Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. On this day, Christians recall Jesus’ final Passover meal—which we now call the Lord’s Supper—at which he washed the feet of His disciples, demonstrating his humility to value others above himself. He then commanded them to do the same for each other. “Maundy” is a shortened form of mandatum (Latin), which means “command.” It was on the next day, Good Friday, that Jesus was crucified. Today is also a holy day for those who serve as clergy for they often renew their ordination vows, recommitting themselves to service.
Daily Calendar for Thursday, April 2, 2026
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Thursday, April 2, 2026
Question of the Day
What is a sous-chef? I hear the term regularly on cooking shows.
Sous is the French word for under, beneath, below. “Chef” is also French, meaning chief, head, commander; the term is defined in the United States as “head cook.” Sous-chef means deputy head or deputy commander, but we use it exclusively as the title given an assistant to a restaurant or hotel chef.
Advice of the Day
It is bad luck to step in a cloud reflected in a puddle.
Home Hint of the Day
Avoid adding plywood or pressure-treated wood to your burn pile. The fumes from these materials can be toxic.
Word of the Day
Celestial equator
The circle around the celestial sphere that is halfway between the celestial poles. It can be thought of as the plane of Earth’s equator projected out onto the sphere.
Puzzle of the Day
What kind of shoes do frogs wear?
Open-toad!
Born
- Hans Christian Andersen (author) –
- Erastus Brigham Bigelow (industrialist, inventor, a founder of Massachusetts Institute of Technology) –
- Buddy Ebsen (actor) –
- Charles "Honi" Coles (tap dancer) –
- Sir Alec Guinness (actor) –
- Emmylou Harris (country music singer) –
- Christopher Meloni (actor) –
- Clark Gregg (actor) –
Died
- Samuel Morse (inventor) –
- Bennie Moton (Jazz pioneer; died in Kansas City, Missouri) –
- C. S. Forester (author) –
- Pope John Paul II –
- Jane Henson (co-creator of The Muppets) –
Events
- Juan Ponce de Leon discovered Florida and claimed it for the King of Spain –
- U.S. Mint established –
- American Farmer journal founded –
- Bread riot occurred in Richmond, Virginia –
- 7.9 earthquake triggered tsunami, Hawaii –
- Charles Martin Hall patented an inexpensive way to make aluminum –
- As the World Turns debuted on television –
- 199.5+ mph wind gust recorded at Cannon Mountain, New Hampshire –
- Toronto’s 1,815-foot CN Tower was completed. –
- Dallas made its television debut –
- The patent for the hook-and-loop fastener Velcro expired. –
- A British rescue cat named Merlin set a new world record with a purr that was recorded at 67.8 decibels. –
Weather
- Wind gusted to at least 199.5 miles per hour at Cannon Mountain, New Hampshire –
- A severe storm blasted the northeastern United States for three days. Winds reached 140 miles per hour on top of Mount Washington, New Hampshire, and Maine received two to three feet of snow –
- 9.4 inches of snow closed Chicago’s O’Hare airport –
- Twisters tore through the Midwest and South, killing 18 people –
- A rare 0.1” snowfall occurred in Charlotte, North Carolina –