The twenty-fifth of May is meaningful, because a lot of memorable things in history took place on that date. There’s nothing unusual about that, of course. Important situations can develop quickly, and without warning. This fact is well-documented on many television stations, which provide a continual stream of breaking news, even if that news is just a different panel of experts commenting on the same story you’ve been following for the past seventeen weeks.
With a little research, you’ll see that you can pick any day, and it will be connected to a long list of noteworthy events. This gives you some idea how busy the human race has been. We’re all doing something to keep our minds awake and our muscles limber, although most of it is pretty unremarkable. That’s why those lists never include people who became captain of their bowling team, or went to the car wash and found three nickels and a lot of potato chip crumbs between the front seats. It has to be something big and unprecedented, and those kinds of achievements are rare. However, when you step back and look at large expanses of time, there are plenty of substantial incidents to discover. And today’s date is no exception.
Here’s another interesting thing. The criteria we use when considering historical significance tend to change over the centuries. There’s a pattern to it, one that’s somewhat predictable.
For example, most timelines begin around the year 1000 AD. The period right before that was known as the Dark Ages. Things were still happening then, but very little of it was recorded, because the lighting was poor, and it was hard to find anything to write with.
The first few entries on these lists involve emperors and military conquests, as well as the deaths of popes and the spread of plagues. Also, despite our belief that humans just recently began losing their sanity, there have been countless massacres throughout history. At first, these atrocities were committed by roving mobs of pillagers and plunderers, but then local governments took over, which reduced travel expenses.
Beginning around 1700, groups of people began expelling other groups of people from their countries, decapitating monarchs, and starting revolutions. During the nineteenth century, we began to get really good at inventing new types of weapons and making war, and so specific battles became famous. In the twentieth century, we became killing machines, but also found ourselves caught up in the lives of professional athletes and academy award winners.
The events associated with May 25th follow this general arrangement.
* * * * *
On this date in 1085, Alfonso VI, who had proclaimed himself emperor of Spain eight years earlier, conquered the Muslims at Toledo and occupied their kingdom. According to many historians, this helps to explain the origin of the expression holy Toledo. Remaining a mystery, however, are the phrases holy mackerel, holy smoke, and holy cow.
In 1632, an Austrian general named Albrecht von Wallenstein drove the Saxons from Bohemia and recaptured the city of Prague. I have no idea what the Saxons were doing in Bohemia in the first place, or how von Wallenstein managed to get rid of them. I’m lucky if I can get our cat to move out of the way when I’m sweeping the stairs. I’d like to go to Prague myself someday, and just hope to get a decent hotel room.
Eighty-nine years later, on May 25, 1721, John Copson became the first insurance agent in America. It’s likely he was also the first person to ever utter these words: “I’m sorry, but your husband’s tragic death in the buffalo stampede isn’t covered by your policy. Did you read the list of exclusions, beginning on page thirty-seven?”
In 1738, Maryland and Pennsylvania signed a peace treaty, ending Cresap’s War and a decade of hostilities over a boundary dispute. A similar problem could arise at the Haskell Free Library, which sits right on the border between Vermont and Quebec. So far, no shots have been fired across the reading room.
Speaking of Quebec, in 1837 residents of that province began a series of meetings, elections, and rebellions in an effort to break away from British control and the rest of Canada. Some of them are still at it.
On May 25, 1935, at the age of forty, Babe Ruth hit the last three home runs of his career, going four-for-four in the game and driving in six runs. He retired the next week, a former superstar who had outlived his usefulness to the public, and to the sport.
Eight years later, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met in Washington to discuss the continued prosecution of World War II. By 1945, more than fifteen million soldiers had lost their lives on the battlefield. Three times as many civilians died on the streets, in schools and churches, and in their own living rooms.
In 1961, John F. Kennedy challenged the United States to land astronauts on the Moon. By 1972, we had accomplished the task six times, and grown bored with it.
