Jan 2, 1920. Although Isaac Asimov was one of the world’s best-known writers of science fiction, his almost 500 books dealt with subjects as diverse as the Bible, works for preschoolers, college course work, mysteries, chemistry, biology, limericks, Shakespeare, Gilbert and Sullivan and modern history. During his prolific career he helped to elevate science fiction from pulp magazines to a more intellectual level. His works include the Foundation trilogy, The Robots of Dawn, Robots and Empire, Nemesis, Murder at the A.B.A. (in which he himself was a character), The Gods Themselves and I, Robot, in which he posited the famous Three Laws of Robotics. His The Clock We Live On is an accessible explanation of the origins of calendars.
Asimov was born near Smolensk, Russia, and died at New York, NY, Apr 6, 1992.
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On 2 January 1492, Spaniards took the city of Granada from the Moors, ending seven centuries of Muslim rule in Spain.
Image: La Rendición de Granada – by Pradilla 1881, Public Domain
Jan 3, 1956. Game show on which prizes were awarded to the contestant who evoked the most sympathy from the studio audience. The show began some 11 years earlier on the radio with Jack Bailey hosting. Five women were chosen from the audience to appear on stage. Each related her story of misfortune and explained what she needed to remedy the situation, and the audience would vote by applause. The lucky winner was then given the royal treatment— crown, scepter and red robe—plus a prize to help with her problem. This soon became the top-rated daytime show. In 1969 the show went into syndication with Dick Curtis as host, but it didn’t last long.
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Jan 3, 1959. Alaska, which had been purchased from Russia in 1867, became the 49th state. The area of Alaska is nearly one-fifth the size of the rest of the US.
Eight brightly colored drinking straws positioned against a white background, each of them in its own color put together to resemble a rainbow. The plastic tubes have an accordion-like living hinge, making their head flexible.
On 3 January 1888, A drinking straw made out of paraffin-covered paper was patented by Marvin Stone of Washington, DC. It replaced natural rye straws.
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Jan 3. At approximately 12:43 AM, EST, planet Earth will reach perihelion, that point in its orbit when it is closest to the sun (about 91,400,000 miles). Earth’s mean distance from the sun (mean radius of its orbit) is reached early in the months of April and October. Note that Earth is closest to the sun during the Northern Hemisphere winter. Read more at https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/perihelion-aphelion-solstice.html.
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Jan 3, 1892. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, author of The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings. Though best known for his fantasies, Tolkien was also a serious philologist. Born at Bloemfontein, South Africa, he died at Bournemouth, England, Sept 2, 1973.
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Jan 3, 1793. American teacher, minister, antislavery leader and (with Elizabeth Cady Stanton) one of the founders of the women’s rights movement in the US. Born at Nantucket, MA, she died near Philadelphia, PA, Nov 11, 1880.
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On 4 January 1896, Utah became the 45th state of the Union.
Jan 4, 1893. President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation granting full amnesty and pardon to all persons who had since Nov 1, 1890, abstained from unlawful cohabitation in a polygamous marriage. This was intended in the main for a specific group of elderly Mormons who had continued in the practice of contracting serial marriages. Amnesty was based on the condition that those pardoned must obey the law in the future or be “vigorously prosecuted.” The practice of polygamy was a factor interfering with attainment of statehood for Utah.
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Jan 4, 1809. The inventor of a widely used touch system of reading and writing for blind people was born at Coupvray, France.
Permanently blinded at the age of three by a leather working awl in his father’s saddle-making shop, Braille developed a system of writing that used, ironically, an awl-like stylus to punch marks in paper that could be felt and interpreted by people who are blind. The system was largely ignored until after Braille died in poverty, suffering from tuberculosis, at Paris, Jan 6, 1852.
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illustration of music background in doodle style
Jan 4, 1936. Billboard magazine published the first list of bestselling pop records, covering the week that ended Dec 30, 1935. On the list were recordings by the Tommy Dorsey and the Ozzie Nelson orchestras.
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On 5 January 1914, Henry Ford announced that all worthy Ford Motor Company employees would receive a minimum wage of $ 5 a day. Ford explained the policy as “profit sharing and efficiency engineering.” The more cynical attributed it to an attempt to prevent unionization and to obtain a docile workforce that would accept job speedups. To obtain this minimum wage, an employee had to be of “good personal habits.” Whether an individual fit these criteria was determined by a new office created by Ford Motor Company— the Sociological Department.
