January 5
1895 – French court-martial finds Army Captain Alfred Dreyfus guilty of espionage, strips him of his rank and sentences him to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island.
1909 – Colombia recognizes the independence of its breakaway province, Panama.
1914 – Henry Ford announces that Ford Motor Company will initiate an 8-hour work day, with a minimum wage of $5.00 per day.
1914 – Birth of George Reeves (d.1959), actor who played Superman.
1933 – Construction begins on the Golden Gate Bridge, connecting San Francisco to Marin County, California.
January 6
1118 – Alfonso the Battler, king of Aragon and Navarre, re-conquers the city of Zaragoza in north-east Spain from its Muslim occupiers.
1412 – Birth of Joan of Arc (d.1431), who rallied French troops at the siege of Orleans.
1540 – Henry VIII marries his fourth wife, Ann of Cleves, a German princess. The marriage was never consummated and lasted only four months.
1759 – George Washington marries Martha Dandridge Custis.
1778 – Birth of explorer Zebulon Pike (d.1813).
1909 – The Great White Fleet of the U.S. Navy transits the Suez Canal.
1947 – Pan American Airlines begins scheduling full around-the-world service.
1974 – U.S. government mandates Daylight Savings Time to begin four months earlier than normal in response to the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo.
1994 – Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan is attacked with a crowbar during US Figure Skating Championships in Detroit.
2021 – Protesters storm the U.S. Capitol during the electoral vote count following a rally by President Trump.
January 7
1536 – Death of Catherine of Aragon (b.1485), Henry VIII’s first wife.
1610 – Galileo makes his first telescopic observation of the moons of Jupiter.
1940 – The army of Finland completely halts a Soviet offensive along the Raate-Soumussalu Road during the Winter War.
1942 – The Japanese army opens its final siege on remaining American forces on the Bataan Peninsula.
1980 – President Jimmy Carter signs a $1,500,000,000 bailout of Chrysler Corporation.
January 8
1118 – (Same as January 6 entry – Alfonso the Battler reconquers Zaragoza)
1297 – Francesco Grimaldi, disguised as a monk, captures the fortress at the Rock of Monaco with his cousin Rainier I.
1790 – President George Washington delivers his first State of the Union address to Congress in New York City.
1815 – American forces under General Andrew Jackson decisively defeat the British at the Battle of New Orleans, fought after the Treaty of Ghent had already ended the War of 1812.
1880 – Death of San Francisco’s Joshua Norton (b.1811), self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico.
1918 – President Woodrow Wilson introduces his 14 Points to guide postwar international relations in his State of the Union message.
1943 – Birth of educator and polymath Charles Murray.
1964 – President Lyndon Johnson declares a “War on Poverty” in his first State of the Union message.
1973 – Opening arguments begin in the case of the nine Watergate conspirators.
2005 – USS San Francisco (SSN-711) submarine strikes an uncharted seamount at high speed, killing one sailor and injuring dozens.
January 9
1349 – A pogrom in Basel, Switzerland results in over 600 Jews being burned alive in a barn, blamed for the Black Death.
1735 – Birth of John Jervis, 1st Earl St. Vincent, Royal Navy commander and mentor of Horatio Nelson.
1806 – State funeral for Horatio Lord Nelson at St Paul’s Cathedral, with 10,000 sailors escorting his casket.
1873 – Death of Napoleon III (b.1808), nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte and the only French leader to be both Emperor and President.
1905 – Russian workers storm the Czar’s Winter Palace in the Revolution of 1905, forcing constitutional reforms.
1918 – U.S. Army troops fight Yaqui Indians in the Battle of Bear Valley, Arizona—the last battle of the U.S. Indian Wars.
1941 – First flight of the Avro Lancaster bomber.
1960 – Construction formally begins on Egypt’s Aswan High Dam with Soviet funding.
1991 – U.S. Secretary of State James Baker meets Iraqi Foreign Secretary Tariq Aziz in Geneva in a failed attempt to prevent the Gulf War.
The Mirror is toying with the idea of creating a “History Notes Narrative” instead of just the dates. Let us know what you think…
Our journey begins in medieval Spain, where on January 8, 1118, Alfonso the Battler, King of Aragon and Navarre, recaptured Zaragoza from its Muslim occupiers. This victory, part of a crusade called by the Council of Toulouse, marked a crucial step in the centuries-long Reconquista that would eventually see Christian forces reclaim the entire Iberian Peninsula.
Nearly two centuries later, on January 8, 1297, the Mediterranean witnessed another audacious conquest. Francesco Grimaldi, disguised as a monk, infiltrated the fortress at Monaco with his cousin Rainier I and a handful of armed men. Though he held the citadel for only four years, his bold gambit established the Grimaldi dynasty that rules Monaco to this day.
