FEBRUARY 9:
This day is APOLLONIA’s DAY. She was an elderly Christian woman in Alexandria. When she refused to go against her Christian faith, she was put to prison by the Roman emperor Decius, tortured, had all her teeth pulled out and at the end burnt on the bond fire. She died around 250 AC.
Apollonia was later made the patron of dentists.
Famous people born on this day:
1940: J. M Coetzee
1942: Carole King
1945: Mia Farrow
Famous people died on this day:
1881: Fjodor Dostojevskij ( 60 years )
1991: Bill Haley ( 56 years )
1984: Jurij Andropov ( 70 years )
1998: Halldor Laxness ( 95 years )
2001: Herbert Simon ( 85 years )
FEBRUARY 8:
Today’s name is CORINTHA’s DAY. She was a Christian woman, who was killed in Alexandria around 250 AC because of her belief. She was later made a saint. Apart from that we don’t know much about her.
Famous people born on this day:
1700: Daniel Bernouilli ( died 1782 )
1828: Jules Verne ( died 1905 )
1835: Vilhelm Bergsøe ( died 1911 )
1925: Jack Lemmon ( died 2001 )
1931: James Dean ( died 1955 )
Famous people died on this day:
1587: Maria 2. Stuart ( 44 years )
1999: Iris Murdoch ( 79 years )
FEBRUARY 7:
This day is called RICHARD’s DAY. It refers in all likelihood to the English legend king Richard, who died on this day in Lucca on his pilgrimage trip to Rome.
Some people believe that it has its name from the later English king Richard I ( Lionheart ) 1157-99. But this is not true.
Famous people born on this day:
1478: Thomas Moore ( died 1535 )
1812: Charles Dickens ( died 1870 )
1834: Dimitrij Mendelejev ( died 1907 )
1885: Sinclair Lewis ( died 1951 )
1927: Juliette Greco
Famous people died on this day:
1979: Josef Mengele ( 68 years )
1999: King Hussein ( 64 years )
FEBRUARY 6:
Today’s name is DOROTHEA’s DAY. She was a young Christian girl, who refused to marry the local Roman governor, because he was a non-Christian. Therefore, she was condemned to death by hanging. On her last day she organised from her cell that a flower basket was delivered to the judge. This made him change his mind, and she was not executed.
She died a natural death in 300 AC.
The whole Dorothea has since been the patron of emergency aid.
Famous people born on this day:
1905: Wladyslaw Gomulka ( died 1982 )
1911: Ronald Reagan ( died 2004 )
1912: Eva Braun ( died 1945 )
1917: Zsa Zsa Gabor
1932: Francois Truffaut (died 1984 )
1945 : Bob Marley ( died 1981 )
Famous people died on this day:
1793: Carlo Goldoni ( 85 years )
1918: Gustav Klimt ( 56 years )
1952: King George VI ( 56 years )
1993: Arthur Ashe ( 50 years )
FEBRUARY 5:
Today’s name is AGATHE’s DAY. She was a young girl in Sicily. She lived in the years 225 – 251 AC. When she as a Christian refused to marry the local Roman governor she was put in prison and killed following very tough torture. Among other things her breasts were cut off.
In the Middle Ages all nursing women were praying to Saint Agathe. And she is the patron for nursing women and for nurses.
According to the legend this evening is very well suited for warnings about coming fiancés. If you fast the whole day and perhaps eat a bit of salt around bed time, you will dream about your coming fiancé / fiancée.
Famous people born on this day:
1878: André-Gustave Citroën ( died 1935 )
1900: Adlai E. Stevenson ( died 1965 )
1910: Ejlif Krogager ( died 1992 ) - founder of Tjaereborg Travels
1911: Jusse Björling ( died 1960 )
1914: William S. Burroughs ( died 1997 )
1919: Andreas Papandreou ( died 1996 )
1972: Mary ( Elizabeth Donaldson )
1985: Cristiano Ronaldo
Famous people died of this day:
1881: Thomas Carlyle ( 85 years )
1947: Hans Fallada ( 53 years )
FEBRUARY 3:
This day has two names: ANSGAR’s DAY. And BLASIUS’ DAY.
The benedictine monk Ansgar is also called the Nordic Apostle. He was born in September 801 in Amiens in today’s France. He became Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, which then also had the entire Nordic region under its responsability. First he built in agreement with the King a church in Hedeby. Later came the first church in Ribe at around 855 AC. Ansgar was soon expelled from Denmark and went to Sweden. Here he founded the Church of Sweden at Birka.
Ansgar died in Bremen on 3 February 865. He was later made a saint.
Blasius was a bishop who had to live as a hermit because of his faith. He blessed all wild animals. He was killed because of his faith in 316 AC. He has since become the patron of doctors. In the Middle Ages everyone with a sore throat praied for his help.
This day is in Denmark also called Blæsemisse ( Blasius Mas ). It was the feast of all horn blowers. And ythe saying was that on this day you should put some straw or hay on your staircase. If it blew away, the spring was on its way. The wind would show a change in the weather so cold and frost was about to disappear. If the straw stayed, spring was delayed.
In Belgium this day is called: BLAISE DAY.
