By Will Nash '20
For most people, the only important event to take place on Christmas Day was the birth of Christ. However, many other events have taken place on December 25th to change the very course of history. The crowning of Charlemagne as Roman emperor by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day was one of the most significant events in European history. In our own U.S. history, Christmas Day was a major turning point in the war with Britain. On Christmas morning, George Washington crossed the Delaware River with 2,400 troops, taking the Hessians stationed at Trenton completely by surprise and revitalizing the rebellion. Christmas Day also marked the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium, which ended the War of 1812 between the British and the newly formed United States. Perhaps the most recent major event in U.S. history to take place on Christmas Day was the first orbiting of the moon by three U.S. astronauts in 1968. While lunar images were broadcast to Americans all over the country on Christmas Eve, the astronauts read the first few lines of the book of Genesis and then signed off with the now-famous line “Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.” However, possibly the most significant event to world history that took place on Christmas Day was the coronation of William the Conqueror as King of England and the rise of the Normans. We have the Normans to thank for the language we speak today, as more than a third of modern English is derived from the Norman’s French dialect. The Normans also instituted the system of feudalism in England, and it revolutionized systems of government all over Europe. Before William was known as the Conqueror, he was Duke William II of Normandy. Normandy was a duchy and a political entity separate from the kingdom of France. Born a bastard, his entire adolescence was marked by violent campaigning in which he attempted to gain control over all of Normandy. By 1060, William had succeeded in subduing all of Normandy and his eyes turned towards the British isles across the channel. William had a legitimate claim to the throne of England because Edward the Confessor, the King of England at the time, was his first cousin once removed. However, after Edward died in January 1066, the English earl Harold Godwinson was named king. William was enraged, as he claimed that Edward had promised the throne to him. He began building up a huge Norman fleet to rival the power of the Anglo-Saxons, and in September of 1066, he and his Norman forces landed in Pevensey in southern England. Harold quickly mobilized his own forces to meet him, and they met on the 14th of October, 1066, at the Battle of Hastings. William won decisively, killing Harold, and his victory marked the end of the Anglo-Saxon dynasty. From Hastings, William moved up through England and encountered more resistance from Anglo-Saxon thanes who refused to acknowledge a Norman monarch. After much fighting, the Anglo-Saxon leaders surrendered to William at Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire. William was brought to Westminster Abbey and was crowned King of England on Christmas Day by Ealdred, the Archbishop of York. William would go on to rule as the first Norman King of England for 21 years. The legacy of the Norman conquest can still be seen today. We have the Normans to thank for the language we call English, and William’s centralized government that delegated laws to the provinces was a precursor to modern systems of government. Therefore, as you sip your cocoa in front of a blazing fire on Christmas Day, remember the historical events that took place centuries ago on that same day. Many of the things we take for granted today had their origins in bloody conquests such as the one that culminated in the coronation of William the Conqueror.
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By Taliyah Emory Muhammed '19
If you haven’t noticed that one of my last names is ‘Muhammad,’ I’m going to point out that I’m Muslim. In Islam, there is no December holiday in which people give gifts to each other that would denote a jolly time of year. Despite that, I’ve never felt left out or forgotten during the holiday season at NCS. I personally think that the Christmas tree that occupies a large portion of the Junior Lounge is pretty. I feel just as happy as everyone else, but for other reasons. I know the popular Christmas songs such as “Jingle Bells,” “Last Christmas,” and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You,” but I’m not as familiar with the more religious songs. In our Christmas chapel, I listen to the Christmas hymns, and sometimes I hum during more recognizable hymns such as “Silent Night.” I usually don’t sing if I don’t know the hymn from other year-round chapel services. This year I went to Lessons and Carols for the first time since eighth grade. I usually don’t go to Lessons and Carols because ever since 2015, there has been the premiere of a Star Wars movie on the same night. This year, since Lessons and Carols was on a Friday instead of on Thursday, my friends encouraged me to go. At first the service seemed like a super long, over-crowded joint-cathedral service. When the whole Cathedral started reciting the Lord’s Prayer I was startled because I had spaced out during the previous reading. I thought it sounded kind of cool because everyone knew the prayer and even though not everyone knew each other, it was as though everyone agreed with each other about something. All of the songs shared a joyful, peaceful, and beautiful tone that made me happy in the moment. In Islam, the most notable holiday that we have is Ramadan. It focuses on personal humility, selflessness, and spreading peace throughout the community. The holiday is a month long and the majority of it consists of fasting during the day, and spending time with our families at night.. In principle, we don’t focus much on material goods because the mere fact of being alive and having the power to help others gives purpose to our lives year-round. So, you can say that other people’s happiness makes me happy, which is probably why I enjoy this time of year just as much as everyone else. By William Holland '20
A snowman? Hazardous conditions closing roads, in December? In Washington, D.C.? As unlikely as it sounds, this was the scene that residents woke up to the morning of Dec. 9th. The snow measured around 2.5 inches, and even more throughout the metropolitan region. In St. Mary’s County, Maryland, more than six inches were reported after the state declared a winter weather advisory, and in Virginia, police said that they had dealt with at least 200 hundred crashes on Saturday, according to NBC news. The timing of the snowfall, however, prevented additional chaos. Had it been during the school week, it is almost certain that there would have been a two hour delay, and possibly even more than that. It marked the first time in nearly seven years that Washington had seen a significant snowfall this time of year. The last time the District saw more than two inches in December was in 2010, the winter of the infamous blizzard “snowmageddon” when there was more than 20 inches of snow and countless power outages throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Additionally, that storm caused widespread chaos on the streets; for example, President Obama had to switch from his normal transport to an armored Chevy Suburban. Thankfully, this time the snow did not prohibit movement around the city and only about 3,000 were said to have lost power in northern Virginia. To the disappointment of some, most of the snow in Washington had melted away by Monday. Still, the surprising climate prompts hope for more snow later this winter, and possibly even before Christmas. Still, amongst the relative calm in Washington, there were reports of far more severe climatic events happening elsewhere in the country. While nobody had to evacuate because of the snow, ferocious wildfires in California forced residents of posh neighborhoods such as Brentwood and Beverly Hills to flee their homes. The area currently burning in southern California is larger than New York City, putting 20 million people on alert last week when it reached its peak. The extreme weather, however, did not stop there. As firemen in California were finally able to contain the fire over the weekend, a snowstorm created confusion and astonishment across the Deep South, from Georgia to Mississippi. These unpredictable events seemed to cap an extraordinary year for the weather in the United States and throughout the world. From hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria to tornadoes and smog outbreaks, 2017 has proved to be a volatile year in almost every respect. Back in D.C., residents found it hard to believe that weather had transformed from 70 degrees and sunny to snowy in a matter of two weeks. For many, the recent events have suggested an alarming shift in global weather patterns correlated with climate change. While it is not certain that all of these dramatic situations have unfolded due to human interference in the atmosphere, it is certain that there have not been many winters like this one in recent memory. |
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