There is always much to learn from quotes and their historical significance. Read on for a collection of quotes and general history from January 5th – 11th.
January 5, 1709
“I believe the Frost was greater (if not more universal also) than any other within the Memory of Man.”
– William Derham
On the night of January 5, 1709, William Derham recorded a low of 10°F (-12°C) near London, England. This marked the low of Europe’s coldest recorded winter, now known as the Great Frost. The extreme cold impacted many events that year. Namely, contributing to Russia’s victory at Poltava in the Great Northern War after Sweden suffered many deaths throughout the winter and causing crops to fail in France. The subsequent famine in France is estimated to have killed 600,000 by the end of 1710, but no deaths were reported at the time due to France’s involvement in the War of the Spanish Succession.
January 6, 1912
“My father was an entomologist who believed in continental drift. In the early ’50s, that was regarded as nonsense. It was in the mid-’50s that it came back. Someone had thought of it 30 or 40 years earlier named Alfred Wegener, and he never got to see it come back.”
– Geoffrey Hinton
Alfred Wegener first presented his theory of continental drift to the German Geological Society on January 6, 1912. His theory that the continents had once formed a single landmass, which he called Pangaea, before drifting apart was not the first of its kind. However, since his version was developed independently and was the most complete, Wegener gets most of the credit. Unfortunately, his theory was widely rejected during his lifetime because a plausible force to drive the continental drift was unknown. It wasn’t until the late 1950s, when the theory of plate tectonics was validated as a driving force for continental drift, that the theory gained acceptance.
January 7, 1990
“I’ve been to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It’s a tower, and it’s leaning. You look at it, but nothing happens, so then you look for someplace to get a sandwich.”
– Danny DeVito
The famous Leaning Tower of Pisa was closed to the public on January 7, 1990, due to fears it might soon collapse. A variety of stabilization plans were proposed and work soon began to reduce the tower’s tilt. Soil was removed from underneath the raised side to reduce the tilt from 5.5° to 3.97°. While the Italian government wished to keep the tower from toppling, it was also important to retain the tilt due to the role it played in Pisa’s tourism industry. After being declared stable, the tower was reopened on December 15, 2001.
January 8, 1815
“By the blessing of heaven, directing the valor of the troops under my command, one of the most brilliant victories in the annals of war was obtained.”
– Andrew Jackson
The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815, between the United States and Britain during the War of 1812. Although the Treaty of Ghent had been signed on December 24, 1814, ending the war, official news had not yet reached the troops. Furthermore, British Major General Sir Edward Pakenham had been commanded to continue the war even if he heard rumors of a peace treaty. Despite the British advantage in troop numbers and training, Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson led the U.S. to victory. The British suffered nearly 2,500 casualties compared to the Americans 300. Jackson gained much notoriety from the victory, helping him become the 7th U.S. President in 1829. Although largely forgotten today, “The Eighth” was celebrated as a federal holiday from 1828 to 1861 as a sort of second Independence Day commemorating the battle!
January 9, 2007
“An iPod, a phone, an internet mobile communicator… these are NOT three separate devices! And we are calling it iPhone! Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone. And here it is.”
– Steve Jobs
On January 9, 2007, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone to the public. Going on sale later that year, the iPhone revolutionized the smartphone market! Other smartphones at the time, such as BlackBerrys, were focused on business needs, whereas the iPhone was marketed as an everyday device. As of November 1, 2018, when Apple last announced iPhone sales figures, more than 2.2 billion had been sold.
January 10, 49 BC
“alea iacta est” – “the die is cast”
– Julius Caesar
On January 10, 49 BC, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River with his 13th legion, defying the Roman Senate and leading to civil war. Caesar had governed a large region from southern Gaul to Illyricum, but not Italy itself, and was ordered to disband his army and return to Rome upon the end of his term of governorship. Instead, Caesar maintained his imperium, “right to command”, and marched his army on Rome, a capital offense. It is said that Caesar remarked “the die is cast” upon crossing the Rubicon into Italy, referring to his decision to pass the point of no return and declare war on the Roman Senate. Although automatically sentenced to death, his ensuing victory in Caesar’s Civil War instead established Caesar as dictator for life and led to the formation of the Roman Empire.
January 11, 1964
“In view of the continuing and mounting evidence from many sources, it is the judgment of the Committee that cigarette smoking contributes substantially to mortality from certain specific diseases and to the overall death rate.”
– The Surgeon General’s Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health
U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry released the first federal government report on the hazards of smoking on January 11, 1964. The landmark report, Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States, has had lasting impacts on the tobacco industry and the public’s perception of smoking. It led to policies such as the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act of 1965 and the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1969, mandating warning labels on cigarettes and banning cigarette advertisements on radio/television. In fact, knowing there could be a big impact, the report was deliberately published on a Saturday to minimize negative effects on the stock market.
In case you missed last week’s quotes, see History December 29th – January 4th.
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