Today in History: English gallantry

It was a day like today.

Born on November 24, 1632 was the philosopher Benedict Spinoza. The American essayist, novelist, and sometime mayoral candidate of New York City, William F. Buckley, was born on this date in 1925.

Today is the death anniversary of John Knox, Protestant reformer, in 1572.

On this date in 1735 English gallantry was in full flower. A butcher travelling near Rumford in Essex was approached by an elegant lady riding side-saddle on a horse. When she presented a pistol and demanded his money, the shocked tradesman asked what she meant. The dear lady was thereupon joined by a gentleman rider who told the poor butcher that he was a brute for denying the lady request. The gentleman bolstered his argument by saying that he would shoot the butcher through-and-through if gratification was not forthcoming. Unable to resist the logic of the invitation, the butcher handed over both his money and his watch to the lady of the highway.

Another daring lady made history on this date. In 1930, the first woman to start out on a transcontinental flight across the United States lifted from the ground in Mineola, Long Island. Aviatrix Ruth Nichols, flying a Lockheed-Vega plane was to then arrive in California seven days later.

To day is the feast of St. Boris, son of Vladimir of Kiev, who died in 1015. His brother Svyatopolk planned to defraud his and another brother, Gleb, of their inheritance upon the death of their father. As a Christian, he said that he would not use violence to assert his claim. While praying for Svyatopolk, armed men found him and put him to the sword while he prayed for them. As for Gleb, following Svyatopolk’s invitation to Kiev, the hapless younger brother was stabbed to death by his own cook as his brother’s men boarded his vessel on the River Dnieper near Smolensk. Boris is the patron saint of Moscow and his burial place was long a place of pilgrimage.