Famous people born on this day:
1809: Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy ( died 1847 )
1874: Gertrude Stein ( died 1946 )
1889: Carl Th. Dreyer ( died 1968 )
1898: Alvar Aalto ( died 1976 )
1907: James A. Mitchener ( died 1997 )
1947: Paul Auster
1948: Henrik Mankell
Famous people died on this day:
865: Ansgar ( 64 years )
1468: Johann Gutenberg ( 70 years )
1924: Woodrow Wilson ( 68 years )
1959: Buddy Holly ( 33 years )
February 2:
Today is CANDLEMAS DAY. The name comes from the Latin Missa Candelarum that means celebration for the lights. The tradition can certainly be traced back to the 6th century. It refers to the fact that it was on this day - 40 days after Jesus' birth - his mother, the Virgin Mary, was brought up in church to be purified. The day is, therefore, also sometimes called Mary Mas. And why should she be made clean? Because you considered women who had given birth to be unclean. Only when they had been cleaned in the church, they could attend church services again.
It is also on this day that the church blesses all the lights to be used in the forthcoming years.
In Denmark, Candlemas was a holiday until 1770. This year stopped by Mr. Struensee in his rationalization activities. Candlemas together with 9 other small Danish religious holidays were abolished and replaced by the so-called Great Prayers Day. It was one of the few reforms that were retained even after his execution.
The word kyndel is an old Danish version of the word Kandel (light).
Candlemas was mainly in Jutland often called Kjørmes Knud . Knud in this context means: hard frost. On this day half of the winter had passed, and brighter times were ahead. Kjørmes Festivals were organised - one of the eight ancient seasonal celebrations. On this day, it was a sort of Dutch treat parties with pork, and whatever else was suitable to be stored in barrels. There was brandy and dancing till dawn. Besides pork, there was also a tradition of eating rye-pancakes.
In the old peasant society, there were a number of warnings and traditions associated with this day:
* First If the sun was shining, there would soon be snow
* Second, If the wind blew so much that 18 bitches could not hold the 19th bitch to the ground, then winter will soon blow away
* Third, thaw was good. Kjørmes thaw was just as well as 100 read hay
*Fourth, If the lark was heard for the first time that day, then would spring would start very soon
* Fifth, If you saved some bread from Christmas and ate it on that day,then you would be protected against illness such as headaches and snake bites
* Sixth, fruit trees were whipped with rods to ensure a good harvest
Candlemas is no longer celebrated in Denmark. But it is often still celebrated in the Catholic countries. In Belgium it is a tradition to eat pancakes on this day ( see above ).
Famous people born on this day:
1882: James Joyce (died 1941)
1886: Peter Freuchen (died 1957)
1911: Jussi Björling (died 1960)
1926: Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
1927: Stan Getz (died 1991)
Famous people died on this day:
1594: Giovanni da Palestrina ( 69 years )
1970: Bertrand Russell ( 98 years )
1987: Alistair MacLean ( 65 years )
1996: Gene Kelly ( 84 years )
FEBRUARY 1:
Today is called BRIGIDA’s DAY. She was an Irish saint, who according to the legend already as a child was so pious that a flame was burning above her home. She managed to make a cow give milk three times in a row. She founded a monastery in Kildare southwest of Dublin. Here she lived in a cave under an oak tree until her death at the monastery in the year 523 AC. She is Ireland’s patron.
In Belgium this day is also called BRIGIDAS DAY.
Famous people born on this day:
1894: John Ford ( died 1973 )
1898: Enzo Ferrari ( died 1988 )
1901: Clark Gable ( died 1960 )
1931: Boris Jeltsin ( died 2007 )
1942: Terry Jones ( ”Monty Python” )
Famous people died on this day:
1851: Mary Shelley ( 53 years )
1966: Buster Keaton ( 71 years )
1976: Werner Heisenberg ( 75 years )
2002: Hildegard Knef ( 77 years )
JANUARY 31:
Today’s name is VIGILIUS’ DAY. He was a bishop in Trient ( now Trentino ) in the Dolomites in the north of Italy. He is known for building many churches and also for an energetic fight against all the Roman gods. The legend tells that once he turned over a statue for the Roman god for harvest, Saturnus, just with his prayers. This made people kill him. It happened in 405 AC.
The name of this day in Belgium is MARCELLO’s DAY.
Famous people born on this day:
1797: Franz Schubert ( died 1828 )
1902: Alva Myrdal ( died 1986 )
1920: Nat Russell ( died 1990 )
1938: Queen Beatrix
Famous people died on this day:
1606: Guy Fawkes ( 36 years )
1976: Evert Taube ( 86 years )
JANUARY 30:
Today is called ADELGUNDE’s DAY. She was a French princess who refused to marry a guy she was supposed to marry. She ran away and was hiding as a hermit. Later she founded a monastery in Maubeuge in the north of France. She died here in the year 684 AC.
The name of the day is in Belgium: MARTINE’s DAY.
Famous people born on this day:
1882: Franklin D. Roosevelt ( died 1945 )
1927: Olof Palme ( died 1986 )
1931: Gene Hackman
1937: Vanessa Redgrave
1937: Boris Spasskij
1941: Dick Cheney
Famous people died on this day:
1649: Kong Charles I ( 49 years )
1948: Mahatma Gandhi ( 79 years )
JANUARY 29:
This day’s name is VALERIUS’ DAY. It has its name from bishop Valerius in Trier. According to the legend he was sent there by Saint Peter to make the Frankians Christians. He died in the 3rd century AC.
Famous people born on this day:
1749: King Christian VII ( died 1808 )
1860: Anton Tjekhov ( died 1904 )
Famous people died on this day:
1906: King Christian IX ( 88 years )
1955: Hans Hedtoft ( 51 years )
JANUARY 28:
This day is called CHARLEMAGNE’s DAY. It has its name from the German-Roman emperor Charles the Great / Charlemagne, who died on this day in the year 814 AC in Aachen. This was his city of residence.
