Browsing: January

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on January 21st.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On January 21, 1535, in the aftermath of “The Affair of the Placards,” French Protestants were burned at the stake in front of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. On January 21, 1793, King Louis XVI of France was convicted of treason and taken to the guillotine where he was promptly beheaded, just one of the many instances of famous beheadings…

A Brief History On January 21, 2023, we celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day, one of the greatest holidays in all of the Rodent Kingdom! Digging Deeper Yes, squirrels are rodents, cousins to mice and rats, although with a much more attractive coat.  Tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, prairie dogs and flying squirrels are all in this expansive family.   Although squirrels are native to the Americas, Asia, and Africa, they had to be introduced to Australia and Europe.  Often accused of crimes such as stealing food from bird feeders and burglarizing houses, squirrels provide a lot of visual enjoyment as they scurry…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on January 20th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On January 20, 1885, LaMarcus A. Thompson patented his version of the modern roller coaster, the Switchback Railway, which became the first roller coaster at Coney Island in New York! On January 20, 1920, a new organization devoted to the freedoms guaranteed to all Americans by the Constitution of the United States (and its amendments) was formed from the National Civil Liberties…

A Brief History On January 20, 1947, only 3 months before Jackie Robinson broke the “color barrier” and became the first African American major league baseball player, the famous catcher and slugger from the Negro Leagues of baseball, Josh Gibson, died at the young age of 35 of a stroke brought on by a brain tumor. Digging Deeper Gibson is now recognized by Major League Baseball as having had the highest single season batting average of all time, .466 in 1943.  As of 2020, MLB recognizes Negro League statistics as belonging in “major league” category.  Gibson also slugged about 800…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on January 19th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On January 19, 1913, the Holly Hotel in Holly, Michigan burned for the first time! On January 19, 1983, a space traveling chimpanzee named Ham died at the age of 25 at the North Carolina Zoo. On January 19, 1995, a Bristow Helicopters Eurocopter AS332L Super Puma suffered a terrifying lightning strike while transporting 16 oil workers and a crew of two from Aberdeen, Scotland to…