31 July: Hey Jude

On this date in 1968 The Beatles recorded Hey Jude. Ten things you might not know about the song.

1. It’s fairly well known that this song was written for Julian Lennon, aged 5 at the time, to comfort and encourage him during his parents’ divorce. You may not know that the original title was Hey Jules, and that it was changed because Paul McCartney was inspired by a character called Jud in the musical Oklahoma!. It was several years before Julian Lennon found out the song was written for him.

2. When McCartney first played it for John and Yoko, John completely misinterpreted it, and thought it was about him and that the line "You were made to go out and get her" was Paul telling him to go after Yoko.

3. This was the first song released on Apple Records, the record label owned by The Beatles.

4. Hey Jude was The Beatles longest single at 7 minutes 11 seconds. The "na na na" fadeout alone takes four minutes with the chorus repeated 19 times. This was at a time when radio stations preferred short songs because they could cram more in, and/or didn’t think the listening public had the attention span to listen to long songs. But hey, this was the Beatles so it got played. When it became a hit the radio stations realised listeners didn’t get bored with long songs and so it paved the way for longer singles by other artists. DJs were probably pleased as well as longer tracks allowed for bathroom breaks.

5. The B side was Revolution, which was originally to be the A side but when it was noticed how strong a song Hey Jude was, it got swapped.

6. Scrawling the names of these two songs on the walls of the closed down Apple boutique, in order to promote them, got one employee into big trouble, because he didn’t know, and nobody told him, that Jude is German for Jew and so the local Jewish community found it offensive.

7. If you listen very carefully 2 minutes 55 seconds into the song you can hear a brief exchange by Lennon and McCartney (I gave it a listen to check this fact was true and I heard it, though it’s very faint!) where John Lennon says “Got the wrong chord” with the last word much louder, and a moment later, Paul says, "F**king hell."

8. When the Beatles music was made available for download for the first time on iTunes in 2010 - "Hey Jude" was the most downloaded Beatles song that day.

9. Famous cover versions include: Wilson Pickett, who recorded it soon after The Beatles did; Richie Havens, as part of his opening set at Woodstock in 1969; Katy Perry as part of the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year concert honouring McCartney; Elvis Presley, who didn’t cover many Beatles songs, but did do this one; and a parody performed by Sesame Street characters to promote healthy eating, called Hey Food.

10. Hey Jude is featured in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series in 1982. The premise was that the series was set in a post apocalyptic world where the chorus to Hey Jude was one of the few things which people could remember from the time before.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

30 July: Barrels

Today is the feast day of St Abdon, who is the is patron saint of barrel makers. Here are ten things you might not know about barrels.

1. Some barrel words. A person who makes barrels is called a cooper. The wooden parts of a barrel are called staves, the rings around them are called hoops. The tops and bottoms are called heads or headers. As to what a keg is, I found two different meanings. One said a keg is a small barrel, another said a keg is an empty barrel, the word cask being used for one that is full. The bulge around the middle is called the bilge.

2. There’s a reason why barrels bulge in the middle rather than being straight cylinders. It makes it easier to roll and possible to change direction easily while doing so.

3. Barrels have been around a long time. Pictures of wooden containers bound with hoops have been found in Egyptian tombs dating back to 2600 BC, and archaeologists have found remains of barrels dating back to 200 BC.

4. The Romans were responsible for popularising the barrel as a means to store and transport Wine. Before the Romans, wine was kept in various types of pottery jars such as the qvevri or amphora. Alternatively wineskins as referenced in The Bible. There were drawbacks, however. Wineskins might rot and earthenware was too fragile and likely to break. The Romans, keen not to waste any wine, started using wooden barrels. Once the wine had been consumed, Roman armies found uses for the empties: Julius Caesar would fill the barrel with tar, set it on fire and lob it over the city walls during a siege. The Romans also used empty barrels to make pontoon bridges and to line shallow wells.

5. Until the 19^th century, the hoops were made from wood, but the Victorians found that metal was stronger, more durable and took up less space.

6. Does the type of wood matter? It certainly does when it comes to alcoholic beverages. Oak is most popular for storing and ageing wines and spirits such as Whiskey. English oak (Quercus robur), white oak (Quercus petraea), American white oak (Quercus alba) are most commonly used, but but chestnut and redwood are not unknown. Japanese Cedar is used for sake.

