04 August 2009

Daily Chat 04/08/09

The second temple at Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon supposedly discovered champagne in 1693. Germany invaded Belgium in 1914, causing the United Kingdom to declare war on Germany. The USA declared its neutrality. Sorry, Belgium. In 1987, the US Federal Communications Commission rescinded the Fairness Doctrine which had required broadcasters to try to present issues impartially. Cambridgeshire schoolgirls Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells went missing on this day in 2002. Celebrating birthdays today: Billy Bob Thornton, Ian Broudie, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Barack Obama, Frederik Reinfeldt and Luis Boa Morte. It is the feast day of St. Sithney, who not only has a wonderful name but is also the patron saint of mad dogs.