Jaime Nunó

On this day in 1824 Jaime Nunó the Catalan composer was born at Sant Joan de les Abadesses in Girona province.

After the death of his parents he went to live with his uncle Bernard in Barcelona and it was he who helped finance his musical studies. Eventually he won a scholarship with Saverio Mercadante in Italy.

In 1851 he was named director of the Queen's Regimental Band and went with them to Cuba where he befriended Antonio López de Santa Anna the former Mexican president.

When Santa Anna returned to Mexico in 1853 he was invited to lead the Mexican military bands and in 1854 he composed the Mexican national anthem.

Jaime died in New York in 1908 but his remains were exhumed and he was laid to rest in the Rotonda de los Hombres Ilustres in Mexico City.

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May 20th 1902

Did you know ?

On this day - May 20th 1902 - Cuba gained independence from the United States .

Tomás Estrada become the country's first President.

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April 22nd ... Did you know ?

On the 22nd April 1529 the Treaty of Saragossa divides the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal along a line 17 degrees east of the Moluccas.

Pity they did not consult the English, French or Dutch.

In 1451 on this date Isabelle I of Castile was born.

And in 1898 the US Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports in the Spanish -American war.

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Did you know .... ????

El Cid ( he of the great beard ) a Castillian knight was born Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar in 1043 and spent most of his life fighting the Muslims.

Cid comes from the Arabic " sidi " meaning lord.

His most important achievement was when he defeated the Almoravids and took the city of Valencia from the Muslims in 1093-4.

He died in 1099.

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Did you know .... ????

Did you know ??

Miguel de Cervantes was born 29th September 1547 at Alcalá de Henares - the fourth of seven children of Rodrigo de Cervantes a surgeon and Leonor de Cortinas.

Alcalá de Henares is twenty kilometres north east of Madrid and his place of birth was Calle de la Imagen 2 in the old centre .

The house is now fully renovated and is open to the public as the Museo Casa Natal de Miguel de Cervantes .

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Did you know .... ????

Did you know .... ??

The great Spanish playwright Miguel de Cervantes died the same day that the English playwright William Shakespeare did.

April 23rd 1616

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Did you know .... ????

Did you know ? -

Four Roman emperors were Spanish -

Trajan

Hadrian

Antoninus Pius

Marcus Aurelius

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