Another birthday...

Guess whose 146th birthday would be today?

That's right, Almanzo Wilder was born today in 1857.

What a good-looking young man. 

Ever wondered how Almanzo got his extremely unusual first name? Laura Ingalls Wilder explains in Little Town on the Prairie, "It was wished on me. My folks have got a notion there always has to be an Almanzo in the family, because 'way back in the time of the Crusades there was a Wilder went to them, and an Arab or somebody saved his life. El Manzoor, the name was. They changed it after a while in England..." The Wikipedia article about Almanzo Wilder goes on to say, "Mansour is a common Arabic given name, meaning "victorious"; the article "al-" or "el-" merely means "the". Also, Al-Mansour is one of the most famous families in Saudi Arabia." Now we know! 

For your further reading pleasure, here's the Wikipedia page on Almanzo Wilder, which has a good synopsis of his life. Thanks for visiting LHCO, and come back soon! 

Elizabeth
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