Crabs and Beer!

On this day in the year 1215, King John put his seal on the Magna Carta at Runnymede (near Windsor). First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Stephen Langton, to make peace between the unpopular king and a group of rebel barons who demanded that the King confirm the Charter of Liberties, it promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift and impartial justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown, to be implemented through a council of 25 barons.

After John’s death, the regency government of his young son, Henry III, reissued the document in 1216, stripped of some of its more radical content, in an unsuccessful bid to build political support for their cause. At the end of the war in 1217, it formed part of the peace treaty agreed at Lambeth, where the document acquired the name “Magna Carta”, to distinguish it from the smaller Charter of the Forest, which was issued at the same time. Short of funds, Henry reissued the charter again in 1225 in exchange for a grant of new taxes. His son, Edward I, repeated the exercise in 1297, this time confirming it as part of England’s statute law.

It influenced the early American colonists in the Thirteen Colonies and the formation of the United States Constitution, which became the supreme law of the land in the new republic of the United States.

King John on a stag hunt

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Toddler in chief plays with his toys…

Poppin Fresh! Straight out of the oven!!

…not included…

Today is the birthday, in 1843, of Edvard Grieg, a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of Norwegian folk music in his own compositions brought the music of Norway to fame, as well as helping to develop a national identity, much as Jean Sibelius did in Finland and Bedřich Smetana in Bohemia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lKo6TYDXCQ

Today is the birthday, in 1856, of John Singer Sargent, an American expatriate artist, considered the “leading portrait painter of his generation” for his evocations of Belle Époque and Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings.

Born in Florence to American parents, he was trained there and in Paris before moving to London, living most of his life in Europe. He enjoyed international acclaim as a portrait painter. From the beginning, Sargent’s work is characterized by remarkable technical facility, particularly in his ability to draw with a brush, which in later years inspired admiration as well as criticism for its supposed superficiality. His commissioned works were consistent with the grand manner of portraiture, while his informal studies and landscape paintings displayed a familiarity with Impressionism.

Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, 1893

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LIFE WITH CATS

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Yesterday was the birthday, in 1864, of Richard Strauss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szdziw4tI9o

On this day in 1963, In a symbolic attempt to keep his inaugural promise of “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever” and stop the desegregation of schools, George Wallace, the governor of Alabama, stood at the door of the auditorium as if to block the way of the two African American students attempting to enter.

In response, Democratic President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 11111, which federalized the Alabama National Guard, and Guard General Henry V. Graham then commanded Wallace to step aside. Wallace spoke further, but eventually moved, and the two students were allowed to register.

The 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education meant that the University of Alabama had to be desegregated. In the years following, hundreds of African-Americans applied for admission, but with one brief exception, all were denied. The university worked with police to find any disqualifying qualities, or when this failed, intimidated the applicants. But, in 1963, three African-Americans—Vivian Malone Jones, Dave McGlathery and James Hood—applied. In early June federal district judge Seybourn H. Lynne ordered that they be admitted, and forbade Governor Wallace from interfering, but did not grant the request that Wallace be barred from the campus.

On June 11, Malone and Hood pre-registered in the morning at the Birmingham courthouse. They selected their courses and filled out all their forms there. They arrived at Foster Auditorium to have their course loads reviewed by advisors and pay their fees. dministration officials also concluded the best optics would be to present the matter as a conflict between state and federal authority, not a racial confrontation between the white governor and the black students.

Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach told Wallace to step aside. However, Wallace interrupted Katzenbach and gave a speech on states’ rights. Katzenbach called President John F. Kennedy who then issued Executive Order 11111, which had already been prepared, authorizing the federalization of the Alabama National Guard under the Insurrection Act of 1807. Four hours later, Guard General Henry Graham commanded Wallace to step aside, saying, “Sir, it is my sad duty to ask you to step aside under the orders of the President of the United States.” Wallace then spoke further, but eventually moved, and Malone and Hood completed their registration.

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Today is the birthday, in 1949, of Frank Beard, American drummer with ZZ Top, who had the 1984 US No.8 & 1985 UK No.16 single ‘Legs’. Beard is notable as being the only musician in the band without a long beard, an ironic fact considering his last name. The band has had global album sales in excess of 50 million as of 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae829mFAGGE

On this day in 1692, Bridget Bishop was hanged near Salem Massachusetts for “certaine Detestable Arts called Witchcraft and Sorceries”.

Bridget was born in 1632 in Norwich, England. Bridget was married to a Captain Samuel Wasselbe at St. Mary in the Marsh in Norwich and the couple took a ship to Massachusetts. Bridget’s husband Samuel died. His cause of death is unknown, but there would be speculation about this later, during the Salem witch trials.

Her second marriage was to Thomas Oliver, a widower and prominent businessman who later died. Her third marriage c. 1687 was to Edward Bishop, a prosperous sawyer, whose family lived in Beverly.

Bridget Bishop was examined due to her accusation of suspicion of “sundry acts of witchcraft”. Bishop was accused of bewitching five young women, Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam, Jr., Mercy Lewis, Mary Walcott, and Elizabeth Hubbard, on the date of her examination by the authorities, 19 April 1692.

Cotton Mather recorded that several people testified against Bishop, stating that the shape of Bishop would pinch, choke or bite them. The shape also threatened to drown one victim if she did not write her name in a certain book. According to Mather, during the trial, any time Bishop would look upon one of her accusers, they would be immediately struck down and only her touch would revive them. Another local man, Samuel Shattuck, accused Bishop of bewitching his child and also of striking his son with a spade.

He also testified that Bishop asked him to dye lace, which apparently was too small to be used on anything but a poppet, a doll used in spell-casting. John and William Bly, father and son, testified about finding poppets in Bishop’s house. Bishop was sentenced to death and She was recorded to be the first woman to die from hanging in the colony.

Bridget Bishop

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Here is a bobcat in an unfavorable environment…

Camouflage

Looking for love…

Today is the birthday, in 1941. of Shirley Owens, singer with American girl group The Shirelles, notable for their popularity in the early 1960s. They were the first all-female black group to have a No.1 hit record with ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’ in 1961. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkT1ZvXrIh4

On this day in 1930, Jake Lingle, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, was shot dead gangland-style in the underpass leading to the Illinois Central Randolph Street station as dozens of people watched.

Lingle was known for his work as a legman covering gang-related crime stories. He reported from the scene by telephone to a writer at the Chicago Tribune office and then that person would write up his story. During this period, Lingle made connections outside journalism, and while he earned $65 ($1,065 in 2021 money) a week reporting, he had more than $60,000 ($982,875 in 2021 money) in the bank.

Lingle’s death brought to the public’s attention his connections with gangsters. Lingle turned out to have been setting the price of beer in Chicago and involved in organized dog racing and gambling. He had maintained two homes plus a suite at the Morrison Hotel and had a six-figure stockbroker account. High-placed friends of his in the police department resigned. Not only did people discover what Lingle’s occupation really was, but they also learned about the gangs and about those with whom Lingle was associated.

In January 1931, the police received a tip and arrested a man by the name of Leo Vincent Brothers from St. Louis, Missouri. Many people swore that he was Lingle’s killer. Others, including Brothers himself, denied his involvement. Convicted, Brothers was given the minimum sentence for murder of 14 years, and he served 8 years of the sentence.

Jake Lingle

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Back when meds were fun…

This is Madonna…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpzdgmqIHOQ