Trivia Of The Day June 24

The name Chicago is derived from a Fox Indian term for 'place of the skunk'.

The longest journey by skateboard was 12,159 km (7,555 miles). New Zealander Rob Thomson started his journey in Leysin, Switzerland on June 24, 2007 and finished it in Shanghai, China, on September 28, 2008.

Sliding bookcases were used in the United States during Prohibition to hide secret rooms or spaces containing liquor.

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Happy Birthday June 24

Congregationalist clergyman and social reformer Henry Ward Beecher was born in Litchfield, Connecticut on June 24, 1813. His siblings included Uncle Tom's Cabin writer Harriet Beecher Stowe and educator Catharine Beecher. Henry had a childhood stammer and was considered slow-witted; his less than stellar performance at Biston Latin school earned him punishments such as being forced to sit for hours in the girls' corner wearing a dunce cap.

Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi was born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina the third of four children of Jorge Messi, a steel factory manager, and his wife Celia Cuccittini, who worked in a magnet manufacturing workshop. Lionel's parents were huge Lionel Richie fans and they named their son after the singer. Messi began football at a young age and his potential was quickly seen by Barcelona FC. He left Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Spain.

For more June 24 anniversaries, including the first European since the Vikings to set foot on the North America mainland, the founding of Manila and Butch Cassidy's first major crime, check out OnThatDay.

Today Is June 24

Two months after he succeeded his father Henry VII on the English throne, 18-year-old Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon were crowned King and Queen of England on June 24, 1509.

Eighteen-year-old Henry VIII after his coronation in 1509

Henry VIII was the first English king to be addressed as "your majesty". Before then, "Your Highness" or "Your Lord King" was always used.

Henry's reign is best known for his six marriages, and, in particular, his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His six wives in order were divorced, beheaded, Died. divorced, beheaded, survived.

In 1534  Henry VIII proclaimed himself Head of the Church in England, transferring ecclesiastical jurisdiction and revenues from the pope to himself and creating the Church of England (Episcopal Church) with The Act of Supremacy.

Between 1536 and 1540, after breaking with the papacy,  Henry VIII and his chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, sold off the property and valuables of the 800 monasteries, nunneries and friaries in England.

A big spender partly subsidized by the confiscation of lands from the church, Henry needed plenty of money as his war against France emptied the Royal treasury.

On This Day June 24

Dancing mania was a phenomenon seen primarily in mainland Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries. During such outbreaks, groups of up to thousands of people would dance uncontrollably, screaming, shouting, and claiming to have visions until they collapsed from exhaustion. One of the first major outbreaks of dancing mania took place in Aachen (present-day Germany) on June 24, 1374, before spreading to other cities and countries.

A painting by Pieter Brueghel the Younger, after drawings by his father.

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Trivia Of The Day June 23

Gamal Abdel Nasser became President of Egypt on June 23, 1956. He was elected by 99.9 per cent of the electorate, helped by the fact that he was the only candidate. Nasser held the post until his death in 1970.

The combination of strawberries and cream was first created by Thomas Wolsey in the court of King Henry VIII.

A similar game to basketball was played by the Olmecs in Mexico in 1000BC.

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Happy Birthday June 23

The powerful Japanese feudal lord Oda Nobunaga was born on June 23, 1534. He attempted to unify Japan during the late Sengoku period, and successfully gained control over most of Honshu Nobunaga's rule was noted for innovative military tactics, fostering free trade, reform of Japan's civil administration, and encouraging the start of the Momoyama historical art period, but also the brutal suppression of opponents.

Joséphine de Beauharnais was born in Les Trois-Îlets, Martinique on June 23, 1763. Her father was a manager of a plantation there having retired from French naval service. The willowy Joséphine was among the gayest of French women in her era. She was good-natured, with refined manners, grace and charm.

Baron François Gérard - Joséphine in coronation costume - Google Art Project

Joséphine was the first wife of Napoleon and the first Empress of the French after he proclaimed himself Emperor. 

Edward VIII of the United Kingdom was born on June 23, 1894, White Lodge, Richmond Park, on the outskirts of London as the first son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, (later King George V and Queen Mary). He was christened Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, the last four names being patron saints of the British Isles countries. He was known to his family and close friends as David. 

Just 11 months after becoming king, Edward VIII abdicated because of the furor over his liaison with the American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

For more June 23 anniversaries, including The Battle of Bannockburn, the longest ever professional baseball game and the first man to successfully walk across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope, check out OnThatDay.

Today Is June 23

The journalist Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention he called the "Type-Writer" on June 23, 1868. Sholes' invention was originally designed to print page numbers on books. It was his friend Carlos S. Glidden who suggested using it to type letters. Sholes developed his machine with the assistance of Glidden and Samuel W. Soule

The type-writer's original design was described as "a cross between a piano and a kitchen table.

Sholes and Glidden typewriter, as depicted in an 1872 Scientific American article.

The first document to be produced on Scholes' type-writer was a contract he had written in his capacity as the Comptroller for the city of Milwaukee.

The alphabetical layout of Sholes' type-writer meant common letters in close proximity frequently jammed at high typing speeds. To minimize such clashing, Sholes conceived in 1873 the QWERTY layout, which put common letter pairs far apart to reduce the chance of keys jamming and raise typing speed. The QWERTY layout has outlived mechanical keyboards.

Sholes' later improvements brought him two more patents, but he encountered difficulty raising working capital for development. In early 1873 he sold his patent rights for $12,000 to E. Remington and Sons of New York state (which later became the Remington Arms Company). An arms manufacturer seeking to diversify, they were a firm well equipped with the machinery and skill to carry out the development work.

E. Remington and Sons began the manufacturing of the first practical typewriter in Ilion, New York in March 1873.