Saturday Scenes

Sometimes it can be hard to find interesting events for every date. I’ve recently discovered the exciting world of calendar reform and that the calendar as set by the Pope in the 16th century (having removed a bunch of days) was the source of much argument, leading to a chronological divide between the Protestants and Catholics in Europe.

This means that for any date in England prior to 1752, I can choose between the modern (Gregorian) calendar and the Julian Calender.

On the 4th of June in 1561, St Paul’s Cathedral was struck by lightning. If I shift the date to the Gregorian calendar, it becomes the 15th of June, which happens to be last Saturday! So convenient!

Old St Paul’s Cathedral – Wikipedia

On 4 June 1561 the spire caught fire and crashed through the nave roof. According to a newsheet published days after the fire, the cause was a lightning strike. In 1753, David Henry, a writer for The Gentleman’s Magazine, revived a rumour in his Historical description of St. Paul’s Cathedral, writing that a plumber had “confessed on his death bed” that he had “left a pan of coals and other fuel in the tower when he went to dinner.” However, the number of contemporary eyewitnesses to the storm and a subsequent investigation appears to contradict this. Whatever the cause, the subsequent conflagration was hot enough to melt the cathedral’s bells and the lead covering the wooden spire “poured down like lava upon the roof”, destroying it. This event was taken by both Protestants and Catholics as a sign of God’s displeasure at the other faction’s actions.

Meanwhile, on the 15th of June in 2013, there was no question of the date: it was a Saturday full of spectacular scenes:

And here are the wonderful people who took them:

• madyline
• martin_chrisj
• oxonlady
• robdavies
• Jo_1067
• exRAFairman
• bridgeyuk
• tonystanford
• ClareRevell
• maidbloke
• thermalhound
• WadeyLady001
• noirem
• Pewari
• pendrift
• FrauKulli
• akrabat
• TLee27
• JeannieKelly
• HarryMyhre
• icklemouse
• davey_steven
• Namasqui
• amberdine
• Krautie
• HeideSpruck
• twasntme
• jamesnnb
• gwenthing
• dudleypj
• rnout
• akaSylvia
• DaughterofLir
• dndtsa
• RealCainMosni

Next week: Self-Portrait Saturday! Just like every other Saturday except that you are invited — encouraged even! — to turn the camera around and take a photograph of yourself. Would you like inspiration? Take a look at the last four years of self-portraits:

• June 2009
• June 2010
• July 2011
• June 2012

The rules are simple: You have to take the photograph on Saturday, just like every other week! Simply submit it with a location and we’ll end up with a great collage.

You don’t have to take a self-portrait if you don’t want to but it sure is fun to see the faces (and feet, and other clever interpretations) behind the lens.

See you on Saturday?