25 December 2013

Noel

[noh-el for 1, 2; noh-uhl, nohl for 3]

noun

1. the Christmas season; yuletide.
2. ( lowercase ) a Christmas song or carol, which references the ‘first birthday’ or birthday of Jesus which is celebrated at Christmas (Noel being French for birthday, which is derived from the Latin, ‘dies natalis’ meaning ‘birthday’).
3. a male given name.
Origin:
1805–15; < French ≪ Latin nātālis ( diēs ) birthday; see natal

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Today’s aphorism

A person upon whom the light of faith is revealed in its purity loves all people, with no exceptions whatsoever … Generally speaking, faith is the poem of life.

– Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Kook

On this day

25 December 1876 – birthday of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the father of Pakistan. Leader of the Muslim League calling for the creation of Pakistan. Served as Pakistan’s first Governor-General from 15 August 1947 until his death on 11 September 1948.

25 December 1914 – Soldiers from Britain, Germany, Russia and France agree to a ‘Christmas’ truce. They crossed no-man’s land and wished each other ‘Merry Christmas’ in each nation’s language.

25 December 1974 – Cyclone Tracy strikes Darwin, Northern Territory, killing 71 people and flattening 70% of the city, leaving 41,000 homeless (out of a population of 47,000). The cyclone had winds up to 240km/h, central pressure of 950 hectorpascals,

25 December 1991 – Soviet President Gorbachev resigns, declaring the Soviet presidency extinct, and hands power to Russian President Boris Yeltsin, effectively bringing an end to the Soviet Union.

25 December 2006 – death of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul. He was born 3 May 1933.

25 December 2008 – death of Eartha Kitt, American singer and actress. She played Catwoman in the 1960′s Batman TV series. Two of her more famous songs were ‘C’est Si Bon’ and ‘Santa Baby’. She was born on 17 January 1927.