Big Ben Trivia

On May 31, 1859 the famous tower clock known as Big Ben, located at the top of the 320-foot-high St. Stephen's Tower, rang out over the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, for the first time. Weighing in at more than 13 tons, its massive bell was dragged to the tower through the streets of London by a team of 16 horses, to the cheers of onlookers. Two months later, however, the heavy striker designed by Edmund Beckett Denison, a formidable barrister known for his expertise in horology, or the science of measuring time, cracked the bell. Three more years passed before a lighter hammer was added and the clock went into service again.

Alfred the Great Quote

Asser, Alfred the Great's biographer, cited this saying when he described King Alfred's method of learning: "The just man builds on a modest foundation and gradually proceeds to greater things." It is thought to be an Alfred quote which does express Alfred's practical approach to the development of his kingdom.

Ancient Quotes

Be a craftsman in speech that thou mayest be strong, for the strength of one is the tongue, and speech is mightier than all fighting.
~ Maxims of Ptahhotep, 3400 B.C.

BookBuzzr

For those you have yet to buy the book - sneak peak of the first five chapters can be found at the url site below. Enjoy!

http://www.freado.com/player/bookplayer.php?contentid=6905&authorid=5436&preview=1

Rune Cast

Perthro

Mysteries will become known to you. You should be able to see your life's path clearly at this time. Pethro is often thought of as "Gambler's Rune." You are in a lucky period right now. Chance is your ally. Take advantage of it.

History Trivia

On May 26, 017 Germanicus of Rome celebrated his victory over the Germans. In 1328 William of Ockham was forced to flee from Avignon by Pope John XXII and in 1521 Martin Luther was banned by the Edict of Worms because of his religious beliefs and writings.

Famous Ancient Quotes

Short is the joy that guilty pleasure brings.

Do not consider painful what is good for you.

Waste not fresh tears over old griefs.

Your very silence shows you agree.

A bad beginning makes a bad ending.

Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.

Euripides (484 BC - 406 BC)

Renaissance Festival

May 22, 2010 -- Mary Ann and her fellow dancers from the Barony of the Lonely Tower participated in a Medieval Dance demonstration at the Ren Faire held at the James Arthur Vineyards in Raymond, NE. The Barony is located in the Kingdom of Calontir, a division of the Society for Creative Anachronism. For further information check out the sites below.

http://maryannbernal.com
http://www.lonelytower.org
http://www.sca.org

History Trivia

On the 23rd day of May in 1430 Joan of Arc was captured by Burgundians. She was then sold to the English. In 1533 Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon was declared null and void and in 1618 The Thirty Years War began when three opponents of the Reformation were thrown through a window.

History Trivia

May 22, 1246 Henry Raspe was elected anti-king by the Rhenish prelates in France. In 1455 King Henry VI was taken prisoner by the Yorkists at the Battle of St. Albans, during the War of the Roses and in 1570 Abraham Ortelius published the first modern atlas in Belgium. Also in 1859 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (the creator of "Sherlock Holmes," ) was born.

Annual Renaissance Festival May 22 2010

The 12th Annual Renaissance Festival is scheduled for Saturday May 22nd from 12:00-00 to 8:00 p.m. at the James Arthur Vineyards, 2001 West Raymond Road, Raymond, NE 68428. Your favorite author will be participating in a medieval dance demonstration which includes Rufty Tufty and Toss the Duchess.

History Trivia

On May 21 996 sixteen year old Otto III was crowned the Roman Emperor. In 1471 King Henry VI was killed in the tower of London. Edward IV took the throne and in 1536 the Reformation was officially adopted in Geneva, Switzerland.

History Trivia

T.E. Lawrence (born in Tremadoc, Wales, in 1888), known to the world as Lawrence of Arabia, was a legendary war hero, author, and archaeological scholar, who died on May 19, 1935. The retired Royal Air Force mechanic who lived under an assumed name succumbed to injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident six days before. His English translation of Homer's Odyssey was published under the name of T.E. Shaw. The Mint, a fictionalized account of Royal Air Force recruit training, was not published until 1955 because of its explicitness. Lawrence was a gifted military strategist and was greatly admired by the Bedouin people of Arabia. All of Britain mourned his passing.

History Trivia

On May 19 1535 French explorer Jacques Cartier set sail for North America. In 1536 Anne Boleyn, the second wife of England's King Henry VIII, was beheaded after she was convicted of adultery. In 1568, after being defeated by the Protestants, Mary the Queen of Scots, fled to England where she was imprisoned by Queen Elizabeth and in 1588 the Spanish Armada set sail from Lisbon, bound for England.

Famous Quotes

Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it.

He who will not economize will have to agonize.

Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.

They must often change who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.

~Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC)

Anglo-Saxon Wessex

The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South-West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest of 1016, from 1020 to 1066. After the Norman Conquest there was a dissolution of the English earldoms, and Wessex was split among the followers of William the Conqueror.

Alfred the Great

King Alfred the Great (849, ruled 871-899) was one of the best kings ever to rule mankind. He defended Anglo-Saxon England from Viking raids, formulated a code of laws, and fostered a rebirth of religious and scholarly activity. His reign exhibits military skill and innovation, sound governance and the ability to inspire men and plan for the future, piety and a practical commitment to the support of religion, personal scholarship and the promotion of education.

Famous Quotes

A happy life consists in tranquillity of mind.

Advice is judged by results, not by intentions.

Never go to excess, but let moderation be your guide.

