TODAY: September 7

 

NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS

ON: SEPTEMBER 7

New edition

TODAY’s LENGTH:

This day is here in Denmark 4 hours and 12 minutes shorter than June 21. Its length is 13 hours and 23 minutes – from 06.32 to 19.54.

See more – also in English – about where you are on:  www.dagenslaengde.dk

TODAY’s NAME:

This day is called ROBERT’s DAY. He was a cardinal in Rome in the late 16th century. He is best known for his book from 1576. In that book he was arguing strongly against the protestants.

The day’s name in Belgium is SAINT HILDUARD – after a Benedictine bishop in Flanders. He died in 760.

 

TODAY’s EVENT:

1986:  Bishop Desmund Tuto becomes the first black leader of the Anglican church in South Africa, when he is appointed archbishop of Cape Town.

 

TODAY’s QUESTION:

Magna Carta - what is that? And what does it mean?

This old British Charter – also called the Great Charter of the Liberties – was signed on June 15, 1215 by king John and a group of rebellious English barons. The text was drafted by the archbishop of Canterbury. Its purpose was to get peace between the unpopular king and the barons.

The main articles gave protection of church rights, protection of barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations to feudal payments to the crown.

It other words: it was a charter, which concerned the king and the nobility. Not the population as such.  It was renewed almost ever since, when new kings or queens took over.

Magna Carta is by many considered to be the start of parliamentary democracy – though it has very little to do with today. It inspired many initiatives much later such as the American declaration of independence and its liberties, the French revolution and later democratic constitutions.

Now 800 years later there are still 4 copies of the original Magna Carta in existence. One of them is in the cathedral in Salisbury – very close to where it was originally written. And in good British tradition big festivities are organized now and then to celebrate the Carta, its contents and its importance.

 

QUESTION FOR TOMORROW:

Fata morgana - where does this expression come from? And what does it mean?

EUROPE - DO YOU KNOW ?

Yesterday's European question was:

Which member state is the second largest in EU when population is concerned?

Italy?  or France?

The correct reply is:  France ( with 67 million inhabitants ). The biggest is Germany with 83 million. And no. 3 is Italy with 60 million.

The European question for tomorrow is:

Which member state in the EU is the 3rd largest when sq.km are concerned?

Sweden ? France?  Or Germany ?

 

47 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT EUROPE:

EUROPE AT WORK     www.europe-at-work.be

 

TODAY’s QUOTE & FAMOUS PEOPLE :

1.  Yesterday’s quote:

        The art of taxation is to pick a maximum number of  feathers of the goose  

              with a minimum of screaming.

              This was once said by king Louis XIV's famous minister of finance

              Jean-Baptiste Colbert.  He needed to collect a lot of "feathers"!

2.  Today’s quote:

        If you do not get a nice experience just from walking on your own street there

             is no reason to travel far away to try to get it.

             Who among today's personalities has said that?

3.  Famous people born on this day:

1533:  Elizabeth I  ( died 1603 )

1913:  Anthony Quale  ( died 1989 )

1923:  Peter Lawford  ( died 1984 )

1930:  Baudouin I ( died 1993 )

1936:  Buddy Holly  ( died 1959 )

1944:  Bertel Haarder

 

4.  Famous people died on this day:

        1962:  Karen Blixen  ( 77 years )

 

Niels Jørgen Thøgersen

niels4europe@gmail.com  

www.simplesite.com/kimbrer   +  EUROPE-AT-WORK   www.europe-at-work.be

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