Archive for January 2022
History of Ben Franklin: The Original Founding Father?
HISTORY OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN We know this polymath as a writer, publisher, printer, merchant, scientist, moral philosopher, international diplomat, and inventor. He invented the glass harmonica in music, but he also invented the Franklin stove and started the first lending library and fire brigade in Philadelphia. He did experiments in electricity and developed the lightning…
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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