Brazilian Days 348
December 14
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DAY OF:
Dia Nacional da Ópera
(National Opera Day). This day commemorates the performance of the first Brazilian opera in Portuguese language. The opera ‘A Noite de São João was composed by Elias Álvares Lobo, for piano and voice, with texts from José de Alencar. The opera was played at Teatro São Pedro de Alcântara in Rio de Janeiro, conducted by Carlos Gomes.
Dia da Bíblia Evangélica
(Evangelical Bible Day).
Dia do Engenheiro de Pesca
(Fishery Engineer). The date commmemorates the graduation day of the first term of Brazilian Fishery Engineers at the UFRPE (Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco) on 14 December 1974. FAEP (Federação das Associações de Engenheiros de Pesca do Brasil) is the advisory board.
Dia do Ministério Público Federal
(Federal Prosecutor’s Office).
BRAZILIAN HISTORY:
1982
Olinda declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“In this city with its hilly topography, religious monuments were the major landmarks. They were linked by tortuous streets which formed the basis of Olinda’s irregular urban plan. Squares developed around the churches and at the intersection of streets that varied in width. The architecture of Olinda developed in the midst of a profuse tropical vegetation and a comfortable balance was maintained between the two main components of its landscape.
The prominent public buildings include the Cathedral and about 20 Baroque churches, convents and colleges. The residential architecture, which brings together the Portuguese and Brazilian heritage of the city, includes 17th-century dwellings decorated with mashrabiyas, and 18th-century houses covered in tiles, as well as more recent homes. The brightly painted houses create colourful streetscapes.”
Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC)
1923
Pact of Pedras Altas, which made an end to the civil war in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
The pact was signed by the rivaling leaders Borges de Medeiros (leader of the so-called borgistas or chimangos) and Assis Brasil (leader of assisistas or maragatos). Borges was governor (‘presidente’) of the state of Rio Grande do Sul since 1898 until 1908, and then appointed his candidate to occupy the seat for five years, until he was allowed again to run for governor. He returned in 1918, and got re-elected in 1923, albeit with accusations of fraud and oppression. The opposition, led by Assis Brasil, didn’t accept the result and took the arms. The pact made Borges remain governor, but was no longer allowed to be re-elected. His successor was Getúlio Vargas.
1956
Aircraft carrier Minas Gerais bought from the United Kingdom.
The carrier was the former H.M.S. ‘Vengeance’, built in 1945. The carrier was then transferred to the Royal Australian Navy (1952-1954), before it became part of the Brazilian Navy. The carrier underwent a four-year conversion in the Netherlands. It remained in service until 9 October 2001 (when it was the oldest and longest-serving aircraft carrier and the only remaining from WW II), and eventually was dismantled.
1962
Airplane crash in Amazonas killed 50 people.
An airplane of Panair do Brasil crashed at 45 kilometers from Manaus Airport. The Lockheed Constellation PP-PDE was on the way from Santos Dumont in Rio de Janeiro, to Manaus, with stops in Aracaju, Maceió, Recife, João Pessoa, Natal, Fortaleza, São Luís and Belém. There were 44 passengers and 6 crew members. Panair do Brasil was part of the American Panam, and ceased to exist in 1965, when the military dictatorship issued a decree of forced bankruptcy; the concessions of international airlines and personnel were transferred to VARIG, whose owner was befriended with the dictators.
By Adriano Antoine Robbesom © 2007, 2014
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