Author: Ciscography

Creator, Writer, Blogger.

On This Day 1503 Nostradamus is Born

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One of the most famous, and perhaps controversial prophets, astrologers and occultists of all time was reputedly born, one Michel de Nostredame, in Saint-Remy-de-Provence in southern France, today in 1503.

His prophecies, usually in the form of quatrains, or four line verses, have been widely and deeply studied ever since his own time. Many claim he has successfully predicted events like, the death of Charles I of England in 1648/9, the Great Fire of London in 1666, the rise of Napoleon and Hitler and many more besides.

However, it must be said that the often vague wording of his quatrains does allow much scope for interpretation, especially as he does not normally include dates in his prophecies.

One of the few prophecies which does have a date, namely July (or the seventh month, which could mean the seventh astrological month, October) 1999, predicted some awful, warlike a event and the emergence of a powerful ‘king’. As far as I can tell, nothing much during that time, or even that whole year, matches this prophecy.

copyright Francis Barker 2019

On This Day 1577 – Francis Drake Sets Off On His Circumnavigation of Earth

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Sir Francis Drake combined several roles, from pirate to sea captain, privateer to explorer. He perhaps typifies the ‘entrepreneurial’ spirit of the Elizabethan Age at the birth of the first English and subsequently British Empire.

One of his most daring exploits was a successful circumnavigation of the earth from 1577 to 1580. He set off with just five ships, including the Pelican which he was on board. He did soon include another ship, however, under the captaincy of a Portuguese, Nuno da Silva, who knew well some of the sea routes around the Americas.

To Elizabeth and the English, Drake was a hero, a continual threat to the Spanish fleets and their gold. To the Spanish, however, he was often referred to as ‘El Draco’, or the Dragon, also probably because of his warlike and privateering exploits in the Spanish Main.

copyright Francis Barker 2019

On This Day 1901 – Marconi’s First Transatlantic Radio Signal

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Today marks the anniversary of Guglielmo Marconi’s epoch making transmission of the very first transatlantic radio signal.

An event which was to effectively usher in the new telecommunications world of the 20th century, was sent from Britain’s extreme south west peninsula, namely Poldhu in Cornwall, to St. John’s on the island of Newfoundland on North America’s eastern coast, using a wireless transmitting station in Ireland.

copyright Francis Barker 2019

On This Day – The Passing of the Statute of Westminster

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On this day in 1931 the Statute of Westminster was passed in the London parliament.

Over a period of time, it effectively gave total independence to parts of the British Empire, namely Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Irish Free State, Canada and Newfoundland, the latter not being incorporated into the Dominion of Canada until 1949.

In retrospect it could be argued that the passing of the statute and its aftermath marked the beginning of the end of the British Empire and the tentative establishment of what is now the Commonwealth (formerly British Commonwealth), a loose gathering of self governing, sovereign nations with the Queen as head of state of many.

copyright Francis Barker 2019

 

On This Day 1936 – Edward VIII of Great Britain Abdicates

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He had been king for less than a year and hadn’t had a coronation.

Edward VIII officially gave up his kingship, his rule over an empire which spanned the earth, on which the sun never set. All because, we are famously told, for his love of an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson, a situation which could not be tolerated by the highly conservative establishment of the time. But of course it was a bit more complicated than that.

Like quite a few Britons at the time, Edward was an admirer of certain European dictators. After the abdication he became more than a mere acquaintance of one of them, something which didn’t go down too well in certain parts of the British establishment, as Europe and the world was led inexorably towards war.

As Prince of Wales he had been quite popular with his people back home and throughout the Empire and Commonwealth. He was able to relate to them despite the most privileged upbringing one could get. He was, however, quite shy and perhaps felt somewhat unworthy of the role fate had given him, something which led to several bouts of depression.

For these reasons and perhaps others too, he probably never felt he was not cut out for being a monarch of a vast and populous empire.

Falling in love with Mrs Simpson was only one reason among several which made him feel incapable of carrying on as king, a heavy responsibility which in the end he was forced to leave behind.

copyright Francis Barker 2019