This Day in History
 

Today...

<o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> January 1. On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation took effect in the states of the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region> that had seceded to form the Confederate States of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1>America</st1></st1:country-region>. Issued under his authority as Commander in Chief, the Emancipation Proclamation initially had the unusual effect of freeing only those slaves that were in states that the <st1>Union</st1> did not control. The Union slave-holding <st1:state w:st="on">border states</st1:state>, <st1:state w:st="on">Kentucky</st1:state>, <st1:state w:st="on">Missouri</st1:state>, <st1:state w:st="on">Maryland</st1:state>, <st1:state w:st="on">West Virginia</st1:state> and <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Delaware</st1></st1:state>, were not initially effected by the proclamation.
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Slavery was not completely abolished in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1>United States</st1></st1:country-region> until the ratification of the 13^th Amendment, in December, 1865.

January 2. On January 2, 533, one Mercurius was elevated to Pope, and took the name Pope John II. Mercurius, born in Rome, was named after the old Roman God of Mercury. An obviously inappropriate name for a Catholic Pope, he changed it to John II upon elevation to the papacy.

He was thus the first person to change his name upon being elevated to Pope.

This new years resolution
will leave a good looking corpse

I think you should keep this going, Amnorix.

Yep, good idea.

Stealing from William Bennett? Naughty history geek. Naughty!

on Jan. 1st 1953 Hank Williams Sr.(29) was found dead in the back of his car.

What are the rules here? Will Amnorix post, or anyone who's interested? And is the post the one most significant event of the day, or the oddest, or a mere random selection?

In all seriousness, I have no idea what you're referring to. I would never claim that this is an original idea, however. I'm sure others have done it in many, many ways.

No rules. I'm posting one interesting historical event for each day. I will generally try to post events of true historical significance or odd interest, not useless factoids about movie stars or whatever.

Whether others wish to comment or them, or not, or post other factoids, is obviously up to them.

Oh, and P.S., I'm in the Eastern Time Zone, so I may post such facts after midnight here, but before midnight in KC. C'est la vie. :shrug:

Thanks. That's the plan at least. :D

On January 3rd of 1973 CBS sells the Yankees to Steinbrenner aswell as minority owners that contributed a total of $10 million. CBS reportedly took a loss on the transaction. Steinbrenner said that he would not be that involved in the Yankees organized and would mostly be focusing on his ship building business. A business that would later file for bankruptcy in 1993.

January 3. The Meiji Restoration in Japan was completed on January 3, 1868. The Meiji Restoration is the name typically given to the period in which the Tokugawa Shogunate, which had effectively ruled Japan since 1603, was overthrown and the Emperor restored to supreme power in Japan.

The restoration of Imperial power and the oligarchy that replaced the former individual-specific Shoguns paved the path to the end of the Samurai class and a feudal structure, the adoption of a capitalist economy, and the industrialization and modernization of Japan and its rise to status of world power.

oh also January 1st 1963 was Derrick Thomas's birthday.

Jan 3, 1777 - Washington defeats British at Battle of Princeton

Jan 3, 1959 - Alaska becomes a State

That can't be right, can it? He was drafted in 1989 and that would have made him 26 years old.

Edit: He was born on January 1st, 1967

I don't know what the hell made me do 63. I deserve a neg rep for that.

I figured it was just a typo. Nothing worth getting negged over.

I had not intended to include dates of births or deaths as part of this undertaking, but January 4th is truly a boring day in the history of the world, so I will deviate from my original plan. I hope not to do this often, but in this case, the person for whom I am making the exception is certainly worthy of it.

January 4. On January 4, 1643, Sir Isaac Newton was born in a small hamlet in Lincolnshire County, England. One of the most influential men in human history, he was born prematurely, and three months after his father died.

Even a brief summary of his accomplishments could go on and on. Suffice to say that his most famous work, Principia, is almost without doubt the most influential written work in the history of science. Lesser known is that it may well have never seen the light of day without the encouragement and financial assistance of Edmond Halley (more famously known for having a comet named after him). Very irascible and eccentric in his later years, Newton was found after his death to have a high level of mercury in his body (perhaps as a result of his various experiments), which may have accounted for his unpleasant demeanor.

Also lesser known is that he wrote extensively regarding religious matters, and had a considerable impact (although unorthodox) in that sphere as well.

January 5.

While it is tempting to post the sale of Babe Ruth by the Red Sox to the Yankees (1920) for $125,000, that doesn’t seem to have tremendous historical significance.

January 5, 1531. On this day, Pope Clement VII expressly forbade King Henry VIII of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:country-region w:st="on"><ST1:pEngland</ST1:p</st1:country-region> from divorcing his wife, Catherine of Aragon. King Henry VIII is justifiably famous for many reasons, including the unification of England and Wales and being one of the principal founders of the Royal Navy, which would go on to dominate the world’s oceans for the next several centuries. Principally, however, he is known for his many marriages and his break from the Catholic Church that dominated <ST1:pEurope</ST1:p at the time, and the founding of the Church of England.

<O:p</O:p
Ironically, Henry was initially a staunch defender of the Catholic Church. His situation was complicated, however, by his wife’s inability to give him a male heir. Five of Catherine’s six children were stillborn or died in infancy, while the sixth was female. Desperate for a male child, Henry resolved to have his divorce annulled and marry Anne Boyeln, one of his queen’s ladies-in-waiting.

<O:p</O:p
Normally such a petition would easily be granted, especially for a reigning monarch with a record of supporting <st1:City w:st="on">Rome</st1:City>. The Pope’s situation was complicated, however, by his effective imprisonment by King Charles V of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region>, who had more or less conquered <st1:country-region w:st="on"><ST1:pItaly</st1:country-region>. The significance of this is that Catherine of Aragon, Henry’s wife, was Charles Vth’s aunt.

<O:p</O:p
While the story took several years to play out, <st1:City w:st="on">Rome</st1:City> never relented, which resulted in Henry’s break with <st1:City w:st="on"><ST1:pRome</st1:City>, the founding of the Protestant Church of England, and seizure of monasteries (also necessary to fund Henry’s profligate spending). The cultural and economic impact on <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region> (and therefore, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><ST1:pAmerica</ST1:p</st1:country-region> as well) can hardly be overstated.

January 5, 2009: Amnorix discovers the smilie.

1919: The German Workers' party is founded in Munich by locksmith Anton Drexler; it later becomes the Nazi party.

O I beg to differ, it absolutely does.

It was a disaster. I tried posting twice, got halfway through and IE died on me. So then I typed it in Word, copied/pasted, and got the crappy result you posted.

I then cleaned it up using edit. On my 'puter it looks clean now. Does it still look like a disaster to others??

I debated this one, but I will have far too many posts regarding WWII events as it stands, so I ignored it for now. I doubt Henry VIII will get that much more play from me. :D

You may rest assured that no sports event will appear from me as the event of the day. A separate thread for "This Day in SPorts History" would be great, but I won't be doing that one. :D

It's better, I suppose.

http://i44.tinypic.com/2yllr46.jpg

:cuss::cuss::cuss::cuss::cuss:

Word does that sometimes to me as well when I copy and paste.

There is a button at the bottom of the advanced post, where you can disable smilies. n00b.

I just had my grandmother cremated on a funeral pyre at Tom Sawyer's Island.

Done. Hopefully its fixed now.

BTW, my earlier reference was to Bill Bennett's new book: An American Patriot's Almanac. It is basically a daily historical record, not unlike what you are doing here.

This day in history BigVE married his "high school sweetheart" and has been broke ever since.

On January 5th, 1651, Abel Tasman, the discoverer of Tasmania, had his rank reinstated after a nasty little administrative problem arising from the fact that he hanged one of his crew members without a trial.

Ah, thanks for that. Never seen/heard of that book. My scope is far more than just US history, however, which should be apparent by now. :p

Happy (??) anniversary! :p

Since Amnorix has apparently made the decision to tease us with a little King Henry VIII history but now apparently plans to leave us hanging:

January 6, 1540 - King Henry VIII of England married his 4th wife, Anne of Cleves

Edit to add: :p :p :p

January 6, 1649 - The Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial.

January 6, 1912 - New Mexico is admitted to the Union.

January 6, 1936 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the 1933 Agricultural Adjustment Act was unconstitutional in the case of the United States vs. Butler et al.

Donger? That you...?

