I couldn’t find any interesting international holidays today but I realized that I missed the most important holiday of all a few days ago – back on March 25th – and that, of course, is MARYLAND DAY!
Maryland Day commemorates March 25, 1634. On that day, settlers who had recently disembarked from two small sailing ships – the Ark and the Dove – on St. Clement’s Island, in what is now St. Mary’s County, Maryland, celebrated the official founding of the colony of Maryland (now the most important state in the USA).
Departing on November 22, 1633, these travelers (about 140 in number) set off from Cowes on the English Isle of Wight. Three days later a severe storm tossed them relentlessly about at sea. The morning after, the Dove (the smaller ship) could not be seen. The Ark continued its journey, following the European coast south to the Fortunate (now Canary) Islands. From the Canaries, the Ark sailed due west across the Atlantic, touching land at the island of Barbados in the West Indies on January 3, 1633/4. There, the ship’s weary travelers stayed three weeks replenishing provisions, and there the Dove reappeared, having weathered the Atlantic voyage alone. At other Caribbean isles they also landed, and then sailed north. They reached Virginia on February 27th, gathered more supplies, and navigated Chesapeake Bay north to the mouth of the Potomac by March 3rd.
As these voyagers approached southern Maryland shores in March 1634, their ships alarmed Native Americans, who sent alerts with huge signal fires. To meet the Conoy Indian chief and calm Indian fears, Leonard Calvert on the Dove sailed to Piscataway. There, they negotiated a peaceable accord, and then Calvert sailed back down the Potomac off present-day St. Mary’s County. On March 25th, the English settlers held a day of thanksgiving for their safe voyage end, and we continue to commemorate it as Maryland Day.
SIGNZ
Today is the birthday, in 1986, of Lady Gaga, (Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) American singer, songwriter. 2008 single US & UK No.1 single ‘Just Dance’, 2008 single ‘Poker Face’, reached No.1 in twenty countries. In 2012, Gaga was ranked at No.4 on Billboard’s list of top moneymakers of 2011, grossing more than 25 million dollars. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bESGLojNYSo