On May 25, 1965, Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny Liston in the first round, with a punch many still deny ever happened. Like Ruth, both men would hang on a little too long past their prime.
In 1983, Return of the Jedi was released, a movie that, if I had to watch it again, would compel me to hold a pillow over my own face.
Three years later, six million people formed a chain known as Hands Across America. The event was intended to fight hunger, poverty, and homelessness.
On May 25, 2009, North Korea conducted an underground test of a nuclear weapon, an act that frightened and enraged the world. Last year, under a different leader, they did it again.
As I said, there seems to be a pattern to our behavior. If I had to pin it down to one sentence, I’d say we stick with some things far too long, and give up on others much too soon. Which makes me wonder if maybe we haven’t quite emerged from those Dark Ages yet. Now that would be breaking news.
Hello Beautiful Salon
May 25, 2014
Reblogged this on Hello Beautiful Salon.
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bronxboy55
May 26, 2014
Thanks. I hope your readers like it.
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Jac
May 25, 2014
I would venture to guess that holy smoke has to do with the sacrifices offered in the tabernacle of Moses and holy cow refers to Hinduism.
Babe Ruth kept playing because some people say he was less than a god but more than a man.
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bronxboy55
May 26, 2014
I found two theories about “holy mackerel.” One was that it’s a variation of “Holy Moses,” which seems doubtful to me. The other was that it refers to the story of the loaves and fishes, but I don’t know that the Bible account mentions mackerel or any other specific fish. I remember Paul Hecker used to say “Holy Christmas!”
And you keep telling me that about Babe Ruth. But who is she?
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Jac
May 26, 2014
You’re KILLING me, Smalls!
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suburbanlife
May 25, 2014
I would love to see one of your wonderful cartoons depicting underlying simmering hostilities at the Haskell Free Library. Are half of the Library’s holdings in French, and the other half in English? Just curious about the possibilities.
You may be right that the world is still labouring under the Dark Ages. Only the lack of light is made un-noticeable by all the diversions and distractions surrounding us all these days. Yes, and as Death was a fact of life then, it still is. And so it goes…
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bronxboy55
May 26, 2014
The library has holdings in both French and English, but I believe all of the books are on the Canadian side of the border. It also appears, from their website, that the people in charge of the place prefer to focus on what they offer as a library, opera house, and historic site — rather than the novelty of the building’s location. See:
http://haskellopera.com/
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shoreacres
May 25, 2014
You missed one of my personal favorites: holy bananas.There might be some connection between that expression and the experience of going bananas, but I’m not sure.
The French have an expression for everything, and this post would be no exception. Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose, they say. The more things change, the more they stay the same. On the other hand, down here in Texas we tend to favor What goes around, comes around, which isn’t exactly threatening, but which certainly hints at the possibility of The Dark Ages re-descending on anyone who doesn’t pay proper respect to things-changing or things-as-they-are.
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bronxboy55
May 26, 2014
I’ve always liked that expression — What goes around comes around — although it does sometimes seem like a long trip.
And speaking of holy bananas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Hi-8q6zy3g
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ksfinblog
May 25, 2014
The dark shall always last …..but is almost certain to change shape.
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bronxboy55
May 26, 2014
I think sometime in the distant future, people will look back on our time and refer to it as the Dark Ages — or something similar.
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ksfinblog
May 26, 2014
And their future generation will think the same about them. My point is that bad things spruce up their exterior and look tempting, no matter the generation.
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Sue
May 25, 2014
It is so ironic that you would post this today as it is my 65th birthday today. I am one of 9 children and my brother Glenn is our family communications officer. Every time it is a family members birthday he sends an email detailing what things happened on your special day in the past. He happens to be in Scotland on vacation today so in my email for my birthday it had all Scottish references. I has just finished reading his message when I saw yours. Needless to say I enjoyed this very much.
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bronxboy55
May 27, 2014
Thank you for the comment, Sue. I hope your birthday was a memorable one.