He was the ruler over the Germanic and the Frankian empire. In a way he managed to unite Europe after the total collapse of the Roman empire as is therefore often considered to the father of Europe. He has given his name to the so-called Charlemagne Prize ( Karls Preis ), which each year is given in Aachen to a prominent European.
The Charlemagne Prize is in 2012 given to the German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble. In 1966 the then Danish prime minister Jens Otto Krag receive the prize. See more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlemagne_Prize
A special Youth Charlemagne Prize has also been started. It is given to a young person between 16 and 30 years, who has done something special for the understanding and cooperation between Europeans.
Charlemagne became a saint in 1165.
Famous people born on this day:
1768: King Frederik VI ( died 1839 )
Famous people died on this day:
814: Charlemagne ( 72 years )
1754: Ludvig Holberg ( 69 years)
2002: Astrid Lindgren ( 94 years )
JANUARY 27:
Today is called CHRYSOSTOMUS’ DAY. Why ? Because bishop John in Constantinopel living around year 400 AC was called Chrysostomos, which means “ Golden Mouth”. He was called so because of his excellent and very precise speeches about the bible. At the end he was sent away to a far away place and died in the year 407.
Famous people born on this day:
1756: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ( died 1791 )
1859: Emperor Wilhelm II ( died 1941 )
1891: Ilja Ehrenburg ( died 1967 )
1934: Edith Cresson
1947: Björn Afzelius ( died 1999 )
Famous people died on this day:
1814: J.G. Fichte ( 51 years )
1901: Giuseppe Verdi ( 88 years )
1972: Mahalia Jackson ( 61 years)
2006: Johannes Rau ( 75 years )
JANUARY 26:
This day is called POLYCARPUS’ DAY. He was born about 69 AC and was one of the apostle John’s followers. He had not studied theology, but was rather a practical man and a very clever teacher. He became bishop in Smyrna ( today Izmir in Turkey ). And here he was condemned to death by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. When he 85 years old was burned on the bond fire in the year 155 AC the flames made a protection around him. The Roman soldier instead had to kill him with his sword.
Polycarpus’ written material belongs to the oldest material, which still exists.
He is considered a saint in the Roman Catholic church as well as in the Orthodox religion.
Famous people born on this day:
1763: Karl 14. Johan ( Jean Baptiste Bernadotte ) ( died 1844 )
1880: Douglas MacArthur ( died 1964 )
1904: Sean MacBride ( died 1988 )
1918: Nicolae Ceaucescu ( died 1989 )
1924: Alice Babs
1925: Paul Newman ( died 2008 )
1928: Roger Vadim ( died 2000 )
1953: Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Famous people died on this day:
1854: Peter von Scholten ( 71 years )
1947: Gerda Neumann ( 32 years )
1973: Edward G. Robinson ( 80 years )
1993: Robert Jacobsen ( 81 years )
JANUARY 24:
Today’s name is TIMOTHEUS’ DAY. He was one of Paul’s friends and followers. He was born as the son of a Jewish mother and a pagan father, and he later became a Christian bishop in Efesos. At the end he was stoned to death in the year 97 AC, because he would not accept a festival for Dionysos. He was buried in Efesos. About two hundred years later his body was transferred to Constantinople.
In Belgium this day is called: SOLZIC DAY.
Famous people born on this day:
76: Emperor Hadrian ( died 138 )
1670: William Congreve ( died 1729 )
1705: Farinelli ( Carlo Broschi ) ( died 1789 )
1712: Friedrich the Great ( died 1786 )
1732: Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais ( died 1799 )
1888: Ernst Heinkel ( died 1958 )
1941: Neil Diamond
Famous people died on this day:
41: Emperor Caligula ( 29 years )
1895: Lord Randolph Churchill ( 45 years )
1965: Winston Churchill ( 91 years )
JANUARY
23:
This day’s name is EMERENTIA’s DAY. She was a woman,
who according to the legend could help pregnant and childless women. But she
was stoned to death by Roman soldiers because of her Christian faith in the
year 304 AC. She was buried next to her
friend Agnes, who had been killed too for the same reason.
In the Medieval Ages Emerentia was often called upon
by pregnant women because they believed she could help sick babies.
Famous
people born on this day:
1783: Stendhal
( Marie-Henri Beyle ) ( died 1842
)
1832: Eduard Manet
( died 1883 )
1858: Max Planck
( died 1947 )
1898: Sergei Eisenstein ( died 1948 )
1928: Jeanne Moreau
Famous
people died on this day:
1803: Arthur Guinness ( 78 years )
1806: William Pitt
( 43 years )
1944: Edvard Munch
( 81 years )
1989: Salvador Dali
( 85 years )
2005: Johnny Carson
( 80 years )
JANUARY 20:
This day is called FABIAN’s
and SEBASTIAN’s DAY.
The pious Fabian was
appointed as pope in 236 AC following a “sign from heaven”. During the election
a pigeon suddenly came and “parked” on his head. Then he was elected. And later
he has often been portrayed with a pigeon. After a peaceful and constructive
period he was at the end beheaded by the Roman emperor on January 20, 250 AC.
Sebastian was a
Christian officer in emperor Diocletian’s army. His own soldiers killed him
with arrows. But he only died when he was beheaded.
This day is also one of the 32 so-called Tycho
Brahe Days. They are days, which the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in the 17th
century based on his calculations appointed as particular unfortunate. What old nonsense
L
Sebastian is the patron for sports people,
crusaders, pot makers, soldiers and the police.
