August 1 Dateline

Birthdays

1815 - Richard Henry Dana Jr, American lawyer and politician, a descendant of a colonial family from Massachusetts. He gained renown as the author of the classic American memoir Two Years Before the Mast. Both as a writer and as a lawyer, he was a champion of the downtrodden, from seamen to fugitive slaves and freedmen.

1936 - Yves Saint Laurent (born Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent), French fashion designer who founded his eponymous fashion label in 1961. He is regarded as being among the foremost fashion designers in the twentieth century. In 1985, Caroline Rennolds Milbank wrote, "The most consistently celebrated and influential designer of the past twenty-five years, Yves Saint Laurent can be credited with both spurring the couture's rise from its 1960s ashes and with finally rendering ready-to-wear reputable." He was able to adapt his style to accommodate the changes in fashion during that period. He approached fashion in a different perspective by wanting women to look comfortable yet elegant at the same time. He is also credited with having introduced the tuxedo suit for women and was known for his use of non-European cultural references, and non-white models.

1953 - Robert William Cray, American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards. He records and tours. He appeared at the Crossroads Guitar Festival, and supported Eric Clapton on his 2006-2007 world tour. In Fargo, North Dakota, he joined Clapton on backup guitar for the Cream song "Crossroads". In 2011, Cray was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame and received the Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance in 2017.

Lefties:
None known.

 

More birthdays and historical events today, 1 August - On This Day.

Historical Events

1740 - Thomas Arne's masque Alfred, the finale of which contains the famous "Rule Britannia," is first produced, at Cliveden, England.

Alfred is a sung stage work about Alfred the Great. The music, composed by Thomas Arne and a libretto by David Mallet and James Thomson, is an opera in three acts initially devised as a masque in 1740. It was first performed at Cliveden, country home of Frederick, Prince of Wales, this day (1740), to commemorate the accession of George I and the birthday of the Princess Augusta. Thomas Arne later revised it into an all-sung oratorio in 1745, and an opera in May 12, 1753. It is best known for its finale "Rule, Britannia!" (sung by mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly, conducted by David Robertson). The video below is  Overture of Alfred. Performed by Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra.



1798 - British Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson wins over the Battle of the Nile. One of the French ships destroyed is Napoleon's flagship L'Orient. Nelson collects some of the timbers to have them made into his coffin. Famously known, he had to be pickled first in alcohol to keep him fresh for the trip home after Trafalgar.

1834 - Slavery is abolished throughout the British Empire, including its North American colonies. 

1907 - The first experimental Boy Scout camp takes place. Founded by Robert Baden-Powell, a hero of the Siege of Mafeking, the Scout movement celebrated their  centenary in 2007. When girls turned up at a Boy Scout rally in 1909, he created the Girl Guides, and passed over ruling the Girl Scouts movement to his sister Agnes. 

1914 - Germany declares war on Russia, signaling the start of the First World War.

1944 - The Warsaw Uprising begins in an attempt to free Warsaw, the Polish capital, from its Nazi occupiers.  At 5 P.M. this day, the Polish Home Army rose in an attempt to regain its capital Warsaw, and end the five year of brutal Nazi occupation. The Poles were hopeful despite the distant end of war.

1981 - MTV begins broadcasting, "Video killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles, the first video played.   

2001 - Albanian becomes recognized as ibe of Macedonia's official languages. Albanians represent 25% of the population in the former Yugoslavian republic.   



Resources:

 
1. Asiado, Tel. The World's Movers and Shapers. New Hampshire: Ore Mountain Publishing House (2005)

2. Britannica. www.britannica.com
3. Chambers Biographical Dictionary, 19th Ed. London: Chambers Harrap, 2011
4. Dateline. Sydney: Millennium House, (2006)
5. Grun, Bernard. The Timetables of History, New 3rd Revised Ed. Simon & Schuster/Touchstone (1991)
6. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org




(c) June 2007. Updated August 1, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.