L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24 2023 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D e a r r e a d - ers, the Ital- i a n - A m e r i - can Heritage F o u n d a - tion was established in San Jose on August 5, 1975, as the Italian-American Bicentenni- al Committee. In 1976, the original 15 founders incorpo- rated a non-profit organiza- tion dedicated to the preser- vation of the Italian heritage through cultural, educational, and social programs. Grazie to the generosity of spirit and soldi of some of the origi- nal founders and to the con- tinued generosity of spirits and dedication of volunteers. The AIHF continues to pre- sent programs that have been b r i n g i n g m u c h j o y t o t h e friends living in San Jose and beyond since 1976. *** A m e r i c a ' s s c h o o l boards are spending more time on non-scholastic mat- ters than ever before. A New J e r s e y s c h o o l d i s t r i c t i s removing the names of all holidays from the school cal- endar so as not to offend anyone. The decision came after a raucous public meet- ing about the board's deci- sion to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. "Every holiday will now be listed as a day off so we don't have to have anyone with hurt feelings," board members explained. *** The Italic Institute of A m e r i c a i s a s i t e y o u should visit often, even every day, if time permits. They h a v e a n o n l i n e 3 6 5 - d a y a l m a n a c a t w w w . i t a l i c . org. Just visit the website and click the almanac month you want and find out what our ancestors accomplished t h a t d a y : c h a n c e s a r e i t a f f e c t e d w o r l d h i s t o r y i n some ways! Let's check together some of the main events of this month! August was when Julius Caesar uttered those famous words, I came, I saw, I con- quered and when Garibaldi began his reunification of Southern Italy. Every day is a chance to reflect on our great legacy. A u g u s t 2 , 1 9 1 4 : t h e Royal Italian Government declared its position of neu- trality at the onset of the First World War. August 3: 1778, the first performance was given at the newly opened Teatro alla Scala in Milan. We also r e m e m b e r A u g u s t 3 r d because it was the birthday of vocalist Tony Bennett, né Anthony Benedetto, who was born on this day in 1926. Tony died only a few weeks ago in New York at age 96. August 9, 1483: the First Mass was celebrated by Pope Sixtus IV in the then-still- unfinished Sistine Chapel in Rome, as part of the celebra- t i o n s o f t h e F e a s t o f t h e Assumption On the same day in 1173, construction began of a new 185-foot bell tower in Pisa. Within four years, the struc- ture started to inexplicably tilt to one side, forecasting its future as an Italian icon and one of the world's most pop- ular tourist attractions. A u g u s t 1 2 , 1 4 8 0 : i n O t r a n t o , I t a l y , i n v a d i n g Ottoman Turks beheaded 800 Christians for refusing to convert to Islam. August 13, 1926: Enrique T i r a b o c c h i o f A r g e n t i n a became the first to swim the English Channel from France to England in 16 hours and 33 minutes. August 14, 1831: Italian Patriot Giuseppe Mazzini organizes the Giovine Italia, the Young Italy, a secret soci- ety of revolutionaries com- m i t t e d t o a c h i e v i n g t h e reunification of the Italian peninsula as an independent republic. On the same day in 1992 Federal Judge John J. Sirica, who presided over the Watergate trials in the 1970s died aged 88. August 15, 1832: in his encyclical Mirari Vos, Arch- Conservative Pope Gregory XVI delivers a stern warning against the dangers of free speech, freedom of the press, constitutional government, and other progressive ideas that are taking root among Italian people. Napoleone Bonaparte was born on the same day in 1769, in Corsica. His mother's surname was Ramolino. August 16, 1892: the Ital- ian Socialist Party, Partito Advancing our Legacy: Italian Community Services CASA FUGAZI If you know of any senior of Italian descent in San Francisco needing assistance, please contact: ItalianCS.org | (415) 362-6423 | info@italiancs.com Italian Community Services continues to assist Bay Area Italian-American seniors and their families navigate and manage the resources needed to live healthy, independent and productive lives. Since Shelter-in-Place began in San Francisco, Italian Community Services has delivered over 240 meals, over 900 care packages and made over 2000 phone wellness checks for our seniors. Socialista Italiano, is found- ed in Genova. August 17, 1978: the first transatlantic balloon flight is completed by Ben Abruzzo and Partners. August 18, 1750: on this d a y , c o m p o s e r A n t o n i o Salieri was born. Salieri was m a d e " i n f a m o u s " b y t h e 1984 movie Amadeus. A u g u s t 1 9 , A D 1 4 : E m p e r o r C a i u s J u l i u s Octavius Augustus, founder of the Roman Empire, dies peacefully after a 40-year reign at Nola, Italy.. August 21, 1915: Italy declares war on Turkey in 1915, during the First World War. August 22, 1968: Pope Paul VI Giovanni Montini is the first pope to visit South America, arriving in Bogotà, Colombia, for a Eucharistic Congress. He had visited North America, New York City, in 1965, also a first. He was known as "the traveling Pope." August 23, 1927: Italian- Americans Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were e x e c u t e d b y t h e s t a t e o f Massachusetts, after a trav- esty of a trial, and despite international appeals. In 1977, Massachusetts Gover- n o r M i c h a e l D u k a k i s , t o exonerate them, proclaimed N i c o l a S a c c o a n d B a r - tolomeo Vanzetti Day, on the 50th anniversary of their execution. In 1982, in the first overseas deployment of Italian troops since World War II, the Bersaglieri 2nd Battalion reached the Middle East, as part of a multina- tional peacekeeping force in war and terrorist-plagued Lebanon.

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