Famous people born
on this day:
1775: André-Marie Ampère ( died 1836 )
1779: Adam Oehlenschlæger ( died 1850 )
1873: Johannes V. Jensen ( died 1950 )
1920: Federico Fellini ( died 1994 )
1949: Göran Persson
Famous
people died on this day:
1850: Adam Oehlenschlæger ( 71 years )
1984: Johnny Weissmuller ( 80 years )
1993: Audrey Hepburn ( 64 years )
JANUARY
19:
Today’s name is PONTIANUS’ DAY. He was a Christian
martyr, who had to suffer a very violent death because of his faith. He was
whipped, walked on burning coal, had liquid plomb poured into his mouth. At the
end he was thrown to the lions. But as they would not touch him he was at the
end beheaded. It all happened in the year 160 AC.
An old
Danish peasant saying tells that today you have to have half of you winter
feed for your animals left, as the winter is now half finished.
Famous
people born on this day:
1736: James
Watt ( died 1819 )
1807: Robert E. Lee
( died 1870 )
1839: Paul Cézanne
( died 1906 )
1923: Markus Wolf
( died 2006 )
1943: Janis Joplin
( died 1970 )
1946: Dolly Parton
Famous
people died on this day:
1969: Jan Palach ( 21 years )
1990: Herbert Wehner ( 84 years)
1994: Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis ( 64 years )
1998: Carl Perkins
( 66 years )
2007: Hrant Dink
( 53 years )
JANUARY 18:
This is PRISCAS DAY. She was a 13 year old Roman
girl, who due to her Christian faith was thrown into the lions’ cage by emperor
Aurelian. But as they did not want to touch her she was beheaded instead.
Famous
people born on this day:
1689: Montesquieu
( died 1755 )
1786: Carl Maria von Weber ( died 1826 )
1892: Oliver Hardy
( died 1957 )
1904: Cary Grant
( died 1986 )
1913: Danny Kaye
( died 1987 )
1955: Kevin Costner
Famous
people died on this day:
1878: Antoine César Béquerel ( 90 years )
1936: Rudyard Kipling ( 71 years )
2006: Östen Warnerbrink ( 72 years )
JANUARY 17:
This day
is called ANTONIUS’ DAY. He was a
hermit, one of the so-called “desert fathers”, a well known church father. He
died 115 years old in 356 AC. He is patron for shepherds and for brush-makers.
In the
14th century a number og monasteries were built for the holy
Antonius, including one in Præstø in Denmark.
Famous
people born on this day:
1706: Benjamin Franklin ( died 1790 )
1860: Anton Tjekhov
( died 1904 )
1899: Al Capone
( died 1947 )
1942: Muhamed Ali ( alias Cassius Clay )
Famous
people died on this day:
1468: Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg ( 63 years )
1751: Tomaso Albinoni ( 80 years )
1961: Patrice Lumumba ( 36 years )
1991: King Olav V
( 88 years )
JANUARY
16:
Today is MARCELLUS’ DAY. He was pope in Rome – died in 309.
He had problems with the emperor all
the time. And most of the time as pope he also had to look after the stables
for emperor Maxentinus.
Famous
people born on this day:
1853: André Michelin ( died 1931 )
1901: Fulgencio Batista ( died 1973 )
1931: Johannes Rau
( died 2006 )
Famous
people died on this day:
1969: Jan Palach
( 21 years )
2001: Laurent Kabila ( 61 years )
JANUARY
15:
Today is
called MAURUS’ DAY. He was a Benedictine monk, who around 500
made missionary work in France. He made miracles and cured dumb people and
cripples. He also founded the first
Benedictine monastery in France,
Glanfeuil, in Anjou in the Loire region.
And he died around 550 AC.
Maurus
is the patron of the coppersmiths.
Famous
people born on this day:
1622: Molière
( died 1673 )
1900: William Heinesen ( died 1991 )
1906: Aristotle Onassis ( died 1975 )
1918: Gamal Abdal Nasser ( died 1970 )
1929: Martin Luther King ( died 1981 )
Famous
people died on this day:
1919: Rosa Luxemburg ( 48 years )
1919: Karl Liebknecht ( 48 years )
JANUARY
14:
Today is
called FELIX DAY. Felix is a man’s name, which in Latin means
happy and lucky. Felix was a Christian man, who could walk on water, when he
was chased by emperor Decius’ troops in year 200 AC. In this way he saved -
according to the legend - his life. He died around 260 AC.
Famous
people born on this day:
1875: Albert Schweitzer ( died 1965 )
1931:
Catharina Valente
1941:
Fay Dunaway
Famous
people died on this day:
1957: Humphrey Bogart ( 58 years )
1972: King Frederik IX. ( 73 years )
1977: Anthony Eden
( 80 years )
1977:
Anaïs Nin ( 74 years )
JANUARY
13:
Today is
called HILARIUS DAY. He was a bishop in Poitiers in France, who
died in 367. He was among other things saint for handicapped children. And he
is considered to be the first hymn writer in the Christian church.
This day
is also the day of festival for all shoe makers.
Famous
people born on this day:
1898: Kaj Munk
( died 1944 )
1970: Marco Pantani
( died 2003 )
Kendte døde på
denne dag:
1864: Stephen Foster ( 58 years )
1929: Wyatt Earp
( 60 years )
1941: James Joyce
( 59 years )
JANUARY
12 :
This day
is called REINHOLD’s DAY. He was a stone mason in Cologne. He was
murdered in the 13th century andhis body thrown into the Rhein.. The
reason was that he being in charge of building a church asked the workers to
work faster. Then they smashed his head and threw him into the river.
The day is also one of the 32 so-called Tycho
Brahe Days. They are days, which the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in the
17th century based on his calculations appointed as particular
unfortunate.
