HISTORY OF VETERANS DAY

A professor once commented, “We write things down so we can forget them.” Now, of course this is wrong, except in the limited sense of writing down appointments so we don’t have to worry about missing meetings. But that’s just it, we do forget things. As individuals we forget things that are important to us. Corporations seem to have little in the way of corporate memory, so they might do things better the next time. Countries forget the things that have occurred in their past, that make them unique. In many parts of the world — Europe in particular and the former British Commonwealth specifically — there are memorials in the town square commemorating their war heroes, usually with the words “Lest we forget”.

Historically, Veterans Day used to be called Armistice Day, commemorating the ending of World War I on November 11, 1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.) At 5 am on that day, Germany signed the Armistice (truce) in the Forest of Compiegne and the order was given for a cease fire, after 4 years of war.

In the United States in 1919 President Woodrow Wilson issued an Armistice Day proclamation, but it was not until Congress first passed a resolution in 1926, and then passed a bill 12 years later that it became a federal holiday. But WWI, “the War to end all wars” was not the final war, and of the 16 million who served in WWII, more than 400,000 died. Birmingham, Alabama organized a “Veterans Day” parade on November 11, 1947 to honor all of America’s veterans for all wars. In 1953 townspeople in Emporia, Kansas called the holiday Veterans Day in gratitude to the veterans in their town. Soon after, Congress passed a bill introduced by a Kansas congressman renaming the federal holiday to Veterans Day. In 1954 President Eisenhower proclaimed November 11 as Veterans Day asking Americans to rededicate themselves to the cause of peace.

In Malta and South Africa, the day is called Poppy Day, and in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, it is called Remembrance Day. In the Beatles song Penny Lane, there is a reference to the popular practice on this day:

… the pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray

to benefit veterans, the poppy being a symbol of sacrifice, referring to the Flanders poppy fields of WWI.

It is said that in old age, two things happen: first, you begin to lose your memory, next… I can’t recall right now. I for one am in favor of memorials, tributes, and parades. Let us remember, recognize, and preserve the memory of those who came before us and what freedoms we enjoy because of their sacrifices. This is one of the reasons I created a tribute webpage for my father, a World War II soldier and hero who liberated the concentration camp at Dachau. HBO picked up his story and had featured it on their website when they ran the Dachau episode of the Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks miniseries Band of Brothers, based on the novel by Stephen Ambrose. Get yourself a copy of the DVD and watch it. It will be good for your memory.

Some have said that we are raising up a generation who knows less about their own history than any generation before them. Let that not be our legacy for the future.

“Lest we forget.”

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

Related posts:

1. History of the 12 Days of Christmas
2. History of Patriot Day: 9-11
3. History of Presidents’ Day

At the Air Force Academy Chapel I attended the memorial service for Brigadier General David W. Winn, whose family I have known for a decade and more. It was a moving experience to participate in a service with full military honors, befitting an officer of such singular character, a man with a life so well lived.

This is a man who has fought for his country in two wars, first joining up at the age of 19 and flying in WWII. Following the war he attended college before returning to active duty.

When I arrived at the Chapel, an honor guard stood upon the steps holding flags. These were the Patriot Guard Riders, motorcyclists who honor veterans at their funerals. This group wore emblems respecting those who had been Prisoners Of War. Indeed, General Winn had spent time in the Hanoi Hilton, the infamous “Hell Hole” of the Hoa Lo Prison in Northern Vietnam.

While imprisoned and tortured in his 6×9 foot cell he had a profound encounter with Christ, and received the assurance that he’d be freed, that his sins were forgiven, that he was to love his family, and to share what he had.

He did, and left a tremendous legacy, including 6 of his family who have served in the military, including four currently on active deployment. Before retiring he served as Commander of “the Mountain” as we locals affectionately refer to NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command located some 1,600 feet under Cheyenne Mountain.

Following a closing hymn and the benediction, there was a 21-gun salute, and exit to the bagpipe strains of Amazing Grace. In a unique and particular honor for the General, the missing man formation of F-15E jets flew directly over the Chapel.