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Mikels Skele
May 25, 2014
Holy moly. We can barely grasp what goes on in the 60-odd years of our personal adulthood, and you expect us to learn something from history?
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bronxboy55
May 27, 2014
Actually, my childhood was pretty odd, too.
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ranu802
May 25, 2014
May 25th is the date to remember, lot of unnecessary and the opposite things happened, depends on who you ask.
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bronxboy55
May 27, 2014
I’m pretty sure I left out a few, Ranu.
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Lucy
May 25, 2014
Well, that was lovely. I really enjoyed it. That subtle sense of humor of yours shines through. Very well done. I give you a…..9.5 Lucy
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bronxboy55
May 27, 2014
I’ll take a 9.5 any day, Lucy. Thanks.
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earthriderjudyberman
May 25, 2014
Of all that’s happened on this date, I like this one the most: “In 1961, John F. Kennedy challenged the United States to land astronauts on the Moon.” It’s a pity that we seemed to have stepped away from our exploration in space. I always thought we’d have sent man – woman – to several planets by now.
Charles, you made me laugh about John Copson becoming the first insurance agent in America. That’s how I’ve always imagined insurance policies read. 😉
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bronxboy55
May 27, 2014
Judy, every time we send another astronaut a couple of hundred miles above the Earth’s surface, we tell ourselves we’re exploring outer space. I know unmanned probes and rovers have sent back amazing pictures and information, but other than that, we’ve been circling the planet since 1972.
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melissa
May 26, 2014
Hi Charles, I think about this a lot — the patterns in our behavior. Repeated not just within families over generations, but all through time. The first time I really noticed that my little world wasn’t as varied and incredible as I thought it was, was when I went to college. I’d been in the marching band in high school, and joined again in college. I was convinced the college band wouldn’t live up to the high school wonder I had the honor to conduct (and I was right!). But what I did find, was that each section of the band shared the same personality as the unbelievable and daring individuals I’d gone to high school with had “forged” for themselves to stand out from the pack. Flutes were still flutes. Drummers were once again a mix of inappropriate and super cool. And those saucy saxophones! There were all the people in high school I’d admired for finding their own way in the world, repeated before my eyes in an entirely different group of individuals. It made me think about human nature. Then I enrolled in a Chaucer class — and don’t get me started about that. We’ve been humans as long as we’ve been humans, I guess. In the end, I do think there are still enough individuals to keep things interesting, to enact change on small scales with great impact, and to hope.
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bronxboy55
May 28, 2014
I think you’re right, Melissa. It seems that any time there’s a group of individuals of more than a few people — a class, a team, a committee — you end up with the same mix of personalities. And speaking of Chaucer, I’m always inexplicably surprised when I read stories and plays that were written hundreds or even thousands of years ago. The characters exhibit the same range of emotions and behaviors that we see today. As you said, “We’ve been humans as long as we’ve been humans.”
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hartleycbg
May 26, 2014
Reblogged this on Fashion of master.
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bronxboy55
May 28, 2014
Thank you.
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Snoring Dog Studio
May 26, 2014
Really? The punch never happened? Is there a conspiracy theory behind that? And what in the world would prompt someone to invent insurance? Remarkable. We are a busy folk. They say idle hands are a devil’s workshop, so maybe it’s boredom that drives us to do significant stuff.
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bronxboy55
May 28, 2014
They call it the Phantom Punch, and fifty years later, the debate lives on. Yes, definitely conspiracy theories, mostly concerning Muslim threats against Liston’s wife and children if he didn’t throw the fight.
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Snoring Dog Studio
May 28, 2014
Wow. That is bizarre.
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rangewriter
May 26, 2014
Ha, and on May 25, 24 years ago, I was getting ready to get married. It lasted a record (for me) of 16 years. It was a good day. Maybe I did give up too easily…
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bronxboy55
May 28, 2014
As each May 25th rolls by, does the date still jump out at you?