7. The type of wood matters because chemical compounds in the wood, such as tannins and vanillins, infuse into the liquid contents, giving it flavour. American oak lends notes of Vanilla, Coconut, and Toffee. French oak gives Clove, spice and nutty flavours. Japanese cedar imparts an unusual, minty-piney flavour to the sake. Some drinks, such as bourbon, benefit from a bit of treatment to the barrel before the contents go in. Bourbon makers will char the inside of the barrel first to enhance the flavour. Eventually, the barrel will have given up all its chemical contents and becomes neutral. At this point it’s time to recycle it. Hence you may find old barrels in use as tables or stools or plant pots.

8. Barrels don’t have lids, but a small hole in one side called a bunghole, which is sealed by a stopper known as, you guessed it, a bung. Modern bungs are usually made from silicon.

9. While barrels are watertight, some of the contents will always be lost to evaporation. This is known as the angels’ share.

10. A barrel is also a standard measure of the capacity or weight of a commodity. In the UK and Ireland, for example, a barrel of beer equals 36 imperial gallons (160 litres or 43 US gallons).

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

29 July: 210

On day 210 of the year, some facts about 210.

1. The Australian sailor Jessica Watson’s attempt to circumnavigate the globe took 210 days. A TV film was made about her journey called 210 Days: Around the World with Jessica Watson, narrated by Richard Branson.

2. London bus route 210 runs from Finsbury Park Station to Brent Cross Shopping Centre.

3. 210 Isabella is a large asteroid from the central asteroid belt, discovered by Johann Palisa in 1879. The origin of the name is unknown.

4. The British Rail Class 210 was a type of diesel-electric multiple unit passenger train designed and constructed by British Rail Engineering Limited's Derby Litchurch Lane Works.

5. In US telephone numbers, area code 210 covers the southwestern parts of Texas, including most of Bexar County and San Antonio, the largest and the most populous city in the region.

6. The Nokia Asha 210 is a type of mobile phone with a QWERTY keyboard. It was officially announced on April 24, 2013, and it is part of the Nokia Asha series of feature phones.

7. The Cessna 210 Centurion is a six-seat, high-performance, light aircraft. First flown in January 1957, it was produced by Cessna until 1986.

8. The A210 is a road in London which connects Eltham and Blendon.

9. Apt. 210 Confessional is a 2015 American TV Mini Series about a group of flatmates and their neighbours.

10. In numerology, the number 210 is a creative and social energy. People with the number 210 are often found promoting other artist's works. Teaching art and other expressions of creativity also resonate with the number 210 energy.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

28 July: Gerard Manley Hopkins Quotes

Born on this date in 1844 was Gerard Manley Hopkins, a Jesuit poet. 10 quotes from him.

1. What you look at hard seems to look at you.

2. The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

3. Glory be to God for dappled things.

4. It seems then that it is not the excellence of any two things (or more) in themselves, but those two things as viewed by the light of each other, that makes beauty.

5. What would the world be, once bereft Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left, O let them be left, wildness and wet; Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

6. To lift up the hands in prayer gives God glory, but a man with a dungfork in his hand, a woman with a slop pail, give Him glory, too.

7. No one is ever so poor that he is not owner of the skies and stars and everything wild that is to be found on the earth.

8. Wisdom is early to despair.

9. I always knew in my heart Walt Whitman’s mind to be more like my own than any other man’s living. As he is a very great scoundrel this is not a pleasant confession.

10. By the by, if the English race had done nothing else, yet if they left the world the notion of a gentleman, they would have done a great service to mankind.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

27 July: 208

Today is day 208 of 2026. 10 fun facts about the number of the day.

1. 208 metres was the broadcast wavelength of Radio Luxembourg.

2. Fabulous 208 (retitled Fab 208 from 1969 onwards) was a British pop music magazine, so called due to fact 1.

3. 208 Lacrimosa is a main-belt asteroid discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa in 1879. The name derives from Our Lady of Sorrows, a title given to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

4. London bus 208 runs from: Lewisham Station to Orpington / Perry Hall Road.

5. The year 208 was a leap year starting on a Friday, known at the time as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Geta.

6. Ligne 208 was a 2001 film about a bus driver who gets stabbed by a gang of young people and goes all out to find them and get revenge. It was directed by Bernard Dumont.

7. The A208 is a road in England which runs between Eltham and Orpington.

8. The Peugeot 208 is a supermini car produced by the French automaker Peugeot. Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2012.