The Major in charge of the flyover explained the history going back to WWI when British fighter pilots honored the funeral of German flying ace Manfred von Richthofen, the “Red Baron.” Thereafter, British fliers signaled the ground crews in the same way of missing planes upon returning from a sortie.

This brought to my recollection a story the General told me last year at the Air Force vs. Navy football game. Before the game there were many jet flyovers. It concluded with a pair of F-22 jets flying over in formation that was not particularly tight. As both Air Force and Navy aviators are known to fly this jet, the General concluded the following:

“They’re obviously Navy pilots. You know the definition of a Navy formation: two jets flying in the same direction… on the same day.”

Blue skies and tail winds, General.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

HISTORY OF GUY FAWKES DAY

For our friends across the Pond

November 5th is known as “Bonfire Night” or “Guy Fawkes Night”, and all over Britain people fire off fireworks, light bonfires, and burn effigies of Guy Fawkes. Guido Fawkes was an Englishman who, in popular legend, tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament with barrels of gunpowder. He was caught, imprisoned, tortured on the rack, and finally executed, as we’ll see.

400 years ago, Guy Fawkes was a co-conspirator in the “Gunpowder Plot” of 1605 in England. He and his cohorts decided to blow up the both Houses of Parliament in London and kill King James I (of the “King James Bible” fame) upon the inaugural opening of the Parliament, and succeeded in smuggling several barrels of gunpowder into the basement of the Parliament.

This “Gunpowder Plot” occurred two years after King James I ascended to the throne. A group of English Catholics, of which Guido Fawkes was a member, decided to kill the King because it was felt he had reneged on his promises to stop the persecution of Catholics. To this day, it is the law in Britain that a Roman Catholic cannot hold the office of monarch. And the Queen is still Supreme Head of the Church of England.

The plot was foiled at the eleventh hour; some of the plotters escaped, some turned King’s Evidence and reported on the rest. The unlucky Fawkes was taken in chains to the Tower of London. He was hanged, drawn and quartered. After Guy was hanged, he was torn asunder and dragged through the streets of London behind a horse cart. The charge was treason, though some people in England prefer to remember Guy as “the only man ever to enter Parliament with honourable intentions.”

To this day, one of the ceremonies that accompany the opening of a new session of parliament, is the searching of the basement, by a bunch of men in funny hats. Parliament somehow made political capital out of the close call, and poor Guy Fawkes is burned in effigy every November 5th on bonfires all over Britain. They sell a lot of fireworks too, and children beg for money on the streets to buy them. The children usually exhibit the “guy” or dummy that will be put on the fire. “Penny for the guy, mister?” is a common refrain at this time of year.

In the last dozen years or so however, with the pervasiveness of American television and culture in England, the custom of celebrating Halloween is in the ascendancy, and many children are now going for the double treat: candy on October 31, money for November 5.

Oh, and yes, the main character “V” in the movie V for Vendetta wears a mask that is a caricature of Guy Fawkes.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

Related posts:

1. History of Halloween
2. History of William Wilberforce

HISTORY OF ELECTION DAY

Why do we vote on a Tuesday in November in the US?

Historically, the United States was an agrarian society where much of the calendar revolved around farming. In 1840, Congress set voting day on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November. This time provided a convenient month for farmers, who needed to travel perhaps overnight to the county seat’s polling places, following the Autumn harvest season. The weather would not yet have turned bad enough to make rural roads impassable.

Rural Americans would begin their trip on Monday, rather than on Sunday lest their travel interfere with Sunday worship services. It had to be on a Tuesday following the first Monday so as not to fall on November 1st, a holiday known as All Saints Day. Additionally, the first day of the month was when accounting books were brought up to date.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

Related posts:

1. History of Shrove Monday
2. History of Labor Day

I wrote the following article over a dozen years ago when I was a technology evangelist at Sun. Back in the mid-’90s, we were experienced the early part of the first wave of “The Web.” Today, with the advent of Web 2.0 technologies we’re seeing an explosion in different dimensions. Wikis, social networking, mass collaboration, blogging, and Instant Messaging have expanded what was largely a “reader oriented” phenomenon into a dynamic read-write participatory platform. While the mantle of managing information has passed to a new generation of companies, the basic principles about information production and exponential growth remain the same.

On a related note, today celebrates the 40th anniversary of the first message sent across the the Internet.

INFORMATION REFORMATION

Every October 31, we observe the anniversary of the German Reformation. Presently, there is a lot of talk about the Internet Explosion. There are several significant similarities between the two.
Indeed, one could call it the “Information Reformation.”

HIGHLIGHTS:

1) Common Language:

• Luther made previously exclusive information accessible to the common man by publishing in the common language (German), not the language of scholars (Latin).

• With the aid of graphical tools like Mosaic, Netscape or the HotJava browsers (a Java-based browser from Sun), anyone can easily read the Internet and discover new information without knowing classical Geek.

2) Common Format:

• Luther published pamphlets, extending the existing single page “broadside” to multiple pages in quarto and octavo sizes. He featured pictures using the finest woodcuts and engravings of the times.

• Graphical Web browsers that take advantage of open, standard HTML make information pictorial and, with advanced Java capabilities, dynamic, and multimedia.

3) Mass Distribution:

• Luther’s 95 Theses, with the aid of the movable type printing press invented a few decades before his birth, were distributed to the masses. Within two weeks, it had spread throughout Germany. Within a month, it was all over Europe. By the end of the year, it had spread beyond the Holy Roman Empire.

• With the availability of interconnected computer networks, like those offered by Sun, information is quickly distributed all over the World Wide Web.

4) Unprecedented Growth:

• Between 1517 and 1523, publications in Germany increased 7 times. Half were Luther’s writings.

• The growth of the Internet and the availability of information on the Web has grown phenomenally, with a growth curve that appears almost biological.

5) Broadcast Marketing

• Luther took advantage of the new printing press to “evangelize” his views on theology and detract from his competitors with his pamphlets.

• Many companies, organizations, and individuals now take advantage of Internet home pages to “market” and promote their product, offerings, and views.

BACKGROUND:

In the 16th century, as a result of a dispute concerning certain Church practices, a German University professor posted a call for debate on their equivalent of a bulletin board, the door of the Castle Church. These 95 Theses were not intended as a call to reformation but a quiet, scholarly discussion of theological issues.

So it was, on October 31, 1517, that this 33 year old Augustinian monk named Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the Wittenberg Door, marking what historians conveniently use as a coat hanger for the beginning of the Reformation.

But it was two significant things that changed history: first, one of Luther’s students took the original Latin 95 Theses and translated them into German, the language of the common man. Now they were available to anyone who could read.

Secondly, with the aid of the movable type printing press, invented not far away in Maintz by Gutenberg toward the end of the previous century, copies were distributed to the masses. It became a veritable manifesto for change.

Thus it is with the spread of the Internet. So one could say we’re currently experiencing more than an Internet Explosion or Revolution, but an Information Reformation.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

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HISTORY OF OCTOBER 31

On October 31, 1517, an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther nailed to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany 95 propositions or theses and marked the beginning of the Reformation. Of course, the Reformation began long before that, but this date proves to be a convenient coat hanger for historians to mark the beginning of Protestantism*. But the 95 Theses were not intended as a call to reformation and it is the story behind this event that proves so fascinating, and shows the real purpose of the 95 Theses.

Prince Albert wanted the archbishopric of Mainz. (You may know Mainz as the home of a goldsmith named Johann Gutenberg, who had developed the uniform-sized movable type printing press some 60 years earlier.) Because Albert was younger than 25 years old, the office of archbishop would cost him $500,000. Pope Leo X, who was financing the building of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome (for $46 million) suggested that Albert borrow the money from the wealthy Fugger banking family. Albert was able to secure half the funds from the Fuggers, and for the rest he sold indulgences. An indulgence was a document which freed the holder from the temporal penalty of sin. The sale of indulgences, introduced during the Crusades, remained a favored source of papal income. In exchange for a meritorious work – frequently, a contribution to a worthy cause or a pilgrimage to a shrine – the church offered the sinner exemption from his acts of penance by drawing upon its “treasury of merits.” This consisted of the grace accumulated by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and the meritorious deeds of the saints. In Castle Church at Wittenberg for example, it was believed that the relics (bones of saints, etc.) were reckoned to earn a remission for pilgrims of 1,902,202 years and 270 days.

