Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. On this day, Christians recall Jesus’ final Passover meal—which we now call the Lord’s Supper—at which he washed the feet of His disciples, demonstrating his humility to value others above himself. He then commanded them to do the same for each other. “Maundy” is a shortened form of mandatum (Latin), which means “command.” It was on the next day, Good Friday, that Jesus was crucified. Today is also a holy day for those who serve as clergy for they often renew their ordination vows, recommitting themselves to service.
Daily Calendar for Thursday, April 6, 2023
This full Moon heralded the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox (one of the first spring flowers). It is also known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and the Fish Moon. Historically, Native Americans living in what is now the northern and eastern United States kept track of the seasons by giving a distinctive name to each full Moon. This name was used to refer to the entire month in which the Moon occurred. With some variations, the same Moon names were used throughout the Algonquian tribes from New England to Lake Superior. Learn more about the Full Moon for April.
Question of the Day
Where did the phrase “mad as a hatter” come from? Why was the “hatter” considered mad?
Madness was not a prerequisite for the milliner’s craft, but, unfortunately, in the 19th century mercurous nitrate was used in the making of felt hats, and it produced tremors akin to St. Vitus’ dance; this is the likely origin of the saying. (Lewis Carroll popularized the phrase in his book, Alice in Wonderland.)
Advice of the Day
Happiness is a by-product. You can not pursue it by itself. —Samuel Levenson
Home Hint of the Day
When clearing smaller brush, consider pulling the brush out of the ground instead of cutting it down. If you get the roots, the brush won’t come up again.
Word of the Day
Golden number
A number in the 19-year cycle of the Moon, used for determining the date of Easter. (The Moon repeats its phases approximately every 19 years.) Add 1 to any given year and divide the result by 19; the remainder is the Golden Number. If there is no remainder, the Golden Number is 19.
Puzzle of the Day
Why did the ram fall over the cliff?
It didn’t see the ewe turn!
Died
- King Richard I (English monarch, called Richard the Lionheart) –
- Raphael (artist) –
- Tammy Wynette (American country music singer ) –
- Victor Argo (actor) –
- Niki Sullivan (guitarist for Buddy Holly and the Crickets) –
- Prince Rainier III of Monaco –
- Corin Redgrave (actor) –
- Thomas Kinkade (painter; often referred to as Painter of Light”“) –
- Mickey Rooney (actor) –
- James Best (actor; best known as Rosco P. Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard) –
Born
- Raphael (artist) –
- Gerry Mulligan (jazz musician) –
- Billie Dee Williams (actor) –
- John Ratzenberger (actor) –
- Marilu Henner (actress) –
- Bret Boone (baseball player) –
- Paul Rudd (actor) –
- Lou Merloni (baseball player) –
- Zach Braff (actor) –
- Peyton List (actress) –
- Twin mongoose lemurs (born at Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida) –
Events
- Brigham Young, the Mormon Church leader, married his 27th and last wife–
- Snow-melting apparatus patented–
- Vancouver, British Columbia, was incorporated–
- The first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens, Greece–
- Admiral Robert Peary and his African-American assistant Matthew Henson reached what was believed to be the North Pole–
- The U.S. declared war on Germany (WW I)–
- Bakery manager, Jimmy Dewar, invented a cream filled sponge cake, now known as the Twinkie–
- The first Tony Awards were presented at a dinner in the Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria hotel on Easter Sunday–
- Paramount Pictures signed Elvis Presley to a three-movie contract just five days after his first screen test–
- Intelsat-1 (nicknamed Early Bird), the world’s first commercial geosynchronous communications satellite, was launched from Cape Kennedy (now Cape Canaveral) in Florida–
- Microsoft released Windows 3.1–
- UConn’s women’s basketball team completed a championship sweep for the school by beating Tennessee 70-61 for the NCAA women’s title. The victory followed UConn’s win over Georgia Tech in the men’s championship game the previous night, making Connecticut the first Division I school to sweep both titles–
- A magnitude-6.3 earthquake struck central Italy–
Weather
- A blizzard in New York and throughout New England brought high winds and up to 30 inches of snow–