April19th in History
April 19th
1012 – Martyrdom of St. Alphege in Greenwich, England
St. Alphege (also spelled Aelfheah) was the Archbishop of Canterbury who was captured by Viking raiders in 1011 during one of their many assaults on England.
Held captive for several months, Alphege refused to allow a large ransom to be paid for his release, not wishing to impose such a financial burden on his poor parishioners.
His captors, frustrated by his refusal and perhaps drunk during a feast, murdered him by pelting him with bones and ox heads. He was canonized as a martyr, and his death is remembered for its example of self-sacrifice and piety.
On April 19, 1440, King Henry VI established Eton College, one of Britain’s most prestigious schools. Founded with the purpose of educating poor boys who would later attend King’s College, Cambridge, Eton has since become synonymous with elite British education. Over the centuries, the school has produced many British Prime Ministers, royalty, and influential figures in various fields.
1770 British explorer Captain James Cook first sights Australia and writes in his logbook that “what we have as yet seen of this land appears rather low, and not very hilly, the face of the Country green and Woody, but the Sea shore is all a white Sand”.
1883 British banker Thomas Agnew and others found the Liverpool Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (LSPCC), based on Agnew's observation of a similar group in NYC; its success leads to a national organization
The Welsh of Patagonia and the native Tehuelche people.
On 19th April 1866, the Welsh settlers in Patagonia made their first recorded contact with the Tehuelche people of the southern pampas regions of Argentina and Chile. They were a hunter-gatherer nomadic people who had inhabited the area for the previous 14,00 years. They spent the winters in the lowlands hunting whale and catching fish and during the remainder of the year, they migrated to the higher grounds where they hunted game. According to reports they were unusually tall (up to 6' 10") clean-shaven and often painted their bodies for protection from the sun.
On this day in 1943, a few days after he had accidentally discovered LSD's effects, Albert Hofmann intentionally ingested the drug at his laboratory in Switzerland. About 40 minutes later, feeling restless and unable to speak clearly, he called it a day and rode his bike home. What proved to be the world's first “acid trip” came to be celebrated, beginning in the 1980s, as Bicycle Day.
1971 The Soviet Union successfully launched Salyut 1, humanity’s first space station, into Earth orbit. This groundbreaking achievement marked the beginning of permanent human presence in space.
1968
April 19
John Lennon and George Harrison leave the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in Rishikesh, India two weeks before their study is complete. Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney have already left. All four Beatles would later renounced their association with the Maharishi because of his alleged sexual advances made towards Mia Farrow. Over the years The Beatles would retract their criticism, with George Harrison apologizing for the way the Maharishi had been treated. Paul McCartney took his daughter, Stella, to visit the Maharishi in the Netherlands in 2007, which renewed their friendship.
1012 – Martyrdom of St. Alphege in Greenwich, England
St. Alphege (also spelled Aelfheah) was the Archbishop of Canterbury who was captured by Viking raiders in 1011 during one of their many assaults on England.
Held captive for several months, Alphege refused to allow a large ransom to be paid for his release, not wishing to impose such a financial burden on his poor parishioners.
His captors, frustrated by his refusal and perhaps drunk during a feast, murdered him by pelting him with bones and ox heads. He was canonized as a martyr, and his death is remembered for its example of self-sacrifice and piety.
On April 19, 1440, King Henry VI established Eton College, one of Britain’s most prestigious schools. Founded with the purpose of educating poor boys who would later attend King’s College, Cambridge, Eton has since become synonymous with elite British education. Over the centuries, the school has produced many British Prime Ministers, royalty, and influential figures in various fields.
1770 British explorer Captain James Cook first sights Australia and writes in his logbook that “what we have as yet seen of this land appears rather low, and not very hilly, the face of the Country green and Woody, but the Sea shore is all a white Sand”.
1883 British banker Thomas Agnew and others found the Liverpool Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (LSPCC), based on Agnew's observation of a similar group in NYC; its success leads to a national organization
The Welsh of Patagonia and the native Tehuelche people.
On 19th April 1866, the Welsh settlers in Patagonia made their first recorded contact with the Tehuelche people of the southern pampas regions of Argentina and Chile. They were a hunter-gatherer nomadic people who had inhabited the area for the previous 14,00 years. They spent the winters in the lowlands hunting whale and catching fish and during the remainder of the year, they migrated to the higher grounds where they hunted game. According to reports they were unusually tall (up to 6' 10") clean-shaven and often painted their bodies for protection from the sun.
On this day in 1943, a few days after he had accidentally discovered LSD's effects, Albert Hofmann intentionally ingested the drug at his laboratory in Switzerland. About 40 minutes later, feeling restless and unable to speak clearly, he called it a day and rode his bike home. What proved to be the world's first “acid trip” came to be celebrated, beginning in the 1980s, as Bicycle Day.
1971 The Soviet Union successfully launched Salyut 1, humanity’s first space station, into Earth orbit. This groundbreaking achievement marked the beginning of permanent human presence in space.
1968
April 19
John Lennon and George Harrison leave the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in Rishikesh, India two weeks before their study is complete. Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney have already left. All four Beatles would later renounced their association with the Maharishi because of his alleged sexual advances made towards Mia Farrow. Over the years The Beatles would retract their criticism, with George Harrison apologizing for the way the Maharishi had been treated. Paul McCartney took his daughter, Stella, to visit the Maharishi in the Netherlands in 2007, which renewed their friendship.
61-69, M
