TODAY - November 16
NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS
ON: NOVEMBER 16
New edition
TODAY’s LENGTH:
This day is here
in Belgium 7 hours and 34 minutes shorter than June 21. Its length is 8 hours
and 55 minutes – from 08.00 to 16.55.
See more – also in
English – about where you are on: www.dagenslaengde.dk
TODAY’s NAME:
It is called OTHENIUS’ DAY. It has its name after Saint Othmarus from the monastery in Skt. Gallen in Switzenland. He died in 759 AD.
The day’s name in Belgium is
SAINTE MARGUERITE D’ECOSSE (
Saint Margret of Scotland ). She lived in the years 1045-93 and was an English
pricess, who became queen of Scotland. She was calle “the Pearl of Scotland”.
TODAY’s EVENT:
1869: The construction of the Suez Canal is finished. It had cost the lives of 120.000 workers.
TODAY’s QUESTION:
Magna Carta – what is that?
And what is its importance?
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:
Flying Dutchman
- what is that? And what is the story behind it?
THE EUROPEAN QUESTION FOR TODAY:
What is the EIB, European Investment Bank ? And what
is it doing?
See my reply and explanation on my blog:
https://knowing-about-this.blogspot.com
THE EUROPEAN QUESTION FOR TOMORROW:
What has the EU
done to improve the environment over the years?
47 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT EUROPE:
EUROPE AT WORK www.europe-at-work.be
TODAY’s QUOTE & FAMOUS PEOPLE :
1.
Yesterday’s quote:
The press is
like air: a priviledged libertine.
This was said by the British prime minister William Pitt in the 18th century.
2.
Today’s quote:
Decorations you
give to idiots!
Who among today’s persons said that?
3. Famous
people born on this day:
42 BC: Tiberius ( died 37 AD )
1758: P.A.Heiberg ( died 1841 )
1847: Princess Dagmar ( died 1928 )
1895: Paul Hindemith ( died 1963 )
1911: Edward Kofler ( died
2007 )
4. Famous
people died on this day:
1831: Carl von Clausewitz ( 51 years )
1960: Clark Gable ( 59 years )
1965: Johannes Brøndsted ( 75 years )
2006: Milton Friedman ( 94
years )
Niels Jørgen Thøgersen
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