History of St. Francis of Assisi | Bill Petro
History of St. Francis of Assisi
History of St. Francis of Assisi [T]he man we know as St. Francis was born in Assisi, Italy, in 1181 or 1182, and died on October 3, 1226. His feast day is October 4. In October 2025, the Italian Parliament restored October 4th as a national feast, previously dropped in 1977, to take effect this year, the 800th anniversary of his death…
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History of October: the Pumpkin Spice Saga | Bill Petro
History of October: The Pumpkin Spice Saga
HISTORY OF OCTOBER: THE PUMPKIN SPICE SAGA [O]ctober, the tenth month of the year in both the older Julian and the current Gregorian calendar, was the eighth month (Latin octo) in the ancient Roman calendar, but with the addition of January and February, it got bumped to Number 10. This month is significant because, according to the modern Gregorian calendar, it is the first full month of Autumn, and of…
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History of Michaelmas: Who is St. Michael? | Bill Petro
History of Michaelmas: Who is St. Michael?
HISTORY OF MICHAELMAS [S]eptember 29 is Michaelmas, meaning “Michael’s Mass” or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels. It’s known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels, in the Roman Catholic Church, or as the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels in the Anglican Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church, instead, celebrates the Feast of the Archangels…
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History of Sukkot: Festival of Booths | Bill Petro
History of Sukkot: Festival of Booths
HISTORY OF SUKKOT: FESTIVAL OF BOOTHS Tonight, at sunset on September 25, begins the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, also known as the Festival of Booths or the Festival of Tabernacles. We've talked about the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; Sukkot, which follows five days later, differs in that it is one of the…
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History of Fall: What is the Autumnal Equinox? | Bill Petro
History of Fall: What is the Autumnal Equinox?
History of the Fall: how does it relate to the Autumnal Equinox?
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History of September 21: Earth, Wind & Fire | Bill Petro
History of September 21: Earth, Wind & Fire
History of September 21: Earth, Wind & Fire When the band Earth, Wind & Fire released the feel-good song "September" in 1978, it broke into the Top 10 and has been one of their biggest commercial successes. However, the single was initially released on November 18, 1978, and was one of three new songs included on the compilation album "
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History of Talk Like a Pirate Day: Ahoy, Matey! | Bill Petro
History of Talk Like a Pirate Day: Ahoy, Matey!
HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY Podcast International Talk Like a Pirate Day began not in the Golden Age of Pirates in days of yore but in 2002. It is celebrated each year on September 19; although it originated in the United States, it is now observed internationally across the Seven Seas. The Tale of Talk Like a Pirate Day…
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History of Oktoberfest: It starts in September? | Bill Petro
History of Oktoberfest: Why Does it Start in September?
HISTORY OF OKTOBERFEST Podcast [W]hy does the famous German beer festival start in September if it’s called Oktoberfest? Officially, the beer festival begins on the third Saturday in September and lasts for sixteen to eighteen days, running through early October. This year, Oktoberfest runs from September 19 to October 4. What is the backstory of Oktoberfest?
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History of the US Constitution: 239 Years Ago | Bill Petro
History of The Constitution of the United States: 239 Years Ago
HISTORY OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES Part of the series on America 250, the US Semiquincentennial Podcast [O]n September 17, 1787, the US Constitution was created. Though it would take until: June 21, 1788, to be ratified, and until March 4, 1789, to be effective. In a very real sense, it was the founding document of the United States of America's system of government.
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History of Rosh Hashanah: Jewish New Year | Bill Petro
History of Rosh Hashanah: Jewish New Year
HISTORY OF ROSH HASHANAH [R]osh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish new year, which starts tomorrow according to the Jewish calendar; tomorrow begins at sundown tonight. “Rosh” is Hebrew for “head,” and Rosh Hashanah refers to the head of the year on the 1st day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Jewish ecclesiastical calendar. It marks the beginning of the civil year.
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History of 9/11, Twenty-five Years Ago: Patriot Day | Bill Petro
History of 9/11, Twenty-five Years Ago: Patriot Day
HISTORY OF PATRIOT DAY: 9/11 Twenty-five Years Ago Podcast [O]n 9/11, September 11, 2001, twenty-five years ago, more Americans were killed on American soil in one day than in any attack since Pearl Harbor in 1941. A series of terrorist airplane hijacking attacks occurred in New York City, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon… and the world changed. As the events of December 7, 1941, led to war, so too did the events of September 11, 2001.
