It happened today
Today is “Europe Day”: on May 9, 1950 – 24 hours after the fifth anniversary of the end of the war – the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman released his famous Declaration, in which he proposed to “put the whole of production Franco-German coal and steel under a common High Authority”. The primary objective was to eliminate the “age-old conflict” between the two nations, which for a long time “dedicated themselves to the manufacture of instruments of war of which they were most constantly the victims”. It was the dawn of the EU. Less than a year later the European Coal and Steel Community (CECA) was born, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg also joined. Aldo Moro is also counted among the founding fathers of the Union: if we directly elect the members of the Strasbourg parliament we owe it a lot to him. The Christian Democrat statesman was assassinated by the Red Brigades on 9 May 1978. For this reason, in our country, 9 May is the “Day of remembrance dedicated to the victims of terrorism”. (Luigi Gaetani)
Born of the day
James Matthew Barrie, 9 May 1860, British writer and playwright
Howard Carter, 9 May 1874, British archaeologist and Egyptologist
José Ortega y Gasset, 9 May 1883, Spanish philosopher and sociologist
Francesco Baracca, 9 May 1888, aviator
Gian Carlo Caselli, 9 May 1939, former magistrate and essayist
Dicky Eklund, May 9, 1957, former American boxer
Claudio Lotito, 9 May 1957, entrepreneur, sports manager and politician
Nicolas Ghesquière, 9 May 1971, French designer
Rosario Dawson, May 9, 1979, American singer
Mariano Di Vaio, 9 May 1989, model, blogger and entrepreneur
Deaths of the day
Friedrich Schiller, 9 May 1805, German poet, philosopher, playwright and doctor
Peppino Impastato, 9 May 1978, journalist, radio host and activist
Aldo Moro, 9 May 1978, politician and jurist
Ottavio Missoni, 9 May 2013, stylist, hurdler and sprinter
Little Richard, May 9, 2020, American singer-songwriter, pianist and actor
Saint of the day
Saint Pachomius, Egyptian Christian monk. He was born into a pagan family and, when he turned twenty, he was recruited against his will by the Roman army, who put him on board a ship sailing on the Nile. Arriving in Thebes, he was so impressed by the generosity of the local Christians that he decided to convert. He dedicated himself to the life of a hermit and was the author of several miracles, such as the ability to speak the Latin and Greek languages without ever having learned them. He is considered the founder of the first abbey, around 320, near Tabennisi.
