HISTORY

January 3 1431 – Joan of Arc is Turned Over to Bishop Pierre CauchonRate this post Less than two years after upending the English at Orleans and leading the French to a string of victories, the young warrior Joan of Arc — aged just 19, according to her testimony — was turned over to Bishop Pierre Cauchon on January 3, 1431. Days later, she would be put on trial for heresy. As a child, Joan gained a reputation for deep Catholic faith. The last of five children born to a peasant farmer in Domremy, her life changed dramatically as the result of a vision during her early teens. Alone in […]

January 4 1847 – Arms Manufacturer Samuel Colt Sells Revolvers to the Texas RangersRate this post The romance of the American West is built in large part on the idea of lawmen and outlaws riding across the frontier with six-shooters blazing — countless books and movies have glamorized pistol-wielding men in the decades since. Without Samuel Colt’s first major sale to the Texas Rangers on January 4, 1847, however, the legends of Billy the Kid and Jesse James might never have come to pass. Growing up in Hartford, Connecticut, Colt became fascinated with the power of gunpowder as a youth after reading about the explosive black substance and learning of […]

January 6 1929 – Mother Teresa Arrives in India3.9 (77.33%) 15 votes Just 18 years old and far from her Albanian home, a young novitiate named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu arrived in Kolkata, India to fulfill a long-held dream on January 6, 1929. By the time she died in 1997, she came to fame for her work with the poor on the streets of Kolkata as Mother Teresa. Growing up in modern Macedonia, Mother Teresa found herself absorbed with stories of Roman Catholics traveling to the Far East in service of Jesus Christ. At the age of 12, her enchantment with the lives of those working in Bengal grew to the […]

January 8 1912 – The African National Congress Is founded In South Africa4.5 (90%) 2 votes On January 8, 1912, South African Native National Congress (SANNC), an organization meant to advance the interests of the black natives in the country came into being. The South African Native National Congress came to be known as the African National Congress (ANC) in 1923. The primary objective of the ANC was to secure and maintain voting rights for the black Africans and also for those of a mixed descent in Cape Province. Going from its earliest challenge of protecting black rights, the ANC has a long history which includes being the ideological base […]

January 10 49 BCE – Julius Caesar Crosses the RubiconRate this post A decade after first being declared governor of what is now northern Italy and southeastern Europe in a bid to keep him at arm’s length, Julius Caesar announced his intentions to the Roman Senate with a simple act on January 10, 49 BCE. Leading a legion across the Rubicon River a few miles south of Ravenna, the popular general would create a shift in the future of Western Civilization by marching on the capital. Politically ambitious since his youth in Rome, Caesar survived decades of political intrigue in the heart of the Empire by 60 BCE. Then at […]

January 11 630 – The Prophet Muhammad Conquers MeccaRate this post Separated from one of two Muslim holy cities for the better part of a decade, the Prophet Muhammad launched an assault on the Quraysh holders of Mecca on January 11, 630. Bolstered by a decisive victory, Islam would soon control the Arabian Peninsula and advance into Africa and the rest of the Middle East. Two years before, in 628, Muhammad and his followers approached Mecca seeking to worship at the Kaaba, the most important site in the infant religion. Once a resident of the city, Muhammad was forced to flee in 622 after being persecuted and threatened with assassination. […]