Sunday, January 4, 2009

What Happened on January 4?

What Happened on January 4?

Historical Events on January 4

1493 - Christopher Columbus leaves the New World at the end of the his first journey.

1642 - King Charles I of England begins the run-up to the English Civil War by trying to arrest some members of Parliament (bad move for Charles, as he loses - twice)

1847 - Samual Colt sells his first revolver - to the U.S. Government

1885 - The first successful apendectomy was performed by William Grant

1896 - Utah is admitted as the 46th State

1999 - Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as Governor of Minnesota.

2004 - NASA Mars Rover, Spirit, lands successfully on Mars.


Births on January 4

1581 - Archbishop James Ussher - famous for Bible chronology

1643 - Sir Isaac Newton - mathematician, physicist, philospher, genious extraordinaire.

1785 - Jacob Grimm - along with his brother, Wilhelm, formed "The Brothers Grimm" of fairy tale and folklore fame.

1809 - Louis Braille - teacher of the blind and inventor of braille - the dotted writing used to enable many blind people to read


Deaths on January 4

1877 - Cornelius Vanderbilt - American entreprenuer - some estimate him to have been the second wealthiest man in American history.

1904 - Topsy the elephant - killed by electrocution after having killed three men. Inventor Thomas Edison filmed the event.

1960 - Albert Camus - author and philosopher

1965 - T. S. Eliot - Nobel winner and author of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and The Hollow Man among other works.


Sporting Events on January 4
1930 - Birth of Don Shula - legendary coach of the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins. His 1972 Dolphins team is still the only team to go throughout the entire season, playoffs and SuperBowl without losing a game. (Although the New England Patriots were about 2 minutes from repeating the feat during the 2007-2008 season.)



Religious Events on January 4

1528 - Ferdinand of Austria issues a mandate forbidding the Anabaptist religious movement.

1851 - Archbishop James Ussher is born. In addition to his famous work on Bible chronology, Oliver Cromwell esteemed him so highly, he gave him a state funeral and had him buried in Westminster Abbey.

1947 - Peter Marshall elected Chaplain of the U.S. Senate.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

What Happened on January 3?

What Happened on January 3?

On this day in 1970, missionary Gladys Aylward died in Taiwan after many years of missionary service. She had originally desired to go to China with China Inland Mission, but was denied the opportunity for not meeting the educational requirements of China Inland Mission.

She later was able to go as an assistant to Mrs. Jeannie Lawson and was involved in a number of exploits while serving in China - including a bit of spying on the Japanese in the years just prior to World War II, leading a group of almost 100 children through a dangerous trek and many other events. They even made a movie about her life (which took the typical "Holywood liberties" and presented some things that were untrue and an embarrasment to Miss Aylward.

To read more about Gladys Aylward and missions, consider the following books.









Historical Events on January 3

1431 - Leonardo Da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine.

1521 - Pope Leo X issues papal bull to excommunicate reformer Martin Luther

1777 - General George Washington defeats British General Cornwallis at the Battle of Princeton

1870 - Construction begins on the Brooklyn Bridge

1947 - Proceedings of the U.S. Congress televised for the first time (we now have two channels dedicated to this all of the time.)

1959 - Alaska is admitted into the union as the 49th state

1977 - Apple Computer is incorporate.



Births on January 3

106 - Roman statesman and orator Cicero born

1733 - Sir Richard Arkwright - Englishman credited with being the creator of the modern factory system

1892 - J. R. R. Tolkien - author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

1916 - Maxene Angelyn Andrews - one of the singing Andrews sisters



Deaths on January 3

1641 - English astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks - predicted the orbit of Venus

1895 - James Merritt Ives - lithographer of "Currier and Ives" fame

1967 - Jack Ruby - American killer of John F. Kennedy assasin Lee Harvey Oswald



Sports Events on January 3

1923 - Birth of Hank Stram, fomer coach of the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs - coached them to victory in Super Bowl IV. Also credited with bringing Gatorade to the NFL (without it, coaches would be just wet instead of wet and sticky!)


1939 - Birth of Bobby Hull, Hockey Hall of Famer and one of the best hockey players of all time.

1980 and 1981 - In successive years on this date, New York Giants Wide Receiver David Tyree and New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning were born. The two later teamed up for one of the most memorable catches in football history during Super Bowl XLII to keep the drive alive that ended up giving the NY Giants the victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots.


Religious Events on January 3

January 3, 1521 - Pope Leo X creates a bull of excommunication for Martin Luther. Being given sanctuary by the Holy Roman Emporer, Luther soon begins translating the Bible into German.

January 3, 1934 - 320 German pastors (including theologian Karl Barth) draw up statement opposing the Nazi Germany Nationalist Church.

Friday, January 2, 2009

What Happened on January 2?

WHAT HAPPENED ON JANUARY 2?

On January 2, 1872, Mormon leader Brigham Young was arrested on charges of bigamy for having multiple wives. (The exact number of Brigham Young's wife is up for dispute based on what is considered a "wife." The estimates range from 20 to 55 wives.

The cult of Mormonism, while seeking to present itself as just "another Christian denomination" actually denies many cardinal truths of the Bible, including the Trinity. Mormonism also teaches that Jesus and Satan were brothers and that "as man now is, God once was and as God now is, man may become" - a reference to the idea that men, after death, can become little gods having their own planets.

For more information on Mormonism, check out these books.








Historical Events on January 2

1788 - Georgia becomes 4th state to ratify U. S. Constitution

1923 - United States Interior Secretary Albert Fall resigns over the Teapot Dome scandal.

1929 - The United States and Canada form an agreement to try to preserve Niagra Falls for future generations.

1942 - The United States Navy opens a blimp base at Lakehurst, New Jersey.

1944 - 1st use of helicopter during warfare

1968 - The first "succesful" heart transplant operation by Dr. Christian Barnard on Philip Blaiberg. (The first officially succesful transplant had been performed in December of the previous year by Dr. Barnard, but the recipient only lived for 18 days. A second transplant occurred by Dr. Adrian Krantrowitz three days after Dr. Barnard's first transplant, but the patient only lived 6 hours. Mr. Blaiberg, by contrast, lived for over a year and a half after the transplant, returning to a normal life after the operation.)

1974 - President Richard Nixon signs a bill lowering the maximum U.S. speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve gasoline during an OPEC embargo.


Births on January 2

1727 - James Wolfe, British General - his victories helped establish British rule in Canada.

1920 - Isaac Asimov, Russian author

1947 - John (Jack) Hanna - former director of the Columbus (OH) Zoo and host of "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures."


Deaths on January 2

1904 - James Longstreet - Confederate General who oversaw "Pickett's Charge" at the Battle of Gettysburg.

1950 - Emil Jennings - Swiss actor - won the very first Oscar for Best Actor

1986 - Bill Veeck - baseball team owner and innovator


Sports Events on January 2

1945 - University of Kentucky Men's Basketball begins a home winning streak that lasts 130 home games, not ending until 1955.

1985 - Undefeated BYU is awarded the 1984 NCAA Football Championship despite having went the entire season without beating any good teams (BYU did not play any team that finished in the AP Top 25). Being the only remaining undefeated team was enough to vault the weak BYU team to a national championship.

1985 - The UNLV Running Rebels defeated Utah 142-140 in a triple overtime basketball game, setting the record for most points scored in a men's college basketball game.

1986 - Former Indians, White Sox and St. Louis Browns (now Baltimore Orioles) owner Bill Veeck dies. Veeck is perhaps best known for hiring Dwarf Eddie Gaebel to play baseball for the St. Louis Browns for one at-bat in 1951 (he was walked on four straight pitches) and for having Harry Caray sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th-inning stretch.


Religious Events on January 2
1884 - Death of Johann Gerhard Oncken - "Father of German Baptists"

1909 Future Foursquare Gospel church founder Aimee Elizabeth [n‚e Kennedy] Semple [later McPherson], 19, along with her husband Robert Semple, was ordained to the ministry in Chicago by evangelist William H. Durham.

1921 - 1st radio broadcast of a religious service is broadcast by station KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania



As always, please feel free to comment or add your own event in the comments section.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

What Happened on January 1?

What Happened on January 1?

