DayBird - March 17th

 

180 – Marcus Aurelius dies leaving Commodus as the sole emperor of the Roman Empire. Just like in the movie.

461(?) – According to tradition, St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, died in Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland. (b.387)

Born in Great Britain, to a well-to-do Christian family of Roman citizenship, Patrick was captured and enslaved at age 16 by Irish marauders. Wait, he wasn’t Irish? Wait, he was British? Hahhaha. Awesome.

According to the Confessio (which he wrote), back in his homeland- Britain, Patrick had dream, in which an some guy gave him a letter, entitled "The Voice of the Irish." As he read, Patrick seemed to hear the voices of Irishmen pleading him to return to their country. So, he went to the priesthood, and was ordained a Bishop, and set off for Ireland in 433. He began converting lots and lots of Irish and building churches. After 40 years of living in poverty, teaching, traveling and converting, Patrick died, 461 in Saul, where he had built his first church.

Do the Irish know their patron saint is British?

1756 – Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in New York City for the first time (at the Crown and Thistle Tavern).

1845 – The rubber band is patented.

1969 – Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.

1973 - St Patrick Day marchers carry 14 coffins commemorating Bloody Sunday.

1985 – Serial killer Richard Ramirez, the "Night Stalker," commits his first two murders in his California murder spree. I didn’t know he was from El Paso, TX.