On January 15, 1791 Franz Grillparzer was born in Vienna, Austria. He was a writer who is chiefly known for his dramas. He devoted especial attention to the Spanish drama, and nearly all his writings bear marks of the influence of Calderón. He also wrote the oration for Ludwig van Beethoven’s funeral. His father, E. J. Grillparzer, was a severe pedant and a staunch upholder … Continue reading Franz Grillparzer
On January 14, 1972, Queen Margrethe II ascended the throne, the first Queen of Denmark since 1412 and the first Danish monarch not named Frederick or Christian since 1513. Margrethe II (Margrethe 2. in Danish, Margreta 2. in Faroese and Margrethe II in Greenlandic; her full name is Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid) is the Queen of Denmark as well as the supreme authority of the … Continue reading Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
I’ve never been a big fan of sports. I only watch baseball and American football (and whatever Olympic Games sports broadcast in English in Thailand). Despite having been born in Dallas, I was never that big of a Cowboys fan. We moved away from Texas before I turned turn years old. Yet, I am a diehard fan of the Kansas City Royals and the Kansas … Continue reading Kansas City Chiefs, My Hometown Team
On January 12, 1876, John Griffith Chaney was born near Third and Brannan Streets in San Francisco, California. Better known as Jack London, he was an American novelist, journalist, and social activist. A pioneer in the world of commercial magazine fiction, he was one of the first writers to become a worldwide celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator … Continue reading Jack London
The conquest of Mecca (فتح مكة — fatḥ makkah) refers to the event when Mecca was conquered by Muslims led by Muhammad on a date generally accepted as 18 Ramadan 8 AH or January 10, 630 AD, when converted to the Julian calendar. In 628, the Meccan tribe of Quraysh and the Muslim community in Medina had signed a 10-year truce called the Treaty of … Continue reading The Conquest of Mecca
Today is the first “random stamp day” of the New Year. In fact, it’s the first such entry since the end of November 2018. This is a day on which I cannot match a single anniversary (event, birthday, etc.) with a stamp in my collection. For example, on this date in 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense which advocated independence from Great Britain to people … Continue reading Pinnochio
On January 9, 1941, the Avro Lancaster — a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber — took its first flight. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling, all three aircraft being four-engined heavy bombers adopted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the same … Continue reading The Avro Lancaster Bomber
January 8 is the day for the annual celebration of Commonwealth Day in the Northern Mariana Islands. For years, the Northern Mariana Islands held referenda that offered integration with Guam but the latter finally rejected it. In 1970s it was decided not to seek for independence but to set closer relations with the United States. The negotiations for territorial status began and were finally approved … Continue reading Northern Mariana Islands & the Latte Stone
A Stamp A Day 