The EdgeWalk on Toronto's CN Tower — a precipitously high walkway open to the elements from which brave visitors can lean out held only by a safety lead — is 356 meters (1168 feet) above the ground.
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| The Edgewalk By Sergiu Dumitriu |
Following his successful campaign in Dacia (approx. modern day Romania), the Roman emperor Trajan held a three-month victory celebration in AD 107 during which 11,000 slaves and criminals were killed in gladiatorial contests.
Marie Antoinette was born Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna von Habsburg-Lothringen on November 2, 1755 at the Hofburg Palace, in Vienna. She was the fifteenth out of sixteen children of Holy Roman Emperor Emperor Francis I and Empress Maria Theresa. A court official described the new baby as "a small, but completely healthy Archduchess." The French Queen from 1774 to 1792 and wife of Louis XVI, as an Austrian Marie Antoinette was disliked and suspected by the French people.
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| Marie Antoinette by Jean-Baptiste-André Gautier-Dagoty, 1775 |
The 11th President of the United States, James K Polk, was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina on November 2, 1795. James' father, Samuel Polk, was a slaveholder, successful farmer and surveyor of Scots-Irish descent. His mother, Jane Polk (née Knox), was a descendant of a brother of John Knox, the man who brought the Protestant Reformation to Scotland. As president, Knox led the nation to victory in the Mexican-American War, which gave the U.S. most of its present Southwest.
The 29th President of the United States, Warren G Harding, was born November 2, 1865, in Blooming Grove, Ohio. His parents originally lived on a farm but decided to go into medical practice as a means of providing their family with a better life. Harding is generally regarded as one of the most scandalous US presidents as a result of a number of incidents later coming to light. They include his involvement in the Teapot Dome bribery scandal and his extramarital affair with Nan Britton.
For more November 2nd anniversaries, including the first organized cheerleading, the BBC debuting a regular television service and the establishment of Samaritans, check out OnThatDay.
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| All Souls' Day, painting by Jakub Schikaneder, 1888 |
The Catholic Church teaches the doctrine of Purgatory, a state of purification for those who die in God's grace and friendship, but are not yet perfectly purified to enter the full joy of Heaven. The prayers and good works of the faithful on Earth are believed to assist these souls in their purification.
The specific date of November 2nd was formally instituted for the commemoration of all the faithful departed by St. Odilo, the Abbot of Cluny, a Benedictine monastery in France, around the year 998 AD. He decreed that all Cluniac monasteries should observe this day with special prayers, alms, and sacrifices for the souls of the dead.
The custom spread from the Cluniac monasteries throughout the Benedictine Order and eventually was adopted by the universal Western Church.
All Souls' Day is the final day of a three-day observance known as Allhallowtide, which begins with All Hallows' Eve (Halloween) on October 31st, followed by All Saints' Day on November 1st, and finally All Souls' Day on November 2nd.
WANT MORE THINGS THAT HAPPENED ON NOVEMBER 2? CHECK OUT MY ONTHATDAY BLOG. HERE'S A LINK.
