David Prashker's Book Of Days: The Merely Mentioneds: A

Pierre Abélard: Peter Abelard in English, Petrus Abaelardus or Abailardus in Latin (born circa 1079, died April 21 1142): theologian and philosopher; former tutor and lover of Héloïse d'Argenteuil. May 15

Jacob Abendana (with a dozen of his scions also detailed), amongst the first and most significant of Cromwell’s Jews, on Sept 30

The German Abwehr im Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, the Defense of the Armed Forces High Command, can be found plotting against Hitler on July 27; members mentioned include : State Secretary Curt Jöel; Minister of Justice Franz Gürtner; Chief of Staff Ludwig Beck; Colonel Hans Oster of the Abwehr; and the head of the Abwehr itself, Admiral Wilhelm Canaris; military prosecutor Manfred Roeder.
Also named are: Christine Dohnány-Bonhoeffer; Claus von Stauffenberg; Werner von Haeften; General Friedrich Olbricht; Christoph von Dohnányi; Klaus von Dohnányi; Elza Galafrés; Bronisław Huberman; Admiral Horthy; James A. Grymes; Andrew Schulhof; Lajos Hernádi; Carl Flesch; György Ferenczy; Ilona Dohnányi; Tibor Serly; Erwin Schulhoff (who is on the Gideon Klein page as well); Egon Kenton [Kornstein], pianist Edward Kilenyi, musicologist Bence Szabolcsi, composer Leó Weiner, Edward R. Thaden, Professor Milton Hallman; Elisabeth Sifton and Fritz Stern. Strangely absent from the loist

Armondo Linus Acosta: directing Robert Powell as Romeo and Francesca Annis as Juliet (and Vanessa Redrave as Ma Capulet) in the 1990 Belgian film "Romeo.Juliet", on Jan 30 and in Thespian World

Fabricio di Acquapendente: discovering vascular valves on March 29 and on the Scientific Achievements list

Gerard (Gerry) Adams, terrorist, or Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh, freedom-fighter, depending on which side you take, on April 24 and the Eirish page

Flavius Aetius: stabbed to death by an unloveable Valentine on Feb 14

Karel Ančerl: conducted Gideon Klein’s music after the war, and was himself a Terezín survivor, but still imprisoned on April 1

John Quincy Adams: secured the Smithsonian bequest on Aug 10 - his dad, 2nd President John Adams, also gets a mention, as does another President, Thomas Jefferson, though the latter are a few hours apart; and for a second appearance: went back into the House of Representatives on Dec 5

Elkan Nathan Adler: his "History of the Jews of London” is on Sept 30; his bio and books here

Adoum: the first of several in this list who are only known by their first name; the Arab boy who started out as André Gide’s personal servant on his journey through the Congo, but ended up as his personal student. Nov 22

Aeschylus: “the father of tragedy” (circa 525-circa 456 BCE) on April 30, July 18 and Sept 23; his name is written as Αἰσχύλος in the Greek so it should really be pronounced Aischýlos

Vizier al-Afdal Shahanshah (1066-1121), though he was born Abu al-Qasim Shahanshah bin Badr al-Jamali: launching a crusade against the Crusaders on March 5

Uncle Ahuitzotl: succeeded by Montezuma on June 30; learn more about this “spiny aquatic thing” here

Khalid Wad Al Baih: Romanian born, but now Sudanese, and living in exile in Denmark; daring to make political cartoons on Sept 27

St Alban: noted as the first Christian martyr in Aengland, early 4^th century; the cathedral’s website here, and if you are surprised that I am including a Christian saint here, rather than automatically sending him across the Styx into the GER page... lots of reasons, for which see Prashker’s London and especially my page in “The Badge & The Cross” on the Jewish involvement in the building of his church in the town named for him. But also the reason for his martyrdom: ask Martin Niemoller! June 24, though his feast-day is actually June 22; and the town named for him gets several mentions

Marc Allégret: the photographer photographed, by Lady Ottoline Morrell, on Nov 22

Aaron H Allen (born October 6 1800; died April 7 1849): worth a cartoon on Dec 5; read all about it in comfort while starting at a screen here (and there’s a really interesting piece about Lucian Freud lower on the same link)

Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby: Field Marshal and 1st Viscount Allenby; ghastly man, but he also hired and supported T.E. Lawrence: so shall I GER him? if I decide to keep him, he’ll be on Aug 15

Edward (“Ned”) Alleyn (1566-1626): see P’s London for the Fortune Theatre and Dulwich College; the latter’s website here - Dec 18

Amina (sometimes Aminatu) (born circa 1533; died circa 1610): queen of Nigeria - well, the Hausa city-state of Zazzau, which she renamed for her sister Zaria, in north-west Nigeria: among the Supra Idesses on April 17 - bio here

Martin Louis Amis is very much The Zone Of Interest on Jan 11

Judah Loeb ben Ephrayim Anschel ha-Kohen, the first Rabbi at the Bevis Marks synagogue, on Sept 30

Tomás Aquino, on May 4 and July 22 - bio here

Eleanor of Aquitaine, which should be written and pronounced as Aliénor d'Aquitaine, with the accents at the beginning of both names, in the Langue d’Oui (d’Oïl officially, but the difference is all about how they say “yes”); in the Langue d’Oc she is written and pronounced Alienòr d'Aquitània, with the accents at the end of both names (much more detail about her on Sept 8 and a mention on Jan 13; she is also listed among the Supra Idesses on April 17) - bio here

Archilochus: “(flourished c. 650 bce, Paros [Cyclades, Greece]) was a poet and soldier, the earliest Greek writer of iambic, elegiac, and personal lyric poetry” according to Britannica. Describing an eclipse on April 6, which is listed among the Scientific Achievements on Jan 1.

Archimedes of Syracuse: mathematically challenged by Omar Khayyam on March 6. For more on him try here, or here

Walter Conrad Arensberg - wealthy art collector who lunched with Marcel Duchamp in NYC on April 11 and wrote some rather indifferent poetry (click here)

Héloïse d'Argenteuil, or sometimes Héloïse du Paraclet, born circa 1100, died May 16 1163: French nun, philosopher, writer, scholar, abbess, and rather more famously the student-lover of Pierre Abélard on May 15

Alex Gómez Arias: caught a bus with Frida Kahlo on Sept 17

Aristophanes: see my Greek essay in “Beyond the Fourth Wall” ; otherwise here - Dec 18 and Thespian World

Artaxerxes: March 5 but linked to March 12. Numerous Bible mentions, starting at Nehemiah 8

Julian Assange, being very annoying by doing what journalists are supposed to do, on Aug 12 (I need to update this to note his release from Northern Mariana for Canberra on June 27 2024)

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk: founded modern Turkey on Oct 29 (here for more)

Géo (sometimes Géa) Augsbourg: in the Picasso-Max Jacob meet-up group on Aug 19

Honorius Augustodunensis: compiled the "Imago mundi" on March 8; doesn’t really need following up, but I can’t resist the name, though he is usually remembered as mere Honorius of Autun. But then you look him up, and wonder if I didn’t model Fra Angelus on him! Try here:

Tibors d'Aurenga: mother of Tibors de Sarenom on Jan 13; other family members mentioned include father Guilhem d'Omelas; first husband Goufroy de Mornas; second husband Bertran dels Bau; her sons Uc, the father of Barral of Marseille, Bertran, the father of Raimon; and Guilhem, as well as her grandson Raimbaut d'Orange (Raimbaut d’Aurenga).

Hadassah bat Avi-Chayil (but Ester bat Avi-Chayil אֶסְתֵּ֣ר בַּת־אֲבִיחַ֣יִל according to chapter 2 verse 15 of her book: click here). Queen Esther on March 12. Other Biblical names mentioned on the same date are Ishtar and Marduk, Chaman and Yehudah, Nod and Cain - (all linked to TheBibleNet); Leviticus 26 quoted re Haman; and John 18 re Annas; Artaxerxes I - (linked to TheBibleNet); Ezra and Nehemiah - (linked to TheBibleNet); Xerxes I (linked to TheBibleNet)