|
|
||
|
|
January 26 On January 26, 1808 Major George Johnston led his men to the residence of Governor William Bligh and forcibly relieved him of his post. This remains the only successful coup by force in Australia’s history. (You may remember Charles Laughton’s portrayal of the lovable, kooky Captain Bligh in 1935′s Best Picture “Mutiny on the Bounty” which portrayed the crew’s slapstick romp through the South Pacific.) But that’s not why they celebrate. In fact the first recorded …Read more 
January 25 Lang syne, in Eden’s happy scene When strappin Adam’s days were green, And Eve was like my bonie Jean My dearest part, Read more 
January 24
Today is the annual Alasitas festival in Bolivia’s capital city of La Paz. Alasitas isn’t a Spanish word but an Aymara one. It means something akin to “Buy me.” And if you thought El Norte held a monopoly on consumerism, don’t put your money on it. Alasitas is all about prosperity in the coming year. People buy miniatures of whatever it is they hope to achieve. Actually it’s better luck if someone else …Read more 
January 23 John Hancock Break out those quills…today is National Handwriting Day. And by no coincidence it’s the birthday of Founding Father John Hancock, famous for signing his name on the Declaration of Independence large enough, so the story goes, for King George III of England to read it without his glasses. John Hancock made his fortune by inheriting his father’s shipping business. During the days of high British taxes, Hancock was charged with smuggling, but he …Read more 
It was on January 22 in 1919 that the two republics making up what is now Ukraine signed the Zluky Act that would merge the two into one, thus uniting the Ukrainian people. The two republics were the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the West Ukrainian People’s Republic, and the triumphant ceremony took place at St. Sophia Square in Kiev (below). Signing of the Zluky Act, Jan. 22, 1919 It is a rare holiday in Ukraine in that it does …Read more 
January 22 “We, workers and inhabitants of the city of St. Petersburg, members of various sosloviia, our wives, children, and helpless aged parents, have come to you, Sovereign, to seek justice and protection…” Thus began a petition to Nicholas II, Czar of Russia, protesting the working and living conditions in St. Petersburg. It didn’t work. The peaceful protest was led by a Russian Orthodox priest named Father George Gapon, a “simple-hearted priest, with a rather childlike …Read more 
January 22 Reunion Day is a rare holiday in Ukraine in that it marks neither tragedy nor defeat nor bloodshed. On this day in 1919, West Ukraine joined Greater Ukraine. The two republics signed the Act Zluky to form an independent united Ukraine. The triumphant ceremony took place at St. Sophia Square in Kiev. Signing of the Act Zluky on January 22, 1919 The joy was short lived. Later that year Bolsheviks gained control of the …Read more 
January 21 [published January 21, 2009] Yesterday I walked into a church I had never been to before to watch the Inauguration of Barack Obama. About 200 people were crowded inside. A projector cast a larger-than-life image on the wall behind the altar– a live feed of the inauguration. The crowd was joyful, respectful, and united, as were crowds across the country. It was an unusual scene for liberals, who in recent decades …Read more |
|
|
Copyright © 2012 every day's a holiday! - All Rights Reserved 46 queries. 2.001 seconds. |
||
English