January 1 is considered the beginning of the new year and the beginning of many things, but on January 1, 1937 it also marked the end of the earthly life of one of the early leaders of American Fundamentalism (or at least an ally of early American Fundamentalism depending on how you prefer to discribe his role) - J. Gresham Machen. Dr. Machen's gravesite in Baltimore includes the inscription "Faithful unto Death" in Greek.

J. Gresham Machen is considered the last of the great conservative Princeton theologians and spent much of his life fighting against the encroaching liberalism in the Northern Presbyterian Church (now PCUSA). Dr. Machen fought against the liberalism in Princeton Seminary and when it became obvious that Princeton was no longer going to stand for Biblical truth, he and some other faculty members withdrew from Princeton and set up Westminster Theological Seminary as a conservative response.

In addition to being instrumental in the establishing of Westminster Theological Seminary, Dr. Machen also helped form the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Perhaps Dr. Machen's most lasting legacy, however, is in the scholarly defense of conservative Biblical Christianity as seen in his seminal works, The Origin of Paul's Religion, Christianity and Liberalism, and The Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ. There is an online version of The Origin of Paul's Religion, but I have not been able to find online versions of the other books.

To find out more about J. Gresham Machen, the following biographies may be helpful.

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To read J. Gresham Machen's own words, consider these major works.





Other Events for January 1


Births

1449 - Lorenzo de Medici - Florentine statesman
1484 - Ulrich Zwingli - Leader of the Sweedish Reformation
1735 - Paul Revere
1745 - "Mad" Anthony Wayne
1752 - Betsy Ross
1895 - J. Edgar Hoover
1902 - Barry Goldwater
1911 - Hammerin' Hank Greenberg


Deaths
379 - Basil of Ceaserea
404 - Telemachus - monk who ended the gladiators
1782 - Johann Christian Bach - son of Johann Sabastian Bach and tutor of Mozart

Events

404 - Last known gladiator fight in Rome
1772 - The first traveler's cheques go on sale in London
1788 - First edition of The Times of London is published
1808 - The importation of slaves into the United States is banned
1840 - 1st recorded bowling match in U.S. - Knickerbocker Alleys - NYC
1862 - 1st U.S. income tax (3% of incomes greater than $600, 5% of incomes greater than $10,000)
1863 - Emmancipation Proclamation takes effect in Confederate territories
1902 - First college football Bowl Game - The Rose Bowl - Michigan vs. Stanford
1908 - First time ball is dropped in NYC Times Square to signify New Year
1914 - First scheduled airline flight - St. Pete to Tampa (whoopee)
1934 - Alcatraz becomes a U.S. Federal prison
1934 - FDIC goes into effect
1962 - United States Naval SEALS established
1999 - Euro currency introduced


If you have other appropriate events or comments to add, please do so in the comments section.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

What Happened on May 2?

WHAT HAPPENED ON MAY 2?

On May 2, 373, early Christian church leader Athanasius died. Athanasius is known as "The Father of Orthodoxy" and is most well known for his work in defending Biblical truth against the heresy of Arianism. While Athanasius also was influential in his help in clarifying which books should make up the New Testament Canon, it is his work in refuting the heresy of Arianism that is most prominent. Arianism is the heresy that denies the deity of Jesus Christ - making Christ out to be a lesser created being. The Jehovah's Witness movement propagates this same heresy today.

For more about Asthanasius, consider this book

For more about Arianism and the Deity of Jesus Christ consider this systematic theology or this book on the deity of Christ.




Births
1729 Catharine II (aka Catharine the Great) - Empress of Russia
1903 Bing Cosby - Singer of "White Christmas" fame
1975 David Beckham - English Soccer player

Deaths
1519 Leonardo DaVinci - Painter, inventor, Renascence man
1972 J. Edgar Hoover - Former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigators (FBI)

Events
1863 Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire and dies 8-days later
1885 Good Housekeeping magazine goes on sale for the first time
1997 Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Sports
1920 The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played
Indianapolis, Indiana served as the home for the first game
1939 Lou Gehrig's streak of 2130 consecutive games comes to an end

Monday, April 30, 2007

What Happened on May 1?

WHAT HAPPENED ON MAY 1?

On May 1, 1873, Scottish missionary David Livingstone went to meet the Lord whom he had faithfully served. After a bout with malaria, the body of Dr. Livinstone was found kneeling at by his bedside at about four o’clock in the morning with his head buried in his hands on the pillow in his frequent position of prayer.