What old
nonsense
L
Famous people born on this day:
1729: Edmund Burke
( died 1797 )
1876: Jack London
( died 1916 )
1893:
Hermann Göring ( died 1946 )
Famous
people died on this day:
1960: Nevil Shute
( 61 years )
1976: Agathe Christie ( 86 years )
JANUARY
11:
This day
is called HYGINUS’ DAY. It has its
name from the Roman pope Hyginus, who was killed during the reign of emperor
Marcus Aurelius in 142 AC because of his faith. He introduced godfathers at the
baptism of small children.
This day is also one of the 32 so-called Tycho
Brahe Days. They are days, which the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in the 17th
century based on his calculations appointed as particular unfortunate.
What old nonsense
L
Famous people
born on this day:
1755: Alexander Hamilton ( died 1804 )
1907: Pierre Mendes-France ( died 1982 )
1938: Arthur Scargill
1957: Brian Robson
Famous
people died on this day:
1914: Carl Jacobsen ( 71 years )
1928: Thomas Hardy
( 88 years )
1941: Emanuel Lasker ( 72 years )
1952: Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (63 years )
1954 : Oscar Straus
( 84 years )
1966 : Alberto Giacometti ( 65 years )
JANUARY 10:
Today is called PAUL THE HERMIT’s DAY. He was a
Christian Egyptian in a rich family in Theben.
Because of emperor Decius’ persecutions of all Christians Paul took
refuge in the Egyptian desert. He lived in cave here for 90 years. He lived
from the fruits from the palm trees. And the legend tells that a tame raven
every day brought him half a bread.
Paul
died 113 years old in his cave in the year 341 AC. He is often considered to be
the first Christian hermit.
An old
Danish saying for this day tells that the sun today has to shine for the
time it takes a simple woman with ten thumbs to saddle a horse. It that happens
there are great chances to have a good harvest.
Famous
people born on this day:
1769: Maréchal Michel Ney ( died 1815 )
1869: Rasputin
( died 1916 )
1913: Gustav Husak
( died 1991 )
1929: Tintin
J
1945: Rod Stewart
Famous
people died on this day:
1778: Carl von Linné ( 71 years )
1862: Samuel Colt
( 47 years )
1917: “Buffalo Bill” ( William F. Coby ) ( 71 years )
1951: Sinclair Lewis ( 66 years )
1986: Jaroslav Seifert ( 85 years )
JANUARY 9:
Today’s name
is JULIANUS.
He
was a Christian, who was killed during emperor Diocletian’s persecution of the
Christians. It happened in year 300 AD. Julianus and his wife Basilissa had
made their house in Antinoe in Egypt a monastery and a hospital.
Famous
people born on this day:
1908:
Simone de Beauvoir ( died 1986 )
1913: Richard Nixon
( died 1994 )
Famous
people died on this day:
1873:
Napoleon III ( 64 years )
JANUARY
7:
This day is called CANUTE’s DAY. It comes from Knud ( Canute ) Lavard,
who on this day in the year 1131 was killed – 35 years old in Haraldsted Forest
near Ringsted in Denmark. The killer was his cousin Magnus.
Knud was governor in the south of Jutland,
and the whole family was gathered in Roskilde for Christmas celebrations. But
king Niels’ son Magnus was afraid, that Knud intended to become king.
Therefore, he killed him. This started a
revolution, and king Niels was murdered in Slesvig three years later.
Knud’s son, Valdemar the Great,
arranged 38 years after the murder that the Pope made his father a Saint.
Famous people born on this day:
1663: Arni Magnusson ( died 1730 )
1800:
Millard Filmore ( died 1879 )
1821: Carl Christian Burmeister ( died 1898 )
1941: Iona Brown
( died 2004 )
1964: Nicolas Cage
Famous
people died on this day:
1131: Knud Lavard
( 35 years )
1989: Emperor Hirohito ( 88 years )
1992: Ejlif Krogager ( 82 years )
( Tjaereborg Travels )
JANUARY 6:
Today is called EPIPHANY – or THE THREE
HOLY KINGS’ DAY. It refers to the three wise men Balthasar, Caspar and
Melchior. They found – according to the legend – the Infant Jesus. Balthasar,
who came from Ethiopia and consequently had dark skin, brought myrrh. Caspar
came with incense, and Melchior brought gold. Later all three of them were
named kings.
In the church calendar the day is also called Epiphany. In the old Nordic countries it was called the
13th DAY, as it is 13 days after Christmas and the end of the
Christmas period.
This day is also one of the 32 so-called Tycho
Brahe Days. They are days, which the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in the 17th
century based on his calculations appointed as particular unfortunate. What old nonsense
L
Famous people born on this day:
1412: Jeanne
d’Arc ( died 1431 )
1706:
Benjamin Franklin ( died 1790 )
1838: Max Bruch ( died 1920 )
1946: Syd
Barrett ( Pink Floyd )
1955: Rowan
Atkinson ( “Mr. Bean” )
Famous people died on this day:
1884: Gregor
Mendel ( 62 years )
1919:
Theodor Roosevelt ( 61 years )
1993: Dizzie Gillespie ( 76 years )
1993: Rudolf Nurejev ( 55 years )
JANUARY
5:
This
day is called SIMEONS DAY. He was
a pious preacher from Cicilia in Syria. He is the best known of the so-called stylites.
He spent the last 26 years of his life on the top of a column outside the city
of Antiochia. It was partly to live in peace from pilgrims and tourists. But he
also used his time to answer questions from the pilgrims from up there at the
top of the column. He was also called Simon Stylitis. He died in 459 AC.
