1 April: Carlisle

On this date in 1974 Carlisle was granted city status. 10 things you might not know about Carlisle:

1. The settlement began as a Roman fort back in 72 AD, providing support for Hadrian's Wall. The Roman settlement was named Luguvalium, which means "strength of Lugus".
2. Carlisle is the only city in Cumbria.
3. It is located 8 miles (13 km) south of the Scottish border and has at times been part of Scotland. It isn’t in the Domesday Book, because at that time it was part of Scotland.
4. Her Majesty’s Theatre in Carlisle was the first theatre ever to be lit by Electricity in 1880.
5. It has a significant place in Arthurian legend as the main setting for the tale of Sir Gawain, who, legend has it, stayed at the Castle of Carlisle while on a hunting expedition in Inglewood Forest. He slept with the Carle's wife and killed him. It has even been suggested that Carlisle is the actual Camelot, mythical seat of King Arthur's court.
6. The city might be cursed. In the 16^th century, a curse was said to have been invoked by Archbishop Dunbar of Glasgow against people from Carlisle who crossed the border into Scotland to pillage and steal cattle. For the millennium celebrations, the local council commissioned a 14-tonne granite artwork inscribed with all 1,069 words of the curse. After this was installed, there were floods, an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, job losses, and perhaps worst of all in the minds of some, the football team failed to score goals. The Council considered removing the stone, but a local white witch counselled against doing that, because it would show they believed in the curse, thus giving it more power.
7. The castle is over 900 years old. Built in 1092 by William Rufus, it served as a prison for Mary Queen of Scots in 1568 and now houses the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment and the Border Regiment Museum.
8. The first Pillar Box on the UK mainland was installed in Carlisle in 1853.
9. Sir Walter Scott, the famous Scottish author of Rob Roy, was married at the cathedral on a visit to the Lake District.
10. Famous people from Carlisle include Eddie Stobart, haulage magnate, Grace Dent, restaurant critic and broadcaster, Jancis Robinson, Master of Wine, journalist and wine critic and Melvyn Bragg, presenter and broadcaster.

Character Birthday

April. Member of the Calendar Mob. Her power is weather manipulation, in particular, causing rain. She is sometimes nick-named "April Shower," due to her power, and sometimes, rather cruelly, "April Fool" due to her limited intelligence and reputation as a dizzy blonde.