Christmas Every Day

A momentous day in history

70

The siege of Jerusalem

On this day, Roman legions under the future emperor Titus breached the second wall of besieged Jerusalem, occupied by Jewish rebels. When, after vicious street-fighting the city was taken, Titus ordered it and its great Temple obliterated. The historian Josephus who had been used by the Romans as a mediator described the destruction:

There was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it [Jerusalem] had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerusalem came to by the madness of those that were for innovations; a city otherwise of great magnificence, and of mighty fame among all mankind.
And truly, the very view itself was a melancholy thing; for those places which were adorned with trees and pleasant gardens, were now become desolate country every way, and its trees were all cut down. Nor could any foreigner that had formerly seen Judaea and the most beautiful suburbs of the city, and now saw it as a desert, but lament and mourn sadly at so great a change. For the war had laid all signs of beauty quite waste. Nor had anyone who had known the place before, had come on a sudden to it now, would he have known it again. But though he [a foreigner] were at the city itself, yet would he have inquired for it.

1832

Rebellion in Paris

A rebellion in 1830 had ended the Bourbon dynasty in France and replaced it with what was hoped to be a new, modern constitutional monarchy under Louis-Philippe, thought to be a friend to democracy. By 1832 a number of forces were united in their distaste for this new Orleanist king: Bonapartists wanted the descendants of Napoleon to reign; Legitimists wanted the Bourbons back; and republicans wanted an end to kings altogether. Economic hard times, outbreaks of cholera, and accusations of corruption added fuel to the fire. Republican cells used the funeral of a popular general to start riots that they would would bring down the government as in the disturbances of 1830 but this time the army and the king stood firm and put down the insurgents. This rebellion was the inspiration for Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables.

1968

The assassination of Robert Kennedy

After the murder of his brother John in 1963, Robert Kennedy became the darling of liberal Democrats who saw in him a chance to replace the despised Lyndon Johnson as president. In 1968 Kennedy held back from challenging Johnson in the primaries until he saw that Eugene McCarthy’s candidacy had revealed a dissatisfaction with the Vietnam War that he might capitalize on and in March he announced that he would join the race. Johnson’s surprise decision not to run again left Kennedy the media favourite in a field that included McCarthy and Vice President Hubert Humphrey who led in delegates. On June 5 after winning the California primary, Kennedy was shot dead in the Ambassador Hotel by Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan who hated Kennedy for his support of Israel. His diary read: “”My determination to eliminate RFK is becoming more and more of an unshakable obsession. RFK must die. RFK must be killed. Robert F. Kennedy must be assassinated….. Robert F. Kennedy must be assassinated before 5 June 68.” [That date was the anniversary of the start of the Six Day War].

In the 1968 election Richard Nixon was elected president.

1940 Winston Churchill defies Hitler

On June 4, 1940 things were looking pretty grim for Britain and western civilization. Belgium, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands had been overrun by the German army, France was near collapse and close to surrender, while the British Expeditionary Force had been thrashed and sent fleeing back to England, saved only by a series of miracles and the sacrifice of the rearguard at Dunkirk.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill, whose brief time in office had seen nothing but calamity after calamity, rose to sum the situation up in Parliament. His speech was a catalogue of the setbacks the armed forces had suffered but he put a brave face on it all, and made the most of a horrible situation, rallying his people in the famous final two paragraphs.

I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do. That is the resolve of His Majesty’s Government-every man of them. That is the will of Parliament and the nation. The British Empire and the French Republic, linked together in their cause and in their need, will defend to the death their native soil, aiding each other like good comrades to the utmost of their strength. Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail.

We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.

1967 Sgt. Pepper arrives

What was called “the most important and influential rock and roll album ever recorded” appeared on this day in 1967.

The Beatles began their careers singing a mixture of light-weight pop ballads and covers of American rhythm and blues numbers but had gradually matured, writing their own material and experimenting with different musical approaches and technologies. They had also grown disenchanted with touring, singing the same old songs over the ear-splitting shrieks of their female teenage fans. Moreover, their music had grown more complicated and reliant on studio effects so that it could not be satisfactorily performed live.

