1539 - In England, the monastery at the Fountains Abbey was surrendered to the crown. It was the richest of the Cistercian houses, prior to the time of the Dissolution of all monasteries in England, under the reign of Henry VIII.
1775 - The American Navy began using chaplains within its regular service.
1789 - President George Washington proclaimed this date (a Thursday) to be the first national Thanksgiving Day holiday. (National Thanksgiving days were periodically proclaimed by presidents, until in 1863 Abraham Lincoln inaugurated the practice of annually setting the fourth Thursday in November aside for Thanksgiving Day.)
1962 - English apologist C.S. Lewis wrote in a letter: 'No doubt [my body] has often led me astray: but not half so often, I suspect, as my soul has led IT astray. For the spiritual evils ... arise more from the imagination than from the appetites.'
1970 - During a 10-day visit to the Philippines, Pope Paul VI was attacked by a knife-wielding man in Manilla. The pontiff was unhurt and continued his journey.
© 1987-2009, William D. Blake. Used by permission of the author, from
Almanac of the Christian Church
