1605 In Madrid Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) published the first edition of ‘El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha’ (Don Quixote). Sometimes this is considered the first novel and it is the foundation of Spanish literature. Cervantes was duelist, debtor, soldier, slave, wounded veteran, and writer. I read a one-volume abridgement in college and that’s it.
1838 In Morristown New Jersey Yale grad Samuel Morse demonstrated the telegraph system for the first time at the Speedwell Iron Works. To prove the utility of transmitting electrical impulses by wires he used a code that came to bear his name.
1900 In Montréal work began on a modest chapel at the bequest of Brother André. It became the massive St. Joseph’s Oratory on Mount Royal. In the picture below the wooden steps in the middle are reserved for those who mount the hill on their knees as an act of penitence. We took the outer stairs when we visited.
1912 In Santa Fe New Mexico became the 47th state of the United States. Its state flag is below. The symbolism comes from Zia Pueblo with the sun at the centre of four directions, four stages of life, four times of day, and the four bases (first, second, third, and home). Kate’s mother grew up there.
2014 In Washington D.C. the U.S. Senate advised and consented to the appointment of Janet Yellen as chair the Federal Reserve. The first woman in that chair in the central bank’s 100-year history. Suspecting Yellen was Hillary in disguise, President Tiny replaced her with Homer Simpson. Fact or fake? Take a pick.
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