Ramadan begins at sundown. The exact timing is subject to the first sighting of the Moon. Beginning at age 12, all Muslims take part in the month-long sunrise-to-sunset fast that is the hallmark of Ramadan. Eating and drinking (including water) is prohibited during daylight hours, and the day’s abstinence is offset by a nightly meal known as iftar. The holiday honors the time when the angel Gabriel revealed the first verses of the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam, to a desert-wandering caravan trader named Muhammad. Muslims believe that fasting cleanses the body, and the practice reminds them of the suffering of the poor. Food is often shared with a poor family during Ramadan. At the end of the 30-day fast is Eid al-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast), replete with feasting and celebration. Read more about Ramadan.
Born
Vincente Minnelli(film director)–
Gavin MacLeod(actor)–
Tommy Tune(choreographer)–
Mario Andretti(race car driver)–
Kelly Bishop(actress)–
Bernadette Peters(actress & singer)–
John Turturro(actor)–
Robert Sean Leonard(actor)–
Smarty Jones(Kentucky Derby winning horse)–
Died
Henry James(writer)–
Ruby Keeler(actress, singer, & dancer)–
Daniel Boorstin(Pulitzer Prize-winning author and social historian who served as the librarian of Congress for 12 years)–
Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.(Pulitzer Prize-winning historian)–
Mike Smith(lead singer of Dave Clark Five)–
Paul Harvey(radio broadcaster)–
Events
Baltimore and Ohio railroad incorporated –
Congress created the Territory of Colorado –
Vincent Massey became the first Canadian born Governor General of Canada –
James D. Watson and Francis H. C. Crick announced discovery of DNA’s chemical structure –
Parliament created VIA Rail Canada Inc. –
The last episode of M*A*S*H, Goodbye, Farewell and Amen, aired on television –