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rangewriter
May 28, 2014
It really does. Especially since he died very unexpectedly in 2008. Funny little private anniversaries that become sacrosanct in our minds.
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bronxboy55
June 1, 2014
I know what you mean.
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icedteawithlemon
May 27, 2014
“In the twentieth century, we became killing machines, but also found ourselves caught up in the lives of professional athletes and academy award winners.” Wouldn’t it be lovely if, in the twenty-first century, we could kiss goodbye our obsessions of the previous century–not just on May 25 but on every day? Holy macaroni–THAT would be breaking news for sure.
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bronxboy55
May 28, 2014
It’s a pleasant thought, Karen, but it would take a dramatic change in direction.
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Choosing
May 27, 2014
It is funny that you call Wallenstein an Austrian general. He served the catholic Austrian emperor in the war against the protestant powers in Germany and against Denmark and Sweden during the 30 years war, but he was Bohemian. – Sorry for being picky, but today’s Bohemians would probably not like him being called “Austrian”. ;-
I really like your list of events…!!
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bronxboy55
May 28, 2014
Sorry for the inaccuracy. I tried to read several condensed versions of his biography, and I just couldn’t follow them. My impression was that he was fighting with the Austrian army, but back then, with overlapping empires and dynasties, things weren’t so clear-cut. I just hope you don’t go to Bohemia and tell on me. That’s all I’d need.
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Choosing
June 2, 2014
Don’t worry, I’d never do such a thing. 😉 It was very complicated then, territory-wise and also concerning allegiance. (Still is, maybe?)
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Thom Hickey
May 28, 2014
Thanks Charles lots of interest there. History telling is always a series of choices based on perspective. Regards Thom at the immortal jukebox (post on first Ali Liston fight there)
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bronxboy55
May 28, 2014
Read your post, Thom, and liked it a lot. I think memory-telling involves a similar series of choices.
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The Savvy Senorita
May 28, 2014
Very interesting post. I find the notion that certain dates hold significance (somewhere in the cosmos or sub-conscious or whatever else) to be fascinating and intriguing! Is it the case of history repeating itself?? As though new events are attracted to that date because of the other significant events that occurred at the same date?? Thanks for posting, Bex
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bronxboy55
May 30, 2014
Or maybe it’s that there are just 365 days in a year, and so many people doing so many things, there’s bound to be a lot of repetition. Thanks for commenting.
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The Savvy Senorita
May 31, 2014
Yes, probably! I just like to think of things in a bit more of a ‘mystical’ or weird way, makes life more interesting!
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jackgreen96
May 28, 2014
really great post, worth the read!
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bronxboy55
May 30, 2014
Do you have a blog? If so, the link isn’t working.
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silkpurseproductions
May 30, 2014
Charles, as always you have my mind spinning with some of this. It sure would be nice if we could figure out a way to live in the “Light Ages”. I suspect you and I will never see it. As for the “Phantom Punch”, I will always choose to believe that Ali won fair and square. Of course, I also believe there will be a Light Age.
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bronxboy55
June 1, 2014
Michelle, I think the Light Age and the Dark Age exist side-by-side. It’s just a matter of shifting our focus. I tend to see both, just as I can argue either side of the Phantom Punch debate.
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Damyanti
May 30, 2014
Charles, May 25th has a lot of personal significance, but more of that some other time. Your post made me smile, and told me not to take myself and memories so seriously, so thank you. 🙂
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bronxboy55
June 1, 2014
I guess as we get older, more and more dates take on meaning that they didn’t have before. It’s good to hear from you, D. I hope you’re doing well.
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Philster999
June 1, 2014
And on May 25, 2014, I bought a new dishwasher. Not a lot of press coverage, however… Probably not “one for the ages.”
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bronxboy55
June 1, 2014
Actually, I was at the mall the other day, and everyone was talking about your new dishwasher. (Remember where you live.)
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Philster999
June 1, 2014
LOL!
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