On November 10, 1668, Baroque composer and harpsichordist François Couperin was born. The most prominent representative (thus ‘Le Grand’) of a famous family of musicians whose dynasty began in the 1620s and expired when the last male Couperin died two centuries later – French rivals to the German Bachs. François spent most of his musical […]
Remembrance Day - November 11 An estimated 40 million people (civilian and military) were killed in the carnage of World War 1, or as it was called at the time The War to End All Wars. In a bit of cosmic irony, the peace settlement laid the groundwork for the next world war where the […]
On November 12, 1892 Yale football star Pudge Heffelfinger became the first player to be paid to play American football. He was paid $500 by the Allegheny Athletic Association. The date was November 12, 1892, a day that would forever be etched in sports history, although no one involved that day could possibly have recognized […]
On November 13, 1994, Sweden voted to join EU. The referendum, to determine if Sweden would join the European Union, saw an 83% turn out with 53% voting Ja. European Union Membership Referendum - first series Ja and Nej Released by Swedish post in 1994 Designer: Lars Melander European Union Membership Referendum - second […]
The great American novel Moby Dick swam into US publication November 14, 1851, bedevilling future students for 173 years. Herman Melville's tale of a sailor obsessed with hunting down a great white whale is a complex allegory of faith, race and the nature of humanity. It wasn't until the 20th century that the novel gained […]
German-Swiss surrealist painter, poet and photographer Méret Oppenheim died I gut my mushrooms I am the first guest come through And let fall the walls. 1934 Given how little of her work was actually exhibited during her lifetime and how much of it was lost, Oppenheim's impact on future generations is all the more remarkable. Her wryly […]
November 16 is both Icelandic Language Day and the day one of Iceland's great poets, Jónas Hallgrímsson (1807-1845) was born. Dagur íslenskrar tungu or Icelandic Language Day was established in1995. Hallgimsson's birthday, November 16, was picked for the celebration. Icelandic Language Day poster for 2024 The poet and naturalist Jónas Hallgrímsson (1807-1845) was one of […]
Canadian singer, writer Gordon Lightfoot was born November 17, 1938 in Orillia, Ontario. "He is our poet laureate, he is our iconic singer-songwriter," said Rush singer Geddy Lee in the 2019 documentary Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind. Canadian folk music icon Gordon Lightfoot dead at 84 | CBC News Canada Post issued a […]
On November 18, 1787, the father of photography, Louis Daguerre, was born in Cormeilles-en-Parisis, Val-d'Oise, France. France issued a stamp commemorating the announcement of Daguerre's work. On January 7, 1839, members of the French Académie des Sciences were shown products of an invention that would forever change the nature of visual representation: photography. The astonishingly […]
Activist and union organiser Joe Hill, the "troubadour of discontent", was executed by the Utah government on November 19, 1915. My will is easy to decide For there is nothing to divide My kin don't need to fuss and moan "Moss does not cling to rolling stone" My body? Oh, if I could choose I […]
On November 20, 1820, the whaling ship Essex was sunk by an 80-ton sperm whale. The story of the Essex and its crew was the real-life horror story that inspired Herman Melville’s literary classic Moby Dick. "Oh, my God! where is the ship?" Captain George Pollard, Jr, finding nothing but wreckage on returning to his […]
Foster Hewitt, the voice of Canadian hockey, arrival was announced November 21, 1902. “Henderson has scored for Canada” Foster Hewitt's understated description of the series winning goal for the '72 Summit Series Hewitt provided play-by-play coverage, first on radio and later CBC tv, for generations of hockey fans. For 40 years his distinctive voice heralded […]