TODAY

January 24, 2021

NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS

ON: JANUARY 24

New 2021 edition

TODAY’s PERSON:

The choice today was easy: the famous British politician WINSTON CHURCHILL. Born in 1874 and died on this day in 1965, 91 years old.

He has a long, active life in politics. First as a liberal, later as a conservative. He was navy minister in the beginning of World War I, but had to leave government after his disastrous initiative in Gallipoli to fight the Turks in 1915-16. After his strong anti-nazi attitudes in the 1930ies ( unlike some others in the leadership of his party ) be became prime minister on May 10, 1940 – and remained so for the rest of WW II. He promised victory, but also said very clearly to the British people that it would cost “ blood, sweat and tears”. Right after the way he lost the general election to Labour. And as opposition leader he became very active on the international scene. First by describing an “iron curtain through Europe from Stettin to the Adriatic”. This was the clear prediction of the cold war with dictator Stalin’s Soviet Union. And half a year later – in September 1946 – he made a speech in Zurich, Switzerland, where here suggested the creation of a “sort of United States of Europe”. See his speech here: https://youtu.be/giilcPJsYuw

He repeated this concrete proposal at the Congress of Europe in The Hague in The Netherlands in May 1948 – Europe Must Unite: https://youtu.be/zv8bGoiRmGo

In this way he was clearly the political heavy-weight, who started the strong and committing cooperation in Europe – the start of what today is the European Union.

TODAY’s LENGTH:

This day is here in Belgium 54 minutes longer than December 21. Its length is 8 hours and 51 minutes.

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

TODAY’s NAME:

Today’s name is TIMOTHEUS’ DAY. He was one of Paul’s friends and followers. He was born as the son of a Jewish mother and a pagan father, and he later became a Christian bishop in Ephesus. At the end he was stoned to death in the year 97 AC, because he would not accept a festival for Dionysos. He was buried in Ephesus. About two hundred years later his body was transferred to Constantinople.

The day’s name in Belgium is: SAINT FRANCOIS DE SALES. He was French and lived in the years 1567-1622. He was a bishop in Geneva, Switzerland. But though he was a catholic, he was not very aggressive towards the Reformation, which started in his lifetime.

TODAY’s EVENT:

1984: The first Apple Macintosh computer is for sale.

TODAY’s QUESTION:

A storm in a tea cup – where does that come from? And what does it mean?

It is a very old Roman proverb. Cicero (106-43 BC) quoted it in this way: He started a storm in a small spoon! Later the French political philosopher Montesquieu (1689-1755) used the expression Une tempête dans un verre d’eau. Directly translated: A storm in a glass of water. He used it to describe political instability in the mini state San Marino.

The expression was in English, of course, made to: a storm in a tea cup.

The meaning of this expression was then and also today that something which perhaps gives the impression of being important is in reality of no real importance.

QUESTION FOR TOMORROW:

A bed of roses – what is the origin of that expression? And it means what?

47 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT EUROPE:

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

TODAY’s QUOTE & FAMOUS PEOPLE :

1. Yesterday’s quote:

Unlimited power tends to make the minds of those people who have it corrupt

This was once said by the British conservative politician William Pitt.

2. Today’s quote:

A democracy is a state, where an open exchange of opinions does not end with a funeral.

Who among the personalities below has said that?

3. Famous people born on this day: