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March 1 Saints of the Day – Eudokia of Heliopolis and David of Wales
On this day in 1896, Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity. It gave him a warm glow. Our Eastern Saintlines passenger today is Eudokia of Heliopolis (d. 107). A wealthy harlot in Heliopolis,...
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March 6 Saints of the Day – Uncovering of the True Cross by the Empress...
On this day in 1899, Bayer registered “Aspirin” as a trademark. When their exclusive rights to use that name were lost, they, like the people in their television commercials in the early 1980s,...
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March 11 Saint of the Day – Sophronius of Jerusalem
On this day in 1702, the first issue of the Daily Courant, England’s first national daily newspaper, was published. It consisted of a single sheet of paper, printed on one side only. As such there were...
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March 18 Saints of the Day – Cyril of Jerusalem and Frigidian of Lucca
Our eastern saint today is Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem (ca. 313 – 386). As a deacon he taught catechumens, and many of his lectures have been preserved. In one he responded to the question of why,...
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April 1 Saints of the Day – Mary of Egypt and Gilbert of Caithness
On this day in 1957, the BBC broadcast a 3-minute mockumentary on the spaghetti farmers of Switzerland. Scientists estimate that if the hoax were perpetrated today, it would get 1,000,000 Likes in the...
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April 22 Saints of the Day – Vitalis of Gaza and Theodore of Sykeon
NB: I’m going to stop saying eastern saint/western saint. Please take it as read from this point on that the first saint mentioned is from the Orthodox calendar, and the second from the Latin Rite...
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April 25 Saint of the Day – Mark the Evangelist
On this date in 1983, spacecraft Pioneer 10 traveled beyond Pluto’s orbit. Pluto, still a planet at that point and not yet the bitter dwarf it is now, waved pleasantly as it flew by. The Apostle and...
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May 7 Saints of the Day – Alexis of Wilkes-Barre and Albert of Bergamo
On this date in 1895, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrated a primitive radio receiver which he called a “lightning detector,” finally validating Benjamin Franklin’s theory that...
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May 10 Saints of the Day – Thais of Egypt and Cataldus of Taranto
On this date in 1975, Sony introduced the Betamax videocassette recorder in Japan. The name “Betamax” was a last-minute change from the original “Textbook Case for Marketing Disaster.” Thais of Egypt...
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May 13 Saints of the Day – Euthymius of Athos and John the Silent
On this date in 1958, the trade mark Velcro was registered. A combination of the French words for “velvet” and “hook,” the name replaced the earlier “Gzgzgzrrrip.” Euthymius of Athos (ექვთიმე ათონელი,...
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May 21 Saints of the Day – Constantine the Great and Godric of Finchale
On this date in 1927, Charles Lindbergh touched down in Paris, becoming the first man to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic. Also on this date in 1932, Amelia Earhart landed in Ireland, becoming the...
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May 23 Saints of the Day – Michael the Black-Robed and Desiderius of Vienne
On this date in 1911, the New York Public Library was dedicated. That’s true. I’m not lion. Michael “the Black-Robed” of St Sava Monastery (IX cent.) was born in Edessa, and after distributing all his...
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June 4 Saints of the Day – Mary & Martha and Petroc of Cornwall
On this date in 1974, during “Ten Cent Beer Night,” overindulgent Cleveland Indians fans stared a riot, and the game was forfeited to the Texas Rangers. Texas went on to win at least three other games...
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June 7 Saints of the Day – Daniel of Scetis and Meriadoc of Vannes
On this date in 1982, Priscilla Presley opened Graceland to the public. Authorities differ on whether she offered free tickets to Paul Simon. Daniel of Scetis (V cent.) was a monk under Arsenios the...
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June 9 Saints of the Day – David Gareji and Anna Maria Taigi
On this date in 2007, Rags to Riches became the first filly in 106 years to win the Belmont Stakes. When asked if she felt self-conscious about beating all the colts, she said, “neigh.” David Gareji...
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June 11 Saint of the Day – Barnabas the Apostle
On this date in 1935, inventor Edwin Armstrong gave the first public demonstration of FM broadcasting in the United States. It was attended only by longhairs, protobeatniks, and future AOR aficionados....
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June 26 Saints of the Day – John of the Goths and Anthelm of Belley
On this date in 1886, Henri Moissan isolated elemental Fluorine for the first time. After enduring a life of isolation for what seemed like ages, Fluorine teamed up with Stannous, and together they...
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July 8 Saints of the Day – Procopius of Scythopolis, and Withburga
On this date in 1889, the first issue of the Wall Street Journal was published. Some couldn’t bear to read it; others said it was a lot of bull. Procopius of Scythopolis (d. 303) was (per his...
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July 15 Saints of the Day – Vladimir the Great and Bonaventure
On this date in 1983, the Nintendo Entertainment System, the best-selling game console of its time, was released in Japan. Glad to be free, it soon wandered to America and other countries. Vladimir the...
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July 18 Saints of the Day – Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Theneva
On this date in 1976, Nadia Comăneci became the first person in Olympic Games history to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics. Just three years later, Bo Derek scored a perfect 10 in cornrows. Grand...
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