January in history according to an eternal pessimist.
January 1, 1979
The US and China officially began a diplomatic relationship. It was the result of the so-called ping-pong diplomacy—an act of political courtship kick-started by the 1971 ping-pong matches between the two nations. Now that’s a long shot!
January 2, 1839
French photographer Louis Daguerre took the first picture of the moon. It should have been one of the most famous photographs in history! Sadly, it perished in a fire that destroyed the inventor’s laboratory.
January 3, 1866
Scottish traveller and missionary David Livingstone began his last journey across Africa. Little did he know that the trip would bring him so much fame . . . with his sudden disappearance along the way.
January 4, 1847
Samuel Colt sold his first revolver, ordered by the US government. That’s what we call a shot at the brass ring.
January 5, 1066
On his deathbed, king of England Edward the Confessor whispered the name of the person he would leave the throne to. Not loud enough to prevent a war from happening, though.
January 6, 1877
Austrian man Alois Schicklgruber changed his name to Hiedler. As if it was still too hard to spell, the clerk wrote it down as “Hitler.” Perhaps Adolf, the son of Alois, would never have reached such a horrendous position if his followers had had to twist their tongues shouting “Heil Schicklgruber!“
January 7, 1601
In the Battle of Wenden, the Swedish army saw the Polish hussars charge for the first time. For hundreds of Swedes, it would also be the last thing they got to see.
January 8, 1811
In Louisiana, a rebellion of several hundred slaves took place. Two masters and ninety-five rebels lost their lives. And the owners of the killed slaves received compensation from the government to make up for the damages inflicted on their “property.”
January 9, 1493
During his journey to the New World, Christopher Columbus happened upon a group of mermaids. Or so he thought. The explorer pointed out that the creatures were nowhere near as beautiful as the myths had claimed. No wonder—it soon turned out that they were not predatory half-women, half-fish, but manatees, the fat sea mammals.
January 10, 1999
The first episode of The Sopranos aired. It was a small step for the history of the mafia, and a great leap for the history of TV shows. Cinemas should have already feared their impending doom.
January 11, 1644
While taking the long journey to India by ship, Jesuit missionary Michał Boym sent a letter from Mozambique describing the customs of the inhabitants of Southern Africa. It was the first Polish account in history. Too bad it was completely forgotten for so many years.
January 12, 1795
The king of Poland, Stanisław August Poniatowski, was held hostage in Grodno. Over time, his fate would improve, unlike the fate of the First Polish Republic, crushed under the third partition of the country.
January 13, 1964
Bob Dylan’s LP The Times They Are a-Changin’ came out. Instead of more traditional ballads or love songs, the singer proposed a number of protest songs about poverty, injustice, and sexual revolution. Back then, rock and roll still cared.
January 14, 1514
Pope Leo X issued a bulla condemning slavery. But what of it—just two years later, the first shipment of sugar from the New World would arrive on the shores of Europe. And it soon became clear that the sweet European life needed to run on living machines, i.e. human beings laboring on Caribbean plantations.
January 15, 1759
The British Museum opened its gates to the public. And the list of its treasures was impressive, to say the least. Too bad so many of them were stolen or pillaged during wars . . .
January 16, 378 CE
The Teotihuacano army conquered the famous Mayan city of Tikal. However, instead of tearing it down, the conquerors helped it to grow. They even adapted to the customs of Tikal’s original inhabitants. All for nothing, though, since the jungle grew all over the place, anyway.
January 17, 1904
Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard was held onstage for the first time in history. The author saw his work as a comedy, but the director presented it as a tragedy. Chekhov was so angry that he didn’t even want to attend the premiere . . . Who would have thought it would become a must-see for all theater lovers to this day?
January 18, 1657
In the Edo shrine (today’s Tokyo), the priests exorcised a kimono in which three girls had died one after another. The priests decided to burn the cursed garment. Unfortunately, just as they started, a strong wind picked up, carrying the fire up onto the shrine’s wooden roof, and then to the neighboring houses. Soon, all of Edo was burning. During the next three days, flames would devour most of the city, killing one-third of the three hundred thousand people who lived there.
January 19, 1847
For the first time, Scottish doctor James Young Simpson used ether to spare the pain of a woman giving birth. The experiment was immediately condemned by religious fanatics. After all, they said, the scripture says: “With painful labor you will give birth to children.”
January 20, 1652
After being convicted for lese-majesty, magnate Hieronim Radziejowski fled the Polish Republic. He came back with a Deluge, backed up by his new king—Charles X Gustav of Sweden.
January 21, 62 CE
Roman aristocrat Poppaea Sabina became Nero’s wife. It was a great honor, except her new husband was a brute, drunkard and mythomaniac. Poppaea got pregnant, but was killed after one of many domestic fights with Nero.
January 22, 1793
Europe was shaken by the news that just a day earlier, the government of revolutionary France had beheaded the monarch, Louis XVI. Lo and behold—the British press suddenly heralded Louis a martyr, completely ignoring the ongoing rivalry between the two countries. The fear of revolution can do miracles, indeed . . .
January 23, 1897
Twenty-four-year-old American woman Elva Zona Heaster was found dead in her own bed. Nobody suspected the husband to be the murderer until the victim’s mother was haunted by . . . her ghost. When the case went to court, the jury believed the stories about the ghost. The man went to prison. Was it a crime or paranormal activity?
January 24, 1885
Several bombs exploded in London. The bombers targeted the Tower of London and the Houses of Parliament. The attacks were organized by Irish radicals, ready to use any methods to fight for the freedom of their country. The British punished the perpetrators, but the conflict with Ireland would drag on for many decades before a compromise would be reached.
January 25, 1858
At the wedding of Queen Victoria’s daughter to the Prussian heir to the throne, Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” was played. The piece, unknown to the wider public before, became an overnight success. Strange, as there was no YouTube back then.
January 26, 1934
Poland and the Third Reich signed a non-aggression pact. And they say you should always keep your word . . .
January 27, 1891
In a church in Zakopane, a six-year-old boy was christened. The godmother was the legendary actress Helena Modrzejewska, the godfather—a highland robber and storyteller called Sabała. And what did the boy become? His name was Staś, but it was the nickname Witkacy that made him famous.
January 28, 1611
Johannes Hevelius was born in Gdańsk. He would die on the same day—luckily, seventy-six years later, having first discovered all that he was supposed to.
January 29, 1415
The Polish delegation arrived at the Council of Constance. The knight Zawisza Czarny was a sensation—he wore a hip outfit, decorated with ostrich feathers, and he rode at the head of an impressive cortege of two dozen horses. It would have made a great historical soap opera: a mediaeval version of The Bold and The Beautiful, if you will.
January 30, 1975
Hungarian inventor Ernő Rubik patented his most famous puzzle: a “magical cube.” It’s difficult to complete for an average person. But it’s even more irritating that record holders can do it in just a few seconds!
January 31, 1542
Conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca arrived at the giant waterfall Iguazú. Since then, this natural miracle hasn’t had a moment of peace. And worse still, the waves of tourists keep on rising.
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