Ramadan begins at sundown. The exact timing is subject to the first sighting of the Moon. Beginning at age 12, all Muslims take part in the month-long sunrise-to-sunset fast that is the hallmark of Ramadan. Eating and drinking (including water) is prohibited during daylight hours, and the day’s abstinence is offset by a nightly meal known as iftar. The holiday honors the time when the angel Gabriel revealed the first verses of the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam, to a desert-wandering caravan trader named Muhammad. Muslims believe that fasting cleanses the body, and the practice reminds them of the suffering of the poor. Food is often shared with a poor family during Ramadan. At the end of the 30-day fast is Eid al-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast), replete with feasting and celebration. Read more about Ramadan.
Daily Calendar for Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Question of the Day
In late winter/early spring, I am going to prune a large burning bush. I want to prune it to about half its size. Is that too much?
You don’t say what type of burning bush you own, but the most common variety is ‘Compactus’, which is a silly name for a plant that can grow ten feet tall. In fact, unless you have a dwarf version of the shrub, such as ‘Nordine Strain’ or ‘Rudy Haag’, you’re going to end up with a pretty big plant. We didn’t find any information on whether such excessive pruning will harm the plant, but since it sounds as if you want a smaller shrub anyway, go ahead and try it. If the plant dies, you can replace it with one of the smaller versions.
Advice of the Day
To relieve rheumatism, chew on parsley.
Home Hint of the Day
To fix a squeaky door, remove the top hinge pin and coat it lightly with any all-purpose oil such as 3-In-One Household Oil. Replace the pin. If the door still squeaks, repeat the process with the next hinge.
Word of the Day
Occultation
The eclipse of a star or planet by the Moon or another planet.
Puzzle of the Day
There is a word of five syllables; take away the first, and no syllable will remain.
Mo-no-syllable
Died
- Jean-Baptiste Lully (composer) –
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (writer) –
- Karl Wallenda (circus performer) –
- Sir Richard Sykes (British ambassador to the Netherlands, assassinated by Irish Republican Army) –
- David Strickland (actor) –
- Janet Akyuz Mattei (astronomer) –
- Aldabra tortoise Adwaitya (thought to be 255 years old, in Kolkata, India) –
- Israel Cachao" Lopez" (pioneer of mambo style music) –
Born
- Thomas Crawford (sculptor) –
- Randolph Caldecott (illustrator) –
- Robert Andrews Millikan (physicist) –
- Chico Marx (comedian) –
- Louis L'Amour (author) –
- Karl Malden (actor) –
- Marcel Marceau (French mime ) –
- Stephen Sondheim (composer) –
- William Shatner (actor) –
- George Benson (singer) –
- Andrew Lloyd Webber (composer) –
- Bob Costas (sports broadcaster) –
- Stephanie Mills (singer) –
- Reese Witherspoon (actress) –
- James T. Kirk (character on Star Trek series) –
Events
- Massasoit, chieftain of the Wampanoags, came to Plymouth to treat of peace with Pilgrims–
- Gambling made illegal in Boston–
- Stamp Act passed by the English Parliament, requiring American colonists to buy and affix British-issued stamps to most documents–
- Young Men’s Hebrew Association founded–
- President Grover Cleveland appointed members of the first regulatory agency, the Interstate Commerce Commision–
- First women’s basketball game was played at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts–
- Beer and Wine Revenue Act, signed by FDR, legalized wine and so-called 3.2 beer–
- Grand Coulee Dam on Columbia River began production of electric power –
- First U.S. rocket to leave the earth’s atmosphere, launched from White Sands, New Mexico, attained height of 50 miles–
- 7.0-magnitude earthquake occurred in Fox Islands, Alaska–
- Hank Williams Jr. made his stage debut at 8 years old–
- Louis B. Leakey announced his 1961 discovery of a 14 million-year-old hominoid in Kenya–
- The Beatles’ first album, Please Please Me, was released in Britain–
- Muhammad Ali knocked out Zora Foley in NY. This was his last fight before being stripped of his title for avoiding the military draft–
- Proposed women’s equal rights amendment to Constitution submitted to states for ratification–
- Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter revealed that the Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, and Bob Dylan inspired him while he worked late nights at the Georgia governor’s mansion–
- U.S. Congress voted to overide President Reagan’s veto and reinstate the Civil Rights Restoration Act. The law, which was designed to replace protections voided by 1984 U.S. Supreme Court decision, prohibitted discrimination by an institution receiving federal funds–
- A coyote was captured in Central Park, New York City. Named Hal by park workers, he was about a year old and weighed 35 pounds. First spotted on Sunday, March 19, the hunt began the afternoon of Tuesday, March 21 and ended Wednesday, March 22. He was taken to a wildlife center outside NYC. City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said the coyote is believed to be only the second coyote ever spotted in Central Park.–
- Alaska’s Mount Redoubt volcano erupted four times. An ash plume more than 9 miles was released into the air in the volcano’s first emission in nearly 20 years–
- An animatronic T-rex caught fire in Canon City, Colorado–
Weather
- Deadly tornado struck Urbana, Ohio, blowing a Bible 15 miles–
- Kansas and Texas experienced a blizzard–
- Twenty degrees F at Barrow, Alaska–
- Ninth day of March record highs (78 to 87 degrees Fahrenheit) in Chicago, Illinois–