Famous
people born on this day:
1876: Konrad
Adenauer ( died 1967 )
1921:
Friedrich Dürrenmatt ( died 1990
)
1932:
Umberto Eco
1938: King
Juan Carlos I
1952: Uli Hoeness
Famous people died on this day:
1589:
Catharine of Medici ( 70 years )
1933: John
Calvin Coolidge ( 61 years )
2002: Astrid
Henning-Jensen ( 87 years )
JANUARY 4:
This day is called METHUSALEM’s DAY. He was
Enoch’s son and became 769 years old. That’s where the expression “Old like
Methusalem” comes from.
This day is also one of the 32 so-called Tycho
Brahe Days. They are days, which the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in the 17th
century based on his calculations appointed as particular unfortunate. What old nonsense
L
Famous people born on this day:
1643: Sir
Isaac Newton ( died 1727 )
1785: Jacob Grimm ( died 1863 )
1923: Don Butterfield ( died 2006 )
1935: Floyd Patterson ( died 2006 )
1946: Arthur Conley ( died 2003 )
Famous people died on this day:
1786: Moses
Mendelsohn ( 57 years )
1960: Albert
Camus ( 46 years )
1965: Thomas Stearns Elliot ( 76 years )
JANUARY 3:
Today’s name is ENOCH’s DAY. He was one of the 7
ancient fathers originating from Adam. Each of them died according to The Old
Testament only when they were 365 years old.
Enoch was the son of Kain. His
name is now and then also spelled Henoch.
Famous people born on this day:
106 BC:
Marcus Tellius Cicero ( died 43
BC )
1883:
Clement Attlee ( died 1967 )
1892: John
Ronald Tolkien ( died 1973 )
1909: Victor
Borge ( died 2000 )
1969: Michael Schumacher
Famous people died on this day:
1875: Pierre
Larousse ( 58 years )
1923:
Jaroslav Hasek ( 40 years )
JANUARY
1:
Today
is called – as most people know – NEW
YEAR’s DAY. It is also called JESU
DAY, because it was today – 8 days after his birth – that Jesus was
circumcised in the Temple.
A
couple of old Danish weather warnings are also attached to this day:
·
If the sun is shining, it will be a very fertile year. If it only
shines for as long as it takes to saddle a horse the harvest will still be
acceptable
·
If the sky is red at sunrise you
will have bad weather most of the year
This day is also one of the 32 so-called Tycho
Brahe Days. They are days, which the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in the 17th
century based on his calculations appointed as particular unfortunate. What old nonsense
L
Famous people born on this day:
1862: Pierre
de Coubertin ( died 1937 )
1887:
Wilhelm Canaris ( died 1945 )
1892: Martin
Niemüller ( died 1984 )
1895: J.
Edgar Hoover ( died 1972 )
1919: J.D.
Salinger ( died 2010 )
Famous people died on this day:
1559: King
Christian III ( 56 years )
1972:
Maurice Chevalier ( 84 years )
DECEMBER 30:
This day’s name is DAVID’s DAY. He was a Jewish king in The Old Testament. He
is known for killing the giant Goliath by throwing a stone at him with a sling.
It was also king David who selected Jerusalem as the royal residence.
Famous people born on this day:
39:
Emperor Titus ( died 81 )
1865: Rudyard
Kipling ( died 1936 )
1946: Berti Vogts
1975: Tiger Woods
Famous people died on this day:
1937: H.N.
Andersen ( 85 years )
1968: Trygve
Lie ( 72 years )
2004: Arie
Shaw ( 94 years )
2006: Saddam
Hussein ( 69 years )
DECEMBER 31:
This day is called SYLVESTER’s DAY. It has its name from pope Sylvester, who was the
first pope, who was allowed to baptize an emperor ( Constantine the Great ). Sylvester died in 335.
The word Sylvester comes from Latin silvistris,
which means wild. It comes from silva ( forest ).
An old Danish weather warning tells that if it rains on New Year’s eve the year will
give a bad harvest.
Famous people born on this day:
1869: Henri
Matisse ( died 1954 )
1880: George
Marshall ( died 1959 )
1884:
Elizabeth Arden ( died 1966 )
1908: Simon
Wiesenthal ( died 2005 )
1936: Siw
Malmquist
1937: Anthony
Hopkins
1943: John
Denver ( died 1997 )
1943: Ben Kingsley
Famous people died on this day:
1872: Alexis
Kivi ( 38 years )
1985: Rick
Nelson ( 45 years )
DECEMBER 29:
Today’s name is NOAH’s DAY. It has it from Noah in The old Testament. He
was the constructor of the ARK, which he used to rescue his family, two
pairs of all animals and a vine
J
from the Flood.
Historically it is likely that the Flood actually
happened in pre-historic times, when the Mediterranean Sea broke though the
Bosporus into the Black Sea. The Mediterranean was until then about 8 meters
higher, so it is evident that the break-through was an enormous disaster. The
legend tells that Noah landed his Ark on the mountain Ararat. It lies at the
eastern side of the present day Black Sea.
Famous people born on this day:
1721: Madame
de Pompidour ( died 1764 )
1800: Charles
Goodyear ( died 1860 )
1809: William
Gladstone ( died 1898 )
1938: Jon
Voight
Famous people died on this day:
1170: Thomas
Beckett ( 55 years )
1916:
Rasputin ( 47 years )
1952:
Fletcher Henderson ( 55 years )
1986: Harold
Macmillan ( 92 years )
DECEMBER 28:
This day is called CHILDRENS DAY because of the mass killings of babies in Bethlehem
after the birth of Jesus. It is also called The
innocent childrens’ Day.
