Tidbits of History, November 22

November 22 is the 327th day of the year

National Cranberry Relish Day
A barrel of cranberries weighs 100 pounds. Give or take a few, there are about 450 cranberries in a pound and 4,400 cranberries in one gallon of juice.

1542 – Spain delegates “New Laws” against slavery in America. From Wikipedia:

The New Laws consisted of many regulations on the encomienda system, (in which the stronger people protected the weakest in exchange for a service) including its solemn prohibition of the enslavement of the Indians and provisions for the gradual abolition of the encomienda system. The New Laws stated that the natives would be considered free persons, and the encomenderos could no longer demand their labor. The natives were only required to pay the encomenderos tribute, and, if they worked, they would be paid wages in exchange for their labor. The laws also prohibited the sending of indigenous people to work in the mines unless it was absolutely necessary, and required that they be taxed fairly and treated well. It ordered public officials or clergy with encomienda grants to return them immediately to the Crown, and stated that encomienda grants would not be hereditarily passed on, but would be canceled at the death of the individual encomenderos.

In 1718 – Off the coast of North Carolina, British pirate Edward Teach (best known as “Blackbeard”) was killed in battle with a boarding party led by Royal Navy Lieutenant Robert Maynard.

Abigail AdamsFormer First Lady Abigail Smith Adams was born on November 22, 1744. She was the wife of John Adams and the mother of John Quincy Adams.

President James Madison, born March 16, 1751Publication of Federalist Paper #10: The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection written by James Madison. “Federalist No. 10 is among the most highly regarded of all American political writings.” Madison discusses the nature of man as a factor in forming a government, ie, balancing the rights of the individual with the rights of a community inevitably leads to factions which he describes as “a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed (antagonistic) to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.” He says “the most common and durable source of factions has been the various and unequal distribution of property.”

George Elliot, born November 22, 1819Birthday of George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) (November 22, 1819). English novelist famous for “Silas Marner”, “Mill on the Floss” and others.

“Bolero” by Maurice Ravel debuted in Paris in 1928. Revel never dreamed that one day Torvill & Dean would use his music at the 1984 Olympics for the best ice-dancing routine ever!

Santa“Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” was first heard on Eddie Cantor’s show on November 22, 1934. It became an instant hit with orders for 500,000 copies of sheet music and more than 30,000 records sold within 24 hours.

You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town

He’s making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who’s naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town

He sees you when you’re sleeping
He knows when you’re awake
He knows when you’ve been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake

Kennedy assassinated 19631963 – Death of John F. Kennedy,thirty-fifth President of the United States. He was shot and killed in Dallas, Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald. Kennedy was 46 years old. Texas Governor John Connally was seriously wounded. Lyndon B. Johnson became the 36th President of the United States. See Wikipedia re assassination. It was one of those events (like the attacks of 9-11) that those who were alive at the time can sharply remember.

1995 – Toy Story was released as the first feature-length film created completely using computer-generated imagery.

Save

Comments are closed.