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17 th. March. St. Patrick’s Day

Category: March

1328 Scotland won its independence from England.

J 776 British forces evacuated Boston, Massachusetts.

1834 Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler was born.

1969 Golda Meir became Israeli Prime Minister. (See May 3rd entry.)

Few holidays are as enthusiastically celebrated as St. Patrick’s Day. Ireland’s patron saint died on this date in the city of Saul in the year 461 ad. Today, everybody in the U. S. participates in “the wearing of the green” in honor of the man who reputedly drove the snakes from Ireland and converted the Celts to Christianity. By happy coincidence, the Irish-American city of Boston, Massachusetts also celebrates the 1776 evacuation of the British from colonial shores. But no matter which event is more important, on

This day we can all apply the motto that appeared on the American Revolutionary flag emblazoned with a writhing snake: “Don’t Tread on Me.”

Oppression can never stand up to courage fueled by a sincere desire for freedom. Scotland won its independence from British rule on this day. In 1328, a treaty was signed in Edinburgh, ending thirty-two years of war. The peace only lasted for five years, but British feudal superiority over Scotland did not survive because of the freedom-loving spirit of its people.

Today is the birthday of a man whose name symbolizes precision, quality, and elegance—even though you may not immediately recognize it. In 1834, Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler was born in Wurttemberg, Germany. He studied engineering and became well known as an engine designer. In 1885, Daimler designed his first highspeed internal combustion engine; and his first engine-powered bicycle. The next year, he developed a horse-driven four-wheel carriage with a single-cylinder engine option. The following year, he created an engine-powered boat. And two years later, he produced a four-speed-drive, four-wheel, engine-powered carriage for the Sultan of Morocco. With this profit, he opened the Daimler Motor Company. In 1901, Daimler sold the first of his enhanced automobiles which he named after his financial backer’s daughter—Mercedes—because he felt a German name wouldn’t sell as well in France.