Archive for January 2022
History of Mozart
HISTORY OF MOZART Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756, but he was baptized under the name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. What’s In A Name When he was an adult, he referred to himself as “Wolfgang Amadè Mozart,” signing his marriage certificate that way. His baptismal name was Latinized, as was…
Read MoreHistory of Australia Day: Ties to the American Revolutionary War?
HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA DAY Did you know that the history of European Australia has ties to the American Revolutionary War? When the 13 American Colonies were part of the British Commonwealth, it was convenient for England to transport its convicts to the Colonies. Indeed, it was considered more humane to “transport” prisoners than to execute…
Read MoreHistory of the Liberation of Auschwitz: January 27, 1945
HISTORY OF THE LIBERATION OF AUSCHWITZ: JANUARY 27, 1945 January 27, 1945, was the liberation of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, one of the most notorious camps of World War II, by the Soviet Red Army. This date is now known by the United Nations and the European Union as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In America,…
Read MoreHistory of Macintosh: a 38 Year Love Affair
HISTORY OF MACINTOSH: A 38 YEAR LOVE AFFAIR The now-famous Macintosh computer turns 38. When Apple President Steve Jobs launched this computer at the Flint Center on De Anza College campus on January 24, 1984, to the theme from Chariots of Fire, he called it “insanely great!” The $1.5M “1984” Super Bowl commercial filmed by…
Read MoreHistory of Martin Luther King, Jr.
HISTORY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Born on January 15, 1929, we celebrate a holiday in honor of a man who was not a president, an explorer, or a saint. Instead, he was a Baptist minister and an American leader of the 1960s civil rights movement named for the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther after his…
Read MoreHistory of Epiphany and Twelfth Night: Ends the 12 Days of Christmas?
HISTORY OF TWELFTH NIGHT AND EPIPHANY Twelfth Night is on January 5, the eve of Epiphany, which occurs in the Christian calendar on January 6. Epiphany signifies the event of the Magi, or Wise Men, visiting the baby Jesus, and is known in some Latin cultures as Three Kings Day. Or, as my friend Tim LeCroy…
Read MoreHistory of New Year’s Resolutions: Where Did They Begin?
HISTORY OF NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS As I mentioned previously, New Year’s Day celebrations began in pre-Christian times, beginning with the Babylonians in March but later changed to January by the Romans. Where did we get the idea of New Year’s Resolutions and why at the beginning of the year? Roman New Years Resolutions The…
Read MoreHistory of Telemachus: the Monk Who Ended the Roman Gladiatorial Games – January 1, A.D. 404
History of Telemachus: the Monk Who Ended the Roman Gladiatorial Games – January 1, A.D. 404 January 1, A.D. 404 marked the last known gladiatorial games in Rome. What part did an obscure Christian monk from the East play in this epic change in Roman entertainment? This is the story of St. Telemachus, whose festival…
Read MoreHistory of New Year’s Day: Why on January 1?
History of New Year’s Day: Why on January 1? It wasn’t always on this date. This article discusses its history.
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