Famous people born on this day:
1856: Woodrow
Wilson ( died 1924 )
1903: Earl
Hines ( died 1983 )
1903: John
von Neumann ( died 1957 )
1925:
Hildegard Knef ( died 2002 )
1953: Richard
Clyderman
Famous people died on this day:
1923: A.
Gustave Eiffel ( 91 years )
1937: Maurice
Ravel ( 62 years )
1952: Queen
Alexandrine ( 73 years )
1963: Paul
Hindemith ( 68 years )
2004:
Susan Sontag ( 71 years )
DECEMBER 27:
Today is called JOHN’s DAY. It has its
name from the evangelist John, who lived 6-100 AC. He was originally a
fisherman and then became a follower of John the Baptiser. He lived part of his
life on the now Greek island of Patmos, where he wrote his gospel.
Famous people born on this day:
1571: Johannes Kepler ( died 1630 )
1822: Louis Pasteur
( died 1893 )
1901:
Marlene Dietrich ( die
d 1992 )
1947: Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen
, Lego
Famous
people died on this day::
1923: Gustave Eiffel ( 91 years )
1981: Hoagy Carmichal ( 82 years )
2007:
Benazir Bhutto ( 54 years )
DECEMBER
23:
This
day is called THORLACUS DAY. He was an Icelandic monk and later bishop at
Skadholt. He lived in the years 1133-93 and studied in Paris and in Lincoln.
Later he founded the first monastery for nuns in Iceland.
Famous
people born on this day:
1777: Alexander I ( died 1825 )
1880: Ejnar Mikkelsen ( died 1971
)
1918: Helmut Schmidt
1943: Queen
Silvia of Sweden
Famous people died on this day:
1834: Thomas
Malthus ( 68 years )
1979: Peggy
Guggenheim ( 81 years )
2000: Victor Borge ( 91 years )
DECEMBER
22:
This
day is called JAPETUS’ DAY after the son of Moses. Some people also call it “Mini mini Christmas Day”
J
Famous
people born on this day:
1639: Jean
Racine ( died 1699 )
1858:
Giovanni Puccini ( died 1924 )
1872: Paul Bergsøe ( died 1963 )
Famous people died on this day:
1989: Samuel Beckett ( 83 år )
DECEMBER 19:
This day’s name is NEMESIUS DAY. He was a man who
lived in Alexandria during the reign of the Roman emperor Decius. One day he was accused of being a robber.
When he could prove that it was a false accusation he was instead accused of
being a Christian – and executed. At the same time the judge asked the false
accusations to be burned on the fire together with him.
Famous people born on this day:
1833: Peter
Ludvig Panum ( died 1885 )
1906: Leonid
Brezhnev ( died 1982 )
1915: Edith
Piaf ( died 1963 )
Famous people died on this day:
1741: Vitus
Bering ( 60 years )
1848: Emely
Brontë ( 30 years )
1851: J.M.W.
Turner ( 76 years )
1915: Alois Altzheimer ( 51 years )
1996: Marcello Mastriani ( 72 years )
DECEMBER 6:
Today is called NICOLAUS’ DAY. It is named after
bishop Nicolaus of Myra. Myra was
an ancient city in Greek Anatolya at the south coast of present day Turkey. The
small town of Demre can be found at that place today. Nicolaus lived in the 4th century
AC. The legend tells many stories about
him. One is that he once during a sea voyage in a heavy storm managed to make
the waves go quiet and thereby save many seamen in danger. He also did a lot
for poor children. And he lived a very active Christian life. He dies around
the year 350. And many pilgrims visited his grave afterwards. The town of Demre still has a Christian
church with the name of St. Nicolaus Church. It has just been renovated.
In the year 1087 people from the city of Bari
in the south of Italy decide to find Nicolaus’s grave in Anatolia. They find it
and bring his relics with them back to Bari. They are still here. You find them
in the St. Nicolaus church in the center of the city.
Nicolaus is the patron for children, seamen – and
lawyers.
At the same time he is the model for Santa Claus.
He is the man who brings presents to the kids – either today at St. Nicolaus’
Day, or at Christmas eve on December 24. The habits are different from country
to country.
Today is also one of the 32 so-called Tycho Brahe
Days. They are particular days, which the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in
the 17th century during his calculations appointed as particular
unfortunate. What old nonsense
J
An old Danish weather warning for December 6 says
that today’s weather will be the weather for the rest of this month.
Famous people born on this day:
1885: Birger
Sjöberg ( died 1929 )
1898: Gunnar
Myrdal ( died 1987 )
1942: Herbjørg Wassmo
Famous people died on this day:
1889:
Jefferson Davis ( 81 years )
1892: Werner
von Siemens ( 76 years )
1988: Roy
Orbison ( 52 years )
DECEMBER 3:
This day is called SVEND’s day after the name of an
unknown saint.
In Belgium the day is called FRANCOIS XAVIER’s
DAY. He was a jesuist missionary from
the Basque countries and lived 1506-52.
He died on this day in 1552 while at work in China.
Famous people born on this day:
1684: Ludvig Holberg ( died 1754 )
1883: Anton
von Webern ( died 1945 )
1927: Andy Williams
1930: Jean-Luc Godard
Famous people died on this day:
1839: King
Frederik 6. ( 71 years )
1888: Carl
Zeiss ( 72 years )
1919: Pierre-Auguste Renoir ( 78 years )
DECEMBER 2:
Today’s name is BIBIANA’s DAY. She was a young Roman
virgin, who was killed by the emperor because of her Christian faith. Later the
Santa Bibiana Basilica was built in Rome, and her body is still there.
