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February 19 Saints of the Day – Dositheus of Gaza and Conrad of Piacenza
On this day in 1881, Kansas became the first state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages, prompting the song “I’m Going to Topeka City” to be rewritten to refer to the closest town in Missouri. Our...
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February 23 Saint of the Day – Polycarp of Smyrna
This day in 1455 is the traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type. There was no Youth Edition; it had no zipper; the words of Christ...
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March 4 Saints of the Day – Gerasimus of the Jordan and Casimir of Poland
On this day in 1837, the city of Chicago was incorporated. At the time it was still very small, and known as the Slightly Breezy City. The big E on the compass rose points today to Gerasimus of the...
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March 6 Saints of the Day – Uncovering of the True Cross by the Empress...
On this day in 1899, Bayer registered “Aspirin” as a trademark. When their exclusive rights to use that name were lost, they, like the people in their television commercials in the early 1980s,...
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March 15 Saints of the Day – Martyr Alexander of Side and Clemens Maria Hofbauer
On this day in 44 BC, Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, was stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, Decimus Junius Brutus and several other Roman senators....
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March 18 Saints of the Day – Cyril of Jerusalem and Frigidian of Lucca
Our eastern saint today is Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem (ca. 313 – 386). As a deacon he taught catechumens, and many of his lectures have been preserved. In one he responded to the question of why,...
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March 19 Saints of the Day – Chrysanthus & Daria and Joseph the Husband of Mary
On this day in 1962, Bob Dylan released his eponymous first album. It was a total flop. It would be discourteous to say this was because it was primarily traditional songs and covers, and thus depended...
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April 9 Saints of the Day – Bademus of Persia and Waltrude of Mons
On this date in 1945, the United States Atomic Energy Commission was formed. Observers at the signing ceremony all reported feeling a warm glow. Training our telescope east today, we see Bademus of...
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April 22 Saints of the Day – Vitalis of Gaza and Theodore of Sykeon
NB: I’m going to stop saying eastern saint/western saint. Please take it as read from this point on that the first saint mentioned is from the Orthodox calendar, and the second from the Latin Rite...
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May 7 Saints of the Day – Alexis of Wilkes-Barre and Albert of Bergamo
On this date in 1895, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrated a primitive radio receiver which he called a “lightning detector,” finally validating Benjamin Franklin’s theory that...
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May 16 Saints of the Day – Theodore the Sanctified and Brendan the Navigator
On this date in 1770, 14-year old Marie Antoinette married 15-year-old Louis-Auguste, who later became king of France. Immediately after the ceremony, young Marie was heard to say, “Let us eat cake!”...
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May 19 Saint of the Day – Dunstan of Canterbury
On this date in 1536, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England, lost her head, primarily for not having an heir-raising experience. Cynethryth, mother of Dunstan of Canterbury (909 – 988),...
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May 24 Saints of the Day – Vincent of Lerins and Lanfranc of Canterbury
On this date in 1830, “Mary Had a Little Lamb” by Sarah Josepha Hale was published. Some say she got fleeced by her publishers; others that she snowed them. Vincent of Lérins (d. ca. 445) was...
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May 25 Saints of the Day – Pope Urban I and Aldhelm
On this date in 1977, “Star Wars” (later retitled “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”) was released in theaters. Movie-goers at the time mistook it for a light-hearted adventure story, little suspecting...
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May 27 Saints of the Day – John the Russian and Melangell of Wales
On this date in 1927, the Ford Motor Company shut down the assembly lines for the Model T and began retooling to build the Model A. Some historians say the letters U-Z were considered as designations...
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May 31 Saints of the Day – Hermias of Comana and Petronilla of Rome
On this date in 1678, Lady Godiva made the first of her famous bare—um—back rides through the streets of Coventry. It is thought that she rode side-saddle, and the cheers of the onlookers were the...
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June 1 Saint of the Day – Justin Martyr
On this date in 1974, the Heimlich maneuver for rescuing choking victims was published in the journal Emergency Medicine. Prior to this it had been known only in the oral tradition. Justin Martyr (ca....
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June 4 Saints of the Day – Mary & Martha and Petroc of Cornwall
On this date in 1974, during “Ten Cent Beer Night,” overindulgent Cleveland Indians fans stared a riot, and the game was forfeited to the Texas Rangers. Texas went on to win at least three other games...
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June 5 Saints of the Day – Constantine of Kiev and Boniface of Crediton
On this date in 1956, Elvis Presley introduced his new single, “Hound Dog”, on The Milton Berle Show, scandalizing the audience with his suggestive hip movements. The knees, they didn’t so much mind....
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June 7 Saints of the Day – Daniel of Scetis and Meriadoc of Vannes
On this date in 1982, Priscilla Presley opened Graceland to the public. Authorities differ on whether she offered free tickets to Paul Simon. Daniel of Scetis (V cent.) was a monk under Arsenios the...
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