Born on this day
Friday, September 14, 1849. : Ivan Pavlov, discoverer of the conditioned or learned reflex, is born.
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was born on 14 September 1849, in Ryazan, Russia. After studying medicine in Russia and Germany, he became a professor in pharmacology and physiology. Pavlov’s famous work with dogs actually started as a study of digestion. It was while performing experiments on dogs to show how digestive secretions are regulated that he discovered they are influenced by the sensory stimuli of sight, smell and taste.
Further experimentation proved that other stimuli could produce the same response; for example, Pavlov began ringing a bell at the same time as any of the other three stimuli were introduced. Thus, the dogs soon connected the sound of the bell with the appearance of food, and began to salivate accordingly. In 1903 Pavlov published his results, calling this a “conditioned reflex”, meaning it was learned, rather than innate, or instinctive. Although Pavlov won the 1904 Nobel Prize for his work on digestive physiology, he is better known today as an early influence on behavioural psychology.
Australian History
Friday, September 14, 2001. : The announcement is made of the closure of Ansett Airlines, Australia.
Australia’s national airline is Qantas. However, for nearly seven decades, there was a second major airline in Australia: Ansett Airlines.
Ansett Airways Pty Ltd was founded by Sir Reginald Myles “Reg” Ansett in 1935. The very first flight, a single engine Fokker Universal, departed Hamilton, Victoria bound for Melbourne, on 17 February 1936. In 1957, Ansett Airways became Ansett-ANA after taking over the private airline Australian National Airways (ANA), which had gone bankrupt. Further acquisitions of domestic airlines occurred in ensuing decades, and Ansett continued to operate very profitably, well into the latter years of the twentieth century.
In 1987, Ansett made its first international flights, expanding into New Zealand through its subsidiary Ansett New Zealand. Although Air New Zealand had previously become a 50% shareholder, it acquired full ownership of Ansett in February 2000. Unfortunately, the competition with QANTAS and other airlines, an ageing fleet and the constant grounding of aircraft for maintenance, together with a series of poor financial decisions meant that Ansett became more of a liability than an asset to Air New Zealand. The decision was made to place the airline into administration.
On 14 September 2001, the announcement was made that Air New Zealand had placed the Ansett group of companies into voluntary administration. Despite an attempt by the federal government to prop up Ansett via government guarantee, the last commercial flight, AN152 from Perth to Sydney, touched down just after 6am on 5 March 2002.
World History
Thursday, September 14, 1741. : Handel finishes composing his Oratorio, “Messiah”.
Georg Friedrich Handel was born on 23 February 1685, in Halle, Saxony. Already skilled on the harpsichord and organ at age 7, he began composing music when he was 9. During his composing career, he wrote around fifty operas, twenty-three oratorios, much church music and numerous outstanding instrumental pieces, such as the organ concerti, the Opus 6 Concerti Grossi, the Water Music, and the Fireworks Music.
Handel’s best-known work is arguably the oratorio, “Messiah”, written within a 24-day period, and completed on 14 September 1741. An oratorio is a large musical composition for orchestra, vocal soloists and chorus, telling a sacred story without costumes, scenery, or acting. “Messiah” is the story of the prophecy of the coming Messiah as told in the Old Testament, and the life and death of Jesus, set to texts from the King James Bible. Originally conceived as an Easter oratorio, it has become popular to perform it at Christmas, particularly as it contains the powerful “Hallelujah” chorus.
World History
Wednesday, September 14, 1898. : A chance meeting leads to the formation of the Gideons Bible Association, responsible for placing Bibles in motel and hotel rooms around the world.
A chance meeting between two Christians on 14 September 1898, began an association that has endured to this very day. The Central Hotel in Boscobel, Wisconsin, USA, was crowded due to a lumbermen’s convention being held, and the manager asked two strangers if they would mind sharing a room. In that shared room above the saloon, travelling salesmen John H Nicholson of Janesville, Wisconsin, and Samuel E Hill of Beloit, Wisconsin, discovered that they were both Christians. The two men prayed together, and discussed starting a Christian travelling men’s association.
Nothing further came of the idea until the two met up again unexpectedly the following May. They were joined by a third man, William J Knights, on 1 July 1899, and founded the Gideons Bible Association, the primary purpose of which is personal evangelisation conducted by Christian business and professional men. The name comes from the Old Testament book of Judges, and refers to Gideon, who was willing to do whatever God asked of him. Today, the association has over 140,000 members in 175 countries, and distributes over 56 million Bibles and New Testaments every year.
The Hotel Boscobel, where the men met, is considered the Birthplace of the Gideon Bible and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
World History
Tuesday, September 14, 1982. : Princess Grace of Monaco dies after receiving severe injuries in a car crash.
Hollywood actress Grace Kelly was born on 12 November 1929. She had a lucrative acting career, and was best known for her roles in Alfred Hitchcock films. She met Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1955, while attending the Cannes film festival, and the two were married on 18 April 1956. She put aside her acting career to take up new duties as the Princess of Monaco.
On 13 September 1982, the Princess was driving near Monte Carlo when she suffered a minor stroke. Losing control, she crashed down an embankment, injuring both herself and her youngest daughter, Stephanie. Whilst Stephanie suffered a serious cervical fracture, Princess Grace did not regain consciousness at all, dying on September 14. She was given a full royal funeral at the Cathedral of St Nicholas in Monte Carlo.