Sunday, March 06, 2011

Michelangelo, Mendeleev, The Alamo and David Gilmour


The morning after  the night before. I think it's fair to say that World Book Night has been just amazing for all involved. I must say a huge thanks to all those on my newly discovered, marvellous Twitter for posting such amazing photos and accounts. Fabulous.

King John II of Castile was born on this day in 1405.

On March the 6th 1475 a certain Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarotti Simoni  was  born in Caprese, near Arezzo, Tuscany. I found this lovely image on Wikipedia :



On this day in 1521 Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Guam. His crew discovered several new species of animal including the black 'goose' - the penguin.

Hercule-Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac was born on March the 6th 1619. He was a dramatist and duelist and his life would inspire the 1897 play by Edmond Rostand.

In 1806 the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born on this day in Durham, if you would like to have a look here  Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

On today's date in 1836, following a thirteen day siege by 3,000 Mexican troops, the 187 Texas volunteers were defeated and the Alamo in San Antonio fell to the Mexicans.

On March 6th 1853 Verdi's  La Traviata was premiered at La Fenice Opera House in Venice.

This day in 1869 saw the presentation by Dmitri Mendeleev of his periodic table to the Russian Chemical Society. He is credited as being the creator of the first version of the periodic table of elements, based on the atomic weight of the elements, it would eventually lead to the periodic table we know. Here he  is, followed by his periodic table ( yes I know it's tiny..! ) :





Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born on this day in 1927 in Aracataca, Columbia. His wonderful work Love in the Time of Cholera was of the twenty five titles distributed on World Book Night. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.

Happy Birthday to David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. He was born on this day in 1946.

Today is the Feast Day of St. Colette.

I'm starving and looking through my notes my eye was drawn to the Mexican victory at the Alamo and I am thinking fajitas.... 

As ever thanks to Wikipedia for marvellous images and resources.

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