Today is Tiradentes Day, a public holiday in Brazil. Tiradentes Day in Brazil commemorates the execution of Brazilian national hero Joaquim Jose da Silva Xavier (August 16th 1746 – April 21st 1792).
Xavier (Tiradentes) was a Brazilian revolutionary who, as a founder of the Inconfidência Mineira movement, fought for Brazilian independence and freedom from Portuguese colonial power. At the time, Portugal was imposing onerous tax burdens on the Brazilians, as they tried to maintain income from the colony despite declining levels of gold being mined.
Tiradentes hatched a plan to take to the streets and declare independence on a day when taxes were due. The plan was betrayed and the rebels were arrested in February 1789. During the subsequent trial, Tiradentes took full responsibility for the insurrection plot and executed by hanging on April 21st 1792. His body was quartered and his head displayed as a warning to other revolutionaries.
Xavier was a dentist by trade. This holiday gets its name from “tiradentes” meaning “tooth-puller”, which was a nickname adopted during his trial.
On this day in 1990, Paul McCartney played in front of 184,000 fans at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, creating a new world record for the largest crowd attending a rock concert. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OuYLGHkrBk
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