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History of the Fall of the Roman Empire: the Short Version | Bill Petro
History of the Fall of the Roman Empire: the Short Version
HISTORY OF THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE On September 4, AD 476, Odoacer captured the city of Ravenna and deposed Emperor Romulus Augustulus, marking the Fall of the Roman Empire. What do we mean by the Fall of the Roman Empire? First, what do we mean by the Roman Empire? This part of the statement needs clarification first.
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History of Labor Day: What's Work Got To Do With It? | Bill Petro
History of Labor Day: What’s Work Got To Do With It?
HISTORY OF LABOR DAY [L]abor Day is the day we celebrate the process our mothers went through to deliver us at birth. Sorry, wrong holiday; Labor Day in the U.S. is the day we celebrate the achievements of the American labor movement. Because Labor Day is always observed on the first Monday in September, the date varies depending on which day of the week the month begins.
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History of Star Trek: 60 Years Ago, Now , and the Future | Bill Petro
History of Star Trek: 60 Years Ago, Now, and the Future
HISTORY OF STAR TREK Podcast [S]tar Trek premiered on NBC TV on September 8, 1966... 60 years ago. It is my favorite television show; I was glued to the TV for the first episode and every one after that. It had a significant influence on my choice of a career in technology. The show presented an optimistic vision of the future, where the challenges of poverty and hunger had already been addressed.
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History of I Have A Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr. – 63 Years Ago | Bill Petro
History of I Have A Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr. – 63 Years Ago
HISTORY OF I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH [T]oday, 63 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. It continues to echo down the halls of history more than six decades later. On August 28, 1963, he delivered his speech at the March on Washington, at the height of the Civil Rights movement. Over a quarter of a million supporters gathered at the Mall in Washington, D.C., where King delivered his public speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, looking over the Reflecting Pool.
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History of the 19th Amendment: Women's Right to Vote, 106 Years Ago | Bill Petro
History of the 19th Amendment: Women’s Right to Vote, 106 Years Ago
HISTORY OF THE 19TH AMENDMENT: WOMEN'S RIGHT TO VOTE [O]ver a hundred years ago, on August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted. This prohibited the federal and state governments from denying citizens of the United States the right to vote on the basis of sex. Effectively, this meant that the right to vote could no longer be denied to women.
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History of the California Gold Rush: How It Created the State | Bill Petro
History of the California Gold Rush: How It Created the State
HISTORY OF THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH On August 19, 1848, the New York Herald reported news of the California Gold Rush along the American East Coast. It was not new news to those further West, as the gold rush had started in January and was publicized in San Francisco in March. However, the New York Herald was then the most popular and profitable newspaper in the US.
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History of Woodstock: Almost 60 Years Ago | Bill Petro
History of Woodstock: Almost 60 Years Ago
HISTORY OF WOODSTOCK August 15 marks the anniversary of the "3 Days of Peace & Music" held in 1969 at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the village of Woodstock. This outdoor music event, despite thunderstorms, gave voice to the counterculture youth generation of its time. A documentary film followed it in 1970, and a top-selling soundtrack album was released.
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History of Infinity Day: Why is it on August 8? | Bill Petro
History of Infinity Day: Why is it on August 8?
HISTORY OF INFINITY DAY: AUGUST 8 Infinity Day, also known as Universal & International Infinity Day, is a commemoration held on the 8th day of the 8th month of each year to celebrate and promote Philosophy and Philosophizing for the ordinary person.
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History of August: Who Is It Named After? | Bill Petro
History of August: Who Is It Named After?
HISTORY OF AUGUST [W]hat's in a name? The name of this month was not always August; previously, the Romans referred to it as Sextilis. Because the calendar then started in March, this was the sixth month. This was back in the days of Romulus in 753 B.C., when there were originally ten months (… Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec...
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History of William Wilberforce: Champion of British Slavery Abolition | Bill Petro
History of William Wilberforce: Champion of British Slavery Abolition
HISTORY OF WILLIAM WILBERFORCE [O]ne hundred ninety-three years ago today, on July 26, 1833, the Slavery Abolition Act passed its third reading in the House of Commons, ensuring the end of slavery in the British Empire. William Wilberforce had championed the cause for nearly half a century. This article, published on the anniversary of the Act's passage, also looks ahead to Wilberforce's birthday on August 24.
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