The Xicolatada is a traditional festival celebrated in the village of Palau-de-Cerdagne in Languedoc-Roussillon. It is celebrated yearly on 16 August, and has been for over 300 years.

In Catalonia, 15 August was once a festival day, and the locals would drink quite a bit, to the point that they felt a bit ill the following morning. To help them feel better, the village chocolatier would offer them a hot chocolate, which he claimed was an excellent remedy. Over the years, this habit grew into a custom, and eventually a municipal association was formed to remember the tradition and to organise the distribution of hot chocolate every year on 16 August, at precisely 11 in the morning. Today, the chocolate is brewed in large cauldrons over a wood fire. In 2007, 800 litres were consumed by 3000 people, many of whom were visitors; the festival draws many tourists to the village every year. To preserve the tradition, festival organisers have created a sort of confraternity called the Mestres xicolaters, or "master chocolatiers", who keep the recipes for the chocolate secret; the organisation also handles scheduling, which it does not reveal in advance.

If today is your birthday, Happy Birthday to You! You share this special day…

1888 – T. E. Lawrence, British colonel, diplomat, writer and archaeologist (d. 1935)

1892 – Hal Foster, Canadian-American author and illustrator (d. 1982)

1892 – Otto Messmer, American cartoonist and animator, co-created Felix the Cat (d. 1983)

1894 – George Meany, American plumber and labor leader (d. 1980)

1911 – E. F. Schumacher, German economist and statistician (d. 1977)

1913 – Menachem Begin, Belarusian-Israeli politician, 6th Prime Minister of Israel, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)

1920 – Charles Bukowski, German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer (d. 1994)

1924 – Fess Parker, American actor (d. 2010)

1925 – Mal Waldron, American pianist and composer (d. 2002)

1928 – Eydie Gormé, American singer (d. 2013)

1929 – Bill Evans, American pianist and composer (d. 1980)

1930 – Robert Culp, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2010)

1933 – Julie Newmar, American actress

1939 – Eric Weissberg, American singer, banjo player, and multi-instrumentalist

1953 – Kathie Lee Gifford, American talk show host, singer, and actress

1958 – Madonna, American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and director

1958 – Angela Bassett, American actress

...and on this day in history…

1513 – Battle of the Spurs (Battle of Guinegate): King Henry VIII of England and his Imperial allies defeat French Forces who are then forced to retreat.

1841 – U.S. President John Tyler vetoes a bill which called for the re-establishment of the Second Bank of the United States. Enraged Whig Party members riot outside the White Housein the most violent demonstration on White House grounds in U.S. history.

1858 – U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. However, a weak signal forces a shutdown of the service in a few weeks.

1916 – The Migratory Bird Treaty between Canada and the United States signed.

1927 – The Dole Air Race begins from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, during which six out of the eight participating planes crash or disappear.

1930 – The first color sound cartoon, called Fiddlesticks, is made by Ub Iwerks.

1942 – World War II: A naval L-class blimp drifts in from the Pacific and eventually crashes in Daly City, California. The two-man crew cannot be found.

1954 – The first issue of Sports Illustrated is published.

1960 – Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico at 102,800 feet (31,300 m), setting three records that held until 2012: High-altitude jump, free fall, and highest speed by a human without an aircraft.

1962 – Pete Best is discharged from The Beatles, to be replaced two days later by Ringo Starr.

1989 – A solar particle event affects computers at the Toronto Stock Exchange, forcing a halt to trading

2008 – The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago is topped off at 1,389 feet (423 m), at the time becoming the world's highest residence above ground-level.

Almanac - 8/16/18

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