January 14

Have you ever wondered how the states got their nicknames? As an example, New York is called the ‘Empire State’ because of that statue sitting in New York City’s harbor. Why is New Jersey called ‘The Garden State’? It acquired that name because ‘New Jersey, home of people whose lips move when they read’ didn’t fit on a license plate. Connecticut is called ‘The Constitution State’ because on the 14th in 1639 the Connecticut Council adopted the Fundamental Orders, the first written document detailing how a government should be run and bearing all the features of a modern constitution.

January 13

When you read poetry, do you find yourself becoming uncomfortable when the poems have reason but no rhyme? Is it distracting to have to spend a great deal of time and energy trying to put a rhyme in a poem that has none? After all poems, are supposed to rhyme, right? Well you can blame Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, who died on the 13th in 1547, for your discomfort. His works are the first known examples of blank verse.

January 12

If you are going to send a birthday card to Dr. James Bedford, you might want to send it in care of The Alcor Life Extension Foundation, which is where Bedford now resides. On the 12th in 1967, Dr. Bedford, or at least his body, was welded inside a capsule designed to keep him in cryonic suspension, to be revived at some time in the future. It’s not quite as creepy as it sounds though. I mean he was dead when they welded inside; at least the people at Alcor seemed to think that he was. I just wonder if they checked with Bedford’s family to find out if he was in the habit of sneaking in a catnap when no one was looking. In May of 1991, his body’s condition was evaluated. While he was not up for a brisk walk, he did get a brand a new container, which was a nice way to start the summer.

January 11

On the 11th in 1972, East Pakistan became Bangladesh. My guess is that Bangladesh’s founding fathers are still kicking themselves for becoming Bangladesh and not some other place where there is actually food, water and indoor plumbing.

January 10

The London Underground Railway opened on the 10th in 1863. While the timing is right and the name might imply it, the London in the name should give it away. It’s the London in England, not Canada. This railway had absolutely nothing to do with assisting runaway slaves as they made their way to the Free states in the United States or, perhaps, Canada. It was a subway, running between Paddington and Farringdon Streets in London. On its first day the railway carried over 40,000 people and trains ran at intervals of 10 minutes. Feel free to clip this entry and send it to the MTA in New York, perhaps they will get the hint that subways that run frequently are not a new and exciting innovation.

January 9

On the 9th in 1431, at Rouen, France, the seat of the English government of occupation, the trial of Joan of Arc on charges of heresy began. When the judges asked of Joan if she knew that she was in God’s grace, Joan brilliantly responded by saying “If I am not, may God put me there; if I am, may God keep me there.” The question was a trick. Had Joan answered ‘yes’ she would be guilty of heresy because no one can be certain of being in God’s grace. However, had she answered ‘no’ she would have essentially pled guilty to all the charges. None of Joan’s light-hearted bantering, however, would prevent her from being found guilty and sentenced to die by burning at the stake. This sentence would ultimately be carried out on May 30, 1431. Joan’s fate wasn't as grim as it seems at first glance. In 1452, she was granted a re-trial and on July 7, 1456, she was acquitted of all charges. Her attorneys should have gotten their fee up front, because Joan never paid their bill.

January 8

The United States, with its reputation for being a nation where freedom and unbounded opportunity are there for the taking, has long been a beacon in the darkness calling out to people seeking a better life. In the 1840s, Joshua Abraham Norton, an orphaned Englishman, saw that light and made a beeline for America. As immigrants before and after him had done, Norton arrived on our shores ill prepared for the struggles he would face. He stepped ashore with only the clothes on his back, unbridled hope, and a suitcase filled with over $40,000 in cash. Inexplicably, on September 17, 1859, Norton proclaimed himself Emperor Norton I, Emperor of these United States and Protector of Mexico. His reign was unsullied by scandals involving small boys, though it was chock full of financial impropriety. Despite the handicaps and obstacles Norton faced, he would, by dint of hard work, rise to the challenges that confronted him and die alone, alcoholic, and penniless on a sidewalk in San Francisco on the 8th in 1880.