The medieval period’s religious tensions erupted tragically on January 9, 1349, when panic over the Black Death triggered a horrific pogrom in Basel, Switzerland. Over 600 Jewish residents were locked in a wooden structure and burned alive—the first in a series of Rhine valley massacres that used the Jewish population as scapegoats for the inexplicable plague.
The dawn of the Renaissance brought new heroes and martyrs. Joan of Arc was born on January 6, 1412, destined to rally French forces at Orleans before meeting her death at British hands at just 19. A century later, on January 7, 1536, Catherine of Aragon—Henry VIII’s discarded first wife—died, having witnessed her husband’s break with Rome over their failed marriage. Henry’s matrimonial adventures continued when, on January 6, 1540, he reluctantly married Ann of Cleves for political reasons. The marriage was never consummated and lasted only four months, though Ann cleverly outlived all Henry’s other wives as his “Beloved Sister.”
The Age of Discovery transformed our understanding of the cosmos when, on January 7, 1610, Galileo made his first telescopic observations of Jupiter’s moons, forever changing humanity’s perception of our place in the universe.
The 18th century brought new nations and new beginnings. On January 6, 1759, George Washington married Martha Custis, forming a partnership that would see them through revolution and the birth of a nation. Earl St. Vincent, born January 9, 1735, would mentor Horatio Nelson and help forge British naval supremacy. Nelson himself received a hero’s funeral on January 9, 1806, with 10,000 sailors escorting his casket through London.
Young America flexed its muscles in the new century. Zebulon Pike, born January 6, 1778, would explore the western territories and give his name to Pike’s Peak. President Washington delivered the first State of the Union address on January 8, 1790, establishing a constitutional tradition. The War of 1812’s final battle came on January 8, 1815, when Andrew Jackson’s forces crushed the British at New Orleans—ironically, after peace had already been signed.
The 19th century witnessed both progress and tragedy. San Francisco’s beloved eccentric “Emperor” Joshua Norton (born 1811) died on January 8, 1880, having spent years issuing his own currency and proposing a bridge to Oakland that would eventually be built. France saw the death of Napoleon III on January 9, 1873, ending the career of the only man to serve as both President and Emperor of France. In 1895, the Dreyfus Affair began when a French court-martial wrongly convicted Captain Alfred Dreyfus of espionage on January 5—a miscarriage of justice that would divide France for years.
The 20th century accelerated the pace of change. On January 9, 1905, Russian workers stormed the Winter Palace in a brief revolution that forced constitutional reforms and presaged the greater upheaval to come. Colombia recognized Panama’s independence on January 5, 1909, while the U.S. Navy’s Great White Fleet transited the Suez Canal on January 6 that same year, projecting American power globally.
Industrial transformation came when Henry Ford announced the 8-hour workday and $5 minimum wage on January 5, 1914. President Wilson unveiled his idealistic Fourteen Points on January 8, 1918, hoping to reshape the postwar world. That same month saw the last battle of the Indian Wars at Bear Valley, Arizona.
Infrastructure and technology marked the Depression era. Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge began on January 5, 1933—funded not by federal programs but by local bonds purchased by Bank of America. The Avro Lancaster bomber first flew on January 9, 1941, becoming a workhorse of Allied bombing campaigns. Pan American Airways launched round-the-world service on January 6, 1947, shrinking the globe for civilian travelers.
The postwar era brought new challenges. Japan’s siege of Bataan began on January 7, 1942. LBJ declared his War on Poverty on January 8, 1964. The Watergate conspirators faced trial beginning January 8, 1973. Even the 1973 oil embargo prompted hasty responses like the January 6, 1974 mandate for early Daylight Savings Time. President Carter signed Chrysler’s bailout on January 7, 1980.
International tensions persisted. Finland halted Soviet aggression on January 7, 1940, during the Winter War. Egypt’s Aswan High Dam project began on January 9, 1960, with Soviet backing as Cold War maneuvering. Secretary of State Baker met with Iraq’s Tariq Aziz on January 9, 1991, in a failed last attempt to prevent the Gulf War.
Personal dramas captured public attention. Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked on January 6, 1994, but recovered to win Olympic silver. The USS San Francisco submarine struck an uncharted seamount on January 8, 2005, in a harrowing underwater collision that killed one sailor.
Most recently, January 6, 2021, saw protesters overwhelm the U.S. Capitol during the electoral vote count, leading to arrests, impeachment proceedings, and ongoing national reflection about political violence and democratic norms.
About the Author
We know the January 6,2021 protesters consisted of FBI disguised as MAGA and others were paid to attend by George Soros . We also know about the altered video of President Trumps speech attempting have everyone believe he intentionally provoked it which turned out to be doctored. We also know Capital Police opened the doors and Nancy Pelosi refused National Guard . We also know the length this ( all parties) foreign governments will go to keep the global division with WE the people keeping them in power by keeping us divided.