The Breezer - the joyride for a curious mind: A weekly newsletter from me, Steve Winduss, at the Batting the Breeze podcast. Spend a few minutes with me discovering historical snippets and fascinating facts related to the forthcoming week. Add to that updates relating to the podcast, a touch of humour and a dash of "lots more". - 1st December 2024.

​

Happy Sunday!
​
If you have ever visited Paris, at some point you will have headed towards Notre-Dame de Paris, the 12th century Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité.
​
A walk along the left or right banks of the River Seine and over one of several bridge-crossings will bring you into the Place du Parvis, the plaza at the foot of the iconic Gothic twin-towered façade of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame.
​
The equally impressive flying buttresses at the eastern end of the cathedral not only support the visually striking high walls but also provide an imposing front end to the cathedral.
​
​
​

​
​
Synonymous with Notre-Dame du Paris is Victor Hugo’s timeless 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame; Quasimodo, Esmerelda, Captain Phoebus et al.
​
Hugo was captivated by the Gothic romance of the cathedral and looked to capture this sentiment through the novel. While things didn’t turn out too well for Esmerelda, the book itself was a hit. It has remained popular ever since, continuing to add weight to the historical mystique of the cathedral.

​

But who can forget that day in 2019 when fire ravaged Notre-Dame, culminating in the collapse of the 320-foot-high spire?
​
As the evening of 15 April closed in, the fire in the spire took hold; 500 tonnes of french Champagne oak ignited like a Swan Vesta. The images were as spectacular as they were distressing.
​
​
​

​
​
At the time of writing, I am watching French President Emmanuel Macron proudly unveil the result of five years of renovation. I have to say that the outcome is stunning. Notre-Dame de Paris is ready to begin the next stage of its historical voyage.

Of course, it is not uncommon for Europe’s great historical monuments to be destroyed at some point in their history, only to be rebuilt bigger and better.
​

In London alone, I can think of the Palace of Westminster (i.e. Houses of Parliament), St Paul’s Cathedral and, of course, the Tower of London, all of which have experienced the cycle of destruction and renewal.
​

The Tower of London started out as the central White Tower, completed in 1100 by the Normans. One hundred and fifty years later, Henry III added the inner curtain wall, a moat and additional towers.
​

By the end of the 13th century, Edward I had added the outer walls integrated with St Thomas Tower, home of the Traitors Gate. And so it continued to present day.
​
​
​

​
​
As the years pass, those additions and renovations become part of the history of the Tower themselves, like the evolving growth rings in the cross-section of a tree trunk.
​

As each tree ring provides a timeline and insight to the environmental conditions of that time, so renovations signal the progressive nature of architecture and customs of the day.

Notre-Dame de Paris was constructed under the orders of the Bishop of Paris, Maurice de Sully, to honour the Virgin Mary and symbolise the increasing dominance of the Catholic Church across Europe.
​

Construction began in 1163. The foundation stone was laid with King Louis VII and Pope Alexander III in attendance. One hundred years later, the Gothic masterpiece was largely completed, although modifications continued throughout the proceeding centuries.
​

The cathedral stood tall for the next 500 years until the French Revolution in 1789. By 1793, King Louis XVI had lost his head and revolutionaries had targeted Notre-Dame Cathedral for its religious symbolism and previous institutional status.

​

​

​
​

Notre-Dame was desecrated. Catholic worship had been banned by the revolutionary Directory. Rather coldly, the cathedral was renamed the Temple of Reason.
​

Revolutionaries smelted down bronze objects and lead from coffins for munitions. They decapitated statues of biblical kings in the mistaken belief that they represented French monarchs.
​

And so it remained for the next few years until, in 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte marched into Paris and declared himself First Consul of France. Hardly a drop of blood was shed.
​

Two hundred and twenty years ago tomorrow, 2 December 1804, Notre-Dame Cathedral was the setting for the coronation of Napoleon, now the self-proclaimed Emperor of France.
​

Pope Pius VII was in attendance, but at the critical moment, Napoleon relieved the Pope of the crown and placed it on his head. Napoleon had literally crowned himself.

​

​

Out of curiosity...​
Thomas Jefferson was re-elected as US President three days after the coronation of Emperor Napoleon - 5 December 1804.

