science and Law, and made his fortune as a barrister. Meanwhile, the Antrobus family, whose land included… Continue reading #OTD 14 April
#OTD 13 April
On 13 April 1742, Handel’s Messiah had its world premiere in Dublin. Everyone knew something was happening. To accommodate a large audience, gentlemen were asked to remove swords and ladies were asked not to wear hoops in their dresses. The oratorio is performed every year in many places including Royal Albert Hall. In 2010, Royal… Continue reading #OTD 13 April
#OTD 12 April
12 April 1927 was the Shanghai massacre. Or, in Taiwan, the April 12 incident or purge. Or, in China, the April 12 Counter-revolutionary Coup. Each tells a story of the day that Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and the conservative forces of the KMT violently suppressed Communist groups in Shanghai. The immediate consequences were a greatly diminished… Continue reading #OTD 12 April