Today in History

1563 – The Heidelberg Catechism was first published in Germany. Written by Peter Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus, it was a statement of Calvinist tradition, and was soon after adopted by nearly all of the Reformed churches in Europe.  The complete text can be found here.

Today is the birthday of American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849).  Out of all his poems, my favorite is “Annabel Lee,” which is printed below.  It is also the birthday of Paul Cezanne (1839-1906), renowned French Post-Impressionist painter.  The image above is of his painting “Pyramid of Skulls.”

———-

“Annabel Lee”
(published 1849)

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;–
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
She was a child and I was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love–
I and my Annabel Lee–
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud by night
Chilling my Annabel Lee;
So that her high-born kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me:–
Yes! that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of a cloud, chilling
And killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we–
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in Heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:–

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I see the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea–
In her tomb by the side of the sea.

The poem and painting seem to go together, if you ask me.

1914 – Lester Flatt, famed country musician of “Flatt and Scruggs,” was born.  Here is video of “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.”

1919 – A veritable tidal wave of molasses 15 meters high x 25 meters wide kills dozens in Boston.  To read more about this tragic event and how it helped bring about some essential government regulation of industry, click here.