The newly crowned Emperor allowed the Catholic Church to regain some authority and the cathedral was once more placed under its control. However, the state retained ownership.
​
Napoleon instigated the restoration of the desecrated cathedral and returned it to its previous glory. It was now a symbol of post-revolutionary France. Another ring in the tree trunk of the cathedral had been established.
​
Just before the French Revolution, the 600-year-old spire was deemed dangerous and subsequently dismantled. For more than 50 years, the cathedral remained decapitated, an ironic symbol mirroring the brutal nature of the Revolution.
​
By 1859, the French architect Eugène Violet-le-Duc had completed the new neo-gothic-styled spire. Another tree ring in the history of Notre-Dame.
​
​

​
​
During World War II the cathedral was wounded, but spared any significant damage and remained standing as a defiant symbol of French resilience. Notre-Dame again provided the centrepiece for celebrations when Paris was liberated from the Germans in 1944. Again the cathedral underwent restoration.
​
And so we arrive at that dreadful evening in April 2019.
​

The most upsetting sight was the collapse of that magnificent 1859 spire at around 19:50 in the evening. It had lasted a mere 160 years. When it fell, the profile of the cathedral changed instantly; once again Notre-Dame was headless.
​
​
​

​
​
President Emmanuel Macron had vowed to rebuild the spire and return the cathedral to its former glory. Today he proudly demonstrated that the vow has been honoured.
​
Restoration has been as faithful as possible to the cathedral’s history. The oak spire is lined with lead, as it was previously. The vaulted ceiling has been replaced in the area of the spire using traditional Gothic methods.
​
The timbers, which, not surprisingly, bore the brunt of the fire, have been replaced with French oak from over 1,000 trees.
​
Masons have finessed and replaced gargoyles and other stonework, while 325,000 limestone blocks have been extensively cleaned. They look dazzling.
​
Luckily the great organ escaped damage but the 8,000 pipes were dismantled for cleaning and maintenance. Spare a thought for the organ tuners!
​
I must commend the BBC, whose article on the renovation is first class. Check out How Notre-Dame was restored where you can run sliders across a number of before/after images to really understand the spectacular transformation of the last 5 years.
​
All I can say is, “Vive La France!“

Dates with History
​

Monday...

The words sadism and sadist were derived from the French philosopher and writer, Donatien Alphonse François, better known as the Marquis de Sade.
​
I can’t pretend even to scratch the surface of Donatien’s thinking and won’t be rushing out to buy his most popular writing, The 120 Days of Sodom.
​
Among other things, the book explores the darker aspects of human behaviour, particularly sexual violence and cruelty. Not my idea of a light read.
​
The book was written while the Marquis was held prisoner at the Bastille in Paris. He - and it - survived the storming of the Bastille in 1789, which served to secure its place in the pantheon of French literature.
​
The Marquis de Sade died 210 years ago tomorrow, 2 December 1814.
​

​
​Tuesday...​
One hundred and seventy years ago on Tuesday, 3 December 1854, 22 gold miners in the state of Victoria, Australia, were killed by state troopers over a mining licence disagreement.
​
The Eureka Stockade (part of the Eureka Rebellion) would become recognised as the birthplace of Australian democracy.
​
The Australian Gold Rush had ignited in 1851 at Bathurst, New South Wales, three years later than the Californian Gold Rush.
​
The Victorian towns of Clunes, Ballarat, Castlemaine and Bendigo would follow shortly after. Western Australian towns of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie joined the hysteria in the 1890’s.
​
The government of the day in Ballarat took advantage of the flood of prospectors into the area and imposed mining licences. They were payable regardless of gold being discovered or not.
​
This opportunism created tensions which culminated in the murder of the miner James Scobie, and subsequently, the rebellion.
​
The miners constructed a blockade at the Eureka Diggings towards the end of the November. A few days later on 3 December, Government troops attacked the blockage and within 20 minutes, 22 miners and 5 troops lay dead.
​
The public backlash from the deaths led to pivotal political and legal reforms. Mining licences were abolished, miners’ rights were enhanced and voting rights were introduced in Victoria.
​
The Eureka Stockade is remembered today as a symbol of defiance against inequality and injustice and the catalyst for civil rights and a fairer society in Australia.

​

Out of curiosity...​
The poem The Charge of the Light Brigade was written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson the day before the Eureka Stockade on 2 December 1854 and published a few days later.

Where are they now?

If you can remember the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, you will remember the Romanian Gymnast Nadia Comǎneci.
​
Despite being only 14 years old, Nadia became the first Olympic gymnast to score a perfect 10.0 in any of the gymnastic disciplines. When she won on the uneven bars, the unsuspecting scoreboard could only display her achievement as 1.00, since a 10.0 didn’t exist.
​
Comǎneci had beaten the gymnastic greats of the day; Olga Korbut, Ludmilla Tourischeva and Nellie Kim.
​
Nadia might have missed the event altogether as she was refused entry to the venue on that day, mistaken as an excitable schoolgirl seeking autographs from the stars.
​
Not content with one perfect score, Comǎneci went on to record a further six perfect 10.0 scores, securing three gold medals, one silver and a bronze. She had propelled herself to the status of one of the most iconic athletes of the 20th century.
​
Nadia Comǎneci would win a further two gold medals at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and retired from gymnastics in 1984.
​
In November of that year, Nadia defected from Romania, crossing Europe via Hungary into Austria. Thirty-five years ago today, 1 December 1989, she flew from Vienna into John F. Kennedy International Airport where she was granted asylum. Nadia obtained US citizenship in 2001 and has lived there ever since.
​
​

