TODAY - January 26
NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS
ON: JANUARY 26
New 2021 edition
TODAY’s PERSON:
I have selected
the Danish governor-general PETER VON SCHOLTEN.
He was born in 1784 and died on this day in 1854 in Altona near Hamburg –
at that time a Danish city. His family came generations earlier from
Tecklenburg in Germany.
He was
governor-general on the Danish West Indies islands from 1827 to 1848. At the end of that period he gave all slaves
on the islands free. They were about 85 % of the population. He did it on his own initiative and was
consequently called back to Copenhagen, put to court for treason, but the
Supreme Court rescued him. He lived his
last few years in Altona with his daughter and son-in-law.
Read much more
about him and on Danish colonial history on Wikipedia. And see his photo below.
TODAY’s LENGTH:
This day is here
in Belgium 59 minutes longer than December 21. Its length is 8 hours and 57
minutes – from 08.27 to 17.24.
Se more – also in
English – about where you are on: www.dagenslaengde.dk
TODAY’s NAME:
This day is called POLYCARPUS’ DAY. He was born about 69 AC and was one of the apostle John’s followers. He had not studied theology, but was rather a practical man and a very clever teacher. He became bishop in Smyrna ( today Izmir in Turkey ). And here he was condemned to death by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. When he 85 years old was burned on the bond fire in the year 155 AC the flames made a protection around him. The Roman soldier instead had to kill him with his sword.
Polycarpus’ written material belongs to the oldest material, which still exists.
He is considered a saint in the Roman Catholic church as well as in the
Orthodox religion.
The day’s name in Belgium is SAINTS TIMOTHÉE ET TITE. They were both close assistants to the
apostle Paul in the 1st century.
TODAY’s EVENT:
1993: Vaclav Havel is
elected as president of the Czech Republic.
TODAY’s QUESTION:
To paint the town red - what is the origin of that? And it means what?
This expression comes from the US. Originally it comes from an Irish-American ballade, which says: the beacon hills were painted red. It referred to a tradition that the hills with the beacons were actually now and then painted red to signal that a big festival was about to start.
There is also proof that the expression comes from the Missisippi river. The captain of an old steam ship had big difficulties in competition with the new steam ships. One day he said to his crew: Paint her red, boys! From then on his business was very good again.
In German you talk about Rot anstreichen (to paint something red). It refers to the
tradition that you make a red mark in your calendar/diary for days when some
festivities are expected to happen.
Nowadays the expression to
paint the town red is – as you know – still used. It means you are going to have a great evening out. Normally without painting anywhere.
QUESTION FOR TOMORROW:
A red thread - where does that come from? And 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:
The ideal
husband is – according to American women – a butler, who has the income of a
director-general.
This was once said by the British playwright Somerset Maugham.
2.
Today’s quote:
Age is not a
question of years, but of the state of mind.
Who said that?
3. Famous
people born on this day:
1763: Karl 14. Johan ( Jean Baptiste Bernadotte ) ( died 1844 )
1880: Douglas MacArthur ( died 1964 )
1904: Sean MacBride ( died 1988 )
1918: Nicolae Ceaucescu ( died 1989 )
1924: Alice Babs ( died 2014 )
1925: Paul Newman ( died 2008 )
1928: Roger Vadim ( died 2000 )
1953: Anders Fogh Rasmussen
4. Famous
people died on this day:
1854: Peter von Scholten ( 71 years ) - see above and below
1947: Gerda Neumann ( 32 years )
1973: Edward G. Robinson ( 80 years )
1993: Robert Jacobsen ( 81 years )
2007: Hans J. Wegener ( 93 years )
Niels Jørgen Thøgersen
www.simplesite.com/kimbrer +
EUROPE AT WORK www.europe-at-work.be
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