When the Dominican John Tetzel came preaching through much of Germany on behalf of Albert, he boasted that for a contribution he would provide donors with an indulgence that would even apply beyond the grave and free souls from purgatory. “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings,” went his jingle, “quickly the soul from purgatory springs”.

To Martin Luther, the professor of biblical studies at the newly founded University of Wittenberg, Tetzel’s preaching was bad theology if not worse. Luther thought this practice was wholly unwarranted by Scripture, reason or tradition. It encouraged not repentance but mere payment. Luther promptly drew up 95 propositions or theses in Latin, following university custom, for a call to theological debate. Among other things, they argued that indulgences cannot remove guilt, do not apply to purgatory, and are harmful because they induce a false sense of security in the donor. The 95 Theses were not a general call to break with the Roman Catholic Church. The irony is that someone took the 95 Theses and translated them into German, the language of the common man. And with the aid of the printing press copies were distributed to the masses. This was the spark that ignited the Reformation. Consequently, many Protestant churches celebrate October 31 as Reformation Day, and the closest Sunday to it as Reformation Sunday.

* Of course, 1517 wasn’t the actual beginning of the use of the word Protestant. That didn’t occur until over a decade later. In 1526, the Diet of Speyer met concerning the previous Imperial Edict of Worms (1521) which had condemned Luther politically. The Diet held that “every State shall so live, rule, and believe as it may hope and trust to answer before God and his imperial Majesty”. However, practically it turned out so that each German state (prince) took it to grant freedom to choose its own allegiance: “As goes the religion of the Prince, so goes the people.” In 1529 at the Second Diet of Speyer, the Edict of Worms condemnation was reaffirmed essentially recondemning Luteranism. Half a dozen Lutheran princes presented a formal “Letter of Protestation,” which was subsequently printed and made public, and so were called “Protestants.“

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

Related posts:

1. Information Reformation
2. History of Kirking of the Tartans
3. History of April 19

HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN

Halloween (Allhallows Even) is the evening of October 31. In its strictly religious aspect this occasion is known as the vigil of Hallowmas or All Saints’ Day, November 1, observed by the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. In the fourth decade of the 8th century, Pope Gregory III moved this holiday to this date (from May 13) for celebrating the feast when he consecrated a chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to all the saints. Later, Gregory IV extended the feast to the entire church in 834. In Latin countries the evening of October 31 is observed only as a religious occasion, but in Great Britain, Ireland, and the United States, ancient Halloween folk customs persist alongside the ecclesiastical observance.

Halloween is the second most popular holiday in the U.S. after Christmas, at least according to retailers. Not only are candy and costumes popular purchases, but houses are being decorated with “Halloween lights.” Parties are popular and are increasingly being celebrated the weekend before. In Boston, for example, Salem is a popular location for these with its month-long Haunted Happenings celebrations — due to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 — and the Massachusetts Turnpike traffic signs point out that Salem can be reached from Boston via Route 1A North. I’ve seen young people in Tokyo dress up in western-style costumes during Halloween, especially in the Harajuku district along the shopping area on Takeshita-dori Street.

Students of folklore believe that the popular customs of Halloween show traces of the Roman harvest festival of Pomona and of Celtic Druidism. These influences are inferred from the use of nuts and apples as traditional Halloween foods and from the figures of witches, black cats, and skeletons commonly associated with the occasion.