The names Vivian and Viviana have their origin in
the name Bibiana.
In Belgium this day is called JAN DE RUYSBROECK’s DAY. He lived in the years 1293-1381 and was
one of the Flemish mysticians. Later he was made a saint because of his work.
Famous people born on this day:
1923: Maria Callas
( died 1977 )
1924:
Alexander Haig ( died 2010 )
1946: Gianni
Versace ( died 1997 )
1981: Britney Spears
Famous people died on this day:
1547: Hernán
Cortés ( 62 years )
1814: Marquis
de Sade ( 59 years )
1943: Nordahl Grieg ( 41 years )
DECEMBER 1:
This day is called ARNOLD’s DAY. He was a Franciscan monk, who in the year
1303 went to China as a missionary.
Arnold is the patron for all blacksmiths and
horse dealers.
Famous people born on this day:
1761: Madame
Marie Tussaud ( died 1850 )
1914: K.B.Andersen ( died 1984 )
1935: Woody Allen
1945: Bette Midler
1946: Gilbert O’Sullivan
Famous people died on this day:
1825: Zar
Alexander I ( 48 years )
1973: David
Ben-Gurion ( 87 years )
1997: Stéphane Grappeli ( 89 years )
NOVEMBER 29:
Today’s name is SATURNINUS’ DAY. He was a missionary in Toulouse in the
southwest of France. And later he became a bishop there. In the year 250 AC the non-Christians decided
to kill him. He was tied to the legs of a bull. And the bull was then pursued
down the stairs from the local capitol.
Later a church named Notre-Dame-du-Tours was built on that spot.
Famous people born on this day:
1803:
Christian Johann Doppler ( died
1853 )
1879: Jacob
Gade ( died 1963 )
1932: Jacques Chirac
Famous people died on this day:
1780: Maria
Theresia ( 63 years )
1924: Giacomo
Puccini ( 66 years )
1981:
Nathalie Wood ( 43 years )
1986: Cary Grant
( 82 years )
2001: George
Harrison ( 58 years )
NOVEMBER 24:
Today’s name is CHRYSOGONUS’ DAY. He was a Christian, who was killed because of
his faith during the persecutions during the reign of the Roman emperor
Diocletian. The legend tells that he was thrown into the sea, but that a fish
brought him back to land. It happened around year 300 AC in the city of
Aquileia in north-east Italy.
Famous people born on this day:
1632: Baruck
de Spinoza ( died 1677 )
1864: Henri
de Toulouse-Lautrec ( died 1901 )
1868: Scott
Joplin ( died 1917 )
Famous people died on this day::
1929: Georges
Clemenceau ( 88 years )
1963: Lee
Harvey Oswald ( 34 years )
1991: Freddie
Mercury ( “ The Queen “ ) ( 45 years )
2004: Arthur
Hailey ( 84 years )
NOVEMBER
23:
This
day is called CLEMENS’ DAY. It
has its name from pope Clemens, who was the third pope after Peter. He was
punished because of his faith and was sent to the island of Cremea for hard
word. As this did not change his mind he was tied to a heavy anchor and thrown
into the sea. He died in the year 107.
Clemens is the patron of the stone and marble
workers. And together with Nicolai he is also the protector of all seamen.
Weather warning
: Mild weather on this day means that the
winter will be mild.
Earlier many people saw this day as the first day of
winter.
Famous people born on this day:
1859: Billy
the Kid ( died 1881 )
1860: Hjalmar
Branting ( died 1925 )
1888: Harpo
Marx ( died 1964 )
1913: Poul Nyboe Andersen ( died 2004 )
Famous people died on this day:
1763: Abbé
Prevost ( 68 years )
1976: André
Malraux ( 75 years )
1991: Klaus
Kinski ( 66 years )
NOVEMBER 22:
This day’s name is CECILIA’s DAY. She lived in the 2nd
century AD, was born in Rome under the name Caecilia. She is known for having
convinced her husbund to become a Christian in their wedding bed. They were
both killed in Sicily by the soldiers of the Roman emperor because of that.
Cecilia is the patron for musicians, for poets and
for blind people.
Many interesting events took place over the years on
this day. The Danish king Erik Klipping
was murdered in a barn in Jutland in the night ( 37 years old ). Denmark won a football match over France in
1908 by 17-1. The British researcher
Howard Carter opened the tomb of Tut Ankh Amon in this day in 1922. And president John F. Kennedy was shot in
Dallas, Texas in 1963, 46 years old.
Famous people born on this day:_
1819: George
Elliot ( real name: Mary Ann Evans ) ( died 1880 )
1890: Charles
de Gaulle ( died 1970 )
1913:
Benjamin Britten ( died 1976 )
1934: Östen
Warnerbrink ( died 2006 )
1967: Boris Becker
Famous people died on this day:
1286: King
Erik Klipping ( 37 years )
1916: Jack
London ( 40 years )
1963: John F.
Kennedy ( 46 years )
1963: Aldous
Huxley ( 64 years )
1963: C.S.
Lewis ( 64 years)
1980: Mae West
( 87 år )
NOVEMBER 21:
Today is called MARY’s
SACRIFICE DAY. This was the day, when Mary as a child was presented in the
Temple.
The name of this day in Belgium is the same ( Opdracht
van Maria ).
Famous people born on this day:
1694:
Voltaire ( died 1778 )
1787: Samuel
Cunard ( died 1865 )
1898: René Magritte ( died 1967 )
1965: Björk
Famous people died on this day:
1695: Henry Purcell ( 36 year )
1916: Franz Joseph I ( 86 years )
2006: Pierre Amine Gemayel ( 34 years )