:p

January 6, 1936
Debut of Porky Pig

Porky Pig makes his world debut in a Warner Brothers cartoon, "Gold Diggers of '49." When Mel Blanc joined Warner Brothers the following year, he became the famous voice behind Porky as well as the Warner Brothers characters Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, and Tweety.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-h...=entertainment

Yes, I sensed your historical geekness has no boundaries.

Takes one to know one. :D

Sigh. Yes, I feel like the mosquito being drawn toward the Bug Zapper.

January 6.
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On January 6, 1838, Samuel Morse first successfully tested his new invention, the single wire electric telegraph.
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This feat was a critical step in the “shrinking of the world”, and the first serious improvement in communications systems since someone figured out that carrier pigeons liked to go back to where they had came from.
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The impact of the telegraph was immense. It was particularly noteworthy how valuable it was during the American Civil War when it permitted semi-centralized control over huge military forces over vast distances.
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Morse, a brilliant man, was also full of seeming contradictions. Educated at <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Phillips</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Academy</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> and Yale, he was primarily a painter, but his dabbling in science brought him everlasting fame. Although born in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Charlestown</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Massachusetts</st1:State></st1:place> (current home of the USS Constitution), to a preacher, he was also a defender of slavery, considering it to be divinely sanctioned.

Jan 7th

On this day in 1789, America's first presidential election is held. Voters cast ballots to choose state electors; only white men who owned property were allowed to vote. As expected, George Washington won the election and was sworn into office on April 30, 1789.

January 7, 1892
Mine explodes in Oklahoma

A massive mine explosion leaves nearly 100 dead in Krebs, Oklahoma, on this day in 1892. The disaster, the worst mining catastrophe in Oklahoma’s history, was mainly due to the mine owner’s emphasis on profits over safety.

Southeastern Oklahoma was a prime location for mining at the turn of the 19th century. Much of the land belonged to Native Americans and thus was exempt from U.S. federal government laws and regulations. Although the mining company’s indifferent attitude toward safety was well-known, there were more than enough immigrants in the area willing to work in the dangerous conditions at the Krebs mine, where most miners were of Italian and Russian descent.

The Osage Coal & Mining Company’s No. 11 mine was notorious for its poor conditions. This led to a high turnover of workers, and the company routinely hired unskilled labor, providing little in the way of training to get them up to speed. This was true for even the most dangerous jobs, like handling explosives and munitions.

In the early evening of January 7, several hundred workers were mining the No. 11 mine when an inexperienced worker accidentally set off a stash of explosives. Approximately 100 miners were burned or buried in the explosion. Another 150 workers suffered serious injuries. Nearly every household in Krebs was directly affected by the tragedy.

It wasn’t until 2002 that the victims of the Krebs mining disaster were honored by a memorial built at the site of the old mine.

Well done sir. I didn't even see this one among the options. It being as good or better than any that I did see, we'll declare this to be the event of the day. Rep to you.

Merely for interest, the other noteworthy events that were contenders were the January 7, 1999 impeachment of President Clinton, and the January 7, 1558 recapture of Calais by the French. Calais, which had been held by the British for several hundred years (I'm thinking since 1066 but I'll let Donger let us know), was the last bit of French territory to be recovered by them.

Finally, in 1610 Galileo saw four moons of Jupiter, the first non-Moon moons to be observed by a human.

Not quite.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porky_Pig

January 8.

Well, one thing I've already learned on this project -- not all days are created equal. On some days I struggle with which item to pick out of a relatively bland list of choices. On other days I have a wealth of truly significant historical events from which to choose.

January 8th is one such day. On this day in 1835, the US debt was zero for the first and last time in American history (I assume the zero debt began today and lasted for sme period of time, and once new debt was incurred we never got back to zero). In 1926 Ibn Saud became King of Hejaz and renames it Saudi Arabia. In 1959 Fidel Castro's revolution is completed in Cuba. And in 1964, President JOhnson announces the "War on Poverty" in America.

But the event of the day occured January 8, 1815. On this date, the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812 took place. A crushing victory for Americans over the British, it was the final major battle of the war (insignificant naval battles occurred for up to 4 months after the technical end of the war). Although this battle took place more than two weeks after the Treaty of Ghent was signed to end the war, it had quite a bit of historical significance.

