Today in History

[Furryanimal]

January 26th
1972
Flight attendant Vesna Vulović survived the world’s highest fall without a parachute after falling 33,330 feet.

1936
Stalin and officials walked out of Lady Macbeth opera, calling it a “muddle,” not music.




1926
Scottish inventor John Logie Baird changed the world of communication and entertainment forever when he demonstrated television for the first time.

Source-The History of Wales
The Abermule train disaster on the 26th January 1921 resulted in the death of 17 people.

The crash was a head-on collision between a train from Whitchurch and another from Aberystwyth, which arose from a miscommunication, which allowed both trains onto a section of the line that was single tracked.
The subsequent enquiry found that safety measures had been relaxed and resulted in major changes to railway safety procedures.




1907 A riot broke out in the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on the first night of J.M. Synge’s Playboy of the Western World, when the audience took offence at the ‘foul language’. The riots continued for a week, but the show went on, heavily guarded by police.



1962 - ClassicBands.com

January 26
Bishop Joseph A. Burke of the Buffalo, New York Catholic Diocese bans the Twist, in any form, from all of his school's functions. In a directive sent to the city's Catholic schools, the bishop said, "For a number of reasons, not the least of which is the development of pupils in a proper sense of decorum and good taste, the current popular dance, commonly referred to as "the twist is not to be permitted at any school or parish dance."

The ban would gradually disappear after Burke passed away the following October.



1841 Hong Kong Kong was proclaimed British sovereign territory.



1871 The Rugby Football Union was formed, in London, by an initial 20 clubs.



Source-the history of Wales
On this day 1788, Mary Watkins, a 20 year old from the Vale of Glamorgan, along with four Welshmen men and two other women from Wales, were passengers of the six convict ships that had docked in Port Jackson (now known as Sydney) and a deputation had been sent ashore to establish the first permanent European colony on the Australian continent.


Mary's adventure had begun after being sentenced to seven years transportation overseas for stealing sixpence worth of clothing. She was boarded onto the "Friendship" in Portsmouth and the fleet set sail on 13 May 1787. Conditions on board were harsh and food soon ran short, as officials organising the trip had underestimated what was needed for the 8-month voyage.

 

[Furryanimal]

1606: The trial of Guy Fawkes and seven other conspirators implicated in the failed Gunpowder Plot against King James I begins at Westminster Hall. Found guilty the same day, all are sentenced to a traitors death – to be hanged, drawn and quartered.

1825 – The U.S. Congress approves Indian Territory (in what is today Oklahoma), thereby setting the stage for the forced relocation of Native American tribes on the “Trail of Tears”



On 27th January 1884, 18 men were killed in a gas explosion at the Naval Collieries, Penygraig in the Rhondda Valley. It was reported that a white column shot up from the pit's mouth followed by clouds of sparks and showers of fiery dust. Ironically, the explosion occurred during a safety inspection and those who lost their lives were company officials, firemen and the attendants of the pit horses.
Source-The History of Wales.


Strumble Head Lighthouse was first operational on 27th January 1908.
The lighthouse stands imposingly on Ynysmeicl (St. Michael's Island), an islet to the west of Fishguard, it is connected to the mainland by a by a footbridge across the narrow sound.
The station was built by Trinity House for the greater safety of sea traffic between Ireland and the new Fishguard Harbour. The new light formed a link with the existing South Bishop light, 18 miles to the south-west, guarding what is a very dangerous stretch of coast. Some 60 vessels are known to have been lost along it in the 19th Century alone.
Source-The History of Wales


On 27th January 1940, Wales was engulfed by a freak ice storm.

It had been an extremely cold January in Wales, with a temperature of -23 being recorded in Rhayader a few days earlier. The precipitation of 27th January was of the supercooled nature, so when the rain hit the surface it would freeze instantly. This is a rare event in the UK and the 1940 ice storm is reckoned to be the severest that has struck the UK in recorded history.

The storm lasted for 48 hours in places, causing telegraph poles and wires to snapped, unable to cope with the weight of the ice. Tree branches were snapped off and birds were grounded. Travel was nearly impossible as roads iced over and inclines were impossible to climb.
Source The History of Wales



1945 The Nazis' biggest concentration camp at Auschwitz in south-western Poland was liberated. The millions killed during the Holocaust are remembered each year in services across the UK, as part of Holocaust Memorial Day.


1967: American astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee are killed in a fire during a non-flight test of their Apollo 1 spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. An electrical fault in their capsule had ignited its high-pressure oxygen atmosphere.


Music1970: John Lennon writes, records and mixes his song "Instant Karma!" all in one day. Written in the morning and recorded at Abbey Road Studios the same evening, backed by George Harrison, Klass Voormann Alan White and Billy Preston, the song ranks as one of the fastest-released songs in music history being released to record stores only ten days later.

 

[Furryanimal]

January 28th

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On 28th January 1316 - Llywelyn Bren led a revolt against the Anglo-Norman persecution of the people of Glamorgan by attacking Caerphilly Castle


In 1267, Llywelyn's father, Gruffudd ap Rhys, Lord of Senghenydd was dispossessed of his lordship by Gilbert de Clare, a powerful Anglo-Norman lord who had been given the castles of Abergavenny and Brecon as a reward for supporting Prince Edward (the future Edward I) and had built the castle at Caerphilly in 1268.
The History of Wales

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…..1624 – Sir Thomas Warner founds the first British colony in the Caribbean, on Saint KittsSir Thomas Warner established the first British colony in the Caribbean on Saint Kitts. This marked the beginning of the British colonial expansion in the Caribbean, which would eventually include several islands and play a crucial role in the development of the British Empire in the Americas.
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1813The novel Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, was first published. It follows Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with the issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England.

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The Amlwch Riots began on 28th January 1817.
At the end of the Napoleonic wars, the government brought in the Corn Laws which prohibited the import of cheap corn in an effort to maintain prices for farmers. In 1817, the Anglesey grain harvest had failed following a very wet summer. The result was widespread poverty and hunger for the people of Anglesey.


Despite the local problems, grain was still available to those in England who could afford to pay for it. Anglesey corn was still being exported via Amlwch port. It was the transfer of wagonloads of such corn to a ship called ‘ The Wellington’ in Amlwch port which caused the local people to stir. In the dead of night, a number of men removed the rudder from the ship and hid it at Llanwenllwyfo church 3 miles away. Meanwhile at a public meeting, it was decided to try and raise £2000 to buy food for the needy, the mine owners were approached but their paltry offer only resulted in further inflaming the situation.


Over the next 6 days, the mood of the people worsened and two magistrates were dispatched to the town. Their first act was to enrol the help of 30 Special Constables who arrested some of the ring leaders of the disturbances. However, it was decided that only one of the men arrested should be taken to the Court House at Beaumaris.

The following day the hiding place of the rudder was discovered but when some of the special constables attempted to take it back to the ship they were pelted with stones and smelter slag.


The magistrates wrote to Sir Robert Peel requesting military assistance. Peel decided to ask the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to send 164 troops from Dublin. They arrived in Amlwch on 20th February. Within a few hours, the rudder was restored to the Wellington and over the next few days and weeks normality returned to Amlwch. The soldiers eventually left on 29th March.
The History of Wales.

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1896Walter Arnold of Kent was the first British motorist to receive a speeding fine, for exceeding 2 mph in a built-up area. He was doing 8 mph as he passed the house of the local policeman. The constable gave chase on his bicycle and after a 5 mile chase Mr. Arnold was arrested. He was fined one shilling for his offence.
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…..1909 – The United States ends direct control over Cuba-United States ended its direct military control over Cuba, which began in 1898 after the Spanish-American War.
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1965: The Who make their TV debut on ITV's Ready Steady Go! performing "I Can't Explain". The record had been gaining airplay on Britain's offshore radio stations, now a TV appearance would help make the song a top 10 hit.

 

[moviequeen1]

1878
Yale 'Daily News', the 1st college daily newspaper is published
1935
Iceland becomes the 1st Western country to legalize abortion
1944
WWII: 683 RAF bombers attack Berlin, Germany
1958
The Lego Group patents their interlocking Lego bricks which are still compatible with bricks that are produced today
1985
charity single' We Are The World' written by Michael Jackson &Lionel Ritchie is recorded by supergroup 'USA For Africa" directed by Quincy Jones inc Michael Jackson, Lionie Ritchie, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Kenny Rogers and others raises $60 -80 million to fight famine,provide humanitarian aid to Africa
2024
environmental protesters throw soup at Mona Lisa painting which is protected by glass at the Louvre in Paris

 

[Furryanimal]

January 29th
1834 President Jackson orders first use of US troops to suppress a labor dispute
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1848 - Greenwich Mean Time was adopted by Scotland.
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1856Queen Victoria instituted Britain’s highest military decoration, the Victoria Cross (VC). The medal is awarded to British and Commonwealth armed forces for outstanding bravery ‘on the field of battle’. The medal was originally made from the metal of cannon captured from the Russians at Sevastopol, until the supply came to an end in 1942.
Sebastopol - near me- was named after Sevastopol because someone local fought in Crimea.
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January 29, 1891 - Hawaii proclaimed Liliuokalani as its queen. Renowned for her song Aloha Oe, she had a reign of only four years until she was forced to abdicate in 1895 under pressure from powerful businessmen.
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1918 Ukrainian–Soviet War: The Bolshevik Red Army, on its way to besiege Kyiv , is met by a small group of military students at the Battle of Kruty.

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1942The first broadcast of Desert Island Discs on BBC radio, devised and presented by Roy Plomley. It is the longest-running factual programme in the history of radio.
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1996: La Fenice, Venice's opera house, is destroyed by fire. As it's name – which translates to "The Phoenix" – suggests, it is not the first time it has been destroyed by fire. It had risen from the ashes after two previous fires, one in 1774 and the other in 1836.
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1964: The Beatles spend a day at EMI's Paris studios recording German language versions of their recent songs "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand". Although a translator was on-hand to coach the band, their time in Hamburg helped record what would become "Sie Liebt Dich" and "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand'.
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and today is..

Today is the feast day of Saint Gildas.
Born c.500, Gildas was a cleric, historian and writer, the earliest British writer whose work is still available. He wrote the De Excidio et Conquestu Britannie (the Ruin and conquest of Britain), about the post-Roman history of Britain.

 

[Furryanimal]

January 30th

9 BCE — The Roman Emperor Augustus dedicated the Ara Pacis, a monumental altar symbolizing peace and prosperity.


On 30th January 1164, David Fitzgerald, Bishop of St David’s, was among the signatories of the Constitutions of Clarendon, which was an attempt by Henry II to establish his right to prosecute the clergy of the Church in England. This resulted in disagreements between Henry and Thomas Beckett which eventually led to Beckett's death.
History of Wales.



1661 In a grizzly display at London's Tyburn the corpse of Oliver Cromwell, former Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, is ritually 'executed' two years after his death, on the anniversary of the execution of Charles I who he had been instrumental in deposing. However doubts remain as to if the body really was that of Cromwell.




1790The first purpose-built lifeboat, The Original, was launched on the River Tyne at South Shields. The boat was 28 feet (8.5m) long and was rowed by up to 12 crew for whom cork life jackets were provided.



1847 Yerba Buena is renamed San FranciscoThe renaming of Yerba Buena to San Francisco in 1847 marked a major turning point in California’s history during the Mexican-American War. This event had a profound impact on the region’s cultural and economic development.• San Francisco became part of the United States after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War.


1868 – Charles Darwin’s book, Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication, was published


1933: Adolf Hitler is sworn in as Chancellor of Germany. His rise to power had been speeded by the Great Depression and Germany's floundering Weimar Republic. Hitler's aggressive expansionism led to the Second World War, the death of millions and the ruin of Germany before his eventual defeat and suicide in April 1945.




1955 - ClassicBands.com

January 30
Although more than half a million jukeboxes were scattered around North America, US manufacturer AMI finally introduces the pay-for-play devices in the UK. Company president John Haddock says he intended to target the ever growing coffee house market first.




1969: The Beatles give their final public performance from the roof of their Apple Corps building at 3 Savile Row, London. Joined by Billy Preston on organ, they play five songs including the yet to be released "Get Back" and its B-side "Don’t Let Me Down".



And today is..
Today is the feast day of Saint Tybie.
Tybie is listed as being a daughter of Brychan, the 5th century King of Brycheiniog. Along with her sister Lluan, she was an active evangelist for the Christian faith in the area between current day Ammanford and Carmarthen. Tybie is commemorated by the church and village of Llandybie, where she was reputedly killed by Irish pagans and Lluan by a church at nearby Llanlluan.
History of Wales.

 

[Bretrick]

30th January

1961 - The Shirelles became the first girl group to have the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 when "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" reached the top.

1969 - The Beatles performed in public for the last time when they played a forty-two minute rooftop concert above Apple Corps headquarters.

1990 - Dylan is awarded France's highest cultural honor when he is named Commandeur dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

 

[Furryanimal]

January 31st

1747 - The first clinic specializing in venereal diseases was opened in London.



1849 The abolition of the Corn Laws. These trade barriers had been designed to protect cereal producers in the United Kingdom against competition from less expensive foreign imports and their abolition marked a significant step towards free trade.




1858The Great Eastern, the five-funnelled steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and John Scott Russell, was launched at Millwall. At the time, it was the world's largest ship.


1867The four bronze lions at the base of Nelson's Column were completed.









Cremated on this day 1893,

William Price ( He’s featured before- Physician and eccentric) was cremated on a pyre of two tons of coal on a hillside overlooking Llantrisant. It was watched by 20,000 people and overseen by his family, who were dressed in a mix of traditional Welsh and Druidic clothing.
More about Price in the reply box below.



1893 - The trademark "Coca-Cola" was registered in the US Patent Office.


1967: John Lennon buys an old poster, printed in 1843, publicising Pablo Fanque's Circus Royal. It inspires him to write the song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!", with much of the lyric being taken from the list of performers on the poster.

Mr Kite himself being William Kite, a circus performer who worked for Pablo Fanque's circus in Rochdale from 1843 to 1845. The horse mentioned in the song as "Henry" was changed from the actual name on the poster – "Zanthus".



Happy Independence Day to Nauru, the smallest independent republic in the world! On January 31, 1968, this unique Pacific island gained its sovereignty. From its rich history to its stunning coral reefs, there is so much to love about this tiny nation.



2007: An unpublished Jim Morrison poem "Woman in the Window" is set to music to help publicise the Global Cool campaign to fight global warming. The poem was written in Paris shortly before the Doors frontman's death in 1971.


And today is
Today is the feast day of Saint Aidan (Madog in Welsh)

According to Welsh sources, Aidan was born c.558, into the royal family of Strathclyde and raised at the court his grandfather, King Muiredach of Ulster. Aidan became a Christian at an early age and when old enough, he travelled to Wales to study under Saint David at Glyn Rhosyn (later Saint David’s Cathedral) and St. Cennydd at Llangennith.

Aidan was renowned for his consideration to the poor, often giving them his own food and clothing. He founded a church Llanmadoc on Gower and became the Abbot at Glyn Rhosyn, following David’s death. He later returned to Ireland and settled in Wexford where he established monasteries at Ferns and Enniscorthy.
History of Wales.

 

[Furryanimal]

Price
…
Price was born in Rudry, Caerphilly on 4th March 1800, he trained as a doctor in Caerphilly and after qualifying from the Royal College of Surgeons in London in 1821, he returned to Wales to practice. He became involved in Chartist politics, becoming a local leader and after the Chartist march on Newport in 1839, he fled to France disguised as a woman.



Whilst in France, he visited the Louvre museum, where he became fascinated with a stone with a Greek inscription that he interpreted as a prophecy given by an ancient Welsh prince named Alun, revealing that the secrets of the Welsh language would soon be revealed by a man who would also liberate the people of Wales. Convinced that the prophecy applied to him, Price decided to return and free Wales from English domination.



Upon returning to Wales he began to get increasingly interested in Welsh cultural activities, he scorned orthodox religion, claimed to be an arch-druid and performed ancient rites on the Pontypridd rocking-stone. At this time he had also taken to wearing a white tunic, covering a scarlet waistcoat, green cloth trousers and a huge fox skin hat. He neither shaved nor cut his hair.


After another spell in France, he returned and opened a medical practice in Llantrisant and in 1881 at the age of 81 married Gwenllian Llewelyn, who was only twenty-one years old and she bore him a son, whom Price named Iesu Grist (Jesus Christ), however, the infant died at five months of age and believing that burying corpses, polluted the earth, Price decided to cremate his son’s body upon the summit of a hill outside Llantrisant.


Cremation at the time was unlawful and Price was arrested and put on trial for the illegal disposal of a corpse, however, he successfully argued that there was no legislation that specifically outlawed it and this paved the way for the Cremation Act of 1902. On his release, Price returned to Llantrisant to a hero's welcome and in 1892 erected a pole over sixty feet high, with a crescent moon symbol at its peak on top of the hill where the cremation had taken place.


Williams is considered by many to be among the greatest Welshman of all time and there is a statue and an exhibition dedicated to him in Llantrisant

 

[Furryanimal]

February 1st
.....1327 Fourteen year old Edward III was crowned King of England, but the country was ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.

..1587 Under pressure from her Council, Queen Elizabeth I of England signed the warrant authorising the execution of Mary Queen of Scots.



....

On 1st February 1886, the Cardiff Coal Exchange was formally opened. At one time it determined the price of coal throughout the world and is reputedly where in 1901, the world's first million pound business deal was made.


Cardiff was at one time, the biggest coal port in the world and the Coal Exchange in Mount Stuart Square was where mine owners, agents and ship owners met to conduct their business, with up to 10,000 people passing through its doors every day. However, the coal industries downturn led to the Coal Exchange closing in 1958.

In 1979, it was to be the home of the proposed Welsh Assembly, but the building was not required, with the rejection of devolution in that year's referendum. The coal exchange is now planned to be a hotel, restaurant and wedding and events venue




1953
The Netherlands, Belgium, England, and Scotland are struck by the North Sea Flood following a catastrophic storm. The rising tides engulfed scores of towns and farmlands, as the water level reached nearly 20 feet above sea level in some places. In the end, the flood resulted in the deaths of an estimated 2,400 people and tens of thousands of livestock.





Suffolk

..
1981: On February 1, 1981, during a One Day International cricket match between Australia and New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australian captain Greg Chappell instructed his brother, bowler Trevor Chappell, to deliver the final ball underarm to prevent New Zealand from scoring a six to tie the match. This tactic, while legal at the time, was widely criticized as unsportsmanlike and led to changes in cricket laws to prohibit underarm bowling in future matches.




.....1967: Pink Floyd turn professional after signing a recording deal with EMI. They had already recorded their first hit, the Syd Barrett song "Arnold Layne" and its B-side "Candy and a Currant Bun", just days earlier.



....Radio1942: Voice of America, the official external radio and television service of the United States government, begins broadcasting with programs aimed at areas controlled by the Axis powers.
( I was an avid listener when I discovered shortwave radio)......


And

Today is the feast day of Saint Seiriol (the fair).
Born c.494, Seiriol was of Royal birth. His father was King Owain Danwyn of Rhos and his brothers, King Cynlas of Rhos and King Einion of Llyn.

According to legend, he and Saint Cybi were good friends and would meet regularly at the Clorach wells near Llanerchymedd on Anglesey. The direction of the way Seiriol walked to the meeting meant he had his back to the sun, thus, he was known as Seiriol Wyn (Seiriol the Fair).

Seiriol initially lived in a small hermit's cell at Penmon but his two brothers decided that this was too humble a residence for him and founded a monastery around his cell. Thus, Seiriol became the first Abbot of Penmon Priory and his cell and holy-well are still visible today. In old age, Seiriol retired to the nearby island of Ynys Lannog (Priestholm), which became known as Ynys Seiriol in his honour, though it is now better known as Puffin Island.
The message has been edited.

 

[horseless carriage]

On February 1, 1865, a pivotal moment in American history occurred whenPresident Abraham Lincoln approved the Joint Resolution of Congress submitting the 13th Amendment to the Constitution to The States for ratification. Following the House’s historic vote the previous day, this action cemented the legislative path to permanently banning chattel slavery and involuntary servitude throughout the United States, effectively ending the legal institution that had shaped the nation for over two centuries.