Here is a listing of notable English Language & American historical and popular culture related events for the period of October 25 – November 1:
October 25:
On October 25, 1400 Geoffrey Chaucer, the most prominent English language poet and writer of the Middle Ages, died. Chaucer’s exact birth date is unknown but it is believed that he was born in London, England in approximately 1340. His best known work today, which is still a staple of many English Literature classes, is his “Canterbury Tales” which encompasses more than 17,000 lines of poetry.
And as you can imagine since he died in 1400 a good number of Geoffrey Chaucer’s works have fallen into the public domain; and so you can read the entire Canterbury Tales collection for free online! Google Books has a copy which you can even download to our PC if you like – here’s the link:
And you can also check a print copy out of the library if you prefer to read print books!
Note Before You Read: Be advised that The Canterbury Tales is written in the English of the Middle Ages – so it is not written in modern British or American English and will be something of a challenge to read; however, it is interesting to read the poetry in the book to see how the English language has evolved over time. And of course, Chaucer’s poetry itself is neat too!
October 26:
On October 26, 1825 the Erie Canal opened for business. The Erie Canal was the first large man made commercial water-way transport United States. The Erie Canal ran from the Huston River in Albany to the Lake Erie in Buffalo, New York and was a project enthusiastically sponsored by then New York State Governor Dewitt Clinton. Once the Erie Canal opened for business merchants, farmers and others could quickly float their tons of their goods westward through the on Canal on barges for a fraction of what it would cost to do so by mule and horse transport. The Erie Canal was very busy until steam travel was perfected and made it faster and cheaper to transport goods by train in the late nineteenth century.
You can still travel by boat today through most of the Erie Canal and the State of New York even maintains a website that offers current and historical information on the canal systems that still run through the state – here’s the link:
http://www.canals.ny.gov/navinfo/index.html
And here’s a link to a History site page that offers a history of the Erie Canal:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/erie-canal-opens
The great American gospel singer Mahalia Jackson was born on October 26, 1911 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jackson began singing professionally as a youth and became a popular singing star in the 1940s and 1950s. Jackson sang Christian songs with a deep passionate voice. Some of her best known songs include “Move On Up a Little Higher,” “Joshua Fit The Battle of Jericho,” and “Go Tell It On The Mountain.” Jackson sang at President Kenney’s inauguration in 1961 and at the famous Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights March of 1963. Mahalia Jackson died in 1972.
Here’s a link to Biography website bio of Mahalia Jackson:
http://www.biography.com/people/mahalia-jackson-9351242
And a link to a YouTube clip of Jackson singing the song “Down By The River Side:”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eiwb67-TMd0&list=PL780F47250A903430
October 28:
Microsoft founder, entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates was born on October 28, 1955 in Seattle, Washington. Gates began programming computers as a youth with a friend named Paul Allen and the two went on to form a company originally called Micro-Soft in 1975. Micro-Soft became Microsoft in 1976. And with its user friendly software Microsoft went on to become the dominant computer software company in the world – its operating system (or OS for short) being installed on the great majority of computers being sold to consumers from the 1980s on; and the success of the company made Bill Gates one of the wealthiest men in the world! Bill Gates and his wife Melinda formed the philanthropic Gates Foundation in 1994 and the Foundation has given billions of dollars towards a variety of charities including public libraries!
Bill Gates left his role working as the chief operating office of Microsoft in 2000 to focus on philanthropic work but remains on the Microsoft Board.
Here’s a link to a Bio biography of Bill Gates:
http://www.biography.com/people/bill-gates-9307520
And here’s a link to a history of Microsoft:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/history
October 29:
Actor Richard Dreyfuss was born on October 29, 1947 in Brooklyn, New York. Dreyfuss began appearing as a supporting actor in television shows like “Gidget” and “Bewitched” during the mid-sixties. Dreyfuss then moved on to supporting roles in movies like “Baby Face Nelson” and “Valley of the Dolls” before landing the film role that first brought him to the attention of American film goers; that of Curt Henderson, a recent high school graduate unsure of what he wants to do with his future, in the film classic “American Graffiti.” Dreyfuss has since become one of the most popular and critically acclaimed American film actors of his generation. Dreyfuss has put in top notch performance in a number of other films over the years including “The Goodbye Girl,” ”Down & Out In Beverly Hills,” “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” and the recent Oliver Stone film “W.”
Here’s a link to a Biography site bio of Richard Dreyfuss and you can check out his movies on DVD at the library!
http://www.biography.com/people/richard-dreyfuss-9279259?page=2
October 30:
Emily Post was born on October 30, 1872 in Baltimore, Maryland. Post published the first edition of her famous book on etiquette titled “Etiquette: The Blue Book of Social Usage” in 1922. The book quickly became a popular guide that Americans’ consulted to determine what qualified as socially acceptable behavior. The book has been published in more than 100 different editions over the years and is still in print in 2013! The book is now known as “Emily Post’s Etiquette” and it is still being updated to reflect modern standards of etiquette by members of Emily Post’s family.
Here’s a link to a Biography site bio of Emily Post:
http://www.biography.com/people/emily-post-9445093
And the library owns several copies of the book “Emily Post’s Etiquette “ so if you’d like to check one out – ask the staff the next time you’re in the library!
October 31:
The Humorous NPR Auto Repair Show Car Talk debuted on National Public Radio On October 31, 1987. The show featured two brothers; Tom and Ray Magliozzi who were nicknamed “Click and Clack; the Tappet Brothers.” The program was aired live and allowed radio listeners to call in call in and describe the trouble they were having with their cars and allow the repair expert Magliozzi brother to answer their questions in a humorous fashion. The brother always had a joke or two up their sleeves and the so the radio program became known as much for their good natured humor as for the car repair tips they offered.
The Magliozzi Brothers hosted the show live on Saturday mornings for 35 years through 2012 and have since retired. However, they taped many, many programs over their long run and those are being replayed every Saturday morning on NPR.
So if you’re in the mood to listen to two comedian car experts on Saturday mornings check out Car Talk on NPR Radio! And if you’re in the mood to listen any other time check out the Car Talk website which features clips from the show – here’s the link:
November 1:
November 2013 is Peanut Butter Lovers month in the United States!
So if you like peanut butter you should make all the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, peanut butter pie and peanut butter cookies you desire in the month of November!
And you can also check out the Peanut Butter Lovers website to find out more about Peanut Butter Lovers month and even find some new recipes that include that delicious ingredient peanut butter!
Here’s the link:
http://peanutbutterlovers.com/
Have a great week!
Linda R.
References
Ankeny, Jason. Artist Biography Mahalia Jackson. All Music. Online. Accessed October 25, 2013, http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mahalia-jackson-mn0000814657/biography
Car Talk. Car Talk. Online. Accessed October 25, 2013, http://www.cartalk.com/
Chase’s Calendar of Events 2013. New York. McGraw-Hill. 2013
Dewitt Clinton. Union College. Online. Accessed October 25, 2013, http://www.eriecanal.org/UnionCollege/Clinton.html
History of the Canal: A Brief History of the Canal. The Erie Canal Museum. Online. Accessed October 25, 2013, http://eriecanalmuseum.org/history/
A History of Windows: Highlights from the first 25 years 1975–1981: Microsoft boots up. Microsoft. Online. Accessed October 25, 2013, http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/history
Mahalia Jackson. Biography. Online. Accessed October 25, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/mahalia-jackson-9351242
Mahalia Jackson Discography. All Music. Online. Accessed October 25, 2013, http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mahalia-jackson-mn0000814657/discography
Memmott, Mark. (2012, June 08). ‘Car Talk’ Guys Are Retiring, But Their Best Stuff Will Be Rebroadcast Online. Accessed October 25, 2013, http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/06/08/154576808/car-talk-guys-are-retiring-but-their-best-stuff-will-be-rebroadcast
New York State Canals. New York State. Online. Accessed October 25, 2013, http://www.canals.ny.gov/navinfo/index.html
Richard Dreyfuss. Biography. Online. Accessed October 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/richard-dreyfuss-9279259
This Day In History: October 26: The Erie Canal Opens. History. Online. Accessed October 25, 2013, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/erie-canal-opens
The American Dream Starts @ The Southeast Steuben County Library 