Today's NY Times alerts us to several key historical events that
happened on this day, among them are:
(1) Alaska became the the 49th state of the United States
on January 3, 1959, thus ensuring that 49 years later Saturday
Night Live would have one of its best seasons in years
("You Betcha!"). See the NY Times article and front page:
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0103.html#article
(2) On Jan 3, 1521, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the
Roman Catholic Church, probably much to the delight of Roman
Catholics and Heretics, er, Protestants everywhere.
(3) On Jan 3, 1868 the Emperor of Japan was transformed from
a figurehead position to the civil and political leader of Japan,
eliminating the Tokugawa Shogunate which had held political and
military control for over 300 years. This is known as the
"Meiji Restoration" and some info about it is available on
Wikipedia (standard disclaimers apply); see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_Restoration
Also, there is no truth to the rumor that there was a Monty Python
skit in which a samurai runs into a room shouting:
"NOBODY EXPECTS THE MEIJI RESTORATION!!!"
(it is confused with the following:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spanish_Inquisition_(Monty_Python)
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gldlyTjXk9A )
On an even more remote association (from theWiki):
|It was referred to in the September 13, 2008 Get Fuzzy when
|Satchel was parodying lines said by Michael Palin when the
|discussion between Rob and Bucky was about Sarah Palin -
|to which Satchel replied in the last panel "Nobody expects
|the Alaskan politician!".
Its remarkable how interconnected things are.
Busy, busy, busy. (An old Bokononist saying)
(4) On Jan 3, 1961, the U.S. severed diplomatic relations with
Cuba, thus giving conspiracy theorists a new source of explanations
for future events.
(5) Some notable people born on this day: Hobbit enthusiast
J.R.R. Tolkien, Actors Robert Loggia and Dabney Coleman,
Singer/producer Van Dyke Parks (anyone remember him?),
Rockers Stephen Stills (Crosby, Stills, & Nash) and John Paul
Jones (Led Zeppelin), and the Defender of the Outland (Mad Max),
Suicidal Police Officer (Lethal Weapon), and Disorderly Drunk
(LAPD) Mel Gibson.
More info about this day is available at:
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20090103.html
I'm sure that a psychologist did something of significance on this
date that has some teaching relevance but off the top of my head
I don't know what. Factual accounts or humorous anecdotes about
such things are warmly invited.
-Mike Palij
New York University
[email protected]
P.S. Are TiPS postings from the 1990s available anywhere?
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