18 th August

1587 Virginia Dare was born. (See July 22nd entry.)

1853 The milk condensation process was patented.

1883 PoPe Leo XIII declared his law of history.

On this day, in 1853, Gail Borden received a patent for an improved method of condensing milk. His invention ultimately led to the foundation of the Borden Company.

When Pope Leo XIII opened the Vatican Archives on this date in 1883, his remarks condensed a great deal of morality into a very small package. He said, “The first law of history is not to dare to utter falsehood; the second is not to fear to speak the truth.”

Today is Virginia Dare’s birthday. The first child born to English parents in the New World was born on Roanoke Island in Virginia on this day in 1587. Virginia, her parents, and the whole Roanoke settlement, disappeared shortly after that off the face of the earth.