11th September: O Henry quotes

O Henry, writer of short stories, was born on this date in 1862. Here are 10 O. Henry quotes:

1. The true adventurer goes forth aimless and uncalculating to meet and greet unknown fate.
2. We may achieve climate, but weather is thrust upon us.
3. Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
4. Write what you like; there is no other rule.
5. A burglar who respects his art always takes his time before taking anything else.
6. Turn up the lights. I don't want to go home in the dark. (Last words)
7. Life is full of sniffles sobs and smiles. With sniffles predominating.
8. If a person has lived through war, poverty and love, he has lived a full life.
9. It ain't the roads we take; it's what's inside of us that makes us turn out the way we do.
10. There are stories in everything. I've got some of my best yarns from park benches, lampposts, and newspaper stands.

10th September: Gibraltar National Day

Gibraltar National day, which celebrates Gibraltar's first sovereignty referendum. Here are 10 things you might not know about Gibraltar:

1. Gibraltar has an area of just 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2) and a population of around 30,000, making it the fifth most densely populated territory in the world.
2. The name of the island comes from Arabic, Jabal Ṭāriq, meaning "Mountain of Tariq", after a general who invaded in 711. The name refers to the Rock.
3. Talking of the Rock, it is 426 m (1,398 ft) high and made of Jurassic limestone. It is known for being home to colonies of apes, and it has man made tunnels underneath it, known as the Galleries or the Great Siege Tunnels.
4. The official language is English, but most people speak Spanish as well, because it is so close to Spain. There are a number of other languages spoken by different ethnic groups such as Arabic, Hindi and Hebrew. Gibraltar has its own unique language, too - Llanito which is a hybrid of Andalusian Spanish and British English with smatterings of Maltese, Portuguese, Genoese Italian, Haketia (Ladino) and Hebrew.
5. The motto of Gibraltar is Nulli Expugnabilis Hosti (Latin for "No Enemy Shall Expel Us").
6. Gibraltar Airport is listed as one of the world's scariest airports, because of the strong cross winds around the Rock and across the Bay of Algeciras. The airport is unusual because it is within walking distance of the town and also because one of the the main streets, Winston Churchill Avenue, intersects with the runway so that traffic has to be stopped with barricades whenever a plane wants to take off or land - although tunnels are now being built that will divert the traffic underneath the runway.
7. Gibraltar is twinned with Funchal, Madeira (another place with a scary airport), and Ballymena in Northern Ireland (which doesn't have an airport at all).
8. Gibraltar was given to Britain in perpetuity under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, so that Britain would withdraw from the War of the Spanish Succession. Spain has never really been happy about this and there have been several attempts to get it back; the political rumblings continue to this day.
9. Evidence of Neanderthal habitation in Gibraltar between 28,000 and 24,000 BC has been discovered, making Gibraltar the last known holdout of the Neanderthals.
10. The first recorded inhabitants were the Phoenicians, around 950 BC. At one time, Gibraltar was known as one of the Pillars of Hercules, after the Greek legend of the creation of the Strait of Gibraltar by Heracles.

9th September: Chrysanthemum day

10 things you didn't know about Chrysanthemums:

1. The reason today is Chrysanthemum Day is probably because of the Chinese Double Ninth festival which takes place on the 9th day of the ninth lunar month. The festival originates from the fact that in Chinese spiritual tradition, the date has too much yang and is therefore dangerous, so they had to do things to ward off danger, which included climbing mountains and drinking chrysanthemum wine. Today, it has become a day to celebrate the flower - drink chrysanthemum tea and wine, learn poems about them or visit a chrysanthemum exhibit.
2. The Chrysanthemum plant is renowned as one of the Four Gentlemen in Chinese and East Asian art, the other three being the orchid, the bamboo and the plum blossom.
3. The name "chrysanthemum" is derived from the Greek words chrysos (gold) and anthemon (flower).
4. In Japan, the chrysanthemum is a symbol of the Emperor and Imperial family - specifically a golden chrysanthemum with sixteen petals. In the War of Dynasties, which began in 1357 and lasted for 55 years, warriors of the South wore a yellow chrysanthemum as a badge of courage.
5. The chrysanthemum was recognised as the official flower of the city of Chicago by Mayor Richard J. Daley in 1966.
6. Chrysanthemum plants are natural sources of a compound called pyrethrin, which is lethal to all insects, so they are useful as a natural, biodegradable insecticide.
7. In France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Poland, Hungary and Croatia, some types of the flower are symbolic of death and can only be used for funerals. It would be seen as very unlucky to have them in the house at any other time.
8. Other countries have a more positive image of them. In Australia, they are typically given as gifts on Mother's Day - possibly because of the common abbreviation to "mums" - but also because they are in season at that time. Men may wear one in their lapels to honour their mothers.
9. In China, Japan and Korea, white chrysanthemums are symbolic of lamentation and grief, but in Germany, they are associated with Christmas because of a legend about a German family who took in a starving, freezing beggar on Christmas Eve, fed and clothed him. The beggar, in due course, revealed himself to be the Christ Child and fled, leaving behind two white chrysanthemums. So in Germany, white chrysanthemums are brought indoors to symbolise sheltering the Christ Child.
10. Chrysanthemum plants have been shown to reduce indoor air pollution by the NASA Clean Air Study.

8th September: The Severn Bridge Opened

The Severn Bridge was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 1966. 10 things you might not know about the Severn Bridge:

1. The Severn Bridge is known as Pont Hafron to Welsh Speakers.
2. In 1999, it was granted Grade I listed status.
3. In 1962, it was decided that the building costs would be recovered by means of a toll - two shillings and sixpence per vehicle, although walking or cycling across would be free. In 2013 it cost £6.20 to drive across in a car. If you happen to be driving a lorry it would set you back £18.60. Motorcycles and disabled badge holders can still cross for free and there is still a footpath and cycle path on either side of the road. The road in question is now the M48. It was the M4 up until 1996, when a second bridge crossing opened. The cycle lane forms part of National Cycle Route 4.
4. The Severn Bridge has carried more than 300,000,000 vehicles since it opened.
5. Its vital statistics are: Total length 0.99 mi (1.6 km); Height 445 ft (136 m); Longest span 3,240 ft (988 m) and Clearance below 154 ft (47 m).
6. Shortly after the opening of the Severn Bridge, Anglo-Welsh poet Harri Webb wrote an Ode on the Severn Bridge: Two lands at last connected Across the waters wide, And all the tolls collected On the English side. It is indeed the case that tolls are only collected from vehicles travelling from England into Wales, and has been so since the 1990s when it was decided that toll booths on both sides caused too much traffic congestion.
7. Although known as the Severn Bridge, it actually spans the River Wye as well as the Severn so perhaps it should be called the Severn and Wye Bridge. It stretches between Aust, South Gloucestershire in England and Chepstow in Monmouthshire on the Welsh side. Before the bridge was built, a ferry used to sail from Aust.
8. The Bridge cost £8 million to build, and consists of four component structures: Aust Viaduct, The Severn Bridge itself, Beachley Viaduct (crossing the Beachley peninsula) and the Wye Bridge. It is actually the Wye Bridge section that forms the border between England and Wales, because Beachley is in England.
9. The Severn Bridge is a suspension bridge, with the unusual feature that the cables suspending it are not vertical but form a zig zag pattern, designed to reduce vibration.
10. Like many large structures, tragedies have occurred during its construction and maintenance. On 19 November 1961, three of the builders fell into the river. The alarm was raised and a rescue boat crewed by two men set sail from Chepstow. Unknown to the crew of the rescue boat the three men had been picked up safely by the last crossing of the day of one of the Aust to Beachley ferry boats, the Severn Princess. Two tanker barges were coming down empty from Sharpness, the Wyesdale H and the Wharfedale H, tied together and both being steered from the Wyesdale H. The steersman failed to see the rescue boat, as the boat had no navigation lights, and both barges collided with it. One man was saved, but the other crew member of the rescue boat drowned. Then on 4 September 1990, three men were working in one of the four maintenance gantries attached to the underside of the Severn Bridge, carrying out routine maintenance work. The gantry gave way plunging the three men into the Severn. Mark Seaton (19), a painter, survived the 150 ft (46 m) drop, but Robin Phelps (44) and Eric Sullivan (46) were killed.