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On 5 January 1914 the boxer turned actor was born George Keefer Brewer at Woodstock, Iowa. Active in the 1940s in minor Hollywood roles (including a small part in Gone with the Wind), Reeves found stardom on the small screen as Superman/ Clark Kent in “The Adventures of Superman,” which ran from 1952 to 1957. Reeves did his own stunts as the “Man of Steel” and was popular with children all over.
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Source: KWilson.com, fair use
Jan 5, 1913. The “father of the modern hotel,” revolutionized the travel industry by creating the first standardized chain of clean, air-conditioned hotels with swimming pools and ice machines.
Born at Osceola, AR, in 1951 Wilson became angered by the conditions and costs of hotels he encountered during what he called “the most miserable vacation trip of my life.” From this family vacation, the idea for the Holiday Inn chain was born.
Named after the 1942 Bing Crosby film, Holiday Inns were strategically located next to the burgeoning interstate highway system, where growing numbers of post-WWII families could travel from one to the next, knowing there would be no unsavory surprises. Today, there are Holiday Inns in every state and in more than 50 countries worldwide. Wilson died at his home at Memphis, TN, on Feb 12, 2003.
Read more at http://kwilson.com/our-story/history/.
Evening before Epiphany (6 January). Twelfth Night marks the end of medieval Christmas festivities.
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On 6 January 1912, New Mexico was admitted as the 47th state in the Union.
Jan 6. A secular festival preceding Lent. A time of merrymaking and feasting before the austere days of Lenten fasting and penitence (40 weekdays between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday). The word carnival probably is derived from the Latin carnem levare, meaning “to remove meat.” Depending on local custom, the carnival season may start any time between Nov 11 and Shrove Tuesday. Conclusion of the season is much less variable, being the close of Shrove Tuesday in most places. Celebrations vary considerably, but the festival often includes many theatrical aspects (masks, costumes and songs) and has given its name (in the US) to traveling amusement shows that may be seen throughout the year.
Observed traditionally in Roman Catholic countries from Epiphany through Shrove Tuesday.
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Known also as Old Christmas Day and Twelfthtide.
On the 12th day after Christmas, Christians celebrate the visit of the Magi, the first Gentile recognition of Christ. Epiphany of Our Lord, one of the oldest Christian feasts, is observed in Roman Catholic churches in the US on a Sunday between Jan 2 and 8. Theophany of the Eastern Orthodox Church is observed in churches using the Gregorian calendar (Jan 19 in those churches using the Julian calendar). This feast day celebrates the manifestation of the divinity of Jesus at the time of his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Note: In centuries past, the day began at sunset. This custom has often led to confusion between Twelfth Night and Twelfth Day.
Image: “Adoration of the Magi” in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception at Conception Abbey in Conception, Mo. 
La Befana is an Epiphany festival in which the “Befana,” a kindly witch, bestows gifts on children— toys and candy for those who have been good, but a lump of coal or a pebble for those who have been naughty. The festival begins on the night of Jan 5 with much noise and merrymaking (when the Befana is supposed to come down the chimneys on her broom, leaving gifts in children’s stockings) and continues with joyous fairs, parades and other activities throughout 6 January.
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Major festival of the Christian Church observed in many parts of the world with gifts, feasting, last lighting of Christmas lights and burning of Christmas greens. Twelfth and last day of the Feast of the Nativity. Commemorates the visit of the Three Wise Men (Kings or Magi) to Bethlehem.
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Jan 7, 1912. The prolific cartoonist with a macabre sense of humor was born at Westfield, NJ. He became a full-time staff member of The New Yorker in 1935 and stayed there for his entire career, producing some 1,300 cartoons. His most famous creation was the ghoulish “Addams Family,” who escaped print into television and film. Author of numerous bestselling cartoon collections and the Charles Addams Mother Goose (1967), Addams died Sept 29, 1988, at New York, NY.
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On 7 January, 1927, basketball promoter Abe Saperstein’s “New York Globetrotters” took the floor on this date at Hinckley, Illinois. Despite the “New York” in their name, the Globetrotters (who included Inman Jackson, Lester Johnson and Walter Wright) hailed from Chicago’s South Side. The talented African-American players— unable to play in white professional leagues— barnstormed the nation in serious basketball promotional events. They changed to “Harlem Globetrotters” in the 1930s and added humor to their games in the 1940s.
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A day to fight back and take control of all events that happen in one’s life. Stand up for your rights— it’s so easy to walk away.
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com user Komposita, CC0.
A day to recognize and thank programmers for their contributions to our lives. Programmers are ultimately responsible for many of the conveniences we enjoy such as DVRs, direct deposit, Web surfing, online bill paying, cell phones, etc. Behind most modern-day conveniences, there’s a computer programmer! Annually, Jan 7.
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