Although Midsummer Day occurs near the summer solstice, or what we think of as the beginning of summer, to the farmer it is the midpoint of the growing season, halfway between planting and harvesting, and an occasion for celebration. Although it’s also the feast day of St. John the Baptist, it features pagan traditions such as bonfires, fire walking, and a carnival atmosphere, all of which took place on Midsummer Eve. Certainly, it’s a night of magic and soothsaying as well, for as Washington Irving said, this is a time “when it is well known all kinds of ghosts, goblins, and fairies become visible and walk abroad.” After Midsummer Day, the days shorten. In Lithuanian tradition, the dew on Midsummer Day was said to make young girls beautiful and old people look younger. It was also thought that walking barefoot in the dew would keep one’s skin from getting chapped. It was customary to honor all men named John on this day by fixing wreaths of oak leaves around their doors. This is usually done in secret, and John must guess who did it or catch the person in the act, in which case he must give the person a treat.
Daily Calendar for Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Died
- Lucrezia Borgia (Duchess of Ferrara) –
- Grover Cleveland (22nd & 24th U.S. president) –
- Sarah Orne Jewett (writer) –
- Jackie Gleason (actor & comedian) –
- Esther Rome (author) –
- Brian Keith (actor) –
- David Tomlinson (actor) –
- Richard Pough (founder of the Nature Conservancy. Pough wrote a series of Audubon guides on birds. He was also one of the first to warn of the dangers of DDT and helped to get a law banning the sale of wild-bird feathers.) –
- Eli Wallach (actor) –
Born
- Ferdinand Bol (painter) –
- Ambrose Bierce (writer) –
- Jack Dempsey (boxer) –
- Mick Fleetwood (musician) –
- Mindy Kaling (actress) –
- Minka Kelly (actress) –
- Solange Knowles (actress & singer) –
Events
- Battle of Bannockburn—Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce beat Edward II of England. Scotland regained its independence –
- John Cabot landed on North American soil –
- Henry VIII crowned King of England –
- Canada’s national anthem, O Canada, was first performed, at a banquet in Quebec City, Quebec. The original lyrics were in French. English versions didn’t appear until the early 1900s. –
- 9 UFOs reported, Mt. Rainier, Washington –
- The guitar Eric Clapton used to record the song, Layla, sold at auction for $497,500 –
- Eric Clapton’s favorite guitar fetched $959,500 at auction, easily eclipsing the record set by the sale of another guitar by the legendary rock musician on this day in 1999 –
- John Isner of the U.S. defeated Nicolas Mahut of France at Wimbledon in the longest tennis match to date (11 hours and 5 minutes) –
- Rusty, a red panda, was found exploring a nearby neighborhood after he had disappeared from the The Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., overnight. –
- The Florida Panthers won the NHL championship Stanley Cup for the first time in the franchise’s history –
Weather
- While on an Arctic expedition, Admiral Robert Peary reported seeing a large mountainous landmass off the coast. He named it Crocker Land, but later expeditions proved that it was a mirage. –
- 6.54” of rain fell in Brooklyn, New York City –
- The Mount Rainier National Park ranger station in Washington reported 4.4 inches of snow, bringing the season total to 1,122 inches –
- Light snow flurries in northern Manitoba –
