TODAY - January 18

 

NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS

ON: JANUARY 18

New 2021 edition

TODAY’s PERSON:

I have chosen the French political philosopher MONTESQUIEU.  His full name was Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu. He was born on this day in 1689 and died 66 years old in 1755.  He was a member of a French noble family and was in the beginning a judge. But soon he concentrated on his political writings.  He also visited a number of other countries and stayed in each of them for some time – such as Austria-Hungary, Italy and England.

He is most famous for his work on the separation of powers.  He claimed that any good government has to separate its institutions in three different parts, each of them independent and ensuring that they control each other.  One should be the legislative institution ( the parliament ). Another the executive branch ( the government ). And the third the judiciary branch ( the courts ).  His thinking had huge influence on the US constitution – and also on all future democratic constitutions in the world.

One of his many famous quotes are : Liberty is the right of doing whatever the law permits !

See his photo below.

TODAY’s LENGTH:

This day is here in Belgium 37 minutes longer than December 21. Its length is 8 hours and 35 minutes – from 08.35 to 17.10.

See more – also in English – about where you are on:  www.dagenslaengde.dk

TODAY’s NAME:

This is PRISCA’s DAY. She was a 13 year old Roman girl, who due to her Christian faith was thrown into the lions’ cage by emperor Aurelian. But as they did not want to touch her she was beheaded instead.

The day’s name is the same in Belgium:  SAINTE PRISQUE.

 

TODAY’s EVENT:

1919:  In Versailles in France the peace conference after World War I opens. The date is carefully selected, because it was on this day the German Empire was founded in 1871 – in exactly the same castle in Versailles.

 

TODAY’s QUESTION:

Murphy’s Law – what’s the origin of this expression? And what does it mean?

It comes from England. We don’t know exactly, who this Murphy was. But it is certain that it refers to an Irishman (Murphy is a typical Irish name). This Irishman was electrician. And the English had no confidence in his technical skills. Things always went wrong, when he tried to do something.

In this way the expression Murphy’s Law came to mean, that if anything can go wrong it will go wrong.

This is not nice or just to the Irish.  But history and traditions are not always nice and just L

 

QUESTION FOR TOMORROW:

Parkinson’s Law – what is that? And what does it mean?

 

47 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT EUROPE:

EUROPE AT WORK     www.europe-at-work.be

 

TODAY’s QUOTE & FAMOUS PEOPLE :

1.  Yesterday’s quote:

Admiration – the daughter of ignorance!

            This was once says by one of the American founding fathers, the politician, 

             diplomat, and scientist Benjamin Franklin.

2.  Today’s quote:

The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchi is not as dangerous to public well-being

 as the apathy of citizens in a democracy.

 Who of today’s persons has said that?

3.  Famous people born on this day:

1689:  Montesquieu  ( died 1755 )  (full name:  Charles-Louis de Secondat,                                                                                   Baron de La Brede et de Montesquieu)

1892:  Oliver Hardy  ( died 1957 )

1904:  Cary Grant  ( died 1986 )

1913:  Danny Kaye  ( died 1987 )

1955:  Kevin Costner

 

4.  Famous people died on this day:

1878:  Antoine César Béquerel  ( 90 years )

1936:  Rudyard Kipling  ( 71 years )

2006:  Östen Warnerbrink  ( 72 years )

 

Niels Jørgen Thøgersen

niels4europe@gmail.com  

www.simplesite.com/kimbrer   +  EUROPE AT WORK   www.europe-at-work.be




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