Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. On this day, Christians recall Jesus’ final Passover meal—which we now call the Lord’s Supper—at which he washed the feet of His disciples, demonstrating his humility to value others above himself. He then commanded them to do the same for each other. “Maundy” is a shortened form of mandatum (Latin), which means “command.” It was on the next day, Good Friday, that Jesus was crucified. Today is also a holy day for those who serve as clergy for they often renew their ordination vows, recommitting themselves to service.
Daily Calendar for Thursday, April 17, 2025
Question of the Day
Can you tell me the origin and the history of the phrase: “The best laid plans of mice and men?”
It is a line from the poem “To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns, the 18th century Scottish poet. The full quote, however, is the two-line stanza: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men/Gang aft a-gley.” (A free translation of the second line could be: Often go awry or become unraveled.)
Advice of the Day
To keep a dog at home, clip a bit of its coat and place it under the doormat.
Home Hint of the Day
If you decide to heat with coal rather than wood, buy anthracite coal, which is sprayed with oil to keep down the dust and allow the burn to start more easily.
Word of the Day
Twilight
The interval of time following sunset and preceding sunrise, during which the sky is partially illuminated. The three ranges of twilight are: civil (from sunset/sunrise to when the Sun is 6° below the horizon) nautical (greater than 6° and ending at 12°) astronomical (greater than 12° and ending at 18°—full darkness).
Puzzle of the Day
What is smarter than a hummingbird?
A spelling bee.
Born
- Samuel Chase (lawyer) –
- John Pierpont Morgan (business tycoon) –
- Thornton Wilder (author) –
- William Holden (actor) –
- Olivia Hussey (actress) –
- Boomer Esiason (football player) –
- Joel Murray (actor) –
- Jennifer Garner (actress) –
Died
- Benjamin Franklin (U.S. statesman ) –
- Linda McCartney (photographer, singer, activist, & wife of Beatle Paul McCartney) –
- Dr. Robert C. Atkins (cardiologist who introduced the Atkins Diet”“) –
- Doris Roberts (actress) –
- Barbara Bush (U.S. First Lady) –
Events
- Christopher Columbus’s trip financed by Spain –
- Lewis M. Norton patented a vat for forming pineapple-shape cheese –
- First Minot’s Ledge Light in Massachusetts swept away during storm –
- Song Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here, was copyrighted –
- Geraldine Mock completed solo flight around the world –
- Apollo 13 returned safely to Earth after having major difficulties –
- 6-lb. 10-oz. goldfish caught in Lake Hodges, California –
- Spacelab’s final mission, Neurolab, launched –
- Discovery of first Earth-size planet in Habitable Zone” publicized” –
Weather
- Eastern Massachusetts was blanketed with 12-18 inches of snow –
- Twenty-eight degrees F at St. Louis, Missouri –
- The Red River in Minnesota and North Dakota reached 20 feet above flood stage –
- Eastern U.S. heat wave: 80 degrees F, Portland, Maine; 97 degrees F, Newark, New Jersey –
- Del Rio, Texas, experienced a temperature of 101 degrees F –
