Hello Folks and welcome to another edition of the Spark! Let’s start the working week gently with a mixture of fun facts and humour, designed to put a smile on the face of my fellow Spiceworkers.
On This Day – 17th March: Saint Patricks Day
Today is traditionally held to be the anniversary of the death of St. Patrick, the main patron saint of Ireland. According to legend, the 16-year-old Patrick was kidnapped from his home in Britain by Irish pirates and enslaved as a cattle herder before escaping and returning home. After becoming a priest, Patrick returned to Ireland and set about converting the pagan population to Christianity.
Patrick later became Bishop of Armagh and in later life wrote the biographical Confessio giving details of his kidnapping and life spreading the word across Ireland. He is said to have used the three leaves of the Shamrock to illustrate the Holy Trinity. He is also credited with ridding Ireland of snakes, although he never made this claim himself. Roman sources from the 3rd century, before Patrick’s birth, note Ireland as a land without snakes.
In modern times, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated as a cultural and religious holiday in Ireland but mostly by the Irish diaspora, who use the holiday as an excuse for a massive party, going to great lengths such as dying bodies of water bright green and making big profits for the Guinness company!
Read more here.
Also on this day:
180 – Commodus becomes Emperor of Rome upon the death of Marcus Aurelius*
1945 – The Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen collapses, days after its capture by US troops
1958 – The US launches Vanguard 1, the first solar-powered satellite
1969 – Golda Meir becomes the first and only female Prime Minister of Israel
1992 – A South African referendum to end apartheid passes by 69% to 31%
*as shown in that well known and historically accurate blockbuster, Gladiator.
Arrivals
1834 – Gottlieb Daimler, German engineer and founder of the company that bears his name
1916 – Ray Ellington, British bandleader and provider of musical interludes to The Goon Show
1919 – Nat King Cole, US singer and presenter (‘Unforgettable’, ‘Straighten Up and Fly Right’)
1936 – Ken Mattingly, US Admiral and astronaut, worked to rescue the stricken Apollo 13
1962 – Clare Grogan, British singer and actress (Altered Images)
Departures
1954 – Fred Allen, US comedian and radio presenter
1956 – Irene Joliot-Curie, French Nobel prize-winning physicist (Daughter of Pierre & Marie Curie)
1974 – Louis Kahn, US architect and academic
1997 – Jermaine Stuart, US singer-songwriter (‘We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off’)
2011 – Micheal Gough, British actor (Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ series, ‘Sleepy Hollow’)
The Funnies:
Recipe of the day: Irish Rarebit
This recipe from BBC Food is especially for those who want an easy meal to celebrate St. Patricks Day!
Ingredients
Method
- Warm the milk in a saucepan and whisk in the flour. Keep stirring and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. The milk should thicken slightly.
- Add the cheese and stir over a low heat until it has melted. Add the breadcrumbs, mustard and stout. Continue stirring until the mixture comes together, it should leave the sides of the pan.
- Remove from the heat and tip into a bowl, leave to cool slightly. Once cooled add the egg yolks and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the egg is thoroughly mixed in. Add the chopped spring onions.
- Spread the rarebit on toasted soda bread and place under a hot grill until bubbling and golden-brown.
Quote of the Day:
““It contained herbs and all natural ingredients. But belladonna was an herb, and arsenic was natural.” (Making Money)
– Sir Terry Pratchett
Comic of the Day:
Mouseover: “Under the ‘has cleared its orbital neighborhood’ and ‘fuses hydrogen into helium’ definitions, thanks to human activities Earth technically no longer qualifies as a planet but DOES count as a star.”
Image Credit: https://xkcd.com/3063
Explain XKCD: explain xkcd
Inspirobot Always Controversial, Occasionally Inspirational Quote of the Day:
If you missed @Lonny6654’s Pi-day Spark! from Friday, you can find it here:
(Spark! Pro series – 14th March 2025)