9. In Roman numerals it’s CCVIII and in binary 11010000.

10. In numerology 208 resonates with independence, self-reliance, and diplomacy with an essence or feeling of infinite potential. 208 energy also resonates with relationships, efficiency, and wholeness. The person who lives with number 208 energy approaches life with a sense of self-reliance and an inclination to explore areas of life and ways of doing things that have not had much attention. The person is apt to be romantic at heart.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

26 July: Brittany

Today is the feast day of St Anne, the patron saint of Brittany, France. 10 things you might not know about Brittany.

1. If you’re thinking that “Brittany” sounds a bit like “Britain”, that’s not a coincidence. In the 5^th and 6^th centuries, Celtic tribes from Britain, Wales and Cornwall, to be exact, emigrated here to escape the Anglo Saxon invasion. Hence the area became known as “Little Britain”. This is reflected in the French word for the region, “Bretagne” and the word for Great Britain: “Grand Bretagne“.

2. In Roman times it was part of a region called “Armorica” which was derived from the Celtic word for “seaside.” Which was an apt name as Brittany is the largest peninsula in France and has more than 2,860 km (1,780 miles) of coastline, representing a third of the coastline of France as a whole. It borders the English Channel to the north and the Bay of Biscay to the south. This coastline includes The Pink Granite Coast (Côte de Granit Rose), which is famous for its distinctive pink-hued granite rocks.

3. Needless to say, the area has much maritime history. Pirates were active in the area back in the day, ambushing ships crossing the Channel. They would return to Brittany to spend their spoils, making the area rich. St Malo in particular is known for its pirate history. There’s also an annual yacht race here. Brest is a significant port city which is home to a naval base and an aquarium. Brest is the westernmost port of France on the English Channel, only 160 miles from Plymouth as the crow flies, but 375 miles from Paris. The Breton shirt, a striped top which has become a fashion staple and a symbol of France, was originally worn by the sailors here.

4. The capital city is Rennes, although Nantes is bigger in terms of population.

5. Brittany was an independent kingdom and a duchy. It became part of France when Anne de Bretagne died in 1514 without a male heir, so her cousin King Francois I, who was also her son in law, inherited the throne and in 1532 formally united the two kingdoms. He also banned the regional languages and insisted everyone spoke his language, “françoys” – French. To this day, though, there is a nationalist movement which would like it to be an independent kingdom again.

6. Brittany has its own flag and an unofficial national anthem. The flag is called The Gwenn-ha-du, meaning “Black and White” in Breton and was designed in 1923 by Morvan Marchal, an independence activist. The flag features eleven black-and-white stripes representing the traditional dioceses, and an ermine canton, ermine being a symbol of the old rulers. It was inspired by the American flag.

7. The anthem is called Bro Gozh ma Zadoù which translates as "Old Land of My Fathers". The lyrics were written in the 19^th century and the music is a combination of the Welsh anthem with a similar name, and Bro Goth agan Tasow, the national anthem of Cornwall.

8. There is a strong connection with Arthurian legend, especially around the Paimpont forest, which, it has been claimed, is the enchanted forest of Brocéliande. There is a ruined castle here, by a lake, giving rise to the possibility that this was where the Lady of the Lake hung out. There’s a dolmen said to be Merlin’s tomb and a path said to be Morgan le Fay's Val sans Retour.

9. The culture of the area continues to have strong Celtic influences. Breton is a Celtic language, still spoken by some residents, and some street signs appear in both Breton and French. There are festivals of Celtic music and dance held annually around the region.

10. Brittany is home to many megalithic monuments. In fact, the words menhir and dolmen come from the Breton language.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/

25 July: Jacob Name Day

In Sweden, today is the name day for people called Jacob.

The name comes either from the Hebrew meaning "to follow, to be behind" or "to supplant, circumvent, assail, overreach", or from the word for "heel". 10 famous Jacobs:

1. Jacob: Hebrew patriarch who stole his brother Esau’s birthright.

2. Jacob: fictional character of the ABC television series Lost played by Mark Pellegrino, leader of the Others.

3. Jake Gyllenhaal: American actor.

4. Jacob Elordi: Australian actor.

5. Jacob Jacobs: Belgian landscape and seascape painter in the Romantic style, with a preference for northern and "oriental" scenes.

6. Jacob Astor: one of the wealthiest people in history.

7. Jacob Black: werewolf character in the Twilight book series by Stephenie Meyer.

8. Jake Bugg: English singer-songwriter.

9. Jacob Grimm: eldest of the Brothers Grimm, fairytale authors.

10. Jacob Rees-Mogg: British politician.

I also write novels and short stories. If you like superheroes, psychic detectives and general weirdness you might enjoy them. 

Check out my works of fiction at https://juliehowlinauthor.wordpress.com/my-books/