First, it cemented Andrew Jackson's reputation as a national military hero and launched his political career, which would end with 2 terms in the White House (when among other things he apparently reduced the national debt to zero. :D ). It also helped quell dissent against President Madison, as the war overall was anything but a smashing success. Though the Treaty of Ghent gave the US none of the things it was looking for when it started the war, the victory helped paved the path of Madison's successor, James Monroe, to the White House.

The battle itself was a combination of leadership and brilliance on the part of Andrew Jackson, and true stupidity by the British. The expedition was under the command of the British ADMIRALTY, who chose an absurd route to attack New Orleans, leaving the army in a very bad position. A newly arrived senior British General, who had arrived after service with Wellington in the peninsula campaign and knew his business much better than his predecessor, was absolutely incensed at the British Admiral in charge. Nevertheless, he followed the plan as he thought it too late to change at this point, to his army's undoing and his own death.

The British, with absurd logistical problems and assaulting a well defended position, had over 2,000 casualties (~300 dead) including 3 senior generals. The Americans suffered a mere 71 casualties, with 13 dead.

Nice touch. :thumb:

23:1 kill ratio. That's a disproportionate response. America should be ashamed.

Yes, because as we all know wikipedia is the last word!ROFL I don't know, take it to the history channel.:p

Wikipedia seems to be right a lot more often than it's wrong. On many issues, it's probably at least as accurate as a standard encyclopedia. It's hard for me to imagine that there are many people out there gung ho about spreading misinformation about Porky Pig, but I guess it's possible.

I'd agree with this. I refer to Wiki alot to refresh my memory, and it's rare that they're just flat wrong. Sometimes they have a spin that I disagree with, but usually it's pretty reliable for facts and figures.

I bet it's some Islamic group.

Elvis Presley born on this date. Jan 8th,1935.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley

ah thank you very much /Elvis

On this day in 1835, the United States' national debt was zero (0) for the first, and only, time.

MM
~~:sulk:

January 8th, 2007 Florida won the BCS National Championship.

Today, two years later, history may repeat itself. :D

Do you "assume the zero debt began today and lasted for some period of time, and once new debt was incurred we never got back to zero" or do you assume that this was a one day feat?

Just quoting Wikipedia. Your mileage may vary ...

MM
~~:D

I was just joking with you. Instead of typing "repost", I quoted Amnorix who originally posted that factoid.

I verified it at several other sites before I posted it.

http://www.toonopedia.com/porky.htm

http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0029616/

http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/gjohnson/ppig.html

January 9.

Another day with a plethora of possibilities. Most appealing, initially, was the January 9, 1861 firing on the Star of the West by cadets at the Citadel. The Star of the West was a federal ship sent to provide provisions to Fort Sumter. These shots are generally regarded as the first shots of the Civil War. I will have many opportunities to discuss Civil War matters, so I'll push on.

Also of note is the British withdrawal, on this date in 1916 from Gallipoli, which ended their tremendous misadventure and cost Churchill his position at the Admiralty. The 1945 invasion of Luzon, in the Phillipines, and 1951 opening of UN Headquarters in New York were also candidates.

But I doubt I'll have a chance to discuss one of the reasons the Middle Ages were the Dark Ages quite so vividly, so I won't pass it up.

On January 9, 1349, the entire Jewish population of Basel, Switzerland was burned alive on accusations of causing or spreading the black plague.

During Roman times, Jews could be citizens. But during the Middle Ages, they were generally considered foreign nationals (regardless of where/when they had been born etc.). As a result, their ability to remain in any given country was subject to the king's pleasure, and their rights were strictly limited. They were unable to give "Christian" oaths, for example, which completely foreclosed them from knighthood or any other participation in the entire feudal/manorial system. Therefore, property ownership was also out of the question.

As a result, only the artisan trades and money lending businesses were open to them. When the guild system developed, they usually lost their ability to serve as artisans.

This left moneylending. So most/all Jews were effectively forced to be bankers. And while they did well with the profession when allowed, invariably the bankers became unpopular from time to time (as we still see today), and their Jewishness and lack of citizenship usually resulted in persecutions, losing all property, and perhaps death.

As the events in Basel showed, they could and would be blamed for nearly anything wrong in the lives of their neighbors, and be required to pay the ultimate price.