In pre-Christian Ireland and Scotland, the Celtic year ended on October 31, the eve of Samhain, and was celebrated with both religious and harvest rites. For the Druids, Samhain (pronounced: SOWin) was both the “end of summer” and a festival of the dead. The spirits of the departed were believed to visit their kinsmen in search of warmth and good cheer as winter approached. It was also an occasion when fairies, witches, and goblins terrified the populace. The agents of the supernatural were alleged to steal infants, destroy crops, and kill farm animals. Bonfires were lighted on hilltops on the eve of Samhain. The fires may have been lighted to in the belief of guiding the spirits of the dead to the homes of their kinsmen or to kill and ward off witches. In the City Center of modern day Dublin one can find signs advertising “Samhain Halloween” parties. Samhain is also the name for November in the modern Scots Gaelic and Irish languages.

During the Middle Ages when the common folk believed that witchcraft was devoted to the worship of Satan, this cult included periodic meetings, known as Witches’ Sabbaths, which were allegedly given over to feasting and revelry. One of the most important Sabbaths was held on Halloween. Witches were alleged to fly to these meetings on broomsticks, accompanied by black cats who were their constant companions. Stories of these Sabbaths are the source of much folklore about Halloween.

In 17th century Puritan New England the celebration of Halloween was banned, along with any special celebration of Christmas and Easter, though Catholic Maryland and Anglican Virginia retained some Halloween customs. During 19th century Victorian times, Halloween was generally tame and devoid of occult overtones. Instead of pulling pranks or haunting neighborhoods, young people chatted and flirted in festooned parlors.

By the early part of the 20th century Halloween became almost a civic affair with block parties and parades. Pranks and mischief were common on Halloween. Wandering groups of celebrants blocked doors of houses with carts, carried away gates and plows, tapped on windows, threw vegetables at doors, and covered chimneys with turf so that smoke could not escape. In some places boys and girls dressed in clothing of the opposite sex and, wearing masks, visited neighbors to play tricks. These activities generally resembled the harmful and mischievous behavior attributed to witches, fairies, and goblins.

The contemporary “trick or treat” custom resembles an ancient Irish practice associated with Allhallows Eve. Groups of peasants went from house to house demanding food and other gifts in preparation for the evening’s festivities. Prosperity was assured for liberal donors and threats were made against stingy ones. These contributions were often demanded in the name of Muck Olla, an early Druid deity, or of St. Columb Cille, “dove of the Church” (also known as St. Colomba) who was an Irish missionary to Scotland during the 6th century. In England some of the folk attributes of Halloween were assimilated by Guy Fawkes day celebrated on November 5. Consequently Halloween lost some of its importance there.

Immigrants from Great Britain and Ireland brought secular Halloween customs to the U.S., but the festival did not become popular in this country until the latter part of the 19th century. This may have been because it had long been popular with the Irish, who migrated here in large numbers after 1840. In America, though some churches observe Halloween with religious services, many people regard it as a secular festival. Other Protestant churches celebrate it as Reformation Day in commemoration of the date of October 31 in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the northern wooden door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

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2. History of St. Valentine’s Day
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HISTORY OF DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME – ENDING

Daylight Saving Time, or DST, is a brilliant campaign to convince people that we’re getting more daylight each day, when in reality we’ve simply changed our clocks and then forgotten about it within two weeks. DST begins each year at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March in most of the United States and its territories, however there are some places that have not bought into this campaign: it is not observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands nor the state of Arizona except for the Navajo Indian Reservation, which does observe DST.

Standard Time begins each year at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of November. This is the time in the Fall to “Fall” back by moving your clocks back one hour at the resumption of Standard Time. In the Spring, we “Spring” forward an hour, losing an hour of sleep, and finally realizing where we get the names for half of the seasons of the year. However, with DST for Summer now occurring before the vernal equinox which brings Spring, shall we say “March forward”? What about the Southern Hemisphere which has the opposite seasons?

• In the United States, in 2009, DST is from 2:00 a.m. (local time) on March 8th until 2:00 a.m. (local time) on November 1st.

But this year it’s a little bit different. The European Union fell back yesterday, on October 25. In the past, the fall back occurred on the last Sunday in October, in the future it will occur on the first Sunday in November.

Why so many changes? Is this campaign on a roll, is it gaining energy? Indeed, it is all about energy… and of course, money.

