September 2nd Fun Facts, Trivia and HistoryTable of Contents |
September 2nd History Highlights |
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Great Fire of London |
The fire broke out in the early hours of 1666 on the corner of Pudding Lane and St Paul’s Street. The flames came within reach before they were extinguished, but not before they reached homes on the south side of London and then north and west of it. The fire destroyed the medieval City of London, from the ancient Roman city walls to the old Roman city walls. The 1666 fire destroyed 373 hectares of the city and only four deaths were reported, but the number of people trapped in the destroyed buildings and the loss of property meant that the toll was probably higher. About 3,000 people were left homeless and many of their homes were destroyed by the fire. |
Julian to Gregorian Calendar Switch |
There’s a rather interesting chain of events behind the formation of the modern-day Gregorian calendar, which is used by the entire world today. Even until the Mid-18th Century, England, along with its colonies, was still following the Julian calendar. By calculation, the latter was almost 11 days ahead of the Gregorian calendar, which was named after Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. While most of Europe had already adopted it, England had some concerns. When pressure on the Church of England to adopt the new calendar started increasing, they rejected it by referring to the calendar as “popish.” However, one of the greatest players in this entire situation was George Parker. Parker was a Royal Society Fellow and also the second Earl of Macclesfield. His friend James Bradley was also a key player who assisted Parker in his calculations. Bradley further received support from the fourth Earl of Chesterfield called Philip Dormer Stanhope, who faced the reluctant government of Henry Pelham. Philip put forward an important Act (Law) in the House of Lords in 1751. The Earl of Chesterfield wanted to request the authorities to regulate the beginning of the year and correct the existing calendar in use through the act. With Macclesfield in support, the Earl of Chesterfield had made some lead, if not completely. Fortunately, the bill was easily passed through Parliament and was signed in May by George II. As a result, the country collectively had to skip 11 days on Wednesday, September 2nd, and on Thursday, England was supposed to be on September 14th. This also led the New Year’s Day to go from March 25th to January 1st, as followed in Scotland. However, a reaction toward the decision was bound to come as the citizens of London refused to pay their taxes early. As a result, the fiscal year was made to start from April 6th, and even today, it starts on the same date. This rather small shift in the usage of calendars brought about several beggir changes in birthdays, saint’s days, festivals along with the dates for paying rent, interest, wages, prison releases, military discharges, and even the delivery of goods. The government made many attempts to accept the idea and even tried using media and propagating slogans like “The New Style the True Style.” As expected, it didn’t go well with the majority and remained widely unpopular. Some of the reasons that historians believe people may have rejected it were:
Apparently, mobs gathered after the idea was disapproved and many people chose to stick to the old calendar as revenge. Even after several decades, the outcry to return people their eleven days did not die down. However, we don’t know for sure what brought people to the same page or whether it even did so or not, but the modern-day Gregorian calendar is what determines all major days, dates, and decisions in the whole world. |
September 2nd is… |
Bison Ten Yell Day Blueberry Popsicle Day VJ Day |
September 2nd Birthday Quotes |
“The simple act of paying attention can take you a long way.” “Music is an experience, not a science.” “I basically have a very positive philosophy of life, because I don’t feel I have anything to lose. Most things are going to turn out okay. I don’t like to tell lies.” “Authority is 20% given and 80% taken…so take it!” “May your future be limited only by your dreams!” “Life is tough; and if you have the ability to laugh at it, you have the ability to enjoy it.” “I do believe that God has his hands on me and that he has work for me to do.” |
September 2nd Birthdays |
1838 – Liliuokalani of Hawaii (died in 1917) 1850 – Eugene Field, American author, and poet (died in 1895) 1925 – Hugo Montenegro, American composer, and conductor (died in 1981) 1929 – Hal Ashby, American director, and producer (died in 1988) 1937 – Len Carlson, Canadian voice actor (died in 2006) 1937 – Peter Ueberroth, American businessman 1943 – Joe Simon, American singer-songwriter and producer 1944 – Rosalind Ashford, American soul/R&B singer, Vandella 1946 – Billy Preston, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (died in 2006) 1946 – Walt Simonson, American comic book author, and illustrator 1948 – Terry Bradshaw, American football player, sportscaster, and actor 1948 – Christa McAuliffe, American educator, and astronaut (died in 1986) 1951 – Mark Harmon, American actor 1952 – Jimmy Connors, American tennis player, and sportscaster 1964 – Keanu Reeves, Lebanese-Canadian actor 1965 – Lennox Lewis, English-Canadian boxer 1966 – Salma Hayek, Mexican-American actress 1969 – K-Ci, American R&B singer-songwriter 1971 – Katt Williams, American comedic actor 1976 – Aziz Zakari, Ghanaian sprinter 1989 – Zedd, Russian-German record producer, and DJ |
VJ DAY – Victory Over Japan Day |
