Month: July 2023

06
Jul
2023

THURS.THURS.THURS.THURSDAY

Today is Jan Hus Day, a public holiday in the Czech Republic. This holiday commemorates the martyrdom of Jan Hus in 1415.

Jan Hus, born in Bohemia in 1369, was a priest, reformer, and master at Charles University in Prague. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe, which he helped translate into Czech.

Hus is seen as a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. He was an advocate of church reforms, such as using Czech as the liturgical language, aligning the church’s practices with teachings contained in the Bible, limiting the power of the church to spiritual matters, and stopping the sale of indulgences. His followers became known as Hussites.

He was excommunicated from the Catholic Church in 1412 for insubordination. After being promised safe passage to attend a meeting that was intended to discuss the differences in the church, Hus was detained and put on trial. Refusing to give up his beliefs, he was found guilty of heresy against the doctrines of the Catholic Church and was burned at the stake on 6 July 1415. Between 1420 and 1431, the Hussite forces defeated five consecutive papal crusades against followers of Hus. Their defence and rebellion against Roman Catholics became known as the Hussite Wars.

Hope you had a happy Fourth!

Enjoy this fun song! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4-1ASpdT1Y

Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor, Music
03
Jul
2023

MONDAY before the 4th (3rd)

Today is RONPhos Handover Day, a public holiday in Nauru. It is dedicated to the country’s leading enterprise, the Republic of Nauru Phosphate Corporation (RONPhos). The Republic of Nauru is the world’s smallest independent republic, the smallest island country, and the smallest state outside Europe. It is located on a small phosphate rock in the Central Pacific. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, rich phosphate deposits near the surface made Nauru the state with the highest per capita income in the world.

When Nauru became an independent state in 1968, the people of Nauru purchased the full rights to the phosphate business from Australia and founded the locally owned Nauru Phosphate Corporation. The country experienced an incredible economic growth, becoming one of the world’s wealthiest states. Unfortunately, the period of prosperity didn’t last long. Poor investments, corruption and eventual depletion of phosphate deposits left Nauru with little money.

Following the collapse of phosphate mining in the early 2002, the Nauru Phosphate Corporation was restructured and renamed the Republic of Nauru Phosphate Corporation (RONPhos). The new corporation officially began operation on July 1, 2005. Its main goal is to develop plans for the extraction of the supposedly existing secondary level of phosphate.

Today is the birthday, in 1940, of Fontella Bass, US female singer, pianist, who had the 1965 US No.4 and UK No.11 single ‘Rescue Me’. Bass died on 26th Dec 2012 of complications following a heart attack aged 72. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXSocE_M1G4

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, sixties and seventies