Back in August 8, 2005, President Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Prior to 2007, DST began at 2:00 a.m. (local time) on the first Sunday in April, and ended at 2:00 a.m. (local time) on the last Sunday in October. The new rules for DST beginning in 2007 mean an extra four or five weeks of DST each year. There will now be a total of 238 days of DST, compared to a total of 210 days of DST in 2006 under the previous rules, and the U. S. will remain on DST for about 65% of the year. So think about it, DST will be in effect for most of the year.

It has spread to other countries as well, but cloaked under other names. In the European Union (EU) it goes by the name Summer Time Period and will happen from the last Sunday in March through the first Sunday in November (next year.) Most of Canada uses DST, except the majority of Saskatchewan and parts of northeastern British Columbia, but Manitoba and Ontario follow the US model to maintain “competitive advantage” with its major trading partner. In Russia though, they can’t get enough: they add an extra hour. During the Summer, Russia’s clocks are two hours ahead of standard time. During the winter, all 11 of the Russian time zones are an hour ahead of standard time. China and other parts of Asia and Africa ignore it completely. Closer to the equator, where the hours of daylight are similar throughout the seasons, they can see things better and are not fooled by the need for this “daylight saving” campaign.

You’re probably asking, “Bill… Petro… dot com, where did this all begin?” and well you might ask. Blame it on the trains… at least in Canada. Back before 1883, major cities used to set their clocks according to local astronomical conditions, but the advent of the railroads necessitated a way of standardizing schedules, hence the introduction of “time zones.” Canada’s Sir Sandford Flemming advocated this time zone and hourly variation, which was adopted at the International Prime Meridian Conference in Washington the following year.

But it did not yet see universal use. Various parts of the world experienced controversy concerning the impact on agriculture, outdoor activities, and business.

Many credit American Benjamin Franklin with convincing the modern idea in 1784 while envoy to France as a way of economizing on candles by rising earlier. Englishman William Willett sponsored DST throughout his life in the early 20th century. Germany and its territories used it throughout World War I and Britain and many of its allies later did the same. America standardized on it during WWI to save on coal usage. It was standardized upon again, year-round during WWII and again for two years during the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo, both as means of saving energy.

Where does money come in? While it continued the use of DST following WWI, it fell into disuse in America between WWI and WWII. New York City bankers and brokers made efforts to reinstate it, so they could capitalize on the extra hour of arbitrage that DST permitted with the London markets. The New York Board of Aldermen lobbied for it and saw it made law in 1920.

Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
-Benjamin Franklin

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

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HISTORY OF KIRKING OF THE TARTANS

This Sunday all over the world many churches will observe the Kirkin’ o’ th’ Tartans, a celebration of Scottish heritage and culture.

What is The Kirking of the Tartans?

Etymologically it simply means:

• Kirking, from the Scottish Gaelic word kirk which means church, in this usage it means “blessing.”

• Tartans are the traditional plaid emblems of Scottish clans represented in unevenly spaced colored lines and rectangles on woven wool cloth.

Historically, the story is a bit more varied. The popular legend goes as follows:

On July 25, 1745, the young Prince Charles Edward Stewart, “Bonnie Prince Charlie” returned from exile in France and landed at Lochnanaugh in Scotland where he began to enlist the Highland Clans for an unsuccessful attempt to dethrone George II of England and to restore the Scottish throne to the Royal House of Stewart.

Following Prince Charlie’s defeat, the Act of Proscription — to subdue the vanquished Highlanders — banned the wearing of any sign of the Tartan, forbad any speaking in Gaelic, outlawed Scottish music, dancing, or the playing of the pipes.

During the 36 years following the Disarming Act of 1746 when the Hanovarian English government strictly enforced this ban, during the Sunday service Scottish Highlanders would touch the hidden piece of tartan cloth under their clothes when the minister gave the benediction or kirkin’, thus rededicating themselves to God and their Scottish heritage.

A curious wrinkle in this legend is that many people in Scotland don’t know this history about the Kirkin’. It is difficult to find an unbroken line of history tracing the practice back specifically to this origin in the mid-18th century.