7th September: Elizabeth I

On this date in 1533, Elizabeth I, Queen of England from 1558 to 1603, was born. 10 things you might not know about Elizabeth I:

1. She nearly didn't become queen at all. Because her mother, Anne Boleyn, had fallen out of favour and been executed, Elizabeth was deemed to be illegitimate and to have no claim on the throne. Her brother, Edward VI, named Lady Jane Grey as his heir - but in the end, statute law prevailed and Edward's will was declared invalid.
2. Her godparents were Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, the Marquess of Exeter, the Duchess of Norfolk and the Dowager Marchioness of Dorset.
3. Elizabeth spoke 9 languages besides English: French, Flemish, Italian, Spanish, Greek. Welsh, Cornish, Scottish and Irish. According to accounts of the time, she was fluent in all of them.
4. As a teenager, she suffered what today would be deemed sexual abuse at the hands of Catherine Parr's husband, Thomas Seymour, who would tickle her, slap her bottom and even go into her bedroom in his nightclothes. At first, Catherine would join in and once held Elizabeth down while Thomas cut her gown into pieces. However, when she discovered him embracing Elizabeth, that was the final straw and Elizabeth was sent away. When Catherine died, Thomas renewed his attentions towards Elizabeth and this time was executed for plotting to marry her. Some historians believe that Elizabeth was traumatised by his abuse and that was why she would never marry.
5. Elizabeth became queen at the age of 25.
6. It was never in doubt that Elizabeth would follow the Protestant religion - the English church did not view a retroactive declaration of illegitimacy as a bar to her being queen - she had been eligible when she was born and that was sufficient. The Catholics claimed she had always been illegitimate.
7. Although she never married, Elizabeth considered a number of suitors until she was about 50. Her last courtship was with Francis, Duke of Anjou, 22 years her junior - what we'd call a "toy boy" today.
8. Another reason put forward for her single status was that she was in love with a man who was married to somebody else - her childhood friend Robert Dudley. There was a scandal when Dudley's wife Amy died after falling downstairs. Many thought he had pushed her so he would be free to marry the Queen. An inquest found that the fall had been an accident. Elizabeth kept a letter from Dudley, on which she had written "his last letter" in her most personal belongings until she died.
9. Putting a positive spin on her marital status, Elizabeth insisted she was married to her kingdom and subjects, under divine protection. In 1599, she spoke of "all my husbands, my good people".
10. One of her mottoes was "video et taceo" ("I see, and say nothing")

6th September: Fight Procrastination Day

Today is Fight Procrastination Day. I’ll celebrate tomorrow, but in the mean time here are 10 quotes about procrastination.

1. Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. Don Marquis
2. Procrastination is like a credit card: it's a lot of fun until you get the bill. Christopher Parker
3. Procrastination is the bad habit of putting of until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday. Napoleon Hill
4. Procrastination is the thief of time. Edward Young
5. Procrastination is opportunity's assassin. Victor Kiam
6. Procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder. Mason Cooley
7. My evil genius Procrastination has whispered me to tarry 'til a more convenient season. Mary Todd Lincoln
8. Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well. Mark Twain
9. Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone. Pablo Picasso
10. If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done. Rita Mae Brown

5th September: John Wisden's birthday

John Wisden, the cricketer best known for publishing Wisden Cricketers' Almanack after he retired from cricket was born on this date in 1826.

To celebrate, here are 10 cricket related Colemanballs:

1. There's Neil Harvey at leg slip with his legs wide apart, waiting for a tickle.
2. Here's Miller running in to bowl. He's got two short legs and one behind.
3. The England bowlers have got a mountain to climb on this flat pitch.
4. It is extremely cold here. The England fielders are keeping their hands in their pockets between balls.
5. Andrew Flintoff is to see a renowned joint specialist in Amsterdam.
6. The Indians will have their reservations about how they played this.
7. Wooden benches for the crucial fourth India-Australia Test in Calcutta have been replaced by cricket officials.
8. The batsman's Holding, the bowler's Willey.
9. We're going to have to use our heads a bit more when we bat.
10. Wooden benches for the crucial fourth India-Australia Test in Calcutta have been replaced by cricket officials.