On This Day January 29th

 OTD

January 29th is the Twenty-ninth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 339 days remain until the end of the year.

 

Events

904 – Sergius III is elected pope after retiring to take over the papacy from the deposed antipope Christopher. Antipope?

946 – Caliph al-Mustakfi is blinded and deposed by Mu'izz al-Dawla, ruler of the Buyid Empire. Al-Muti succeeds him as caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate.

1819 – Stamford Raffles lands on the island of Singapore.

1845 – "The Raven" is published in The Evening Mirror in New York, the first publication with the author's name, Edgar Allan Poe.

1850 – Henry Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850 to the U.S. Congress.

1856 – Queen Victoria issues a Warrant under the Royal Sign manual that establishes the Victoria Cross to recognize acts of valor by British military personnel during the Crimean War.

1861 – Kansas is admitted as the 34th U.S. state.

1886 – Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile.

1907 – Charles Curtis of Kansas becomes the first Native American U.S. Senator.

1936 – The first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced (Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson).

1944 – World War II: In Bologna, Italy, the Anatomical Theatre of the Archiginnasio is destroyed in an air raid.

1989 – Cold War: Hungary establishes diplomatic relations with South Korea, making it the first Eastern Bloc nation to do so.

2008 – An Egyptian court rules that people who do not adhere to one of the three government-recognized religions, while not allowed to list any belief outside of those three, are still eligible to receive government identity documents.

 

Birthdays

1499 – Katharina von Bora, wife of Martin Luther, formerly a Roman Catholic nun (d. 1552)

1591 – Franciscus Junius, German pioneer philologist (d. 1677)

1688 – Emanuel Swedenborg, Swedish astronomer, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1772)

1737 – Thomas Paine, English American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary (d. 1809)

1860 – Anton Chekhov, Russian playwright and short story writer (d. 1904)

1880 – W. C. Fields, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (d. 1946)

1945 – Tom Selleck, American actor and businessman.

1949 – Tommy Ramone, Hungarian-American drummer and producer (d. 2014)

1960 – Greg Louganis, American diver and author

1981 – Jonny Lang, American singer, songwriter and guitarist

1987 – José Abreu, Cuban baseball player

 

Holiday Spotlight

Curmudgeons Day

The word ‘curmudgeon’ is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as an ill-tempered, disagreeable, and quarrelsome person. We disagree with the curmudgeons in our lives the entire year. We honor them on Curmudgeons Day.

Curmudgeons Day is celebrated on the birth anniversary of American actor, comedian, writer, and juggler William Claude Dukenfield, better known as W.C. Fields. Fields finessed the persona of a curmudgeon with his comic acts and became one of the best-known entertainers of his time. W.C. Fields portrayed cantankerous and antisocial characters throughout his life while maintaining his absolute affinity for alcohol and his disdain for dogs and children. His juggling acts became world-famous as he toured across America and the seven seas, making Queen Victoria one of his attendees. In his four decades as an entertainer, Fields acted in dozens of films and became a household name.

Fields died at age 66 and left behind one of the greatest legacies any entertainer ever has.

On Curmudgeons Day, you can either sit at home and be grouchy or stroll around the neighborhood to greet all the grumpy people you can find. You can also quickly scan your social media and reach out to your high school's ‘mean boys’ and girls.’ Make tea for a co-worker who’d shed a limb before sharing a smile. Whatever you do, don’t let the grump slip away from you.

 

 Other Include

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

Freethinkers Day - (Also known as Thomas Paine Day)

Kansas Day

National Carnation Day

National Corn Chip Day

National Puzzle Day

Seeing Eye Guide Dog 

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