Inspired by Brian Wilson’s concept album “Pet Sounds” for the Beach Boys, the Beatles conceived in 1966 of a collection of songs as if it were performed by an early-twentieth century military band. The budget for this album was enormous, allowing for hiring the London Symphony Orchestra and endless studio time, and the technological manipulation of sound by producer George Martin was cutting-edge. Critics speculated on the reasons for the lengthy delay in releasing the LP and many concluded that the Beatles had run out of ideas but the five months of production would prove to be fruitful.

“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” emerged as a bewildering mixture of genres: rock and roll, Indian, psychedelia, music hall, and jazz, combining in a way to suggest an extended drug trip. Indeed, a number of the cuts were banned from the BBC for being too suggestive of drug use. It was instantly hailed as a musical marvel; it would sell 32 million copies around the world. Its album jacket inspired a whole new genre of pop music consumerism. Rolling Stone placed the record at the top of the list of the 500 greatest of all time.

1916  Battle of Jutland

In the prelude to World War I, both of the great and hostile alliances spent extravagantly on the development of a new type of battleship, the dreadnought — heavily armoured, carrying all big guns (11-inch or larger). Both sides planned on huge naval battles that would see whole fleets of dreadnoughts encountering each other. The Battle of Jutland, however, was the only time this occurred.

By 1916 the German High Fleet had not ventured forth from its bases on the North Sea, penned in by the British Grand Fleet operating from bases in Scotland. It was the intention of German Admiral Reinhard Scheer to lure the British out and destroy them in one great action, allowing his navy access to the North Atlantic. To do so he dangled as bait a detachment of battle cruisers — lighter and faster than dreadnoughts — under Admiral Franz Hipper who was to sail across the path of the British and lead them on to the guns of Scheer’s main force. The British took the bait; Admiral Beatty’s squadron pursued Hipper and ran into the German main force which mauled his ships and forced them to withdraw. The Germans pursued, thus blundering into the bigger British armada, and a battle ensued.

The British outnumbered and outgunned their opponents and proved to be more accurate, but the German ships were more “survivable” and could take greater punishment without sinking. Moreover, British shells lacked the penetrating power of German artillery, because of different explosives used. In the melee that followed, the Royal Navy suffered over 6,000 dead, and lost 3 battlecruisers, 3 armoured cruisers, and 8 destroyers while the German casualty list was 2,500 dead, while losing 1 battlecruiser, 1 pre-dreadnought battle ship, 4 light cruisers, and 5 torpedo-boats. As night fell, the fighting ended with the Germans retreating to their home ports.

Both sides claimed victory; the Germans had certainly done better in the battle, but they had failed to break the British naval blockade of Germany and their fleet never ventured out again. The future lay in submarine attacks for the rest of the war.

1999 Leonardo’s restored “Last Supper” is back on display

This is the painting that keeps on wanting to disappear. Commissioned by Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, it took Leonardo from 1495 to 1498 to complete. Unfortunately, humidity began eating away at the picture almost as soon as it was completed. Within 50 years it was almost invisible and observers felt it was ruined; no one seems to have objected when builders created a doorway through the mess on the wall and later bricked it up. Numerous attempts at restoration were made, based on several excellent copies that had been made, but these were not successful and more damage was done by occupying French troops in the days of Napoleon. In 1943 the convent that housed it was hit by Allied bombs; though the painting had been walled by sandbags the vibration of the explosions did more damage.

In 1978 a twenty-year restoration project began. The site was sealed and made climate-controlled; centuries of dirt were removed; and the old repair work was removed. Some areas were beyond repair and are marked by pastel watercolour effects. When it was unveiled to the public 1999, some critics were horrified at the colours and facial shapes. “There may now be a serious misrepresentation of Leonardo’s final design”, said one; “a distinctly mongrel work showing alarmingly little original paint and very much alien ‘compensatory‘ and ‘reintegrating‘ new paint”, said another.

A 1520 copy is shown below to illustrate the differences.

1933 Walt Disney releases “The Three Little Pigs”

The most successful animated short of all time, it won an Academy Award in 1934. The song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” had been written by Frank Churchill who went on to become head of music for Disney. The cartoon wolf was originally given a Jewish voice but the version below has been redubbed to make him a “Fuller Brush Man” working his way through college.

The birthday of two great musicians:

1904 George Formby

The first great British film comedian was born blind to the family of a successful music hall performer. He recovered his sight but never learned to read or write. He wished to follow his father on the stage but his family decreed that “one fool was enough” so he became an apprentice jockey, aided by his very small frame.After his father’s death in 1925, his mother allowed him to pursue a career in the footlights, which he did by imitating his father’s routines — not very successfully as he was often booed off the stage.

Two things changed his future: he took up playing the ukulele and married the very forceful Beryl Ingham, a clogdancer who became his manager. Under her guidance Formby became the premiere music hall act of his generation, making movies and records between his lucrative tours. His greatest hit was “When I’m Cleaning Windows”, a racy little number banned by the BBC. He died in 1961.

1940 Levon Helm

Raised in Turkey Scratch, Arkansas, Levon Helm wanted to be a musician from an early age. By the time he was in high school his drumming was of professional caliber. He joined rockabilly star Ronnie Hawkins in Canada where he was an important part of The Hawks with Robbie Robertson and Rick Danko. After leaving Hawkins, the group backed up Bob Dylan in his new electric phase and became known as The Band, famous for “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”, “The Weight” and “Up on Cripple Creek”. After success in Hollywood, solo performances and tours, Helm lost his voice for time in 1990 after a bout with throat cancer but regained to resume his career. His died of cancer in 2012.

Here is a tribute to him by the great Marc Cohn:

1525

The execution of Thomas Müntzer

When Martin Luther stood before the Holy Roman Emperor in 1521, he asserted that one man’s conscience, formed by reading the Bible, could stand against the might of the Church and a thousand years of tradition. His Catholic opponents argued that individual interpretation of Scripture would lead to chaos and a multitude of opinions, many of them erroneous and heretical. And so it came to be. While Luther was fleeing into hiding after his trial, a host of wild men with wild ideas, sprang up across the German-speaking lands – some of them even entered into Wittenberg where Luther had taught. These were the “Zwickau Prophets” who claimed that Luther had not gone nearly far enough in his rejection of established religion, for what mattered was not Scripture but the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. These “Spiritualists” argued that God came in the form of visions and dreams, not in the words of an old book, and they caused the chaos that the Catholics had predicted.

One such Spiritualist was Thomas Müntzer (1489-1525), a priest who was already deemed a radical even before he met, and studied with, Luther. As he wandered from town to town, looking for an audience that would respond to his views, Müntzer became convinced that that End Times were at hand. Christ’s Second Coming was not long off (a widely-held belief even professed by Luther) but that His coming must be preceded by a bloody cleansing of the earth wherein the enemies of Christ: priests, princes, nobles and those who did not follow this Spiritualist line, would be killed. Following the cleansing all would be equal and all property would be held in common.

Peasants in the 16^th century were seeing their traditional rights eroded: from hunting and fishing to representation at local diets. Peasants had long used biblical and religious justification to back their anti-feudal demands. For decades the Bundschuh (peasant legging and shoe) had served as the symbol of peasant resistance and striving in dozens of local rebellions. The Bundschuh was often linked with a religious slogan which implied that God’s laws were not being followed by their feudal overlords and so peasants knew how to exploit a cognate theological argument for spiritual freedom when they heard it in Lutheran sermons. When Luther in 1523 urged communities to pick their own pastors, peasant leaders claimed his approval for local political control as well. There was, therefore, mutual exploitation during these years: the Lutherans by the peasants, and the peasants by the Lutherans. Reformers sought to enlist the support of the peasants and portrayed farmer Hans with his plough as the ideal Christian, the sort of man that God intended: working with his hands, not puffed up with vain theological knowledge. Luther urged lords to treat their peasants as fellow Christians and not to exploit them lest they rise in rebellion but there was no way that mainstream reformers could sanction peasant rebels when fighting broke out in late 1524.

