Browsing: January 1

A Brief History On January 1, 2017, we at History and Headlines have decided to live up to the “Headlines” portion of our name by re-capping the hottest fake news of last year! Digging Deeper After 2016 introducing fake news to the masses, with a fake news story about Israel threatening to nuke Pakistan resulting in a real Pakistani response threatening to nuke Israel in return, and in an idiot believing a fake news story about Hillary Clinton running a child sex ring out of a pizza shop traveling to the pizza shop with a real rifle that he fired…

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A Brief History On January 1, 1950, a new method of designating what year it is (or was) went into effect with the BP system, meaning “Before Present.”  The Anno Domini (“the year of our Lord”) choice of a starting date for modern counting of years was proposed by the colorfully named Dionysius Exiguus (a monk from what is now modern Bulgaria or Romania) back in 525 AD.  (Yes, you can use the letters with or without the periods.) Digging Deeper The Lord referred to in AD is Jesus Christ, which of course seems to slight people of any religion…

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A Brief History On January 1, 1902, Pasadena, California hosted the Rose Bowl, the first college football “bowl” ever.  In case you have ever wondered why sportscasters refer to the Rose Bowl as “The Grandaddy of ‘em all,” this is why.  It was the first and is still arguably the most prestigious college football bowl game. Digging Deeper Billed as a contest of East vs. West, the first Rose Bowl game was played between Michigan and Stanford, the representatives of the Big 10 and Pacific Coast Conferences. (The former PCC is now the Pac 12.)  Traditionally, this annual championship game is…

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A Brief History On January 1, 1773, the all familiar hymn “Amazing Grace” was performed for the first time at a church service in England. Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find what is generally considered to be the most familiar, best loved, all around greatest hymn based on music of unknown origin. The words, however, came from John Newton, a cleric who wrote them years before with the inspiration coming from his time on a slave ship threatened by fierce weather.  The prospect of imminent death elicited the beautiful words we know today, and in them he claims to have…

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A Brief History On January 1, 2021, we take New Year’s Day to reflect on the fact that January 1st, although it is now celebrated as the beginning of the new year each year in virtually all of the western civilizations of the world today, is by no means the universal harbinger of a new year. Digging Deeper We find that this particular day was not always when people celebrated the new year in Europe as well as other parts of the world.  Various European countries started using January 1st as New Year’s Day in a hap-hazard manner between the…

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