​

Comǎneci married the American Olympic gymnast Bart Connor in 1996. The couple live in Oklahoma and have one son, Dylan, born in 2006.
​
Nadia has remained involved in international gymnastics ever since her defection and supports her husband’s Gymnastics Academy in Norman, Oklahoma. She also maintains several philanthropic interests specifically relating to children’s causes in her home country of Romania.
​
Nadia Comǎneci is 63 years old.

Out of curiosity...​
The Berlin Wall had fallen 22 days before Nadia Comǎneci arrived in the US - 9 November 1989.

By the Way

For the last few weeks in the UK, we have heard sickening allegations of sexual assault and even rape by the former owner of Harrods of London, Mohamed Al-Fayed.
​
The BBC has released a documentary, “Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods”. The reports are disturbing as more and more women step forward to share their harrowing experiences.
​
Al-Fayed was the fifth of six owners of the internationally renowned luxury department store.

In 1834, Charles Henry Harrod opened a small wholesale grocery store in Cable Street, Stepney, East London. Harrod had previously tried his hand at selling drapery but this time turned his attention to trading in tea.
​
175 years ago on Tuesday, 3 December 1849, Charles Digby Harrod, son of the original Charles, moved the store to Knightsbridge, West London, its current home.
​
Apart from moving closer to the wealth, Charles looked to take advantage of the undoubted traffic boost from the forthcoming Great Exhibition of 1951, to be held up the road in Hyde Park.
​
The store was destroyed by fire in 1883 but was rebuilt larger and more suited to its wealthy clientele. (There’s those tree rings again….)

​

​
​
Al-Fayed paid £616 million to purchaser Harrods in 1985 and sold it to its current owners in 2010 for £1.5 billion. He died in 2023.

​

Question of the Week

Next Saturday marks the 45th anniversary, 7 December 1979, of the release of the first ever Star Trek movie, Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
​
The original TV series had aired between 1976-79, gaving rise to multiple spin-off series and the phenomenon of the Trekkie, that strange breed of cheerleader who avidly attends all conventions and Star Trek-related releases.
​
The film turned out to be the first of 13 to date. Despite being the fifth-highest grossing film of 1979, it received muted reviews, criticised for a certain lack of action. Some renamed it Star Trek: The Slow Motion Picture.
​
The Star Trek franchise has grossed over $12 billion to date and remains as popular as ever among the Trekkies.
​
What actors played the roles of Captain T. Kirk and Spock in the first series and movie?

And Finally…

In October 1984, the BBC’s Michael Buerk introduced the nation to the famine in Ethiopia, which he described as the closest thing to hell on Earth.
​
The combination of drought and conflict had triggered the famine in 1983 and would claim the lives of over one million Ethiopians.
​
Pop stars Bob Geldof (Boomtown Rats) and Midge Ure (Ultravox) had seen Buerk’s report and were moved to act. Within 33 days, they had created the Band Aid supergroup, assembling a troupe of British pop greats to record the charity single, Do They Know It’s Christmas?.

​

​
​
Bono, Simon le Bon, Phil Collins, Boy George, George Michael, Sting and Paul Young were among those that gathered at studios in Notting Hill to record the original version in a single day.
​
This Tuesday marks the 40th anniversary, 3 December 1984, of the release of that single, selling a million copies within the first week. It rocketed up the charts to No. 1 and stayed there for five weeks, raising £24 million to support aid for the Ethiopian famine along the way.
​
The charity has raised over £140 million in total and continues today to distribute circa £3 million of humanitarian aid to causes in and around the Horn of Africa each year.

Spread the word...

If you've enjoyed this newsletter, please help me spread the word by forwarding it to a friend.

​

If you have received this newsletter from a friend and would like to receive your own weekly copy of The Breezer, then feel free to sign up here.

Thank you for joining me. Have a great week!

​

Steve

HOST & CHIEF STORY HUNTER

​

P:S: Incidentally, I am always keen to receive your feedback to help me continuously improve this newsletter and the podcast. Just hit reply to this email and...... let it rip! I respond to every email that I receive.

Question of the week... Answer

In the first film and TV series of Star Trek, William Shatner played James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy played Spock.