TODAY - January 31

 

NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS

ON: JANUARY 31

New 2021 edition

TODAY’s LENGTH:

This day is here in Belgium 1 hour and 15 minutes longer than December 21. Its length is 9 hours and 12 minutes – from 08.20 to 17.32.

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

TODAY’s NAME:

Today’s name is VIGILIUS’ DAY. He was a bishop in Trient ( now Trentino ) in the Dolomites in the north of Italy. He is known for building many churches and also for an energetic fight against all the Roman gods.  The legend tells that once he turned over a statue for the Roman god for harvest, Saturnus, just with his prayers. This made people kill him. It happened in 405 AC.

 

This day’s name in Belgium is:  SAINT JEAN BOSCO’s DAY – named after Jean Bosco, called Don Bosco, an Italian catholic priest, teacher and writer, who lived in the years 1815-88.

 

TODAY’s EVENT:

1943:  The German troops under field marshal Paulus in Stalingrad surrender to the Russians.

TODAY’s QUESTION:

A Gordian Knot – where does that come from? And means what?

 

This expression comes from Apollon’s Oracle in Delphi – the centre of the world in ancient Greece.  The Oracle had predicted that the person who could undo a knot on the harness on a pole of a wagon in the temple of Zeus in Gordion would become the ruler of the world.

 

Then came Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) and solved the problem by cutting the knot with his sword. And he actually became the ruler of the known world at the time.

 

Today, the expression to untie the Gordian knot means that you solve a problem, which seems unsolvable.

QUESTION FOR TOMORROW:

Are you armed? Or are you just happy to see me? – where does that expression come from?

 

47 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT EUROPE:

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

 

TODAY’s QUOTE & FAMOUS PEOPLE :

1.  Yesterday’s quote:

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!

This was once said by the American democratic president Franklin D. Roosevelt

2.  Today’s quote:

The key idea in art is that people should not have what they like

Who among today’s persons has said that?

3.  Famous people born on this day:

1686:  Hans Egede  ( died 1758 )

1797:  Franz Schubert  ( died 1828 )  - see photo below.

1902:  Alva Myrdal  ( died 1986 )

1920:  Nat Russell  ( died 1990 )

1938:  Queen Beatrix

4.  Famous people died on this day:

1606:  Guy Fawkes  ( 36 years )

1967:  Poul Henningsen ( ”PH” )  ( 73 years )

1976:  Evert Taube  ( 86 years )

 

Niels Jørgen Thøgersen

niels4europe@gmail.com  

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



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