Marking the end of the 2nd World War, VJ Day or Victory over Japan Day was officially celebrated on the 15th of August in 1945. It was that year when allies such as the US, Britain, and other countries declared their victory over Japan. The official documents were signed on September 2, 1945. Even though speculations were making rounds across the country, nothing was known for sure until President Truman held a press conference and announced Japan’s defeat on the 14th of August. Only a day later, the Japanese emperor Hirohito also surrendered publicly through the radio, so the 15th of August is the actual date VJ Day is celebrated. However, a series of events led to the day when World War II was officially declared over. The same series of events was also responsible for the infamous Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings that killed thousands of people and made the area inhabitable for decades. In the war against Japan, it’s estimated that over 12,000 prisoners died in Japanese prisons, and over 70,000 soldiers from the Commonwealth and Britain also died. Interestingly, Japan was supposed to surrender in July, but the deadlines kept passing without paying heed to anything. This is what led the US to drop the deadly atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While Hiroshima was bombed on the 6th of August, Nagasaki was bombed only three days later. As expected, it brought Japan down to its knees, leaving the emperor no choice but to surrender. Saying thousands of casualties is probably an understatement because more than 210,000 people died on the targeted ground and left the area inhabitable for years. Several street parties and parades were organized across the US and Britain to celebrate victory over Japan. The Prime Minister of Britain, Clement Atlee, also announced national holidays on the 15th and 16th of August. These two days witnessed crowds of people on the streets, participating in parades and chanting things to support their countries. In London, streets also witnessed an influx of soldiers who waved newspapers in the air and climbed on poles and traffic lights to celebrate. Some witnesses also say that many workers across the city threw papers out of the window as their celebratory expression. However, the largest crowd was seen in Times Square, New York, where thousands gathered to celebrate. Many also awaited the upcoming headline on the One Times Square news ticker, which finally showed, “Official*** Truman Announces Japanese Surrender***. ” Here interestingly, the six stars are representative of the US armed force branches in the Garment District. Even though victory was declared on the 15th of August, it wasn’t until the 2nd of September that the surrender documents were signed. Therefore, many people also celebrate the day in September as it was when Japan officially surrendered. Even today, the event is considered significant in the world war two aftermath, and some people still celebrate it today as an expression of victory over Japan decades ago. |
September 2nd History |
44 BC – Cicero started the first of his Philippics (oratorical attacks) on Mark Antony. 1192 – The Treaty of Jaffa was signed between Richard I of England and Saladin, leading to the end of the Third Crusade. 1666 – The Great Fire of London destroyed more than 13,000 homes along with St. Paul’s Church. 1752 (Julian year) – Great Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar, making the next day September 14, 1752. There was no September 3-13 in the British Empire, including the American colonies. 1754 (Earthquake) Cairo, Egypt 1789 – The United States Treasury Department was established. 1837 – General Sherman took Atlanta, after four weeks of fighting. 1837 – Samuel F.B. Morse patented his telegraph for sending messages. Ben Franklin was the first to send an electrical signal through a wire in 1750. 1897 – McCall Magazine began publication. 1901 – Vice President of the US, Theodore Roosevelt, used the famous phrase, “Speak softly and carry a big stick” at the Minnesota State Fair. 1912 – Arthur Rose Eldred was awarded the first Eagle Scout award of the Boy Scouts of America. 1944 – Future President George H.W. Bush ejected from his damaged plane in WW II. 1945 – Japan formally surrendered World War II. 1963 – CBS Evening News expanded from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, the first network to do so. NBC followed on September 9. 1969- Chemical Bank installed the first United States ATM in the U.S. at the branch in Rockville Centre, New York. 1985 – NBC began broadcasting in stereo. 1989 – #1 Hit September 2, 1989 – September 8, 1989: Paula Abdul – Cold Hearted 1992 (Earthquake) Nicaragua killing at least 116 people. 1995 – #1 Hit September 2, 1995 – September 8, 1995: Michael Jackson – You Are Not Alone 2005 – On NBC’s Concert for Hurricane Relief, Kanye West stated that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” |
Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts |
The average person has approximately one Fallopian tube. Every time a team loses it’s because someone, somewhere, jinxed it. “We’ll always have Paris.” – Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) #moviequotes Some people can not roll their tongues upwards into a tube. Can you? The biggest film of 1939: Gone with the Wind (Drama) earned ~ $198,000,000 In December 1890, Westminster, London, experienced a whole month without Sunshine. The movie ‘Victoria’ was filmed all in one take. The movie is over 2 hours. They rehearsed, and when it came time to actually film, they filmed the one-shot movie three times. They used the third take as the released version. The Capital of Madagascar is Antananarivo The average person sees six movies a year in theaters. The Torch Song Jessica Rabbit sings in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” is called “Weed Smoker’s Dream” and was originally recorded by a group called the Harlem Hamfats. |
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