Over time, this led to mass migrations to generally more tolerant Eastern Europe, including Russia. Eventually, large Jewish populations were concentrated in Poland and Russia. Eventually, these countries too had their own pogroms in the 18th and 19th centuries and, of course, the rise of the Nazis, in part based on centuries old anti-semitism, led to their wholesale slaughter during the Holocaust.

And it did. :)

January 10.

Some REALLY good choices here. In 1475 Stephen of Moldavia defeated the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Vaslui. Vastly outnumbered (reports were 120,000 Ottomans to 40,000 Moldavians plus some allies), the successful defense helped stem the "infidel" Muslim invasion of Europe.

In 1776 Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense, which inflames all Americans (not just the elite) towards revolution.

In 1870 John Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil.

In 1941 Lend Lease is introduced to the US Congress.

But ultimate, the event of the day is one that is nearly 2,000 years old and still has references in modern day parlance and shaped most of the Western World for centuries to come. On this day in 49 BC, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon river in Northern Italy, signaling the start of the Roman civil war that led to his seizure of power and the conversion of the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire.

The significance of the Rubicon River is that it signaled the border between Italy proper and Cisalpine Gaul. Gaul being more commonly known these days as France. Roman law prohibited Roman Legions from crossing the Rubicon and entering Italy proper, thus protecting, in theory, the Republic from being overthrown from power.

Having subdued Gaul which had been in active rebellion and having served terms a proconsul and otherwise achieving the heights of power in the Republic, the Senate sought to reduce him in stature and possibly marginalize his power. Unwilling to accept this, he crossed the Rubicon with a single legion, but in so doing, triggered civil war.

To this day, the phrase "crossing the Rubicon" is used to indicate an act of significance that, once taken, puts one on a path of no return.

January 11.

I'm thoroughly unimpressed with today's options, so I will go with the 1755 birth of Alexander Hamilton.

One of the principal founding fathers, Hamilton's rise to Washington's right hand man and being the face on the $10 bill is one of the least likely imaginable, since he was born in utter poverty on the British West Indian island of Nevis.

I will give you an option for today.
Super Bowl IV
January 11, 1970 - Tulane Stadium


Kansas City Chiefs 23
Minnesota Vikings 7

Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one (after Super Bowl III) to officially bear the name "Super Bowl". This was the final AFL-NFL Championship Game before the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL) merged into one combined league after the season.

The game was played on January 11, 1970, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. This was the first Super Bowl played without the standard week off after the conference championship games (league championship games at the time). Strangely enough, the AFL had a week off between its divisional playoffs (the NFL played its conference championship games during the AFL's off-week) and league championship game. The AFL started its 1969 season a week earlier than the NFL, and thus had an extra week to deal with during the post-season. This would be the last Super Bowl played without the week off until Super Bowl XVII.

The AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs (11-3) defeated the NFL champion Minnesota Vikings (12-2), 23–7. Even though the Vikings were 13-point favorites coming into the game, the Chiefs defense dominated the game by limiting the Minnesota offense to only 67 rushing yards, forcing 3 interceptions, and recovering 2 fumbles. The victory by the AFL evened the Super Bowl series with the NFL at two games apiece.

Kansas City's Len Dawson became the fourth consecutive winning quarterback to be named Super Bowl MVP. He completed 12 of 17 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown, with 1 interception. Dawson also recorded 3 rushing attempts for 11 yards.

The crowd of 80,562 was a Super Bowl record for attendance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_IV

Interesting, less than 2 weeks into the year and we have already had both Andrew Jackson and his nemesis when it comes to monetary policy, Alexander Hamilton mentioned. That is a debate I would have loved to have been able to witness!

Yes, though obviously they were not contemporaries, I agree -- that would have been a great debate. Probably would've ended with a duel, however. :D

It's all good. I was just going by what the History Chanel had. Really, Porky Pig's grand arrival isn't that big of a deal. But, IMHO, wiki is pretty good but you still have to watch what is in it. I guess the same can be said of the History Chanel.

January 12.

A boring day, historically speaking. Most interesting perhaps is that on this day in 1991 the US Congress authorizes the use of force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.

Less cataclysmic but still interesting, the 1969 victory of the New York Jets on this date propels the American Football League to respectability and paves the way for the merger of the old NFL and the AFL to form the football league that we know today.