The first outbreak came in Stühlingen where, in the middle of the harvest, the countess demanded that the peasants stop taking off the crop and search for snail shells for her (she was going to wind yarn around them). The fighting spread in Switzerland and across much of Germany. The reasons for the rebellion were overwhelmingly economic and social but there was a religious element too and an involvement by reforming preachers. The “Twelve Articles” which became the peasant manifesto included the demand that local communities have the right to name their own pastors and vowed that they wanted no reform that was not according to Holy Scripture.

Thomas Müntzer had by 1525 become one of the leaders of the rebellion. He began to style himself “Destroyer of the Unbelievers” and to preach of the imminent end of the old era and the dawn of a new age of social justice. His appeal to German princes to lead his crusade having fallen on deaf ears, Müntzer turned to the poor to be the new Elect, a covenanted people of God. When the rebellion broke out he urged his poor followers on to violence and a liberating slaughter that would open the way to the new age of godliness and peace.

Luther began by urging peace and moderation – criticizing both the lords for their refusal to recognize the justice of some of the peasant demands and the peasants for using violence to further their ends. He personally mediated some disputes and pacified areas at the risk of his own life but in 1525 when news of peasant atrocities reached him he turned decisively against them. The title of his work Against the Robbing and Murdering Hordes of Peasants pretty much tells the tale. He urged the authorities to repress the rebels like mad dogs and to show no mercy until the rebellion had been crushed. By the time Luther’s book appeared the fighting was over. The critical battle took place at Frankenhausen where Müntzer was urging violence every bit as harsh as Luther. “On! On! On!”, he told the peasant soldiers, “Spare not. Pity not the godless when they cry. Remember the command of God to Moses to destroy utterly and show no mercy. The whole countryside is in commotion. Strike! Clang! Clang! On! On!” He told the peasants that he would precede them and catch their enemies’ bullets in his sleeves but in fact he ran away and was hiding in bed when he was captured by the forces of the triumphant princes. He was executed on this day in 1525.

1805 Napoleon crowns himself, again

Having already crowned himself Emperor of the French, Napoleon saw no reason to alter the ceremony in his conquered lands. On the 23^rd of May 1805, during the rite to create him King of Italy at Milan, he, with his own hands, placed the ancient iron crown of Lombardy on his head, saying, Dieu me la donne, gare à qui la touche — ‘God has given it to me, let him beware who would touch it’, a phrase used in the ancient coronation ceremony.

This celebrated crown is composed of a broad circle of gold, set with large rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, on a ground of blue and gold enamel. The small size of the regalia may be due to its missing two pieces in the centuries since its creation.

But the most important part of the iron crown, from which, indeed, it derives its name, is a narrow band of iron, about three-eighths of an inch broad, and one-tenth of an inch in thickness, attached to the inner circumference of the circlet. This inner band of sacred iron—perfectly visible in the above engraving —is said to have been made out of one of the nails used at the crucifixion, given by the Empress Helena, discover of the True Cross, to her son Constantine, as a miraculous protection from the dangers of the battlefield. Helena had found the other nails used in the crucifixion: she supposedly cast one nail into the sea to calm a storm, another was incorporated into a  diadem for Constantine’s helmet, another was fitted to the head of a statue of the Emperor, and a fourth was melted down and molded into a bit for Constantine’s horse. Since then, alleged pieces of the holy nails can be found in almost thirty European countries. (I, myself, saw one of these in the Patriarch of Constantinople’s church in Istanbul.)

The ecclesiastics who exhibit the crown point out as a ‘permanent miracle,’ that there is not a single speck of rust upon the iron, though it has now been exposed more than fifteen hundred years. Recent research has shown that the so-called iron band does not attract a magnet and is, in fact, silver; but a medieval manuscript suggests that a band of iron was used on the outside, not the inside of the crown. Scientific examination suggests that at least parts of the crown date back to c. 500.

