RC, Ang : Memorial of St Francis of Assisi, friar, confessor

Happy Birthday to...

• In 1289 Louis X "the Quarreler", King of France
• In 1379 Henry III -- died 1406 Burgos, Castile [Spain] -- Toledo King of Castile from 1390 to 1406. Though unable to take the field because of illness, he jealously preserved royal power through the royal council, the Audiencia (supreme court), and the corregidores (magistrates)
• In 1550 Charles IX, King of Sweden
• In 1626 Richard Cromwell, Puritan Lord Protector of England
• 1822 Rutherford B Hayes (R) 19th U.S.A. pres (1877-81)

On this day...

• In 1147 King Louis VII and Queen Eleanor of France reach Constantinople on the 2nd Crusade
• In 1189 Capture of Gerard de Ridefort, 10th Master of the Templars, at the Siege of Acre
• In 1209 Otto IV crowned Holy Roman Emperor
• In 1226 Death of St. Francis of Assisi
• In 1244 The Damascus Moslems, with their allies the Templars, Hospitalers, and other Franks, march on Cairo and the Khwarismians
• In 1535 1st complete English translation of the Bible printed, in Zurich
• In 1582 Last day of the Julian calendar in Italy, many Catholic countries But not in England.
• In 1636 1st code of law for Plymouth Colony
• In 1636 WITTSTOCK (Swedes defeat Imperials/Saxons)
• In 1648 Peter Stuyvesant of NY establishes America's 1st volunteer firemen
• In 1669 Death of Rembrandt
• 1824 Mexico becomes a republic
• 1854 - Honest Abe Lincoln made his first great political speech while attending the Illinois State Fair in Springfield on this day.
• 1883 Orient Express' 1st run, linking Turkey to Europe by rail
• 1910 Portugal becomes a republic, King Manuel II flees to England
• In 1957 First Artificial sattellite Sputnik launched
• 1970 - Janis Joplin died on this day -- from a drug overdose. She was 27. Joplin, known for her passionate, bluesy vocal style, was the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company. She became a superstar with hits like, "Down on Me", "Pearl" (her nickname) and "Every Little Piece of My Heart", but "Me and Bobby McGee" was her only certified top 40 hit. The Bette Midler movie, "The Rose", was based on Joplin's life.

Thought for the day...