HAPPY ALL HALLOWS EVE- The night before the Feast of All
Souls, beginning the Christian season of Advent, was confused in Medieval
custom with one of the four Druid fire festivals, All Hallows. In Ireland it
was called Samhein, at this time all hearth fires in the land are extinguished
then re-lit from the fire at the Druids sacred grove. Add to this the early
Church's attempt to eradicate the pagan custom of giving food to departed
spirits -Greek Anthesterion in Feb., Roman Feralia and Lemuria in May- by
moving the date to honor the dead to the Feast of All Souls on November 1st. Nov 1st was the feast of the Roman
Goddess of the Harvest Homona. It was considered a good day for pagans to
accept baptism. Many cultures had customs of putting food offerings on
doorsteps so the spirits would leave you in peace. So today's the last night
for the devil and other ghosties to romp before the Holiday Season (Advent)
begins.
Birthdays: Jan Vermeer, John Keats, Prince Norodom Sihanouk,
Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek, John Candy, Dale Evans, Jane Pauley, David Ogden
Stiers, Dan Rather, Lee Grant, Ethel Waters, Juliet Low-founder of the American
Girl Scouts, Ollie Johnston,
Vanilla Ice, Stephen Rea, Rob Schneider, Animator Randy
Cartwright, Peter Jackson is 54.
1892- Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle gathered all his Holmes mystery
stories into it’s first collection to be published in book form- The Adventures
of Sherlock Holmes.
1938- In a speech President Franklin D. Roosevelt warned of
big corporate tycoons who try to use their money to influence American
politics. “ Organized Money is as great a threat to American democracy as
organized crime!”
1941-the sculpture group of U.S. Presidents on Mount
Rushmore completed. Instead of just their heads artist–designer Judson Borglum
wanted the sculpture to go down to the figures waists but he died in early 1941
and with war on the horizon, his son and chief engineer rushed to complete the
heads as is.
1945- The "War
of Hollywood" Ends. The CSU union strike, the film business's longest and
ugliest, falls apart and many of the former members drift into IATSE locals.
1945- The first ever Conference on Computer Technique was
held at MIT.
1993- Young movie star River Phoenix overdosed and died on
the street in front of the Viper Room night club in LA after partying with
Johnny Depp and Alicia Silverstone. The club is owned by movie star Depp. It
was once the Melody Room owned by mobster Bugsy Siegel. Ironically, as Phoenix
was thrashing spasmodically people walked by unconcerned, because it’s a common
enough occurrence on the Sunset Strip.
