It’s “National Seafood Bisque Day,” which seems weird that would be a whole day, but I’m down. From the National Day Calendar:
“Every year on October 19th, National Seafood Bisque Day serves up a hot, delicious meal for seafood lovers. The day celebrates a luxurious bowl of tasty soup made from the catch of the day! Seafood bisque is a smooth, creamy, and highly-seasoned soup of French origin. Recipes call for a strained broth of crustaceans. Use seafood such as lobster, crab, shrimp, or crayfish.”
Here is a delicious looking recipe from A Modern Proper.
1492: Christopher Columbus Sights "Isabela"
In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue and found…the Bahamas. On this day in 1492, Columbus officially spotted “Isabela,” now known as Fortune Island/Long Cay.
Speaking of Spanish explorers, in 1596 Spanish galleon San Felipe was shipwrecked in Japan, heading from Manila to Acapulco – so clearly off course. The incident led to the crucifixion of 26 Christians who became known as the Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan. From Discover Nagasaki:
“In the late 1500s, the government had begun to grow wary of foreign influence. To gain complete control over Kyushu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued an order to expel all priests from the country. The growing tension culminated in the arrest of six missionaries (including Spaniards, Mexicans, and Portuguese) and eighteen Japanese Christians in Kyoto and Osaka (some of whom had come from Nagasaki). They were forced to make the 800km walk to Nagasaki, chosen for its significant Christian population. They were joined by two more Catholics along the way. The journey took a month to complete, and when they finally made it to Nishizaka Hill, they were executed in front of the masses. Many more tragically followed. The martyrs were beatified in 1627, and canonized by the Pope in 1862.”
A couple centuries after the 26 were martyred, in 1765, the Stamp Act Congress wrote the Declaration of Rights and Grievances. Their effort was an early movement in the American Revolution. Then, 16 years later in 1781, British forces surrendered to George Washington at Yorktown, ending the US Revolutionary War.
In 1870, four African Americans were elected to Congress, including three of the four congressional seats in South Carolina – Joseph H. Rainey, Robert C. Delarge, and Robert B. Elliott – and Hiram Revels to the Senate.
Also in government on this day was Trump’s third debate against Hillary in 2016 in Nevada, and in 2020 we see Covid heating up in Belgium and Ireland. Belgium officials were crying that they had a Covid "tsunami," and the Irish government moved their country to the highest level of restrictions. Note that this was months before Nancy Pelosi said, “Come to Chinatown,” downplaying the threat of Covid-19.
1722: Automatic Fire Extinguisher Patented
It’s an interesting day for innovation. In 1722, the automatic fire extinguisher was patented in England by French C. Hopffer, and in 1853, the first flour mill in Hawaii began operating. In 1897, George Pullman, the inventor of the railway sleeping car died. We should make train travel great again.
In 2014, a working human intestine was generated from stem cells in a lab – which is horrifying.
The next year in 2015, California scientists claim to have found evidence that life on earth may have begun 4.1 billion years ago – 300 million earlier than previously thought.
Sure, okay.
1953: Fahrenheit 451 Published
The dystopian novel "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury was published on this day in 1953, and in 1971 the last issue of "Look Magazine” was published. On TV, in 1959, Florence Henderson joined the Today Show panel. When Missy asked Google about Florence Henderson, she was told:
“For her time, Carol is a liberated woman. Although she chooses to be a stay-at-home mom, she is anything but a housewife. She's a freelance writer, a sculptor, a political activist, and a singer. She also organizes plays and PTA events while keeping dinner on the table. Some of her favorite things are a large terra-cotta vase, dangly earrings, and singing in church. She also loves telling corny jokes and finding clever ways of zinging her husband.”
In 1960 on this day, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in an Atlanta sit-in, and on the same day in 1983 Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as a federal holiday to be observed on the 3rd Monday in January.
MLK being arrested in Atlanta, Clarion Ledger
In 1990, "Dances with Wolves" premiered. It won the Academy Award for Best Picture the following year. Cher released "Believe" in 1999, which became Billboard Song of the Year and won the Grammy for Best Dance Recording in 2000.
Finally, in 1957, Montreal Canadien Maurice "Rocket" Richard, became the first NHL player to score 500 goals. A Canadian hockey player nicknamed “Rocket”?
1988: Car Bomb Near Lebanon Border
Today’s death and destruction update is mostly man made, with seven Israelis killed and another 11 wounded near the Lebanon border in 1988.
A Palestinian bomb attack on a bus in Tel Aviv killed 22 in 1994, a bomb in Makati, the Philippines in 2007 killed 11 and injured 100+ people, and a suicide bombing in Somalia in 2013 killed 16 and wounded 30.
There was also a plane crash in Belgium in 2013 that killed 11.
Birthdays
1940: Michael Gambon (Dumbledore)
1945: John Lithgow (Actor)
1962: Evander Holyfield (Boxer)
Death Days
1745: Jonathan Swift (Author)
1937: Ernest Rutherford (Father of Nuclear Physics)
2005: Dallas Cook (Ska-funk Trombonist)
On This Day is published Monday through Friday. Watch the Today’s History podcast weekdays at 12PM ET! Don’t forget to visit bootlegproducts.com and use coupon code ASHE1776!