Bonaparte, after his coronation at Milan, instituted a new order of knighthood for Italy, entitled the Iron Crown, on the same principles as that of the Legion of Honour for France. After his fall, the order was maintained by the Austrian emperors. The crown itself is preserved as a relic in Monza Cathedral.

1520

Massacre at a Mexican Festival

In 1519 the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes had succeeded in invading the Aztec empire of central Mexico and controlling the Aztec emperor, Moctezuma, and the capital Tenochtitlan. Relations between the tiny Spanish contingent and the mass of Aztecs was tense and the deeds of this day in 1520 brought things to a boiling point.

Cortes had departed Tenochtitlan to head for the coast where he expected to battle some other Spaniards with orders to arrest him. He had left in charge his unstable deputy Pedro de Alvarado (shown above). During the absence of Cortes, Alvarado was approached by high-ranking Aztecs who wished to hold a festival and sought his permission lest he think they were gathering with hostile intent. Alvarado agreed, provided there would be no human sacrifice involved (a ritual that marked many Aztec festivals). When Alvarado learned that the celebrations would, in fact, include a human sacrifice he acted to halt it and massacred the participants.

That was the Spanish story. Here is the Aztec account:

Here it is told how the Spaniards killed, they murdered the Mexicans who were celebrating the Fiesta of Huitzilopochtli in the place they called The Patio of the Gods

At this time, when everyone was enjoying the celebration, when everyone was already dancing, when everyone was already singing, when song was linked to song and the songs roared like waves, in that precise moment the Spaniards determined to kill people. They came into the patio, armed for battle. They came to close the exits, the steps, the entrances [to the patio]: The Gate of the Eagle in the smallest palace, The Gate of the Canestalk and the Gate of the Snake of Mirrors. And when they had closed them, no one could get out anywhere.

Once they had done this, they entered the Sacred Patio to kill people. They came on foot, carrying swords and wooden and metal shields. Immediately, they surrounded those who danced, then rushed to the place where the drums were played. They attacked the man who was drumming and cut off both his arms. Then they cut off his head [with such a force] that it flew off, falling far away. At that moment, they then attacked all the people, stabbing them, spearing them, wounding them with their swords. They struck some from behind, who fell instantly to the ground with their entrails hanging out [of their bodies]. They cut off the heads of some and smashed the heads of others into little pieces.

They struck others in the shoulders and tore their arms from their bodies. They struck some in the thighs and some in the calves. They slashed others in the abdomen and their entrails fell to the earth. There were some who even ran in vain, but their bowels spilled as they ran; they seemed to get their feet entangled with their own entrails. Eager to flee, they found nowhere to go. Some tried to escape, but the Spaniards murdered them at the gates while they laughed. Others climbed the walls, but they could not save themselves. Others entered the communal house, where they were safe for a while. Others lay down among the victims and pretended to be dead. But if they stood up again they [the Spaniards] would see them and kill them.

The blood of the warriors ran like water as they ran, forming pools, which widened, as the smell of blood and entrails fouled the air. And the Spaniards walked everywhere, searching the communal houses to kill those who were hiding. They ran everywhere, they searched every place.

When [people] outside [the Sacred Patio learned of the massacre], shouting began, “Captains, Mexicas, come here quickly! Come here with all arms, spears, and shields! Our captains have been murdered! Our warriors have been slain! Oh Mexica captains, [our warriors] have been annihilated!”

Then a roar was heard, screams, people wailed, as they beat their palms against their lips. Quickly the captains assembled, as if planned in advance, and carried their spears and shields. Then the battle began. [The Mexicas] attacked them with arrows and even javelins, including small javelins used for hunting birds. They furiously hurled their javelins [at the Spaniards]. It was as if a layer of yellow canes spread over the Spaniards.

This massacre led to a complete breakdown of trust between the Spanish and the Aztec rulers. Rebellion against Cortes broke out and horrible deeds ensued.