Although pineapples weren't introduced in England until the 1600s, by the 1700s owning pineapples had become a huge craze. Those rich enough to own a pineapple would carry them around to signify their personal wealth and high-class status. And for those who weren’t rich enough to buy their own pineapples and become a part of this fad, they could rent a pineapple for the day, (prices for renting the fruit overnight would reach an equivalent amount of $8,000.)
Today is the Feast of The Transverberation of St. Teresa of Avila (this time, I'm not sure even an old lady saying her rosary in church can explain it to you.)
If you find yourself in Rome, run, do not walk, to see the Santa Maria della Vittoria Church. It houses one of the most amazing pieces of art - The Ecstasy of St. Teresa by Bernini.
The statues depict a moment described by Saint Teresa of Avila in her autobiography, where she had the vivid vision of an angel piercing her heart with a golden shaft, over and over again, causing her both immense joy and pain. The flowing robes and contorted posture abandon classical restraint and repose to depict a more passionate, almost voluptuous trance.
Such is my obsession with religion.
La Tomatina tomato fight in Buñol near Valencia happens every year on the last Wednesday in August though the partying starts earlier in the week. The highlight of the festival is the tomato fight which takes place between 11am and 1pm on that day. Thousands upon thousands of people make their way from all corners of the world to fight in this World's Biggest Food Fight.
There is no political or religious significance to La Tomatina, it's just good, messy fun. The tradition’s beginning remains a mystery but this event is estimated to have begun in 1945. The event has become one of the highlights on Spain’s summer festivals calendar with thousands of people flocking to this little Valencian town for this chaotic event. Unfortunately, the event this year was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain.
Seth Wheeler patents rolled and perforated toilet paper (U.S. patent No. 117355) on July 25, 1871. The first time toilet paper was ever sold on a roll was on August 26, 1871 (Joseph Gayetty, often created as 'the father of modern TP' sold his product in packets of flat sheets.) August 26 was later officially dubbed National Toilet Paper Day.
The Chinese took a break from inventing everything else and were thought to have create TP on this date in 580 AD. They were far too serious to be messing around with any old orgies not to note the correct date.
Today is also National Dog Day, reminding potential dog owners to adopt their dogs from shelters, rather than buying from pet stores.
But why isn't it celebrated during the dog days of summer?
August 26, 1953 -
Considered to be one of the great science fiction films of the 1950s, George Pal's The War of the Worlds was released on this date.
George Pal initially planned to portray the Martians and their fighting machines similarly to how they appear in the original novel. However, after being informed by a United States Army technical adviser that the Tripods, as they are portrayed in the 1897 novel, would pose no real threat to a 1950s era human military, he opted to change the fighting machines. Namely, Pal chose to introduce the atom bomb-resistant deflector shields.
August 26, 1983 -
The David Bowie film Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, co-starring Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Takeshi Kitano opened on this date
Laurens van der Post, the author of this film's source novel The Seed and The Sower, once said of this filmed adaptation of his novel: "This is a great and deeply moving film. The only war film I have ever seen that does not exploit the surface drama and horrifics of war, but penetrates into the origins and meaning of war in the human spirit. Moreover, it is honest and brave, and looks with the same unevasive and unblinking eyes into the character of Japanese and Europeans alike."
Another failed ACME product
Today in History:
August 26, 1498 -
A statue was commissioned for the tomb in St. Peters of the French cardinal Jean de Billheres (who was a representative in Rome), on this date.
Michelangelo (23 at the time) won the commission to make the Pieta.
August 26, 1743 -
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier was born on this date. Dr. Lavoisier discovered Oxygen (Joseph Priestley may beg to differ) but not on this date; he was usually too busy celebrating his birthday.
The discovery was a great boon to science, as it enabled Breathing, without which many subsequent scientific advances would have been impossible.
August 26, 1883 -
Krakatoa erupted, between Java and Sumatra on this date. The two-day eruption and related tidal waves killed 36,000 people and destroyed two thirds of the island. (Yeah, yeah, I know, Krakatoa is West of Java.)
On a lighter note, "Krakatoa" sounds like "cracked a toe, huh?" and can be used in many humorous puns.
August 26, 1957 -
Henry Ford was a very plain man; he wasn't interested in anything fancy. Ford left the design stylings of the Model A (during the late 20s, early 30s) to his son Edsel. The Model A pretty much saved the company, at the time.
110,847 of the cars are built before Ford pulls the plug due to lack of sales.
And so it goes.
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