A more recent and better documented version of the story is that this began as a Scottish-American custom:

The Kirkin’ o’ th’ Tartans service was created or “revived” during World War II by Reverend Peter Marshall, perhaps best known by the biographical book and film A Man Called Peter — who was originally from southwest Scotland and at one time pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. In 1943 he was the first Chaplain of the U.S. Senate. In order to encourage Scottish-Americans to sign up to fight on behalf of Great Britain, Peter Marshall recreated the Kirkin’ o’ th’ Tartans ceremony to try to instill pride among Scottish-Americans in their Scottish homeland. The ceremony was at that time held in Presbyterian churches of Scottish heritage across the US. Today, the celebration is not limited to Presbyterian churches, but is found in Episcopalian, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and other denominations across the world. Now, in present day celebration, the Highlander patriotism, faithfulness, and strong independence are remembered by the displaying of tartans and public parade of the clans to the sound of the bagpipe.

While often celebrated on Reformation Sunday the last Sunday in October — to connect it with the anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing the 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Door on October 31, 1517 — Kirkin’s are also celebrated at other times of the year, as on St. Andrew’s Day — the patron saint of Scotland — on November 30, and Tartan Day on April 6. In 1954, the Kirkin‘ service was moved to the National Cathedral (Episcopal) in Washington — home of the Episcopal diocese of Washington — where it is still held to the present day.

In churches, and even at Scottish Highland Games, the Kirkin’ is celebrated by Scots — and those who would be Scots — accompanied by prayer, scripture, preaching, blessing, bagpipe, and of course, the singing of Amazing Grace.

Bill MacPetro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com

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HISTORY OF GARDEN OF THE GODS

Colorado Springs is known for many attractions that make it a tourist destination in Colorado: the Air Force Academy, the US Olympic Training Center, the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, the Broadmoor Hotel, Old Colorado City, Manitou Springs, the Flying W Ranch, Pikes Peak, Glen Eyrie, even the headquarters of Focus on the Family.

However, among the top three attractions is always the Garden of the Gods Park. This week the city celebrated the 100 year re-dedication of the park. Of course, the land use goes back much further in time than 100 years but on Christmas Day of 1909 the 480 acre property was dedicated to the city by the children of Charles Elliott Perkins, a railroad magnate who asked that it be deeded it to the city upon his death on the condition that it remain forever free to the public.

For hundreds of years previous, this area had been considered sacred grounds by the local native American peoples, primarily the Ute Tribe, but other tribes as well, who would congregate here in the Fall and hunt. Pikes Peak was the center of their world. The eastern most of the 54 mountain peaks of Colorado’s 14,000 footers, it towers in view from the plains to the east and on a clear day is visible from Denver and Kansas.

The history of this region’s exposure to Europeans dates back to the founding of the United States:

• 1776: Spanish soldiers chasing Comanche came upon this area.
• 1847: British explorer George Ruxton camped and hunted in the area. He would later write about it in his “Adventures in Mexico and the Rocky Mountains.”
• 1858: With the discovery of gold in the summer, great interest in the area developed, which would drive many prospectors to Cripple Creek in the Gold Rush of 1859.

Back in 1909, the city of Colorado Springs was a bit different from the half a million inhabitant city it is now. Then:

• 20,000 people
• 120 miles of road — only 2 miles were paved
• 7 public drinking fountains — 13 drinking troughs for horses

The city founder, General William Jackson Palmer had created many city parks, and Colorado Springs was considered a “Little London.” The addition of the Garden of the Gods Park augmented the tourist appeal of the city. Some of the “hogback” sandstone spines of red rock create 300 foot cliffs. Indeed, some say that the name Colorado comes from the color of the sandstone.

The name “Garden of the Gods” is of course, not of Indian origin, but goes back to 1858 when two local surveyors were participating in the setting up of the nearby Colorado City. M.S. Beach suggested that it would be a “capital place for a beer garden.” But his partner Rufus Cable was more strongly taken by the grandure of the locale, and replied, “Beer garden indeed; this is a place fit for the gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods” and so it remains.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com