And the Jets have barely been heard from ever since. ROFL ROFL ROFL

January 13.

A day of no cataclysmic events, but many second tier events.

First, a few lesser items of interest:

1. On this date in 1794, US Congress chagnes the flag to 15 stars and 15 stripes. Within a few years (less than 20 if I recall), Congress restores the flag to 13 stripes for the original colonies.

2. 1898, Emile Zola publishes "J'Accuse", launching the Dreyfus Affair that roiled France fo the next 10+ years.

3. 1942 -- German submarines begin attacking merchant vessels off the US Eastern Coast. Unprepared for the declaration of war and for forming into convoys, the German U-Boats initially have tremendous success. It was really only limited by the few submarines they could keep in position so far from their bases. This leads to blackouts on the Eastern seaboard to prevent the Germans from more easily ascertaining their position, and to convoying of American merchant vessels.

4. 1953 -- Tito becomes President of Yugoslavia.

As this post has gotten long, I'll put the event of the day into the next post.


EDIT: How odd. I cross-checked the date for what I was going to choose as the event of the day, and other sites are citing a different date. Ah well. The above is as good as it gets for today, apparently.

January 13, 2009 - a new era in Kansas City Chiefs football with the announcing of Scott Pioli as GM.

Jan 14th 1784, The United States ratified a peace treaty with England ending the Revolutionary War.

January 14.

Good guess Chasedude. The event of the day is America's ratification of the Treaty of Paris on this date in 1784, officially ending the American Revolutionary War. It was a close call, however. On this date in 1990, the Simpsons made its debut on Fox-TV.

Back to the Treaty of Paris -- it was signed in, you guessed it, Paris, by three very well known Americans, Benjamin FRanklin, John Adams, and John Jay back in September 1783, and ratified on this date 1784. Although it officially ended the war, it took some considerable time to resolve all of the disputes that arose as a result of the treaty, including most significantly the confiscation of loyalist property, payment by Americans of debts owed to Britons, claims by American slave owners of confiscated property (i.e. slaves), boundary disputes relating to the border with Canada.

Perhaps the most notable thing about the Treaty and the American victory that it proclaimed -- the American Revolution was the only war lost by England during a period of about 150 years during the height of the British Empire.

January 15, 1559, Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England.

Although historians are cautious about glorifying her, there is little doubt that he lengthy reign of 44 years stabiilzed England, helped further national identity and unity. Last of the Tudors, she oversaw a "golden age" of the arts, including Shakespeare. The victory over the Spanish Armada and her moderate rule ensured her popularity and fame.

January 16.

heck of a day. Lots of stuff happening. On this day in 27 BC, the Roman Senate bestows the title "Augustus" on Octavian. While not strictly translating as "Emperor", it denotes a group of rights that, when combined, more or less means the same thing. Thereafter, Roman Emperors would append the title of Augustus to their names. Regrettably, this starts a trend amongst Roman Emperors of appending all kinds of titles to their official names, and invariably the weaker the Emperor, the more titles he has. This is best exemplified by the otherwise forgettable Gordian II, whose official name upon ascension was "Caesar Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Romanus Africanus Augustus." The weight of his titles perhaps slowed him down, as he died a few months into office in 238 fighting the Battle of Carthage.

1547, Ivan IV becomes Tsar of Russia. He would go on to become known as Ivan the Terrible. Most likely suffering from mental illness at various times, his most infamous acts were to massacre the population of Novgorod (est. 60K to 200K killed) and to turn the wealthiest region of Russia into one of its poorest.

1777, Vermont declares independence from New York. It goes on to raise cows, make really good ice cream, and otherwise never be heard of again.

1909, Ernest Shackleton find the magnetic South Pole.

1919, the US passes the 18th amendment, cleverly prohibiting all alcoholic beverages (other than for religious use) in the United States. This paves the way for bootlegging, and the rise of the mafia and other gangs. About 15 years later, everyone wakes up, realizes that they really like alcohol, that this was a fantastically stupid idea, and repeals the Amendment.

1945. Adolf Hitler moves into his bunker in Berlin. Happily for the entire rest of the world, it turns out to be a one way trip.

1979. Shah of Iran flees Iran for Egypt.