In the olden days, the festivities of Christmas lasted twelve days, which was the time supposed to have been taken by the three wise men or kings in their journey to Bethlehem. The final evening (January 5) was called “Twelfth Night” and marked the end of Christmas festivities and, in ancient Celtic tradition, the end of the 12-day winter solstice celebration.On this night, it was customary for the assembled company to toast each other from the wassail bowl. In Old English, wassail means “Be in good health,” but the term came to be applied to the drink itself (usually spiced ale). See our recipe for wassail on our Web site! It was also traditional to cook the most wonderful pastries, cakes, and pies. Some included practical jokes. The “four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie” was no myth. Live birds were placed in a cooked pastry crust. When guests cut into the pie, the birds flew about the room which delighted all. A kinder tradition included placing bread soaked with cider in tree branches for the birds to eat. In the ancient times of the Roman Saturnalia, the “king of the feast” was elected by beans, and the Twelfth Night cakes included a bean–or, later, a ring or coin. Whoever was given the slice with the prize became the queen and king for the night and much parading and merriment followed. In the church calendar, Twelfth Night is the evening before Epiphany (January 6). Because the three wise men (or kings) arrived in Bethlehem bearing gifts for the infant Jesus, Epiphany is also called Three Kings Day and a traditional time of gift giving.
Every Year
1640s
1770s
- 1776: NEW HAMPSHIRE WAS THE FIRST STATE TO ADOPT A CONSTITUTION
- BORN 1779: ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE (EXPLORER)
1780s
1850s
1880s
- BORN 1882: HERBERT BAYARD SWOPE (JOURNALIST)
- 1889: THE WORD HAMBURGER FIRST APPEARED IN PRINT IN THE WALLA WALLA UNION, WALLA WALLA, WASHINGTON
1890s
1900s
- BORN 1900: YVES TANGUY (ARTIST)
- BORN 1902: MYRTLE ALICE COOK MCGOWAN (ATHLETE)
- 1903: FIRST TRANS-PACIFIC (CALIFORNIA TO HAWAII) CABLE OPENED TO PUBLIC USE
1910s
1920s
- DIED 1922: SIR ERNEST HENRY SHACKLETON (EXPLORER)
- BORN 1923: SAM PHILLIPS (RECORD COMPANY EXECUTIVE)
- 1925: NELLIE TAYLOR ROSS OF WYOMING BECAME FIRST WOMAN GOVERNOR IN AMERICAN HISTORY
- BORN 1926: WILLIAM DEWITT SNODGRASS (POET)
1930s
- BORN 1931: ROBERT DUVALL (ACTOR)
- BORN 1931: ALVIN AILEY (DANCER)
- 1933: CONSTRUCTION OF THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE BEGAN IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
- DIED 1933: CALVIN COOLIDGE (30TH U.S. PRESIDENT)
1940s
1970s
- 1970: UNITED MINE WORKERS OFFICIAL JOSEPH A. YABLONSKI AND HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTERS WERE FOUND SLAIN IN THEIR CLARKSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA HOME
- 1972: PRESIDENT NIXON ORDERED NASA TO BEGIN WORK ON A MANNED SPACE SHUTTLE
- BORN 1975: BRADLEY COOPER (ACTOR)
- DIED 1979: CHARLIE MINGUS (MUSICIAN)
1980s
- 1982: ARKANSAS LAW REQUIRING CREATIONISM TO BE TAUGHT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS STRUCK DOWN BY FEDERAL COURT
- 1987: PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN SUBMITTED THE FIRST $1 TRILLION BUDGET TO CONGRESS
- DIED 1988: PISTOL PETE MARAVICH (BASKETBALL PLAYER)
1990s
- 1993: REGGIE JACKSON ELECTED TO THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
- DIED 1994: THOMAS “TIP” O’NEILL (SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE)
- DIED 1998: SONNY BONO (ACTOR, MAYOR OF PALM SPRINGS, AND U.S. CONGRESSMAN)
2000s
- DIED 2004: TUG MCGRAW (BASEBALL PLAYER)
- 2007: ROBERT NURANEN RETURNED A LIBRARY BOOK HE HAD CHECKED OUT FOR A 9TH-GRADE ASSIGNMENT, ALONG WITH A CHECK FOR 47 YEAR’S WORTH OF LATE FEES–$171.32
2010s
- 2012: WORLD’S HIGHEST CABLE-STAYED BRIDGE OPENED SPANNING A DEEP RAVINE IN THE SIERRA MADRE OCCIDENTAL MOUNTAINS
- DIED 2016: JEAN-PAUL L’ALLIER (QUEBEC CITY MAYOR)
- DIED 2018: JERRY VAN DYKE (ACTOR)
- 2019: PARTIAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.
COURTESY www.almanac.com
