The season of Pre-Lent, once marked by the Roman Catholic Church, developed in the seventh century and included the three Sundays before the beginning of Lent. These Sundays are Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima—roughly 70, 60, and 50 days before Easter. The Ordinary Form of the Mass (Novus Ordo), introduced in 1969, does not officially celebrate Pre-Lent. However, these Pre-Lent Sundays are still included in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass (Traditional Latin Mass or Tridentine Mass). These three Sundays are also celebrated by certain other Christian denominations.
Daily Calendar for Sunday, February 4, 2024
Born
- Mark Hopkins (educator) –
- Fernand Leger (painter) –
- Cairine Reay Wilson (Canadian senator) –
- Charles Lindbergh (aviator) –
- MacKinlay Kantor (novelist) –
- Rosa Parks (civil rights activist) –
- Dan Quayle (U.S. vice president) –
- Alice Cooper (musician) –
- Clint Black (country musician) –
- Oscar de la Hoya (boxer) –
- Natalie Imbruglia (singer) –
- Gavin DeGraw (musician) –
- Carly Patterson (gymnast, Olympic gold medalist) –
Died
- Karen Carpenter (singer) –
- Liberace (entertainer) –
- Barbara McNair (singer & actress) –
- John Mahoney (actor) –
Events
- Daniel Shays’ rebellion in Petersham, Massachusetts, concerning the financial plight of farmers, failed (Shays’ Rebellion)–
- George Washington elected as the first president of the several states, with John Adams as vice president–
- John Marshall was sworn in as chief justice of the United States–
- The Mormon exodus to the American West began–
- Codex Sinaiticus discovered, St. Catherine’s Monastery, Mt. Sinai, Egypt–
- Winter Olympics held in U.S. (Lake Placid, NY) for the first time–
- Radium E became the first synthetically produced radioactive substance–
- Thornton Wilder’s play Our Town opened on Broadway–
- The United Service Organizations (USO) was incorporated–
- 96-hour surgical operation began–
- Rolls-Royce, Ltd. of Britain declared bankruptcy–
- Dennis Conner and crew of Stars & Stripes recaptured America’s Cup–
- Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy became the first African American coach to lead his team to Super Bowl Victory. The Colts beat the Chicago Bears 29-17–
- 5,622 ice lanterns displayed, setting world record, State College, Pennsylvania –
- 395 ice skaters lined up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to set world record–
Weather
- -49 degrees F, Calgary, Alberta–
- An ice storm hit Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire–