L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19 2023 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D e a r r e a d e r s , October, offi- c i a l o r n o t , will always be Italian Her- itage Month in the hearts o f I t a l i a n - A m e r i c a n s t h r o u g h o u t t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s . w w w . i t a l i c . o r g i s where you can make an Ital- ian connection any day of the year: all you need is your home com- puter or your iPhone. Grazie to my marito, I can give you a sample of the abbondanza of italianità that awaits you when you visit the website: Our Classical Thought and R o o t s b y J o h n M a n c i n i , founder, and director; the almanac; the Italian jukebox - Italian music on records; a g a l l e r y o f I t a l i a n v i d e o s ; thoughts and opinions on all things Italians Bill Dal Cerro on movies. *** F r o m t h e O c t o b e r Almanac: O n O c t o b e r 2 , a plebiscite in Rome annexed the city to the Italian King- dom in 1870. On October 4, the first Italian railroad began oper- ation in 1839, covering a 5- mile stretch between Naples and Portici. On the same d a y , t h e u s e o f t h e n e w , more astronomically precise Gregorian calendar began in I t a l y a n d o t h e r C a t h o l i c c o u n t r i e s i n 1 5 8 2 . A n t i - Catholic Protestant coun- tries adopted it later. Always on the 4th, St. Francis of Assisi was born in 1181. He died in 1226. O n O c t o b e r 5 , M a r i a Beatrice d'Este was born in 1658. She became the wife o f K i n g J a m e s I I o f t h e United Kingdom. On October 6, 1600 , the first opera Euridice by Jacopo Peri was performed in Florence. On the same day in 1924, regular com- mercial broadcasting began on Italian radio. O n O c t o b e r 7 , 1 9 1 8 , Italian forces advanced into Albania over which Italy had proclaimed a protectorate in June 1917 during the First World War. On the same day, the Italian cruise ship A c h i l l e L a u r o w a s h i j a c k e d b y P a l e s t i n i a n e x t r e m i s t s i n 1 9 8 5 w h i l e s a i l i n g o f f t h e E g y p t i a n coast. A combined fleet of Italian city-states, Papal, and allied ships defeated the Turks in the Battle of Lep- a n t o o n O c t o b e r 7 t h , 1 5 7 1 . T h a t w a s a m a j o r e v e n t i n w o r l d h i s t o r y . Always on October 7th, Can- dido Iacuzzi, inventor of the first whirlpool bath, died in 1986 at age 83. On October 8 Argentine d i c t a t o r J u a n P e r ó n , ( n é Peroni), was born in 1895. O n O c t o b e r 9 , 1 9 6 3 , several towns in northeast- e r n I t a l y w e r e l i t e r a l l y washed off the map when an A l p i n e a v a l a n c h e c a u s e d millions of tons of water to spill over the Piave River's 873-foot-high Vajont Dam. T w o t h o u s a n d l i v e s w e r e lost. On the same day, in 1562, scientist Gabriello Fal- loppio died. He studied the anatomy of the ear and the reproductive system. On October 19, Joseph Petrosino became the first Italian-American police offi- c e r i n N e w Y o r k C i t y . H e formed the Italian squad to fight crime in Little Italy and r o s e t o t h e r a n k o f l i e u - tenant. He also founded the NYPD bomb squad. On October 20, Renais- sance sculptor and master of e n a m e l e d r e l i e f s A n d r e a d e l l a R o b b i a w a s b o r n i n Florence in 1435. O n O c t o b e r 2 1 , t h e silent film The Sheik pre- mieres in 1921. It solidified Rudolf Valenti- n o ' s i m a g e a s t h e " L a t i n Lover." O n O c t o b e r 2 2 , t h e actress Annette Funicello was born in 1942. On October 23, 1933, the Royal Italian Air Force test pilot Francesco Aggello tried for a new speed record i n a p r o p e l l e r p l a n e . H e reached the amazing speed o f 7 0 9 k m p e r h o u r a n d came close to breaking the sound barrier. On October 24, Italian troops with Napoleon won their first victory in Russia in 1812 at the Battle of Malo- Jaroslavetz. On October 25, heavy- w e i g h t c h a m p i o n o f t h e world Primo Carnera was born in Italy in 1906. The huge fighter was nicknamed the Ambling Alp. He lost his title to Joe Louis. On October 26, 1860, upon victory over Bourbon forces, Giuseppe Garibaldi ceded Southern Italy and S i c i l y t o K i n g V i t t o r i o 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. Emanuele II of Savoy with a handshake at a meeting on horseback outside Naples. I t a l y w a s r e u n i f i e d a f t e r 1 4 0 0 y e a r s . O n t h e s a m e day, boxer Rocky Marciano defeated one-time champ Joe Louis, in 1951. On October 27, master violinist Nicolò Paganini was born in 1782. On October 28, 1922, t h e K i n g o f I t a l y i n v i t e d Benito Mussolini and his fascist party to form a new government to restore order in a strife-torn nation. On October 29, 1908, one of the world's largest p r o d u c e r s o f e l e c t r o n i c office equipment, Olivetti & Company, was founded in Ivrea, near Torino. On the same day, the six-day b a t t l e o f V i t t o r i o V e n e t o ended in 1918. The Italians defeated an Austro-Hungar- ian-German army, killing 3 0 , 0 0 0 a n d c a p t u r i n g 427,000. The loss of Austria severely affected the Ger- m a n s ' m o r a l e a n d c o n - tributed to the armistice on t h e W e s t e r n F r o n t t w o weeks later. On October 30, fitness g u r u a n d i n v e n t o r o f d y n a m i c t e n s i o n C h a r l e s Atlas, born Angelo Siciliano, was born in 1892. On October 31, 1922, King Vittorio Emanuele III appoints Benito Mussolini Prime Minister of Italy. On the same day, Italian physicist Galileo F e r r a r i s w a s b o r n i n L i v o r n o i n 1 8 4 7 . H i s research made the alternat- ing current electric motor possible.

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