Dr. Livingstone is credited with being the first man to cross Africa with the Gospel of Christ. Dr. Livingstone’s explorations of Africa became a matter of excitement both in England and in the United States. In 1871, Henry Stanley discovered Dr. Livingstone in Africa and allegedly made the now famous quote, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume." Henry Stanley had been sent on this expedition by Mr. J. G. Bennet of the New York Herald with the purpose to attain accurate information about Dr. Livingstone or to bring home his bones.

In addition to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a needy land, Dr. Livingstone was also a physician, explorer, astronomer, linguist, geographer, zoologist, and emancipator among other things. He worked for the abolishment of the slave trade, including writing a letter to the New York Herald exactly one year before his death in which he concluded "All I can add in my loneliness, is, may Heaven’s rich blessing come down on every one, American, English or Turk, who will help to heal the open sore of the world." A statement that stands next to his grave in Westminster Abbey today. As an explorer, he famously tried to locate the source of the Nile River, but found the source of the Congo River instead.

For more information about Dr. Livingstone, consider these books.







Other events from May 1

Births
1852 - Calamity Jane (Martha Burke) - famous female gunslinger

1907 - Kate Smith - singer (her rendition of "God Bless America" thrilled Philadelphia Flyers
fan for years)

1925 - Chuck Bednarik - former NFL player known as "Concrete Charlie" (He played both offense and defense for the Philadelphia Eagles and was known for crushing tackles.)

Deaths

1451 - Thomas a Kempis - author of Imitation of Christ

1997 - Bebe the dolphin - played the role of TV’s "Flipper."


Holidays

May Day, Labor Day - in many places around the world

Law Day, U.S.A, and Loyalty Day
United States holidays put in place during the Presidential Administration of
General Dwight D. Eisenhower as an answer to the communist and socialist
emphasis associated with May Day.


Historical Events

1704 A Boston Newsletter publishes the first newspaper advertisement (Just think - Google adsense, pop-ups and infomercials started here )

1707 The United Kingdom formed by England, Scottland and Wales

1786 Mozart's Opera "Marriage of Figaro" debuts in Vienna

1844 Samuel Morse sends first telegraph message (The message - "What hath God wraught?" )

1863 The Battle of Chancellorsville begins during the American Civil War

1931 Empire State Building opens in New York City ("An Affair to Remember" would be forgettable without it! )

1933 Emporer Haile Selassie leaves Ethopia as Italian soldiers invade

1939 Batman begins - the comic books

1952 Mr. Potato Head is introduced

1956 The Polio Vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is made available to the public.

1961 Fidel Castro announces that there will be no more elections in Cuba


Sports Events

1883 Philadelphia Phillies play first game (The Fightin' Phillies are the oldest continuos one name, one city franchise in all of professional sports. )

1901 Herb McFarland hits first grand slam in American League history

1920 Babe Ruth hits his first home run as a New York Yankee

1920 Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves play a 26-inning game (The game ended in a 1-1 tie)

1951 Mickey Mantle hits his first home run

1992 Ricky Henderson steals 1,000th base

Feel free to add other appropriate items in the "comments" section.

Introducing "What Happened on this Date?"

Welcome to "What Happened on this Date?"

This blog is intended to be a place where you can come to find out information about what has happened on particular dates in history.

A few years ago, I included a section like this on a weekly Bible Study and Announcements Hand-out that I produced each week for the teens in my youth group while I was a Youth Pastor at Hardingville Bible Church in Monroeville, New Jersey under the leadership of Pastor Mark Franklin. I produced a Sr. High Version on Wednesday nights and a Jr. High version on Friday nights.

While the focus of the page was the Bible Study portion on the back of the page, for the front side, I generally included youth group announcements, scoring information, some humor items and some items I had picked up over the years regarding the particular day - a "This Day in History" type of thing. I also started to include this day in church history, this day in sports, etc.

The teens seemed to have like the concept of finding out what happened on this date as well as short humor items.

This site seeks to take that concept and move it to the web. I seek to provide a place where you can come to find out interesting tid-bits about a particular day as well as a short - and CLEAN - humor item.

I hope that you enjoy "What Happened On This Date?"