Cicero (106 BC - 43 BC)

Rune Cast May 14 2010 Elhaz

Elhaz represents your power to protect yourself and those around you. It also connotes the thrill and joy of a successful hunt. You are in a very enviable position right now, because you are able to maintain what you have built and reach your current goals. Enjoy.

http://www.live-astro.com/partner/appz/tiscali/runes/

Famous Quotes

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.

Misfortune shows those who are not really friends.

Liars when they speak the truth are not believed.

Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.

Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC)

Famous Quotes

Better be wise by the misfortunes of others than by your own.

In critical moments even the very powerful have need of the weakest.

It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow.

Aesop (620 BC - 560 BC)

History Trivia

Pope Joan is a legendary female Pope who supposedly reigned for a few years some time during the Middle Ages. The story first appeared in the writings of 13th-century chroniclers, and subsequently spread through Europe. It was widely believed for centuries, though modern historians and religious scholars consider it fictitious, perhaps deriving from historicized folklore regarding Roman monuments or from anti-papal satire.

History Trivia

Saint Columba (521-597 AD) Norse name: Kolbjørn, meaning black bear (cave dweller), or Kolban, sometimes referred to as Columba of Iona, or, in Old Irish, as Colm Cille, Columbkill, Columbkille or Columcille (meaning "Dove of the church") was an outstanding figure among the Gaelic missionary monks who, some of his advocates claim, introduced Christianity to the Kingdom of the Picts during the Early Medieval Period. He was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.

History Trivia

On May 9, 1429, Joan of Arc defeated the besieging English at Orleans. In 1502, Christopher Columbus left Spain for his final trip to the Western Hemisphere and 1671 Thomas "Captain" Blood stole the crown jewels from the Tower of London.

Rune Cast

Rune Cast for May 8 2010

Perthro

Mysteries will become known to you. You should be able to see your life's path clearly at this time. Pethro is often thought of as "Gambler's Rune." You are in a lucky period right now. Chance is your ally. Take advantage of it.

http://www.live-astro.com/partner/appz/tiscali/runes/

History Trivia

In 558 the dome of the church of St. Sophia in Constantinople collapsed. It was immediately rebuilt as ordered by Justinian. In 1274 the Second Council of Lyons opened in France to regulate the election of the pope. In 1429 the English siege of Orleans was broken by Joan of Arc. In 1525 the German peasants' revolt was crushed by the ruling class and church and in 1663 the first Theatre Royal was opened in London.

History Trivia

On May 6, 1994, in a ceremony presided over by England's Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterand, a rail tunnel under the English Channel was officially opened, connecting Britain and the European mainland for the first time since the Ice Age. The channel tunnel, or "Chunnel," connects Folkstone, England, with Sangatte, France, 31 miles away. The Chunnel cut travel time between England and France to a swift 35 minutes and eventually between London and Paris to two-and-a-half hours.

History Trivia

On May 5, 1614 Pocahontas, daughter of the chief of the Powhatan Indian confederacy, married English tobacco planter John Rolfe in Jamestown, Virginia. The marriage ensured peace between the Jamestown settlers and the Powhatan Indians for several years. Chief Powhatan's 13-year-old daughter's real name was Matoaka. Pocahontas was a pet name that has been translated as "playful one" and "my favorite daughter."

On May 4, 1471, in merry ole England, the Yorkists defeated the Landcastrians at the battle of Tewkesbury in the War of the Roses. In 1493, Alexander VI divided the non-Christian world between Spain and Portugal and in 1626 Dutch explorer Peter Minuit landed on Manhattan Island. Native Americans later sold the island (20,000 acres) for $24 in cloth and buttons.

Niccolo Machiavelli

On May 3, 1469, the Italian philosopher and writer Niccolo Machiavelli was born. A lifelong patriot and diehard proponent of a unified Italy, Machiavelli became one of the fathers of modern political theory.

Machiavelli entered the political service of his native Florence by the time he was 29. As defense secretary, he distinguished himself by executing policies that strengthened Florence politically. He soon found himself assigned diplomatic missions for his principality, through which he met such luminaries as Louis XII of France, Pope Julius II, the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, and perhaps most importantly for Machiavelli, a prince of the Papal States named Cesare Borgia. The shrewd and cunning Borgia later inspired the title character in Machiavelli's famous and influential political treatise The Prince (1532).

Leonardo da Vinci

On May 2 1519 Leonardo da Vinci died. Born on April 15, 1452, he was the illegitimate son of a notary, Piero da Vinci, and a peasant woman, Caterina, at Vinci in the region of Florence. Leonardo was educated in the studio of the renowned Florentine painter, Verrocchio. Much of his earlier working life was spent in the service of Ludovico il Moro in Milan. He later worked in Rome, Bologna and Venice and spent his last years in France, at the home awarded him by Francis I.

May Day

May Day is related to the Celtic festival of Beltane and the Germanic festival of Walpurgis Night. May Day falls exactly half of a year from November 1, another cross-quarter day which is also associated with various northern European pagan and neopagan festivals such as Samhain. May Day marks the end of the uncomfortable winter half of the year in the Northern hemisphere, and it has traditionally been an occasion for popular and often raucous celebrations.

As Europe became Christianized the pagan holidays lost their religious character and either changed into popular secular celebrations, as with May Day, or were merged with or replaced by new Christian holidays as with Christmas, Easter, and All Saint's Day. In the twentieth century, many neopagans began reconstructing the old traditions and celebrating May Day as a pagan religious festival again.