By Nicole Bernard
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Widely known for his horror novels, he has been crowned the “King of Horror”. He has also explored other genres, among them suspense, crime, science-fiction, fantasy and mystery. Though known primarily for his novels, he has written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in collections.
His debut, Carrie (1974), established him in horror. Different Seasons (1982), a collection of four novellas, was his first major departure from the genre. Among the successful films adapted from King’s fiction are Carrie (1976), The Shining (1980), The Dead Zone (1983), Christine (1983), Stand by Me (1986), Misery (1990), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Dolores Claiborne (1995), The Green Mile (1999), The Mist (2007) and It (2017), but there’s also critical failures, such as Children of the Corn (1984), Dreamcatcher (2003) and The Dark Tower (2017). He has published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman and has co-written works with other authors, notably his friend Peter Straub and sons Joe Hill and Owen King. He has also written nonfiction, notably Danse Macabre (1981) and On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000).
Several of King’s works have won the Bram Stoker and August Derleth Awards. He has also won awards for his overall contributions to literature, including the 2003 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the 2007 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and the 2014 National Medal of Arts. Joyce Carol Oates called King “a brilliantly rooted, psychologically ‘realistic’ writer for whom the American scene has been a continuous source of inspiration, and American popular culture a vast cornucopia of possibilities.”
TODAY’S ALMANAC
Ember Days happen four times a year at the start of each season. Traditionally observed by some Christian denominations, each set of Ember Days is three days, kept on a successive Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
Ember Days for 2023
September: 20, 22, 23
December: 20, 22, 23
Ember Days for 2024
February 21, 23, 24
May 22, 24, 25
September 18, 20, 21
December 18, 20, 21
These three days are set apart for fasting, abstinence, and prayer. The first of these four times comes in winter, after the Feast of St. Lucia, December 13; the second set comes with the First Sunday in Lent; the third set comes after Whitsunday/Pentecost Sunday; the four and last set comes after the Feast of the Holy Cross. Their dates can be remembered by this old mnemonic:
“Sant Crux, Lucia, Cineres, Charismata Dia Ut sit in angaria quarta sequens feria.”
Which means:
“Holy Cross, Lucy, Ash Wednesday, Pentecost, are when the quarter holidays follow.”
In Latin, Ember Days are known as the quattuor anni tempora (the “four seasons of the year”). Folklore has it that the weather on each of the three days foretells the weather for three successive months.
As with much folklore, this is grounded in some common sense since the beginning of the four seasons cue the changes in weather as well as a shift in how we keep harmony with the Earth and respect our stewardship of the Earth, our “garden of Eden.”“
A day to support peace and non-violence throughout the world. Observed on the opening day of the annual regular session of the United Nations.
Question of the Day
Advice of the Day
Home Hint of the Day
Word of the Day
Puzzle of the Day
I move incessant to and fro, Obedient to Moon and Sun, But though I serve both high and low, All wait on me, I wait on none. (What am I?)
The tide
Born
- Louis Joliet (explorer) –
- Francis Hopkinson (judge) –
- Margaret Taylor (U.S. First Lady) –
- Sir Edmund William Gosse (poet) –
- H.G. Wells (writer) –
- Henry Lewis Stimson (politician) –
- Chuck Jones (Bugs Bunny animator) –
- Larry Hagman (actor) –
- Don Felder (musician) –
- Stephen King (author) –
- Bill Murray (actor) –
- Dave Coulier (actor) –
- David James Elliot (actor) –
- Cheryl Hines (actress) –
- Luke Wilson (actor) –
- John Kitna (football player) –
- Virginia Ruano Pascual (tennis player) –
- Jana Kandarr (tennis player) –
- Maggie Grace (actress) –
Died
- Sir Walter Scott (poet) –
- Florence Griffith Joyner (Olympic gold medalist) –
- Alice Ghostley (actress) –
- Richard D. Trentlage (American jingle writer) –
Events
- The New York Sun’s Frank Church replied, Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.–
- Stonehenge was sold to a local landowner for 6,600 pounds–
- J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit published–
- The NFL’s longest punt, 98 yards, came off the foot of Steve O’Neal of the NY Jets–
- The NY Jets competed against the Cleveland Browns in the first televised NFL Monday Night Football game–
- Belize becomes fully independent from Great Britain–
- Canada’s “toonie” coin unveiled–
- John F. Kennedy, Jr. married Carolyn Bessette–
- Singer Billy Joel was honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame–
Weather
- The hurricane that came to be known as the Long Island Express slammed into Long Island at 60 mph–
- The Blue Hills Observatory in Milton, Massachusetts, had a sustained wind of 121 mph, with a peak gust of 186 mph–
- Hurricane Georges struck Puerto Rico–
- Hurricane Igor struck Newfoundland and Labrador–
COURTESY www.almanac.com
